Blog Master G

Quite simply, last night’s Snakes on a Plane showing was the most raucous, fun, and wildest movie-going experience I’ve had in as long as I can remember. Probably ever. So I’ll get right to the point:

How to Experience Snakes on a Plane & Have a Rip Roarin’ Good Time:

1. Assemble your snake posse (we had 10; I’d recommend a minimum of 6). This will ensure that the crowd will be energized, even if you’re the only group in the theater (which I doubt will be the case).
2. Arrive early and meet at the bar outside your local theater.
3. Drink a few rounds and, preferably, conclude your bar visit with shots. This will further energy your posse and bond you as a unified front. (I’m proud to say we did 10 for 10 lemon drop shots.)
4. Bring a camera and have snake photo shoots before and after the film.
5. Bring snakes (we didn’t, but many fellow audience members were well prepared).
6. Cheer loudly and often whenever you see a snake in the movie, whenever there’s a reference to a snake, whenever you want to see snakes on a plane, and whenever something awesome happens (which is pretty much the whole movie).

View more Snakes on a Plane posse photos

The movie was nothing but pure fun. It was chock-full of great one-liners (“We’ll go down faster than a Thai hooker” comes to mind, and, of course, the line that’s made this movie famous for the past year: “I’ve had it with these motherfuckin’ snakes on the motherfuckin’ plane!”). You will laugh, you will scream, you will hoot, you will holler. The SF Chronicle gave the film its second-best review rating, the sitting clapping man (equivalent to 3 of 4 stars), and Mick LaSalle pretty much nails it in his review: “If you can find a better time at the movies this year than this wild comic thriller, let me in on it. I’m there.”

Everyone is blogging about and searching Technorati for Snakes on a Plane today, of course:

So what are you waiting for? Begin forming your snake posse and go see the greatest summer event movie ever!

(I’m not the only one who thinks seeing this movie with a posse is the only way to go.)

The joys of home ownership never seem to end. Last week while cleaning the entire house before Jen got home from work (mission accomplished), I bumped the vacuum cleaner into the U-ring pipe in our upstairs bathroom sink. It was just enough of a nudge to open up a crack that had obviously been in the works for some time. Leakage here we come! Bring on the duct tape. I taped up the shizz and threw the garbage can under the drainage pipe to catch any drippage. The MacGyver method worked just fine as a holdover until today, when it was time to dive into my latest home owner project: replacing the pipes under on our 1930s/1940s Crane Drexel sink.

It was my first time taking on a plumbing project of such magnitude — owning an 80-year-old home will help you learn things quickly — and I’m now grinning with satisfaction at my successful completion. My arms ache and I’m sweaty, but proud.

The hardest part? Using my new hacksaw to cut two of the pipes to the correct lengths for all components to fit together properly. And I didn’t even hack off any thumbs or fingers in the process (a real risk when a technology guy tries to use tools that don’t require installation or activation).

But it was well worth it. Now we have a new drainage system. The best part? It doesn’t even leak, believe it or not.

The sink pipes: Before

The sink repair: The tools

The sink pipes: After

The Saratoga Steeplechasers are at it again, busy promoting awareness and raising money for Universal Preservation Hall. This time we’ve planned an open house for Tuesday, August 22 with local performers performing, artists showcasing their art, and wine tasters tasting wine. Please join us anytime between 1pm and 7pm!

The print invitations and fliers were again created by Lis Designs, and I pulled together this online invitation:

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Universal Preservation Hall will present a day of performances and art from local artists and galleries as it opens its doors at 25 Washington Street, Saratoga Springs, to the community on Tuesday, August 22, from 1pm until 7pm. The Hall will also host a wine tasting from 5pm to 6:30pm. The event is free with a suggested donation of $10. Entry to the wine tasting requires purchase of a UPH wine glass available at the event for $5.00 each.

Performers scheduled to appear include:

Epiphany Theatre

Jill Levy of the Saratoga Chamber Players

Deborah Rocco from Lake George Opera

Home Made Theater

The Ramblin’ Jug Stompers

The Beethoven Trio

Joel Brown

Artists and Galleries include:
Heather Bohm-Tallman
Niki Rossi
Emma Dodge Hansen
Flores Studio
Mimosa Gallery
Thomas Alexander
Westside Gallery
Artworx Fine Art
Frenchy Loeb
Beekman St. Artist Co-op

Download the media advisory

I have only one thing to say today: Tonight it’s on. Oh yes.

Last time the A_nderson media sweep was here it was the back of my head featured in the news. Today it’s my Dad’s turn. The A_nderson noggin is impossible to mistake. Today my Dad can be spotted in the lower right-hand corner of the front page of the Saratogian. I’ve scanned a portion of the front page and have highlighted my Dad chillin’ at the track in this photo (click to enlarge):

I posed the question a week ago about what feed reader you use. Thanks to those of you who responded! This week I ask: What’s your start page? That is, what site fires up along with your browser every day? What’s your window into the world?

For the longest time, my start page was My Yahoo. Then it was Google News for years. And lately, as I mentioned last week, it’s been Netvibes. But I’m not convinced it should stay that way. It can be a bit too overwhelming. That is, as handy as it is to have all my feeds on one, two, three, or more pages, it feels a little stressful. I suppose I need something simpler.

I’ve experimented with customizing Google and like the concept of Newsvine. The age of the mashup and aggregate Web services makes it even more difficult to choose. The Web 2.0 Awards even have a special category just for Start Pages (the winner was Pageflakes, another mashup similar to Netvibes I’ve briefly explored).

So, what’s your start page?

Mmmm….. my breakfast from August 5. The Uncommon Grounds bagel was superb and the Jen-made egg ‘n cheese just right, as always! Oh yes.

I got so much done yesterday after work that even sleeping for 8 hours didn’t seem enough. I finished raking and scooping up the gallons upon gallons of shredded pine cones (courtesy of the squirrels) from the yard. I mowed. And mowed. And got covered in dirt. It hasn’t been as wet lately so we have a bunch of dirt patches throughout our yard (especially where the dogs play, of course). That and our mower needs a new bag.

And then I downloaded photos, uploaded photos, organized photos, labeled photos, and blogged. And blogged. So if you haven’t already seen the two new posts I worked on all night last night, I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed working on them:

• Superfecta Weekend (yes, we really won a superfecta)
• Honorary Spaniards & Track & Pizza & Track (yes, we’re really honorary Spaniards now)

Another unbelievable weekend has just passed (so much fun I don’t know where the time goes!) — this one filled with tons of good luck, which began Friday when Jen scored free orchestra tickets from her company for the Sunday night Tom Petty show at SPAC (her 10th Petty show in 19 years; my 5th in 7 years).

Oh yeah, and that superfecta we won Sunday with Sarah and Eric in the 9th race at the track on the 1-6-10-9 (Certifiably Crazy, Dave, Pa Pa Da, and Golden Commander) — $2 superfecta paid $651 and we won half that with our $1 boxed bet ($24 between the 4 of us for the superfecta box). Can’t beat that! …well, except maybe in the maiden 5th race when the #12 horse, Kon Krete Kid, with his 46-1 odds, won the race and paid out a $1,095 exacta with the #4 horse, Inquisitive. The trifecta on that race paid upwards of $5,000… too bad superfecta wagering wasn’t allowed on that race.

Friday: Took off work early. We were joined by Sarah, Alex, and Cati for a beautiful afternoon at the track (Jen’s 5th of the season and Gabe’s 4th). Basking in the sun, Cati scores the $204 exacta. The first of much good fortune to fall on us throughout the weekend.

Friday night: BBQ at Justin’s to celebrate his 35th birthday party. Good drinks, good friends, good times.

Saturday: BBQ at Sue and Josh’s on the lake with Karen and Joti. Gabe does a cat photo shoot.

Sunday: Score elite box seat at the track (day 6 of the season for Jen; day 5 for Gabe), courtesy of Sarah and Eric (and their secret source). Private betting screen. Dedicated cocktail waitress. Amazing views of the track. We could really get used to this. Jerry Bailey celebration day (winningest jockey of all time at Saratoga). And then… last race (for us) of the day. We hit the superfecta! I’ve now officially hit all the fun bets — exacta, trifeca, and superfecta.

Sunday night: Petty rocks the house at SPAC.

Friday 8/11 afternoon at the track

Justin’s 35th birthday party

Saturday 8/12 BBQ @ Sue & Josh’s

Sunday 8/13 box day & superfecta at Saratoga

Sunday 8/13 Petty show:

This summer’s been so insanely fun and busy that there’s barely time to breathe or sleep, let alone write about anything that’s happened. But tonight I’m doing my best to prepare the photos and recap the past two weekends. I already did a brief commentary of last weekend in this post, so the rest of the story will be told through photos (and the comments therein!).

Last weekend: Dubbing of Gabe and Jen as honorary Spaniards by Cati following dinner at Alex and Cati’s pad (and before Devil Wears Prada). Track with the Wilcox clan. Dinner with Matt and Dana. Breakfast at the track, then betting at the track with Matt and Dana and Dad.

Friday night 8/4 with Alex & Cati

Saturday 8/5 track, pizza dinner, Phillies

Sunday 8/6 track with Dad, Matt, Dana