Blog Master G

In light of the budget cuts to education, health care, and the parks system announced yesterday — coupled with increases to what else? — defense and homeland security spending — the Oreo Perspective from TrueMajorityACTION is even more poignant:

We’re defending ourselves to the point that our children are getting dumber.

(Thanks, Johnny, for the link.)

Thursday night it was Syriana and Friday night it was Brokeback Mountain. I’m quickly making my way through my list of as-of-yet unseen Oscar-nominated films. Sarah joined me and Jen Friday night; she enjoyed Brokeback so much her first time seeing it that she was eager to see it again. Brokeback Mountain is one of those rare movies that actually lives up to its hype.

Naturally, whenever a film has as much hype as this one does, it’s best to keep your expectations in check since you don’t want to be let down. So I tried to do that. Friends like Sarah spoke so highly of the movie, it was hard to fight the urge to get too excited about it. It was a packed theater in Wilton Friday night, but we arrived early for the good seats with plenty of legroom.

The cinematography was gorgeous, the acting superb, and the characters and their story masterfully executed. It was a love story in the greatest sense — two people battling the odds and going against everything their tough, cowboy culture of the 1960s had taught them, in order to keep their love alive. The movie chronicles the 20-year relationship of Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), who form a bond during the summer of 1963 while herding sheep together at Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming (though the movie was actually filmed in Canada). Their relationship must remain a secret, and they each go on to marry and have children, but they keep their love alive with regular fishing trips.

Brokeback Mountain does a stellar job conveying the love shared between the characters. Anyone who thinks that being gay is a choice people somehow make (“I think I’ll be gay today because being gay is just so cool”) should really see this movie, as should any bigots who are afraid of anything besides what they already know in their own lives. The movie is sad, of course, because Ennis and Jack ultimately cannot be together as they would like to be; Ennis was shown at a young age what happens to gay cowboys. What’s even sadder is that intolerance was alive and well in real-life Wyoming as recently as 7 years ago (and no doubt in many places today), when Matthew Shepard was beaten to death for no reason but being himself.

The movie succeeded at not giving in to stereotypes of tough cowboys or effeminate gay men. It struck an excellent balance between just tough enough — Ennis defends his family by kicking the asses of two guys in one scene — and just sensitive enough — the playful relationship of Ennis and Jack brings a smile to the face. As Jen put it, the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously.

It’s hard to write a review about such a powerful movie, so I have to stop now. But I will say that despite the fun being poked at the movie (see Boondocks January 22, 2006 strip, which potrays how “brokeback” has become an adjective), it is a movie that will hopefully help to change the mindset of our culture.

Call me an optimist, but I like to think that one day, our children will look back at this era and at generations before us and exclaim in shock, “Was there really a time in America when you couldn’t openly be gay or even marry the person you love?!”

On our way to Gore yesterday for an afternoon of skiing, Nat and I were cruising along the Northway in his WRX. We were cruising in the middle of three lanes no faster than the flow of traffic at about 80 or 85 miles per hour, when suddenly, a blue minivan we had passed earlier comes barreling down the slow lane out of nowhere. Not far ahead of us in the slow lane was a little Honda. Quickly gaining on the Honda, the minivan had plenty of room to cut over to the middle lane in front of us. Faster. Faster.

I braced myself for the impact. Nat slowed down, ready to react to the impending collision.

Wherever the lady driving the minivan had been — lost in her own thoughts, dozing off, reading — she suddenly snapped out of it just inches before the high-speed impact and slammed on the brakes — really, really hard. The minivan lunged forward and began to violently jerk from side to side, all just inches from the Honda’s rear bumper. I was envisioning an impact or the minivan rolling off the side of the Northway. By some miracle, the minivan recovered and incident was avoided. It was way too close for comfort. There’s no telling what kind of impact a crash or rollover would have had on us.

We made it to the mountain alive and clocked in a solid couple hours of afternoon skiing. Despite the warmest winter ever that we’ve been having this year, the snow wasn’t bad at all. The bottom of the mountain was slushy and skied out, but we avoided that, focusing most of our efforts on Straightbrook Quad at the top of the mountain. We hit Chatiemac a number of times and Hawkeye here and there. Though super moguly and mostly crunchy, we also hit the double diamond run The Rumor, which I first discovered nearly a year ago and enjoy a lot more when it’s covered in powder instead of crunch. But despite the conditions, it was still a great run and a super fun day.

Gore trail map PDF

We missed the Saratoga Springs Chowderfest last year, but not a chance would we miss the annual event — and highlight of the Saratoga Winterfest — two years in a row. As with Chowderfest ’04, Brindisi’s was a clear standout from the crowd this year, again offering the lobster-crab corn chowder. The line was at least 10 minutes long down Broadway.

In order for one’s vote to count, one must sample chowder from at least five participating restaurants. I’d guess at least 30 to 40 restaurants around downtown and on the outskirts of town participate. Jen and I sampled chowder from five places.

Without further adieu. here are our results (on a scale of 1 to 5 Ms, as in, “MMM, this chowder is good!”), photos, and tasting notes for Saratoga Chowderfest ’06:

1. Brindisi’s (MMMMM)
   The fresh chunks of lobster and crab strike again. It’s hard for any establishment to compete when the seafood is this good and this fresh. Perfect level of spiciness.
   

2. Putnam Market (MMMM)
   This traditional New England style clam chowder with potato chunks was a close second place to Brindisi’s. Rich in thyme — almost too thymey — Putnam’s chowder was a pleasant consistency, not too thick and not too thin. Very flavorful and a strong finish (taste-wise and contest-wise).
   

3. Sperry’s (MMM)
   Our first chowder of the day, this Mahattan-style pancetta, corn, and potato chowder got the day started off right. We hadn’t tasted Sperry’s chowder in 2004, but I’m glad we did this year. It was sufficiently spicy and set the standards for the day high.
   

4. 43 Phila (MM 1/2)
   A crab Manhattan chowder, it was unusually thick, but overall pretty darn good. Nice texture with a solid level of spiciness, this chowder leaves a latent heat/aftertaste. The aroma was fantastic and reflected its peppery qualities.
   

5. Lanci’s (1/2 M)
   Jen and I are both good eaters. On the Vassar Ski Team, I was fondly known as The Garbage Disposal since I was happy to eat anyone else’s leftovers. So for either of us not to finish our food is saying a lot. Lanci’s poor entry in this year’s chowderfest was barely a chowder. It was a lentil sausage soup lacking in flavor. There were chunks of shrimp thrown in, and that was its saving grace. While blowing on my spoon to cool down one bite, a shrimp chunk became airborn and flew into Jen’s purse. Lanci’s will have to do much better than this watery, brothy soup if it wants to have a chance next year.
   

Here’s wishing Brindisi’s luck in yet another victory!

I saw Syriana last night — the first movie I’d seen in ages — and added it to my very short list of Oscar-nominated movies that I’ve seen so far: Star Wars: Episode III, Cinderella Man, March of the Penguins, War of the Worlds, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Batman Begins, and Crash. I suppose that’s more movies than I realized, but there are still a number I’d really like to see before March 5: Transamerica, King Kong, Brokeback Mountain, Capote, and Chronicles of Narnia, to name a few. I have work to do.

My dad and I hit the Reel Meals Movie & Dinner theater last night for Syriana. This is a film that everyone should see, especially if you’d rather not think about where all the oil we love to consume comes from. The film is incredibly well done and very Traffic-esque in that it weaves together a number of seemingly unrelated stories that are all connected in one way or another. It’s also a very complex movie, so if you’re not paying attention, you’ll probably miss something. Even if you are paying attention, it’s difficult to follow. Despite my focus, I would even see it again just to better understand all the relationships of the twisted and corrupt world of oil, American business and government, and Middle Eastern royalty.

Despite the disclaimer at the end of the film that it’s fictional — though based on the non-fiction work See No Evil by Robert Baer — I have no doubt that this film accurately depicts the lying, violence, and greed that are the three pillars of the reality of the real-world oil industry.

The film is timely, of course, with Bush — and all his family and friends’ connections with the oil industry — still running and corrupting our government. In the film, the oblivious younger son of the Emir who is eventually appointed to become the new Emir of his father’s oil-rich Middle Eastern country — as a figurehead tool of the American government and oil companies — is eerily reminiscent of George W. Bush himself.

The acting of the all-star cast was superb, especially by George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Amanda Peet, who broke away from her stereotypical role in romantic comedies, where she recently starred with the likes of Ashton Kutcher (A Lot Like Love).

Syriana does an excellent job throughout the film in contrasting the two opposites that power the oil empires of the world — the rich men and royalty calling the shots, and the poor workers who no doubt risk their lives every day at oil refineries and on oil rigs. It’s a moving and important film for our time.

Yesterday New York Attorney General (and our next governor) Eliot Spitzer, Saratoga Springs Mayor Valerie Keehn, Accounts Commissioner John Franck, County Supervisor Joanne Yepsen, Prolific Blogger Gabe, and a slew of other local Democrats gathered for the standing-room-only announcement at Canfield Casino that Kirsten Gillibrand is challenging Congressman John Sweeney for his seat in the House of Representatives Congressional District 20.

Eliot Spitzer, Valerie Keehn, and others support Kirsten Gillibrand
View more photos from the event

As if to emphasize that she’s a true upstate New Yorker — perhaps distinguishing herself from a certain other Congresswoman from New York — Gillibrand began her announcement by talking about her family, who’s been in the area for generations. A Hudson resident, Albany native, and Dartmouth alum, Gillibrand pointed to her mother (in the crowd not far behind me), and talked about her being a rifle and bow hunter who brings home the turkey for Thanksgiving and the venison for Christmas. Though it was a roomful of Democrats, Gillibrand was smart to launch her campaign by establishing a deep connection with upstate and with hunters since it’s going to be a tough battle in our district, where registered Republicans outnumber us 2 to 1.

After the familia background, Gillibrand touched on all the issues important not just in New York, but in the entire country: Responsible government, accountability, healthcare, jobs, energy, the war in Iraq. Her positions are in line with mine, so I’m happy to support Gillibrand for this incredibly important mid-term election season.

There were a couple dozen Sweeney supporters outside the Casino. Funny. I thought they outnumbered us 2 to 1. There were at least a couple hundred supporters who showed up inside the Casino.

The A_nderson media sweep also continues this week, last night featuring the back of my head on local NBC affiliate WNYT 13:

Gillibrand enters race for House:

Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand officially kicked off her campaign Tuesday to oust U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park, from his seat in the 20th Congressional district.

She announced her bid in her hometown of Hudson and again later at Canfield Casino in Saratoga Springs.

‘I am here to launch my campaign to bring accountable government and honest leadership back to Washington,’ Gillibrand said. ‘Our system of government — our democracy — is built on a foundation of trust. Today, that foundation is cracked. I am running this campaign to earn your trust and help repair that foundation.’

There’s a new historic house on the block, and now we have the plaque to prove it. As I wrote about earlier this month, we finally got around to sending in the application for our Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation historic plaque. They approved our application and cast the bronze in no time, as I got a call yesterday that the plaque was ready to go. It’s beautiful and heavy and sturdy and makes me smile, knowing that our house is now officially a part of local history. Jen and I soon plan to have a plaque-mounting ceremony. I actually had a dream about it last night. I guess I’m pretty excited about the whole thing.

BUILT FOR
FRANK B. & ANNE E. HOLDEN
c. 1926
SARATOGA SPRINGS PRESERVATION FOUNDATION

Adding to the uniqueness and mystery of our plaque and house is that we have the little c. before the date — as in, “circa 1926,” since nobody really knows for sure that that’s the year the house was built. As I wrote in that last post, research suggests there was another structure here in 1925, which was replaced by our house by 1926. Not all the plaques get that mysterious “c.” The other houses on our street with plaques are more definitive in proclaiming their years of construction (1947 and another 1926).

“‘How dare you maintain that those who believe in the Judeo-Christian values are better qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?’ My simple answer is, `Yes, they are.'”
– Pat Robertson

Yesterday was a lazy day around the A_nderson household — random computer stuff, video games, TV — so we found ourselves watching the 700 Club to see what blasphemy Pat Robertson & Co. were preaching to the masses. We joined programming during a fundraising effort wherein a pointless countdown timer would reset itself every 15 minutes (yes, we watched that long, and even came back to the program a couple hours later to see what a long 15 minutes it had been).

During good ol’ Pat’s begging for money so that he can continue preaching in God’s name, the show cut to an oh so moving story about a couple in Alaska who operates a tour boat company. The business was struggling and affecting their marriage. Whatever could they do? Pat had the answer: Give me all your money and you’ll be saved. So sure enough, it seems that that’s exactly what happened. This poor couple gave a bunch of money to the 700 Club and next thing they knew, they had doubled their profits and business was great. Thanks, Pat! Somehow you saved the day.

I was confused. How did Pat Robertson double this couple’s profits? Was he behind the new deal the couple had signed with a cruise ship company to bring its passengers to their small tour boat?

Nope. Apparently, God was behind that deal. How do I know? I called the 700 Club to ask. I talked to a nice lady who had a true passion in her voice; I did not get the impression that she was reading from a script. After asking her what benefits membership in the 700 Club would give me (a copy of Pat’s book, keeping the show on the air, etc.), I asked her to explain to me how the couple with the boat was able to double their profits after giving to the 700 Club; I told her I wanted to double my profits, too.

She explained that no, it wasn’t the 700 Club that had doubled their profits. Oh no. It was God. God and His Kingdom. By giving to the 700 Club — apparently the direct deposit to God’s bank account — this couple had given to God. And God loves money. Who doesn’t love money? So God helped double the couple’s profits by sending this cruise ship their way.

I wonder if God is in debt. God knows the U.S. is in debt and will be for generations. Maybe we should take out a loan from God to continue bombing the hell out of Iraq and other nations. Iran is on the list. I’m sure God would love to help us bomb Iran. Just ask Pat Robertson. He seems to be God’s messenger who preys on broke and desperate people with nowhere to turn but the Christian Broadcast Network.

America. Fuck yeah.

It’s been a couple months since our last media appearance. When you’re as in demand as we A_ndersons are, it’s necessary to keep the paparazzi begging for more from time to time. So yesterday we gave ’em what they wanted and had Jen make an appearance on local ABC affiliate WTEN Channel 10; she was interviewed about her thoughts on the 20th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, and her feelings on the space program:

View movie clip of Jen on the news

Friday night Jen and I hit O’Callaghan’s for dinner with Sarah and Eric, followed by an evening at 13, chillin’ to the smooth (and loud) beats of a live DJ. I worry about my ears lately: Whenever I’m around music that’s too loud, my left ear rings. Normally it’s fine. I suppose I should try not to be around loud music too much. I guess I just enjoy going out, so I can’t help myself.

Yesterday afternoon following a stop at Seth and Rachel’s open house, we high-tailed it to Albany for a memorable evening of NYC-esque clubs, sushi, and wine with Alex and Cati (of alexandcati.com fame). After enjoying some Spanish wine at the Sokolowski abode, we had some pre-dinner drinks at a trendy new club called Noche (TU review), which is trying to bring to the Capital Region the $200 bottle of vodka, the red carpet, and velvet ropes — in a warehouse in a sketchy part of downtown. Our martinis weren’t anywhere near $200 (only about $10 apiece) and we didn’t have to wait in any lines to get in. Most of the time we were there, we were the only ones in the place, but another group was arriving as we were leaving. It was pretty chill and I think it will do well; it’s only been open for five weeks so far. The bartender told us that they’re super-packed once all the shows in the neighborhood let out. I would go back, but probably not if I have to wait in line, pass dress code, and pay $200 for a bottle of vodka.

After Noche, we hit Saso’s for some amazing sushi. It was the best sushi we’d had in a very long time, and it was well worth the wait. The fish was all super fresh and incredibly flavorful. We then hit a bar called Valentine’s — a down-home kind of place with live music — for Irish car bombs and a round of Stella (the beer, not our dog). We concluded the evening back at Alex and Cati’s place with wine, Hearts, and the always-tasty Boursin cheese.

Today is a great day to relax at home.