Blog Master G

One of the fun things about owning an old home is hearing the floor creak as you walk around; catching the angle of the glass in the windows that reveals their age in the warps; feeling the solid doors shut; admiring the original fixtures. One of the fun things about owning a WRX is hearing the engine rumble — I can hear it when Jen’s coming down the street on her way home from work, and so can the dogs. Most mornings in winter I get the WRX warmed up for Jen before work. Whenever the car’s running in the garage, especially in the winter when the air is crisp and everything is still, our dishes and glasses on the back shelves in our kitchen rattle from the rumble of the WRX. I like it. It’s as if old and new are meeting to say, “How do you do?” And we have a detached garage.

The Island, starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, is, perhaps, misnamed. But maybe that’s the point. Like the characters in this movie — the ultimate in stem cell research gone wrong (manufactured humans who are living, breathing, and thinking, rather than in the vegetative state they were supposed to be in) — we are tricked going into it that it’s going to be about an island. The film is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller that tackles morality and ethics in 2019 head-on when the rich buy “insurance policies” — clones of themselves — to have on hand in case they need that liver or heart transplant, can’t get pregnant, and the like. But what if those insurance policies begin to question their own existence and begin to discover the notion of self? What if those insurance policies break out of the DoD-sponsored underground compound to confront their “sponsors” in the real world? I enjoyed the movie last night a lot more than I expected to. We like to joke that Ewan is Jen’s boyfriend and Scarlett is my girlfriend, so we didn’t mind the eye candy, either.

Two years ago today we had just endured 24 hours without power in the midst of our packing for our cross-country move.

I don’t shop at Wal-Mart for a number of reasons — it doesn’t treat its workers well (half of its 1.2 million employees are blocked from being eligible for healthcare), it drives small businesses out of town (what choice will we have in shopping before long?), it has a scary amount of control over the global supply chain (it may employee a lot of people, but it also puts a lot of small U.S. manufacturing companies out of business since Wal-Mart sets the price and the only way to comply is by going overseas), etc. — so I was glad to see local bank Adirondack Trust issue a public challenge to Wal-Mart to match its $100,000 fundraising goal for local communities.

Currently, the Wilton Wal-Mart donates about $45,000 locally — pennies for the world’s largest mega-corporation. Today’s editorial in the Saratogian supported the Adirondack Trust’s challenge, and so do I. I would hope and expect that not only will Wal-Mart rise to the challenge, but surpass it by two-, three-, or even tenfold. A million dollars to the communities on which it relies and strips of character should be the least Wal-Mart can do to return the favor.

Wal-Mart Watch

On a somewhat related note, I was also saddened by a letter to the editor in today’s Saratogian to learn that Little India on 423 Broadway will be forced to shut down in January since the property manager has issued an eviction notice — in anticipation of a higher-paying tenant, no doubt. Though not my favorite of the two Indian food places in Saratoga, Little India is part of the charm of Broadway; it’s part of what makes our downtown unique. I just really hope that whoever the property manager of 423 Broadway is has not sold out to a chain store. If so, shame on you. That would be a short-sighted decision that sacrifices the long-term vibrancy of this community.

One year ago today it felt like -26 degrees outside.

Yesterday marked the start of my 21st season of skiing (has it really been that long?!) when Nat and I, armed with our Price Chopper Family Mountain Passbooks, headed to Gore Mountain for an impromptu afternoon of awesome skiing. One of my goals this winter is to really make an effort to ski as much as possible. It’s one of my favorite things in life; there’s really nothing quite like it.

And living so close to good skiing is just wonderful — and one of the many original reasons we chose Saratoga Springs as our home. When we lived in San Francisco, I and every other Bay Area resident would head east every Friday afternoon to begin the long-ass journey to Lake Tahoe (4 hours without traffic and at least 6 hours with traffic). Sure, there’s no place like Tahoe, but you can’t beat the convenience factor — deciding at 11am on a Sunday that you want to ski that afternoon, hitting the road at noon, skiing just after 1pm. Gore is just 54 miles and less than an hour from Saratoga Springs. We were there and back by 5pm.

The mountain wasn’t at all crowded, the snow was pretty good — mostly soft with only a few rough and icy patches — and the temperature was in the 30s without any wind. All in all, a very good start to the 2005/2006 ski season. Hopefully the first of many more days to come!

Unrelated to yesterday’s ski trip, here’s a picture of me rolling in my new Windstar, as requested by Megan and other worldwide fans of my new wheels:

Saturday night we hit Sarah and Eric’s place for a delicious fish dinner and a fun evening with friends. That afternoon we finally got our kitchen back in order following last week’s party.

Be sure to watch Tom Brokaw’s special on NBC tomoorrow (Sunday) night at 8pm. The clips I’ve seen look very moving — Jon Stewart interviewed Brokaw this week — and the report, “To War and Back,” actually features a National Guard unit from here in the Capital Region — Glens Falls, which is only about 20 minutes north of Saratoga. A couple of the scenes were filmed right here in Saratoga Springs.

Special on local soldiers airs Sun.:

Brokaw interviewed soldiers at the Saratoga Diner on South Broadway and visited other sites in the city such as Congress Park. After filming at the diner, he interviewed more soldiers at The Bullpen bar on Caroline Street.

…

Brokaw said talking with veterans is more meaningful to him than interviews with world leaders.

‘People always ask me what are the most memorable interviews I’ve ever done,’ he said. ‘They expect me to say Gorbachev or Dr. King or the presidents. Actually, these are the interviews that linger with me — all over the world, ordinary people who do exceptional things and then don’t expect to get any attention.

‘That’s the real story of humanity. When you’re with these young men who have been in Iraq, they joined the National Guard thinking it would maybe help them get to college and then finding themselves in harm’s way and serving their country. That’s the real fabric of the country. That’s what you tend to remember.’

…

‘I always believe that the best of American life is found in places like this,’ Brokaw said. ‘That’s what holds us together. It’s not at the extremes. It’s really in the heartland, and the heartland is everywhere.

‘The people who went to World War II and came home didn’t stop giving back to their country, and these kids won’t, either.’

Though I disagree with our country’s reasons for going to war and the politicians who sent our soldiers to Iraq, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the men and women who put their lives on the line to serve our country. I think this documentary will be an important look behind the scenes of the war, so to speak, and will hopefully help all Americans connect with the sodiers in a way that we can’t necessarily do on a daily basis. I can’t fathom what it must be like to be so young and fighting this war. I’m sure this documentary will give us all a taste of what it’s like and what we’re asking them to sacrifice.

The impossible has happened: Bush has admitted fault! Someone’s approval numbers must really stink (currently at 39% approval and 55% disapproval).

Bush: Iraq Invasion My Responsibility:

WASHINGTON – President Bush said Wednesday the responsibility for invading Iraq based in part on faulty weapons intelligence rested solely with him, taking on the issue in his most direct and personal terms in the 1,000-plus days since the war’s first shots.

“It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong,” Bush said. “As president, I’m responsible for the decision to go into Iraq.”

The president’s mea culpa was accompanied by a robust defense of the divisive war.

Two years ago today: Saratoga Trip, first impressions of my new town.

In the 1980s, ninjas were all the rage. I was a big-time ninja fan. Some of my favorite movies included classics like Revenge of the Ninja (all-time best ninja movie), American Ninja (I through V), Enter The Ninja, and, of course, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — with movies, cartoons, action figures, and video games, definitely the best branded ’80s ninjas around. Splinter was an excellent trainer and should make us all proud.

I’m thinking about ninjas this morning since I was fortunate enough last night at Justin’s place to catch a few minutes of the 1984 classic Ninja III: The Domination, which somehow escaped my 1980s ninja radar. The scene I caught was a woman ninja clad in brown camouflage hiding in trees and sniping with bow and arrows the cops attending the funeral of one of their fallen camarades. It really got me psyched about ninjas again. What kid who grew up in the ’80s didn’t dream of and pretend to be a ninja? Or was that just me?

Regardless, ninjas were definitely hip in the ’80s. Why? And are ninjas not hip anymore? I wonder. An IMDB search for ninja returns 283 partial title results, and a quick skim of that list reveals my instinct: That most ninja movies were made in the ’80s, with a sprinkling in the early ’90s and even one from 2003 called A Ninja Pays Half My Rent.

A Google search for ninja reveals 12,400,000 results, along with ads for ninja gear and low-cost quality swords. So there must still be a market for ninjas. But do they make for hip dinner conversation these days? And do today’s kids still want to grow up to be ninjas? I think I’ll find out next time I’m out on the town or at a dinner party. And I’ll keep my dream of becoming a ninja one day alive.

At least one other guy still loves ninjas, too. He writes:

Hi, this site is all about ninjas, REAL NINJAS. This site is awesome. My name is Robert and I can’t stop thinking about ninjas. These guys are cool; and by cool, I mean totally sweet.

Facts:

1. Ninjas are mammals.
2. Ninjas fight ALL the time.
3. The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people.

I couldn’t have said it much better myself. Ninjas rule.

In other news, it’s so cold this morning that my noise hair nostrils froze a little bit while walking the dogs. The treemometer tells me it’s about 7 degrees this morning:

Yahoo Weather tells me it’s a mere 3 degrees.

And, technically, it’s still fall. Winter doesn’t begin until December 21, the solstice.

Doesn’t it look like someone threw a party? Stella thinks so.

Sketchy things rarely happen in this small town, so when they do, it’s big news. Back in October, some dumbass from Connecticut tried to kidnap a member of the girls’ cross-country team (not just any cross-country team, mind you, but a team that’s best in the state and who took #2 in the country; the boys’ team placed #1 — view site). The girl escaped and the coach chased him down and called the police. In jail, he tried to hang himself. Now he’s been indicted.

Anyway, in this small town, gladly, things like that just don’t really happen. So when someone rings the doorbell of my house, my first instinct is never one of suspicion. Not that I was worried about being kidnapped (though I did used to run track, so kidnappers, beware!), but yesterday was a different story when the man who rang my doorbell didn’t identify himself, wanted to “show you something that I think you’ll like,” and kept insisting on coming inside. Despite my curiosity, I held strong in my doorway and wouldn’t let him in. I asked him what he was selling and told him to give me his 30-second sales pitch. He grew frustrated and said, “Well, if you’d just listen to me!” Which, of course, I was; I just wasn’t going to let a stranger with no identification who wouldn’t tell me what he wanted into my house. So he stormed off to continue on his strange door-to-door journey. I conferred with my neighbor, who also got a weird vibe from the guy, and we agreed to report him.

This guy should’ve taken a hint from my favorite solicitors of all time — the Mormons who asked if there was anything they could do for me, even after I told them I didn’t share their beliefs. It was this past summer, and to this day, I wish I had taken them up on their offer and put them to work mowing my lawn.

There’s a mini-van in my future. My in-laws love the mini-van and recently purchased a new one. So they’re giving the old Windstar with 140,000 miles on it to me. Oh yes. Rollin’ mini-van style. And we don’t even have any kids yet. (James was giving me a hard time via IM yesterday.) But hey, when all you need is a beater to get around town, who cares what it is? I even considered buying a cargo van, but then I might have been mistaken for a kidnapper.

For those of you who wanted it, here’s the recipe for Heather’s delicious spinach dip on Saturday night. Thanks, Heather!

Friends gathered Saturday night with two bottles each of Pinot Noir in hand for the first-ever A_nderson wine tasting party to celebrate Jen’s big 30th birthday. After tons of planning and two straight days of clean-up and preparation, the evening went off without a hitch. Fourteen types of Pinot flowed in the blind tasting, and Jack and Kim came away the winners with lucky bottle #13, squeaking past David and Mary’s wine #14 with scores of 10.4 to 10.3, respectively. With the highest average across all wines (12.5 of 15), I seemed to enjoy all the wines more than everyone else (or have the worst palette), and Sue, with an average score of 5.9, enjoyed the 14 wines the least (or had the most discriminating palette).

They say that most good parties end in the kitchen. And by 3am, when it was only Jen and I and our overnight guests still standing, that’s exactly where it ended. But earlier on in the evening, the party had its first end with Karaoke Revolution 3 and the new addition, Get on Da Mic (rap karaoke courtesy of Justin). What A_nderson party would be complete without rocking out on the mic?

A big thank you to everyone who joined us in making this memorable party such a success and so much fun! Thanks to everyone who helped out with set up (Karen, Joti, Heather, Saahil), supplies (Sarah, Eric, Anne, Tom, Alex, Cati), clean-up (Joe), food serving, and more. Thanks also to Jane and Sarah for the wine tasting training, documentation, and past practice.

View participant scores and results (thanks to Saahil for tallying!).

View all wine tasting party photos

On this day 30 years ago, a star was born — Jennifer A_nderson. And I’m lucky enough to be her husband. For those of us fortunate enough to have Jen in our lives, we’re better off for it. Jen brings so much joy and good energy to everyone who knows her. Her laugh, her smile, her beauty, her smarts, her humor… could a guy ask for anything more?

I love you, Jenner. Happy birthday!

Two years ago today I wrote about the going away party that sent us off from San Francisco to Saratoga Springs. I like what I wrote. We didn’t say any goodbyes. And in the five times I’ve been back to San Francisco in the past two years, it feels like I never left — aside from staying in hotels or at Enoch’s place instead of my own. And I still never say goodbye. It’s always, “See ya later!” With email and blogs and the magic of airplanes, the country’s smaller than ever, so I still feel close to all my friends and family who are still in California… though it would be nice if I could talk more of you into moving here!

The past two years have gone by in a flash. We’ve found a new home in Saratoga Springs and have made so many great new friends here. Rather than feeling sad about having left California, I feel lucky to now feel at home on both sides of the country.

It was a year and a week ago that we bought our first fake Christmas tree and put it up in the living room; it hasn’t yet gone up this year but it will this week.

A year ago today the snow had melted a bit and there was slush everywhere. Not so this year. There’s still a thin layer of snow on the ground (though not a whole lot has accumulated yet), and it’s been too cold (20 degrees F this morning) for it to melt too much yet. Two to four inches more of snow are in the forecast for tomorrow, my wife’s birthday.

At 68,762 miles, yesterday I finally got a problem fixed with the WRX that had been bothering me for way too long: The steering wheel had been cocked to the right. A couple years ago (before leaving SF), I had purchased a lifetime alignment from Firestone. Somewhere along the way, they screwed up the position of the steering wheel and refused to fix it. Every time I brought it in, they gave me some BS about how the alignment is fine (which, technically, maybe it was), and that they couldn’t fix the steering wheel. Of course, they just didn’t want to since they weren’t getting any more money from me. So yesterday the guys at People’s Automotive in Wilton did the job — and a kick-ass job they did. Not only did they fix the steering wheel so that it’s straight once again, but they fixed the alignment, too. I’d highly recommend the shop — they really know what they’re doing. The other great car place where I’ve been going is Superior Automotive, also just off Route 9. Nat introduced me that place, and they’ve done a kick-ass job on recent maintenance, too. So screw Firestone.

From an email I received via my contact form last night: Suburban Dog Sled. Aww yeah.

Great holiday gift: Dog books.