I haven't posted anything here in a while, so I thought I'd write a quick update.
Anya and I have been busy working, skiing, and hunting for real estate. We found a place we're thinking of making an offer on, but spending that much money is a scary prospect and obviously we don't want to get ripped off. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Anya finally got around to posting and commenting pictures from her trip to visit family in Belarus at New Year's; they are here.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Oh, the snow!
Anya is back now from having a fun trip to Belarus. On Saturday we again took advantage of record-breaking snowfall by skiing at Crystal Mountain (10 feet of new snow in 15 days). The skiing was fantastic! Anya got stuck in waist deep snow and had to extricate herself - a procedure more akin to swimming than skiing.
Check out the pics here.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Best Movies of 2007
I'm hesitant to post product reviews on this blog, but I love movies and I couldn't resist the temptation of talking about which movies I thought were 2007's best. They're listed in order, my top ranked films first. Feel free to leave a comment if you disagree.
#1 (tie): "No Country for Old Men" - An entry of the timeless debate between fate & free will done with masterful suspense. Powerful, heavy, and challenging; appropriate for its time. Best ending of any film last year (or many years before, for that matter).
#1 (tie): "There Will Be Blood" - If you watch this film from a technical standpoint you will find a nearly perfect production: a superb script, excellent cinematography, tight editing, a haunting score, and acting that is second to none. But of course look deeper to see "Blood" as an allegory, a devastating metaphor for modern day America. Not recommended for mainstream audiences, who will probably walk out in disgust (as some did when I saw this film).
3. "Lars and the Real Girl" - On the lighter, slightly less pessimistic side: a great comedy, because it isn't your standard comedy. I haven't felt that awkward in a movie for a long time; I respect it for that. Also very sweet in a Midwestern sort of way.
4. "No End in Sight" - I had to include one documentary; this one about the run-up to the Iraq invasion was one of the best-researched docs I've seen in a while. Warning: it will make you very angry.
5. "Juno" - Although the music is distracting and the writing is, at times, less than stellar, I liked this movie. It's touching without being preachy or too corny.
Others:
"Planet Earth" - Technically a TV documentary so I didn't include it in my list (it would have been #1). Best Doc ever.
"Michael Clayton" - I love the starkness and minimalism.
"Charlie Wilson's War" - Too bad you need Tom Hanks & Julia Roberts to get people to see a smart film like this.
"A Mighty Heart" - Yeah, I'll admit to liking it even though nobody else will.
"Ratatouille" - Best date movie of the year; I suppose it would be okay for kids too.
Most overrated films:
"Atonement" - I liked this movie, and it was wittier than I expected. The problem is that it's simply not as good as everyone says it is. Plus, I'm pretty sure this is just an mixture of several other stories from the last few years.
"Into the Wild" - Good source material, boring movie - and not boring in a good (philosophical) way, either. Read the book instead.
#1 (tie): "No Country for Old Men" - An entry of the timeless debate between fate & free will done with masterful suspense. Powerful, heavy, and challenging; appropriate for its time. Best ending of any film last year (or many years before, for that matter).
#1 (tie): "There Will Be Blood" - If you watch this film from a technical standpoint you will find a nearly perfect production: a superb script, excellent cinematography, tight editing, a haunting score, and acting that is second to none. But of course look deeper to see "Blood" as an allegory, a devastating metaphor for modern day America. Not recommended for mainstream audiences, who will probably walk out in disgust (as some did when I saw this film).
3. "Lars and the Real Girl" - On the lighter, slightly less pessimistic side: a great comedy, because it isn't your standard comedy. I haven't felt that awkward in a movie for a long time; I respect it for that. Also very sweet in a Midwestern sort of way.
4. "No End in Sight" - I had to include one documentary; this one about the run-up to the Iraq invasion was one of the best-researched docs I've seen in a while. Warning: it will make you very angry.
5. "Juno" - Although the music is distracting and the writing is, at times, less than stellar, I liked this movie. It's touching without being preachy or too corny.
Others:
"Planet Earth" - Technically a TV documentary so I didn't include it in my list (it would have been #1). Best Doc ever.
"Michael Clayton" - I love the starkness and minimalism.
"Charlie Wilson's War" - Too bad you need Tom Hanks & Julia Roberts to get people to see a smart film like this.
"A Mighty Heart" - Yeah, I'll admit to liking it even though nobody else will.
"Ratatouille" - Best date movie of the year; I suppose it would be okay for kids too.
Most overrated films:
"Atonement" - I liked this movie, and it was wittier than I expected. The problem is that it's simply not as good as everyone says it is. Plus, I'm pretty sure this is just an mixture of several other stories from the last few years.
"Into the Wild" - Good source material, boring movie - and not boring in a good (philosophical) way, either. Read the book instead.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Seattle in January
January days in Seattle are short and dark: aside from Anchorage it's the northern-most city in the U.S. It frequently rains or drizzles, leading some people to get Seasonal Affective Disorder. Fortunately, SAD doesn't seem to effect me too much. Seattle isn't much darker than Minnesota, and it's not nearly so cold: people here were really complaining when temps dropped into the 30's this past week. Plus, it's easy to avoid SAD by focusing on the positive: rain in Seattle equals snow in the mountains.
La Niña has been good to the Northwest this year; the nearby ski areas have received more than 180 inches of snow since December 19th. My friends Alex, Crystal, Pavel and I enjoyed skiing on some of the freshest of that on Saturday. The snow report at Crystal Mountain was amazing: 6 feet in the last week, 10 inches overnight.
High winds, ice, and near white-out conditions near the top of the mountains kept most skiers away from some of the advanced terrain. Alex and I skied slowly and carefully along a long, swooping ridgeline. It's difficult to ski when you can't tell the difference between the sky and the ground, but we reached our objective: a long, sustained fall-line run that plunges about 2000'. We dropped over the ridge, back into the zone where trees grow, and...whoompf! Untracked, waist-deep powder. No exaggeration...waist deep! Incredible. Life-altering. It was far and away the most snow I've ever skied in. We were lucky the run was steep enough for us to maintain good momentum; that much snow on a shallower run would make it impossible to ski (you'd have to walk). There was less snow and more tracks from other skiers as we got further down the run. Near the bottom there was "only" knee-deep powder. It was one of the best runs of my entire life.
Skiing powder is a sublime experience that defies comparison. Most people are used to skiing on the snow; it's completely different to ski through the snow. I can't describe it...it's unlike anything I've ever done. Now, back at home, I'm hoping for more rain. More La Niña. How could you ever get depressed in Seattle in January?
La Niña has been good to the Northwest this year; the nearby ski areas have received more than 180 inches of snow since December 19th. My friends Alex, Crystal, Pavel and I enjoyed skiing on some of the freshest of that on Saturday. The snow report at Crystal Mountain was amazing: 6 feet in the last week, 10 inches overnight.
High winds, ice, and near white-out conditions near the top of the mountains kept most skiers away from some of the advanced terrain. Alex and I skied slowly and carefully along a long, swooping ridgeline. It's difficult to ski when you can't tell the difference between the sky and the ground, but we reached our objective: a long, sustained fall-line run that plunges about 2000'. We dropped over the ridge, back into the zone where trees grow, and...whoompf! Untracked, waist-deep powder. No exaggeration...waist deep! Incredible. Life-altering. It was far and away the most snow I've ever skied in. We were lucky the run was steep enough for us to maintain good momentum; that much snow on a shallower run would make it impossible to ski (you'd have to walk). There was less snow and more tracks from other skiers as we got further down the run. Near the bottom there was "only" knee-deep powder. It was one of the best runs of my entire life.
Skiing powder is a sublime experience that defies comparison. Most people are used to skiing on the snow; it's completely different to ski through the snow. I can't describe it...it's unlike anything I've ever done. Now, back at home, I'm hoping for more rain. More La Niña. How could you ever get depressed in Seattle in January?
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