Where's Nate?

hibernation.

2009-04-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Faithful wheresnate.com readers have been griping about my lack of updates for months. There are too many places on the web to update and not enough time. So for now please follow me on Twitter.

I've even made it easy for you by publishing my stream in the right column. Enjoy!

blood in the water.

2009-01-18T23:28:00.000-08:00

Red Wings v Sharks. Since the mid-90s, this rivalry has blossomed into one of the better matchups in the NHL. Pitting two of the top three teams head-to-head at the Shark Tank, last night's game lived up to the hype. And I was there to see it in person.

I took my buddy, Mike, to the Tank. Mike's a good Canadian who happens to be a diehard Wings fan. He's adopted the Sharks for much of the rest of the season, but he was bleeding red and white last night.

The atmosphere in the Tank was electric. Like playoff-hockey-level electric. When the Sharks scored three minutes into the game, I thought the roof was going to cave-in.

It was a good ole high scoring seesaw of a game. 1-1. 2-2. 3-3. 4-4. And then the Sharks pulled away 6-4 before the Wings chipped in a late one to make it close.

I didn't grow up playing ice hockey. But I became a huge fan at Middlebury, one of the dominant schools in Division III. Last night had the feel of our mid-90s national championship run. A bit frantic, highly energetic, and very, very entertaining.

slumdog millionaire.

2009-01-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

It's rare that Paige and I get a "date night" so when her parents offered to watch Hadley last night, we jumped at the chance to catch a flick and grab some sushi. We picked "Slumdog Millionaire", a topsy-turvy tale of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who finds himself one question away from winning 20M rupees. It's very well-done, one of the best movies I've seen in the theaters in a long time.

In particular, I enjoyed watching the transition of India ("from Bombay to Mumbai") through the eyes of the poorest members of society. Through the lens of authors like Tom Friedman, Americans tend to see the "rise of India" story, the offshoring/outsourcing story, the gleaming corporate campuses of Bangalore. And yet, with one-third of the world's poverty population living within it's borders, India still has a long, long way to go.

To see/read more, check out this article from today's Merc.

ano nuevo.

2009-01-02T23:45:00.000-08:00

And here we are in 2009, a year that will be....interesting. We have a new President, a bottomless economic crisis, and major international clusterblanks festering away. I'm not one to try and predict the future, but I expect (hope?) that we'll be better off in 365 days than we are now.

It's been a great holiday season on Mossbrook Circle. Paige and I both had two weeks off and we celebrated with both sides of the family. The Johnson's spent Christmas Eve in Santa Cruz (25 years in a row) while the Budelsky's traveled to San Jose from Seattle and Cincinnati to enjoy Hadley's first visit from St. Nick. New Year's Eve was uneventful and quiet, just the way we like it.

the year in review.

2008-12-26T15:26:00.001-08:00

It's been a looooong time since I posted, so I'm taking the easy way out. Here's a quick rewind of 2009.

January
Paige and I moved into our new house, an Eichler on Mossbrook, and promptly undertook a ton of big projects: painting every room, new double pane windows, automatic garage doors, and new floors in all of the bedrooms. I participated in two fantastic Google trips to Disneyland and Squaw Valley.

February
I broke my arm (ouch) while Paige-o was eight months pregnant. Not a great move, and I haven't thrown a softball since that fateful and crazy evening. The arm (now with metal plate!) is fully operational, a bit sore, and on the mend.

March
We welcomed Hadley Anne into the world on March 9th. She continues to be an amazing addition to our lives. March was also the last time we saw serious rain in Silicon Valley until November or so.

April
A big month at work, as I helped launch Google Earth 4.3 and rolled out public transportation data for Google Maps in Chicago. Paige and I continue to sleep in 90-minute increments.

May
We celebrated a nice long weekend in Carmel with our dear friends Dave and Maddy. In a related story, Fenway and Riley (their wonderpooch) don't care much for each other.

June
Another big project completed for Google Earth, as we launched 3D buildings for Disneyworld. June also marked my official entrance into the Tim Lincecum fan club.

July
Lots of travel, including business trips to LA, New York City, and Valencia, Spain. We take Hadley to Cincinnati and St. Louis for family activities. Also, we enjoyed our first of (hopefully) many fourth of July celebrations with the Mossbrook Eichler neighborhood. My brother-in-law and I finished first in the water balloon toss. Booyah.

August
Our side yard gets a major overhaul with the installation of a professional grade bocce court. Grandpa Johnson rolls the first ball, and it's a strike.

September
The good: big time launch of transit in New York City. The bad: Michigan football begins the worst season in school history. The ugly: the Giants complete their downward spiral. The uglier: JT O'Sullivan is named the starting QB for the Niners.

October
Hadley's first Halloween features a hilarious ladybug outfit. And the whole family travels to Nebraska to celebrate Grandpa Johnson's 90th birthday. Paige and I celebrate (again) our 8th anniversary in style.

November
We host Thanksgiving for friends and family, serving homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potatoes, a brined turkey, and more. More importantly, Obama wins the election. I build a massive fence with my next door neighbor.

December
Cold days and even colder nights put the radiant heating to the test. And for the first time in several years, our tree and holiday decorations come out of storage.

That basically sums it up. Here's hoping for better blogging in 2009!

a welcome distraction.

2008-11-02T22:29:00.000-08:00

Tuesday is a big day in the history of our country. With the stock market and housing situation in the toilet, I'm hoping for some good news. And even though I already mailed in my ballot, I'm keeping a close eye on the election.

If all goes according to plan, Tuesday marks a new beginning. Whether it's Obama in the White House or the approval of same sex marriages in California, I believe we're about to see sweeping change. Here's to celebrating a new dawn for America in 48 hours.

turning colder.

2008-10-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough fall for my teams. Michigan, with a new coach, is looking more and more scattered. How a team can beat Wisconsin one week and lose to (gulp) Toledo the next is beyond me. Nebraska showed glimmers of hope against Texas Tech but couldn't find a way to win. The Warriors lost Baron and have Monta Ellis pulling a Jeff Kent impersonation. My Niners have promise, but JTO is not the answer. And the Giants...the Giants...are hopeless.

So I'm pinning my hopes on the Sharks. They actually have a chance. A new coach, a revamped defense, the best goalie in the NHL. Hopefully, they'll bring the cup to the Valley.

the modern life.

2008-09-07T00:18:00.000-07:00

Paige, Hadley, and I joined our neighbors Erica and Stephen on a tour of Eichler homes in Palo Alto. We saw everything from a retractable roof to a fancy A-frame over an atrium. And we weren't alone. The tour brought out hundreds of mid-century modern enthusiasts. It was a great way to get new ideas about landscaping, remodeling, pain colors, and more.

What I enjoyed about it most, though, is the appreciation it gave me for our humble Mossbrook neighborhood. While many of the Palo Alto Eichlers sported second floors and additions, the three streets that comprise Mossbrook remain very pure. It's our little secret, I guess. And we're delighted to call it home.

feed me.

2008-08-02T23:42:00.000-07:00

I've grown more and more fond of Vienna, my RSS reader. Here's what I read every day:

Valleywag: All the Valley gossip that's fit to print. Even though it's a bit snarky, it's unbelievably entertaining.

TechCrunch: Where else am I going to find product reviews?

Google LatLong: The latest and greatest for Maps and Earth.

Redneck Modern: A periodic update from a couple of Eichler owners.

Uni Watch: Classic observations of sports uniforms.

MVictors: Everything you want to know (and some stuff you don't) about my Michigan Wolverines.

1000 days.

2008-07-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

I was on the phone earlier this evening with a friend from business school and it dawned on me how much life has changed since I left for Ann Arbor in 2005.

Katrina hadn't landed on New Orleans. Obama was a glimmer in the eyes of the public. The iPhone was still a rumor.

Three years ago, I was gearing up for pseudo-single life in Michigan. Paige and I were preparing to spend months apart. Starting a family was years away.

I guess I'm most thankful for having such a supportive wife. She understood that a short term sacrifice was worth long term gains. And, for that, I am forever in debt.

all the news that's fit to feed.

2008-06-24T23:37:00.001-07:00

Loyal readers (do they exist) will notice that I've added a news feed to the blog. It pulls highlighted articles from my Google Reader accounts. It's tech-heavy, but hopefully it will make up for the woeful lack of blog posts. Enjoy!

nosy neighbors.

2008-06-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

There's a smaller Eichler down the street from us that just sold. It was on the market for ten days with a listing price of $912k. We'll be keeping an eye on Zillow for the final sale price. And I guess our six month stint as the new neighbors is about to end.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

on the home front.

2008-05-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

One of the big perks of working at El Goog is five weeks of paternity leave. Having taken only two weeks right after Hadley's birth in March, I just wrapped up a bonus week of daddy daycare. Essentially, I served as the middle infielder to turn the double play between Paige (who is now back at work) and our new official daycare provider.

Actually, that's not entirely true. My mom and sister-in-law graciously pitched in for a handful of days. And Paige's folks are on duty for the next two weeks. We're very, very fortunate to have such generous family members.

Back to my tour of duty. It's exhausting. Even though Hadley is three months old and has roughly the same mobility as an inchworm, she wore me out. Walks around the neighborhood, check-ins at the doctor's office, naps. You name the activity and it contributed to me feeling run down.

Don't get me wrong. It was amazing to bond with her for the week. She's starting to smile and squeak and I still think she's the most interesting person I've ever met. Can't wait for the next time I'm on leave.

life is different.

2008-05-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

It's been two months since I posted. And a lot has changed. Paige and I welcomed our daughter, Hadley, to the world on March 9. She's full of energy, smiles, and dirty diapers. It's taken some getting used to, particularly the lack of sleep, but it is totally worth it. I'll provide more updates soon. Be patient...

one-armed bandit.

2008-03-01T23:03:00.000-08:00

I, for one, am glad to have February in the rearview mirror. More specifically, the second half of February. Here's why...

I've been playing third base for the Google men's softball team since the fall. A few weeks ago I picked up a grounder in fair territory behind the bag and turned to whip the ball to first base. It was the last out of the game and the wind had really picked up, so I tried to put a little extra mustard on the throw. I heard a pop and saw the ball fly in a strange direction. We got the guy out and won the game, but that was the last of the good news.

I wasn't in any pain but my teammates looked very concerned and rushed me off the field. Long story short, our center fielder drove me to the ER, where I met up with Paige.

As it turned out, I broke my humerus in two places. That's right. I broke my arm firing the ball across the infield. Holy crap. (It's a rare injury, but not unprecedented. Former Reds pitcher Tom Browning suffered a similar injury while on a big league mound).

Instead of waiting for the bone to set itself, I opted for surgery. After all, with a baby coming in a few weeks, I'll probably need my right arm. A metal plate insert and nine screws later, I now have a crazy bionic arm. I'm still not able to lift anything, but I'm regaining more and more motion every day. And my left hand dexterity is vastly improving.

So there it is. Nothing funny or quirky. Just a crazy arm injury three weeks before the birth of my little girl. I couldn't have planned it any better than that. More updates coming soon.

project management.

2008-02-10T22:45:00.000-08:00

Moving into a new house means there's no shortage of projects. Some are big and visible; our new laminate floors, for example. Others are big and invisible, like our fancy new windows. Since Paige and I moved in right after Christmas, we've completely altered key features of our Eichler without (we hope) ruining the essence of the place.

Here's a quick rundown:

Double pane windows. With floor to ceiling windows throughout the house, not to mention a larger open-air atrium in the middle, Eichlers are notoriously inefficient. One of the big factors is 1960s single pane windows that seem to let in as much air as they keep out. We decided to take a bit of the cash from the sale of our Campbell house and replace every single window with Milgard aluminum blah blah blah windows. And they are fantastic. The house is warmer and quieter and we're still fooling birds who think they can through the windows. Ouch.

Laminate floors. Radiant heat is a treat if you take advantage of it. For some reason, the previous owners had wall-to-wall carpet in the bedrooms, which effectively made it impossible to conduct the heat. We installed maple laminate floors a few weeks ago. Welcome back, warm toes!

Automatic garage door. Eichler two-car garages slide horizontally and don't open vertically. This is a very cool feature. Unfortunately, a cool feature can also be a giant pain-in-the-ass feature when you need to get out of your car in a rainstorm to manually slide a large garage door. We found a custom garage door shop and had them install two openers so we can open and close the doors from the comfort of our car. Who knew it would be so satisfying?!?

Painting. Perhaps the cheapest and most dramatic change. We quickly painted over a green bedroom (seriously) and an Asian-themed mural on the wall of our living room. We're talking about three or four coats of primer before slopping on a few rounds of the chose paint color. Of course, now I need to go back and paint the trim. A slow and tedious process.

Upcoming projects include new plants for our atrium and backyard, new bathroom fans, window blinds, and fixing the work bench in the garage. We'll keep everyone posted on our progress.

oh-eight.

2008-01-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

Our holiday season was a busy one, consisting of moving in and out of old and new homes and a journey to the Sierras for Christmas. Now that the Santa-incited wackiness is behind us, Paige and I are settling into our new place in San Jose.

As with any new home, there's no shortage of projects. Everywhere you look you see something to fix, adjust, purchase, or ignore. We've painted all of the bedrooms, the kitchen, and the main room. And we have some major projects coming within the next few weeks. (I'll provide updates soon.)

2008 is already a much better year for my favorite sports teams, including the Wolverines (who beat Heisman Tebow and the Florida Gators on January 1st) and the Niners (who hired Mike Martz as offensive coordinator today).

It's also been a good year for Barack Obama, whom I am increasingly favoring for the nomination. After seeing him at the Googleplex in the fall, I'm inspired by his rhetoric and fresh approach to Washington. The more I hear from Obama, the less inclined I am to switch to Hillary or Jimmy Carter.

Happy New Year.

more new digs.

2007-12-05T23:58:00.000-08:00

I've received a number of questions and comments about the new place. For folks who aren't familiar with the Eichler style, I've included a sample floor plan in this post. As you can see, the front door opens into an open air atrium. More photos coming soon.

new digs.

2007-12-02T23:01:00.000-08:00

Today is one of those days where I don't miss Ann Arbor. While much of the country shivered beneath a blanket of ice and snow, it was 60 and partly cloudy in San Jose. Wheresnate has been relatively quiet the past month. That's because Paige and I have been spending a decent amount of time buying a new house (and selling our current one). We found a fantastic Eichler in the Mossbrook neighborhood of West San Jose and will be moving (fingers crossed) before the holidays. I will be sure to post photos and write updates as we move forward.

For those who don't live in the Bay Area, an "Eichler" is a mid-century modern home built in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Must Eichlers (including ours) include floor to ceiling windows and an open-air atrium in the middle of the house. They have become something of a collector's item, especially in exclusive neighborhoods in Palo Alto and San Jose. The Mossbrook area, in particular, is known for well-maintained Eichlers that remain faithful to the 1950s style.

More updates soon.

random musings.

2007-11-02T23:50:00.000-07:00

I need to fix our porch light...

I'm addicted to Guitar Hero 3 and went head-to-head last night with Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine...

Last weekend I staffed the Google booth at an Xprize event on an Air Force base in the Middle of Nowhere, New Mexico...

Given the current state of Bay Area sports, I'm now more of a Warriors fan than a Niners fan...

Paige and I celebrated the union of Craig and Pam in early October at a fantastic event in San Diego...

I need to be sure to stretch out my hamstring better prior to my weekly Google softball games...

I'm not convinced that Tom Brady is better than Joe Montana, but I will be when the Pats beat the Colts this weekend by three touchdowns.

the ceiling grows thicker.

2007-10-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

An interesting article about the lack of women in tech company leadership positions. I hate to pick on my former employer, but having no women on the Board and on the executive team is inexcusable for an innovative fruit company.

how much.

2007-10-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

Radiohead's new album, "In Rainbows", is available for download. And you name the price. This is pretty damn cool.

I've been a huge fan of Thom Yorke and Co. since the mid-1990s. I've seen them in concert multiple times, at a variety of venue sizes. And I paid five pounds. What will you pay for the privilege.

open the storm door.

2007-10-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

After one of the driest years on record, the rain has begun to fall in the Bay Area in earnest. While we usually don't expect precipitation until November, a big rainmaker is rolling into town tonight. And then another one on Friday. And, for good measure, one more at the end of the weekend.

So we've officially put the sprinkler system on rain delay. Call us optimistic. But we're hoping for a good soaking over the next few days.

(Yes, Gentle Reader, I realize that my blog posting has been spotty, to put it gently. With a new job, travel to San Diego for a wedding, and a newly-pregnant wife [more on that later], wheresnate.com has gone dark. Hoping to change that soon.)

teal + orange = hockey season.

2007-09-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

the old...

the new...
I remember back in the early '90s when the San Jose Sharks unveiled their teal logo. It was one of many pro sports icons that couldn't shake the hottest color of the early part of the decade. Other "mean teals" included the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Florida Marlins, and so forth.

But today the Sharkies unveiled their new sweaters, NOW WITH BURNT ORANGE! It's a good thing the Shark tank is the loudest rink in the NHL, because only a few hundred decibels will be able to drown out this fancy color combination.

free fallin'.

2007-09-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

Michigan hasn't won a game since Schembechler died. And after last weekend's debacle against Appalachian State, maybe they should outsource their defense to Pioneer High School. I bet Henne, Hart, and Long are glad they came back for their senior season.

Who knows? Maybe the Wolverines will run the table, win the conference, and kick themselves for scheduling those crazy Appalachians. I expect mediocre things against Oregon this week...and Notre Dame next week. Sigh.