You Suck At Retirement Saving

If you graduated in the 80’s, you are probably thinking about your retirement savings. Or… if you aren't thinking about it, you should be!

Too many people don’t have enough saved. How can they? They are barely making it day by day. Where would the retirement money come from? If you are in that boat? Read on!

Figuring out how much you need during retirement is a complete mystery. There are so many factors that can go into the calculation, it can be nearly impossible to accurately tell. The general advice, therefore, is to save as much as you can because the more you have saved? The more comfortable retirement will be.

Everyone believes they will cut back their expenses when they enter retirement, and therefore they won’t need as much money. Really? What are you going to do to cut back your expenses? Stop buying oreo’s? Turn the furnace down to freezing in the winter? The truth is, you may be able to downsize (if you are willing to make sacrifices), but retirement will probably cost as much as your pre-retirement years.

Suppose you have a pension that is going to take care of you. Many government pensions will only cover 60% of your income, and experts believe you need 80% in retirement, or more if you plan to retire early.

If you believe Social Security is going to take care of you? Experts recommend assuming there will be no social security when planning your retirement.

This all sounds crazy! You need a business MBA to figure it all out. Or a financial analyst, who will produce charts and graphs that pinpoint exactly how much you suck at retirement planning.

So, let’s make this easy. Let’s set some simple guidelines to help you understand whether your are screwed, or really screwed. We’ll assume you are in your mid-40’s.

If you have been saving 10% of your income per year since age 25, experts believe you should be OK for a nice mediocre retirement. Congratulations! But let’s test the theory. Take your current income and multiply it by 3.3. That’s how much you should have in retirement savings by now. If you plan on retiring early? You might need to have as much as 7 times your current income by now! How are you doing?

Suppose you are like most of us and fall a little short in your retirement savings. Let’s examine the other extreme: you are 45 and have little or no retirement savings. Some experts recommend you immediately start putting 27 percent of your paycheck into retirement savings. 

Most readers just fell out of their chair.

If you are in the minority of Americans who have proper retirement savings – congrats! If you are like the rest of us? Get up off the floor and get back into your chair.

Now is the time to take retirement saving seriously! OK, twenty years ago was the time to take it seriously, but, if you haven’t, then now is the time! If you don’t make adjustments you could be doomed to living in poverty throughout retirement.

Retirement savings is massive and overwhelming. Where do you being? Begin by living under your means. Examine your budget and reasonably cut anything that isn't necessary.

Learn the difference between a “want” and a “need”.  I want a beer, but I need to pay my doctor bill. I want a new truck, but I just need something that’ll get me to work and back. I want a vacation in the Bahamas, but all I need is to get away for a weekend. I want new shoes, but all I need to do is to clean up my old ones.

If you are a parent who is helping their children (saving for college, or, helping adult children)? The best help you can give your children is to not be a burden to them when you retire. It is OK to help your children, but not at the sacrifice of your retirement savings.

Once you have examined your spending, you’ll find savings. Take those savings and put them into a 401K, IRA, or some other investment vehicle.

Next, find a financial adviser who will give you a free analysis. They’ll need to know all your bills, insurances, house value, and a ton of information.  In exchange, they’ll tell you where you sit and what you need to do. Just be careful – most financial advisers are motivated to sell you something. The best part of talking to a financial adviser? You'll be listening to an expert instead of a goober writing a blog.

Whatever you decide to do? Don’t ignore this problem! Take care of it today!

25th Reunion

In case you haven't heard (because you didn't friend us in Faebook)? The 25th Reunion is on Saturday July 6 in Andover at the Haunted House (behind the bank). The party starts at 4pm behind the haunted house. See Johnny Lehman at the party with your $25 contribution toward the event. It would be appreciated if you could let Johnny know how many are attending so there will be enough food.

Thank you Johnny, Toni, and everyone else who has made this happen!!

Alumni Banquet

The 2013 Alumni Banquet has come and gone. Mark and I MC'd the event. If you missed it, you can catch the banquet on 88TV and http://GilbertInternetTV.com/88tv

Don't forget about the July 6 reunion in Andover! And make sure you "Like" the Andover Class of 88 Facebook page. Watch it often for updates on class activities.

A Message To Our Generation

What is the legacy that our generation is leaving for the next? Previous generations pioneered this country, settled the land, connected the coasts, fulfilled manifest destiny, built industry, constructed our infrastructure, reached the moon, and kept the world safe during two world wars.

What is our legacy?

$16T in national debt, $4T in state government debt (including pensions), massing local government debt, over $2T in personal debt, a current federal income tax rate that today 47% of Americans are declared too poor to be able to pay, nearly 1 in 2 Americans needs public assistance (including social security), inflation adjusted household income has been relatively flat for 15 years, cities devistated by exported manufacturing, an expensive underproducing education system, looming European depression, and a dysfunctional two party political system unable to produce leaders.

How big is the debt? To payoff the current government debt would equate to a $17,000 per year paycheck tax on every working American for ten years... plus interest.

Some declare a 2010 Levi Braddock PA commercial stands to represent a message from the younger generation to our own: You broke it, and now we must recreate it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YyvOGKu6ds

Is that the legacy of our generation? Have we left a broken mess for our next generation to fix?

My Fitness Pal

If you are serious about diet and excercise then you should maintain a log. And guess what? I have an App for that!

I have mentioned MyFitnessPal in the past but want to dive into it deeper. This app is available on smartphones and you can access your data on a PC via their web site too! There is a complete library of excercises and food available to select for your log. If you don't find something you need? You can add it. The food library includes all the details about every kind of food you can imagine. But my favorite part? All you need to do is aim your smart phone's camera at the food's UPC symbol and the product will look it up for you and add it to your food log.

Once all this data has been entered you can perform analysis to see what is going on. The app provides charts and graphs for tracking weight, calories, and will even compare excercise to food to tell you the net result for the day.

The greatest success with a diet plan often involves friends. My fitness pal supports that with social sharing tools where you can link your data with your friends and report progress through facebook. Free add-ons include a weight loss ticker for your blog and various BMR, BMI, and Heart Rate calulators.

If you are serious about your diet and/or workout, you need to log it. My Fitness Pal is a great tool for that.

The Effects of Muscle

As you grow old it become easy to put on weight and difficult to take it off. Why? I believe it is because of a reduction in muscle density and mass.




Our bodies reach their natural maximum physical potential somewhere around age 21. At age 21 it has taken 21 years to build up your muscle mass. After age 21 your muscle mass begins to deteriorate. If you don't use it you lose it and over the years the muscle mass slowly trickles away. It slips away slowly and you probably don't even notice it until that game of baseball on the weekend leaves you sore the next day, or that back ache from too much activity leaves you thinking "I am not as young as I used to be".



Teenagers are able to perform feats of athleticism with relative ease. Those in their 40s and 50s struggle because they lack the muscle endurance that they once had.



The amount of muscle directly impacts your metabolic rate (how quickly you naturally burn calories). Your body needs more calories throughout the day to care for muscles. If you do not have much muscle then you don't need many calories. Know someone who brags they eat a lot and it doesn't effect them? They probably have a high metabolism rate. And that is probably a result of strong dense muscles.



As muscle mass slips away through the years so does our daily calorie requirements. Most people do not account for this. They continue to eat what they always have or more. This results in a buildup of fat. And without muscle mass fueling metabolism or helping with workouts, losing the fat becomes increasingly difficult to get rid of.



When people want to lose weight they usually gravitate toward diet and exercise. For exercise they want to do cardio because that burns calories and has an immediate rewarding short-term effect. However cardio will burn muscle just as much as it will burn fat. After about 10 weeks of a cardio program, progress starts to crash. The body usually adapts to cardio programs and the loss of muscle reduces in the effects of the exercise.



Instead of solely focusing on cardio for workouts, you would be far better to include weight training and resistance training. Resistance training will help you to maintain your muscle mass and could slow the effects of aging on your muscles. Building up muscles will help with metabolism. In addition when you do cardio you are only burning calories while you are doing cardio. With weight training you burn calories during the exercise and you burn calories for hours afterwards as your body repairs the muscles from your workout.



Many people complain that they do not want to build up bulky muscles. Don't worry about that. Your first goal should be to get back some of the muscles that you have lost. And then second there is nothing wrong with looking lean. Some bulky muscles will look a lot better then some bulky fat.



If you can return your muscles to the condition they were in your early twenties then I believe you will have the metabolism and the stamina that you had in your 20s. You will be able to deal with weight gain and weight loss much easier.



Note: Author is not an expert. Always seek the advice of your doctor and experts before starting any physical fitness program

2012 Princess of the 80's

The 88-Blog is crowning Julianne Hough the 2012 Princess of the 80’s. What qualifies her for this incredible distinction? Three qualifications: First, she stared as Ariel in the recent remake of Footloose. Second, she stared as Sherrie Christian in the 80’s rock movie Rock of Ages. Most important, though, she was born in 1988!




According to the Internet Movie Database, Julianne was raise in Utah, the youngest of 5 children. Her mother enrolled Julianne in performing classes at an early age. She studied Latin Ballroom Dancing, studied dance in London, and attended the Italia Conti Academy. At age 15 she won the Junio World Latin Champion and International Latin Youth Champion at the Blackpool Dance Festival. She performed in dance competitions in the trio 2B1G (2 Boys, 1 Girl). What does all this dance training have to do with Julianne Hough’s fame? At age 18, the 5’4” Julianne was a dancer on ABC’s Show Me the Money, and at 20 joined the cast of Dancing with Stars where she won season 4 and season 5!



She can dance, which is good for the movie Footloose. But where does the acting come in? Her first acting role was at age 11with a small role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Age 22 came Burlesque. Then she landed footloose in 2011.



Dancing. Acting. In Rock of Ages she displayed an ability to sing too. Actually, Julianne Hough is a country singer. Her debut album was released in 2008 and debuted #1 on the Billboard Country Album chart, and #3 on the Billboard 200. “That song in my head” hit 18 on the country chart followed by “My Hallelujah song” that hit 44. Julianne Hough is a bona fide country singing star!



Singing? Dancing? Acting? All comes together in the 2012 movie Rock of Ages as that country music voice blasts out 80’s rock anthems. My recommendation is that she continues to remake 80's movies - perhaps some role in the upcoming remake of Dirty Dancing?

Patty Jackson: I'm good enough, and smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me!

Patty Jackson: I'm good enough, and smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me!


The 88-Blog is doing a series on fitness for those who want to get in better shape

for the reunion. Who better to ask about fitness then a physed teacher? The Class of 88’s own Patty Jackson.

Patty is a physical education teacher and coach who loves playing sports, hanging with friends at the Lake Ontario bay, and talking with friends on facebook. While it is amazing that she’s had the same partner for 15 years and has 3 cats, perhaps the most amazing is that she says she can tie a cherry stem with her tongue. Wow.

Patty has decided to practice what she teaches. “While I cannot claim to be the healthiest person, I do believe that eating healthy, without depriving myself is a must,” Patty explains. “I had gained a few pounds and thought it was about time I got rid of my “spare tire”! I lost 20 pounds, which I have kept off for about 18 months. I even went down 3 pant sizes!” Patty said. “Since I am a PE teacher I am very active throughout the day. But my exercise regimen tends to go in spurts. You do need to stay in really good shape to keep up with the demands,” she explains. What is Patty’s diet and fitness secret? “You can’t just diet, and you can’t just work out, both have to happen.”

We all fall into times when we just don’t want to work out. “When I fall into my “lazy” mode,” Patty explains,” I don’t do much and it shows.” Starting a workout requires one important step: starting. “Once I start working out and get a couple days in, I want to do more and more.”

Finding time to work out can be difficult. Finding a work out that you enjoy doing can make it a little easier. “My favorite workout routine is the INSANITY program. I like it because it is all about kick-butt cardio, with no weights involved. I also enjoy P90X Ab Ripper X! I can’t get out of bed for 2 days after I do that one.” One of the keys to a workout program is moderation and building stamina – don’t try to do too much at one time, but continue to push yourself to do more every time. “Right now I am training for a 5K. I have been making myself to 3.2 miles every other day,” Patty explains. “I can’t run it all yet, but I am hoping to soon!”

To be healthy you have to eat healthy. “I love Ramen Noodles, but they are 11 point of Weight Watchers”, Patty says. Does that mean Ramen Noodles are off the menu? “I don’t deprive myself of things I really want.” There will be ups and downs and times we fall off the diet wagon. “I eat what I want, but try to eat smaller portions. And if I go overboard, it’s back to the INSANITY workout!”

Studies have shown that those who socialize their fitness efforts have the greatest success. One of the many ways to socialize is to join friends in a workout program after work.”If I do a workout with co-workers after work, it makes me push myself so much harder.” Another way to socialize your efforts is to use Weight Watchers. “If you are serious about losing a few pounds, I truly recommend Weight Watchers Online! Weight Watchers taught me to eat fruits and veggies when I am hungry along with just a couple Lays dill pickle chips (my favorite),” Patty explains. “I also really enjoy Special K crisps, and you can have 30 for only 2 points, so you can still have that crunch!”

A common question everyone wants to know: what is on your MP3 player? “I can listen to anything while working out even if it’s slow – I love music! My ipod has over 1000 songs, with anything from Eminem, to Olivia Newton John, Rob Zombie, Wilson Philips, Snoop Dog, Black Eyed Peas… you name it, I have it!”

Patty Jackson practices what she teaches: eat healthy and work out.

Rock of Ages Movie

If the movie Grease was about the 80’s instead of the 50’s, you would have Rock of Ages. Following similar attempts to meld Top 40 hits into a Broadway play (such as Mama Mia and Movin’ Out) Rock of Ages is a Broadway hit. Now it is rocking a movie theater near you! The story is about a small town girl named Sherrie and a city boy Drew who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursing their Hollywood dreams. The musical features great 80’s hits from Def Lepard, Bon Jovi, Guns N’Roses, and more.




The movie is centered around a live performance bar named The Bourbon, owned by Alec Baldwin’s character. The movie’s stars includes Tom Cruise as a drunken rocker whose career is waning while he searches for the perfect love song. Mexico City native Diego Boneta plays a bar hand with rock and role dreams. His love interest, played by Julianne Hough, learns the rough realities of surviving on the Sunset Strip. Other note worthies include Russell Brand, whose character is a scruffy stage hand; Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose character is the Mayor’s wife attempting to close The Bourbon. Paul Giamatti’s character is a sleazy manager. Mary J. Blige’s character runs a gentleman’s club. And Malin Akerman’s character is a reporter for the Roling Stones. There is even a cameo by 80’s singer Debbie Gibson.



Just as Grease exaggerated the characteristics of the 50’s, Rock of Ages exaggerates the rock scene of the 80’s – poking fun at fashion, trends, and thoughts at the time. The story is an afterthought whose purpose is weave the large library of 80’s hits together. Nevertheless, it is the music that makes the movie. Some of my favorite scenes were when several different 80’s songs were mixed together into one.



If you are a fan of 80’s music then this movie is a must see! For a more detailed review of the movie (including spoilers) check out the June 2012 80’s show at the 88 Podcast available on itunes and at: http://88podcast.gilbertinternettv.com/

Dirty Dancing Remake Delayed

Previously reported on this blog: a remake of the 80's Dirty Dancing is in the work! The film featured Frances 'Baby" Houseman, a high-school graduate visiting a Catskills resort, and Johnny Castle, a dance instructor. The low-budget film became a cultural landmark and gave us famous quotes such as "Nobody puts Baby in a corner".

The remake was originally set to hit theaters in July 2013. Lionsgate has pushed that date back to 2014. Why? Unconfirmed reports say Kenny Ortega has his eye on actors who are unavailable at the present time. Faced with finding new leads or waiting, Lionsgate has decided to wait until those unidentified actors are available.

88-TV is back online!

A few months ago someone contacted me to say that 88TV was just looping "Who is" video. Who Is is a segment where you see the picture of someone today and have to guess who they are. I thought the comment was odd because there is 19 hours of video on 88TV - how could this be possible? I checked it out and it was true! Due to confusion, the hosting company deleted 18 hours of 88TV video!




Luckily I keep backups. But since 88TV has evolved over the years the backups are spread around in many different locations. It took a long time just to (A) assemble a list of everything that was missing (I didn't have a master list of the nearly 300 video files that had been loaded); (B) Locate all the video.



Once I found the video, the next step was uploading the massive amounts of video to the service provider. Video files are huge and the service provider has daily bandwidth limitations. I didn't work on it every day, but I worked on it whenever I had a few free moments. It took a month to reload all the video.



With the video loaded into the service provider, the final step was to recreate the story boards. The video plays in an order that I create. I don’t want to bore the viewer with hours of the same kind of video, so, I break it up. You can watch ten minutes of one kind of video and then see something completely different.

There are many different video segments: Andover events, Christmas 2010 Podcast from Andover, 90&91 KG Show, 2008 Reunion, 88 Video Yearbook, July 2011 Podcast from Andover, and more!

Story board is finished. The station is relaunched! I even have add some new content. So, be sure to check out 88TV today! You can find it at:

http://88tv.gilbertinternettv.com/

New video Link:

Following our series 'Getting ready of the Reunion", this commercial should get you motivated.

Managing the bathroom scale

In out series "Getting ready for the reunion" we need to talk about your bathroom scale. First, let me assure you: no one cares about your bathroom scale. Whether you are big, small, tan, white as a ghost, frizzy hair, or completely bald - your friends and classmates want to see you and share memories.

Nevertheless, many will unnecessarily feel the need to drop a few pounds. It is for those individuals that this series is being written.

Experts say safe weight reduction is a pound or two per week. During weight reduction our scales become our friends when they say something we like, and become discouraging when they don't. How often should you weigh yourself during your journey of preparation? Some experts say daily, and some say weekly. I disagree with both camps.

The scale is not an accurate measure of a diet and workout plan. There are too many variables that contribute to your weight: muscle mass, bone density, time of day, hydration, and did you use the restroom (for a few examples). Did you know that if you drink a 16oz beverage your weight can increase by a pound?

Imagine a diet where you expect to lose a pound this week but you drank a 16oz coffee and now the scale says your diet is blown! Or, if you aren't managing hydration very well, the reverse might happen giving you a temporary gift that is quickly taken away as you rehydrate.

Weight fluctuates every day, so, avoid discouragement and don't weigh daily.

Instead weigh weekly on the same day at the same time. Weighing weekly will spread those weight fluctuations over 7 days giving you a better chance to see a reduction.

However, I recommend doing 14 day comparisons to reduce the fluctuations even further. When you weigh weekly compare the results to two weeks ago. It is very possible to have wild weight fluctuations within even 7 days. So spread the comparison out over as many days as you can.

If you are dieting and exercising and having a calories deficit your weight will go down over time. If you were to plot your weight daily you might see the weight bounce all over the graph, but, have a general downward slope to the average.

Since the point of getting on the scale is to gain encouragement, you should set yourself up for success. Avoid discouraging short term comparisons and do comparisons over very long time periods.

No time to work out?

In our series for getting ready for the reunion:

Don't want to go to the gym? Can't afford a personal trainer? No time to work out? Not motivated?

All you need is 12 minutes, a living room, and this website will give you all the motivation you need:
Http://bodyrock.tv

Now you have no excuses!

Are You Fat?

People avoid reunions because they think they are fat. Are you obese? If you are using a 200 year old Body Mass Index (BMI) chart, then you probably are! The BMI divides your height (in meters) by your weight (in kilograms) to give you a number that tells you how fat you are. While BMI is widely used to judge us, we need to put the BMI into perspective. Don't let the BMI determine whether or not you'll attend your reunion.


If you aren't carrying any extra weight, the BMI considers you to be normal. Can you "pinch an inch"? Then the BMI probably doesn't consider you normal. Normal is if you look good in a bikini (women) or shirtless (guys) at the beach. Maybe that was you at age 17, but lets be honest: a lot of water has gone over that damn during more than two decades!

One step below normal is underweight. If we can see rib cages and arm bones then you may need to eat more pasta and get your weight back up. Rib cages and arm bones are not attractive. 25 years out of high school, I suspect few (if any) of us have this problem.


If you can pinch an inch (or more) then you are probably overweight - ie - you carry some fat. You can be classified as overweight for lots of other reasons too: perhaps you have high muscle density, large bones, or are blessed with ginormous boobs. Some extra weight is OK in time of famine or illness. There have been many cases where individuals who were underweight died while battling the flu because their body didn't have enough in reserve. In the US, I think that overweight has become the new normal.



The next level on the BMI scale is a word that has been demonized in pop culture: obese. When you hear the word obese your mind races to images of the 800 pound man who couldn't get out of bed. Not true. Obese simply means: if you are 20% over from your normal weight. For most of us that means we've enjoyed too many Christmas cookies and over the years it has added up. The concern is that most experts believe health problems can begin to occur when you carry around 20% fat all day long, so health experts will encourage you to get this weight down. I'm not a health professional so my opinion is worthless, regardless, I see many people who would be in the obese category and they look normal to me. Maybe they aren't hitting the beach in a bikini, but that's OK. If you are obese and are happy - forget the media stereotypes and be comfortable with yourself.

The next level on most BMI scales is Extremely Obese, which is a BMI above 40. I've had periods in my life where I have packed on the pounds but I dare say I have never been in this category. Frankly, I could not imagine the pain and discomfort of being extremely obese. At my heaviest I had difficulty with mobility, sleeping, and getting comfortable - I can't imagine what it must be like for these poor souls. If you have slipped into the category then I encourage you to talk with your doctor about getting a plan together. Get a person trainer - yes they are expensive, but worth it. Use a network of friends to help you stay on track. Just because you tried in the past and it didn't work? Doesn't mean you haven't found the thing that'll work for you. It isn't easy, but I would encourage you to take back your life.




At the end of the day, regardless of where you fall on the BMI? The world is made up of a variety of people. They come in all shapes and sizes. Our class is no different than the rest of the world. We have each had our own difficulties and challenges, successes and triumphs, and those must be measured by something other than our waistline.

Getting ready for the reunion.... using your iphone!

If you are getting ready for the 25th anniversary reunion, you might be tempted to try shedding a few pounds. Let me promise you: that is not necessary. We all know that the guys have lost their hair and the girls have lost there figures - it has been 25 years! Come as you are! But regardless, if you are tempted to look better, you can take advantage of the digital age to help your quest. Whether you have an iPhone, iPad, or an iPod Touch, these are some great applications:

My Fitness Pal - Free - This app will give you an outstanding food log to record calories and exercise. You can take a picture of a UPC bar code and it will translate that into a food log entry. The app helps you to set goals and track progress.

Nike+ GPS - $1.99 - This app is marketed to runners but works just as well for walkers too. The app tracks your movement on a map, will tell you about your progress, and will provide motivation through your accomplishments. I usually don't like to pay for apps, but this one is worth it.

Heartbeat - Free - Maintaining a high heart rate during work outs is a great way to burn calories. This application lets you determine your heart rate by tapping on the screen in coordination with your heart beat. This app is free but paid versions will let you log your heart rate.

Monumental - Free - Get out of your office chair and go climb the stairs! This app makes stair climbing fun by tracking how high you've climbed and giving you prizes the more you go.

Meal Maker - Free - Getting your meals under control is a great way to get your waist under control. Meal Maker will let you enter your family's favorite meals (hopefully low-cal), build them into a day-by-day menu, and produce a grocery list.

Body Fitness - Free - If you've done resistance training then you know what a pain it is to keep track of sets, reps, and weights. This app includes a fitness journal so you know what needs to be done each day. It also includes diagrams of exercises so you know you are doing them right.

As with all exercise programs, consult a doctor before starting. What Apps have you found that are useful?

Footloose remake

If you are an 80's child then you are familiar with the movie Footloose. Kevin Bacon's character goes to a sleepy rural town that has outlawed dancing. Thanks to Kevin and tunes from Kenny Logins, they challenge the towns laws and bring dancing back.

I don't recall that I ever watched footloose in entirely. I think I have caught portions of the movie on TV. I have never seen footloose on stage either (or local high schools perform Footloose regularly). But I have seen enough of the movie to understand it's plot.

Linda and I watched the remake on opening weekend. The theater was packed with a cross section of many ages: the elderly (who would have been in their 30's when the original movie came out), the 80's children, and a large number of youth.

The remake followed the original script closely and deviated only when it made sense to do so. Much of the music was from the original movie, but they did add some modern music to mix things up.

Overall, the remake was excellent. It was a nice trip down memory lane. Whether you decide to pull the original movie off your shelf (God forbid you have in on VHS) or you decide to watch the remake - I recommend you watch footloose this weekend!

Ten years later

I was in a business meeting when Linda called me to say that a plane flew into a World Trade Tower. I dismissed it until she called back to say a second plane hit the towers. We turned on the conference room television and watched 9-11 unfold. On the way home from work that day I noticed the roads were empty and strangely the sky was empty too. You don't realize how you become use to seeing planes trail across the sky until there are none - all grounded due to what happened.

9-11 defined our 30's. The wars we caught, the sacrifices we made, the people we elected, and the nation we became were forged in in that 110 minutes on 9-11.

Where were you on 9-11?

Remake of Dirty Dancing

Many of the great 80s movies are getting (or have received) a remake. Footloose is coming out in a few months. Talks are underway for a new Wolverines movie (not the comic book hero, the one about high school teenagers fighting the communists). And next? Dirty Dancing!

Kenny Ortega choreographed the original and is responsible for the wildly successful High School Musical Disney series. He is returning to direct the remake.

The real question: can the magic of Dirty Dancing be captured a second time? If you are a fan of the High School Musicals, the answer is probably "yes" and you could suggest a few of the actors for it! Kidding aside, Ortega has a lot to live up to.

ET is not the same

Remember seeing E.T. when it first came out at the movie theatre? It was a smash hit! It made Ressee Pieceies a household product and launched the career of Drew Barimore. The images from E.T., such as the bicycle flying across the moon, are unforgetable.

I decided to recreate the magic by renting E.T. For the kids (and me too). To my surprise, the kids were bored and didn't make it even half way through the movie.

What happened to this classic movie's popularity? Like everything popular: it has been overdone. The theme of an alien befriending a child is now a common theme throughout media. From Katie and Orby (PBS) to Transformers - it has been done and redone countless times. Today, that classic movie is just another knock-off of a tired theme.

For a scarce few of us, E.T. was a pivitol movie whose impact was huge yet momentary. Future generations might become completly unaware of this classic and its impact on modern lore.

MY FIRST CAR

My first car was a tiny green Toyota station wagon. My neighbors (the Wallace's) won it as a Grub Mobile at the Fourth of July and offered to sell it to me. I had dream of Grease Lightening as I worked on the paint job and cleaned the interior.

The car was a standard. I didn't know how to drive a standard, but I was determined to learn. in the meanwhile, I was content with coasting short distances in one gear.

No matter how hard I worked on the exterior, the car had a serious engine problem. After two weeks, I learned the gasket was shot. the car was worthless, so, I made arrangements to have the car towed to auction. The Wallaces felt bad for me, so they gave my money back to me (something they didn't have to do). Their action seems alien in today's world, but was just how people did things in Andover.

My first car lasted only two weeks!

My second car was a silver 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Linda and I were heading off to college together and needed a car, so, we went in together and bought it. It was a car we couldn't afford separately, but we could swing it together.

I learned my winter driving skills by driving that heavy rear-wheeled-drive car around the snow belts of Batavia. It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but it had a strong V8.

During my second year of college, someone ran a red light and T-Boned the passenger side. Linda's brother (a mechanic) was able to fix it. We drove that car through the 90's until we needed a mini van. At that pint, my brother-in-law transplanted the V8 into his truck.

I often tell people that the silver Cutlass Supreme was my first car. Few people know the truth though. My real first car was a piece of junk grub mobile!

WOOD TAG

Do you remember playing Wood Tag?

Once upon a time, Andover wanted a playground. After a massive fund raising effort, a giant community gathering was held to build the playground. I remember showing up to help. My job was to shovel gravel around the playground, which I did enthusiastically. I worked into the evening until the last worker came to take my shovel and put it away for the night.

That wooden playground stood for probably twenty years. Then, several children in other parts got slivers from wooden playgrounds and became very sick. That resulted in tens of thousands of communities across the nation turning to panic and chain sawing their playgrounds into saw dust.

Before all that happened, it was our playground and we spent many hours playing on it throughout our teen years. Our favorite game is a game that is long gone - lost to the wood chips of past playgrounds and weakly replaced my similar version. Our game was Wood Tag.

What was wood tag? It was a simple game of tag but you could only walk on wood. You could go anywhere on the playground and do anything you needed to do so long as your feet remained on the wood. The moment you stepped off - you lost and became "it". And like any game of tag, if you were it, you had to chase and tag everyone else.

We would often play tag deep into the night. Then lay on the picnic tables and watch airplanes pass over the night sky as pinpoints of light.

Those were the days. That was our playground. And wood tag was our game.

TIME MACHINE: CLASS OF 88 TV

What are you doing this weekend? Why not 'stay in' and watch 88-TV?

What is so great about 88-TV? It is a real live time machine. You are watching a window into the past. You are seeing your classmates and friends as they once were. You'll see some goofy and funny things that will make you smile. And it will bring back memories of good times.

Around 2005, I built a streaming media server to host my family's home movies. The media server played on channel 75 on every TV in the house. At anytime during the day, we could flip to Channel 75 to relive a vacation, or a birthday, or a special Holiday.

To enhance the streaming server, I built scripts that changed the content depending upon the season and the month. For example, at Christmas time we would see Christmas video. And during the summer time, we would see summer vacation video. I then bought the Gilbert Internet TV domain and made the station available on the Internet.

As the 2008 reunion approached, I took a collection of the Class of 88 videos and created a special Class of 88 channel. With 88-TV, alumni could watch video from the school yearbook, old plays, sporting events, and more.

But then in 2009... my streaming video server died. The capacitors on the motherboard burst and the board smoked. Gilbert-TV and 88-TV went dark.

Today, with the aid of LiveStream, 88-TV is back on the air! And the quality is much better. I have added almost 5 hours of video that continually rotates all day long. In the coming months, I'll have even more video to add. I'm always looking for contributions, so please dig through your old videos and submit something for 88-TV.

What are you doing this weekend? Come climb inside the time machine with me. Lets take the Dalorean up to 88mph and go back in time... to 1988.

The Spaghetti-O kid

I moved from Corning to Andover during Labor Day weekend, 1983. The move was exhausting and my life was turned upside down. Everything we owned was in boxes scattered around the house and I had school the next day.

I was starved and there was no food in the house yet. So I walked up to the Trading Post and bought a can of Spaghetti-O's. There were kids hanging around the trading post, but I knew no one. I just took my dinner and walked back home.

The first day of school, Lisa was the first one to speak to me. Did she say "Welcome to Andover, let me show you around!" Ha. This is Lisa, right? She said "How were those Spaghetti-O's" and then laughed. Apparently, she was one of the people at the Trading Post that night. After she said that I was sure I would be branded the Spaghetti-O kid! Luckily, it was soon forgotten... Until I wrote about it just now.

And yes. As I recall, those Spaghetti-O's were mighty fine!

Classmate Publishes Second Book

The second book, entitled Her Demons of Passion by Julia Becca was released in July. It appears to be an exciting mystery romance of sorts. Who is Julia Becca and why should we care? Julia Becca is the pen name for one of our classmates - Debbie H! Look for the book on Amazon and order your copy today! And for fun, listen to the August 88-Podcast for an exciting reading from the book by your 88-Podcast stars.

BASEBALL

I played one season of baseball in high school. It was during my junior year. Every spring, I worked at Kents Farms planting Christmas Trees and every summer I pruned them. But I wanted my junior year to be different and I would have done anything to get out of going to Kents every day after school that spring. Baseball was the perfect excuse!

I had played little league and baseball and neighborhood ball until I moved to Andover. I just didn't have a lot of interest in the game - been there, done that.

My first experience was at Coach Gill's Store where we bought socks and everything for our uniform. I wasn't expecting to buy those things, but I was mowing a dozen yards every weekend so it wasn't a big deal.

My next memory is from the first practice. We had just finished running around the entire field when I decided to get mouthy with Coach Gill. I remember Pete saying "shut up or he'll make us all run another lap". I think that was the only time I questioned Coach's wisdom.

During practice, I was knocking the balls out of the park. That earned me the name "Hondo!" Which I took proudly. Unfortunately, sports are only partially about physical might. There is a great deal of psychology too. Even though I was knocking them out of the park during practice, during games I became psyched by the pitcher and couldn't hit anything. I've heard this can be a common problem. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that was my problem until the season was nearly over otherwise I could have worked on it.

I remember when Pete was upset during a game and pitched with fire. He had a nearly perfect game! I remember when Tank made a diving catch of a foul ball and was knocked out cold. I remember Johnny doing batting practice in the gym and the ball slipped out of his hand, hit the wall, and bounced right back into his hands as if nothing had happened. And I remember learning a lot from Coach Gill. Coach could be tough, but players listened to him and respected him.

A final memory I have involved a terrific catch I made - my best play! Left field was my domain. It was pretty boring. Coach kept a good player in Center Field (I can't remember who was there. Was it Big Guy?) And it was the left and right field's job to back him up. It was very boring. But every time I heard the crack of a bat, my entire body lifted off the field ready to run. This time, it was a long hit down the baseline. I took off sprinting as fast as I could. I reached out with my glove and gave a little dive and snagged the ball out of the air! I made an impossible catch and it was the best play of my short baseball career.

I hope my trip down memory lane brought you memories too - whether it was baseball or softball or some other sport. I played other sports in high school, but I'll never forget the year I played baseball. I am glad I took a season off from work to play. Let this be a reminder to us all: life can't be all work! Take some time and go play!

KENT FARMS

While growing up, I worked at our family motel, mowed a dozen yards, and still found the time to work at Kent Farms with Christmas Trees.

When I was 15 my parents asked "what are you doing this summer?" They answered the question for me "you are getting a job." Uhm... Actually? A third job! But who's counting?

The spring before, I started at Kents planting christmas Trees. I was young and stupid and got mouthy with the older kids. As a result, Whitehouse (who had to be, what? 10 years older due to repeated grade failures) offered to exchange my nose with my elbow after I said something inappropriate about his mother and his birth. That was my first day on the job and was an important lesson I learned early on: some things just really aren't funny. (I am just kidding about that grade failure thing, please don't beat me up).

During the summer, I would get up early to work on the farm, then come home and mow lawns until dark, then work in the motel office and gift shop in the evening. It was a busy time for me, but I credit that experience for my incredible work ethic and lack of a work/life balance.

Planting trees was easy. Take two steps, dig a hole, drop in a sapling, smash the hole closed with a sledge, repeat. Pruning in the summer was more difficult. You needed a good top branch (called a leader) so the tree grew straight. Then you shaped the tree into a cone using a mashedy. You had to wield the razor sharp knifes without whacking the guy next to you, or yourself.

I worked at Kents with many people from our class including Jon, Kelly, Rich, and Tracey's brother (to name a few). While I hung out with many fellow workers, I remember Jon the most. I remember driving around the fields in an old military truck. Being chased out of the fields by swarms of angry bees. Kathy getting mad and going berserk - running around the field hacking apart trees. When they threw me I the pond (as a rite of passage) and I lost my glasses so someone went in the pond and found them for me. And the time we just arrived at the work site and Emery barfed all over the back of the truck.

The knifes were very sharp and could cut through anything. Including a boot! Which I found out the hard way. I swung at a low branch and the knife cut through my boot, through the nail, and cut the tip of my big toe in half! A bandage and some iodine and I was able to finish the work day.

We made sheaths for our knifes with metal so that when we drew them, they sounded like swords. And each year we developed new names for ourselves. One year, we were the henchmen.

My fondest memory is standing on Kents hill in a grove just after sunrise, watching the sun rise over the valley and the fog start to lift. That was beautiful.

I believe I worked at Kents for three years. It was a grand experience and I am very happy I had the opportunity. Kents was an incredible place to work while I was growing up.

ANDOVER FOURTH OF JULY 2010

The Andover 4th of July 2010 is coming up! Are you going? Did you already go and have some comments or memories you'd like to share?

HARRINGTON'S FLORIDA VACATION
By Mark Harrington

As the Harrington's take to road for their Family getaway. Day 1 was filled with minor nuggets of thrills.

1 ) leaving later than desired.
2) Having trouble with the roof rack carrier.
3) 6 different options for dinner, or at least it felt like it.
4) One car sick issue. ( which we planned for with catch buckets at every level of the vehicle.)
5) And rain and construction.

Over all not a bad go. Tonight we are in Dalton GA. Best Western is giving us a good deal on the room. They asked if I was a member of AARP or AAA. I said no. The lady says, AARP it is tonight for you.

SO.... Six of us cuddled together in 2 beds. Cause we only told them we had 4 total. So we are going to try and rest as we saddle up in the a.m. And head the rest of the way to Orlando.

Laptops/Gameboys and movies are doing the job. Let's hope the rental stays safe in the lots. ;-)

Reporting just off of I-75 - in Georgia

Mark and Family.
--

WANT TO BUY CLASS OF 88 MERCHANDICE?

I work for a marketing company and we are doing a tremendous push into Social Media and Networking. It is a facinating topic, so, I'm spending tons of my spare time getting exposed to it and gaining experience with it. One of the ways I am expanding my knowledge is by working on the Class of 88 Website. I have expanded the website to offer more Web 2.0 experiences, and more Social Networking activities.

To add value to the website, I have opened the Class of 88 School Store. It has some basic merchandice related to the Class of 88 such as T-shirts, hats, and coffee mugs. The purpose of the store is to add value for alumni - not to make money. Therefore, the store has NO mark-up. I don't make any money on anything you purchase.

I hope you take a moment to visit the store and find something to purcahse. To go to the store, visit the Class of 88 website and click on the dollar bill sitting on the hallway floor.

ANYONE INTERESTED IN A PODCAST?

In preparation for my Disney vacation, I have been listening to a podcast named the Dis Unplugged. I found it very addicting and thought about doing one too. But what subject would I use?

I was chatting with Mark H and he reminded me about his Doctor Mac Podcasts that he did a while back. We started talking about a Class of 88 Podcast. It just seemed right! The more I explored the idea, the more it seemed like a possibility.

Later this month, Mark and I are going to give it a try. There are some technical challenges that still need to be worked out, but, I think we'll be OK. It should be a lot of fun!

I want to keep the show interesting and manageable. I believe that asking Andover Alumni to listen to a podcast is probably pushing reality. Getting some of them to commit to a 30 minute podcast once per month might be beyond reality. But who knows? If we keep it short, the time commitment for listeners might be reasonable. As far as keeping it manageable - preparing for and editing a podcast can be a huge time commitment. I am going to prep as much material in advance with the hope the show won't get neglected when life gets busy.

So, there will be a Class of 88 Podcast! And it'll get recorded later this month. Check the website to get a copy of it.

Ice Water Mansion is back for one more show! July 3, 2010 at the Andover School Grounds. Free Admission! All ages welcome. For more information:

Ice Water Mansion Main Page

THE GILBERT 2010 DISNEY TRIP

4-19-2010 200 pounds
We weighed our suitcases to make sure we didn't exceed any limits. We are checking 200 pounds of luggage!

2" too long
Bigger isn't better. One suitcase was 2 inch too long and we got charged $49 extra.

4-20-2010 Magical Express
For this trip, we signed up for magical express. It is magical because you bring your luggage to the airport and then you don't see it again until it magically appears in your room. It is express because the luggage appears at 1 am while everyone is trying to sleep. Wait.... 1am? That's not express!

Buffets
Buffets are always a lot of fun for the Gilberts. The waitress is guaranteed a sweet 9 percent tip. My youngest always eats until he barfs. Someone always dumps a drink. And when we leave, we toss a few bananas and apples and other things in our backpacks for snacks later in the day (what are they going to say?).

Stroller
We consider ourselves to be Disney experts. That is why, even though our kids are 6, 10, and 16, we have no problem with bringing a stroller with us. Many people look at the stroller expecting to find a new born - one mother even said "shhh- the baby is sleeping". In actuality, when we go into the parks, it is like going camping for the week. We take six back packs. One security guard asked "are you guys moving in?" We have to have lots of bottles of water (not paying park prices!), sweat shirts, cameras, toys, towels, rain gear - all the necessities!

4-21-2010 Vacation Efficiency
This vacation is a perfect example of Gilbert Efficiency. When we return in the evening, we have a 15 point check list. In the morning, we have a 35 point checklist. This allows a family of 5 to get bathed, dressed, packed, eat, and get out the door in only 2 hours every morning. Waters repacked? Check. Toys put away? Check. Kids use the bathroom a billion times each? Check check. Shoes sprayed with Lysol to get the park germs removed? Check.

It's a small world
Monroe county usually schedules spring break at off peak times. I'm not sure whether it is intentional or the highly educated administrators at BOCES can't figure out when Easter falls. Either way, we benefit because we miss the rush.

Perhaps a quarter of the people here are from the Rochester region. I see the collection of sports shirts and business emblems and have talked with a few. At one show, they asked someone in the audience where they were from. After answering "Rochester NY", half the theater cheered.

It is funny that we have traveled so far to be with people who live so near.

World is built for short people
I am so tired of having my knees crammed into the seat in front of me. There is never enough leg room! On the bus ride between the airport and the hotel, I had to hang both legs into the isle, spilling across two rows. . With rides, I usually sit with a kid so I have extra room to put my legs.

Park Cycle
We have a somewhat annoying habit that has turned into our routine. Eat a snack, ride a ride, use the restroom, repeat. I thought girls were bad, but my boys have to go every 5 minutes!

We take sun tan lotion very seriously. We use Spf100. It is as thick as Spackle and we apply it with a putty knife.


4-22-2010 The Musical Family
For today? Some 3rd grade humor.

While at Disney world, our diets have been poor. Not that our diets are normally good. They have become worse. For example, a half pound double cheese and bacon burger (very very well done) seems to be on every menu, and I think the meat comes from expired game reserve inhabitants.

As a direct result of this horrible diet, we have become the musical family. It is not a pretty thing. In fact, it can bring tears to your eyes.

I haven't laughed so hard as I did last night. I was sitting at a bench when the mood struck. My daughter said very seriously "guys, I think the bench just vibrated". I laughed so hard, I fell off the bench, tears streaming down my face.

Ok. Sorry for the third grade humor. It was very funny.

We went miniature golfing last night. It took us 2 hours to figure out the bus system to get there. The theme was Santa's summertime vacation spot. Lots of fun.

Cheer!
Today, we are touring the various Disney resorts and checking out lobbies, restaurants, and the pools. We are currently at All Stars. There is a cheer leading competition and hundreds of cheerleaders are at All Stars. Lord have mercy.

We stumbled into a rather secluded Toy Story themed courtyard where several cheerleaders were sun bathing and attempting to erase tan lines. Not very healthy thing for the kids to see.

4-23-2010 Six Legged Friend
We have to deal with bugs in the North - but not like they do in the south! Yesterday evening, I went to retrieve the boy's bedtime snack from the refrigerator and found a cockroach inside. A short chase across the carpet and I killed it.

But that wasn't the challenging part. If my wife found out, she would make us throw away all of our food and tell the hotel to move us. She's probably right... But I didn't want to deal with that at 11pm. I just wanted to collapse in bed and sleep.

So, I bagged up all of our open food and tried to do it in a way she wouldn't see. Success! I just hope we don't bring any friends home inside our luggage!


Civilization
Perhaps 15 years ago, I came across a game named Civilization. I became thrilled with it when I was able to play the game in my car on a clunky 386 laptop. Civilization was a big game around the turn of the century and I became famous when I made Kevin Gilbert's Star Trek Mod Pack - an add-on to the game that was written about in gaming magazines around the world.

In the past ten years, as newer versions came and went - so did my interest. Until I came across Civilization Revolution of the iPhone and Touch! For this vacation I downloaded the trial and loved it.

So, where am I now? I am at the Grand Floridian - one of the few places in Disney that has wireless. Unfortunately, the wireless is dead slow and I'm stuck waiting for the full version (that I just purchased) to download. I paid $4.95 for an hour of wireless and at this rate, I think I'll be here much longer than that!

In the meanwhile, my wife is touring this resort and fuming about how long it is taking. We are suppose to be going to Epcot.

4-24-2010 Not Going Hungry
Food is one of the most expensive aspects of a Disney vacation. Usually, we eat lite. We buy some groceries and eat off the children's menu. But not this trip! For this trip we were eligible for a free dinning plan, which was $300 cheaper than our traditional efforts. There has been so much food - it has been difficult to eat it all. We get one sit down restaurant per day - something we could never afford traditionally. We go to buffets and pig out. We get one fast food meal per day - but instead of getting normal children menu items, we are get meals that are difficult to finish (even for me!). And then we get snacks during the day - drinks, popcorn, pretzels, etc.

Right now, we have a ton of unused credits - I don't think we'll be able to use them all before we leave.

And the groceries I bought? Most of them are unopened. We are going to have to use the groceries to give the maid a food basket with her tip!

Why Hospitals Are So Cold
Anywhere a large group of people gather at Disney (in buss es, theaters, rooms, etc) it is freezing cold. A bus driver explained why.

They did an experiment. They took nail clippings and put them in a dish for 3 days in a warm and humid room. In the end? The nail clippings were covered with mold. By keeping things cold, there is less of a chance for germs to be transmitted from one person to another.

That's also why hospitals are freezing cold.

4-25-2010 Working Too Hard On Vacation
After marriage and kids, you fall into predictable roles. While on vacation, I would get up early, get ready, get breakfast, and then sit around and complain how late we were for an hour while my wife got herself and the kids ready.

Around ten years ago, I decided to fix the problem. I put my system analysis hat on and started documenting everything she did to get us ready to leave. This produced a checklist that I was able to follow.

Now, I still get up early. But while my wife is getting ready for our vacation days, I get everyone else ready and do everything else on the checklist. And wow - it is a lot of work! I'm exhausted!!! Life was easier when I sat around complaining.

Can You Walk and Talk?
My daughter can walk and text. It has been non stop everywhere we go. "I am drinking a frozen pink lemonade" and then "the pink lemonade left me thirsty so now I am drinking water."

And Then Came The Tornadoes
When we arrived at the Polynesian for dinner, the TV in the lounge was warning of a storm and the weather channel web site had a severe weather warning. We ate dinner overlooking a lake with the Disney castle on the far side. We had front row seats for watching the storm. Uncharacteristic for the Gilbert Family, we were inside and safe. The wind bent the trees side ways and the sky dropped hail. The rain was so heavy that we couldn't see the lake! Normally, we'd be outside in this and get soaked. But not this time!

After the sever weather warning passed, we broke out the rain gear and went back into the park.

4-26-2010 When You Have A Hair In Your Mouth...
My youngest has a horrible gag reflex. When he had a hair in his mouth, be barfed all over the hotel room trying to get it out of his mouth.

Ugh....

He made such a mess! I spent all morning doing laundry. We didn't get to the park until 3pm!

4-27-2010 Early Flight
We had a great direct flight back to Buffalo, but when we were planning the trip, my 16-year-old wasn't sure she could go, so, we didn't book it and lost the good flight. We had to pick an 8am flight with layover in Atlanta.

We returned from the parks around 11pm last night and spent 2 hours packing for the return trip. The alarm woke us up at 3 AM!!!!!! With two hours sleep, we got ready, checked out, and made it to the bus stop. The bus picked us up at 445 and we arrived at the airport at 6am. That was crazy! I don't ever want to do that again!

We had the free dinning plan during this trip. Each person got a fast food meal, a table service meal, and a snack each day. At first, we didn't think that would be enough food. But after doing buffets, we were stuffed for the rest of the day. When it is hot and you are walking 40 miles per day, you don't feel like eating. Nevertheless, we did fast food for dinner - half pound bacon cheeseburgers (even for the kids!). By last night, we had 14 unused snacks and 7 unused fast food meals, so, we blew points buying bananas and brownies and muffins and water for breakfast this morning. But we were too tired to eat it. Most of it went in the garbage at the airport (can't take it easily through security)

Remember that suitcase that we paid $65 on the way to Rochester? It cost $75 on the way home for it. We did everything we could do to shrink it, but no luck. It was still two inches too long and they wouldn't cut us any slack. I think those airline people work on commission because they really put the screws to you!

As we passed through security, I got pulled out of line so the could check my hands for gun powder or explosives or something. While they were working on me, they were giving an old nun a pat down in front of me.

It is 11:30 and we are flying somewhere over the Carolina's now. Soon we'll be in Buffalo. I hope I can find my car! The, we stop at That Taco Place in Batavia for the ride home.

We've had neighbors who have spent a year trying to sell their home so they can move to Florida. He just got a job in Florida and I am told they'll be gone before we get home. They have a sale pending on their house too. I can't blame them for wanting to leave New York's taxes and weather! It was beautiful in Florida this trip!

35 YEARS AGO TODAY

The following appeared in the April 16, 1975 edition of the Andover newspaper:

A.C.S Alumni Dinner-Dance Set For May 24th

At a recent meeting of the ACS Alumni Committee plans for the Annual Dinner-Dance and Meeting were completed. It will be held on Saturday, May 24 at the Eagles Club on the Hornell-Almond Road beginning with a Dutch Treat Cocktail Hour from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. A Roast Beef dinner at 6:45 will be followed by a brief program and business meeting. Dancing to the music of Gary Cook's "Country Express" will complete the festivities from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The cost for teh dinner will be $5.50 per person including tax and gratuity. The Eagles Club is donating the music. A gala affair in being promised by the Eagles Club since our dinner dance will be the only commitment taken by the club for that day.

Letters with further details will be in the mail before April 30 with reservation deadline on May 15. Any interested person is invited to attend. Persons who are not on the mailing list may make reservations by calling Mrs. Kenneth Milligan xxx-xxxx or Mrs. robert A. Baker xxx-xxx

ANDOVER MAPLE FESTIVAL 2010

I'm not sure who Andre Kahl is, but he has some pictures of the 2010 Andover Mapbel Festival on his blog. Check it out:

http://andrewkahlphotography.com/blogwp/2010/03/29/andover-maple-festival-2010/

Did you attend this year? What did you think about it?

ANDOVER WATER COLOR

I came across this water color and thought I'd share it with you. This is from Natasha Ott, a young artist living in Andover. She does water colors and pencil drawings. If you are looking for something to hang in your house to remind you of Andover, you might want to look her up. You can find more information at http://www.skillwho.com/users/watercolor-painting/ny/andover/natasha-ott/e04100cd-55e7-4481-9dc2-f62fb884888d/

CLASS OF 88 ON FACEBOOK

I was talking with Mark several months ago and he mentioned that many members of the Class of 88 were on Facebook. So, I decided to give it a try. I found many people from our class were online: Amy, Cheri, Chris, Dave, Dawn, Debbie, Eric, Heather, James, Johnny, Julie, Kelly, Kim, Laura, Linda, Lisa, Meghan, Michelle, Patty, Pete, Rob, Stefanie, Sue, Toni, and Tracey (just to name a few). There were even friend of old such as Grant and Jon.

I was very excited and found Facebook a great venue to catch up with people, some of which I hadn't seen in 20 years. It was interesting to see what they were doing and where they were living. In just minutes, I was quickly brought up to speed.

I tried to be as interactive as possible and attempted to post something everyday - even if it was just something silly. After several months, however, the newness wore off and I became bored. I am sorry to all my friends, but, reading about nap time and beer time every week tends to get old.

If you are associated with the Class of 88, I would highly recommend joining Facebook and "friending" your classmates. However, Facebook isn't going to be a daily routine that fills you with riveting information about your classmates. Check back weekly or monthly (instead of daily) to see what everyone has been up to . Most importantly, contribute interesting content. As classmates, we have a lifelong bond and interest in each other's lives, so, tell us what is going on.

Join facebook today and look me up. I'm Kevin Gilbert in Hilton, NY at cnetbuild@yahoo.com

LETTER FROM MR. MACCREA

I wanted to share with you a letter I received from Mr. MacCrea:

Hello, Kevin!

How very good it is to have word from you! Good Heavens! It doesn't seem possible that you graduated that long ago! In my mind's eye I still see you as a very young, quite beardless lad about to embark upon his life's great adventure.

I still manage to lead a fairly active life. I am fortunate in that I have a very close family and I see teh sons and grandsons wuite regularly. My wife has been gone for a little over a year now. I still miss her very much, but I would not have it any other way. God gave us 53 very wonderful years together, and I could never have been married to anyone other than her. Somehow, from teh moment that we met, we knew, and the first kiss bound us in an almost inexpicable way to one another. God is good! ("Allahu Akbar" ?).

Give me a call if you return to this area. I would very much like to see you again. I would hope that your life goes well and that you are finding this earthly sojourn to be as enlightening, as wonderful, as I have found it to be.

Blessings, with fond memories, "MacCrea"

COFFEE MUG CELEBRATES ANDOVER

Looking for a Christmas Present? Tell me what's wrong with this:

http://www.amazon.com/US-State-Flag-ANDOVER-York/dp/B002PS8LHE/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1271277738&sr=8-9

You guessed it! If is a coffee mug! If it was a beer mug, they might sell a couple of them. But a coffee mug?

NEED A MAP?

I found this to be hilarious.
http://www.amazon.com/Street-Road-Map-Andover-York/dp/B002ULMB7C/ref=sr_1_2/177-5901340-2214450?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1271277157&sr=8-2

It is a map of the village of Andover for $9.99 (normally $19.99). Andover is a very small village. If you need a map to get around Andover... something is seriously wrong. And even at 50% off, if you are willing to pay $9.99 for the map? Then you are a fool who needs to be parted with their money. I could draw this map on the back of a postage stamp in 60 seconds and save you the cost! The map is completly worthless because there aren't "X's" marking the location of all the bars.

If you haven't been home in a while, you might want to consider getting this map. The last thing you want to do is end up on Greenwood street on some dark night unable to find your way back to Elm Street.

ANDOVER STATISTICS

Here's some trivia information about Andover from Wikipedia. A bunch of information you never really wanted to know:

The 2000 census reported 1,073 people lived in the village. This included 432 households. 30.6% of those households had children. 53.9% of them were occupied by married couples. 14.8% percent of them has someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average family size was 3.09.

26% of the population was under the age of 18 while 16.3% were 65 years or older. And probably explaining many things, for every 100 females there were 94.78 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were only 89 males.

The medium income in the village was $31,563. Around 12% of the population was below the poverty line.

And just in case anyone was wondering, the elevation of Andover is 1,660 feet.

IS CLASSMATES.COM A RIP OFF?

Many members of the Class of 1988 have registered with Classmates.com.

http://www.classmates.com/community/class/list?communityID=8210066&communityType=7

Is it worth your time and effort? Or is Classmates.com a rip off? Personally, I think Classmates.com is a waste of time. The free version is filled with advertisements, runs very slow, and has limited functionality. The interface is too busy and not intuitive. If you forget your password, then you have to create a new account (many classmates have created 2 or 3 accounts).

You are continually hounded to buy the gold membership. The payment starts at $2.46 per month. Don't take this the wrong way - I like everyone in the Class of 88. I just don't $30/year like you. Especially given the limited functionality of Classmates.com. For example, if you want Classmates.com to pass a person's address to google maps so you can see where they live on a map - you have to get a gold membership. Come on! If you were suckered into the Gold Membership, please leave a comment on your thoughts about it. Am I wrong?

Most of the information is outdated and members log on infrequently. I have yet to find an easy way to see new content without clicking through every class member. One of the banners said "Have you seen the latest pictures of " and has a listing of classmates. I clicked on one and the pictures were over three years old!

If you are desperate and really want to reconnect, there is information on Classmates (other than outdated pictures). If you really want to see answers to answers to silly surveys (your favorite indoor activity is cooking), then Classmates is for you. If you want to read messages that people left for each other (usually thinking they were private messages), it could be a lot of fun.

Like all social networks, you have to pay attention to privacy. Mind your manners. Be careful what you write. But Classmates takes these concerns a step further. Your actions on Classmates are tracked and reported. If you look at a classmate's profile, they will be notified via email (unless you remember to click "Remove Visit"). There is no lurking on Classmates - your activities are a matter of public record.

There are better tools if you'd like to stay in touch. The one that comes immediately to mind? The Class of 88 web site: http://GilbertInternetTV.com/88 . Need something that is more interactive? Try Facebook - many of us are online.

ANDOVER WEBCAM

Are you home sick? Want to visit Andover? There is a webcam sitting on top of the school that overlooks the valley. Using the Time-Lapse button, you can watch the fog roll off the valley and lift off the hills. Watch the sun set in the west. Or see the sun rise stretch light across the town. Check it out, and nominate it for the best webcam.


http://www.instacam.com/showcam.asp?id=ANDCS@size=L

POST CARDS FROM ANDOVER

Want to send someone a post card from Andover? Visit this site:

http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/createPostcard.php?cardNum=1704422

ANDOVER FOURTH OF JULY 2009
Did you miss the Andover fourth of July? Melanie Streeter has some pictures available on the Wellsville Daily Reporter web site:

http://www.wellsvilledaily.com/news/x135740005/SLIDE-SHOW-Fourth-of-July-in-Andover

DEF LEPPARD DOES DARIEN LAKE

Gunter Glieben Glauchen Globen. Musically, I live by two rules: (1) You can never play enough U2. (2) There is only one way to turn Def Leppard: up!

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to see U2 in Vegas. As hard as I've tried, I have never been able to get into another U2 concert. Even though I've seen U2, I have never seen Def Leppard.

On June 25th, I heard a radio commercial that Def Leppard was coming to Darien Lake, so, I called Linda to get some tickets. Come to find out, the concert was in two days and the only seats left were ten rows back from the stage. Without hesitation, I ordered those great seats.

It has been a long time since I've done a concern at Darien Lake and much has changed. The concert arena has grown-up and looks very professional. This concert featured Cheap Trick, Poison, and Def Leppard. Cheap Trick was stuck at the airport, so, we got a double-dose of Poison. Then Def Leppard came on and played all my favorites.

I became concerned the concert would be ruined by the drunk standing next to Linda. After he tried to pick a fight with a family man sitting in front of us and spilt beer on Linda I was ready to get it on and yelled "Did he just spill beer on you?" Linda calmed me down and I came to realize that getting beer dumped on you is just part of going to a concert. What would a concert me without that?

The drunk stumbled off with his girlfriend halfway through the show, fell in the aisle, and never made it back to his seats.

Aside from the disruption, the concert was awesome. I left def and happy.

THE WELLSVILLE TEXAS HOT
Two texas hots, hold the onion. Fries with gravy. And a vanilla shake. Everyone has their favorite Texas Hot combination. That's mine.

There really is no other restaurant in the world like the Wellsville Texas Hot. Often, when returning to Andover, we have to put the Texas Hot on our dinner plans.

Over the years, we have tried to replicate the tastes of the Texas Hot at home. You can purchase a jar of sauce. With the right kind of hot dogs and the right kind of buns, you can get close - but never close enough.

In recent years, we have found Coach Tony's - a hot dog sauce similar to the Texas Hot sauce, but with more of a black pepper taste. Coach Tony's is fine, but pales in comparison to the real thing.

The best way to enjoy a Texas Hot? The traditional way. Stand in line and wait for a booth. Then cram a family of 5 into a booth made for 4. Let the youngest play with the juke box and spill sugar all over the table. And then enjoy a great meal served lightening fast.

The second best way to enjoy a Texas Hot is to get your order to go. The hot dogs will all be smashed and shushed together, but the french fries will be steamed soft and perfect.

Visiting the Wellsville Texas Hot brings back great memories. Little has changed in the past thirty years - including many of the people who still work there. Familiar faces, familiar food, and great memories.