So Now I’m The Crazy Neighbor

My mother thought a good idea for a Mother’s Day present for my grandmother would be a framed photo of myself with Pugly, but she said that the photos I’ve taken of myself with the wigs on are all so fun that I should do the portrait with a wig on. O.K. No problem. In New Orleans, I used to do the costume wigs and costume stuff all of the time.

O.K. This is Maine. Definitely not the same as New Orleans.

And rural Maine? You cannot go out of your front door wearing a blue page wig, a Indian-made blouse, and blue jeans and carrying a tripod, a camera and a Pug and not have every single one of your neighbors come to the edge of your yard and stare like you’re about to climb up a water tower with a rifle or something.
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Tags: Pug, dog, the puppy, neighbors, dress up, New Orleans, rural, Maine, Mother\\\'s Day, family

Maine Red Meat Recall

Some days I’m really glad the doctors told me not to eat red meat.

The Maine Department of Agriculture says a Greene company is voluntarily recalling nearly a ton of beef. Bubier Farms says nearly 2,000 pounds of beef may be contaminated with fecal matter, a common source of E-Coli bacteria.

State officials say 1,936 pounds of beef may be contaminated with fecal material, as well as other contaminants. The problem was discovered by a federal inspector earlier this week. Officials say the inspector found fecal matter and hair on slabs of beef inside a cooler at Bubier Meats.

Bubier meats is a small family run business that only sells product here in Maine. State officials say at this point they do not know if any of the meat in the recall is actually contaminated. But it is being recalled because it was in the cooler on the same day the inspection was done.

“The big concern with fecal contamination would be e-coli. We haven’t confirmed, we haven’t tested any yet, we’re just recalling because with fecal contamination we can’t take any chances whatsoever,” said Hal Prince from the Maine Department of Agriculture.

Most of the meat went to small grocery stores and restaurants around southern Maine. State officials say about 75% of the recalled meat has already been returned.

Here is a list of what has been recalled:

–Two whole sides of beef stamped Est. 4.

–10-lb. bags of beef labeled Bubier Meats Hamburg.

–10-lb. bags of ground beef labeled Caldwell Farms Beef All Natural Beef. The product code on the ground beef is 647.

–Primal cuts of beef also labeled Caldwell Farms Beef All Natural Beef.

Consumers with questions about the recall can call Bubier Farms Manager Tobie Bubier at 207-946-7761. Tobie Bubier says he’s confident that no meat that left his plant was contaminated and says he plans to have an independent laboratory test it to prove his case.

Source: Maine Farm Recalls Beef That May Be Tainted

Keep in mind that a small percentage of red meat is actually inspected. How scary is that? How much scary does that make the fact that they just happened to inspect on the same day this happened?

Tags: beef, red meat, food contamination e. coli, Bubier Farms, Maine Department of Agriculture, Maine

First Sunny Saturday of Spring

Yesterday was the first sunny Saturday of Spring after a month of false starts and Spring snow snowstorms and Nor’Easters. And while I admit that I understand that Winter came late and wanted to stick around awhile, my Seasonal Affective Disorder was really tired of it all, despite the lovely photographs I managed to take.

So, with Spring literally in the air, while my new neighbors were blowing the remnants of last Fall’s leaves into my yard, Pugly and I hopped in the Jeep and headed down to Portland to the Eastern Prom where everyone and their dog was out and about enjoying the day. Pugly and I took end the sights of the Eastern Prom Trail near East End Bench including The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad. Pugly saw the beach for the first time and got slapped in the face by a wave for the first time, much to his surprise.

All in all, a great day.
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Tags: The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Eastern Prom, East End Beach, Portland, Maine, Spring, photo blogging, Pug

Project 365 (Day 14): Don’t Adjust Your Monitor

The icy snow in the air was freezing to my windshield before my defroster and windshield wipers could do anything about it. I was driving at a snail’s pace. In fact, my speedometer doesn’t register the speed I was going it was so slow.

Tags: project365, photoaday, oneaday, photo blogging, driving, snowstorm, Maine

Project 365 (Day 13): Snow-filled Leaf

Looks like a we might finally have got a sign that Winter might be coming to Maine…maybe…

Tags: project365, photoaday, oneaday, photo blogging, Winter, Maine, leaf, snow

Thursday Thirteen Vanity Plates I Took Pictures Of This Week (#20)

Today’s Thursday Thirteen is brought to you by the letters W, I, and G, and the numbers 5 and 23.

I found these all in less than seven days. I swear, New Englanders have the most Vanity Plates per square mile.

Thirteen Things about N. Mallory

1. This guy is just “CREWZN.”
   
2. I can only imagine this person is a self-styled “gangsta”. Though, in a Mazda? Probably not very credible.
   
3. This must be a mother.
   
4. I’ve been debating on if this person meant to spell “no duh” or they have no dad. Either way, it’s very sad.
   
5. Obviously this person is clinging onto Boston’s glory. (You know they say that Maine is like Massachusetts’ retarded step-cousin, right? We have no teams of our own but we always seem to glob onto Mass’ victories.
   
6. Blue Heaven or Haven?
   
7. This was sitting next to the above car.
   
8. Awwwwwww…as if college didn’t cost enough… (By the way, the MSU Mom really drives this SUV.)
   
9. Here’s a two-fer. This car has been sitting in the parking garage for six months. People have written in the dust, as you can see. Obviously someone cared about it at one time…enough to get a vanity plate. I’m even betting the guy is tall, kind of pale, maybe a little bald.
   
   
10. Apparently, the cost of college is worth a “W”.
    
11. I don’t think this person is sticking around.
    
12. And this one ain’t from around here.
    
13. At least this one has the right idea about living life every day.
    

Tags: vanity plates, photo blogging, thursday thirteen, meme, bloghopping, license plates, automobiles, cars, parking lot, parking garage, Maine, New England

Project 365 (Day 4): Strange Maine

This is a used bookstore and novelty shop in Portland, ME. You can find everything from old vinyl records to stuffed Ewok collectibles to retro 70’s lava lamps.

It always makes me think there should be a quirky t.v. show about it when I pass it.

Tags: project365, photoaday, Maine, Portland, photo blogging

Never A Camera When You Really Need One

There was this guy on Route 115 today.  All decked out in snow gear including those snow pole things…on roller blades.

Maine is really suffering for snow this year.

Tags: Maine, snow, roller blades, camera

Snow Day @ The Little Red House

As promised here are some pictures of today’s snow fall around my new house.

Here’s the Little Red House.  I wonder if someone can Photoshop those powerlines out so that can be made into a Christmas card or is the shot too blurry, do you think?

The view from my front window:

The view from my kitchen window:

The view from my Dining Room:

Tags: snow, Maine, little red house, photo blogging

Calling All Maine Bloggers

I’m stilling looking for Maine Bloggers to join my Maine Bloggers webring. I’d love to read blogs from other folks in the area!

Here’s the webring code and how it looks:

Hopefully, I’ll see some fellow Mainers joining up so I won’t be all lonesome.

Tags: blogging, blogs, bloghopping, webrings, Maine

New Maine Bloggers Webring

Since I’m going through one of those weird phases of wanting to belong and get involved locally, I looked around for a Maine Bloggers webring. All of the webrings I found included businesses and the like, but what I was really looking for was some sort of webring that focused on local bloggers — you know, a way for us prolific loners to connect and who knows, maybe become friendly.

Anyway, since I couldn’t find one that met my needs, I created one. Big step for me. I mean, it’s kind of like organizing a meet and greet and hoping strangers will show up.

Here’s the webring code and how it looks:

Hopefully, I’ll see some fellow Mainers joining up so I won’t be all lonesome.

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Tags: blogging, webrings, Maine

Maine Is Hotter Than Hell

O.K. Probably not.

But it is technically hotter than New Orleans today according to the weather channel.

Now, all those whiners in New England really do have something to complain about.

Really, it wasn’t until after lunch today that I thought it was bad.  There was a nice breeze and everything and people were still complaining about the heat and how they were probably going to have to get AC in their cars next time they bought a car — hello?  high gas prices, anyone?! – and people on the street where pretending to melt, but now I can say that it is officially New Orleans hot.

Though the humidity really isn’t that bad at 56%.  Admittedly, yesterday’s humidity felt worse…my upstairs bathroom had a nice sheen of water on it.  I should have taken the opportunity to mop, but it was too hot up there.

I was a little amused by the DJ on the radio station this morning who was bartering for a window AC for his apartment.  Someone apparently gave him one for free in the end.

And my office has taken pity on us and the ice cream truck is sitting in the parking lot and they’re buying us free ice cream…though I must admit that the music is starting to drive me a little mad…and I feel sorry for the poor kid in the ice cream truck.  Plus, as one co-worker pointed out, things have changed a lot since he remembers as a kid — the line is now full of aging, overweight people, half of which seem to be taking the opportunity to smoke while chosing whether they want Dara the Explorer or the Original Bomb Pop.

Anyway, my make-up melted off my face while I was waiting for my Bomb Pop which is how I knew that it was New Orleans hot.  So I’m back to hiding in my cubicle where there is AC.

Tags: AC, ice cream truck, Bomb Pops, heat wave, New Orleans, Maine, Portland, Weather Channel

Gorham Makes Marx On World

With everything going on in the world, I needed some silly news. Thankfully, Maine was willing to comply.

GORHAM — Forgive some young Australian rugby players if they’re having a bad day. Their coveted world record apparently has fallen. The new record setters - all 1,489 of them - gathered Sunday, on the final afternoon of an annual summer festival, in front of Town Hall in Gorham. When an official gave the word over the public-address system, everybody put on their Groucho Marx disguises, each one complete with trademark glasses, oversized nose, eyebrows and mustache.

That’s right, the people who showed up in Gorham now unofficially own the Guinness World Record for the greatest number of Groucho Marx glasses worn in one place at the same time.

Evidence of the feat will be boxed up and shipped to Guinness headquarters in London for verification. [”Gorham makes Marx on world” (MaineToday.com)]

Tags: Gohram, Maine, Groucho Marx, World Record

Same Thing Happened Two Years Ago

For those of you who haven’t been reading here that long, I moved to Maine from New Orleans two years ago.  I arrived in Maine on a very dismal March 31rst and my first day of work was exactly two years ago today.  I walked out of my hotel to discover that it was snowing.

So, it seems fitting that this is what it looks outside my back door tonight.

Tags: Maine

Maine Law Protects Animals From Domestic Abuse

I was disappointed in the 2004 election when Maine voted not to make bear baiting illegal like the rest of the country. However, in the two years since I’ve been here, I have been increasingly surprised by Maine’s progressive march into this new century.

On Friday, Governor John Baldacci signed a bill that includes animals in protection orders in domestic violence cases!

“Many national studies on victims of domestic violence tell us that their abusers have threatened to kill, threatened to harm or actually harmed their pets as a means of keeping the victim from leaving the relationship,” Mr. Baldacci, a Democrat, said. “With this new law, we hope to help remove another tool for emotional and physical violence used by the abuser to exert power and control over their victims.”Maine is believed to be the first state with such a law. But the issue has captured attention around the country as police departments, domestic-violence programs, animal protection societies and state officials become increasingly aware of a link between domestic violence and animal abuse. [“New Maine Law Shields Animals in Domestic Violence Cases” (The New York Times)]

Yeah for Maine!

Tags: Maine, domestic violence

Internet For Soldiers

Bill in Portland Maine on The Daily Kos reprinted this local letter from a local outraged parent, who’s son is serving overseas, and no matter what you think about the President and his policies and how he got us into the war and how he’s running the war, you have to agree that American soldiers deserve some sort of compensation for the risks they’re taking so we can sit in our comfortable chairs in the safety of our homes. I’ve always believed that American soldiers deserve that something extra — like in ancient Celtic times when the best warrior of the hunt or battle got first choice of the kill. And yet, it seems, we really don’t seem to be doing much for our brave soldiers but sending them over to risk their lives. But what can you expect from a government that didn’t adequatedly supply it’s military with appropriate armor or armor-covered vehicles?

I would like to ask Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe to please help my family understand why my son, Pfc. Matthew Deister of the Maine Army National Guard’s 172nd Mountain Co., has to pay for basic services while in Iraq and Kuwait.

Matthew has been deployed for 18 months and left home Feb. 1 with his unit.
Matthew and our family understand the reason for the deployment, as he enlisted during this war. But I, his father, can’t understand why we are charging our soldiers for Internet and telephone services, food and even haircuts!

Did we not ask these fine men and women to go? And yet, we continue to charge them for simple services that should be provided at no cost.

Matthew has to pay $5 per hour for Internet service. Anyone who knows about the pay structure of the service can understand why this is such an outrage. Matthew makes Pfc. wages while overseas.

If you deduct what he pays for the Internet, telephone and haircuts, you can see the reason I am very angry right now. I have never been so angry about any situation. We require them to go overseas and yet continue to allow people to profit off their needs.

Richard Deister
Buxton, Maine
Maine Sunday Telegram

[“Cheers and Jeers Tueseday” (Daily Kos)”]

Bill in Portland Maine is taking up a collection to help pay for the 172nd’s internet. You can email him at bipm04103ATyahooDOTcom and he’ll tell you where to send it. He’s starting things off by donating 10-hours-worth himself.

Hat tip to Susie at Suburban Guerilla.

Tags: blogs, Maine, Iraq, American soldiers

Maine’s “Unneeded” Law Protecting Gays & Lesbians

Here in Maine, we’re getting ready to vote on whether or not to keep a newly passed law that will protect the rights of fellow Mainers based on their sexuality or preceived sexuality.

First of all, I think Question 1 is worded strangely — possibly to confuse voters as to what exactly they are voting for.

Do you want to reject the new law that would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation?

The important thing to note is that a “yes” vote would repeal the law and a “no” vote will keep it on the books. Oh, and the law defines sexual orientation as “a person’s actual or perceived hetrosexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality or gender identity or epression.” Repealing the law would mean that whether or not you are a gay or lesbian or bisexual or hetrosexual, it will not be against the law for someone to judge you based on their impression of you and fire you, harrass you, deny you an apartment or a hotel room, or even enrollment in a university based on their personal judgement of you.

Get that? The discrimination is legal even if the boss or landlord just imagines you might be “a little light in your loafers” for his taste.

Last Sunday’s Maine Sunday Telegram had a couple of front page articles on the subject since the vote is a hop, skip, and a jump away, and there was something in the one titled “Grievances unlikely to surge if Maine gay rights law upheld” that has been nagging at me. Actually, it’s the subheader that’s been nagging at me — you know, that place between the headline and the byline (Mark Peters, by the way)?

Critics say a lack of filings in other states proves the law isn’t needed here.

So, I’ve been wondering why it is that the law isn’t needed?

Is it because no one in Maine discriminates based on sexuality? Are we such an openminded Blue state liberal community that we would never ever have an incident where this might occur?

And if that’s the case, if it’s not needed because no one would do it, what’s the harm of leaving it on the books? Why spent all this time and money petitioning to have a repeal option be put on the November ballot and advertising about what a bad idea it is? If it’s so unneeded then leaving it won’t harm anyone because it’ll never come up in a court case, right?

Some opponents of the state law say there isn’t evidence gays and lesbians face discrimination in Maine.

“I don’t discriminated against them, and I don’t see how other people do,” said Jill Taylor, an opponent of the law who collected signatures to help force the Novemeber vote.

The stay-at-home mom in Buxton fears that passage of the gay rights law will further erode the freedom of Christians to speak openly about their faith.

Wow, that’s mind-boggling. I mean, I don’t think there’s anything in that law that says that Christians (of which I am one) can’t speak openly about their faith. It just says that they can’t judge others and discriminate against them because of their faith.

discriminate

to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit; especially : to make a difference in treatment on a basis prohibited by law (as national origin, race, sex, religion, age, or disability)

You know, I’m fairly sure that God would approve of such a law. Remember, Jesus loved all the children; he never said don’t love if they are a different race or a different sexuality or a different religion. Oh, he didn’t say you have to love them, but I’m fairly certain that hate is a pretty un-Jesus-y thing to do. Oh sure, you aren’t supposed to love the sin, but then we’re all sinners. None of us but Jesus are above sinning. Of course, whatever choices anyone makes in this life that doesn’t actually harm anyone else really is between that person and God in my opinion. I don’t think you get moved up to the front of the line to the Heavenly Gates because you were more disapproving of sin than others.

Just my 2¢ whatever they’re worth.

If you’re wondering, I’ll be voting “no” on Novemeber 8th. It just seems like the Christian thing to do.

Source: Maine Sunday Tribune, October 16, 2005.
Recommended Reading: Maine Won’t Discriminate

Tags: politics, Maine, vote, Gay Rights, Christian bigotry

Katrina Hits Maine Where It Hurts

Earlier this summer, we received a notice that our heating gas company was offering discounts to employees where I work for the coming year. As of today via company-wide email, those discounts are being discontinued “due to the turbulent nature of the market at present.” It can be no coincidence that this comes one day after Katrina devesated the Gulf Coast, which includes many oil and gas drilling rigs. Since production has been halted for several days and damage is just beginning to be assessed, it’s evident that some of us are in for a long, cold, expensive winter here in Maine.

Tags: Hurricane Katrina, Maine

It’s Different Up Here

I took my car to the shop to get fixed on Thursday. The shop came highly recommended by MJ at work (who also loaned me a sauce pan and frying pan to use until my stuff gets here because she doesn’t cook ). I dropped the car off shortly after 7:30 a.m. in South Portland and they were nice enough to drive me over to work in Portland. Very friendly and laid back. When I hadn’t heard from them by 1:30 p.m., I gave them a call. The guy who answered, the one I had been communicating with all along, said “Oh, yeah, we’re putting the new battery in now.” To which I surprisedly replied, “What battery?” He quickly realized he was speaking with the wrong Noah. :laugh: Anyway, he hadn’t had a chance yet to look at my gear shift that wouldn’t go into park within the first 20 minutes of starting the car. I was a little annoyed about that, but I understood they were busy. I’m used to the car shop calling back within a couple hours of dropping the car off to at least give an estimate.

An hour or so later, the guy called back and told me it was fixed. I was a little shocked since I hadn’t authorized a fix because no one had given me an estimate. Apparently, he’d opened things up and decided it could be fixed with duct tape. Yup. That’s right. I’m thinking that he looked at my ripped up headliner held up by masking tape and my dirty car and worn paint and the would wedges JE made to “correct” my parking break which doesn’t catch but can be propped up and thought that maybe I could stand to save some money. He said that the one of the pieces was getting worn down and he fixed that with duck tape. He said I’d probably start to have problems again, ironically in the summer when it’s hot (this problem showed up due to the cold). He said there was another little MacGuyver fix he could do then, but eventually the problem would resurface and we’d have to replace the whole gear shift mechanism. He said that would cost quite a bit but we might be able to find some used parts somewhere. He was very jovial during the conversation and when I asked how much the duct tape was going to cost me, he told me that it was on the house. They even picked me up from work and took me over there to get my car.

You know that saying “the first hit is free?” Well, I will definitely be back. Before the big drive up here, I had to take my jeep to a mechanic to get the water pump replaced. JE gave me this very long, insistant fatherly-like lecture about how I wanted to make sure that a mechanic wouldn’t screw me over by over-charging me or telling me I needed to have other things fixed than the water pump. JE had looked over my car and that was the only thing that had an immediate need before the trip. I think JE would definitely approve of McKinney’s Automotive. :satisfied:

***Meanwhile this is the first weekend, I’ve really started to feel alone. I mean, I felt a little left out last weekend when my old gang got together to play LOTR Monopoly or Risk and I don’t like either of those games. However, this weekend, while I was talking to Meg to wish her a happy birthday, I began to really miss them and miss…well, mostly, I miss having people to talk to who I have things in common with. I miss talking to El and PW about “Trading Spaces” and “While You Were Out”. For some reason when PW and even El calls, I feel like there should be more important things to spend the time on the phone discussing, though maybe once I have the unlimited long distance with the digital phone that may change. I miss playing board games with folks. I brought two Mayfair Rail games with me, but I haven’t really felt motivated to play by myself, though I have in the past. I don’t mind going to the movies by myself but I miss having someone to talk about it with. I miss hearing about the daily trials and tribulations of the people around me. I try to send emails to the gang’s mailing list with small updates about my life, but the random thoughts that enter my mind don’t really have any release. Observations about this or that fall on non-existant ears.

For example, I’ve been watching the first season of “Beverly Hills,, 90210″ on Saturday and Sunday mornings for lack of anything else to do or watch, and it occurred to me that Dylan is a character that PW might play in a game. He appears all “cool” and handsome and rich and sexually active and dangerous, but he is emotionally screwed up from an extremely dysfunctional and somewhat non-existant family. He’s the kind of guy who will pretend to be poor with poor people so as to fit in and make them more comfortable and then pretend to break into a room in a fancy-schmancy hotel and order room service for his poor, rough-and-touble friends, but it’s really his room and his bill it’s going on. He’s the kind of guy who often seems to know all the right things to say to the right girl. Deep down he’s got a heart of Gold, but it’s just tarnished a little from the hard life he’s had behind the scenes.

Anyway, that’s been running around in my head for over a week now, but I’ve not remembered to mention it to her either in email or the few times I spoke with her.

I thought of Meg when I was at the brand new grocery store in Freeport on Friday. First, when I saw the produce section, then when I saw the health food section (it’s HUGE), and then when I saw the extensive ice cream section with ice cream brands and flavors I’ve never heard of. Actually, I think about her every time I go to check my P.O. box at the UPS Store. To get there I have to pass this giant health food store that I assume is like Whole Foods, though I’ve not gone in yet — I’m waiting until I have my huge kitchen and cookware and cookbooks.

So, today, I’m planning to go to a movie, probably Connie and Carla. I have a coupon to go see “Steel Magnolias”, the play not the movie. I’m somewhat excited about seeing them, but I wish I had someone to experience them with. Who knows, maybe I’ll even play Iron Dragon or Austrailia Rails against the cats — Needy should be easy to beat, but Aloof is the whily one. Heh.

Tags: discombobulated, Maine

Mooses everywhere…

I don’t know why but I feel completely, physically exhausted. Thursday I went to sleep at 9pm — it would have been 8:30, but “Will & Grace” was new.

Last night, I turned on the tv and reclined in the hotel bed to watch some baseball movie on some channel or other at 7pm and the next thing I knew it was 9pm and I’d not watched the movie, though I’d seen it before. I turned off the tv and went back to sleep, only to be woken up around 5am by Needy who was wandering the room meowing for no apparent reason but has picked up this habit or renewed it or whatever since we left New Orleans. I got up and tried changing out the litter box but that really wasn’t a help. I ended up dozing beneath my pillow for another two hours. Total I slept 12 hours last night. Then I resisted actually getting up and on with life for another 90 minutes or so. I packed up my hotel room, watched What a Girl Wants (but missed the end as my mother called in the last 5 minutes), ate breakfast (leftover Thai food from the night before), showered and generally dressed for the day, loaded the car, got gas, drove up to Freeport, unloaded the car into my new suite in this very “New England” inn (with high speed internet, a full kitchen, cable, and no telephone). I took about an hour to reorganize everything, went to the grocery in Yarmouth, came back, let my feet stop hurting, walked up and down Main Street looking at all of the outlet shops (there are quite a few with Moose in the name or sell stuffed mooses), and came back. Somewhere in there I ate grocery store sushi — not my favorite, but o.k. in a fix. (I don’t know why I’ve been craving Asian food since I got up here — tunafish salad too :doze: ).

Anyway, I’m exhausted again. Actually, I was exhausted after I unloaded the jeep. I’m hoping this goes away, that maybe this is leftover from doing so little for so long during my involuntary unemployment. It feels like such an effort to go to work and go apartment hunting. I’m really hoping this complex I’m going to look at on Tuesday isn’t another red herring. I can’t believe how many misunderstandings I’ve had with prospective apartment leasers, like the one that gave me the 2 br rates though they only had 3 bedrooms open. Part of me is kind of counting on this Tuesday appointment, which I think is why I drug my feet about making calls today. Tomorrow I know I’m going to drag my feet because it’s Easter and I guess I don’t want to interrupt people’s holiday. After all, not everyone is going to be alone for the day like I am. Still, I think in the afternoon, I will make some calls. I have an appointment on Monday to look at one and an appointment with some place called Apartment Mart on Thursday but they didn’t sound too professional on the phone.

Meanwhile, I did see two t-shirts of interest while wandering Freeport’s moose-laden shops:

• A group of woods-creatures (incl. a moose) with the slogan “May the Forest Be With You”
• A replica of the MIB logo but with two moose silohuettes where J and K were and the slogan “Mooses in Black: Protecting the World from the Scum of the Universe”.

Tags: discombobulated, Maine