Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Apology Extended? At the Very Least

BREAKING NEWS: CNN is expected to issue an apology for causing today's series of bomb scares throughout Boston. A statement emailed to the Globe from Turner Broadcasting said: "The “packages” in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim’s animated television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They have been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Parent company Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards. We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger."
In all, nine devices were found scattered around Boston. Portions of highways were closed, the Coast Guard closed the Charles River, and Storrow Drive closed for a while. Boston traffic is bad enough on a good day.....
I'm sure all those folks who were stuck in snarled traffic for hours and half scared to death will be very happy to receive that apology.

Nekkid Candlepin

In December, while I was in the home office, we had a team building event--we went candlepin bowling. I had to chuckle at the irony.
Candlepin bowling is HUGE in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Brunswick, and no where else, except, according to Wikipedia there is "one isolated candlepin center in Wyoming, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati".
Anyway that's where we went....that one isolated candlepin center.

So, when I came across this little item, I had to chuckle again and rejoice that Maine still does it with a little more panache than O-HI-O.

Long Sands Morning

We've had a stretch of uninterrupted cold weather. The beach now looks like a winter beach: a slushy high tide mark; a few lobster pots washed up, ice encrusted and hopelessly tangled by the violent winter seas; slush at the water's edge and low, gray skies in the morning.

They're finally skating on the Mill Pond, but cross country skiing and snowshoeing must wait for the snow. They say it might come on Friday. Most winters, if they say it's coming, it comes and it comes worse than they said it would.
This winter, we've taken the wait and see approach. It seems, no matter what they say, the snow doesn't come.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Tom Brady - Michigan football highlights

For my little friends, the Patriot fans who won't get to see Brady play this weekend, I offer you a little vintage Brady.

Maine Life Circa 1940


How cool is this? The Library of Congress has compiled a catalogue of color photographs from the late 1930's to 1945. The above is Caribou, Maine 1944, and below is a potato harvest up in The County:I have to admit that I went looking for some Ohio photos, as well: This shot is labeled "Gilead, Oh?" but might be my dad's hometown of Mt. Gilead. An annotation indicates that they are still researching the exact location. You can browse the entire collection here.

Should We Assume That They'll Stay at Walker's Point?


George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, the 41st and 42nd Presidents of the United States, will be the keynote speakers at the University of New Hampshire's 137th commencement ceremony on May 19.

Bonnie Newman, UNH's interim president, helped secure the presidents as the commencement speakers. Newman served as an assistant to President Bush from 1989 to 1991, when she oversaw all administrative operations for the White House and executive office.

Too bad the step-kid doesn't graduate this year, we might be able to score some tickets. Oh well, we'll amuse ourselves by watching for the caravan to head down the Turnpike or wait for the choppers to fly overhead.

Morning On the Water's Edge

York River. (as always, click to enlarge)
0 degrees at wakeup this morning, remarkable only because we weren't expecting it. I'm not sure why, but we weren't.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Barbaro Is Euthanized

Ah, Rats.
If one is going to be touched by something, there are many more important things in our crazy world to be touched by, I know, but this sure does take my breath away for a minute.

The NYTimes said:
"The eight-month effort to nurse the horse back to health riveted enthusiasts around the world, and reminded casual fans about the beauty, mystery and heartbreak that is part of thoroughbred racing."

I was a casual fan at best, until this horse captured my heart on Derby Day (one among a million hearts he won on that day, I imagine). He was a gorgeous horse who could run like the wind, it's not often we find exceptional beauty and outstanding talent in one package. When we do, we can be awed by it.

Then there was the instant sadness of the Preakness, watching Prado instantly stop and then hold his horse up, the severity of the injury instantly understood by anyone watching, but not by Barbaro. That horse still wanted to run and he was indignant that the others went on without him. That's when he got my heart forever.
This horse, so severly injured that he might be put down right at the track, was trying to break away from his jockey and the others holding him on the track so that he could run.
For those who think that horse-racing is cruel, that moment seemed to prove otherwise. This horse was doing what he loved to do, what he lived to do.

Beauty, talent and the heart of a champion. He never lost a race.

I Haven't Been Doing Much Cooking Lately....

..... and I'm missing it, but I surely haven't been missing many meals.

While out of town last week, I did manage to eat one Chipotle chicken burrito (with extra-hot salsa--yum); one order of Pad Thai from my favorite Thai restaurant (all Pad Thai is not made equally); and one very delicious meal of Sesame Encrusted Ahi on a bed of gingered cabbage and jasmine rice.

On Saturday, we wandered up to the neighbor's for dinner and had a wonderful white lasagna with turkey. I managed to get the recipe and thought I'd share:

White Lasagna with Turkey

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8 ounces lasagna noodles
2 ½ cups milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper
1 (8-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey
3 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
  2. Cook frozen chopped spinach and lasagna noodles according to the package directions; drain.
  3. In a saucepan blend together milk and flour. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Mix half the sauce with the spinach and set aside.
  4. Pour a small amount of the remaining sauce into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Alternate layers of noodles, spinach mixture, ricotta cheese, turkey and ending with the white sauce.
  5. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, dry bread crumbs, and Italian seasoning. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

Makes 9 servings.


An Alaskan Adventure

Mainers Tamara and Sam Clark, have moved away to build a camp business in Alaska and Tamra is blogging their adventures. I've added a link to the sidebar, or you can click here.

It's a beautifully designed blog (ah, behold the power of the Mac) and it's fascinating reading:
The closest road is 180 river miles away. The town of Ruby is 15 miles away and has an airfield, but there's no road from their camp to Ruby. Temperatures lately have been close to -40. There are wolves (and bears) and this time of year, not much daylight.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Unforgettable Fire

In today's Maine Sunday Telegram (the paper called The Portland Press Herald Monday thru Saturday), Washington correspondent, Bart Jansen reports on Bono's visit to Capital Hill to lobby for a $1 billion boost to AIDS and tuberculosis funding:

An unusual aspect of Bono's visit was his refusal to publicize it. Senators weren't supposed to talk about it beforehand. They could have snapshots taken with him, but they were not to distribute the pictures or post them on their Web sites.
Maine Senator Susan B. Collins was one of nine Republican Senators who met with Bono--but she isn't a fan of U2's music. Rod Stewart is her kind of guy musically, but she has great respect for Bono's commitment and the knowledgeable way he has approached his lobbying efforts.

If you'd like to help Bono's efforts, One.org will help you send a letter to W.

Morning at The Wiggly Bridge

York Harbor, ME The Wiggly Bridge--world's smallest suspension bridge. Or so they say.

Lord, What's In It For ME?


I detest modern worship music. (I could have said "I have a hard time with modern worship music" but that wouldn't be an accurate statement--I hate the stuff.)

Partially it's because I'm a traditionalist and I'm uncomfortable with electric guitars and drums and light shows in church. But mostly, it's because of the inanity of the lyrics and what my mom calls the no-brainer melodies (easier to sing along with, I realize, but awfully predictable).

Consider the song that opens Alexandra Pelosi's latest documentary "Friend of God."
The song is 4:37 long. The lyrics are:

Who am I that You are mindful of me
That You hear me when I call
Is it true that You are thinking of me
How You love me it's amazing

(Chorus)
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
I am a friend of God
He calls me friend

God Almighty, Lord of Glory
You have called me friend

(Repeat Chorus)

He calls me friend
He calls me friend...


That's it. Four and a half minutes of "I am A Friend of God I am a Friend of God. He calls me friend. " It's all about me and my responding to God. Theology subsituted for a trivial emotional response. Me, ME, ME

One of the most popular praise songs, "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" goes like this:

Verse:
Lord, I liftYour name on high
Lord, I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad You're in my life
I'm so glad You came to save us
Chorus:
You came from heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord, I lift Your name on high


Again, it's about me and how God makes me feel rather than a focus on God, His Divinity, his ability to awe (not the pop culture definition).

Compare those lyrics to a traditional hymn of about the same length:

1. Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne:
Hark! how the heav'nly anthem drowns
All music but its own!
Awake my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Thru all eternity.

2. Crown Him the Lord of love:
Behold His hands and side--
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his wond'ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

3. Crown Him the Lord of life:
Who triumphed o'er the grave,
Who rose victorious to the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring
And live that death may die.

4. Crown Him the Lord of heav'n:
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit thru Him giv'n
From yonder glorious throne.
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, thru endless days
Adored and magnified.

Lyrics that inspire both the soul and the mind. There is imagery and direct reference to scripture; there is praise and a reverence for an omniscient God. There is no ME. There is God and His creation and His victory over death.

Certainly there is good contemporary Christian music and there are horrible old hymns (my Dad's favorite is "In the Garden" and I can't sing it without busting out in hysterical laughter), but overall, contemporary worship music is a reflection of what is wrong with the evangelical movement in America: dumbed down, emotional, lacking in substance, and focused on the wrong priorities.


Saturday, January 27, 2007

Extremely Cold and Exceedingly Beautiful

One of my favorite things about the coast of Maine is that no matter the weather--whether it's sunny and bright, foggy and damp or freezing cold with low-lying clouds--it's always spectacular.
This morning's sub-zero start provided a spectacular scene at the beach.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Friends of God

Did anyone else happen to watch Friends of God, the Alexandra Pelosi documentary on HBO last night? (If you didn't, it's re-running all weekend on HBO and is available on demand. I recommend it. I think it's a good attempt to try to understand the more fundamental segment of the Evangelical nation).

So I have just one question for anyone who happened to watch: when Ted Haggard asked his two church members how often they had sex with their wives, and the first guy said "EVERY DAY!" and then the second guy said "Twice a day!" did you think "9th Commandment! You shall not bear false witness"? I sure did.

And then my follow-up question to you is when Ted asked them how often their wives climaxed during sex and they both said 100% of the time, did you think, oh, their wives are liars, too? I sure did.

Based on my upbringing there were one or two surreal deja' vu moments for me--the sex discussion was not one, I assure you, although I can also assure you that the born-again kids in my hometown (me for one) were having just as much sex as their heathen peers (but the Christian kids' pregnancy rate was much higher. Abstinence education does NOT work). And I need to state for the record that my parents NEVER expected their kids to believe in creationism vs. evolution, nor do they believe that dinosaurs walked the earth with Job.

Now I'm not even going to discuss the creepy factor of the conversation given what we now know about Ted.....



UPDATE: I've added the video clip.

Our Lives Are Going to Change

So. The boss dropped the bomb that I've been waiting for. By October, I'm to be relocated back to Cincinnati. In the interim, I'm to be here as much as possible.

There is a job change (within my same company) involved and it's a wonderful opportunity--the kind of new challenge that five or six years ago seemed like the most important thing in the world, but now matters not at all. I do not want to move back to the Nasti for any reason, and certainly not for a job. Cincinnati is home to Mean Jean Schmidt, Skyline Chili, SUVs, men in short-sleeved polyester shirts with pocket protectors and women with overly dyed, very poofy blonde hair. I don't call it the Nasti for nothin'.

Even if the relocation were to a desirable location, we already live in a wonderful place and I don't want to leave my friends, my tennis, my beach or my home.

Retired Guy--the one who's been sitting on the couch reading seven sports pages a day and watching Lifetime for Women since Thanksgiving says "Get your resume done fast. Do not stick your head in the sand and ignore this and then end up with no options. Find another job here."

There are many things I wanted to say to that, none of which I'll share with you dear reader, but I'm sure that you can take a WAG (Wild-Assed Guess) at one or two of them.......

Brrrr

2 degrees at wakeup. -19 degrees windchill.
Sea smoke everywhere.













The Tugs, Portsmouth New Hampshire

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Cute Paws

China is asking for help in naming 18 baby Pandas. The entire menagerie can be viewed here, along with some biographical facts.
They are SOOOO Cute.

The Darkest Day

Thirty-five years ago today, one of the most horrific events in all of sporting history occurred during an Ohio State/Minnesota basketball game:

Ohio State was leading Minnesota 50-44 with 36 seconds left and was in a position to take over first place in the Big Ten. Buckeye center Luke Witte is fouled hard while driving for a layup. As he's lying on the floor, Minnesota's Corky Taylor punches Witte in the head and then knees him in the groin. Gophers player Ron Behagen charged off the bench, kicked Witte in the head and stomped him unconscious. Minnesota players and fans, including several members of the football team, cornered Ohio State forward Mark Wagar and beat him. One of the Gophers basketball players was future baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. This fight made the Pistons/Pacers fight look like school girls pulling each others' hair. This was a bloody, violent beating and the brawl went on for a long time.

Fans booed Witte as he was hauled off on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he spent the night in the intensive care unit. Witte required 29 stitches in his face and suffered a scratched cornea that permanently dulled his vision. He suffered a concussion.

The incident had a profound impact on my little hometown of Ashland, Ohio for two reasons:
Luke Witte's parents had moved to town about six months before and had quickly become known and liked in town. Secondly, the Minnesota head coach was Bill Musselman, our own Bill Musselman.

My father was watching that game on TV and I remember lying in bed, reading with a flashlight under the covers. Suddenly I heard him half moan, half cry "Ohnoohnoohno" in a voice that I didn't recognize. A few minutes later he slipped out of the house and went for an extended walk around the neighborhood. He ended up at the college President's house questioning (at least I assume he quetioned) how Bill Musselman, the Bill Musselman we all loved and adored could have allowed or encouraged such violence (and everyone in Ohio firmly believes to this day that Musselman was mostly responsible for the brawl).

Musselman, a native of Wooster, Ohio (a mere 20 miles from Ashland) was previously respected for his success (including three Division III defensive championships) at Ashland College. He was widely blamed for fostering a thuggish Gopher atmosphere -- for instance, he had his team perform dunks and slams during pre-game workouts, unusual for college basketball. Musselman denied that he ordered his team to play dirty or to initiate fights, but was fired by the University of Minnesota anyway.

Witte was never the same player after that. He went on to a career in the NBA, but his game was more tentative.

Ohio State fans still believe that criminal charges should have been filed against some of the Minnesota players and because of the horrible violence of the event, it's never been replayed on television. Many folks who saw the event when it happened have never quite recovered from it--my father included. His voice still shakes with emotion whenever he speaks of that game or even Luke Witte's shortened professional stint with the Cleveland Cavs.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Fear of Flying

Ever since I lived in Manhattan I've had a travel phobia, and I just can't shake it.
I'm not afraid of the plane going down (driving in Bergen County, New Jersey cured me of that when I realize that I stood a 100% better chance of dying on Route 4 than of a plane going down). I'm not afraid of motor mouth/loud guy sitting next to me.....

Nope, I'm afraid of the dreaded "suitcase" failure. This happened to my roommate, who, after her suitcase arrived with a split zipper, had the rare privilege of picking each piece of clothing one-by-one from the conveyor belt. She ended up crawling up the baggage chute to claim her panties and a wayward shoe that didn't drop down to the carousel. The horror of this story (complete with leering business men and a crabby Newark Police Officer) has scared and scarred me.

Anyway, last night in the Nasty, it started with one boot. It was a nice boot--most likely a Salomon or a Sorel. It was all alone on that baggage claim. It looked lonely without its mate. Next it was a thong. A Red lacy thong nestled between two black bags. Then it was a Nike running shoe and a long-sleeved t-shirt. People started talking....the half-empty bag, zipper-popped rolled by, followed by some flannel pjs and a make-up kit.

I never did figure out who owned the bag, but judging by the contents, she wasn't very old. I hope this little incident doesn't have any long term ill effects.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Cool Tool

Google does it again. The Gapminder.....it must be FUN to be a college student now.

Snowy Morning

York River. York Harbor, ME

Surprise

The weatherman said 1-3 inches of snow overnight Sunday into Monday morning. Additional accumulation Monday of an inch or maybe a smidge more. Tapering off during the mid-afternoon on Monday. Less than 10% chance of snow Monday night/Tuesday morning.
By 4 pm Monday afternoon, we had a total accumulation of nada, ditto zilcho, cookie, zfft. Nothing. We did have periods of sunshine Monday morning.

The map above shows a classic nor'easter (ok, it's a very tiny one, but still...)--meaning the system is rotating counter-clockwise off the ocean. It started snowing up to Portland mid-afternoon. It started here at about 7pm and has been snowing off and on since. We've got the two inches they predicted, just a bit later than they thought

Sunday, January 21, 2007

For All The Naysayers

Peyton Manning engineered the largest comeback (18 points) in NFL history and beat the Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship game. So sorry, Bill and Tommy.
And our sincere thanks to Florida Gator Reche Caldwell who managed to drop TWO WIDE OPEN PASSES and help those Colts win big.
Next up: DA BEARS.
Congrats Colts!

Homage to Brady

At halftime, trailing 21-3, it's time to remind you about BRADY.
Go Colts.

Diver Down-Unbelievably

Brrr. 6 degrees at wake up this morning with a wind chill of -9. Windows are frosted over, pipes have frozen again, the house has a bit of a chill and it begs me to make a fire and curl up with the Sunday papers.

And so I do and the first thing that catches my eye is an article in the Portsmouth Herald about the divers repairing the cable underneath the Middle Bridge over the Piscataqua River. The Piscataqua is the third fastest flowing navigable river in the United States, and one of only two rivers to have a permanent Coast Guard presence--partially because of the importance of the harbor, but more because of the difficulties the currents and tides cause in the river basin.

So not only are these divers battling the bone-chilling winds and cold above the water, but they are battling the intensity of the tides, which they compare to a washing machine during the lulls and a hurricane when the river flows:


"You weight yourself down as much as possible and it's not enough," said Reis. "As soon as the tide shifts, it literally peels you off the wall. You can barely hold on. You're holding on with both hands and you're literally flapping like a flag in the breeze."


Seacoastonline has a terrific slide show complete with narration and sound effects.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Now THIS is a Blog

Life in a Northern Town
Relocation from London to a rural town.

Stephen Colbert on The O'Reilly Factor

We just love the Colbert Report.

Friday, January 19, 2007

So This Is Where Our Snow is....

It's in Scotland.....Germany got the wind (123 mph gusts) and France got wind and rain.

Full article here.

The Nubble




Yesterday, bone numbing cold. Today, drizzly rain and temperatures in the mid-30's.
Weird, weird winter (and as always, click to enlarge the photo).

Thursday, January 18, 2007

On Notice

New Cell Towers Boost Coverage in Maine/Verizon Sells Maine Land Lines

Verizon Communications continued shedding its traditional landline phone business Tuesday by announcing that it will spin off that business in northern New England and merge it with FairPoint Communications, a small phone company serving mostly rural areas (sounds like us, doesn't it--mostly rural we are).

In Maine, Verizon has 578,000 lines and 1,259 workers who would move to the new company as part of the deal.

While divesting of land lines, Verizon continues to invest heavily in the wireless business. Verizon Wireless added or activated 100 new cells in 2006, including 29 in November and December. The company has invested over $318 million in the New England states over the last 5 years in an effort to stay ahead of the competition.
The 29 newest spots to get better coverage:
 Hancock County:
- Dedham: Provides improved coverage and capacity along US-1a, providing
connectivity with the existing sites in Holden to the northwest and
another Dedham site to the south
- Ellsworth: Enhances coverage along US-1, connecting with another
existing site in Ellsworth to the east and a new site in Orland to the
west
- Orland (2 sites): Adds new coverage along US-1 and ME-3. The sites
tie-in coverage with each other as well as new sites in Ellsworth to
the east and Prospect to the southwest
- Verona: Provides coverage along US-1 and ME-3 as well as Verona Island

Knox County:
- Camden: Provides coverage along US-1, ME-90, ME-52, as well as to
downtown Camden, connecting with the new Rockport site to the north
- Owl's Head: Adds coverage along US-1, ME-73, as well as into downtown
Rockland, providing connectivity with new sites in Rockland to the
northwest and northeast
- Rockland (2 sites): Enhances coverage along US-1, ME-73, ME-90, ME-17,
as well as into downtown Rockland. The sites tie-in coverage with each
other as well as new sites in Owl's Nest to the south/southeast and
Thomaston to the southwest
- Rockport (2 sites): Adds coverage along US-1, ME-17, ME-90, as well as
into downtown Rockport along Rockport Harbor. The sites link with each
other as well as the new site in Camden
- Thomaston: Provides coverage along US-1, connecting with new sites in
Warren to the northwest and Rockland to the east
- Warren (2 sites): Adds coverage along US-1, ME-131, and ME-90. The
sites tie-in coverage with each other as well as a new site in
Thomaston to the south east and an existing site in Waldoboro, both to
the east

Oxford County:
- Gilead: Adds coverage along US-2, connecting with new sites in Newry
and Greenwood to the east and the existing Shelburne site to the west
- Greenwood: Provides coverage along ME-26 and ME-35, joining with
existing sites in Newbury to the west and Woodstock to the east
- Newry: Adds coverage along US-2, uniting the existing site in Bethel to
the existing site to the northeast and the new Gilead site to the
southeast

Sagadahoc County:
- Bowdoinham: Provides improved coverage along I-295 and Route 201,
providing connectivity with existing sites in Bowdoin and Topsham

Waldo County:
- Belfast (2 sites): Provide new coverage along US-1, ME-3, ME-141, and
ME-7 as well as downtown Belfast. The sites join coverage with each
other as well as the new Searsport site to the east, new Belmont site
to the west, and existing Northport site to the north
- Belmont: Enhances coverage along ME-3, providing connectivity to
another existing site in Belmont to the east and the new site in
Searsmont to the west
- Frankfort: Adds coverage along US-1a, providing connectivity with new
sites in Buxport to the north and Prospect to the south
- Prospect: Provides coverage along ME-3 and ME-1, connecting with
existing sites in Franklin to the north and Orland to the west
- Searsmont: Adds coverage along ME-3, providing connectivity to an
existing site in Belmont to the east and the new site in Montville to
the west
- Searsport: Provides coverage along US-1/ME-3, supporting an existing
site in Verona to the east and the new site in Belfast to the west

York County:
- Buxton: Adds coverage along ME-202, uniting with existing sites in
Hollis to the west and Gorham to the east
- Lyman (2 sites): Provide coverage along ME-202. The sites tie-in
coverage with each other as with a new site in Waterboro and existing
sites in Alfred and Hollis
- Waterboro: Enhances coverage along ME-202, joining with two new sites
in Lyman

Frozen Waves


Slushy, icy waves breaking at Long Sands this morning (click to enlarge). Even though it's colder today, the sea smoke is barely visible, unlike yesterday when huge columns of smoke billowed toward the sky. Everything (grass, trees, sidewalks, rocks, roofs) is still encased in ice and we're to get snow/sleet overnight and tomorrow.
We weren't as cold as points north:

The coldest weather so far this winter sent the mercury to 16 below zero in Caribou, created dangerous wind chills of 30 to 40 below in several communities, and caused dead car batteries and a flood in a downtown Portland office building.Elsewhere, many people simply struggled to get their cars started. The American Automobile Association dealt with 1,800 calls -- triple the number on a regular morning -- from motorists seeking help in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, said spokesman Matt McKenzie.The entire state of Maine endured temperatures either below zero or in the single digits, said Steve Capriola from the National Weather Service in Gray

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Want One?

iPhone
We're still trying to decide...but while we decide, this little 3-D animation was just too fun to not post.

Bring It....

Atheist author Sam Harris and Christian blogger/pundit Andrew Sullivan are debating the merits of faith in a blogologue forum.

In Sam's first post he defines "faith":

Where I think we disagree is on the nature of faith itself. I think that faith is, in principle, in conflict with reason (and, therefore, that religion is necessarily in conflict with science), while you do not. Perhaps I should acknowledge at the outset that people use the term "faith" in a variety of ways. My use of the word is meant to capture belief in specific religious propositions without sufficient evidence—prayer can heal the sick, there is a supreme Being listening to our thoughts, we will be reunited with our loved ones after death, etc
and he states that they both have an issue with fundamentalism. Andrew counters with an explanation of why he finds fundamentalism so troubling:
It is its inability to integrate doubt into faith, its resistance to human reason, its tendency to pride and exclusion, and its inability to accept mystery as the core reality of any religious life. You find it troubling, I think, purely because it upholds truths that cannot be proved empirically or even, in some respects, logically.

One of the reasons that I read Andrew every day is because of his faith and his willingness to call Christianists (a term he coined last year and a term that bugs the heck out of many religious conservatives) on the carpet for their hypocrisy and deceit.

This should be very interesting.

Coldest Day in the Last Two Years

It's official. Today is the coldest day we've had in the past two years. It was cold enough for sea smoke. Sea smoke on the ocean, on the York River and on the Piscataqua. Sea smoke is lovely--harsh and wonderful.

Big News (for York Anyway)


The manager of a popular gift shop and restaurant in York Beach was shot last night.

Patrick Simpson manages both Shelton's Gift Shop and Gabby Sullivan's Restaurant. He was found in front of the York Police Station with a gunshot wound to the stomach.

After speaking with Simpson's family, the York Police went to Shelton's and found a small, suspicious fire burning in the gift shop.

The police and the Maine Fire Marshall are investigating.

For the Rev. Martin Luther King: Sing!


St. George's Episcopal Church will celebrate its next U2charist on Saturday January 20 at 5 pm.
This Saturday's service will honor the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr and is open to all including (at least this time), the BBC.

The Reverend Dr. Paige Blair, wasn't the first pastor to use U2's music or Christian message in a church service, but St. George's did originate the U2charist. St. George's holds a U2charist every three or four months (the last coincided with the "Stand Up to End Poverty" Day organized by the One Campaign) and changes the service each time in accordance to the liturgical season.

The U2charist movement is now international with services in places like New Zealand, South Africa, Atlanta, and Hong Kong.

The BBC will be filming this service as part of a documentary that they're making, but also so that it can be used as a model for a U2charist performance at St. Swithin's Church in London. That performance will bre broadcast nationally in the UK on Good Friday.

Dr. Blair will start this U2charist with "Pride (in the Name of Love)" and end the service with "MLK".

More background on U2's message can be found here and here. The Official U2charist page is here.
For a lot of background on the spritual journey of U2, I recommend the book Walk On by Steve Stockman.

"One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach
One man betrayed with a kiss
In the name of love.
What more in the name of love?"

UPDATE: Correction. As a commenter so kindly pointed out, the first U2charist was not held at St. George's but rather at St. Mary's Outreach Center (SMOC) in Baltimore, Maryland in April of 2004. Sorry about the misinformation.

NOW it's Winter



The toilet is frozen. The windows are frosted over.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Chrissie, We Hardly Know Ya

I don't know how I missed this little item, but I did.

Anyway, Chris Evert and Greg Norman have both left their spouses and are now an item....this is big news and worth blogging about here because:

1) Chris Evert is my childhood hero. I started playing tennis at the age of six, but got very serious about it after I watched her Grand Slam debut at the US Open in '71. She made it ok to be a girl and to be an athlete.
2) Sadly,I have two and only two celebrity autographs: His and Hers.

His I got at the Memorial Golf Tournament in Dublin, OH at the height of his career, right before he had the stigma of never being able to to win the big one (I guess this changes that). I was at the rope between green and next tee and he was signing everything handed to him. So I handed him the only thing I had....my white golf hat. He signed it, winked and said, "Here ya go, luv." I have no idea where that hat got to.

Hers I got a few years later, when we physically crashed into each other in the Aspen Airport. I was walking in the door behind her (although I didn't know who it was at the time), when she turned suddenly and ran right into me. She apologized. I stammered something completely inane and then thrust my paper ticket at her and said something along the lines of, "You are my favorite athlete on the planet. You made it ok to be competitive and feminine and that was such a huge help to me. Thank you. Will you give me an autograph?" She sighed, said thanks and yes, signed it and went on about her way. I had to negotiate long and hard with United to keep that ticket, but I still have it. I've never asked for, nor wanted, another autograph.

You Like Him. You Really, Really Like Him

Mac the Dog thanks you all for making him the most popular dog in America for the 16th straight year.

Must See TV--For Our House Anyway

Friends of God: a Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi, January 25th @ 8 pm on HBO.
It will re-air on HBO2 on January 28th.

Yes, Alexandra is Nancy's daughter. You might remember her from her first documentary "Journey's With George", which was an inside look at W's 2000 campaign.

It features Ted Haggard, who according to Pelosi, was instrumental in making this film a valuable documentary (and I write this without any irony, whatsoever). He took her into his family, he introduced her to Jerry Falwell, and showed her Christian subcultures like Christian Wrestling (again, no irony. Not a drop.).

Begin Irony here--Pastor Ted has this little moment in the movie:

“You know all the surveys say that evangelicals have the best sex life of any other group,” Mr. Haggard says slyly to the camera, to which the effusive Ms. Pelosi responds, “No way.”
Mr. Haggard then asks a parishioner at his 14,000-member church how often he has sex with his wife. The man says: “Every day. Twice a day.” Pastor Ted then asks, "How many times a day does she climax?"
Oh. My. Goodness.

In defense of the 80 million evangelicals Ms. Pelosi has this to say:
“I believe in the culture war,” she said. “And you know what? If I have to take a side in the culture war I’ll take their side,” meaning the Christian conservatives. “Because if you give me the choice of Paris Hilton or Jesus, I’ll take Jesus.”
She might take Jesus, but more and more I wonder if Jesus would take most of America's current Evangelical Christians (you know, like the ones who singled Ted out as their best and brightest and then conveniently denied that he was even a Christian after his little indiscretion).

The Lobster Video

I just had to post the video....afterall, the soundtrack is by Billy Belichick's favorite band (and the lobstermen are pretty cute).

Lobstering On Rough Seas

I Have A Dream

The entire speech.


NOTE: This should have posted sometime Monday morning, but it seems to have taken You Tube and Blogger about 18 hours to make it happen.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Art Garfunkel's Reading List

Just reading this list is impressive, but documenting it so almost boggles the mind. At least it boggles a mind suffering from Adult-Onset ADD (self-diagnosed, of course).

Art Garfunkel is indeed a voracious reader and judging by his favorites list, he's a high-faluting reader as well. No pulp fiction on this list, no indeedy.

Script O Shit

If you're looking for the picture, click here. (you can click the picture to get a larger version)
Thanks for dropping by. GO BUCKS.

And if anyone knows who created the original, I'd love to know.

This post will remain on top of the blog until google searches for OSU OShit stop or at least slow down. Scroll down for the new stuff.

Storm Damage

We've maintained power all day today, but over 23,000 folks in southern New Hampshire are without power and almost 18,000 customers of Central Maine Power are in the dark tonight.

We didn't fare too well with our TWC Road Runner Service or the digital phone, but I'm guessing that's not weather related, as it seems to be out more than it's on lately.

UPDATE: Maine News just reported that 145,000 customers in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are without power.

Iced Holly

York Harbor, ME

All Things In Moderation....

....even water. A 28-year old Sacramento woman died of water intoxication while trying to win a Wii in a radio contest called "Hold Your Wee for a Wii".

Water intoxication causes the body's vital fluids to dilute, and the victim experiences nausea, headaches, vomiting, blurred vision, and may have brain-swelling leading to seizures, coma and as in this case, death.

Arts Watch

Author Anita Diamant is scheduled to speak this Thursday night at the Portsmouth Music Hall. (Tickets available on-line, but there are very few left).

Pulitzer Prize winning author and Maine resident Richard Ford (The Sportswriter, Independence Day and The Lay of the Land, among others) will read and sign books at the Portland Library this Saturday afternoon at noon. Call 207-871-1700 for more information.

Ice Storm

We've got a doozy of a mess here--about 1/8 of an inch of ice on all surfaces, now being coated with sleet and the freezing rain/wintery mix isn't supposed to stop until late afternoon.

Our power goes out on a calm, sunny day so we're getting ready for a long term power outage:
candles gathered; new batteries in the flashlights; extra firewood stacked in the garage and in the basement; iPods charging; camera batteries charging....the essentials, you understand.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Senator Dodd to Visit Dover, NH

Senator Christopher Dodd, who announced he's running for President earlier this week will hold a Townhall meeting in Dover, NH on Saturday, January 20. Details will follow.

Wintery Mix


It' s not a real winter storm, but it does qualify for a Winter Weather Advisory....
We'll take it.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Got An Extra $12,000 Lying Around?


Well. Then have we got a vacation rental for you...
Right here in York. Two master bedrooms (why two you ask? Well, we really don't know, we say), space for 12, pool, water views.....lovely really.
Yours to rent for a mere, eentsy, teeny tiny $12,000 per week.

Honestly, if you've got that jing to spare, we'd humbly suggest you buy a mosquito net or a goat or two. But it's just a suggestion. If you've got that much jing, you clearly don't need our advice.

A Regular Saturday Here in Snowless Maine

We had what we now consider, a regular Saturday in January.

Before this year, a regular Saturday in January would have included:

  • shutting all curtains and drapes before going to bed to help keep out the cold
  • opening all taps to a slow but steady drip in a fruitless attempt to keep the pipes from freezing
  • dumping anti-freeze down the two most prone-to-freeze up bathroom drains
  • waking up every two hours throughout the night to flush the upstairs toilet in a fruitless attempt to keep it from freezing
  • shoveling the front walk
  • shoveling a path for Mac the Dog to go potty in the way back
  • snow-blowing the luge run we call a driveway
  • grocery shopping for extra supplies in preparation for the next snow storm
  • filling the tank of the car, just in case
  • hauling extra wood into the basement, just in case
  • a lovely snowshoe in the back forty
Today, we had none of the above.
Instead, we:
  • stepped onto the back deck at 6:30 and noticed it smelled like spring.
  • had a lovely, not too cold run along the beach
  • cleaned out the bedroom closets
  • did a couple of loads of laundry
  • set out some mice poison in the garage (do not ask)
  • showed the cats where to hunt in the house (again, don't)
  • grocery shopped because we could and needed to, not because we had to
  • marinated the pork roast for tomorrow's dinner
  • set up Hubby's new Christmas present
  • dumped some stuff into the crock pot for tonight's dinner
  • split some wood
  • built a fire because we like fires, not because we need to have one to keep from freezing
  • played the world championship ping pong tournament (and won)
  • drank some wine
  • read a bit of my new and very good book
  • made the cheese ball for tomorrow's Patriots' Party (we'll be cheering for the Chargers)
  • listened to our new obsession
You might think I prefer today to what is a usual winter Saturday, but I don't. I likes me a good blizzard.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

It was taken this morning.....daffodils. In January. In Maine. Imagine.

Maine Blogger To Cover Scooter (Libby) Trial

Lance Dutson, a Maine blogger who runs the Mainewebreport will cover next week's federal trial of Scooter Libby, former Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Dutson is a member of the Media Blogger Association, a group of about 1,000 bloggers that received the credentials to attend the trial. Dutson will share a seat with other members of the MBA during the trial.

If Dutson's name sounds familiar, it might be because he's the Maine blogger who was sued by a contractor for the state of Maine for criticizing an ad campaign. The suit was withdrawn after the contractor suffered a huge beat down by the blogosphere and even the maine stream media.

Slowly But Surely

.... I'm getting over the debacle that was Monday night....I'm making positive progress in working through my seven stages of grief:

I've delivered the case of orange and blue wrapped beer to the tennis pro's house, the tennis pro who happens to be a Florida letter winner.
I've delivered our resignation letter from the club to the club President.

I've stopped uttering Tourette's-like f-bombs at random moments.
I've started uttering 'damn' at random moments, but without much venom, frequency or passion. Really. The damns are as ineffective as OSU's defense.


I've stopped throwing Buckeyes at my picture of Urban Meyer. It's no fun to pick on a guy who thinks pleather is still in style.
I've resumed throwing Buckeyes at my picture of Bill Belichick. This only has a little to do with Belichick's collaboration with Meyer, and more to do with the disaster that was his tenure with the Browns. In this house tt will never become unfashionable to throw things at Mr. Bill.

I've stopped the "Urban for Cleveland" campaign. Afterall, he and the SEC are made for each other.
I've started the "If You Give Us Back your Damn Buckeye, We'll Give you A Baby Gator to Carry in Your Purse" campaign for Shelley Meyer.

And the real proof that I'm getting over it?
I can finally offer heartfelt condolences to Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan on the recent passing of his mother, Lilly......wasn't little Billy cute?

Friday, January 12, 2007

I Think I Can Remember When...

....winter in Maine looked like this.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

The Saints Are Coming

This song has been stuck in my head ever since I listened to the Presidential Address last night.

Grandma's Best Flu Fighter

First, I have to admit, this is not my grandma's recipe, but it's certainly someone's grandma's so the title isn't a complete lie. It's just good marketing.....

Flu season is upon us and I'm one of the early victims. I still can't quite shake the icky stomach, headachey, general achey, I'm so tired I sleep 15 hours a day feeling. Hubby thinks it's time for the doctor (no way, hosey, I don't like doctors), so before he insists, I'm making a batch of this specific recipe for chicken noodle soup.
It's not failed me yet. The friend who gave it to me called it her Jewish Penicillin. It's a perfect title. Leaving the skins on the root vegetables just packs it with vitamins and the ginger helps fight nausea.


Flu Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup

1 whole fryer chicken (kosher, if possible)
2 large parsnips
2 small onions
4 large carrots
2 large turnips (when you can't find turnips, rutabegas work well)
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ginger
half pound wide egg noodles
2 Tbs fresh dill
2 Tbs fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Place the chicken in a pot, cover with cold water
Chop 1 onion, 1 parsnip, 1 turnip, 2 carrots and add to the pot;Do not peel root vegetables
Add the garlic, ginger, salt and pepper
Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cooking for at least two hours.
Skim fat as necessary
Remove the vegetables and discard
Remove the chicken and debone, then strain the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chop parsnip, turnip, onion and carrots into small chunks and add to the simmering stock Add the chicken and egg noodles
Cook until noodles and veggies are tender, then add the parsley and dill just before serving.

The House of Corrections

Richard Lederer presents his lastest list of students' gaffes and botched spellings. Oh to be this creative:

  • No sooner had the Hebrews left the Mess in Potamia safely behind them than they found themselves caught up in the Fatal Crescent.
  • Pharos, the Egyptian King, decried that the Hebrews should be drafted into farced labor building the Pyrenees and that if any of them bulked, they should be put into stocks and bonds.
  • All Gaul was quartered into three halves.
  • In ancient Rome, women had a high risk of childbirth.
  • Joan of Arc is a true mortar and a true heroine.
  • A landmark in Paris is the Eyeful Tower.
  • An Indian woman squatted over the campfire in one teepee, and you could smell the fresh meat cooking.
  • Martha Stewart sewed the American flag.
And quite possibly not a mistake:
  • Someone who runs for an office he already holds is called an incompetent.

Good Morning

Long Sands, York Beach, ME

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

TBDSITL*



Who said Florida's band was better? Ours can adapt on the fly. Forget Script Ohio. Meet Script OShit, performed by The OSU band at halftime of the BCS game, right after they played the Theme from Titanic. The only difference between our football team and that ship was that it took our team 29:44 seconds to sink and the landing was far less merciful than the deep, dark cold of the Atlantic.

This one's being passed around the Ohio internets at light speed (I've received it six times in the last 22 minutes) but in all fairness, I must point you to the MZone for the full story (and the place that I first saw the picture).

*The Best Damn Spellers In The Land

Seasonably Cool but Still Not Winter


Frost on the roof of the shed. 16 degrees this morning, our lowest temperature of 2007. The unnatural green of the winter grass is muted by the silvery frost. Will it ever snow this winter? Or will we have to wait until July?

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Our Favorite Christmas Present


We got any number of very wonderful and exciting Christmas presents (some from readers of this blog) and while we appreciate all of them so much, there's one that we love just a little bit more than the others. It's the Red Whirley Popcorn Popper. It pops 8 natural servings of popcorn in less time than the microwave can pop a mini-bag full of chemical-laden fake corn (about a minute and a half on our stove. We use 1 tbs of regular old Wesson oil to make a full pot, reducing the fat and calories but not the taste.

Our red whirley came with a recipe book. We haven't tried any of them yet. But our whirley also came with my mom from Ohio and she makes this delicious caramel corn recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Karo Syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (mom uses a quick pour more)
lots of popped corn (6-7 quarts)

Place popped corn in a large shallow roasting pan (the aluminum foil turkey pans work well. We wash it and reuse it.) Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Mix the first four ingredients together in a saucepan and cook for about five minutes. Add the baking soda and vanilla and stir until fully mixed. Pour the mixture over the pop corn and bake for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
Much better than Cracker Jacks.

We Hereby Resume Regular Postings

Ohio State coverage is officially over until late August (with a possible return for March Madness, but don't count on it), and we hereby resume posting about random junk....
Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday unveiled a new mobile phone that downloads and plays music as well as a set-top box that allows people to stream video from their computers to their televisions.
Forget the phone, let's talk about AppleTV:

....the company will begin taking orders Tuesday for $299 video box, called Apple TV. It will be available in February.

The gadget is designed to bridge computers and television sets so users can more easily watch their downloaded movies on a big screen. A prototype of the gadget was displayed by Jobs in September when Apple announced it would sell TV shows and movies through its iTunes online store.

The product could be as revolutionary to digital movies as Apple's iPod music player was to digital music. Both devices liberate media from the computer, allowing people to enjoy digital files without being chained to a desktop or laptop.

"It's really, really easy to use," Jobs told the crowd at San Francisco's Moscone Center before demonstrating the system with a video clip of "The Good Shepherd." "It's got the processing horsepower to do the kinds of things we like to do."

Apple TV will come with a 40-gigabyte hard drive that stores up to 50 hours of video. It features an Intel Corp. microprocessor and can handle videos, photos and music streamed from up to five computers within the wireless range.


Specs include:

  • USB 2, Ethernet, WiFi, HDMI, component, audio, and optical out.
  • 20p high def video
  • 40GB hard drive
  • 802.11b/g/n
  • Intel processor

The media hub will stream content from up to 5 computers around your home.

I'm not the only one excited. MSNBC reports that Apple shares jumped 5 percent on the announcements.

Quotes of the Night

It comes down to two:
1) It took Florida 90 years to win its first National Championship...now they have their second in 100 years of football.
2) Coach Urban, when asked about his National Championship jacket in the post-game interview: "Nike's been good to us...we have to be good to them."

This from the guy who earlier in the week said:

This is the first time this Bowl has been played -- distanced itself from the other Bowls. We have an obligation to put a good product on the field. Make no doubt about it, this is a business trip and we will handle it as such.

Call me bitter or a poor loser, but college football is not pay for play. It's a GAME. It's fun (except for tonight when it was decidedly unfun). It is not supposed to be a business and to do or say anything that accelerates the decline to professionalism is wrong. With his two quotes this week Urban has clearly indicated that he sees this as a business, not a game.

Take the trophy. It's not worth that much.

Monday, January 8, 2007

I Have Two Things to Say

Ohio State's Band is still undeniably better than Florida's.
Urban Cryer will hopefully remain true to his history and become coach of the Cleveland Browns next season. He's coached a beautiful game tonight.

GAAHHHH.
Daughter of a preacher man says JE*&())W FU%*$()*(%#(W* C)$*#N. Did we ever suck tonight. That was beat down of epic proportion.

Hats off to the Florida Gators.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting.....

....for Lee Corso's pick to win the game. In three chances, he has not picked the Bucks yet this year. He didn't pick us at Texas; he didn't pick us against Iowa; he didn't even pick us at home against TSUN. If he picks us tonight, we're toast.

Herbie just announced that this will be Anthony Gonzalez's last game as a Buckeye. Sigh.

TBDBITL Ramp Entrance

The Ohio State University Marching Band has entered Ohio Stadium for every game in a precision drill that's unchanged since the early 1900's. Here's the The Best Damn Band In The Land and the Ramp Entrance.

Top 5 Reasons Ohio State Will Beat Florida

5) Scarlet and Gray accessories look far better than orange and blue accessories, even if you are a Winter. Orange tends to make one look pale and it evidently causes you to wear silly hats.


2) Our O-H-I-O beats that crazy gator chomp:


3) The SweaterVest. No illustration necessary
2) Script Ohio:
And Finally, the Number One Reason The Ohio State University will beat the University of Florida.......we do not have a SuperFan:

Bone Marrow Drive

We interrupt our Ohio State stuport for a quick public service announcement:

The village(s) of York is/are holding a blood marrow drive to help York High School senior Jason Durkin. He was just diagnosed with aplastic anemia.
The marrow drive is being held at First Parish Church (click link for a map to the church) on Wednesday January 10 from 4-8 pm.
Registration is $52.00 for each participant. The senior class has donated $2,000 (proceeds from their last, Kiwanss is paying for 50 people to take the test, the York Rotary has donated $1,000 to help offset the costs for those who can donate but can't cover the cost of the test.
Aplastic anemia is a condition that causes the bone marrow to stop producing enough red blood cells. Maybe if you're in the area, you'd stop and donate.