Twice the Fun and Lessons Learned

Let me preface this entry by reminding everyone out there that it is Maine state law to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk.

The only thing scarier than almost getting run down by car is almost getting run down by a car twice. Yes, in just 4 short blocks of downtown Brunswick, I almost got hit twice. The first one was a little hatchback that appeared to be driving too fast (especially to take a turn!) and they didn’t have their turn signal on. The second one was a big SUV that at least slowed down first. But I don’t think the driver was expecting me to take the initiative, so they wound up having to slam on their brakes to not hit me.

(Brief tangent: there are two speech colloquialisms in the Southeastern U.S. that really wrinkle my trousers. The first one is the phrase “slam on brakes”, as in, “I had to slam on brakes not to run my truck into Bo’s trailer.”  Not slam on my brakes, or slam on the brakes, just slam on brakes. It gets on nerves. The second one is the use of the word “mash” where either “press” or “push” should be used. In elevators, people ask you to mash 3, please, and in offices, office workers mash both the keys on the keyboard and the buttons on the telephone. Oddly enough, though, they don’t press potatoes. Perhaps they should start. End of tangent.)

In other news, Lea & I went to the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine over the weekend. What a bust. The first problem of the day, which was my fault, was that I didn’t get money out of our local ATM. I figured that in this day and age, surely there would be a few ATMs between Gardiner and Unity. Not so. There was one. In Unity. That most of the fairgoers were stopping at. And, nobody could get it to work properly. We wanted $80, but all I could seem to do was get it to give me $40. So, I had to go through again and repeat the process. Now, I wouldn’t mind, but for each transaction, this bank is charging us $2, and I’m sure that our bank is probably charging us $2, so our $80 suddenly turns into $88.

There is only one road to the fair, and by midday, it’s good and backed up. Keep in mind that this is a fair that is promoting organic farming and sustainable farming and conserving natural resources. I shudder to think of the amount of gas wasted because there isn’t a more efficient system in place to get the cars parked. Finally, we get a parking space.

Then, there’s the line to get in. Again, the logistics are sadly lacking. Finally, we get to the gate and pay our $18 ($9 each) to get in. So now, between ATM fees (again, my fault), parking and admission, we’re already out $30. But we’re in at last – let the fun begin, right?

Wrong.

See, just getting to this point has already stressed me out and worn me down. Now, there are so many people in every direction, that I’m just having a miserable time. And I guess it’s some law that if you show up at this fair with toddlers, they must be carted around in the stroller equivalent of a friggin’ Hummer. I think I saw one normal stroller that day, and I’m sure everyone pointed and laughed.

We tried to have a good time. We saw a bunch of animals, and we looked around at the crafts, which were insanely expensive, by the way. $50 for a pair of mittens! $45 for a knit hat! But ultimately, the crowds overwhelmed me, and I had to leave.

Driving home, we stopped at the Waterville House of Pizza. I highly recommend their Greek pizza – it’s the best we have had in a long time! Then we did a little shopping, which made the day seem okay after all. Then again, when doesn’t a little shopping make the day seem okay?

We decided to give the Common Ground another shot next year, now that we know better what to expect. And, if all else fails, I’m sure the House of Pizza in Waterville will be waiting with open arms…

Ritual Interruptus

I’m a very ritual-oriented person. When my rituals are thrown off, I get really out of whack. Case in point: after a summer of watching hardly any television, last night turned into a t.v. marathon, thanks to the season premiere of CSI in addition to Survivor. Lea & I even started to get sucked in to the show after that, but managed to turn it off well before 11:00.

The end result is that I didn’t set up my coffee (our coffee pot has a timer so that I don’t have to stand there staring at it for an eternity every morning). One can only imagine the horror of coming downstairs at 5:10 AM, only to be greeted by a cold, empty coffee maker and a dog that really has to pee. Fortunately, the dog was patient enough to let me brew a cup before our morning walk.

I didn’t iron, either, so please excuse me if I appear extra-wrinkly today.

At least it’s Friday.

Movies-n-Stuff

Over the weekend, Lea & I used a “rent 2 get 1 free” coupon at our local movie rental place. What a huge mistake. It’d be one thing if it were the dead of winter, and we were going to hole up for the weekend, but it’s still nice out, and we’ve got things to do. Anyway, we got Monster In Law, which was entertaining. Last night, we watched The Final Cut with Robin Williams. Good concept, lousy execution. And tonight, we watch Frida. I hope it’s good.

I’m not sure why I felt compelled to share our movie choices, other than to caution folks about 1) renting too many movies at one time and 2) renting crappy movies. I guess it’s been a bit since I’ve posted, so I’m hoping that even writing about the mundane will at least get me back in rhythm.

At some point this weekend, we’re heading to the Common Ground Festival in Unity, Maine. It’s all about organic stuff. We like organic stuff.

And, I’m glad to know that the Boston Bruins made a triumphant return to hockey last night by getting spanked by Toronto, 5-0. Thank God it’s only exhibition season…

Back to the Grind

Geez, I took a whole week off from work, and all I posted was one rant about Angelina Jolie – how depressing. Even more depressing is being back at work. But, Lea & I had a good vacation. New Hampshire, Vermont (for 20 minutes), Camden Hills State Park, and FUNTOWN!

More on all of these later (including photos over at flickr), and perhaps a rant on Sean Penn, too! But for now, I must get back to work.

Thank Heavens!

I was soooooo relieved to read that Angelina Jolie finally released a statement about Hurricane Katrina - ever since the storm formed, I have been dying to know what her thoughts are on it. From the AP:

NEW YORK

Angelina Jolie says she is happy aid is getting to the hurricane- ravaged New Orleans area, but that "it is simply not going to be enough."

The 30-year-old actress issued a statement late Friday that she was "shocked" at the images coming from New Orleans, a city she said is "very close to my heart."

"It is wonderful to hear of the relief efforts that are finally coming into New Orleans and the rest of the region today, but as we all know, it is simply not going to be enough," she said.

"The federal government's response must be dramatically increased in order to prevent a further loss of life."

Jolie said she has sent letters to members of Congress and the White House asking them to increase the speed of the federal response. She added, "Like most people, I am simply trying to understand the situation in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and how I can best help."

The actress is known for her spirited support of African refugees and serves as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.


I think we can consider this crisis over! Angelina Jolie has sent letters to Congress - hooray!

But seriously, Angelina is simply trying to understand the situation, and how she can best help. Now, I am not a Congressman, nor am I any sort of elected official. I am merely a citizen, not much different from Ms. Jolie, and I thought that the situation was fairly easy to understand: the people of New Orleans were told to evacuate and, for some reason, many did not. Even though I have never been to New Orleans, I am aware that the city was built below sea level, and the equation is fairly simple:

Big Hurricane + City Built Below Sea Level = Evacuate when they tell you to evacuate!

And as far as how you can help, Angelina, you can give money to the American Red Cross. I saw that on the Today Show. I guess you must've been working on those letters to Congress when that segment aired...