Winding Up the Year

This past semester I taught College Algebra at UMaine, it was not always fun but I made it out of there with my dignity. Well I think I did, maybe I should wait until I see the classroom evaluations, huh? Our class had some laughs, mostly at my expense over my Minnesota accent or horrible pronunciation of exponential, polynomial and logarithmic. But hey, in my book any laughter is good especially when you consider the crowd (freshman). Looking back, I would do it all over again, they were my kids!

Sadly one of my kids took their own life last Friday. It has been a very difficult situation for alot of people including myself. Lance was a grandson, a son, a big brother, a nice kid, a smart kid, and a good student. He will be sadly missed by many. My thoughts and prayers are with those who love him.

Okay I need to talk about something not quite so sad because now I am feeling really bad. Did ya know that we HAD an awesome base of snow here in Bangor, at least 2 feet on the ground. Check out Woof up to his rear in a sweet snow fort. Then Sunday we learned all about the nor'easter, the wicked storm system that likes to drop rain on the east coast when temperatures are below freezing. After a few hours of rain everything had magically turned to ice. That is not good for skiing, snowboarding or snowshoeing, boo-hiss. Right now we have an inch of ice on our driveway and a inch of salt and sand on the roads. It is a mess but I am not complaining, I got my snow, my family, my friends and we are coming home for Christmas. There isn't much else I need!

Oh Doggie!

Woof is not the smartest dog on the block but he does know how to use his paws which is pretty darn cute when he is digging in the river for rocks or fetching his ball out from under the car. It is not so cute when he is escaping from his kennel, multiple times. The other night he broke out twice, once from each corner of the kennel door. Ben fixed it up with some rope and all seemed fine until a week later he broke out again, from a new spot. We watched him out the window frantically digging at the chain link and every time we went out to bust him in the act and scold him he quit. Dogs, seriously like kids that never grow up.

We had a good first Thanksgiving away from Minnesota. Thankfully a little bit of home came to see us via my in-laws. I was slightly nervous as we were hosting them for the first time and you just never know if one lives up to the expectations' parents have for their son's wife. Everything turned out just fine, I passed the test and I even learned to make fried rice and egg rolls. Ben's parents really liked our house as Ben's mom so eloquently told us, "Oh your OLD house is really nice, when Benjamin told me it was a hundred years old, I thought it would be a real dump".

I really love Christmas, the decorations, the music, the cookies. It is a can't go wrong kind of holiday. This year I wanted to watch all the shows I remembered watching as a little kid so I was pretty bummed when I realized I missed the Charlie Brown Christmas special. To make it up to me Ben brought a piece of the special home to me. Check out our Charlie Brown Christmas tree, not an exact match but pretty darn close. Don't worry Ben, I think it is cute and it really fits our OLD, not dumpy house.

The BIG Four-OH

Today is your day brother Ron, 40 big ones!! The times have a changed and so have your looks. I say that in a good way though because I remember the days when you dressed like Miami Vice and not so long ago when you frosted your hair like a Backstreet Boy. Add to that list your ability to wear a sweater with windpants and yes your look has improved.

I remember our parents turning 40 and it does not seem that terribly long ago (20 years I guess), man time flies. This 40 year old man loves reading the paper, talking political smack, snacking on cookies, Miami Hurricane football, St. Louis Cardinal baseball, playing the devil's advocate and rolling pillow case corners into his nose. He is my brother, my favorite brother, my only brother. "The 40 Year Old Virgin" although a great movie is not his biographical tale but "Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo", now that movie reminds me of him. Okay I will stop poking fun, he is a good guy with a good heart and now he is also an OLD man.

Happy Birthday Ronnie Dean,
love your little sister.

Winter's Marching In!

The snow is coming people. It has been snowing in the mountains of Maine and we couldn't be happier. I got a great deal on a season pass to Sugarloaf and Sunday River through the University and I get to ride something like 265 trails and 36 lifts without forking over another cent, awesome. Big mountain skiing right in your own back yard, well that is a perk you just can't get everywhere.

Halloween came and went without one trick or treater. We carved pumpkins, bought candy, and left the lights on but no one stopped. We live on quite a busy street so we thought at least one person would see our sweet jack o'lanterns and stop on by. But we weren't total LOSERS sitting around all night waiting for no one, a classmate had a halloween party and it was pretty fun.

Being sports fan we moved to Maine at a good time as New England teams have been ripping it up. The Sox won the World Series, Boston College is #2 in college football, the Patriots are undefeated and the Celtics are looking stellar so far. And yes we like to remind everyone that these teams would not be so great without the help of Minnesota. David Ortiz, Randy Moss and Kevin Garnett all started in MN and if we had not let them go these beloved teams just would not be the same. So New England you are welcome.

Woof you are not. Welcome that is, for digging a giant hole in your dog kennel. Oh boy, whoever said having a dog is good training for a kid was right. He can be such a stubborn mule and then he makes us laugh until we cry, oh Woofer. Check out Ben trying to hold him like a 92 lb. baby, he hated it but didn't move, just sat there clenched up in a ball, holding his breath, with an embarrassed look on his face. It was too funny....

Of Mice and Moles

Mole Day, Mole Day - Did you miss it? Tuesday 10/23 at 6:02 was mole day or for you non-chemist types, a celebration of Avogadro's number which is 6.022 x 10^23, the number of molecules in a mole. Yeah!!!! We celebrated Mole Day in grand style by trapping and killing the giant mole that has been bulldozing through our yard for the last month. Nice catch Ben, that sucker was destructive.

We seem to be catching alot of rodents these days, check out the mouse friend I found in our kitchen. With the cold weather creeping in they are finding every crack and hole in our 100 year old house and letting themselves in. This catch happened sometime between 6 am when Ben left and 8 am when I arose so I got to discover the mess. Yuck, I just covered it with a paper towel and was on my way.

I am in the middle of a horrible 400 level Statistics Course that is like Greek to myself and most of the class. On Tuesday the professor still had not shown up 15 minutes after class was scheduled to start but nobody was leaving, we all just sat there like bumps on a log. Finally I dialed up his office on my mobile and handed the phone to my chatty neighbor. Apparently Bill had totally forgotten about class and 5 minutes later he raced in huffing and puffing. The poor guy proceeded to tell us that Alzheimer's runs in his family and he has this exact nightmare every year before classes starts and today it had come true. Hmm it is amazing how something so funny can become so not funny so quickly.

Well the leaves are about done but they were awesome. Last Sunday we went one of our favorite hikes in Camden State Park to leaf peep. It was really cool but now that they are done, bring on the snow!!! We are ready and waiting!

Yep, We are still kickin'

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted in almost a month, that is crazy. Well we survived 3 consecutive weekends of visitors and it was pretty fun. We have a formula for entertaining guests, start with a trip to Acadia, drive down to Camden, prepare a lobster dinner and throw in some ice creams cones and you got one sweet vacation. Here are all our faithful visitors
SWEET!!

The leaves out here are pretty awesome right about now. We now understand why all the fuss about the new England colors. The colors are intense and every other tree is a blazing maple (sorry but the pictures just do not do it justice) One thing we still don't get is why all the fuss about Dunkin Donuts. Why is there a Dunkin Donuts on every street corner, somebody please tell me!

Finding our Groove

Word

Now that we are 95% settled into the new pad we have time to do things that involve other people, most people call these such things social events. Last night we went to a Happy Hour that our nerd cave organizes every week. Yes 15 Graduate Students in Math and Physics are really about as cool as you can imagine they would be. In their (okay and MY) defense the conversations were quite scientific and nerdy but alot of what came up was actually quite interesting. Plus everyone is really nice. Ben spent the time we had there nicknaming every single person, Agent Orange, Kansas, Potato Chip, Corner Pocket and Ho-Town Yellow Banana are some beautiful nicknames that I am sure will stick for the duration of my time here at UMO. Thanks Ben.

As winter is fast approaching and all the Main-ahs ask, ya got yer wood in? We do have our wood in, Ben happened upon a shed full of wood all split, dried and ready to go that someone was trying to get rid of. This is a pretty awesome deal as our house is big and old and is going to be a bear to heat in the winter. Who knew we would ever get so excited over a big pile of old wood?

Speaking of other awesome deals I just got offered a position in a Research Project that just received a big ol grant. After this semester I will no longer be teaching Algebra but will be paid to do my research and work on my thesis. This project involves bringing an interactive super computer climate model of the earth into the middle school science classroom to teach students about climate change and global warming and also to familiarize them with models, large data sets and system interactions. It seems to be a really good fit for my background in wind, mechanical engineering and physics and I am really pumped. Sometimes things just feel right and right now school feels right!

Everything looks different

Well we are all moved in and I tell you it was the move from hell. It took us a full week to lug 15 car loads and 4 truck and trailer loads the 15 miles from the house in Dedham to our new home in Bangor. Phew I am glad it is over, let the living begin.

Lots of things have changed in the week since we moved. For instance here is the view off our back deck, sweet eh? We have had discussions on wether or not we are really in town, I say no as we have no sidewalks and our house does not show up on the Bangor inset of the official Maine State Map. Ben says we are for sure in town as we have city water, city sewer and city garbage but mostly because we have city traffic. Bottom line, you can call it what you like, it is a fine compromise for this downtown dweller and her country boy.

Out with the old in with the new is theme of late. Here is my old hair I cut off, I decided to grow some new stuff. I actually went in for a trim and ended up donating 8 inches to Locks for Love. I think it is pretty cool that someone would even want my hair and hey if you can use it to make a kid with cancer feel normal than go for it!

We also decided we needed to customize the wagon a bit, you know make it stand out from all the other Boobarus around, so we are having some custom tinted glass installed. No wait we are actually replacing the window that the stupid tv knocked out in the move. Check it out, looks good with a porthole huh? Because the window had to be ordered and it was forecasted to rain all week I had to make a window out of tape and cardboard. Now we fit right in, if only we had less teeth we could be true Maine-ahs.

Three Times is a Charm

After 3 closings we finally got one right. Friday's closing did not go, we showed up at the title company but our lender did not, in fact our mortgage banker pretty much hung us out to dry. What a drag! But yesterday it all went through and now we are in. We moved a bunch of junk over last night and it felt good. The house is sweet, you just have to look past the slanted floors to see its old school charm. Yeah we are finally home!

I started class on Tuesday also, what a big day September 4 was. I don't feel totally out of my element but don't really fit in either. I for sure am not nerdy enough for the crew I got thrown in with. Physics PhD candidates spend a large percentage of each day convincing themselves how smart they really are, uhm excuse me loser you might get the physics right but you got the rest of your world back asswards. Yes it is a total nerdfest in our Grad Office and I am guilty by association.

As part of my responsibilities as a Graduate Assistant I am teaching a College Level Algebra class and it is going to be a learning experience for us all. One interesting (OK super old) freshman got a little scared when I told the class that any math or engineering majors were in the wrong classroom. I guess he is attempting to major in some kind of engineering against the advice of the University. He told me his story and I being the unsympathetic person that I am just told him to take it one day at a time and remember it is only day one. I know the poor guy doesn't have a chance he is already freaking out. You know the old saying, there are no stupid questions, well it's not true because he asked 3 of them today alone.

NOT Sold

Hmmm you just never know when life might deal you a really crappy hand. Our buyer backed out of our purchase agreement just 2 days before we were scheduled to close in Andover. She had the legal right as we did not deliver a passing water test by our inspection deadline but even so why wait until 2 days before, AGHHH! Hopefully we also have the legal right to get something out of the well company for installing a defective well two years ago. MORK WELL CO, you suck! Major bummer as we are now trying to sell an unfurnished house and are also attempting to buy this little shanty. If we succeed we will have 2 mortgages which is exactly 2 more than I had 8 months ago and way more than any one sane couple should deal with. Wish us luck!

In more positive news the tourist season is in full swing and there are alot of people to be looked at. Check out this mother daughter European afro head duo . Now that is crazy, wow they must not own a comb between them and the bald dad.

I did FINALLY get my teaching assignment and class schedule for this fall. I lucked out and only have class 4 hours a week plus I teach Algebra 3 hours a week. Not too shabby. You got to wonder though, who takes algebra in college? I am guessing not people who like math so I may be in for a challenging semester.

Sold

Hey! Selling a house feels a little like winning the lottery. Yes we are happy to move on and move out.

We took a week and spent 3 days packing, 2 days driving and 2 days visiting family, friends and the lake. It was hectic and crazy but now it is done and we are home. 30 hours in a rental truck with a bearded man and hairy dog were about enough to drive anyone crazy but we made it and have happy pictures to prove it.

In just 10 days we close on a house here in Bangor so we get to move again. The moving won't be fun but living in a house that is truly home to both of us is going to be awesome.

In other exciting news Woof is now a Maine resident and has been such a good dog. I will ignore the first rest stop in which he sat in a puddle and last night when I busted him ripping open the garbage. A dog is a dog, a boy is a boy. You can't change em, you just gotta love em!

Picture Perfect

Do you ever see a photo and think, that has got to be a painting, it just looks too good to be true. Well we have been getting alot of that lately.

There it is again

and again! Wowzaas

RIP Larry

I don't really care for the 4th of July on a Wednesday, it just isn't the same when it isn't attached to a weekend. I suppose being away from family and friends may have jaded it a bit too. We made the best of it and headed up the coast to check out some small town 4th celebrations. In most cities a celebration meant there was a flea market, in other words there was nothing going on. Belfast had a downtown bike race that was actually pretty cool and we caught the tail end of that. Here is a picture of the dude that won, he was pretty darn fast.

The tiny town of Thomaston was supposed to be worth checking out so we were both excited to get there. It turned out to be a half a dozen food stands, 2 ponies, a couple of flea market stands and a band on a makeshift stage in a parking lot. Turns out the band was actually pretty good so we grabbed some fair food and sat down and listened. We didn't meet anyone but wow was the people watching at a premium, people were just plain scary looking. I got this neato picture of a woman shopping for t-shirts.

See the t-shirt she is wearing isn't quite working for her, time to get a new one!

By 5 pm we had pretty much seen what we wanted to see so we headed home. There were a couple of dudes selling seafood on the side of the road so we decided to get our first fresh lobster. You know when in Maine, be a Mainer. I rode home with Larry Lobster by my feet, he was very much alive and I very much did not like the idea of killing him. I mean if he was already dead we would have to eat him but he wasn't. I could let him go and he would frolic in the sea and be happy, instead he was in a plastic grocery bag getting ready to die. Well he did die and we did eat him and I did feel bad but such is life. Ben got a kick out of the whole thing so hey if I made his day.....

Counting Crows

2, there are 2 crows that peck on the basement window directly below our bedroom almost every morning starting at 4:30. Please stop morons. I have free time and I will shoot you both, DEAD.

We have lucked out as Ben has had a couple of Fridays off since I got here and 3 day weekends are pretty sweet. Last weekend we drove up to the Northern Appalachians, walked through a tractor show and then spent the rest of the weekend hiking. The views were awesome but we earned them, dang it takes alot out of ya climbing a couple thousand feet.

Here we are on a couple of peaks, above that's me looking a little awkward on Mt. Blue 3192 ft. up and below is Ben on Tumbledown Mtn, very much concerned at the 700 ft. drop on 3 sides of him.
We have made progress in becoming legal Maine residents. We now have our Maine drivers license, we have changed our mailing addresses and have taken care of most of things one must do when moving far away. Some things were very easy but others just don't make a whole lot of sense to Minnesotans like us. What in the world is excise tax? Why do you have to check a new car for emissions? And why doesn't anyone here use their blinkers or have teeth?

Acadia is Awesome

We spent Sunday hiking in Acadia National Park, it was a beautiful day. For those of you who have never been to Acadia, come check it out, it is pretty breathtaking. Acadia is full of tourists and old people but we found if you go up high enough you don't see too many people. We did run into a kid from Richfield, he recognized the state outline on my t-shirt and said hello. Ben also made friends with a seagull, way to fit right in man.

I have been getting by the last week or so getting together all the things one needs for a functioning household. I run to and from Target, the Home Depot, Hannafords the grocery store and the post office. I am sick of it, entirely. Today was the first weekday I did not go to Target, what a relief. Plus I got my work computer and Internet set up so I will start working a few hours a day from home. It will be good to be busy again.

I knew that my accent was going to be a problem here however I didn't anticipate that I would have to repeat myself ALL the time. For every sentence I speak I get at least one "Huh" or a funny look. I went through a drive thru for the first time today to get an iced coffee (btw they have iced coffee everywhere here which is awesome). Unfortunately I can't go through drive-thrus because nobody can understand me through the crappy fast food microphone. The girl running the window at Dunkin Donuts was the most unenthusiastic employee ever and after I placed my order she yelled in half ebonics, half Boston accent

"Coffee, you want coffee?!?!"

"Yes, an iced coffee."

"Jeez, pull ahead to the window I can't understand you. "

I pulled around and the cashier just looked at me and said nothing.

"Medium iced coffee please!" I stated.

"Milk and sugar?" she replied and then it came full circle, she had no teeth. What! You are dissing me because of my accent and you have no teeth. Check out my sweet white chompers and then talk smack, I dare ya!

1495 miles, 29 hours, and 47 gallons of gas later...

I was wiped, totally wiped out. I made it to our new home south of Bangor at 1 am on Tuesday after 17 hours in the car. It was not pretty, I was not pretty. Poor Ben couldn't even get me to crack a smile, all I wanted to do was shower and go to bed.

The journey was long, I don't think I would drive that route again, at least not alone. It rained the whole time through Canada which made the mountain passes and logging trucks especially exciting. One tailgating dude found himself on the roof of his SUV, across both eastbound interstate lanes, after a little show of erratic turning and crazy passing. I was one of the first on the scene and called 911, in French. Wow my French is horrible, all I could manage to say was accident and ambulance. Those were the only words I knew, luckily another woman who also stopped took over the call because I had no idea where I was, just that I was somewhere east of Montreal on Hwy 10.

I crossed the US border about 10 pm on Tuesday, thinking I had less than 2 hours to go. It took me closer to 3 and a half hours, 3 very very long hours. And to add excitement to my misery I about took the midsection off a giant female moose just before Sugarloaf ski resort. Luckily I was able to slam on my brakes and the moose gave me a "what the heck are you doing here" look and crossed right in front of my hood. Not exactly how I pictured my first moose sighting here in Maine but no harm done, I just wished I had been able to snap a photo.

Asleep at the Wheel - Not just a band...

but also a serious problem. I am all ready to make the drive out east alone starting Monday. I have begun mentally preparing myself to conquer 1475 miles across the great lands of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Canada and Maine. I hope to make it in one straight shot of about 25 hours but may have to break for a nap or two. KIDDING, I plan to spend the night somewhere along the way. Also I was gifted with a box of books on tape, so when I get to where I'm going I am going to be so SMART! Either that or I will be able to repeat Lake Wobegon Days verbatim in the voice of William Shatner. Hey I have to bring a little bit of Minnesota with me!

I have run into a few things that need to get done before I leave and man they are adding up fast, $1200 to seal the well, $500 to fix the oil leak in the Camry, $1.00 to change our mailing address. Plus trying to sneak in one last visit to the dentist, eye doctor and hairdresser has really put a damper on the social life. Phew, I can see why people put off moving as long as possible, it sucks!

Oh boy we got ants at work again, ants of the flying type. They are pretty nasty so we had EcoLab come and fog them out. No one is allowed in the conference room, even you super loud conference caller, take that call at your desk man. Looks like this is the last insect problem I will deal with at work, see you around sugar ants, flying ants and cockroaches, NOT!!!

Lobster Lovers

Well the sign in the yard doesn't seem to be doing much. We have still had only one showing which does not justify me making my bed and doing the dishes everyday for the last 14 days. Boo-yah let's get this joint sold.

Memorial Day is upon us, aka the Gateway to summer and the best time of the year. Lonely Ben found a dude to take him out lobster trapping over the long weekend. That should be fun and saves him from being bored dead for 3 whole days. Apparently weekends alone are just not working out for him. I hope he learns how to snare the big ones as I am a big lobster fan.

I will be plenty busy here trying to get our cabin ready for the summer and packing for my big road trip across Canada. I have never been to Canada which isn't that unbelievable as most people go to Canada to fish or underage drink and I don't really do either. OHHHHH Canada!

Maine on the Brain

Hmm you never know what surprises you may find when you venture out on a walk. Ben and company found this sweet lake behind our new house. Ignore the fact that they walked about 8 miles to run into this but still it is good to know we can find a lake when we need one. Maybe if I close my eyes I can even pretend I am at Lake Florida.

For those of you who enjoy lighthouses, you have come to the right place. Here is a neat candy striped one in Lubec, Maine, the eastern most point in the lower 48. Seriously people there are so many things to see and do here plus I just found out they even have a Target! You need to get out here and see it, heck I need to get out there and see it!!

Actually, due to recent developments I will be getting out there and seeing it very soon. I gave my two weeks at work today, Ben is flying home on June 1 and we are getting on with it. The house will sell when it sells, we are done putting our lives on hold to do so. I also found out I got into Grad school at UMO and start September 1, yay I'm gonna be a Black Bear! I will continue to work for enXco for at least the summer via the Internet but otherwise will be pretty fancy free this summer. COME SEE US!!

Home away from home.

I promised Ben I wouldn't sell any of his things while he was away but explain to me this, why does one man need 3 trucks? I don't think any of these beasts get over 10 miles to the gallon, thank goodness he can only drive one at a time. (To be fair the gray one in the middle is now property of Morrie's Auto and the maroon Jeep doesn't really go!)

We have our first house showing tonight at 8 o'clock. I know we shouldn't get our hopes up but I also know it only takes one buyer to make a sale. More fingercrossing would be good and thanks Grandma for your prayers, they are working.

Here's our sweet pad for the next 4 months. Ben says it is pretty nice but pretty lonely. I can't wait to join him there, living in separate houses might work for some couples but it isn't doing much for us. The blue cottage has 4 bedrooms and like 10 beds, if anyone wants to come visit, book your tickets and call us from the airport, we would love to have you!

Sad Day

I can't get the picture below outta my head; Ben sitting behind the wheel of a car filled to the brim with clothes and camping gear, wearing a really sad look. Not that I blame the guy for looking sad, I lost all composure as we were saying goodbye. Being 2000 miles apart is going to be tough but we knew moving away would have its challenges, this is one of them. Luckily Father Bert was game for a road trip as Ben is a pro at sleeping while driving. The father-son duo are heading through Canada which should be a little more exciting than going via Chicago. Safe travels you two, MN isn't the same without you! Why am I here and Ben is there? Well we have this sweet piece of property we need to sell, check it out. Cross your fingers we find a buyer, I miss my bearded Asian already. If you decide to schedule a showing, please don't look in the oven, that is where I keep the dirty dishes!

I just got an update from the road and they lost a bike tire. The yakima wheelfork is a total piece of crap! I have lost a tire on two other occasions but have been able to recover it both times, today Ben was not that lucky. After searching for an hour and a half the guys gave up and Ben now owns a unicycle. And sadly enough, I was the one who talked him into using the dumb thing, darn it.

Goons on Bikes

Hey some of us made the IronMan online photos! These 2 goons are just happy to be outside, look at their crazy smiles. And wow, nice matching blue helmets. That is me in between Dave and Ben in the black, way back there. Once again I got dropped on the hill and then add injury to insult, one of the bikes that dropped me was the fat guy on the recumbent. How embarassing....

Lobsterland

What a gorgeous weekend, a gorgeous weekend to wreck myself. We did the Lakeville Ironman Ride and wow I am not feeling like an iron person. I feel more like someone cracked me with a rod of iron in the butt and then in the neck, oh big hurt. Here is our whole gang along with Dave's new aluminum friend, all very happy because the ride was over.In more riveting news Ben and I are heading to Lobsterland and we couldn't be more excited. Ben is loading up the car and heading out next Wednesday to start his new job in Bangor ME, I am here until we get our house sold (cross your fingers people)! Then the real fun begins as we plan on moving all our treasures 1700 miles via U-Haul. A wise older cousin told me driving a U-Haul pulling your vehicle across the country is a rite of passage that every young couple should experience. Hmmm I guess we will see. On any note please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, we are going to need them in the coming weeks.