The way life should be (eventually)

After a long journey I’m finally here in Maine. Even though I love traveling and airports, yesterday tried my traveling patience. First my flight out of Madison left over an hour late–they told us the flight crew got in late and needed sleep. That was alright but that assured that I’d miss my connecting flight [...]

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Maine: a lovely refuge for the weary grad student (part 2)

One of my favorite things to do in Maine is go to the Montsweag Flea Market. My grandmother had a table at the flea market forever, and I remember going and spending long summer days there helping her count the money she kept in a kool whip tub and wandering around to look at what [...]

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Maine: a lovely refuge for the weary grad student (part 1)

Sadly, I leave the best state in the country (Maine of course, duh) Tuesday when my sister drives me to Logan airport. My past week here has been nicely relaxing. Mostly all I do in Maine is eat and drink (well I have gotten some work done). Highlights from the week include going with my [...]

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I have so much to do… I’ll blog about it instead.

I just sat down and made a list of everything I need to do before I leave on Wednesday for Boston and the conference (and then after that, Maine). It is completely mind numbing. And instead of opening up my laptop to tackle some of it, I find myself blogging instead.
Here’s the gargantuan list itself: [...]

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everyone loves a hometown parade

Today I plan to get tons of writing done– that’s what a holiday is for, afterall, right?
But, in truth, I’d rather be sitting in Bath, Maine, watching the 4th of July parade. Not because I’m a particular fan of the 4th of July as a holiday (I associate it, unfortunately, with loud fireworks and obnoxious [...]

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places I remember

My sister is bugging me to post. And I’m feeling tapped out at the moment. Lately I spend so much time staring at the computer that by the time I get home I just want to close it, and my sore, dry eyes, and curl up on the couch thinking about as little as possible.
Anyway, [...]

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Hard Times

At the risk of embarrassing him if he reads this blog, let me tell you about one my favorite people and the awesome über-geeky, salt-of-the-earth stuff he does. I’ve known Ben since high school. We used to go camping, mountain climbing and also do crazy stuff like playing “CB Tag” and going mudding in our [...]

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distractions

My new plan for this semester includes 3 solid hours of writing/working on my dissertation per day. I go into work for the morning, and then head to my favorite library on campus (the Historical Society Library). Usually I work in either the huge, beautiful room on the second floor, or if that is invaded [...]

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Yet another reason why Maine is clearly the best state…

I’m still in Maine. Sadly, I leave to head back to Cowtown tomorrow. But despite the yucky rainy weather we had here last week, Maine pulled through for me just in time– we’re having a beautiful nor’easter today.
So I’m spending the day next to the woodstove, hanging out with mom and dad, looking out at [...]

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watershed is famous!

If you live in Maine and get the Maine Sunday Telegram, you may have noticed there is an article this weekend in the “Maine Life” section that features my winter driving tips.
Who knew my little blog about grad school and such could be so famous?!

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updates from the greater Bath area

I’m still in Maine. My sister sadly went back to work in Worcester on Tuesday, so I’ve been hanging out with the folks and working on a conference paper submission. Tonight we’re heading into Portland to pick up my terrific brother from the train station, and to shop in the Old Port.
So far it has [...]

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from Maine

I’ve been in Maine for 3 days and so far I’ve eaten a ton of yummy food, shopped at L.L. Bean*, shopped downtown Bath, received some wonderful Christmas presents,** given a bunch of loved handmade presents, slept about 30 hours, and haven’t done any work at all. It’s been lovely. And although I have some [...]

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homeward bound

Today I’m flying to Maine for a lovely 10 days visiting with family, having a second Christmas, eating and drinking etc.
But I have a horrible head cold. I was up all night with it. I feel really bad being one of those sneezing/coughing/sniffling people on the airplane. But I am loaded up with various cold [...]

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oops I forgot…

I forgot to give a shout out to the Fosters who read my blog in the last posting about Northern Maine. So hey there Northern Maine relatives!

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the suspense is finally over…

Well, I am really back into the swing of things now. I spent the last 3 days working (not on my own stuff, working at the day job for what seems like a very long 40 hour week packed into 3 days). I’m planning on doing nothing this weekend. Not a single academic-related thing. I [...]

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Eureka!

The mystery is solved! Finally, after more than a year of searching every time I come and visit Maine, I found the Preble Massacre Monument!
Last summer I drove around all over Arrowsic looking for it, and succeeded only in finding a really old family cemetery (some of the people buried there were born in England [...]

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Tumbledown

Now I’m in Northern Maine, finally catching up on some long overdue blogging! I’m so busy doing nothing here, I can’t seem to find the time to upload photos and write!
Tumbledown Mountain started out as a nice easy hike, through woods filled with birch and pine trees. We took the Loop Trail (described here). We [...]

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sitting on a mountain top

We climbed Tumbledown Mountain Thursday. It was a hard climb, but the view from the top was worth it. We both agreed it was harder (although shorter) than the trail I usually take up Katahdin. Anyway, yesterday I was too sore to even blog. Yes, I was that sore. Every inch of my body was [...]

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I’m off to climb a mountain…

Sorry for the lack of blogging. I guess Bath hasn’t been as interesting as my sister and I thought we could make it. Yesterday we drove around dirt roads in Arrowsic looking for the illusive Preble Indian Massacre monument. Despite also looking last year, we’ve had no luck yet. I’ll try another couple roads tomorrow.
Today [...]

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a place called home

My sister and I have made it our mission to blog something interesting every day I’m in Maine. It gives us something to do, and an excuse to drive around and take pictures of otherwise boring stuff. Today, we’re bringing you a photo of every house we ever lived in in Bath, Maine (all 8 [...]

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welcome home!

Well I’m on the East Coast! In Worcester, Mass right now, actually, instead of Maine.
But I flew into Maine yesterday. Here’s my favorite sight when I get off the airplane in Portland, Maine.

I’ve always wanted to take a photo of this sign, but never got the nerve to actually stop among the deplaning passengers, to [...]

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plowing ahead

The next week or so I’ll be incredibly busy. In fact, I might not blog again until I get to the East Coast on the 19th. I’m dog sitting for the next week, and then heading home for my sister’s college graduation the following weekend.
For the next bunch of days while my sister is sunning [...]

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holy crap- I shook Bush’s hand??

Okay, I remember that once I shook Bill Clinton’s hand. He came to BIW for the launching of a destroyer (yes, they build destroyers in my hometown). I was 15, and I think I told Clinton to “rock on” (it was in the days of Wayne’s World, after all). I remember that he smiled and [...]

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I’m in a ____ state of mind

Well, now that all the excitement of my trip to Finland and my 30th birthday are over, let’s get back to some mundane blogging– to the internets!
I was googling around yesterday looking for a particular t-shirt for Jo (one with robots on it, if you must know). I stumbled onto to a website selling state [...]

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seasons greetings and stuff

Well I am heading back to the Midwest today, after a non-snowy week in Maine. I took a break from everything this week– I didn’t bring any academic work with me, and I left website update emails unanswered. I guess I also took an unplanned break from blogging too.
In addition to the typical shopping, wrapping, [...]

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(I am holding half an acre)

(and folded in this scrap of paper
is a land I grew in)
Much here in Maine is so different then when I was a kid, and much here is exactly the same.
The Walmart is much larger, and there are many more stores and developments where there used to be nothing but acres of pine trees. The [...]

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welcome to Maine! [insert lobstah here]

I am blogging from Maine now. My sister was going to take me out to the beach (it is like 50 here) but she demanded that I blog before we left. So here you go.
My flights this morning were great. Because of my newly acquired Silver Elite status on Northwest, I was upgraded to first [...]

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homeward bound

This Thursday I’m heading to Maine for a week of eating, drinking, and hanging out with the family. I have pretty much all of my holiday gifts purchased– all online as I really hate shopping– and most of them shipped directly to Maine so I don’t have to lug stuff. I was hoping we’d have [...]

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it’s 3:30pm in Bath, Maine…

My hometown builds destroyers. Actually, the entire local economy revolves around Bath Iron Works. My high school mascote was actually a shipbuilder (someone dressed as a ship with a toolbelt on, which never made sense to me). BIW employs about the same number of people that live in Bath, and the shipyard dominates most of [...]

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nearly eaten alive

Yesterday mom and I ventured to the aforementioned family cemetery in Bowdoinham. The woman who now lives in what used to be my great uncle Charlie’s house, let us come inside and see the old place. It is totally like the kind of old house I would want to own some day, complete with exposed [...]

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