Uncle Henry's

So I figured out why there's almost nothing on Craigslist for the state of Maine: Uncle Henry's Weekly Swap or Sell It Guide. It has everything from guns to farm animals to cars to a "free for the taking" section. Some other prime selections are "racing," "racing accessories," "yard sales and flea markets," "arts and crafts," and "mobile homes." If you just thought "wow, it's like redneck Craigslist," then you and I are on the same page. That said... this thing is pretty awesome!

 The best ad I've come across so far is one for a Glock .22 conversion kit. Excuse me, but wtf? Who buys a Glock and decides what they REALLY want is a .22? The ad says "save on ammo" lolz.

Also notice the "*Kat's First Ever*"

Tyson (one of my roomies) got it for me as a step in the process to becoming a "real Mainer" :)

Perfume and Glitter???

So I finally figured out why people look at me weird when I pull out a $2 bill. For a few weeks now I have had a stash of them and occasionally use them to tip. Anyways, rumor has it that there is only one gentlemen's club in the state of Maine, and it's SOOOOO far from anything, and is such a... quiet... establishment, that they don't give out ones, but only twos so the girls get paid enough. Everyone in the state knows this.

Thank God my twos were from Georgia.

Fried Dough

What, you ask, is "fried dough?" It is of course, dough, that has been deep fried. There's nothing in it, it's just dough.

As near as I can figure, it's the funnel cake of the North East. They top it with powdered sugar and cinnamon and give you some syrupy type stuff to dip it in... and you walk around fairs tearing of pieces with your fingers and getting powdered sugar everywhere.

Tastes pretty good too :)

Now Who's Jealous??

Today it was nearly 70 and sunny... So I went to the beach :D Lots of people were out throwing frisbees, playing in the sand...  no one in the water past their ankles though, lol. Also, you can't see it in this picture, but the snow hasn't completely melted from that storm last week! I was driving around today with the windows down with SNOW on the ground, haha. It was more than a tiny bit confusing.

I've been working alot, I'm starting to actually be part of the crew, answering more questions than I'm asking... They even gave me my own set of keys!!! I don't know what any of them go to thought. Something called "the chowder company," a storage space called "Bob's closet" (I have no idea who Bob is...), and some mysterious box I've never seen where I'm supposed to put employee cell phones. Also one to the office and one to the back bathroom which apparently also hides a liquor room.

The thing I miss the most today: Mellow Mushroom Pizza

My First Blizzard!

So last night at 9pm, there was ZERO snow on the ground. This is this morning when I woke up. Yeah, it was still snowing. I knew something was going on because about 4am I awoke to 5 transformers blowing out front of the apartment. I figured being in the middle of a snowstorm it would be out for a while, so I closed my laptop and went back to sleep. I swear less than two minutes went by before the plows and repair trucks drove by.... I guess that's what happens when you live in the same town as a former Pres. Also, Maine St in town is mysteriously completely clear and DRY. We don't know how. New life goal: get my own secret service ;p

This is what it looked like from inside Tyson's car. That slightly red spot is Meri's Miata, lol. There was probably about 6-8 inches on the ground, and it didn't stop til after dark! It's at over a foot now...

I got to drive on it, and learned the real difference between 2wd and 4x4 (and was also reminded that my truck is rwd... there are some fun tracks at the mall parking lot, teehee). I'm finally starting to feel like I'm up north for the winter. Apparently things are flowering back in GA. I'm not jealous :p

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. For those of you that don't know, my Grandad is in the hospital at Vanderbilt with heart problems. I flew down for a few days to be with him and my family. The good news is he's doing as best he can with as weak as his heart is. He'll have a procedure tomorrow and if all goes perfect, be home by Saturday :D

Georgia can keep its collard greens

Today I had my first ever lobster roll. Yes, I've been in Maine a whole month, and this is my first one. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's the first lobster I've ever eaten! It was also $23 on my food card!!! Thankfully I have a little extra this month since I only got it a week ago ;) Oh, yeah, and it was good.

In the background is iced tea. It's not sweet. We don't make sweet tea. I knew this coming up here, but I just want everyone to know how happy I am to not be looked at like fool every time I order tea.

I did my first round of managing tonight: paperwork, computer stuff, etc. We have a log book with daily entries (most places do) that is extremely entertaining to look through. Last year in February a man claimed an "over fried tortilla" caused his dental crown to break. Personally, I think that beats the guy at T Mac who went to the ER after getting salsa in his eye. Thoughts?

Sneak Peek!!!
Things that make Federal Jack's better than Taco Mac:
- the hosts bus
- we're allowed to eat pretty much at any time
- we get shift beers

Maple Sugar Candies!!!!!

 

So, I bought a flannel shirt (yeah, my first one) at L.L.Bean and when I went to check out these little gems were on the "impulse aisle!" The last time I had one of these was probably 10 years ago, they're delicious!!!! I already ate all of them, I'll have to find a closer source.

I brewed some beer for KBC on Thursday with Mike, Andrew, and Ben. We pumped a red ale into the last holding tank, continued letting a stout ferment (open air, you could watch the yeast bubble!), mashed, boiled, and hopped a scotch ale that will be their first ever barrel aged brew, and measured out the malts for their first ever black IPA :) I was pretty much on cloud nine til I had to scoop 250lbs of wet barley out of the mash tun with basically an ice scoop. Then it was only cloud eight.

Tomorrow is my first day "managing," even though it's still training. The biggest challenge so far is remembering everyone's name! I know there are some I've forgotten >.< Anyone know a good way to remember a bunch of new people without making flashcards? Yeah, I'm a flashcard person.

Una mas cerveza por favor!

Sorry, I'm slacking on the pictures today.

So for a month now, Merideth and I have been looking for a Mexican restaurant so we can get margaritas and cheese dip. There's not a single REAL Mexican place in Portland:

El Rayo Taqueria - Had awesome designer margaritas, but the food was designer too. Queso fundita was more meat than cheese.
Margaritas - Cheese "dip" was more melted shreds than creamy goodness, and the food was still high end American/Mexican.
Tic-Taco - If I have to explain this one, you won't get it anyways (it's too hipster).

So today we weren't too hopeful when we went to Casa Fiesta down in Biddeford ......until we walked in the door. The decor was upscale (I guess it has to be to compete in a rich beach town), but there were 5 people at the host stand talking to each other in SPANISH!!!! I hadn't even heard Spanish since I left good ol' Georgia.

This is how else we knew it was going to be good:
- server didn't know what the word "pitcher" meant (thought we were saying "peach," no, thanks, not in MY margarita)
- the salsa wasn't chunky, and the chips were yellow
- you could order by number! and had an "a-la-carte" menu
- cheese dip on the menu, was labeled "cheese dip"
- the up-charge was for changing beef to chicken, not the other way around

They've only been open since August. If they don't make it, I might have to move home.

This day in the north brought to you by...

St. Ives Intensive Healing body lotion! Complete with heavenly aura :D

People seem to be continually amazed that I'm from Atlanta. They all say, "but you don't have an accent!" Then get all weird when I point out they don't either. To which they usually reply, "but it's not like I grew up in the county!" "The county" being Aroostook, where there is not even an interstate. Well, it's not like I grew up in the sticks either, and my city is WAY bigger than yours! So :p

$16 for SOCKS????!!?!?!?!

Totally worth it. I don't know why I was wearing 2 and 3 pairs at a time before. These are the shit. If you want to know what I want in a care package, send me SmartWool socks.

Also, I start work tomorrow! I'll let you know how the new job is.

Meri has an interview on Tuesday down in Yarmouth! That would mean I would have ONE person within a 7 hour drive that I actually know!!! I'll be okay if she doesn't come down, but I'd really like a partner in crim ;)

I actually got to hang out with some people tonight too, went to Portsmouth to sushi and a brew pub :) Hope I hang out with them again...

PHOTO DUMP!!!! (of my new place :D)

Just in the front door to the right is the kitchen! The door next to the refrigerator is the bathroom, then next to that is Keith's room.

 The corner area is the living room. Two TVs, cable, XBOX etc...

 Our windows area awesome!!! Yesterday I got home and it was 80 inside because these face south :D.

 There is a fish on the window sill too.

 Better pic of the living room, and the fish.

 This is that bathroom I was telling you about. The left set of shelves is mine. Off to the right is the rest of the bathroom.

 My room!!! To the left ( not pictured) is Tyson's room

 This is my wall of stuff to be dealt with. Gimmie a break! I've only been here two days, sheesh.

 This is my favorite corner, everything I need right next to my bed!

 My awesome futon. That window faces south too so I get plenty of light!

 This is my other roommate, Sargent. He is Keith's Kitteh :p He spends alot of time in my room staring at Little Boy's cage.

And this is my closet! Look how nice and organized it is already!!! GO ME!

Sleepy time, but I promised some people these.
And as promised my new addy:
34 Arundel Road Unit 2, Kennebunkport, ME 04046

Portland: You WILL be my new home

So I traveled to Portland with hopes that I would have a job when I got there... GOOD NEWS! I'm the new front of house manager at Federal Jack's! I wasn't sure though, so instead of spending money on a hotel I went on Couch Surfers and found Joe. I stayed at his place with him and his adorable dog Cleo for a couple nights and he showed me the side of Portland I couldn't have possibly have found on my own in two days. I'm even more convinced that I'm in an awesome place that fits me. The picture above is the view out Joe's upstairs hall window. You can't quite see what I could, but it's awesome. The grey spot under the street light on the right is the Back Cove which leads out to the Atlantic. The lights to the left go down a hill and then climb another over to the Maine Medical Center. It's a pretty amazing view.

Our house has no dishwasher - and that's not uncommon

So Meri and I went to Portland last week to look for jobs. More importantly, we went to look for margaritas!!! It had been way too long since our last Mexican Margarita night (October!). We found a really great little place down town (don't remember what it's called) with a great list. Our favorites were these ^^^ No, we didn't pick them on purpose... mine was called Snake Bite (left) had cilantro and fresh jalapeno (YUMMY) and was just the tiniest bit hot. Meri loved Anti-Venom which was passion fruit and agave nectar.

As for the job searching, I had two interviews, and I won't say anything yet, but it's looking good :D I'm back up in Canada Madawaska until Wednesday morning when hopefully I'm moving down to Portland for good! Meri isn't moving down yet, but hopefully really soon... I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to knowing absolutely nobody or not.

Other things I learned about Maine this week:
- in the northern part we actually get our power from Canada's grid
- New York has 800 moosi, we have over 29,000 (I still think they're fictional)
- some of the rural parts (including here) are decades behind - what do you mean you don't take credit cards?!
- in the north, "th" has been replaced with "d"
- I'm a Mainer, not a Mainian
- we're short on snow this year (what?!)
- there are no interstates above halfway north because it was really all owned by the logging industry
- there isn't a Red Lobster in the entire state (that's a good thing)

Sunrise vs. Sunrise

This morning I received this picture from my dad! The caption read: Sunrise out the back porch...

That was at 8:20.

At 9:30 I snapped a picture of the sunrise from MY back porch:

It's about two feet deep... I think. I'm not sure if my feet actually go all the way down or if there's too much compacted snow beneath the rest. I'm a little jealous, my dad... not so much apparently.

I'm going into Portland, ME with Meri on Monday for interviews and to look for housing, we're super excited about getting down there. Also, it will give me more things to do than just wasting my time on FaceBook and craigslist.


I'm seriously considering putting this on my to do list for the year, and this is definitely going on my wish list.

Winter clothing... what's that?

I went into town the other day and got all this. Believe it or not, I doubled my winter wardrobe with this one purchase. That's right, a  jacket, a cardigan, and two pairs of boots. Everything else I own is tank tops and mini skirts!

Another funny thing, I've found that my FAVORITE piece of clothing up here is the one pair of wool long underwear that my Aunt Sara gave me. I realize I shouldn't be surprised, but.... Next on my list is wool socks, I hear they're pretty amazing too.

Goooooood Day!

According to TWC this morning with the temperature at a whopping -22F, I woke up in the coldest town in the nation (they did not say whether Alaska was included). Like any reasonable person, I stayed inside. This allowed me to be fairly productive and secure and interview at the #1 Beer Bar in America, make 4 loaves of banana bread, find many housing options, and make butter cake and whipped cream to go with those lovely strawberries (pictured above, duh). I didn't get to go out and take any pictures :( but perhaps tomorrow when it's warmer out...

Also, my dad sent me this link which has me a tiny bit confused. If it's that cold, you don't need a koozie to keep the beer cold... so is this just a glove to keep drunkies from loosing their beverage?

More things I didn't mean to leave at home:
- the prism that used to hang in my room
- my hair mousse
- 60 degree winters

Drive? On SNOW?!?!

First off, don't worry, I came to a stop to take this picture. It's not like anyone else is on the road at 2am at the Canadian border. Second, I don't have to point out to most of you that ATLANTANS DON'T DRIVE ON SNOW! Even our salt trucks crash, when they aren't iced in. It's not really a leap to figure I wasn't thrilled about trying it out for the first time. SPOILER ALERT: I LIVED! I was amazed to find it quite easy, actually. Over the last two days I've discovered there's actually a color continuum from white to black (with icky brown in the middle) for how fast you can safely drive based on how the roads have been treated with salt and sand. Crazy, right!?

Things that don't work when it's -14F

- power windows - opening your door is a sucky alternative
- the hydraulics on the rear hatch of my Nissan - my head is sore from unloading boxes by myself :(
- house trained dogs - they quickly forget and decide anything is better
- gloves - might as well not be wearing them
- chap stick - I think it actually freezes

I have the awful feeling that I'll actually have to add to this list over the next couple months.

It feels so good to be "home" :)

Things I Forgot:
- my phone charger
- my wall-mount candle holder/art
- a USB mouse (can't use the touch pad wearing gloves)
- the title to my car

This trip brought to you by:
- Space Bags
- Laura's 5 mix CDs
- Burt's Bees chapstick
- Facebook mobile app/Samsung Epig4G
- free roaming
- Dad's very well done redneck engineering
- HeyTell
- a very sleepy ferret
- caffeine!

Tastes so good, make a grown man cry

This is the last thing I ate before leaving tonight. Pure awesome. Then I drove Nico (my Nissan :D) packed to the brim (and then some) with Little Boy (my ferret) listening to my first of 5 mix CDs from Laura. Note to Laura: Glad you didn't edit anything else out... I'm starting to think 5 won't be near enough :-/

ALSO! 200 miles down, 1300 to go

Horadric's Nissan (alternatively Marry Poppins' SUV)

I'm packed!!!

My Closet

I'm beginning to think I might be a girly girl after all... this doesn't include my shoes, OR my SUMMER clothes >.<  Maybe I'll ship some up to Maine?

Hayley!!!

My poor baby looks a little rough right now, but I can't wait to see her when I come home so I can take her on a drive up the coast!!!

For Sale

Things I'd rather have than this car right now:
- $1000 cash
- a nice pistol or two
- a full winter wardrobe
- a flat screen tv
- an iPad2
- 2 iphone4s
- a fairly comprehensive set of tools for my Japanese cars
- various Xterra parts
- health insurance
- 20 full tanks of gas
- all my laundry done for me for the next 5 years
- a job in Portland, ME
- a college degree
- an SCCA license (hah!)
- Nikon/Nikkor gear
- and last but not least, I'd totally settle for world peace :)

A Royal Mess

My dad said I have to keep a path open so the dogs can get to the window. Mostly Laddie (the doberman) steps on everything anyways. Its always best when his paw gets stuck in a little box, or he slips across the carpet on a hardcover book... Once I clean THIS mess up I can go through the OTHER half of my boxes >.<

The Beginning of the End!

Yesterday was my last day working at The Mac! Now I can really start working on getting to Maine. I got more boxes out of storage and sorted, canceled my gym membership, and started this blog... all while dancing through the day in a NyQuil haze (no small feat). Much thanks to Laura for putting up with my comatose, cranky self long enough to help get through three whole boxes.