Wednesday, February 7, 2007
the kindness of strangers: February 7, 2007
I was walking to the Post Office, more focused on staying warm (even with my long coat on) and watching the beautiful sunset at 4:45 than I was on my surroundings. Suddenly, a car is slowing down next to me, and a lady is calling out the open passenger window, "Ma'am, your scarf!" I turn to look at her and she's pointing behind her, down the street. I look down the sidewalk and there is my purple cashmere muffler, lying in a heap on the sidewalk. How nice was that?!
the case of the reverse disappearing footprints
This might be good for an episode of CSI.
I came home one night and started heading upstairs when I suddenly realized I still had my snowboots on. I quickly took them off and went back to the entry door. I put the boots in the pile by the door and got a paper towel to wipe up my muddy footprints that I had left. I went back to where I had taken off the boots and wiped up those footprints and then worked my way back to the door. As I approached the door, the footprints were lighter in color and smaller . . . less water. That's weird. They should've done that as I walked away from the door and eventually all the mud came off. Why were they disappearing as I approached the door and in fact, there were none by the door??
I wish I had a little flap under which I could hide the answer. Oh well, here it is: When I first got home, the dirt and snow were still frozen on the bottom of my boots. So the first few steps, everything was still stuck to the boot. As I walked further into the house, the ice and snow started to melt and left the little boot prints. The further into the house I got, the longer I'd been in the warmth of the house and the more the muck melted, leaving bigger and wetter prints.
Did you figure it out?? Congratulations! You are a either good detective for a person from away, or a Mainer (or Mainiac) who's laughing that I had to figure that out.
I came home one night and started heading upstairs when I suddenly realized I still had my snowboots on. I quickly took them off and went back to the entry door. I put the boots in the pile by the door and got a paper towel to wipe up my muddy footprints that I had left. I went back to where I had taken off the boots and wiped up those footprints and then worked my way back to the door. As I approached the door, the footprints were lighter in color and smaller . . . less water. That's weird. They should've done that as I walked away from the door and eventually all the mud came off. Why were they disappearing as I approached the door and in fact, there were none by the door??
I wish I had a little flap under which I could hide the answer. Oh well, here it is: When I first got home, the dirt and snow were still frozen on the bottom of my boots. So the first few steps, everything was still stuck to the boot. As I walked further into the house, the ice and snow started to melt and left the little boot prints. The further into the house I got, the longer I'd been in the warmth of the house and the more the muck melted, leaving bigger and wetter prints.
Did you figure it out?? Congratulations! You are a either good detective for a person from away, or a Mainer (or Mainiac) who's laughing that I had to figure that out.
cigar box under the counter
The local movie theatre here is a very nice multi-plex cinema. I went to see Dream Girls and was impressed with the comfortable seats and the generous leg room. The sound system was good. It was really nice. MRM had told me ahead of time that the thing to do was buy the gift certificate. For the same price as just going to the movie, you get a certificate for admission plus free popcorn and a drink. You can buy the gift certificate at the theatre or at the local Hallmark store. So I stopped in at the Hallmark store earlier that day to buy my gift certificate. "I think I have one left," the lady behind the counter said. And she reached down underneath the counter and pulled out a cigar box. In it were the certificates and an envelope. I gave her a $5 bill [note: first run movies are only $5] and she proceeded to put it inside the envelope. Then she gave me my certificate, wrapped a big rubber band around the cigar box and put it back under the counter.
That is my kind of accounting system!
That is my kind of accounting system!
the long and the short of it
Let's go back in time to December 5, 6, and 7 when I came to visit UMF for the first time. I observed classes, met with the Dept. Chair and the Dean, visited with my future teammates, met with a realtor, and just got a feel for the place in general. I arrived on Monday night, Dec. 4, spent the night in Portland, and drove to UMF in the morning on Dec. 5. The high on that Tuesday was 26 degrees (low = 17). I had my silk long underwear that I had ordered on the Internet at the suggestion of Mary S. (and the reaffirmation of Julie D.) and was wearing my big furry long coat with the hood that Mother had given to me for Christmas 2005 for all my trips to New York. I was toasty warm. On the 6th, the temp went up to 37 for a high (low = 12). I even risked running across the street from Franklin Hall to the Student Union without my coat (but with long underwear and several other layers). By Thursday, I was stumped. I had tried to pay particular attention to what people were wearing so I could get a feel for how casual people dressed, what was considered professional attire, etc. But what I noticed most was that no one was wearing long coats. So I finally asked, "Is this a fashion faux pas to wear a long coat? I only see ski jackets and short coats." The reply was, "Oh no. We all have long coats. We wear them when it gets cold."
Oh.
So when I was in Albuquerque for Christmas, I bought a short wool coat on sale. (TIP: Don't buy coats in Dallas . . . they're only fashionably warm-looking. Buy coats for warmth in a city that really has cold weather. Hence, I buy coats in Albuquerque.) But when I got here, it was cold! So I was wearing my long coat. But nobody else was wearing long coats. In the entire month of January, the high temperature in Farmington has been above freezing only 4 days. But no one is wearing long coats. So I've actually worn my short coat many days. I've been surprised, but it's actually been warm enough (as long as there are 3 layers underneath it . . . long underwear top, sweater, pants suit jacket; long underwear pants, pants, sock liners, socks, snow boots). The disadvantage to a long coat is: it's big and bulky. Where do you put it when you get inside. In my office, I can just hang it on the back of my door. When MRM and I went to a stage production by the local high school improv group, I was sitting 3 inches higher than anyone else because I was sitting on my coat. So only when the low is below zero, or when the wind blows (oooh, that wind chill stuff is so true), do I wear my long coat. Otherwise, I've joined the natives and am wearing a short coat.
Oh.
So when I was in Albuquerque for Christmas, I bought a short wool coat on sale. (TIP: Don't buy coats in Dallas . . . they're only fashionably warm-looking. Buy coats for warmth in a city that really has cold weather. Hence, I buy coats in Albuquerque.) But when I got here, it was cold! So I was wearing my long coat. But nobody else was wearing long coats. In the entire month of January, the high temperature in Farmington has been above freezing only 4 days. But no one is wearing long coats. So I've actually worn my short coat many days. I've been surprised, but it's actually been warm enough (as long as there are 3 layers underneath it . . . long underwear top, sweater, pants suit jacket; long underwear pants, pants, sock liners, socks, snow boots). The disadvantage to a long coat is: it's big and bulky. Where do you put it when you get inside. In my office, I can just hang it on the back of my door. When MRM and I went to a stage production by the local high school improv group, I was sitting 3 inches higher than anyone else because I was sitting on my coat. So only when the low is below zero, or when the wind blows (oooh, that wind chill stuff is so true), do I wear my long coat. Otherwise, I've joined the natives and am wearing a short coat.
all the news that's fit to print: January 30, 2007
The Morning Sentinel, founded in 1904, is a newspaper "Serving Northern Kennebec, Waldo, Somerset and Franklin County Communities." Good for them, they really only carry local news. So here's the contents of today's front page:
Top headline, article and photo stretch all the way across the front of the page: "Ripe for the plucking: Madison greenhouse begins selling 1st batch of tomatoes" (small inset photo on right) It's a story about a company that has a 25-acre greenhouse and is staking "its futre on the premise that vine-ripened tomatoes will taste better than those picked early and shipped thousands of miles." Amen to that! And it's good for the local economy.
Above the fold, directly under prior article, 3/4 of the way across the page:"Riding with some of the best: Oakland-based school district bus system nationally recognized" (big photo, 3 columns wide, above the article showing all the bus drivers in a bus) This is a clever photo and a great story. That should be front page news when your bus fleet gets national recognition.
Above the fold, 1/4 of the page, to the right of the prior article: "N.C. sex offender charged with rape." Sad but true, a registered sex offender from North Caroline is charged with raping a local woman Sunday morning. There's a small mug shot of the guy flush in the article.
Bottom third of the page, with table of contents, weather, and 2 news briefs in the middle: to the left: "Commission backs mandated insurance, cigarette tax increase."
And in the lower right hand corner of the front page, my all-time favorite: "Runaway donkey stays a step ahead of owner, police." The article is long enough it's even carried over to page 6. "A donkey that escaped its pen more than a week ago is stubbornly clinging to her freedom. Jenny, a 5 year old, has apparently not traveled far from Mary Gaeta's Higgins Road farm since escaping Jan. 18, but she is still on the lam despite numerous attempts to bring her in. 'We can't catch up with it,' said Chief Steve Emery of the Pittsfield Police Department. Gaeta, owner of Mary's Farms, had the donkey less than a month when she tried to coax the animal from its pen into the barn. Gaeta erected a barricade to guide Jenny, but she managed to slip underneath and ran into the road. 'It's been on the loose ever since,' Emery said. 'It sneaks in every once in a while to get a bite to eat.' Jenny has spent much of her time in a backyard just three houses down the street, Gaeta said.
and the story goes on from there. But isn't that a hoot? :-)
Top headline, article and photo stretch all the way across the front of the page: "Ripe for the plucking: Madison greenhouse begins selling 1st batch of tomatoes" (small inset photo on right) It's a story about a company that has a 25-acre greenhouse and is staking "its futre on the premise that vine-ripened tomatoes will taste better than those picked early and shipped thousands of miles." Amen to that! And it's good for the local economy.
Above the fold, directly under prior article, 3/4 of the way across the page:"Riding with some of the best: Oakland-based school district bus system nationally recognized" (big photo, 3 columns wide, above the article showing all the bus drivers in a bus) This is a clever photo and a great story. That should be front page news when your bus fleet gets national recognition.
Above the fold, 1/4 of the page, to the right of the prior article: "N.C. sex offender charged with rape." Sad but true, a registered sex offender from North Caroline is charged with raping a local woman Sunday morning. There's a small mug shot of the guy flush in the article.
Bottom third of the page, with table of contents, weather, and 2 news briefs in the middle: to the left: "Commission backs mandated insurance, cigarette tax increase."
And in the lower right hand corner of the front page, my all-time favorite: "Runaway donkey stays a step ahead of owner, police." The article is long enough it's even carried over to page 6. "A donkey that escaped its pen more than a week ago is stubbornly clinging to her freedom. Jenny, a 5 year old, has apparently not traveled far from Mary Gaeta's Higgins Road farm since escaping Jan. 18, but she is still on the lam despite numerous attempts to bring her in. 'We can't catch up with it,' said Chief Steve Emery of the Pittsfield Police Department. Gaeta, owner of Mary's Farms, had the donkey less than a month when she tried to coax the animal from its pen into the barn. Gaeta erected a barricade to guide Jenny, but she managed to slip underneath and ran into the road. 'It's been on the loose ever since,' Emery said. 'It sneaks in every once in a while to get a bite to eat.' Jenny has spent much of her time in a backyard just three houses down the street, Gaeta said.
and the story goes on from there. But isn't that a hoot? :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)