I Can't Wait to See This Film!

Two young filmakers from Maine are working on a feature length documentary about ice fishing in the Pine Tree State. Hardwater is destined to win multiple awards. I tried to embed a video here, but I couldn't get it to work. The two guys are trying to raise money to finish production and have established a "kickstarter" site in an effort to get donations. If you go to the site you can see a short clip - its worth taking a look if only for the characters who will be starring in the film. Here is the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/534839598/hardwater?ref=discover_rec
It looks like the movie will be out in the late spring or early summer. Now - we need to start getting some cold nights to begin making ice before my trek to Jackman for the beginning the 2012 ice fishing season. FIRE IN THE HOLE!
~MET

Thanksgiving Week ~ Day Three

 Another very nice Thanksgiving dinner with the family. I ate waaaaay too much, but it was all delicious.

 Baxter enjoying the giblets:

 My little girl and boy playing cards:

There was lots of catching up, story-telling, and fun discussion. I'm already looking forward to a big sandwich...maybe sometime tomorrow.
~MET

Thanksgiving Week ~ Day Two

 Today is really all about getting ready for tomorrow. For the first time we are having our Thanksgiving celebration on Friday - something we should have done YEARS ago. Our children are spending the day with their other parents, and they will join us tomorrow. So M-S and I got to prep for our big day, spend time with the pets, and relax a little. As always, we started the day with a walk:

 It was very chilly (18 degrees), but very pretty after the snowfall. Baxter loves digging in the snowbanks and sniffing the deer tracks. We also needed to get some winter berry for our table, and there is a bog on our route that has several big bushes...or trees...or whatever:

 I really liked this one with all the holiday trimmings:

 After a walk and a quick trip to the store for last minute items, we enjoyed a traditional brunch:

 The sausage was from Emery's - if you have yet to check out this local business in Augusta - GET THERE. It has to be the best butcher shop this side of Josephs in Waterville.  The rest of the day has been a mix of crappy jobs like cleaning bathrooms, to great fun like playing with Baxter in the snow. I had to take this picture:

He sits on this chair like this at least once a day. My dog thinks he's a cat. He adores Owen, sits in the cat tower to look out the window, and tries to sit where Owen would sit. God love him. I'm watching football now and getting ready to vacuum while M-S is working on her famous stuffing. Life is good.
~MET

Thanksgiving Week ~ Day One

 My favorite week of the year is finally here! This year we are beginning our celebration with a pretty significant snow storm. My dog is nothing more than a little boy - he loves to get out and play in the fresh snow:

 He also likes to watch it falling, and bark at the birds who are trying to find food in the feeders:

The schedule for the week looks like this:

• Today I'm just hanging out with Baxter and Owen, and going to the store to pick up a few more things for our meal.
• Tonight I'll pick up Sarah from the airport - the snow should be done by then.
• Tomorrow its just me and M-S with the pets. We'll walk the dog and have brunch in the morning, watch parades, listen to Alice's Restaurant, gather some winterberry for the table, and then prepare some of the big meal for the next day. I love spending a day like this with my wife.
• Friday morning we are going to Robbie's with Linda and Mark to check out her pottery.
• Our Thanksgiving dinner will be on Friday this year with all the kids, Ma & Dad, and Jim.
• I love this time of year.

~MET

Post Number 1000

Random Digressions is 1000 posts old as of today. After a chilly walk with Baxter I took some time to look through the 999 that led up to this one. Its nice to have a journal that allows me to relive:

• times with family
• adventures in the outdoors - mountaintops and fish stories
• holidays
• political rants
• dates with the best wife in the world
• the amazing growth of Sarah & Chris
• my miracle mom
• the wonderful world of teaching
• two awesome dogs and one fantastic cat
• times in places like DC, San Diego, New Orleans, Chicago, etc
• great meals with great people
• political action and lobbying
• etc, etc, etc

This blog has been a wonderful reminder of how very lucky I am. This is a great time of year to thank  the people who have made all of this possible: my spouse, my family, my students, my colleagues, my pets, and my friends. Here's to the next 1000.
~MET

Three Random Pictures

 I had some pictures on my camera that needed to be posted somewhere...so a blog explaining them seems about right. The pic above is the most anticipated pizza of my lifetime just before it goes into the oven. Its a "Big Mac" pizza! Beef - special sauce(thousand island rather than tomato sauce!!), cheese, pickles, and without lettuce. I can't wait. These are the new sheep that have moved in up the road:

 They are very cute, very loud, and seem kind of high maintenance. This is M-S's new hat:

She is wearing it on her walks with Baxter, and I just think she looks cute. I thought a lighter post after my last two political rants were in order.
~MET

Be Sure You are Ready to Pee in That Cup, Mr. LePage

     When in doubt, intimidate the poor. Our much less than esteemed governor has once again proved that he would rather pander to his hate-filled base than to actually govern. His idea to drug test welfare recipients sounds great to his tea party followers, but is nothing more than a very costly double standard to anyone who...you know...actually thinks. No one wants tax dollars to be used to feed a drug habit, but there are LOTS AND LOTS of us who live off tax dollars, including Mr. LePage and his daughter. Are they ready to step up and offer some urine for the common good? I doubt it. I don't want my tax money feeding any of their bad habits either. And judging from the bloated, red-nosed look of my state's chief executive, he is at the very least struggling with alcohol. The 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection. If this policy is to be equal, ALL people who receive money from the public till should be forced to subject themselves to a drug test. If that provision is added to the bill I'm sure that there will be many legislators who will have a change of heart. But it is easier, and you can pick up tea party votes by cashing in on a little hate now and again. Be ashamed, Paul Lepage.
~MET

Really? Seriously, Really??

    I haven't written here for a while - especially about politics - but after last night's freak show in Michigan I can't hold my cyber tongue any longer. The only group of people who might be more embarrassed than Republicans right now are Penn State alumni. Watching the collection of buffoons looking to challenge the president next year is like witnessing a plane crash in slow motion. I have LOTS of friends who are involved in politics, and some of them are members of the GOP...I feel badly for them. I feel badly for one major reason: the tea party has hijacked the party of Eisenhower, Nixon, Goldwater, Bush I, and most importantly - Ronald Reagan. I wish Reagan had lived to see this mess because I believe he would tell the morons who now control the process to shut up and find a clue.
     There are a couple of sane, reasonable, and intelligent people on the stage. Governor Huntsman, for example, is a very interesting man with some thought-provoking ideas.....and he is polling last in a group that can only be described as the least inspiring cast of candidates in the history of American electoral politics. What does THAT say?
     It says that the only way to gain momentum is to appeal to the tea party dingbats who get 100% of their talking points from one or two talk show entertainers who make a living by casting a net into the shallow pool that is the tea party. Who is their favorite right now? Herman Cain. Enough said. To the radical base Herman is a god. They say that Obama does not have enough experience. Herman has NONE...well, except for pizza. They say that family values should drive our policy - Clinton WAS NOT FIT to be president...but we can ignore Herman's growing list of victims.
     I hate to break the news to you folks who look to avoid mental exercise at all costs, but Obama is closer to Reagan than anyone on that stage: not much substance - not much experience - inspiring character - willing to compromise - headed for a second term. Time to circle the wagons Mr. and Mrs. Republican Party and stop worrying about the "thoughts" and "ideas" of a group of people who who collectively control approximately 12 working brain cells. Find a good candidate and you walk away with it in 2012. Then again...keep on keepin' on and at least my party will keep the White House.
~MET