Maranacook Morning

 This is the reason that Chris Galgay is the best president that the Maine Education Association has ever had: our regular two day board of directors meeting was finished in one hard-working day...so I could go fishing today. I went to Maranacook and had a fun morning. I only put 3 traps in the water and was out of bait by noon. In fact, after I set the first trap it went up FOUR times before I could set the second one. I'm pretty sure I could have caught every bass (like the one above) in the lake from that hole. I had lots of action, caught several bass, yellow perch, and pickerel. The best pickerel I caught was this one:

 He was fun to land in that he ripped the line from my hands twice as I fought to bring him in. I released all of these junk fish to piss off another fisherman on another day. I was hoping for a brown trout...to no avail - but it was a lot of fun. I also had the best lunch I've ever enjoyed on the ice. Left over seafood penne from DaVinci's in Lewiston:

 I'm quite certain that no other angler in the state dined as well as I did today. When I got home M-S was having a blast with our new cookbook:

 Its one that my brother, Jim, recommended:

It is awesome, and my wife loves it. She is making veggie lo-mein and shrimp spring rolls as I write this. Life is good.
~MET

I'm Not Sure Our Pets Like Our Fegan Lifestyle

Baxter and Owen are spoiled - but they are polite. They don't whine and beg at the table. But since M-S and I have started leaving out the beef, chicken, and pork I think they may be missing it. Chris came out for dinner today and I made him a steak and a couple of hot dogs that were in our freezer. You can see by the picture that Owen and Bax were VERY interested in the smells in the dining room that have been absent for a while. They were not being naughty...just very interested.
~MET

I LOVED This Lesson!

 I've been teaching for 27 years, and my favorite part of the job has always been curriculum development. I love trying new things and keeping things fresh and exciting for my students. I tried something with my Social Psychology class that was lots of fun and very serious all at the same time.

 To introduce the unit on prejudice and discrimination I had my classes play "Intergroup Monopoly." Its the regular game with a big twist.

 There are 4 players...but they all begin the game with different rules. Player 1 plays by normal Monopoly rules, but the other 3 must start with some weird ones - each had 6 to 9 different rules

 but here are some examples:
Player 2 can only move half the amount on the dice roll, can only buy property less than $150, and can only receive half the amount due fro other players. Player 3 must go to jail for any roll over a 7, can only buy property less than $100, and must have a roll less than 7 to get out of jail. Player 4 moves twice the dice roll, collects $350 for passing go, and can buy property for less than the stated price.

These are just examples - there are more strange and fun rules. The students play this way for 20 minutes. Obviously players 2 & 3 have a rough time. After 20 minutes everyone starts to play by the regular rules. We do this for 25 minutes.
What has been set up is a 20 minute period of  "open discrimination" followed by a 25 minute period of "equal opportunity." Players 2 & 3 never were able to get out from under. The discussion that followed the game was awesome. Students really saw that making things equal does not actually make them equal after a period of discrimination. The POWER of prejudice is highlighted like you would not believe. This is what makes teaching wonderful.
~MET

Digressions on a Cold Sunday

 I really wanted to fish this morning - but it was simply too cold. So I watched a lot of TV, spent time with the pets, visited with family and got some work done. The television I watched centered around political talk, pro football, and Joe Paterno. I have decided that I want Mitt Romney to go back to the job that suited him better: playing game-show host Guy Smiley on Sesame Street. It was fun watching part of the Patriots game at my parents' house with my brother.

 Gooooooooooood nachos:

 For dinner tonight while we finish watching the game at home I made a good stew. We started with delicious cheeses and breads:

 the stew is Winter Vegetable Stew:

It has carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, green beans, onions, and parsnips - but its the broth that makes it: veggie broth, dijon mustard, spices, a little molasses, and a really dark beer. Its been a pretty good day...back to work tomorrow.
~MET

Adventures in Eating

 My wife and I have always enjoyed cooking for each other. This year we have promised one another to continue to do that - but in a healthier way. I must say that it is more fun than I could have imagined thus far. M-S made a delicious quiche with home fries this morning (above). The veggies in the quiche are all left-overs, and the potatoes have black olives in them...so good.  My meals this week are from the Moosewood collection:

 Tonight I made Reuben pizza:

Cabbage, sauerkraut, onions, two cheeses - sooooooooooo good. I will continue to let you know the healthy fegan meals we make in the weeks to come.
~MET

Its Always Great to Fish...

 ...even when the fishing is not so great. A couple of days in Jackman with Shaun is the best way to celebrate MLK Day - though I now believe the opening day is THE TIME to fish Big Wood. Shaun tried to Tebow (above) his way to a game fish. We got a cabin at Sally Mtn Cabins - my place in the great northwest, and the guy gave us a great deal. I think he like me because I clean up after myself. We got a big cabin:

 AND - he let us use one of his shacks yesterday:

 I had the right clothes to be on the ice yesterday, but having a shack with a wood stove when the wind chill was -20 degrees was pretty nice. Here is my artsy picture from the trip. The view out the shack window:

 Shaun caught one salmon, and we had lots of flags with lots of perch, but no good fish. We did eat well - a fegan breakfast:

The weather got a lot better today: 20 degrees and no wind - very nice. I love being outdoors and even if I got no flags I would still have had a great time this weekend. Can't wait to get on the ice again.
~MET

Is There Anything Quite as Wonderful...

...as your grandfather's pack basket ready to hit the ice? My weekend plans have changed a bit. M-S and I had our date this morning, and rather than sushi we had a GREAT brunch at Slates. I am looking forward to the Pats beating up on the Broncos tonight. Tomorrow I am heading to Jackman to fish in the afternoon with Shaun, stay the night and fish on MLK morning. I'll be home in time for supper with M-S and Chris. It pays to be me.
~MET

SNOW DAY! And a Big Weekend Coming Up!

Its snowing hard out there right now. Its really the best sort of snow day - they call it off before it starts to snow, so I can take the dog for a nice walk, and then we just hunker down and enjoy the flakes falling. Baxter has been out to play in it several times already. I needed the break, and with just one day before a long weekend followed by mid-terms, things are feeling good amidst all the work that seems to be swamping me. I am very much looking forward to the three day weekend. On Saturday I'm getting up early to go here:



 Clearwater is a togue/salmon pond in the Farmington area. I'm planning to catch huge fish near the lower left shore. I don't remember fishing it as a kid, but my grandfather caught this fish there:

 So it has some real sentimental value to me to bring his pack basket and his traps to the scene of that conquest. On Sunday its going to get A LOT colder, but I want to hike up Bald-Rock in Lincolnville. This is a picture of me on that coastal peak a couple of Novembers ago:

 Its a very nice hike, and I'll need snow shoes this time, and warm clothing. On Monday M-S and I are planning a date in Portland. We'll be having lunch at a sushi place called Benkay. Here is a pic from their website:

After that deliciousness we are going to wander around the Old Port. I'll actually be finishing my Christmas shopping. Suz, Grant, and Maeve were not in Maine during the holidays, so I am bringing gifts down to them in February when I go to DC for meetings. Shopping for a new-age hippie couple and their 8 month old will be a fun way to spend a MLK Day.  Life is good.

~MET

It Would Be Great If...

...this was the Republican candidate for president in 2012. I would gladly vote for him rather than President Obama. But, sadly, the GOP has been hijacked by the nut jobs of the far right. President Obama has been a disappointment in so many ways, but he is certainly a better choice than the the bible-thumping, judgemental, people-hating, whack-jobs who are trying to be the Republican nominee. This sucks.
~MET

The BEST Way to Start 2012

 I love Jackman, Maine. Fab and I went to the great northwest to stay for a couple of nights on Big Wood Lake in this cabin:

 We had a blast - eating, talking, eating, drinking, eating, fishing, and eating.  On the first night we had a nice visit with the folks in the cabin next to ours, and Wayne showed us his vintage Colt 45:

 I don't know guns and don't really care about guns, but that one felt pretty cool in my hands.

 Fab did all the cooking.

 New Years' Eve supper = pulled pork and beans:

 It was fantastic. Here is my spot on the lake:

 The first day of fishing gave me plenty of action. These are the two I kept:

 And here they are on the plate with butter, garlic, and celery salt:

 When we weren't fishing we were watching football:

 I caught one more nice splake this morning and then took this picture on the way out of town:

It was a great time and I'm already thinking about heading back up there soon.
~MET