First Date

With the day away from work due to "Rainstorm Sandy" I had a bit of time to reflect and remembered that this is the anniversary of my first date with my wife all those years ago. The most simple tribute is this: NO REGRETS. I love you.

~MET

A Wonderful Oktoberfest!

 Its been one of those amazing fall days in Maine. We began the day as we always do - with a walk with Baxter.

 Autumn is his very favorite season. He loves to dig and smell in the leaves.

 M-S and I enjoyed an amazing brunch after out two mile walk with the dog. Just look at this:

 Eggs - spuds - ham - and bagels. The bagels were from Sheepscot General. As was the cream cheese. The bagels were boiled, NY style, and the two flavors of cream cheese were salmon/veggie and maple/bacon. Seriously - maple/bacon!?! It was amazing. I then retired to my office:

 ..to get some much needed work done. The highlight of the day was that Ma & Dad were coming out for an Oktoberfest meal! I had a great time preparing it, and it all came from Morse's in Waldoboro. It is one of my favorite stores in the world. We started with their pickles made at the store, and beer-cheese direct from Germany:

 I served the meal on plates that I bought while I was single. I got them at a lawn sale, and they are from Germany:

 M-S and I use Robbi's plates almost exclusively, but I like to drag my bachelor dishes out once in a while.

 We had Morse's very famous sauerkraut and three kinds of sausage: bratwurst - knackwurst - and bauernwurest:

 We also had pretzels that I made in the oven:

Add some other German sides and mustards, and you've a meal fit for a czar! It was VERY good, and we had a very nice visit with the folks. Another delicious October meal.
~MET

Election Night is My Super Bowl...

...and I've decided on the big snack for the night. November 6 will no doubt keep me up all night as there are so many races to watch this year. So, I'll need some beer, and a solid, progressive, left-WING food to keep me going. Those who know me will understand that this recipe was a no-brainer for the big night:

Moxie Wings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Moxie soda (not diet)
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 medium onion, peeled
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 lbs. chicken wings

Directions:
Put all ingredients (except chicken wings) into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Put marinade into a zipper box with chicken wings and refrigerate for up to 3 hours before cooking. Wings may be grilled or boiled. If grilled, use the indirect cooking method (chicken is placed over the second burner which is not lit, or over the cool side of the grill). Cook until wings are tender and juices run clear when pierced with a fork, about 20-25 minutes.

Give them a try, and I'll let you know what I thought.
~MET

Counting Down

So - the election is getting close...FINALLY. I will be glad when its all over, even though I really like checking the polls everyday. We had our mock election today at Winslow High - and I hope the results will be the same in a couple of weeks:

• Obama won with 53%
• King over Summers 44-30%
• Pingree in a landslide
• And Question One 66-34%

Lets all hope the students in my high school have the pulse of the nation.

~MERT

Its All About Organizing

 As a member of the 99%, and a member of a union without the resources to write 15 million dollar checks to candidates, it is becoming more and more important to get organized. Tonight and tomorrow I'll be at an MEA training with lots of other educators and union employees to discuss organizing. Tonight we have a social hour, dinner, and then this keynote:

After the speech I'll have a chance to network with some friends from around the state and then we have trainings all day tomorrow. Since the rules have changed - we have to adjust to them.
~MET

My Daughter is Turning 25

 So I'm getting ready for the second presidential debate, but my thoughts are drifting to a couple of days  that took place a quarter century ago. Jessica McClure and Sarah Thurston "came out" at around the same time. You might remember Jessica (above), or you might be reminded from news reports today or tomorrow as they ask us to recall that little 18 month-old stuck in the well 25 years ago. I'll always remember her because she will always be linked in my memory to my little girl:

Jessica was stuck in that well at the same time that Sarah was...well...stuck in that womb. Sarah turns 25 tomorrow, and she was in no hurray to come into the world. Her mom was in labor for over 24 hours - and it was not an easy entry by any means. Fact is - it sucked. And when I couldn't stand it anymore, and had to take a 2 minute break I went into a waiting area, and there was the news about baby Jessica. I must have gone out there 4 or 5 times, and each time there was an update on Jessica.
They both did reach the surface on October 17, 1987 - and I have no idea how Jessica McClure has impacted the world. I know she is alive and well, and that she is 18 months older than the other little girl I watched come out of the darkness that night. But, I can say that my Sarah has already made the world a better place, and I've no doubt she will continue to do so for many years to come.
I'll never forget that night, and I'll never stop being proud of my little girl. Happy birthday, Sarah - love you very much.
~MET

Good Beer - Good Brunch

 I have been having some issues loading pictures to this site, so I haven't written here in a while. This weekend gave me a god chance to get back into it. 3 Tides and the Marshall Wharf Brewing Company had a five-year celebration in Belfast last night and Jesse and I went to enjoy the festivities. There were lots of good beer, food, and music. Above is a big pile of oyster shells - other pics:
beer flavored baked beans

 There ended up being a huge crowd.

 My tasting glass:

 Jesse and some random guy who just liked talking about beer:

 This trio was awesome:

 Kind of a fusion of bluegrass and punk.

 The Hargroves came by today for brunch and to visit Sheepscot General.

 Their boys seemed to like playing with Baxter, and with Baxter's toys.

 Art exhibit at Sheepscot:

It was a fun couple of days.
~MET

Last Night in DC: Dinner With Family

 Sarah, Jim, and Jean took me out to Silver Spring last night to see Grant, Suz, and Maeve's new home. Its a very nice place with lots more room and I'm sure they are going to love it there. Maeve is just amazing, and with all the hair, the chubby cheeks, and her very bright mind, she reminds me a lot of Sarah at the same age.  The sweater in this picture:

 ...was made by the uncle holding her. Nothing beats a multi-talented lobbyist. While we were eating we stretched a few times:

 Believe it or not, that's just Suzanne's attempt to slow her down - the kid loves meal time.

Having some family to visit with after these long days of meetings is great.
~MET

Something Old - Something New

 I'm having another fantastic few days of lobbying and NEA Board of Directors meetings here in DC. I have one more day of meetings tomorrow and a visit with family before heading home on Sunday. So - something old and something new this trip. I love walking around Capital Hill and walking between office buildings. One of my favorites is, of course, the Supreme Court. Look closely at the picture above - and click on it to make it larger. They are working on the building, but have hung a replica front on the outside. I just thought it was kind of cool. The something new was dinner last night here:

 Bobby Flay's new place in the District. Its only about 6 blocks from where we do our work and I'm sure I'll be a regular visitor. I had the Santa Fe burger with sweet potato fries:

How good does that look? Its actually better than it looks. I'm having a good time talking politics, woorking with great educators from around the country and tonight watching the MLB wildcard games, but I miss M-S and Baxter.
~MET

Busy, Busy Week

 So...this has been an amazing week, and its only Tuesday. For some reason the pictures didn't load correctly, so they are out of order a little. On Sunday I finished up another great MEA Board meeting. I love those meetings - just good people who care so much. Then on Monday I taught my classes and went right to a DOE School Choice Task Force meeting (top pic). It was better than the first one - I think all the EXPERTS in education are on the same page, and the governor's appointee's are beginning to seem out of place. Tomorrow right after school I head to DC, and tomorrow night I'll be watching the first debate with the education community - it should be awesome. At least I hope its a good night for the prez. On Thursday I'll be here:

 Criss-crossing on the Hill meeting with the education staffers of our congressional delegation. This time we'll be lobbying against deep cuts in education during the lame-duck session and discussing all the awful voter-suppression attempts around the country. Then Friday and Saturday I'll be on 16th St here:

 For the NEA Board of Director's meeting. The agenda is only 175 pages this time. I'll have some fun while I'm down there, and I hope to see these two girls:

 I don't think Maeve looks much like the picture anymore - can't wait to see them both. While in DC I'll be watching play-off baseball, but I think the:

Division champion Nationals will be playing after I return to Maine on Sunday. I'm hoping they provide me with several late nights in the next few weeks. Busy times - but all good stuff.
~MET