Things I Have Neglected

The Music Man pointed out last night that I have been a little lax with my bog posts lately. Between posting pictures of Kermit's adventures, keeping my status updates up to date on Facebook, and plugging away at the huge paper I have not gotten enough started on, my blog has fallen to the side.

Over the past few weeks The Music Man and I have been consumed with surfing and searching for new motorcycles. It all started one afternoon when I took a break from that paper I just don't seem to have any interest in writing and decided to check out Craig's List. As I am sure you all know Craig's List can be a very consuming website where there are just too many great deals to check out, cross reference, and ponder. During this particular break I noticed that there was a motorcycle just like mine for sale at a price that I thought was fair, and the best part was mine was nicer. (Notice the use of past tense here). So on a whim I decided to post my motorcycle for sale and see what sort of

luck I would have with selling it. About a year ago a tried my luck with Craig's List to sell my scooter, in less than two days it was gone. Within an hour of posting my motorcycle on Craig's List The Music Man found it and sent me an email wondering what was up. I explained that I thought I would post it and see what happened. Well, let's just say that within six hours the bike was sold!

So started the search for another motorcycle. Let's just say that I spent way too much time looking at Craig's List, Uncle Henry's online as well as the paper version of Uncle Henry's. There were reviews online to check out, and brands to compare, and the all important seat height to study (see I have kind of short legs and it is important to me to have my feet flat on the ground).

In the end I found a Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic for sale in the next town ov

er, just exactly what I

wanted and so close. One day after summer school the Music Man and I went and checked it out. The couple selling it couldn't have been nicer, the bike was everything that I was looking for, and now it sits proudly in my driveway.

After the entire process of selling my old bike and purchase of the new bike the Music Man got inspired to do the same with his bike. So again started the cycle of checking out Craig's List, and Uncle

Henry's, reading reviews, and the constant debate of which one to get. In the end he found a great Honda Magna 750.

Now we both have "grown-up" motorcycles that we will be able to ride for years to come. Yesterday we went on an adventure to pick up a screw for his bike at the dealership in Lewiston (come to find out they had to special order the screw), and then went to our favorite burrito restaurant in Farmington, Big Mouth Burrito (more to come on that later). All totaled about 122 miles using less than five gallons of gas, hours of entertainment, and a great lunch.

So sorry regular readers, I haven't been neglecting you, it is just that I have been wrapped up in the world of Craig's List and Uncle Henry's.

Enjoy ~SJ

Raft Shack!

I want one, I mean I really want one! Yesterday The Music Man and I went to the Cape and had the opportunity to do a little fishing off from a "House Boat". I'm not sure if House Boat is the correct title for this amazing aquatic find, but I want one. Basically it is a little building that sits on top of a floating raft. Inside the building you could put a futon for sleeping, a bbq, chairs, and other overnight essentials. This would be a perfect addition to the Shamrock in the summer and could accommodate more guests, I think I shall name is Clover. Now I just have to figure out how to get one built for me, and what do do with it in the off season, any ideas?

Enjoy ~SJ

Skywatch Friday

The Music Man and I took the motorcycles out for a ride last weekend to the Height of Land an the way to Rangeley. As always the view was amazing.

Happy Skywatch Friday!

Enjoy ~SJ

It been a week....

.... and SJ has not posted anything new to her blog. Sorry readers, I think I am back into a state of blogging doldrum. Life has been filled with the same old routine - school, homework, sleep, eat, and maybe a motorcycle ride squeezed in. The Music Man and I did go to a great concert at Bates College last night with some friends, but other than that, nothing to exciting to blog about. The Mother is on her journey northward and will be arriving at the Shamrock on Wednesday, very excited to see her after her 6 months in Florida. Tomorrows goal is to take a picture of something exciting to post.

Enjoy ~SJ

L Is For....

Lobster!

The Music Man and I have been enjoying our share of lobster lately. With prices being at historic lows, and the lobster men begging people to buy them. We have been trying to do our part to support the local lobster men.

Frank Glazer

Last Friday night The Music Man took me to a concert at Bates, he wanted to share with me the amazing musical talent of Frank Glazer. Below are two excerpts about Glazer, one from the Bates website, the other from Wikipedia.

"Glazer, of Topsham, has been a resident artist at Bates since 1980. He is a musician of international stature whose long career includes numerous recordings and premieres of contemporary music, his own television program in the 1950s and countless solo recitals and performances with orchestras and chamber ensembles, including the New England Piano Quartette, of which he was a founder.

"Just to be in the room while Frank Glazer shares his tremendous musical wisdom and experience with artists like Macomber and the Parker quartet will be a treat," says Seth Warner, manager of the Olin concert hall.

In the 1930s Glazer studied with both Artur Schnabel, a leading interpreter of the Viennese masters, and with Arnold Schoenberg, whose atonal compositions were the antithesis of Viennese lyricism.

Glazer was 21 when he made his New York debut at Town Hall on Oct. 20, 1936. That event (recreated at Bates on its 70th anniversary in 2006) marked the start of a performing career that finds this artist creatively robust in his 90s."

~ Bates Office of Communications and Media Relations

"Born circa 1915, Glazer grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In his teenage years, he played in vaudeville. Alfred Strelsin, a New York signage manufacturer and arts patron, provided the funds for Glazer to travel to Berlin in 1932 to study with Artur Schnabel; he also studied with Arnold Schoenberg. Glazer then taught piano in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Strelsin urged Glazer to make his New York debut, telling him, "If you don't start by time you're 21, forget it". Glazer made his debut at Town Hall in New York City on October 20, 1936, with a program of Bach, Brahms, Schubert, and Chopin. He played this program again in 2006, to celebrate his seventieth anniversary of public performance.

In 1939 Glazer performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Sergei Koussevitzky. Glazer served in the military in World War II.

After the war he embarked upon an effort to reinvent piano technique, beginning with a study of anatomy and analyzing the most efficient way to create sound. Glazer believes this study is why he has remained able to play successfully into his 90s, when hand problems have forced many younger pianists out of the profession. As one fellow pianist commented, "It gets more amazing as Frank gets older, because he has less brute force to put into his playing. Yet he can still play some of the toughest pieces in the repertory, because he has figured out how to get there without wasting any motion".^{[citation needed]}

In the early 1950s, Glazer had his own television show. With his wife, Ruth, he founded in the 1970s the Saco River Festival in Maine, a summer chamber series. From 1965 until 1980 Glazer taught at the Eastman School of Music; among his students was Myriam Avalos. In 1980 Glazer left Eastman and became artist in residence at Bates College in Maine." (Wikipedia)

Glazer gives many concerts at Bates, his next one will be Sunday February 1st in the afternoon. This will be to celebrate his birthday. Hope to see you at this free concert!

Enjoy ~SJ

J Is For....

Jade and Jin Asian Restaurant!

On my most recent trip back from Humarock I was with my Grandmother and the Music Man. It was around lunch time and we decided it would be best if we found some food, so we headed up route 1 outside of Boston. I was going over the various restaurants that I could remember that we drove past trying to come up with the perfect place to stop. Nothing was inspiring me to make a suggestion, until I remember that Chinese restaurant up on the hill. My Mother had told me that she had seen them on the Food Network and I had always wanted to try it. I gave the suggestion and everyone in the car agreed that it was worth a shot.

From the outside this is a very impressive building, huge, and Asian inspired. Upon entering it was even more impressive, large carvings, water falls, and banquet rooms. We were shown to our table and proceeded to look over the menu. My Grandmother defaulted to the Music Man and I to rder since we are more familiar with Asian cuisine than she is. We order several of our favorite dishes and anxiously awaited our food. First came the hot and sour soup (this is how the Music Man rates a Chinese restaurant). One sip of the amazing soup and we were all waiting for the rest of the food to arrive. Next came the dumplings (this is how SJ rates a Chinese restaurant). One bit of the amazing dumplings and we were all waiting for more of the food to arrive. The main courses were just as impressive as the soup and dumplings. The Music Man and I agreed that we hadn't had such great Chinese food since we left China several years ago. The Jin Asian restaurant has now become a new favorite place to stop.

Aside from the amazing food, the restaurant also had several very large jade carvings. I wouldn't do them justice with my camera since they are three-dimensional. Again, haven't seen anything that impressive since leaving China.

I recently did a little research on Jade and the Chinese culture, here is what I found at about.com:

"Jade (Yu in Chinese pinyin) was defined as beautiful stones by Xu Zhen (about 58-147) in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, the first Chinese dictionary. Jade is generally classified into soft jade (nephrite) and hard jade (jadeite). Since China only had the soft jade until jadeite was imported from Burma during the Qing dynasty (1271-1368), jade traditionally refers to the soft jade so it is also called traditional jade. Jadeite is called Feicui in Chinese. Feicui is now more popular and valuable than the soft jade in China.

The history of jade is as long as the Chinese civilization. Archaeologists have found jade objects from the early Neolithic period (about 5000 BC), represented by the Hemudu culture in Zhejian Province, and from the middle and late Neolithic period, represented by the Hongshan culture along the Lao River, the Longshan culture along the Yellow River, and the Liangzhu culture in the Tai Lake region. Jade has been ever more popular till today.

The Chinese love jade because of not only its beauty, but also more importantly its culture, meaning and humanity, as Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) said there are 11 De (virtue) in jade. The following is the translation (don't know the translator):

'The wise have likened jade to virtue. For them, its polish and brilliancy represent the whole of purity; its perfect compactness and extreme hardness represent the sureness of intelligence; its angles, which do not cut, although they seem sharp, represent justice; the pure and prolonged sound, which it gives forth when one strikes it, represents music. Its color represents loyalty; its interior flaws, always showing themselves through the transparency, call to mind sincerity; its iridescent brightness represents heaven; its admirable substance, born of mountain and of water, represents the earth. Used alone without ornamentation it represents chastity. The price that the entire world attaches to it represents the truth. To support these comparisons, the Book of Verse says: "When I think of a wise man, his merits appear to be like jade."'

Thus jade is really special in Chinese culture, also as the Chinese saying goes "Gold has a value; jade is invaluable."

Enjoy ~SJ

Hermit Hut

While looking through my iPhoto collection trying to come up with next weeks ABC blog for the letter "J" (tougher than it may seem) I cam across my Hermit Island pictures. Then I remembered, I have never blogged about The Hermit Hut!

When the Music Man and I go to Hermit Island we tend to walk/hike around a lot. The island has many well maintained trials that crisscross the island. One day we decided that we were going to walk the perimeter of the island. Along the way we came across several little beaches nestled in between the woods. On one of these beaches we discovered the Hermit Hut. This hut is built up against a rock face from items that have washed up on shore. It is a welcoming little hut, complete with benches inside. I decided that it might be good luck to leave a Hermit Island treasure on the hut in hopes of pleasing the Hermit Island Gods to allow us to come back to this little piece of paradise again.




SJ's offering (the rock) to the Hermit Island God's in hopes of a good reservation next year.




SJ being "artsy" with her shot from inside the hut.

Well we wrote the reservation request letter today, let's hope that my offering at the Hermit Hut helps us get the times that we requested!

Enjoy ~SJ

A New Feet Shot!

Whenever I go someplace new or different I take a picture of my feet there. When my computer crashed over the winter I lost a lot of my pictures, especially my feet on the beach in Humarock. While I was there for Thanksgiving I went down to the beach to get a few new shots. The tide was coming in and almost high and due to this there was all this great foam. The Music Man suggested that if I were fast enough I could get a picture of my feet in the cold ocean foam. SJ, who will do anything for a great new feet picture decided that she was fast enough. I managed to get the picture, but I had to scurry backwards up a rocky incline to get away from the next wave in time. Let's just say that I needed to change my socks once we left the beach. What I will do for my faithful blog readers since I know they love my feet pictures!

Since A Coconut Is Not A Mammal

As a morning coffee drinker I like a little artificial sweetener and a little milk product. In my attempt to be more healthy I switched to soy milk in my coffee instead of cream. It was a big change at first, but I am doing fine with the whole thing now.

This morning as the Music Man was fixing us both a cup of coffee I heard him yell: We are out of milk!

SJ: Is there anything we can substitute?

Sounds of rummaging through the cupboards

Music Man: What about coconut milk?

SJ: There isn't any actual milk in coconut milk, right? Since a coconut is not a mammal, it does not produce milk, right?

Music Man: How about black?

I drank the black coffee while adding soy milk to the mental list of things to pick up at the grocery store later on in the day. This little exchange this morning got me to thinking about coconuts and milk. If I follow my rational for why a coconut can not produce milk (lack of being a mammal), doesn't that also mean that the soy milk that I drink is not really milk since it too is not a mammal. So why be discriminate against coconut "milk" when I drink soy "milk"? Google to the rescue, where is what I found.

"Coconut milk is made by simmering equal parts water and shredded coconut meat, then squeezing and straining the thick liquid remaining. (Not to be confused with the liquid in the coconut, called coconut juice or coconut cream, which uses the same prepartion as coconut milk but a proportion of 4 parts coconut to 1 part water.) Coconut milk (nahm gkati) is the base of most Thai curries. Unsweetened coconut cream is made in the same manner as coconut milk, only the ratio is one part water (or milk for a richer product) to four parts coconut. Do not confuse sweetened cream of coconut (used for desserts and mixed drinks) with unsweetened coconut milk or cream." (Kitchen Dictionary)

"Delicious, convenient and incredibly good for you, soy milk may well become your favorite drink. Made from soy beans (no cows involved), soy milk is often used in place of dairy milk as a refreshing drink, over breakfast cereal and in coffee. For cooking, soy milk lends a boost of creamy great taste and extra nutrition to baked goods, casseroles and more. Plus, soy milk is the secret ingredient in the world’s greatest smoothies!

Soy milk has long been a popular choice for people who are lactose intolerant or prefer to avoid animal products. But ever since Silk brought the creamy pleasure of soy milk to the mainstream, everybody’s riding the wave. After all, you don’t need a special reason to indulge in great taste.

Soy milk is loaded with vitamins and minerals your body needs to maintain peak health. It also provides special nutrients called isoflavones that scientists believe may help reduce the risk of certain cancers and provide other important health benefits.

What Are Soy Beans?

To really understand soy milk, you need to understand the source – soy beans. Soy beans are a high protein bean originally grown in China. Considered a complete protein, they contain all 8 essential amino acids. Low in saturated fat (bad fat), high in polyunsaturated fat (good fat) and cholesterol free, soy beans may be the world’s perfect food.

Acre for acre, soy can feed more people than practically any other food, and this efficient use of land is just one of the reasons why it’s environmentally friendly. Soy beans are used for much more than soy milk. They’re used in all kinds of foods and even in some unexpected items like crayons." (Silk Soy Milk)

Enjoy ~SJ

Jazz Up October with an Evening of Big Band Music

Swing into fall with an evening of big band jazz. On October 19, Opus One Big Band will bring their sizzling sound to the brand new building of Hope Baptist Church, located on Route 202, Manchester, starting at 6pm.
Opus One will perform an array of classic swing tunes by such legendary jazz giants as Woody Herman, George Gershwin, and Thelonious Monk. The band features a full complement of saxophones, trumpets, and trombones, and a swinging rhythm section, under the expert direction of Dale Perkins.
The concert is free (donations appreciated) and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. Come and see the new home of Hope Baptist Church while tapping along to the classic big band sound. Mark your calendar today for October 19, 6pm at Hope Baptist Church, Route 202, Manchester, for a swinging evening with the Opus One big band. For more information, email pmh@gwi.net.
Come see The Music Man play some big band!

Enjoy ~SJ

Columbus Day To-Do List

For me Columbus Day has traditionally been a day to "get things done around the house". Today, since My Mom and the Music Man were both at my house, the to-do list seemed longer than in years bast.

• Take in the dock
• Put the canoe away
• Put the Sunfish away for the season
• Put plastic shrink-wrap on the windows
• Put plastic on the back doors
• Clean the cat box
• Make apple sauce
• Make yogurt

Amazingly, the to-do list got completely done! Just another overachieving successful day in the world of SJ.

Enjoy ~SJ

Stanley and the Wii Fit?

The Music Man just informed me that Stanley is weighing in at 14 pounds. Since the Wii Fit came in the mail this week, I think it is time to modify some of the "games" for him so that he can work off some of his summer weight.

Enjoy ~SJ

Wii Fit And EBay!

The Music Man and I expereinced Wii Fit for the first time while we were in Humarock. Since then we have been discussing and plotting how we were going to obtain the hard to find workout videogame. After a few searches of the nearby Wal-Marts and some online shopping I decided to bite the bullett and try my luck with eBay. 9 minutes and 37 long seconds later I was the lucky winner of one brand new still in the box Wii Fit. It should be arriving at the Shamrock sometime around the weekend, photos to follow.

Enjoy ~SJ

Deer Crossing

While camping on Hermit Island the Music Man and I spent a lot of our time hiking around the island. On our first trip to this slice of ocean paradise we came across a mother and fawn while out hiking. We were really excited by the encounter and I took an excessive number of pictures.

 

On our second trip to Hermit Island we stopped counting at 15 deer. The Music Man almost got hit by a deer on his walk to the outhouse when it ran out in front of him. They don't seem to be scared by humans, and we even thought about adopting one as a pet. I spent the next several encounters trying to pet one (even though I know you shouldn't touch wildlife) since I thought they kind of look like Stanley with longer legs. It might be the tail, or lack there of.

 

 

Hermit Island is also populated with skunks that like to visit campsites at night in hopes of something nice to eat. Fortunately our encounters with them were not as exciting as the deer.

Enjoy ~SJ

Some Day My Prince Will Come.....

....and he will have uncanny MacGyver like skills. While camping on Hermit Island the Music Man memorized Some Day My Prince Will Come (a request of mine). Since he had forgotten to bring his music stand with him he utilized his amazing MacGyver skills and created one. Here are a few pictures.

 

  

  

Yes, that is a campfire fork stabbed through the envelope music, being held down by a clothespin. You should see how he MacGyvered the sump pump during the summer Monsoons! 

Enjoy ~SJ 

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

The Music Man and I went to a Portland Sea Dogs baseball game the other day. What a perfect way to spend a summer afternoon. I hadn't seen the Sea Dogs play in a few years, and I had forgotten how exciting minor league baseball can be. I have a new hopeful Red Sox, Iggy Suarez (mostly because he has a fun name to yell out during a game "Go Iggy!", but also because he is a solid player). In the end, after a very exciting last inning, the Sea Dogs won. Since I am by no means a sport writer, here is the official game recap from the Sea Dogs website.

    "Pinch-hitter Zach Daeges singled home Argenis Diaz with the bases loaded to give the Sea Dogs (68-57) a 5-4 win over Harrisburg Sunday afternoon at Hadlock Field. The win completed a three-game sweep of the Senators (68-61) to give the ‘Dogs a perfect 6-0 homestand. With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, arrisburg reliever Adam Carr (3-3) ran into trouble right away. Diaz led off with a single to right followed by a double off the bat of Jorge Jimenez. With runners at second and third, Carr intentionally walked Iggy Suarez to load the bases for Juan Apodaca. The Portland catcher, though, would not get a chance to hit as Daeges was called upon as a pinch-hitter. On a 1-1 pitch, Daeges hit a slow-roller to third and the throw to the plate was just off-line to score the winning run.
    Daniel Bard (4-1) earned the victory after working a scoreless top of the ninth. It was his second win of the homestand after earning the victory (and a blown save) Friday night. Miguel Asencio also pitched out of the Dogs bullpen, working two scoreless innings. Portland would start the scoring in the last of the second inning thanks to a sacrifice fly by Juan Apodaca, who picked up his first RBI for the Sea Dogs on the play. But, Harrisburg took the lead right back thanks to a 2-run third inning against Mills. With one down, three consecutive hits to right field brought in Garrett Guzman to tie the game at 1-1. After a ground-out to first base, Jemel Spearman (1-4, RBI, run) would score on a dribbler
by Seth Bynum up the third base line to make it 2-1 Senators.
    The ‘Dogs would get a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Iggy Suarez singled home Argenis Diaz to tie the game at 2. With the score tied, Mills would settle down for the remainder of his outing. He retired the last seven the faced and nine of the final ten in his six innings of work. He picked up another no-decision, though, allowing two runs on just five hits. He struck out a career-high seven and did not walk a batter for the third straight start. Harrisburg starter Justin Jones would match Mills pitch-for-pitch all afternoon. He came out of the game after surrendering a lead-off single to Jorge Jimenez in the 7th. Jones would earn a no-decision after throwing six-plus, giving up just two runs (one earned) on four hits.
He finished with ten strikeouts, his highest total in one game since 2003."

Enjoy ~SJ

Good Reads!

My summer has been marked with a lot of high points; berries, motorcycle rides, swimming, hikes, The Music Man, camping, and family just to name a few. One of the things that I look forward to the most every summer is idle afternoons (mornings and nights) of doing nothing but reading. This summer has been a banner summer when it comes to reading. I just rediscovered a great website for sharing books and even added a new little widget to the left-hand side of my blog. (If you are reading this in Google Reader you must check it out). The website is called Good Reads, and basically it allows you to share with your network of friends books that you have read, your rating, books you are reading, as well as books you want to read. It has been a great night of adding books to my "bookshelf", as well as looking through friends lists and adding books to my "to-read" shelf. All I have to say is that my friends have read an impressive list of books, and I am excited to read many of their suggestions. Feel free to request a friendship with me once you set up an account!

Enjoy ~SJ

Now We Know....

The Music Man and I have had several heated debates pondering "Do cats have an extended thought process?" SJ passionately argues the affirmative, while The Music Man passionately argues the negative. He asserts that while cats may have some memory, it is very short term.  I think that Pooch Cafe may have set us all straight this morning.....

Enjoy ~SJ

That Is The Question!

To camp or not to camp: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The wet and damp of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms and stay at home.

The Music Man and I had reservations to camp at the Mount Desert Campground, but due to the excessive amounts of non-stop rain that we have been getting, we canceled the reservation. It is better to just stay home and play Risk, than to risk sleeping in a cloth house in the rain.

Enjoy ~SJ