Rob Sheffield is Awesome

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I'm in the middle of reading and thoroughly enjoying Rob Sheffield's latest book, Talking to Girls about Duran Duran.

He just recounted running into a friend from high school a few years after graduation. They talked about Morrissey and baseball for hours, but never saw each other again.

I thought it was strange to spend an evening having so much fun with someone i didn't know so well, and not to hang out after that, because i was too young to know that adult life is full of accidents and interrupted moments and empty beds you climb into and don't climb out of.

Well said, Sheffield. Well said.

Midcoast Weekend Pt. 1

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Cleveland and I stayed in Boothbay Harbor this weekend. Here are some highlights. Lowlights to come.

1.       The berries. We were hiking (ahem, walking) in the La Verna Nature Preserve in Bristol, ME, contemplating the many reasons Dirty Dancing should NOT be remade (more on that to come).  He was burdened with the very serious task of looking out for poison ivy. I can never remember what it looks like- I always think it should be redder and more poisonous-looking. While scouring the underbrush, he found some blackberries. “Hey Amanda! Check this out!” So I ate one…and then like Mandy when she goes to Forever 21- I got the crazy eye. It’s like I had one mission and one mission only. To find! More! Berries! He could have left me on the trail and I probably would’ve been so caught up in my foraging that I wouldn’t have noticed. I could have sustained myself out there for days! Weeks!! It was so badass.  I started trying to remember whether Survivor is still on the air... Feeding yourself with berries from the woods is so cool.

Here's a map. What's not pictured is the contemplation point:
 


2.       Cleveland’s family was visiting a few weeks ago, and they had to cancel the kayak trip they were going to take. They left him with the voucher. So we went kayaking! Our guide, Damon was a typical river guide, super chill, really knowledgeable.  He even explained the dreaded headwind that I always seem to be paddling against whenever I try to paddle in the afternoon. Attean Pond, I’m looking at you! I’m happy to say that according to Damon, I’m “a natural” at kayaking and excited to check ‘palindrome boating activity’ off of my bucket list.

(no pictures, we were too busy paddlin' for our souls.) 

3.       When Cleveland’s family was visiting, they also took a Hardy Boat to Monhegan Island. Every time the Hardy Boat makes a trip, they ask their passengers to fill out a comment card about their trip, and enter those people into a drawing for a free Hardy Boat ride. They’ve really got the incentive part of survey-based research figured out. Anyway, Cleveland won a free trip! We decided to go on the Puffin cruise to Eastern Egg Island, the southern most Puffin breeding ground. Let me tell you, the cruise was awesome. We needed binoculars to see the birds, so the awesomeness stems from the narration by Dr. Stephen W. Kress from the National Audubon Society and the Project Puffin. There weren't too many birds, since the breeding season was nearly over, but we did see a few hanging out in the ocean. 
 
Dr. Kress was so excited about the Puffins, floating near the boat he’d say, “Just look at the beautiful lighting on that bird. Oh. Just beautiful.” He said this like four times for every bird we saw. Which was maybe six. Or the same two birds three times. I don’t know. But I had no idea Puffins were so adorable. I happened to learn all kinds of interesting Puffin facts, so email me at amandajennifer at gmail dot com if you're interested in hearing a rant.

BABY PUFFIN!

And look at these guys!



4.        Shaw's Fish & Lobster Wharf Restaurant. My friend’s dad thinks that no one should ever order lobster at a restaurant, and I sort of think he’s right. With the exception of places like Shaw’s, however, where you will actually see the boats bringing in the day’s catch next to the deck you’re eating on. The restaurant is on a wharf, hence ‘Wharf Restaurant,’ which I think sort of negates the idea that lobster is inappropriate to eat at a restaurant. I still felt like I was covered up to my elbows with salt water after eating it, but it was worth it. So fresh, so delicious. 



There was also a bar we did not get a chance to hit, but look at this weird thing: 



 It says you need to be born in 1994 to drink at that bar. WTF! I'm no math wizard, the only reason I caught it was because I was born 10 years earlier and I am NOT 31!

Grand Falls Hut

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A few days ago I went on a little adventure with the Nature Conservancy and Maine Huts and Trails.

Cleveland drove and it was raining the whole way there. A lot. He frowned and sighed for the majority of the  three hour car ride, but for some reason I wouldn't budge. I kept saying things like, "It won't be that bad! Think of this as a challenge, like we're going to feel amazing afterwards. And we're going to be so relieved to get warm in that hut and sit by the fire and drink hot cocoa! We'll only be soaking wet for a few hours!"

WTF was I thinking? I'm still not entirely sure. He even confessed considering offering an alternative plan, like hiding away in a hotel with a hot tub somewhere just to not do it.

It was nice, being at the hut, getting warm, and it actually felt like we earned that Jumbalya with the fruits of our labor... surrounded by hardcore ski/outdoor people who were debating which remote Maine roads were washed out by Hurricane Irene between the Forks, Sugarloaf and Saddleback.

This is a Polyvore set that I made roughly outlining my outfit. Note: my shirt wasn't yellow, it was black and white.



This is what our companions were wearing, with the exception of possibly Maggie, who kept her Ponomo earrings on the whole time.

Just kidding. That's from the Patagonia website.

Here's the hut:

mainehuts.org

 A friend recently told me that I'm outdoorsy now. I said that I didn't have the right gear to be outdoorsy. Seriously. Do you have any idea how much Gortex costs? At one point, when we were packing, Cleveland pulled a hat out of his closet. I said that he should bring the hat, he said he didn't particularly like the hat, thought that it looked sort of stupid. I'll tell you. We both looked sort of stupid in Cleveland's grandfather's beautiful wooden canoe, with our piecemeal outdoor gear (anything not cotton). But that stupid hat definitely kept his head warm and dry.

One of of the other women on the trip, a fundraiser, also paddled to the hut (as opposed to hiked.) Her and her husband run an adventure/coffee business non-profit business and is currently looking for takers on a Costa Rica trip: part sustainable coffee tour, part white water rafting/adventure. She asked me how our paddle was (they literally paddled six miles an hour downstream. That's a lot.) Cleveland and I are new to paddling together- I'm inexperienced at steering, and he's not terribly experienced in a canoe, though in his defense he's done more kayaking and rafting than I have. But we somehow found our groove and we made decent time. Adventure woman seemed genuinely happy for us, then remarked, "They don't call them divorce boats for nothing."

At the end of the second day, my muscles were definitely aching. We paddled 12 miles and hiked about 5. Grand Falls lived up to it's name, and I'm excited to visit Maine Huts and Trails again... when it's sunny. Maybe this winter?




image c.o rangeleysnomobile.com

Summertime Gift Bags For Homeless People

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On Friday, June 29th of this year, we experienced the hottest temperature ever recorded in Nashville - 109 degrees Fahrenheit. As if that was not enough, Nashville's high temperatures for the first couple weeks of Summer averaged 100 degrees.

These temperatures are causing many to wonder what the next few months will hold. One thing is certain, it will not take long for people to tire of the heat and begin longing for the cold days of Winter.

Six months previous to our record high, December 29th, the temperature in Nashville was a relatively pleasant 55 degrees, just half of our new record. The low for that day was a balmy 28.

What was happening on that day back in December is fairly easy to imagine. People were still procrastinating about putting their Christmas decorations back into storage. Plans for the last celebration of the season, New Year's Eve, were being discussed and finalized. With all the food eaten since Thanksgiving, people were feeling a bit regretful, and desperate resolutions for the new year were being contemplated.

Reminiscing over the holiday season, measuring the good and bad of it all, I suspect most people considered the holidays were going well. Friends and family gathered together, shared food, laughs, and other gifts. Past traditions were honored, new traditions were created. Love for one another overcame differences so that the joy of being together could be more fully appreciated.

Moreover, the good people of Nashville, mindful of the "reason for the season", were doing their best to extend the blessings of the holidays to others who may have not been so fortunate.. The impoverished, the orphaned,. even the homeless of the city were being blessed with kind fellowship, good food, and gifts.

For the homeless, gift bags filled with life's little necessities have become a Nashville Christmas tradition. Individuals, families, entire church congregations participate. It is a holiday project that anyone can do.

Items of necessity, those things which people normally take for granted, are often luxuries for homeless people. These things are collected, placed in bags decorated in holiday fashion, and distributed to the homeless wherever they are found. These items may include toiletries, heath and beauty aids, and other things that would help alleviate some of the difficulties of living homeless.

But, Christmas was six months ago.

All the holiday gifts will have been used up, and the rough conditions of street life guarantees that even the more durable gifts will need replacing by now. Brand new back packs, worn all day every day for six months straight, will no doubt be threadbare. And though some people may have found a way off the streets since last Christmas, other newly homeless people will have replaced them. 

 There is no holiday this time of year, that inspires people to be considerate of the homeless. Until next Christmas, many needs of the homeless will go unmet. Homeless people struggle daily to meet the basic human needs of food shelter and clothing, and usually don't have the resources to acquire for themselves the kinds of things that come in gift bags.

For this, many needs of the homeless will go unmet until next Christmas. That is an awfully long to go without. Perhaps it is time for a new tradition - a tradition of gifting the homeless as Summer begins.

So, what should be included in Summer gift bags for homeless people? Along with the usual items, the gift bags should include items that help them cope with excessive heat, humidity, and other conditions of Summer.

Staying hydrated is, of course, the most important need. Reusable water bottles are a good idea, but not every homeless person can to keep up with one, nor does every homeless person have access to a source of water. Periodically distributing bottled water to the homeless during the summer months is a great idea. Water that has been chilled is even better. Gatorade and similar products are also appreciated. Be aware, though, that caffeinated and sugary drinks can dehydrate people and make them even thirstier, so it's best to avoid such drinks as coffee, tea, and soda.

Gift certificates to fast food restaurants not only help to feed homeless people but at the same time become an opportunity to get inside a place with air conditioning.

Being homeless is particularly rough on people's feet, as they tend to walk and stand a great deal, especially on concrete. Because of this, healthy feet are difficult to maintain. New and clean socks and other foot care products should be a gift bag priority.

Body powder or baby powder, otherwise known as talcum is a handy way to freshen up and cool down and keep dry, especially when it will be a long time before getting to a shower.

Also consider those items you would take with you on an extended trip to a sunny place. If it is something you would want at the beach, homeless people would have a need for it on the streets. Sunscreen, cheap sunglasses, a visor or cap, etc would be helpful as well.

The making of gift bags for the homeless is a fairly simple process that can be done by one person or many. It is a great project for youth and church groups. Having many people involved will help spread out the cost so that no one person will be over burdened. Simple brown lunch bags will do, though depending on your efforts, larger bags may be needed. Young people can be employed to decorate the bags with smiley faces, stickers, and other happy crayoned images. Fill the bags with as much as you can. But, know that everything you put in the bags will have to be carried everywhere the homeless person goes, so try to not overburden them. Travel size items work best.

You might also consider adding to the gift bags things like small candies or other treats, bus passes, or hand written notes of encouragement.

Being homeless, and working to overcome it, is often the most difficult thing a person will ever do. Neither of which is done successfully without help from someone along the way. And to that end, gift bags are indispensable.

The following is a more comprehensive and yet not completely exhaustive list of things that may be included in gift bags.

Hand soap, shampoo, lotion, small towel, razors, shaving cream, toothbrush, tooth paste, mouth wash, comb, brush, chapstick, deodorant, tissues, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, nail clipper, nail file, athletes foot cream, white socks (preferably new) talcum, sunscreen, sun glasses, aspirin, vitamins, granola/protein bar, hard candy, bus passes, rain poncho, umbrella, phone card, stationary, pen, stamped envelopes, gift cards to fast food restaurants and grocery stores, etc.

Jail For The Poor

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The following comes from The Contributor, Nashville street newspaper. (know that Nashvile's city jail holds an average of 350 homeless people at any given time. That's 10% of Nashville's total homeless population.)

According to the International Centre for Prison Studies at King’s College in London, there are over 2 million people incarcerated in the United States today. That’s nearly 25 percent of the world’s prison population. Only 40 years ago, there were 200,000 people incarcerated in the United States. That means that, in a mere four decades, the number of people living behind bars has increased tenfold. To put it lightly, something is awry in our nation’s criminal justice system.

 “Locked Up for Lack of Income”: In this issue’s cover story, we add to our occasional series on criminal justice in the U.S. by exploring poverty’s intimate relationship to prison. As we learn in this story, getting caught up in the “justice” system can almost always be avoided, so long as the accused has access to one thing: money.

On the flip side, being poor in the United States means there’s a decent chance one will end up behind bars at some point in time. Contrary to the claims of equal justice, it is often the case that two people guilty of the same exact crime will find themselves on opposite sides of the barbed wire fence—a line, as we learn in this story, that too often runs parallel to the distinctions of race and class. Be sure to read this story to learn more about the state of “justice” as it relates to poverty in our country today. “When Povery and Desperation lead to Incarceration”: In our second cover story, we hear from a formerly homeless Nashvillian and vendor of The Contributor on his experience with both poverty and prison.

 Putting flesh on the bones of our first cover story, this piece illustrates vividly what it means to say that living in poverty means one might eventually live in prison. Having lived both on the streets and behind bars, this writer shares his firsthand experience with readers in a story you won’t want to miss.

 And More... In addition to these pieces, this issue also features our usual vendor spotlight, an array of quality submissions from vendors on surgery, windstorms and being a good person, an excellent new series of poems, new letters to the editor, and much more. Also, please take the time before the end of August to complete our 2012 Readers’ Survey online at www.thecontributor.org/survey. Your feedback is immensely important!