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2012 – The Best of a Not Good, Very Bad Year

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2012 was the toughest year of my life. I lost my wonderful father in law Walter Maheux in March. Seeing my dad’s brain cancer return in August.

But even in a terrible year there are best things.

Best poetry venue move: Rhythmic Cypher to Dobra Tea. The tea house fits it perfectly.

Worst poetry venue move: Port Veritas from Local Sprouts to Bull Feeney’s. There should have been a way to both charge a cover and keep a perfect venue for the place.

Best poetry book: Carl Sandburg’s amazing “Chicago Poems”. This is a reminder that many of these things weren’t produced in 2012.

Best poetry chapbook: Billy Tuggle’s “The Way of the B Boy”, just an amazing Chicago slam poet, and simply an awesome dude and poet.

Movie: Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom”. Not even close, Anderson’s best since the fantastic “Rushmore.”

Book 1st Read: “Daytripper”, a graphic novel that goes through life through a series of deaths in important places. Beautiful, poetic and amazing.

Book re-read: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Amazed how well this held up to re-reading. So it goes.

CD: Fiddler on the Roof – Original Broadway Recording. I love Zero Mostel and Fiddler together.

Hot Mess: Cloud Atlas — Lanna and @gennyfer both loved this. I like the modern tale, but a lot of it was just a mess. From the jub jub sounds of the primitive future, to some of the worst Korean makeup ever in the New Seoul scene. It’s a mess. **

Podcast: Lounging with LannaLee. Proud of Lanna doing this every week. Really, really good. It’s an adventure in conversation.

Discovery: How much I love golf. I am really shocked about it.

New Restaurant: The Dancing Elephant in Westbrook. Yummy Indian food a few blocks from my house, I do miss the lunch buffet though.

Ice Cream Sandwich: Catbird Creamery in Westbrook. Always good, but favorite was snickerdoodles with brown sugar ice cream.

Go to restaurant, great service: Saigon. Pretty much universally loved. Just excellent.

Beer: Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale. Just an amazing barleywine. Great balance and just amazing with a beef roast.

Brewery: Bell’s (Michigan). Not available in Maine but pretty much getting a case every time I visit my parents in Allentown, PA from Shangy’s in Emmaus, PA.

Blogpost: Write Poorly. Can’t believe this little poem inspired Colleen Hoover enough that it’s in the New York Times best selling book “Point of Retreat.”

Accomplishment: Seeing “Write Poorly” in “Point of Retreat” and being in the acknowledgments. Makes me super happy.

2nd Accomplishment: Blogging every day on this site in 2012 and completing a National Blogging Year (not even totally sure that exists.)

Most spiritual moment: Being in the room when my father in law spirit passed from the realm of the living to the realm of the dead. Feel blessed to be there.

Tap Water: Sebago Lake/Portland Water District. It takes going to Allentown to appreciate how great the tap water tastes in greater Portland.

Website: Goodreads. Just loved that it let me know I read 182 books in 2012. And of course that I can see how others love the books that I love.

Blog: Margaret Miller Finch’s Stationary Unicycle. I think Ms. Finch should make sure to blog more this year and not listen to her critics.

Best Local Brewery: Bunker brewing. Still at only a 1 barrel system. I hope this changes soon. Their beer is seriously amazing, if only available a few places in Portland, Maine. Ie Mama’s Crowbar, Sonny’s, Local 188 and the Great Lost Bear. I have loved every beer I have tried from Bunker.

To buy wines: Trader Joe’s and it’s not close.

To buy liquor in Maine: New Hampshire.

Best/worst website discovery: Dominion Online. Great in that it’s really Dominion and that’s awesome. Bad in it’s really Dominion and I want to keep playing. Even already spent $10 in real money to buy some sets and plan to get more. Warning addictive.

I Like Beer and Sausage

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Today was fun.

Got to sleep in. Cook some bacon and eggs and go to a couple parties.

My friend Rick had a great idea. Cook some sausages on the grill, bring some of your favorite beers and a tasting glass and drink beer.

I like beer, I like sausages, and I like hanging out on a lovely October night by the fire.

Great party.

The Bell’s Winter White (2011) and the Stoudt’s Double Bock were both super popular and delicious. I love the Winter White, others liked the Double Bock more than me which isn’t surprising.

I would like to host a party like this. Wish I had the yard for it.

Mmmm beer. Mmmm sausage.

Beer Times in Philly

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I guess Portland, Oregon belongs too, but I don’t know it well.

So I just spent about a week and a half in Philadelphia. Often called “America’s Best Drinking City.” Philly does have a magazine for beer “Philly Beer Scene” and a Philadelphia Beer Week. This is pretty awesome.

But, it’s more a place to drink beer out than buy beer. Pennsylvania has strange beer laws where beer is much, much cheaper by case than by 6 pack. You can buy a 6 pack in a bar/restaurant but not a package store where it’s case only.

So sometimes it’s actually cheaper to get a beer on tap than to get it on bottle, which is kind of nuts.

That being said the beer lists in Philadelphia are ridiculously good. Went to the famous Monk’s Cafe, owned by Tom Peters who is often considered the most knowledgable man about Belgian Beer in America. Reminded me a little of Novare Res in a way. Very expensive beers, very high end taps, lots of Belgian beer. Was most impressed by the most excellent mussels that were cooked in Saison Dupont and had all sorts of aromatics. Would go back for the mussels.

Even a dive bar like the Locust Bar has some microbeers and a beer I haven’t had in too long the yummy Yuengling Black and Tan. I wish I bought a case of this over the overrated (to me) Yuengling Lager. The Black and Tan is rich and drinkable, I think it combines the Lager and the Yuengling Porter.

Tria had a great beer list, had the yummy Don de Dieu (Unibroue, Quebec), wish I had the space for a yummy Victory with just one hop. Was also great to see Maine Beer Peeper on tap.

Went into the Boilermaker bar for a moment. They had yet another excellent beer list, but it was just too dark for me (as was Monk’s) and was wicked full of hipsters. Thought about trying it later, but decided against it.

Went to the Good Dog Bar with an old HS friend, and they also had a great beer list. Had a Great Divide Double IPA (CO) .. was good but like my friend Greg I liked the richness, but the taste was harsh. I enjoyed the Philadelphia Beer Kenzinger much, much more. Good flavor and crispness, great session beer. I wish I picked the Yards Philly Pale Ale as the first pour.

And my favorite beer of the week was the delicious Victory Golden Monkey, a very spicy tripel with lots of notes for free with a beer at Tabu. Which was a sports beer/gay bar. The bartender was awesome, and you can’t beat a delicious burger with BBQ sauce, bacon and smoked gouda and a great beer for $7.75. Would totally go back. Especially on a Thursday (the day of the free beer with sandwich).

Comparably, Portland has many bars with great beer selection, but the fact we have 12 breweries in town means our local microbrews take over the beer list often. Of course, Novare Res is known for it’s beer from around the world (especially Belgium) and the Great Lost Bear (my favorite beer bar in town) highlights Maine beer, but also has great out of town beers.

Portland is also a great place to get local beers inexpensively at local package stores and doesn’t have odd case beer laws. Maine does have an issue of having weird laws with out of state beer causing many great beers to not enter the great northeast.

But both towns are great for drinking. Philadelphia is of course a much, much bigger city and probably has more places to get great beer. And Yards, Victory, Troegs, Flying Fish etc. are great breweries.

Missing Maine

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Been away for a couple weeks now. Seems like longer.

I am used to having Lanna with me these days.

Used to knowing my way around.

Used to the Maine attitude of getting by, and letting things go.

Missing the Portland poetry scene.

Missing the rhythm of days working and days off.

Missing my wife.

Scared about my dad. He survived a 2nd brain surgery, that’s good. He’s in recovery, the neurosurgeon Dr. Laroix at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, said it’s normal to see a lag from days 3-5.

I want to see my dad move more on the left. I worry about it. Looks like he will always be missing some vision on the left side so will not drive again.

I miss Lenny and Squiggy, the two adorable cats always giving smiles.

I hate car drama.

I have enjoyed the food in Philly but Portland, Maine is an amazing food town too.

I am enjoying the beers in Philly (wish I had more money) but Portland is an amazing town for beer too. Saw Allagash White a few places (including Monk’s Cafe) and saw Maine Beer Peeper on tap at a wonderful place called Tria (12th and Spruce).

Mainly I miss my wife. Secondarily I miss the cats. And of course I miss kisses, hugs and someone else in bed.

And I definitely miss getting paid and my friends.

I will get through this. Life takes you where you don’t expect it.

And thank you for your support.

Edmund

In Praise of Mussels

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Today I had mussels. They were awesome.

Sometimes you go to Hannaford to get some taco stuff and you see that Mussels are 99 cents/pound, and even from Maine waters.

So you buy around 3 pounds, put in some lemonade and whatever beer you are drinking (usually IPAs and Pale Ales for me) and dump the mussels in.

You put on a top, and let them steam until they are all open. I also threw in a couple spoonfuls of minced garlic.

When they are open, you eat them, dipping them in butter.

They are awesome. Also taste great with some garlic bread and good beer. Belgian White or Abbey Ale might be perfect but I find IPAs and Pale Ales do nicely.

Delicious food. And you can’t eat 3 bucks for 3 pounds of local Maine mussels. Ok Downeast Maine Mussels from Jonesboro, Maine way out towards Machias.

And my wife doesn’t like them. That just means more for me.

How do you like your mussels?