So I mentioned to Ashlinn that New Year’s Resolutions never really work for me, and I am going to start doing New Month’s Resolutions instead. She told me that was the most Adam Belanger thing she’s ever heard and I should sue myself for impersonating my own self.
Regardless, before February I will:
1. Finish refurbishing and sell my Bardwell & McAlister 2k fresnel.
2. Finish reading World War Z
3. Eat more vegetables.

I just got back from the holiday in Maine and I noticed a few things. I present to you Stuff Maine People Like:
1. Boots – My parent’s breezeway has a shelf containing only boots. Some of them don’t even fit anybody’s feet. One look at L.L. Bean’s boot page will confirm this.
2. Typar – I’ve never seen as many houses covered in Typar as I do in Maine. Apparently you don’t have to pay as much for home insurance if your house isn’t completed, so people will put off certain parts of construction for as long as possible. That’s yankee ingenuity right there.
3. Uncle Henry’s – Mainers hate throwing anything away if it can be reused for something else. If we finally do come to the conclusion that we have no use for something (or we have better use for it’s worth) then we go straight for the back page of Uncle Henry’s. It predates Craigslist by nearly 30 years, and is still printed on an ancient material known as “paper.” Even the Wall Street Journal can’t stop raving about it. I especially like the part where they talk to Warren Sylvester, owner of Warren’s Wood Stoves in Warren, Maine.
4. Coffee Brandy – The Champagne of Maine is the top selling liquor in Maine for over 20 years. The 1/2 gallon bottle of Allen’s Coffee Brandy sells 98,000 cases every year, and it’s only competition is, of course, the liter sized bottle of Allen’s Coffee Brandy.
“It’s an ideal food for crime” says Portland defense lawyer Thomas J. Connolly. More hilariously disturbing quotes can be found here and here, which includes a photo from former Rumford dive, The Barn Board.
5. Patrick Dempsey – I don’t actually know if Mainers like the Grey’s Anatomy star and Lewiston native, but they certainly have reason to. In the last few years he has donated butt loads of money to cancer research and treatment, and has recently funded the opening of The Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing at CMMC with a cool quarter million dollars. The DCCHH is not only trying to help fight cancer, but also putting a lot more emphasis on education of cancer with a cancer resource library, a dedicated space for support group meetings and a toll-free assistance line providing information on local, state and national resources for those living with cancer. Just last week Dempsey announced The Dempsey Challenge, a 100 mile 1 day cycling event that will bring more funds into The Dempsey Center. It takes place in October, and Dempsey himself will participate in the ride.