Vermont Life VII

August 18, 2006 12:05 AM

I'm writing this in pen because apparently I lost all my lead somewhere in my bag. Not that it matters much. I lost my erasure a week ago anyway.

The open mic went well. Everyone played cover songs for the most part. The only exception was this one guy who ended his session with an awesone original track. He was in his mid-fifties and looked like an Environmental Science professor but was the only person who played with pure passion and abandon. I guess it helped that he played a lot of Dylan.

The only other person of note was the host. Another in the mid-fifties range. He was mostly hit or miss but that was primarily due to which song he chose. His Chuck Berry rocked and his Skynard dragged. All in all it was fun, a nice change.

I'm back at Kipling's Pub. Coffee this time but if I feel a little frisky I may get a Guiness. Who knows... it's early.


1:05 AM

I'll never understand what it is about this town and women who are in relationships. The entire time I lived here I only dated one girl who didn't have a boyfriend already.

At the pub I met a nice, albeit slightly drunk, woman named Liz who early in our conversation announced that she was getting married within the month. And yet, soon after, let me know in no uncertain terms that I would be welcome going home with her. She was nice and attractive despite being 37 years old. (I actually thought I was older than her at first) And this is the part I don't get: as nice as she was, she was still willing to have a tumble behind her boyfriends back. I couldn't even think of cheating on Brandy no matter how beautiful or intellectual someone is. If I did, I wouldn't have married her. All I could think during her flirtations was, "poor guy". If she's already thinking of cheating after a 30 minute conversation and a few stupid bar video games she shouldn't even consider marrying someone. Needless to say, I left before she got the wrong impression. It's too bad. She was a cool person to talk to. A good mix from the usual Brattleboro suspects.

Vermont Life Part VI

August 17, 2006 5:19 PM EST

I'm back at Mocha Joes. The eggplant was delicious. It looks like I'm skipping out on dinner tonight, though. They're going to be serving it any minute and I just now got downtown, It's okay. I can fend for myself just fine. (I'm eating a blonde brownie the barista dubiously called a "Congo Bar") Besides, I could use the privacy.

After dinner last night Ashlyn stayed over at Rob's parents house and I actually managed to get him out of the house for a few beers. We weren't out long, however, when Rob insisted we go home where we could drink for far cheaper. We talked for a bit but he jumped on the computer to show me something, ended up playing a game, and got sleepy enough for bed soon after. I didn't stay up too late once Rob went to bed. I knew we had a physical day ahead.

This morning we picked up Ashlyn and headed straight for Wantastiquet Mt. The climb was okay. We took the long winding way up because Rob didn't want Ashlyn to do anything dangerous. I understood but man was it long! It would have been much funner taking the mountain head on but we didn't even do that last year when it was me, Rob, and Brandy climbing it.

For the descent I broke away from the two of them so I could take the rugged straight down approach. What ended up happening is when I got to the bottom I called to see how far down they were. They were only halfway down, off the trail, and semi-lost. I climbed straight back up to them and warned him against trying to go down the way I came because it was a straight vertical thirty foot drop off. That was easily the best part of our hike when I scaled the wall to get up to them. If Rob had taked Ashlyn all the way to the drop off it would have been difficult for her to climb back up to another area. We hiked along the side of the mountain until we eventually ran into the trail again. So after a quick bath and shave here I am.



I'm going to see how long I can wander around downtown resisting shopping. There's an open mic tonight at the Mole's Eye Cafe at 8:30 and I figure I could check it out. It beats sitting around doing nothing. Hopefully, there will be a few good entertainers but with the small talent pool of eastern New England I'm not counting on it. All the good singers/bands are probably playing gigs for money, not making appearances at small town open mic sessions.

Vemont Life Part V

Well, I have been shying away from typing these up (somewhat due to the whining nature of some of my posts) but I need to catch up seeing how my last post was five days ago.

The first entry picks up in the aftenoon where my last one left off: on Monday August, 14th.

5:46 PM EST

I'm at the top of the hill in Memorial Park. I say hill but it's still about a 700ft high climb. All in all, a short steep hike. It's nice and peaceul. Most of town is obscured from view by the other hills that make up the Connecticut River Valley but I have a nice angle at Wantastiquet Mountain in it's full glory with a good look at the open lane where we descended last year. The falls and the creek are too small to make out from this distance but the break in the trees clearly shows the straight down direct approach we took.

It looks like Rob and Ash have decided to hike up and join me.


August 16, 2006 3:43 EST

No post for Tuesday. We left the apartment relatively early and I didn't bring my bookbag. By the time I'd hiked downtown I wasn't willing to backtrack to Rob's just for my bag. A sixty second drive takes far longer on foot.

We took Ashlyn to a multi-activity play facility for some mini-golf and go-carts. They also had a driving range and I took some time to work on my swing. It was fun but if I had known we would be gone all day I would have stayed in Bratt.

First off, it took forty-five minutes just to drive there using state highways. No one has said anything but I think Pat is afraid to get on the interstate. (Not that there's any traffic on it up here!) We could have shaved approximately twenty minutes off our drive right there. It didn't help that on the way back we stopped at not one but two stores. Whatever...

I'm at Mocha Joes and I'm finding it increasingly difficult and tiresome trying to get back to the Spencer's for dinner. Tonight it's at 5PM and it's bad enough that I have to stop whatever vacation activity/project I'm into but I have to hike all the way back to their house and then back to whatever else I do. It's as if everyone forgets I don't have a car. They just expect me to be able to get wherever I want at the same rate of speed as everyone else. I've just been skipping dinner a couple nights but I feel rude doing it and tonight they are making one of my favorites: eggplant parmisan. So I can't skip out. The other problem is by the time dinner is finished, and I've stayed a polite enough time, all the shops in town have closed. This doesn't bother them because they have no reason to go into town, They live here and can come sight see anytime the urge fills them. It's a bit frustrating.

I need to come hang out at night even if most places are closed. I haven't been sleeping well anyway. At least I have been updating my blogs more often. And I've found some interesting resources on autism.

With all this focus on Rowan I am going to do my damnest to make sure Aidan does not feel neglected. If you put it in the proper perspective it becomes clear that we have two, not one, children who require special needs attention and education. Rowan because of speech and social skills and Aidan who is highly gifted and talented.

I went to the Book Cellar today to look for books about raising a child with Asprger's/Autism and stumbled upon am excellent book on gifted children titled Parenting Gifted Kids by James R. Delisle PhD. I sat there for over an hour reading chapter after chapter and ultimately could not buy it simply because it was $16.95 and we need to hold on to our assets until I'm earing a paycheck again. I need to put it on an Amazon wish list or something though because we are going to need help in raising Aidan or he will go through some of the same complications I went through that still effect me to this day. Most of my radical views on the educational system are molded after my own experiences as a gifted child not being put to uses that best flex his intellectual muscle. The truth is that public school is best used for conformity, and for an average (or below average) child it is adequate in preparing him/her for society. With a gifted child. however, conformity stymies growth emotionally and intellectually. I will not allow that path for Aidan.

Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks has a heartbreaking short documentary about the difficulties in raising a child with autism entitled: Autism Every Day.

I highly recommend taking 13 minutes of your time to see how the other half lives.

Small | Medium | Large

Hopefully Rowan is not as severe as some of these unfortunate children are. We haven't even had him diagnosed. Our appointment is at 3PM on Tuesday August 22. Please keep him your prayers and wish him luck!

Vermont Life Part IV

August 14 2:34 AM EST

It's the wee hours of a Monday morning and I barely have enough moonlight to read my own writing. I'm in the Brattleboro Commons again and with temperatures closing in on the upper 30's I can't help wondering how Michael is faring.

I came so close to calling it an early night but had initially decided to watch "Cast Away" until Brandy called.

She was feeling lonely so I stopped the movie and decided to take a walk while we talked. Next thing I knew I was in a relatively new pub chasing Guiness with Green Mountain Coffee. My kind of place, right?

Well, the hour is late, I still have a short hike before I can rest, and the three Killians I killed before leaving, as well as the three Guiness I killed downtown, are starting to catch up to me. So I think I'll leave this slightly drunken entry short.

One reminder before I begin my trek: John, you must hike downtown more often at night and try to write. The atmosphere is so quaint and serene and there aren't too many opportunities to capitilize on left. Enjoy your vacation to the fullest!


2:47 AM EST

One more update before my hike: The number of casualties, and consequently flags, has grown to 2,595. Four more Americans have perished in Iraq.

P.S. I can see my own breath, it's that cold!

Vewrmont Life Part III

August 12, 2006 3:36 PM EST

I'm on the top deck of the summit lodge on top of Mt. Snow. Man, the view is awesome! It's too bad the lodge and upstairs bar are closed because onlay a beer could satisfy me more than the view after the long hike up.

Joe made me proud. He made it all the way with me and we are looking at making the nearly vertical descent down the north face. The route we took up was no means easy. Instead of taking the hiking trails we went straight up the ski trail. We took a few breaks along the way but most were in the beginning. Once Joe got his wind and climbing legs he became a trooper. I really didn't have any problems but I did have to catch short 60 second rests after the really steep parts.

There's a wedding about to start here at the summit lodge and all I can think is the girls are going to freeze their panties off with the way the wind whips off the north face. At the base the temparature is about 75 degrees and up here it's got to be 42-46 degrees. Right now all the girls are hiding in the lodge which I believe they rented.

Well, breaks over. Time to descent!


5:26 PM EST

Well the descent was precisly straight down. We're on the access road at the base of the mountain heading back to Bratt. We chose Rip Chord as our way down partly because it went halfway down the north face and then cut back uphill towards lodge side, and it's also the only double black diamond on the mountain. We had roughly a 65-70 degree grade climbing down over rocky terrain through 4 1/2 foot high grass. It was slow going but fun as hell. I hope my pics turn out good enough to see how steep the headwall was. It was steep!! Joe was a little surprised that he had to work hard on the way down but he didn't complain any. All in all, I'm glad I got him out. We had a great time!


6:39 PM EST

I guess we got here too late for dinner. I'll probably eat something later. I got my coffee, got a smoke, and I suppose that's all I really need. Rob and I are supposed to go grocery shopping tonight. That should help my belly a bit.

We're in the basement and the guys are jamming. Gives them time to focus on the band and me time to write, right? It's a little sad. They're playing Alternate Eden: a song I wrote about 9 years ago. I was looking at their play list for the music fest and the most recent song they're playing was written 2 1/2 years ago. Rob deserves so much better. He probably knows by now that his brothers will never get out of their parents' basement. Hell, we both knew it over a decade ago when we quit the band. Well, if it makes him happy after work I guess but he could easily establish himself with a band set on touring and actually bringing in money. The other night I played some of John Beebee's and Steven H.'s music and he really liked both of them. The boy just needs direction and I'm sure his talent will take over and skyrocket him to success.

Vermont Life Part II

August 11, 2006 2:11 PM EST

I'm resting on a bench in Memorial Park where there are currently 2,591 miniature flags waving in the breeze: one per American casualty in the war on Iraq, twenty-four of which had ties to Vermont. (Chris pointed out the other day that the newspapers were incorrect in printing the term "Vermont soldier" because Vermont doesn't have any soldiers.)

Walking around town I can't help thinking that Steven would love this state for much of the same reasons it appealed to Michael. It is, by far, the most social state in the union and roughly 90% of the population are die hard Liberals. (They have for many years voted in the only Independant into the House of Representatives: a socialist named Bernie Sanders who is currently running for Senate)

On the one hand, it's what I love about this town: the attention to the arts and self expression but it's impossible to have a political discussion with any of them without hearing the same old rhetoric. It's as if they were reading a script of a radical liberal's radio show. So I avoid discussing politics at all. With Rob's family it is a polar opposite. The only news agency they watch is FOX and they have become staunch Republicans bordering on the extremeties of the Liberals up here. I remember them being conservative but a lot more moderate in the 90's. (All of them, with the exception of Joe who was too young, voted for Ross Perot back in '92) I guess anyone who is exposed to vast liberalism for so long can't help detesting it and drifting further and further the other way.

In other news: I accomplished none of my objectives today. (Which is the correct way to spend a vacation) It's okay. I guess it's just my body's way of saving up energy for tomorrow.

I mentioned last night that I wanted to hike to the summit of Mt. Snow and Joe said he wanted to come. Rob will be at work and it'd be great to get Joe out of the house. He has lost a ton of weight since his surgery/chemo therapy and I'm confident he'd make it alright, even if he doesn't go all the way to the summit. I had forgotten that we climbed Mt. Haystack together and got pretty high until he couldn't go further and he was in very bad shape then. I hope he's patient with me because I plan on going the full distance with or without him this time. It would be nice to come down on the North face (where all the double black diamonds are and the slope is nearly straight down) and then hike around the mountain to the main lodge, but I'm not sure he'd be up for that. It would take 3 - 5 hours not including the drive.

Brandy just called so I'm going to hike into town and withdraw some cash so I can talk to her at a coffee shop when she calls back.


3:44 EST

Apparently I have been incorrect to call the park Memorial Park. It's real name is Newfane Commons. Memorial Park is in West Brat with the hill, T-bar lift, pool, and play area. It's curious because there are no memorial plaques in or around Memorial Park but they litter Newfane Commons. Every war has a plaque and/or statue complete with the names of all Brattleboro citizens who perished. It's no wonder I got the names confused, right? Someone should tell their Selectmen that their predecessors got it backwards. I guess it shouldn't surprise me with this predominately passivist town.


3:51 EST

Okay, okay... it seems there is a similar project going on up the road in Newfane. The article I was reading was talking about that one. Hence the name: Newfane Commons. (the commons in Newfane!!) So I still don't know the name of the park I initiated this entry in because I'm pretty sure Memorial Park is the one we took Ashlynn to. I'll try to find a plaque or sign with it's name on my trek toward's Rob's parents in a little bit.

4:16 EST

I just got off the phone with Trish and she's calling John to ask if Michael's still up here. It would be great to see him. He'll always be family despite what happens between Trish and John.

We were talking about poker and it got me thinking about boring nights when Rob has to work the next day. I think I'll play in a freeroll tournament tonight seeing how I won't have to worry about work tomorrow or interuptions from the boys. It'd be a good distraction and keep my mind sharp.

I need a difficult crossword book. Sudoku's aren't doing it for me and not sure I can get the Spencers up for a game of pinochle. (not to mention that I haven't played in 8+ years and need to re-learn the rules and scoring techniques)

I am currently sitting where the 3 Seasons Cafe used to reside: in the alley next to the theater overlooking the Connecticut River. It's amazing how the buildings block much of the noise from busy Main St. I came back here so I could sit and hear Trish at the same time and have found (much like I did a decade ago) what a relaxing place it is to read or write. This used to be my last stop on my way home after book shopping a couple of blocks down, I could spend all day here!


7:38 EST

I'm still not sure of the name of this park but I'm here again on the same bench from this afternoon. I need to mention this great quality of Brattleboro's: tons of trees and rapid declines. One is rarily short of places to side-step and piss. Man I love nature!

Trish got back to me right after my last entry and gave me Michael's number. He's staying in a tent off the bank of the Connecticut River near downtown. (practically a long throw from Rob's parents on Wantastiquet Dr.) Once I got off the phone with her I gave him a call and next thing I know we were both at Flat Street Brew Pub eating dinner and killing beers.

Man I missed him! He's basically camping for a couple of weeks because his lease was up and he's about to head to Massachusetts for a month before taking a train to Mount Shasta where he's joining a Buddhist Zen Monastary.

We talked about everything from semantics, to objectivity, to the Landmark learning center which both he and Brandy attended. (He brought it up, not me) I wish we could hang out all night but I would feel awkward taking him ( a passivist liberal) to Rob's parent's (volatile conservatives) house. I did offer him the opportunity to climb Mt. Snow with me and Joe though, and if I get too bored tonight at Rob's I may just hike down to the riverside and share a tent with him.

At least I know that my trip won't exist entirely of Rob and his family. There is so much bad blood between Rob and Frog that I probably won't hang out with him unless he calls me. (Not that there's any love lost there, I never really liked Frog to begin with) Plus, if Mike is serious about living as a monk and follows through with it, this may be the last time I see him for a while unless I visit him halfway up Mt. Shasta. I believe I should capitilize on the situation and accept it simply as God's will. I must be here for a reason, right?

Vermont Life

I have been keeping a journal while on vacation and initially was hesitant about posting in online, but I have decided that if I piss people off it's just my nature.

Here's the first installment:

August 10, 2006 4:15 EST

I'm not sure if today is Thursday or Friday. Let's see, I flew in on Tuesday and have stayed two nights so far so I guess it's Thursday.

I'm crouching on the sidwalk on Main St. smoking a cigarette in front on Mocha Joes. I had to get them to grind the Rwandan I bought yesterday because (despite what Rob says) he does not have a grinder. He handed me a Cuissinart last night and swore that it'd work just fine but the grind was so coarse, and the coffee so weak, that it was like drinking tea.

Wow. Two nights and I can't imagine what it's going to be like after two weeks of vacation! Yesterday I thought I was going to go mad from missing Brandy and the boys but I think I need this. It didn't help that we spent so much time at Rob's parents house. I love them. They are like a second family but it was too much like going into a time warp and they are by nature pessimistic unmotivated people. Sitting in that house drives me nuts! Now that Rob's working I can get out and do some self exploration.

It's funny. I actually like having to walk everywhere. It gives me time to think; to exist. You should have seen the look on everyone's face when I suggested we take Ashlynn to the park last night. Rob didn't think she'd want to go, his Mom was worried about them closing, and even Ash was hesitant. "Do I have to?" she asked me. I don't understand how they can stay cooped up in that house all day. I didn't eight years ago and I don't today. I have determined that I am not going to spend my vacation sitting on my ass listening to the same negativities. I don't care if I wear my soles out and step on a few toes while I'm at it. I need fresh air!

Update on TSA list...

Last post I was about to board a plane to New England, my how things can change practically overnight. I guess I should include all liquids to the list of unacceptable items.



From the TSA website:

Passengers may experience longer lines at airports and should plan to arrive early. Check with your specific airline and airport before flight departure time to determine how much time is needed for your flight. Passengers should pack their patience and ensure that that they do not bring any liquids to the security checkpoint in carry-on luggage. These items are no longer permitted on board the aircraft. To expedite the process, avoid having clutter in your bags and minimize the number carry-on items

NO LIQUIDS OR GELS OF ANY KIND WILL BE PERMITTED IN CARRY-ON BAGGAGE.

SUCH ITEMS MUST BE IN CHECKED BAGGAGE. This includes all beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, tooth paste, hair gel, and other items of similar consistency.

Exceptions: Baby formula and medicines, which must be presented for inspection at the checkpoint.

Beverages purchased in the boarding area, beyond the checkpoint, must be consumed before boarding because they will not be permitted onboard the aircraft.

Passengers traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States will be subject to a more extensive screening process.

These measures will be constantly evaluated and updated as circumstances warrant.

I brought limited items simply to escape the lengthy routine of checking in bagggage and waiting for it on the conveyer. Well, it appears I'll be leaving my toiletries here and buying new ones when I get home. (They mostly consist of travel sized packages anyway)

Have I mentioned how much I love air travel??

TSA: Prohibited Items

Hey guys, I'll be going to Vermont for a couple of weeks.I was at the TSA website
trying to check if I could carry my razor blades on the airplane and unfortunately
it falls in the list of unaccepted items because they aren't in a cartridge
but more traditional like these:



I got a kick out of how casually you find items such as hand grenades next to regular
items like golf clubs.

Here's a complete list:

# Automatic weapons
# Axes
# Baseball bats
# BB guns
# Billy clubs
# Blackjacks
# Blasting caps
# Bows and arrows
# Box cutters
# Brass knuckles
# Bull whips
# Cattle prods
# Compressed air guns
# Corkscrews
# Cricket bats
# Crow bars
# Disabling chemicals or gases
# Dog repellent spray
# Dynamite
# Fire extinguishers
# Flare pistols
# Golf clubs
# Gun lighters
# Gunpowder
# Hammers
# Hand grenades
# Hatchets
# Hockey sticks
# Hunting knives
# Ice axe/Ice pick
# Knives (any length)
# Kubatons
# Large heavy tools (such as wrenches pliers etc.)
# Mace
# Martial arts devices
# Meat cleavers
# Metal scissors with pointed tips
# Numchucks
# Pellet guns
# Pen knives
# Pepper spray
# Pistols
# Plastic explosives
# Pool cues
# Portable power drills
# Portable power saws
# Razor blades (not in a cartridge)
# Religious knives
# Replica weapons
# Revolvers
# Rifles
# Road flares
# SCUBA knives
# Sabers
# Screwdrivers
# Shot guns
# Ski poles
# Spear guns
# Starter pistols
# Straight razors
# Stun guns/shocking devices
# Swords
# Tear gas
# Throwing stars
# Toy transformer robots (this toy forms a toy gun)
# Toy weapons"

TSA: TSA Issues Guidelines to Help Passengers through Security and Expands List of Prohibited Items