Monday in Maine

It’s 11:00, do you know where your children are?

When I was in junior high school the local TV station would run this promo at 10:00 saying, “It’’s 10:00 do you know where your children are.” I don’t know why I am even bringing this up. I just looked at the clock on my computer and it said 23:00. And it made me think of that advertisement God only knows why my mind works the way it does.

I’ve tried for the life of me for the past week or so to come up with things I don’t like about Maine. I’ve clearly done that for the last several places I’ve lived, but I’ve been hard pressed to put anything on that list here. Until today.

What I hate about Maine. It’s a state law here that you must yield to pedestrians. Not so amazing, it’s the law most places. But here people take it seriously. At any given moment people will dart across the street fully expecting you to stop. I’ve found myself riding the brake whenever I drive through town because people are constantly walking in front of my car. Today, at sunset, there were five people crossing the intersection diagonally when I had the right away. If I’d glanced away for even a second I might have gotten a ticket but they’d surely be dead. I’m not sure I understand the logic of crossing the street anywhere you like. Is it really so much trouble to cross at the cross walk? Or when the sign says walk? Or when you have the right away? I’m just curious. In NYC more pedestrians are killed a year than people in car accidents. You learn to be cautious. At any given moment you may be run down by a taxi and trust me you won’t live to tell about it. I’ve often thought we should just make it open season on people who think they own the street especially on foot. Just run em down. It would make for great population control, and in NYC we could use the extra housing. Maybe give cab drivers a year end bonus if they smoosh so many illegal pedestrians a year. It’s just a thought. I’m saying.

I mentioned yesterday that I had received some disturbing news. It wasn’t about me. It was about a friend I made this summer in Oklahoma. She and her boyfriend and her boyfriend’s brother were hiking at the Grand Canyon last week and her boyfriend missed his step and fell 300 feet to his death. It just makes you stop and think. Life truly is short and precious and we take it for granted everyday. Forgetting the paragraph above, how often do we stop to think about the things that we are doing or that something fun might end in disaster. I hiked the Grand Canyon 5 years ago and never thought at all about how deadly it can be. Everyday we get into cars, planes and trains and just assume that all will be okay. And in truth we have to. We can’t be paralyzed by the fear that people get killed everyday doing the same thing. And yet we trust it won’t happen to us. So I spent a lot time last night, just contemplating my life, where I’ve been, where I’m going, etc. Just thinking. That’s all.

On a more uplifting note. I saw Notes On a Scandal tonight. What a wonderfully, depressing movie. The performances were amazing. If you haven’t seen it you should. It will make you realize how happy you are with your normal sane life.