Happy Halloween!

My sister and brother-in-law opened their own store this past April: Black Box Gaming. It's a retro video game store, and it's done incredibly well!  I didn't really know that retro gaming was a thing, but it's really a thing.

Every Saturday night they have tournaments with a different game and system.  When I first moved here, in honor of me and my old age they did an Atari tournament.  I have lost my skills (and believe you me, I was SKILLED), but my sister came in second!

Anyway, in order to raise their profile, they have started doing a few community events, and one was a Halloween event in the parking lot of a bowling alley.

My brother-in-law owns a Jurassic Park Jeep.  We took that, and I dressed up as a Jurassic Park safari guide.  Kevin even played the soundtrack to the movie while kids visited us to trick-or-treat.

Everyone loved it!  And even better, a bunch of kids came as dinosaurs, so we took pictures of them with the Jeep. I'll have to get those pictures from Kevin and post them here.  I'll update when I get them!

Also, see that horse trailer in the background?  It had ponies in it, and the ponies ended up being next to us in the parking lot.  Four hours of ponies!  It was fantastic!

Next Black Box Gaming holiday event is the Prescott Valley Christmas Parade.  Kevin and Allyson own a golf cart, and they're decorating it and being in the parade!  I'll post pictures after it happens.

To Infinity and Beyond! (And Presque Isle)

Maine is chock full of fun and weird and cool things to see and do.  I found out about the Maine Solar System Model, built by the people of Aroostook County and led by the University of Maine -- Presque Isle.  The sun and our solar system's planets are spaced to scale along Route 1 from Houlton to Presque Isle.

Luckily, I've headed up to Presque Isle and the surrounding areas a few times and have made it a point to find as many of the planets as I could.  There are still a couple missing, but they're hard to find!  I thought I'd share them with you.  And ask you to keep an eye out for the ones I've missed!

First, Pluto* is found at the Houlton Welcome Center, where a lovely woman showed me to the planet and gave me a very helpful brochure.

Not only are the planets included, but their moons, too.  See that Pluto's moon Charon is below.

Next up: Neptune!

And now, your anus.  Hahahahahaha, snort!  Sorry -- a bit of my 3rd grader coming out.  I mean to say: Uranus.

On to: Saturn, with moon Titan!

Note Titan hangin' out to the left:

Let's continue to Jupiter and his four moons:

And Mars.  It's much easier to get to this Mars than the real one.  Now, do you see how tiny Mars is?  I'm telling you, some of these planets were really hard to find, especially as I was trying to drive.

And now, our Home Planet and the best moon in the universe!

It's hard to see the moon, but it's to the right of Earth.  Look at the pole coming out of the snow.  The actual moon is hidden by the background trees.  I guess I'm not the best photographer.

And now Venus:

And finally, little, bitty Mercury:

Now here's where it gets embarrassing. The sun is on the UMPI campus.  After risking life and limb, driving while looking for planets (Can you imagine if the police/sheriff had pulled me over for what they thought was Driving While Impaired, only to find out I was trying to spy Route 1 planets?  That would have been really embarrassing.  I wonder if it's happened before.) and parking on shoulders and in ditches to get out and take pictures in the winter while semis blew by, I forgot to go to UMPI to take a picture of the sun.  How idiotic.

And so, my Mainer friends -- especially those who live in The County -- I am begging you to stop in at Folsom Hall on the UMPI campus next time you are up Presque Isle way and take pictures for me.  Please send me the pictures, I'll add them to this blog post, and I'll praise you to the heavens for helping me out.  Thanks!

*You may have noticed that I lump Pluto in with the planets.  Despite science, this whole "dwarf planet" stuff is garbage.  I spent WAY too many years in elementary school learning about the solar system and planets to change now.  It's kind of like how grammar has changed so that it is now correct to NOT place a comma after the penultimate item in a list.  Baloney.  I had to work on grammar through high school and beyond.  I'm not changing now.  Hm.  It appears I may be getting a bit set in my ways and knowledge in my old age.

Sometimes a Hard Hat Is NOT just a Hard Hat

As much as I miss Maine, Arizona has some equally fantastic and hilarious culture.  For example, as I was waiting at a stoplight recently, I saw this:

I thought, "Well, I guess fashion over safety."  While I didn't want this guy to fall and crack his head open, I did think it was kind of awesome that he was wearing a cowboy hat while putting up city flags.

Imagine my shock when a friend (you know who you are, Amy ☺) told me that there are cowboy hats with hard hats built into them. Which is the coolest thing I've ever heard.

Welcome to the wild west of Arizona!

Shannon Time Travels

Well, it appears I haven't posted on this blog since 2014.  Oops. As I just downloaded pictures from my camera (you the young-uns, there used to be cameras that were separate from phones -- I am an old fogey and still use one).  Apparently, most of my pictures are from my time in Maine.

Therefore, this blog will begin jumping all over, time-wise.  I'll go back and forth between Maine and my new home, Arizona.

Good grief.  Shall we start with my move to Maine?  (Man, my blog-laziness is pitiful.)

So, despite the fact that Maine moose hate me, personally, moose are a big deal in the Pine Tree State!  This is evidenced by a big ol' moose welcoming all visitors at turnpike rest stops.



While I'm talking moose, allow me to share the deliciousness that is Len Libby's Chocolates.  Len Libby has amazing chocolate, but the big draw is a life-sized chocolate moose.  Oh, yes, you heard me.  Here is the proof:



Of course, they also added some bears, bear cubs, and fantastic scenery:







And that, my friends, is how Maine does chocolate.

Another Riveting Non-Fiction Book

In an earlier post, I said that I was going to share non-fiction books that I read that I love.  Of course, I have posted a grand total of one non-fiction book.

Today, I am going to double that total and add a second!

I recently listened to "A Fractured Mind: My Life with Multiple Personality Disorder" by Robert B. Oxnam, and read by William Dufris.  Holy cow, was it amazing.  If you have ever doubted the existence of MPD, I highly recommend that you read it/listen to it.  The book will erase any suspicions you have.

Robert B. Oxnam wasn't diagnosed until he was in his (if I remember correctly) late 30s.  When originally diagnosed, he had 11 distinct personalities.  By the end of the book, 8 of the personalities had merged, and he had three left.  Those three, Robert, Bobby and Wanda, were learning to partially merge and coexist.

The book, written in the first person, included his life before he was diagnosed, his therapy, and his life after diagnosis.  It was fascinating and a truly remarkable account.

I highly recommend it!

If I'd Been Given This Book, I'd Never Have Become a Librarian

Okay, I was weeding some books and came across this one.  Take a look at the little boy in front.

Need a closer look?

I saw this and decided he must be thinking, "This is the most terrifying bedtime story I've ever heard.  What the f*#^?!"

What is hilarious is that I showed it to a coworker, and the first thing he thought was that the little boy in back was…ahem…perhaps acting a tad inappropriate?

Either way, this little boy's expression is hysterical, and I can't believe this painting is on the front of this textbook.  And yet I'm so glad it was.  HA!

I Love My Cubicle. I'm Serious.

And I may be the only person in the United States who loves his/her cubicle this much.  But an office?  Where I can think?  And concentrate?  This is a very novel experience for me, and I am so appreciative of it.

Okay, first you need to know that I've been given a double-wide cubicle!  The space is amazing.  I haven't even filled it all.  But don't worry, I will.  Here is side one, where I do most of my work.  Notice how neat the desk is.  It does not look like that anymore.

Between my two cubicles…windows!  And get this, they open.  Not only do they open, but I am allowed to actually open them!

This is my other cubicle.  It will fill up very quickly.  It looks so pitiful and empty now.  No children's librarian's space should look so sad.

Now I'll share some pictures of the Maine State Library itself. 

The MSL shares a building with the Maine History Museum and the Maine State Archives.

It's called the Cultural Building.

The Cultural Building is on a campus with other state departments.  The Capitol itself is right across a parking lot.

They're doing work on the dome.

One thing I've never had to think about before…I've been told that during the legislative session, parking is nearly impossible to find.  Luckily, I am part of a van pool, so I don't have to worry about that.  But what a strange thing to consider.