JAN 2018
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Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag By Stacy Begin / Owner, Two Fat Cats Bakery I love the dark at 4 in the afternoon. Before you howl with disapproval, let me explain. I don’t love it all the time, but there are days when it is strangely peaceful and zen-like. I was reminded of this when I worked a few pie baking shifts for the holidays. When the pie bakers first arrive in early afternoon, it’s daylight and the bakery is still in full swing.. Customers are coming in and out, the prep cook is busy at his stove, the morning bakers are cleaning up and ready to leave, and the office is still buzzing with phone calls and meetings and varying levels of busyness. It’s an infectious energy and the pie bakers pick up on it immediately adding a fresh energy. They scurry here and there organising themselves, checking on their orders, pulling out their fruit, setting up to roll dough and preparing all the other details that makes for a smooth production that night. There is chatter and laughter and commotion as they begin their work.
light glows softly. Our hands work fast to make the pies that will grace many tables. Someone puts on music and it is now fully night and empty outside. A quiet descends with the darkness only interrupted with a few words among teammates. “I’m almost finished with this. What can I help with?” “I’ll start the blueberry.” “Where would you like this?” And, inevitably, “Wow. It’s only 6.30. I thought it was later. It’s so dark out.” I love those early nights. Living within our work and our thoughts, embracing the calm and the comfort of the dark. Maybe we have haplessly hit on the way to deal with the early darkness: make some pie. Let the concentration and the quiet that is the essence of pie baking change the texture of the dark from something dreadful to something zen-like and soothing. Make the pie in a space not too big with twinkling lights and invite a good friend. You may realise that, now and then, you like the early dark, too. (EDITOR’S NOTE---This column originally appeared in Up Portland in November 2015. We reprint it during these dark, cold January days to give Stacy some needed time off to recover from the holidays and recent snow storms. Look for a new column next issue, and enjoy this one again, before the days grow longer.)
And then, slowly, the bakery empties. The prep cook goes home, the office closes, fewer customers come through the door, the bakery prepares for closing for the day, and the daylight fades. This is when ritual and rhythm take over. The retail closer begins her ritual of closing and cleaning the bakery and the pie bakers find their rhythm. It’s a rhythm of swift, repetitive motion, of wordless teamwork, of knowing by touch and sight. It’s then that we feel the darkness approaching without ever having to look up, like a hand placed gently on your back. The bakery which always feels way too small, now feels cozy. The outside
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Processed Media By Randy Dankievitch — TV Editor of Goomba Stomp
Is Mobile Gaming Dead? When Sony and Microsoft prepared to launch their new consoles in 2013, there was a general consensus that console developers were facing a massive threat in the form of mobile gaming. With the number of iOS and Android users in the hundreds of millions, many analysts painted a grim picture for the future of console gaming, noting that the ease – and more importantly, low cost – of playing games on a phone or tablet far outweighed the graphical and technical benefits of a console, especially as Apple’s attention to graphics and processing power appeared to intensify with each new iOS release. Big name game publishers like EA were putting significant resources into developing mobile titles, and at E3 2013, any excitement about the new Playstation 4 and Xbox One was met with a “What about mobile gaming, though?” type comment. For all intents and purposes, it appeared the industry was making a major shift towards mobile gaming, and console manufacturers prepared for the worst as they launched their new systems during the holiday season. Fast forward four years to the beginning of 2018; the Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch have reinvigorated the stagnant games industry. A collection of exciting and innovative new technologies have pushed console gaming (barely) into the 4K generation, with massive libraries of games big and small, new and old, awaiting every new convert to the very healthy platforms. 2017, with the release of games like Horizon: Zero Dawn, NieR: Automata, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, was an especially strong year for all the major consoles (and, by proxy, PC gaming), which has raised a new question amongst gamers and analysts alike: What happened to the impending doom mobile gaming was supposed to bring? The technology is certainly there. At this point, Apple’s A series chips are able to run the finest game engines, from Unreal Engine 4 to full Unity support (not to mention their own impressive graphical tools built into iOS); and with hundreds of millions of devices around the world, Apple certainly isn’t hurting for an audience for their games. But from a proliferation of poorly conceived titles, an overwhelming lack of curation on their digital stores, and the increasing hostility towards free-to-play titles and extraneous in-app purchases, the growing titan of mobile gaming has transformed into a sad, decrepit monstrosity of predatory values and consumer disappointment. At first, it seemed free-to-play was the next big thing in gaming. To bring millions of players into a game with no initial cost to them, seemed to be the perfect way to bridge the gap between hardcore gamer and casual fan. However, the values and expectations of those two audiences are wildly different and rather than cater to each with specific releases, companies decided to split the difference, offering games initially free to play, but containing purchases within the game to enhance gameplay, unlock extra features and weapons, or simply open up additional content for the player to enjoy. Everything from puzzle games to RPG’s adopted this format, instantly killing young mobile franchises like the action-RPG series Xenonia and the iconic Words with Friends, burying their
best qualities under consumable power-ups and an endless array of purchasable content, reducing what gamers could enjoy for free (or even for the price of admission for most paid iOS titles, which typically ranges from $1 - $7) before hindering their progress, or limiting access to content through devices like energy timers and grind-heavy mechanics. Over time, this approach proliferated the industry; combined with Apple and Google’s complete inability to monitor what is releasing on its platform, turning both platforms into vast and completely impenetrable collections of monetization schemes dressed up as “enjoyable” video games, clones of console titles, and a thousand rip-offs of every successful game in history --- all fighting over each other to chase the “whales” of the industry (that is, the 2% of gamers who play mobile titles and spend hundreds of dollars regularly on in-app purchases. These folks are largely what keep free-to-play games and developers who make them afloat financially. For every innovative mobile title, 400 clones and 100 broken cash grabs would saddle up next to it, making it nigh impossible for unseasoned shoppers to figure out which title is the right one. Combine the poor curation, predatory monetary tactics (the “what if you only paid $5 to get this extra thing” quality all games seem to have now, even console titles), and complete lack of support from Apple and Google beyond providing tools and the most basic of support services, and it slowly paints a picture of why mobile gaming never became the giant it was supposed to. The combination of these factors has led to all sorts of weird developments, none of which bode well for the health or reputation of mobile gaming: ports of console titles launching for 1/3 (or less) of their original price on mobile, since all mobile gamers are hesitant to pay for a “full price” game on a handheld platform (at least, one not titled the Nintendo Switch, which kind of enjoys the best of both worlds right now); competitive multiplayer games that require hundreds of dollars of investment to climb leaderboards and gain recognition and sponsorship; and, of course, lots of technology going untapped by the world’s most influential game developers. At one point, mobile gaming offered a lofty promise to developers and gamers alike: anybody could program the next big thing, and once its reputation spread, the install base would allow both Apple and the developers to walk away rich, with millions of gamers applauding their success – and more importantly, enjoying the game they purchased. However, Apple and Google’s lack of understanding of their platforms have nearly decimated them both; to the point where in 2018, we aren’t asking how mobile gaming is competing with consoles, but wondering if the industry as a whole, will be able to survive in its current form. With console gaming as healthy and thriving as it’s ever been, it looks like mobile gaming is reaching a crisis of identity, and an important fiscal breaking point. It may not disappear completely, but 2018 is an important year for mobile gaming’s long-term survival as a viable industry for meaningful games, which is quite the turnaround from where the industry was four years ago, wondering how anyone would survive in the ever-shifting marketplace.
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Hackin’ The Net By Ted Fleischaker / Publisher Was that a cough I just heard? And wait... a sneeze as well? It is just a minor throat irritation or the start of a major cold or flu outbreak at your house? Just as you need to know if a few sniffles, a sneeze or cough is the start of something serious with your body, the same is true with your computer, tablet or phone. And just as knowing when taking an aspirin and a nap will cure that mild cold or when you need to go see your doctor stat, the same applies. Every system (just like every human) has the occasional “bad day”, and knowing whether its the fault of a hiccup on the other end of your Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) system, your computer’s memory bank or something more serious is vital. There’s nothing worse than gear that doesn’t work --- unless it’s making and perhaps having to pay for a service call only to find out that something minor can get your system back on the road in short order. Think an aspirin and nap, not a $150 visit to the ER to feel better. In the case of your gear, a “repair” can be something as inconsequential as a fast reboot of the device or as complex as a DOA verdict at the Genius Bar or by the Geek Squad. So just like the sneeze or sore throat you wake up with one morning may or may not be a big deal, you need some common sense to triage and decide what’s up with your gear when it hits a bump. The two best bits of advice folks who work on electronics have given me first: 1.) Do not panic! Just because it doesn’t boot up or boots wrong or seems to have an issue does not mean the gear is ready for the trash or recycling station. It amazes me that my techie repair pals tell me they see any number of devices with nothing wrong, save for a dead battery, loose plug or even them having been plugged into a socket which only is live with power when a wall switch is thrown. Check your basics first! Is the device in need of power? Has the switch on the wall in your motel room been flipped? Is your hook-up cable worn out? I seem to wear thru those often, so no matter how I plug them in, no power will reach my device. A $4 or $5 cable (more on that in a second) will get me back up and going. And be sure that cable is designed for your gadget and is safe, meaning certified by the manufacturer. As I said last month, it’s really tempting to grab a 99 cent cable at the gas station, but unless it has the Apple (or other firms’) OK on the package it won’t work with any of their devices. The reason, despite what you may think, is not to force you to pay more for an Apple cable, because they OK many others made by other firms --- large and small. The reason is they inspect every model of cable to prevent fires, shock hazards and other things which could damage you, your house or that device when they are hooked up. Look for the approved logo (that’s it at the bottom of the packages in the photo at upper right) and be guaranteed it will work, and work safely. 2.) Try the easy thing next, after you make certain the device has power: Reboot it! Most folks are unaware that phones, computers and tablets need a reboot every so often just “because”. Do a full shut down and then a manual restart. An auto restart may be tempting, but you wanna be sure that the device is really,
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really off and shut down, before you manually power up again. The “reset” will often fix issues caused by things like programme conflicts or simple things you might not even notice, like a power glitch while it was plugged in, or a loss of cell or WiFi signal that needs to get restored with a restart. It’s not a complex thing to do, so reboot! What if neither of those fixes get you back up and on track? It may be time, using our medical analogy, to consider a visit to the “doc in the box” clinic or your family doctor. That means booking with the Geek Squad, a tech walk-in place or pre-booking with the Genius Bar if it’s an Apple product. This is just a writer’s opinion, but I’d not go to my phone carrier’s store because I find so many of the crew at most of those know a lot about sales and little to nothing about real high-tech gear repair if, that is, they even offer repairs. I’ve found at best most will send your gadget in for service, send you to the Apple Store or not be of much help. There are exceptions, so before someone “goes off” on me for negativity, let me say this has just been my experience, and in full disclosure, that my partner of many years is a Genius at Apple. So finally: The nitty gritty. Truth is that if the Apple or Microsoft or other specialist service or store can’t fix or troubleshoot your problem, then you may, indeed, be in need of some new gear. But there are certain things that tech will want to check and know, so give her or him a helping hand before you book an appointment. For one thing, is your software the latest issue? All of the big firms issue regular updates and patches --- be it for Android or Apple or Windows or anything else --- and those are not just there “because”. They exist to help with security, speed and the function of your computer, phone or tablet.
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My pals in the biz tell me they continue to be amazed at the number of folks arriving at their doors with operating systems (OS) which are generations behind what’s current. Also, remember that your apps will likely need updating, too. If you have the latest OS, but are trying to run a two-year-old version of your favourite game, chat app, radio, music player or video, chances are they will not be compatible. Painful though this may be, update both your apps and OS and know that some things will just go out of date or (Gasp!) vanish. Just as dinosaurs do not live here anymore, several of this writer’s favourite apps died when Apple upgraded to OS 11 and the app developers either did not choose to update or were out of business. I feel it’s unfair when an app allowed to die is one you paid for, and e-mail to several developers brought apologies (as they have moved on to different things) and in a couple cases, credits to try the new “latest, greatest” at half price or even free. Others were just slow with upgrades and they have since replied that the app store now has what I was searching for an update of, so give that a try.
See the one on this page below? That one showed up while I was reading a news story recently and is big a fraud as they come. To get rid of it, I merely closed my browser, despite the “damage” it said I’d do to my computer. If this or something similar appears, clicking on it, calling an offered number or more may well result in your identity being stolen and a lot of work to get your credit cards, control of your system and other info back to being yours. The best thing to do is hang up on callers, quit your browser if such appears and never (Ever!) click on anything offering to “clean” your system or “install” anything. Oh, and if you don’t already, be sure you have up-to-date virus and malware protection installed and turned on. That will help assure you a happier new year!
Also, and I beat this drum a lot, be sure before you take your device in to back it up, if it’s functioning. Things should be backed up every so often, anyway, as phones do get lost, damaged or just quit and pix from that final Christmas with Grandma Blanche or vacation with your Uncle Stuart can never be recreated. Back up your gear to your computer or to an outboard hard drive, so you will have a 2nd copy of things “just in case” the tech reads you an obituary for your old device. And finally, do, hard as this may sound and logical as it may be, too, be honest if you take in your dead iPad or laptop. The tech can (and will) know right away if you spilled coffee in it or (yuck!) dropped it in the toilet out of your jeans pocket. There are liquid and other sensors built in every device, so save everyone some trouble and “fess up”. You’d not dream of going to the doctor on crutches saying you have no clue as to why your knee is swollen when you know full well you’ve probably torn your ACL at Sunday River on a snowboard. Or to the “doc in a box” throwing up when you know you shouldn’t have eaten that “sorta greenish” hamburger from 10 days prior. Tell the tech everything and anything that could help troubleshoot your problem when you make the appointment or when you arrive. And be prepared that if some things are the cause of the damage or break-down (liquid damage or physical damage, just to name two), you can expect a bill to make it right. Just as they do not set broken legs free or hand out stomach remedies, if the damage is beyond a certain scope, not even your AppleCare or insurance is going to pay fully to make it right every time. At the very least you might get hit with a $29 or $79 charge (Think of it as the co-pay or deductible at the doctor’s office or pharmacy.) At worst you might get news that your device is indeed beyond repair so you can either buy new or do without after you say a blessing over the “body” and make funeral arrangements. So there you have it in a sorta humorous, sorta slap-happy and, I hope, understandable way. Just like with we humans, your gear’s “illness” can be just a sneeze or something way more serious. Use common sense, take your time to do some basic diagnosing and be sure you take steps to prevent anything serious. Just as you (hopefully) got a flu shot last Fall and eat healthy in the cold, snowy Maine Winter, keep that device away from liquids, keep it “vaccinated” with the latest operating system and apps and take its temperature sooner, not later, should symptoms of an “illness” start to appear! One other note: With the new year, we seem to have a plethora of fake, fraud and phishing e-mails, pop-ups and calls (always about “your Windows has expired” when I use a Mac and only have windows in my living room wall) appearing.
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It’s Winter Time In Maine Welcome to Up Portland’s monthly crossword. And this time --- no big shock --- it’s all about Winter! From sub-zero cold to Nor’easters we have had it all so far in Maine this year... and to think we still have at least three months more of Winter to go! You’ll find a lot of familiar (and maybe a few not-so) words here, all having to do with Wintertime, so lace up those Bean Boots, grab the snowshoes and be sure you put on that thinking cap, since while some are as easy as buying windshield washer fluid, others are a bit more difficult --- like trying to figure out which of those Winter sports made the editor’s cut. Sharpen your pen or pencil and as always, comments are welcome at ted@upportland.com and the solution (no peeking) is on Page 10. Oh, and above all, stay warm and dry.
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Food For Thought... When it comes to restaurants in Portland, and food in general, one of the first names I learned after arriving here (and even before, when I’d come as a tourist) is that of Dana Street. He and his partners not only know and serve good food well, but they seem to have been able to leap a hurdle few in the industry have done, which is to have a wide variety of choices on their plates. So many good spots are ONLY seafood or ONLY beef or ONLY known for oysters or dumplings or one genre of eats, but Street and his various kitchens seem to have made a mastery of numerous choices, and all always come out well. With that windy prelude it was finally time (and a 9th of December birthday presented the opportunity) to actually go dine at Fore Street recently. I say finally as our family’s usual go-to spot is the hidden (but well worth finding at 33 Wharf Street) Street & Co. We love the lobster there served “in the pan” with some to-die-for garlic linguine, which we have written about previously. We also have dined at Scales, the newest of Street’s eats off Commercial Street and found the food delicious and fairly priced, but the place a bit louder than we prefer for a nice dinner. Friends (and we) all agree the food at Scales is wonderful, but we also have had some spotty service there, which we hope, since our last visit a few months ago, has been remedied. That’s our way to say we are past time to go try yet again ...and as always, enjoy what’s on the plates when they do arrive. We also patronise Street’s bakery: The Standard Baking Company, where the crew make some of the best Morning Buns, Challahs and English Muffins anywhere in the Northeast. No wonder they win awards and seem to get featured on TV food shows almost weekly.
our case that brought our happiness level as close to 100% as one can get. Not only was the service stellar, but our server, despite a huge crowd on a busy night, found time to chat, was accommodating when we mentioned one of us not being a fan of smoked food, and super with her suggestions. In other words: she’s one of those folks that every restaurant in Portland would die to have on staff. Sadly, we did not get (or remember) a first name for this wonderful staffer, but looking at our bill the next day says “Server: Donnelly” which will be a name to remember for our next visit, after we get her first name, too.
But you might notice a gap here --- barely a mention of Fore Street, which always has been Street’s blue ribbon venue and the one tourists and locals alike line up for a meal at every day. The problem is that while they hold a percentage of the restaurant for walk-ins every night over at 288 Fore Street, there are just 30 tables, and we never seem to get there in time to claim one. Calling or stopping in for a future reservation often has also failed us, (and we do not mean just in season, either) which is why we were so excited two months out to remember and pop in to snag a table for that birthday dinner we mentioned above. Getting a 7.30 on a Saturday night left us feeling like we’d just won an Academy Award. Yes, it can really be that difficult to get in at Fore Street! So what was it like when we actually kept that reservation, despite frigid temps and snow? It was wonderful. How wonderful depends upon which of the two of us you ask, but wonderful. The reason for a split in opinion is that Fore Street is built around and the menu is centered around their massive open kitchen wood-fired grill. Things revolve on spits, cook on grates and chefs wielding massive knives, cleavers and tongs keep everything flowing with the rhythm of an orchestra conductor or fine Swiss watch. But there’s an issue: what if one of the diners is not a huge fan of anything smoky? Fortunately, Fore Street has a smaller, but still decent, selection, and in
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So what did we eat? The man who likes smoked had what he declared to be the best dry rubbed pork loin (That’s it on the opposite page) he’d ever had touch his lips. And the one who is not a fan of smoke had some wonderful pan seared scallops, which were truly almost large enough to saddle and ride. To make matters better, the latter came with some pickled red cabbage and other accompaniments, and the two of us shared an order of garlic mashed potatoes, which were the only thing to disappoint as they seemed to lack the flavours everything else overflowed with, and for the price ($8) really were not sufficient, we felt, for two, despite their menu billing. Along with super service and what was on the plates, we did greatly enjoy Fore Street’s atmosphere. A welcoming, warm glow as we were there during the holiday season really contrasted with the chilly, snowy atmosphere outside. Add that massive grill with flames leaping and families meeting friends and the place had a homespun and casual atmosphere which made the evening better. A word about pricing: Fair. Dinner for two, along with a wonderful Eden Rose Cider came to $98 and change. Add a 20%+tip for the server and we still escaped around $125, which for a special occasion and a Saturday night was not anywhere out of the question and was about half of what we’d paid for the same celebration a year earlier at another Portland big name eatery. So what’s the final conclusion? Dana Street takes all the chips and is the clear winner. We liked Fore Street a lot, but likely will keep Street & Co. as the “go-to” for celebrations around our house. The Fore Street food was good, the service better and the atmosphere the best at Fore Street, but we did miss our lobster and linguine, plus the non-smoker of us felt a bit limited with the Fore Street smoke-free options. Looks like a win for Dana Street, even more so since every week we stop in at Standard Baking at least once, too. Oh, and a word about dessert: Yes they do have them at Fore Street and the selection looked (Dare we say it?) sweet, but we passed since a birthday cake from Two Fat Cats Bakery was waiting for us back at home. And to tie the whole story neatly together: who started Two Fat Cats before selling it to our wonderful friend Stacy Begin? That very same Dana Street who has always fed us so well and did on this special birthday night as well.
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Beyond The Forecast
By Jack Sillin / Weatherman & Meterology Student Hello everyone!
It’s only been four days, but already January has featured some wild weather here in Portland. The main event so far has been the blizzard that brought around a foot of snow on the 4th. This storm was extremely impressive in nearly every aspect, but its explosive intensification is what set it apart from the rest of the snowstorms we’ve seen here in Maine in recent years. The storm developed from a benign low pressure wave into a system as powerful as a category three hurricane in less than a day. This feat more than doubled the criteria for what’s known as “bombogenesis”, a term given to a storm whose central pressure drops 24 millibars (mb, a unit of pressure) in 24 hours. The storm was a 1009mb wave off the Florida coast on the afternoon of Wednesday January 3rd, and by the afternoon of Thursday the 4th, the central pressure had dropped to 950mb, making the net change in pressure an astounding 59mb. So how was this storm able to intensify so much so quickly? The answer has to do with the powder keg of fuel available for storm development off the East Coast, and the powerful lineup of disturbances that was able to tap that fuel, converting potential energy into kinetic energy in the form of winds which, as they curved upward through the atmosphere, resulted in the plunging pressures.
Extratropical storms are fueled by baroclinic potential energy, a fancy way of saying “temperature gradient”. Energy stored up in these gradients must be released by a trigger of some sort, usually an upper level disturbance. The stronger the gradient, and the stronger the disturbance, the stronger the storm will end up being. So what did each of our parameters look like ahead of this storm? Observed temperatures the night before the storm developed show a very steep temperature gradient between an Arctic airmass that reached all the way to the Gulf Coast and tropical warmth that was surging north from the Caribbean. These air masses met near Florida, where temps ranged from the mid to upper 20’s in the northern part of the state to the upper 60’s near Miami. The sharp contrast in temps over a short distance gave the developing storm ample energy to explosively intensify. Water vapor satellite imagery the afternoon before the storm showed a pipeline of disturbances, two of which were intense, aimed straight at the powder keg of baroclinic potential energy off of Florida. These disturbances, born from strong Pacific cyclones, were forced to dig all the way into the subtropics by a ridge building north over the West Coast. In weather, as with anything employing the laws of physics, what goes up must come down, so southerly winds and northward moving disturbances off the West Coast contributed to northerly winds and southward moving disturbances across the Eastern half of the country. There was more than enough energy to ignite the powder keg of energy and form a storm. However, this process happens all the time. Any storm we get here in Maine is the result of an upper level disturbance interacting with baroclinic potential energy. So what gave this one an added boost? For that answer we turn to the The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF’s) water temperature analysis, and remember the Arctic
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airmass present over the Northern Gulf of Mexico. As the first disturbance blasted in from the Northern Plains, it picked up the Arctic airmass from the Northern Gulf of Mexico and dragged it east across Florida, before depositing it over the Gulf Stream east of the state. As the very cold air just above the surface moved over the very warm waters, a vertical temperature gradient was born. If you remember our summertime discussions of convective instability, you’ll remember that if temperatures fall rapidly with increasing altitude, parcels forced to rise from the lowest layer of the atmosphere will accelerate rapidly upwards, causing thunderstorms. While this process rarely happens here in Maine in the Winter, the fact that it was happening off of Florida was important to the evolution of our blizzard. Thunderstorms release tremendous amounts of heat energy into the atmosphere, and when large enough amounts of those thunderstorms get sucked into the already strong circulation of a developing storm, it results in that storm becoming supercharged.
centre as cold air surged southeast, and eventually the system began to spin itself out. However, that wasn’t before it brought a pretty wild stretch of weather, including snow, that spanned from Florida all the way to us up here in Maine. It’s very unusual that we get a storm to line up as well as this one did. Typically, there are one or more inhibiting factors that prevent a system of such intensity. The last time a system strengthened so rapidly in the same general area was in the early Spring of 2014. That one was about 100 miles farther east than this one; which was just far enough to make sure Portland stayed cold and dry. We’ll see when the next “bomb” cyclone comes, it may be quite a while! I’ll be back next month with more weather! --- Jack
One of the ways this happens is that thunderstorms are really good at transporting massive quantities of air upwards through the atmosphere. The rising motion that occurs due to non-thunderstorm processes (lift due to an upper level disturbance, for example) is orders of magnitude less powerful than the rising motion that occurs due to convection (thunderstorm processes). When you have a large area of strong thunderstorms located over the centre of a developing storm system, incredible amounts of air are removed from the lower part of the atmosphere and deposited at the top, where they’re whisked away by jet stream circulations. This is what accounted for the dramatic pressure drops observed during the intensification process. Eventually, the storm moved north over colder waters and thunderstorm activity weakened. Warm air transport got pushed farther and farther away from the
Jack’s Weather Terms Advection - the transport of some atmospheric characteristic (temperature, moisture, vorticity, etc.) from one place to another. Common acronyms for advection are WAA (Warm Air Advection) and CAA (Cold Air Advection). WAA is often accompanied by rising motion and clouds/precipitation, while CAA is often accompanied by sinking air and fair weather. TPV - Tropospheric Polar Vortex - the tropospheric polar vortex is an area of low pressure (vortex) that’s typically found near or over the North Pole. However, during periods of high latitude blocking (when high pressure develops over the North Pole), the TPV, or pieces of it, can become displaced southward into the mid latitudes. TPV “lobes”, as they’re known, bring very cold air to the areas they travel over. On the front side of TPV lobes, storms can often develop as the combination of upper level low pressure (think disturbances) and an increased temperature gradient (due to the incoming Arctic air) combine in the same location, providing fuel for storms. TPV lobes can also act as longwave trough anchors, around which shortwave troughs (disturbances) can rotate and pivot, resulting in storms like the one we saw early in January.
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Eric’s Optimal Corner Mike Courts / Optimal Self Community Health and Wellness Center
Enjoy Maine’s Great Outdoors in Winter Residents of Maine are blessed with some of the most breathtaking natural beauty on Earth — hundreds of miles of first class trails, shoreline, mountain ranges and world-class outdoor venues. Mainers, and our most welcome guests, can indulge their favourite outdoor activities year round, but especially — for those who love all seasons — outdoor Winter sports. According to a 2013 survey by SIA (SnowSports Industries America), Maine has the “highest participation rate per capita” in the nation. The Portland Press Herald, in a December 2016 article reported, “Ski Maine lists 17 downhill and Nordic ski areas statewide. Maine’s two biggest ski resorts, Sugarloaf and Sunday River, are the largest private employers in Franklin and Oxford counties...” We at Optimal Self promote participation in all things outdoors and encourage our community to incorporate enjoyable outdoor activities into their fitness and health regime. As always, we caveat our encouragement by repeating the golden rule of sports participation – PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE. How, you ask? 1) Physically a) Get a physical exam. Be sure and share your planned activities with your medical professional. b) If you do not exercise regularly, now is the time to start. Brisk walking in cold weather (be sure and wear layers) is an excellent beginning. If you can’t get to the gym, create a bodyweight exercise regimen and do it every day. At Optimal Self we’ve created a simple routine we call “Jungle Splits” which includes 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, 20 squats, 20 forward lunges (10 left/10 right) and 20 back lunges. Repeat up to three times.
2) Mentally a) Once you get started on a regular exercise regime, you will have a better idea about your fitness level. It is important that you be honest with yourself. Start with the level of difficulty you are sure you can handle. Talk to friends who participate in your sport and get a real sense of their preparation and experiences. b) When you start your sports activity, be sure to warm up vigorously before getting started. Strenuous activity without proper preparation can cause muscles to spasm and result in sprains and tears. Cold weather activity is also much harder on the cardiovascular system. When fatigued, stop and rest. Injury is quite painful at minimum and can keep you sidelined for extended periods or ruin your entire season. Remember Aesop’s The Tortoise and the Hare, “Slow but steady wins the race”. c) Stretch and cool down after your session. Check for cold related injuries, re-hydrate, get a sensible meal and rest. d) Remember that sport should, at its essence, provide the participant with joy and a feeling of well-being. 3) Logistically a) When planning a Winter sports outing, make sure to dress appropriately for the weather conditions. i) Wear layers. Start with a light base layer (silk or cotton work well, then a more insulating middle layer like wool or an insulated garment. Depending on the weather, you may want to augment this layer. Your outer layer should be lightweight, but insulated and waterproof or water resistant. Headwear should have both protection and insulating properties. And do not forget glasses/goggles and gloves. I also like Wool sox and boots appropriate for the sport. b) In general, the adage “get the best equipment you can afford” is a good approach to selection and purchase. However, you needn’t spend a fortune to get good basic gear. Your first task is to find out exactly what you need (expert advice from a knowledgeable practitioner who is not trying to sell you something is a great approach) then research the various options for each piece of equipment. The internet is a great resource and place to ask questions of your friends who participate in the sport. Once you’ve established an inventory of what you’ll need (including model/type/ size, etc.), start shopping. One note here: if you are not sure you want to pursue the sport long term, rentals might be the most cost effective way to go. Maine, and Portland in particular, have many new and used equipment resources, for both equipment rental and purchase. Don’t buy skis or snowshoes or a snowboard until you are sure the sport you have picked is for you! c) Now that you have prepared yourself, physically, mentally, and are all geared up, it’s time to “hit the slopes” or other venue, be it a trail, rink or frozen lake. Initial trips should be chosen with your level of experience and overall condition in mind. Your goal should be to have fun and be safe, so set yourself up for success. Go with a friend or instructor and/or a group with similar skills. Know the emergency procedures of the venue and check to see upon arrival if you have cellular service. Oh, and make sure your battery is charged. Be sure that you hydrate and take along water and healthy snack bars. Monitor your health, especially your extremities while outside and seek help if needed for signs of frostbite or hypothermia. Finally, be aware of all the venue rules and safety procedures. Be considerate of your fellow participants and enjoy the day. This article has covered the broad scope of activities Winter sports participants need to understand and execute. It is not a complete list and remember that each individual will have different skills, fitness levels and goals. As you get more skilled and experienced, your level of preparation will increase as will your ability to take on greater challenges. Above all, respect your sport, the prevailing weather conditions and, most importantly, your abilities. Exercise regularly; warm up thoroughly before you start your activity and stretch when you finish. Enjoy your day and strive to “be your Optimal Self”.
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Up Portland 01.18 In Print * On The Web At: www.upportland.com * On Facebook
Don Gooding
In a Tribute to Frank Sinatra
Wednesday, February 14th 7 :00 pm
39
$
95
Includes Italian Buffet & Show!
Wine and beer available Free Parking in Rear Lot
Reservations Only • Call 221-2267 151 Middle Street, Portland
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The Standard Reviewer
By Andrea Rouda / Up Portland’s Film & Theatre Reviewer
A Cinematic Escape to the Future The best movies transport us from our everyday lives to a vastly different world, if only for a short time. These days, what with the Tweeter-in-Chief causing political turmoil in the halls of Congress (and just about everywhere else), we can all use some transporting, hopefully to a better place. But even if we end up in a worse place, a good film still makes us feel better about our own lives as the final credits roll. Here are some suggestions for movies that will do exactly that. Still Alice If you’re brave enough to face a bleak future that might be yours, it’s almost a test of will to watch Still Alice without becoming deeply disturbed or downright de-
w o N ! n e p O
pressed. Released in 2014, this film accurately documents the ravages of Alzheimer's, in this case the early-onset variety. Julianne Moore in the title role delivers a well-deserved Oscar-winning performance for that year's Best Actress, but besides that there’s little else to distract you from the awfulness except your own popcorn and soda. A sappy musical soundtrack and intermittent flashes of gauzy old home movies are the only respite from Alice’s alarmingly quick transformation from a beautiful, articulate and brilliant Columbia University linguistics professor into a non-functioning, pants-wetting amoeba who, ironically, can barely form words. Her husband, played by Alec Baldwin, is around, but just barely, spending most of his time answering e-mails on his computer. The young actress Kristen Stewart of vampire fame plays one of their three children and turns in the film's other compelling performance. Unless you are Julianne Moore's mother or a physician who specialises in dementia, you might shy away from seeing this film. Still, until a cure Alzheimer’s looms, and it’s best to be armed with some knowledge. For a close-up depiction of what to expect, you can’t beat Moore’s performance. (My own mother suffered from this disease and died at 62. Statistically there is a 50% chance of it being inherited, but thankfully I am already too old for early-onset anything.)
Portland Pottery Café is excited to announce
the addition of evening hours Thursday – Sunday. Chef Brian Grossman has joined our team to offer a new evening endeavor known as Lena’s. This new venue will offer homemade, traditional Italian Comfort food with specialties to include lasagna, veal and eggplant parmigiana, risotto, hand made pasta, meatballs, cannoli and more! Wine and beer are now available and the food is fantastic. Hours Thursday through Saturday 5-9 pm Sunday 4-8 pm.
Portland Pottery Café continues with
its usual hours Monday – Sunday. Chef Chris Thurston has just introduced the Fall/Winter menu and there are new salads, sandwiches and small plates to be discovered. Some specials include roasted short ribs with mashed potato, butternut squash and sage risotto, beet salad and of course our continually changing variety of soups, frittatas, and desserts. All of our baked goods are made here in the café.
We hope to see you soon! Page 18
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The Road If you’re mad at your spouse, hate your boss, think your kids/parents/friends are all losers, or simply hunger for a vacation from humdrum reality, I've got just the one. Dim the lights, get comfortable, and watch The Road from beginning to end. I guarantee when it's over you'll kiss the ground beneath your feet and declare, "All's right with the world!" Released in 2009, The Road was directed by Britain’s John Hillcoat and stars Viggo Mortenson as a nameless man who is a loving father to his young son. The two are survivors clinging to one another following an apocalyptic event that is never explained but obviously was literally the last straw. They once had a beautiful wife and mother (Charlize Theron) who we see in flashbacks, but she opted out early. Imploring her husband to shoot her and their son and then himself rather than fight to stay alive in such horror, she explains, "Many other families are doing it." But the man opts for life, holding out for better days somewhere down that eponymous road. In this grim future there are few people or animals or rivers or lakes or trees or crops to speak of. There's only death, represented as grey skies, abandoned shacks, dilapidated buildings and predators armed with rifles out hunting “protein.”
The Man and his boy are headed south hoping to find better weather, meaning anywhere not covered with nuclear ash. The whole business is accompanied by gloomy, maniacal music, perfect for slitting your wrists if you are so inclined. Saying this film is bleak is like saying some folks find Trump annoying. In one memorable scene the man uncovers a hidden cache of naked, starving, halfdemented, moaning and groaning humans locked in the basement of what looks like an abandoned house but turns out to be the local watering hole for the band of survivors scouring the countryside for food, i.e. people still breathing. We slowly understand that sorry bunch in the basement are like so many steaks in the freezer. Several large Weber grills in the yard bring the point home.
the brother of the protagonist, beaten to death and lying in a pool of his own blood. And a man screaming in agony as his hand is stuck inside a toaster by the authorities as punishment for masturbating, which is of course against the law. Every character is a complete wacko; there's not a normal person anywhere, except maybe sitting next to you in the movie theatre, and I said maybe because who would go see such a film? In fact, lacking a wry, twisted sense of humour, you may find The Lobster unbearably dark. While I almost can say I regret seeing it, my companion thought it was a hoot and one heck of a great yarn. And at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, it won the coveted Jury Prize, so go figure.
And more like that. The Road was adapted from Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name, which won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. According to all reviews, the book is even more realistic in its depiction of cannibalism, so if that's your thing you may want to pick up a copy. The Martian Here's what you need to know: The Martian, Ridley Scott's 2015 fairy tale about an astronaut who mistakenly gets left behind and is presumed dead on Mars, is tons of fun, and might even warrant a second viewing. Except for a gruesome opening scene where he performs minor self-surgery, actor Matt Damon maintains his usual good cheer despite horrible odds as Mark Watney, a brilliant botanist facing four years alone on the red planet until the next scheduled NASA mission can rescue him. Our hero’s preposterous problem-solving abilities would put physicist Stephen Hawking to shame. In addition to his surgical skills, Watney figures out how to grow food and make water, thus staving off certain death. (Chances are if he had enough time he'd figure out how to remove a rib and make himself a woman.) And besides saying the F-word several times, he maintains a positive attitude throughout that is almost too hard to believe. But then so is the whole movie, where everything always works and if it doesn't, a little duct tape fixes it right up. (Smiley face!) Never fear, there's more to this story than life on Mars. Back on Earth, a puffyfaced Jeff Daniels as the head of NASA leads a team of kooky, nerdy scientists bent on bringing Watney home after a random ping on a computer alerts them to the fact that he's still alive. Led by a dour Jessica Chastain, his crewmates heading home on their super-cool Lego spaceship scrappily jump at the chance to participate in Watney's rescue, even though it means another 500-plus days away from their families. But hey-- no problem, what with all the video chatting, time literally flies by. There are lots of floating astronauts, giant computer screens at NASA headquarters and enormous panoramas of a desolate landscape that looks like a cross between Utah and a video game. And despite an underlying feeling that something bad is about to happen, nothing does. Complicated equipment that has lain buried under the sand for years springs to life in minutes; all you gotta do is dust everything off and plug this tube here into that hole there, and voila--it's a Martian miracle! Nope, it's just Hollywood at its finest, and definitely worth your time. The Lobster The fantastical premise of The Lobster, directed by Greece’s Yorgos Lanthimos, sounds like it could be sort of fun and funny if done right: If you are single for any reason -- death of a spouse, divorce or just plain ugly -- and can't find a compatible "partner" in 45 days, the State will have you transformed into an animal of your choosing. (Recalling some of my past significant others, I would have jumped at the chance to be a cat instead of me.) Our pathetic hero, David, played with incredible finesse and a surprisingly assertive paunch by Colin Farrell, has chosen in advance to be a lobster should things get to that, which they don't. In fact, there’s not a speck of seafood anywhere. What there is are lots of disturbing images one hopes will not leave permanent imprints, like a dog, once
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In the winter of 1983-1984 I managed to find a four month gig at an insulation plant on Riverside Drive, across the road from the golf course. Kip and Freeman were two of the full time employees there. Both played together in a popular local rockabilly band and were very good musicians. Like most artists everywhere, and especially in Maine, they needed this job to pay their bills. Both possessed a light hearted mood and joked around a lot, while still managing to efficiently keep up with the workload.
Mark: My Words By Mark Gatti / Mark’s Hotdogs Trying to work year round operating an outdoor food stand in Maine is not only problematic, but probably indicates behaviour bordering on madness. As some of my hardcore cold weather regulars can attest, I have worked a high percentage of my 34 years at the stand al fresco. However, there have been several years where common sense prevailed and I secured employment indoors. These temporary seasonal jobs presented their own unique challenges, but I was always thankful to be working in warm conditions with a modest --- yet steady --- paycheque. For those readers with a curiosity concerning what I was up to those Winters when the stand was closed, I now take a moment to describe one of my past alternative work pursuits.
Alec, like me, was a seasonal temporary worker. A bright man in his middle 40s, so a good 20 years older than the rest of us, Alec was a CPA who had temporarily been a casualty of the early 80s recession. A man of middling height but slight build, we always feared that the insulation binding machine would gobble him up as he struggled to keep pace loading the unfinished raw materials. “I’m too old for this!”, Alec would exclaim several times a day. He told us he needed two scotch highballs each evening to drain the pain from his body. With grit, he hung in there through Winter and thankfully, come spring, got a really good job at an accounting firm. Alec became a regular customer of mine at the stand and we would always share some laughs recounting our Winter at the plant. Another seasonal worker, Paul was around my age and had a friendly, outgoing personality. Despite his laid back demeanor, he described how he had once gone
Maine Jewish Museum
Opening Reception and Poetry Reading Sunday, January 14, 2018, 2pm-4pm
Snow Date: Thursday, January 18, 2018, 5pm-7pm
Work Together
Susan Webster & Stuart Kestenbaum Fineberg Community Room
Strata
Shoshannah White
Auschwitz
Images of Resilience & Light
Spiegel Gallery
Exhibitions run: January 14, 2018 - March 2, 2018 Maine Jewish Museum
267 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101 (207) 773-2339 Monday - Friday 10am-4pm + Sundays 1pm - 5pm or by appointment mainejewishmuseum.org Nancy Davidson, Curator
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Arthur Fink
3rd Floor Sanctuary
Up Portland 01.18 In Print * On The Web At: www.upportland.com * On Facebook
airborne with a muscle car he owned on the very street near Payson Park where I lived at the time. I still chuckle when I remember Paul loading one of the machines while wearing a pair of very conservative looking black framed safety eye glasses, which gave the impression of a young scientist type who had wandered onto the wrong worksite. After his Winter tour of duty, Paul managed to land a nice job at L.L. Bean, where, for all I know, he may still be. The plant also had a full time tractor trailer driver, Bill, who would deliver all our raw materials each morning from points unknown. Seeming old to us at that time --- he was probably early 50s --- he and wife had many children of their own and a few they had adopted. A hard working family man, he took great pleasure conversing about his children. Kip and Freeman liked to heckle and joke around with Bill but it couldn’t have been too personal as Bill quite often would meet up with us and listen to Kip and Freeman’s band play on the local bar circuit. Rounding out the staff were two brothers. I think their last name was Clay, but don’t hold me to that. The older brother was our foreman and the younger a full time employee. Both solid and hardworking, they were country boys who commuted in from several towns away. They also kept up a heavy barrage of give and take banter with Freeman, who loved to tease and needle everyone. But, no matter how outlandish the verbal blasting got, it seemed to lend a perverse form of camaraderie to our unique sweatshop-oriented worksite. Oh yeah... the boss. I don’t remember his name, probably because he was seldom there. The only guy there with a suit, the regular workers gave us the impression --- real or imagined --- that he answered only to upper management. The rest of us toed the line, realising our weekly paycheques depended on keeping up with the always present high volume of customer orders. And now for the work conditions at the insulation plant. There were a few processes involved getting the product finished, such as the attachment of plastic backing onto the fiberglass “cotton candy”, cutting different lengths and widths, and numerous packing protocols. The bottom line here is that you are dealing with tiny particles of glass, which are very itchy and irritating on bare skin and painful when a particle gets in your eye. The crew all wore safety glasses and masks over noses and mouths. Safety gloves and long sleeved garments covering as much of the body as possible were the order of the day. Despite these work safety protocols, a lot of the tiny fiberglass particles made successful contact with our bodies every single shift. After each shift you had to take a long, hot shower to open up your pores, getting rid of as much of the fiberglass as possible, then finish with a short blast of cold water to seal the pores against any further fiberglass invasions. In short, we were very itchy during our shifts and slightly itchy even after our evening showers. We had weekends off but with all the irritation, it wasn’t until Sunday when any of us felt normal again. No one liked their job, except for our trailer driver Bill and perhaps our usually absent boss. The temps made minimum wage and the regular workers a dollar or two more an hour. Most of us were there because the job market was so lean, or in my case, the Winter was colder than normal --- too cold for even stubborn me to consider working at my food stand. As hard and miserable as our work was, it was made tolerable with the “esprit de corps” we built up with each other. Because of the friendships forged at the plant, I actually look back at that long ago job with fondness. The work was tough and painful at times, but the people gave more back to me than the work took out. It also made me realise how much I enjoyed my food cart at Tommy’s Park --- a perspective I have yet to lose. After all that, I need to mention that common sense has prevailed again this bitter Winter as I have secured indoor employment till Spring, when I look forward to returning to Tommy’s Park.
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