Politics

Portland (Maine, not Oregon)

~ MaryG ~ 11 Comments

We’re getting pretty lousy weather for Memorial Day weekend—the kick-off of “summer” here in New England. It’s currently 43 degrees F and raining. My heat is running. (They’re saying it’s a slow moving Nor’easter.) Last weekend wasn’t much better.

I was in Portland (Maine) last Friday and Saturday. We saw some sun on Friday, but by Saturday the downtown was misty and chilly.

We could see the MSC Meraviglia, operated by Swiss/Italian MSC Cruises—the world’s third-largest cruise line—docked in downtown Portland, Maine last Friday from our hotel room window.

By Friday evening, the chilly mist had rolled in. It almost looked like part of the ship was on fire in the dark. There was a darker eerier blue/black mist coming from one section of it.

My friend Gail and I like to investigate mysteries we encounter on vacation. Here’s what we learned (but feel free to skip this part and go right to the food photos at the end):

The dark, smoky mist being emitted from the ships exhaust stacks was due to the ship’s use of exhaust gas cleaning systems, commonly known as “scrubbers,” during maintenance operations. The MSC Meraviglia was docked in Portland for emergency repairs, specifically to replace damaged propeller blades. Since the ship couldn’t return to a dry dock, dive teams conducted underwater repairs, utilizing hydraulic grinders to remove and replace the faulty blades. During this period, the ship operated its engines to power onboard systems, leading to the activation of its scrubbers. These systems are designed to reduce air pollutants by “washing” exhaust gases, but they can produce visible emissions, especially when the ship is stationary and undergoing maintenance. The emissions sparked concerns among local residents and environmental groups. While scrubbers reduce airborne pollutants, they can transfer contaminants to the water, potentially harming marine ecosystems. In response to over 50 complaints, city officials engaged with the ship’s captain, resulting in a switch to cleaner-burning fuel to mitigate the environmental impact. (It didn’t look much cleaner to me, but I didn’t see the smoke earlier in the week.)

This blog explains what was happening with the MSC Meraviglia and how some states (like California) ban scrubbers near the coastline.

Honestly, the cruise ship industry seems so environmentally harmful and disease-prone, I’m not quite sure why cruises are so popular.

We saw the MSC Meraviglia leave the harbor on Saturday, but another huge ship had pulled in. (At first, we thought the Meraviglia had just moved to a different spot, but then we saw it was the MS Zuiderdam.)

The MS Zuiderdam, operated by Holland America Line, was docked in Portland, Maine, as part of its 15-night “Atlantic Seaboard & Colonial New England cruise,” which began in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and ended in Quebec City, Canada.

PORTLAND FOOD

Given that the weather was bad, we abandoned plans to take the ferry to Peaks Island and decided to try as many of Portland’s popular eateries as possible. We ate our way through the Maine mist.

Maple bacon, honey lavender and toasted coconut donuts from The Holy Donut—made with Maine potatoes
Delicious sandwich from Duckfat, Portland
Brown butter lobster roll from Eventide Oyster Company
Fried oyster bun, also from Eventide
Mmmm…that’s the eggplant lasagna at Isa Bistro
We had fantastic service at Isa Bistro. I don’t even remember telling them it was Gail’s 60th birthday, but a lovely mango ice cream with candle appeared at the end of our delicious meal.

Not pictured, but highly recommended: Gelato Fiasco on Fore Street. The gelato is delicious and they also have great coffee and tea. They’ll even make you an affogato—a single or double espresso shot poured over gelato.

The Portland Observatory on Munjoy Hill
A dense fog on Casco Bay from the Eastern Promenade in Portland

Portland is less than two hours from Boston, so it’s not a bucket list destination for me. I’d been there before and I’m sure I’ll go there again at some point. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Portland in warm sunny weather though. It’s always misty and grey for me.

But hey, it’s Maine.

One final note: the city gives liberal/hipster vibes. I saw not one MAGA hat, shirt or sign, which is a major plus for me. In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Kamala Harris won Portland with approximately 80.5% of the vote, while Donald Trump received about 15.6%. Good job Portland. I’ll be back.

A first

~ MaryG ~ 15 Comments

I’ve mentioned (about 100 times) that I’m turning 60 this year. And so are all my friends from high school and college. We were all born in 1965–the first official year of GenX, which is usually labeled as people born from 1965 to 1980. Personally, I don’t really think 1980 belongs with us. I think GenX should be 1964-1979. We’ll take Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris (both born in 1964) and the millennials can have book-banning Ron DeSantis (born 1980), but I digress…

That’s right, the coolest generation is turning 60.

One of the coolest members of GenX—actor/writer Pamela Adlon (b. 1966)—sets her daughter straight in “Better Things”

Travel seems to be a top priority for people turning 60, but my friend Susan is doing something different for her birthday this weekend. She’s going on a silent retreat. This is a first. I’ve not heard of anyone else spending a weekend in silence for their milestone birthday. I like it though. It’s unexpected and exactly what she wants. Maybe she will have some sort of A-Ha moment that she will share with us when she gets back.

Cheryl Strayed (born in 1968) from her bestselling memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.”

Someday he will be gone

~ MaryG ~ 15 Comments

I think one of the hardest things about accepting Trump’s reelection is that it feels like a mortal wound to the idea of the “beloved community” that many of us 70s kids grew up with.

Popularized by Martin Luther King Jr, the “Beloved Community” is a global vision in which racism, poverty, and militarism are eradicated—a society based on justice, equal opportunity, and love of one’s fellow human beings. In King’s words, the Beloved Community was not utopian, but attainable through hard work and commitment to ethical principles and systemic change achieved through nonviolence.

Mr. Rogers brought that vision to life for those of us who were a bit too young to remember MLK when he was alive. Mr. Rogers (and also Sesame Street) taught us there’s a place for everyone in the neighborhood. It’s better to be kind than to win. Bullies were unequivocally bad. Even the cold old Catholic Church got nicer in the seventies when the reforms of Vatican 2 led to a focus on the New Testament—lots of felt banners and folk music.

And raise your hand if you remember Free to Be, You and Me. For those who don’t remember, it was a pioneering children’s album and television special created by Marlo Thomas in the early 1970s that promoted gender equality, individuality, and emotional expression. Featuring stars like Alan Alda and Diana Ross, it encouraged kids to reject traditional stereotypes and embrace who they are, becoming a cultural touchstone for a more inclusive generation. My sister and I listened to that album over and over again.

Someday Trump will be gone.

And on that day, I’m going to listen to Free to Be, You and Me from start to finish.

Full track list:

Free To Be… You And Me – The New Seekers

Boy Meets Girl – Mel Brooks & Marlo Thomas

When We Grow Up – Diana Ross

Don’t Dress Your Cat In An Apron – Billy De Wolfe

Parents Are People – Harry Belafonte & Marlo Thomas

Housework – Carol Channing

Helping – Tom Smothers

Ladies First – Marlo Thomas

Dudley Pippin And The Principal – Billy De Wolfe, Bob Morse & Marlo Thomas

It’s Alright To Cry – Rosey Grier

Sisters And Brothers – Voices of East Harlem

My Dog Is A Plumber – Dick Cavett

William’s Doll – Alan Alda & Marlo Thomas (probably the most memorable and groundbreaking track on the album)

Atalanta – Alan Alda & Marlo Thomas

Grandma – Diana Sands

Girl Land – Jack Cassidy & Shirley Jones

Dudley Pippin And His No-Friend – Bob Morse & Marlo Thomas

Glad To Have A Friend Like You – Marlo Thomas

Free To Be… You And Me (Reprise) – The New Seekers

Camping with the “Campfire Girls” in the mid 1970s, when the seeds of our hopes for a peaceful, inclusive, accepting world were planted.

Rich old white people

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments

I’m losing my patience with rich old white people. And by “rich” I mean comfortable…people who are in absolutely no danger of not being able to pay their monthly bills and buy groceries. People who take vacations—without fail. And by “old” I mean people who were old enough to vote for or against Ronald Reagan at least once. People like me…and my friends..and my parents…and their friends.

We are the privileged. We can say what we want. We can protest publicly without fear. Nobody is going to deport us.

If people in this demographic haven’t publicly taken a side by this point, I really don’t want to sit around and make small talk with them anymore. Politely avoiding the big three (money, politics and religion) is so tedious. I really don’t give a shit if there’s a new Trader Joe’s opening near your house, if you haven’t done one single thing to denounce Trumpism. In fact, if you’ve never made it clear (through conversations, social media posts or other actions) that you do not support Trump, I’m just gonna assume you do. And in that case, I’m really done with you, with very few exceptions.

Other than a handful of federal judges, a couple of law firms, and Harvard University, there is really very little institutional power behind the resistance at the moment. The American people are the only thing that’s gonna stop this train.

And as a reminder, everything that we ever wanted for our children and grandchildren is at stake now—even for the rich white ones.

Public education, our great national parks, scientific research, the planet, equality, freedom, democracy, healthcare, world peace, the rule of law, economic security…we could lose it all.

If you think I’m exaggerating, please read this gift article from today’s NYT.

So, to my fellow old rich white people: be brave, do something, say something, write a blog or a Facebook post, contact your legislators, fly a diversity flag, make a sign, go to a protest (maybe your first!), confront your MAGA relatives, donate to the ACLU or another organization in the fight.

Then, maybe, I’ll be interested to hear a bit more about that new Trader Joe’s and whether or not they carry wine.

If you’ve ever been on a goddamn river cruise in Europe, you should have spoken out about at least one issue by now.

Patriots Day

~ MaryG ~ 11 Comments

Patriots Day is a special Massachusetts holiday commemorating the start of the American Revolution. In case you don’t know the story: On April 18, 1775, British regulars (aka “Red Coats” because they wore bright red uniforms) marched from Boston to seize weapons stored by colonial militias in Concord. Paul Revere and others rode ahead to warn colonists. At dawn on April 19 in Lexington, Red Coats confronted about 70 militiamen (aka “Minute Men” because they could be ready to fight in a minute); a shot was fired—“the shot heard ’round the world”—and fighting began. Eight colonists were killed. The British continued to Concord but met fierce resistance. Amazingly, the Minutemen forced the Red Coats to retreat to Boston under heavy fire using fighting skills they learned from native people. A bunch of ragtag New England farmers chased the world’s most powerful army back to Boston with their tails between their legs. This marked the start of the American Revolutionary War.

Patriots Day is also the day they hold the Boston Marathon and many people have it off work.

This year, Massachusetts is kicking off the 250th birthday celebrations for the entire country. We’ve had all sorts of patriotic celebrations this weekend—all with a decidedly anti-Trump sentiment.

If you have time, it’s worth watching historian Heather Cox Richardson give an address at the Old North Church detailing the events leading up to the “midnight ride of Paul Revere.” One of her final points is that the two men who lit the lanterns in the steeple to start the process of warning the colonists that the British were approaching “by sea” were not doing anything extraordinary. They were just doing what they considered to be “the next right thing” at that time.

Since the heartbreaking election in November, I haven’t felt much like getting back out there and joining the resistance, but Patriots Day is special.

I was there in Concord for the Bicentennial in 1976, and wasn’t going to miss out this year. It felt like “the next right thing.”

The American Revolution started here.
My friends and I with a Concord Minuteman
There was a huge anti-Trump crowd in Concord center for Patriots Day
Speakers and singers on the steps of the Unitarian Universalist church
That’s me!

No Kings.

🇺🇸

Speaking of ChatGPT…

~ MaryG ~ 8 Comments

I asked it if the United States is still considered a democracy. Here’s its answer:

As of mid-April 2025, the United States is still officially classified as a democracy by major global indices, but it is experiencing significant democratic backsliding under President Donald Trump’s second term.

Freedom House continues to rate the U.S. as “Free” with a score of 84/100, though this reflects a decline from previous years and ongoing concerns about executive overreach and erosion of civil liberties.

The V-Dem Institute has warned that the U.S. is on track to lose its democracy status within six months if current trends continue, citing actions such as undermining the judiciary, centralizing power, and attacking the press.

Recent developments include the Trump administration’s defiance of a unanimous Supreme Court ruling, raising concerns about the rule of law and the system of checks and balances.

In summary, while the U.S. retains its democratic status, it is undergoing significant challenges that threaten the health and resilience of its democratic institutions.

Rejection

~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments

I left my full-time career in late 2023 with the thought of potentially retiring early (at age 58.5) and devoting more time to working on the 2024 election and other volunteer work. We were all done paying for our kids’ college educations, our investments were looking good, and Trump was safely out of the White House with many pending criminal indictments.

My how things can change in 18 months.

On the very bright side, I became a grandmother. Nothing is better than that.

BUT, everything else is looking very scary and one way to try to protect myself and my family would be to start earning money again. I mean who knows what the hell is coming next with this Mad King in the Oval Office—World War III, a deep recession or depression, another pandemic, civil war—any damn thing can happen with him in charge. Money won’t stop the fall of democracy in the United States, but maybe it could help protect my own family. And maybe that’s all any of us can really do.

Anyhow, I opened up my LinkedIn profile to recruiters and immediately got several interviews. One job looked perfect for me and I made it to the final round of interviews. I absolutely loved the organization. I was sure they were going to offer it to me.

Whelp, I found out yesterday that they decided to “move forward with a different finalist.”

OUCH! How dare they?? I was perfect for the job and I really wanted it!

So much for a great job just dropping into my lap. Am I really up for a protracted, arduous job search? I don’t know. I may be too old for this shit.

Related:

Are you retired?

People don’t look good

~ MaryG ~ 23 Comments

I don’t know if this is just a New England thing or what, but people do not look well to me. It’s been a looooong winter here in New England (currently 42 degrees with light snow in Nashua, NH), but it’s like this every year. We know this. March is a winter month and it’s foolish to expect anything else, even with global warming. You can easily get snow on Easter Sunday. Hell, I’ve seen snow on Mother’s Day.

But this is different. A lot of people look miserable to me. An older woman with a walker was my cashier at Marshall’s yesterday. At age 65+, she has a job that requires her to stand up—for hours. Can she not retire? Is she one of the millions of Americans whose retirement plan is “work til I die.”

I have no idea of the political affiliation of strangers, so maybe this has nothing to do with the erosion of democracy or ascendent authoritarianism, but it does remind me a bit of my trip to the Soviet Union in 1987. Nobody smiled there. Everyone looked…grey (for lack of a better word). If they did smile, you could see that their teeth were horrible. They did not have American smiles.

I have done a fair bit of traveling and I can tell you that we tend be the warmest smilers in the world. And as a rule, we have fantastic teeth. (Maybe it was the fluoride and all the other public health initiatives we benefited from as kids.) But I’m seeing far fewer smiles lately. And more people are missing teeth.

An older woman sitting in a museum in Suzdal (Russia/USSR) in 1987 – “smiling” without showing her teeth
A couple struggling their way through a Nashua mall today in search of a free wheelchair for her to use

White Lotus Avoidance Day

~ MaryG ~ 1 Comment

My husband and I are major consumers of “prestige TV.” We get all the channels and watch all the shows. (Severance, Succession, Hacks, The Last of Us, The Bear, Handmaids Tale, etc.) We watch together and we talk about the shows. TV is our thing.

Sometimes a show is too violent for me, so I relinquish it to my husband to watch while I’m at choir or doing something else. (For example, I bailed on The Sopranos fairly early on and I never watched Breaking Bad.) I always have a few shows I’m watching on my own, because I stay up later than him. Currently, I’m watching Marie Antoinette on PBS Passport on my own. Downton Abbey is another example of a show that my husband didn’t watch with me, though he fully embraced The Gilded Age, so it’s not that he won’t watch period pieces. (We’re big fans of Wolf Hall.)

We plan our TV watching out in advance. Sometimes, a very important show—like last night’s White Lotus season 3 finale—needs to be watched live (rather than on demand) in order to avoid spoilers, which will undoubtedly be everywhere today!

We fully intended to watch the White Lotus season finale live last night, but then my husband got tired and wanted to save it. Obviously I wouldn’t watch it without him, so now I will spend the entire day trying not to read anything about it, which basically will require staying offline altogether.

So, as the stock market crashes (I’m assuming another Black Monday is underway) and people are distracting themselves by discussing whatever happened on White Lotus last night, I will try to finish reading my library book today.

Ironically, the book is Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (author of Normal People) and I could totally see it getting made into a Hulu series (like Normal People did) that I would end up watching on my own because my husband doesn’t like shows that are too “relationshipy.”

Comments closed due to abject fear of White Lotus spoilers.

Related: Consider the Source

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