So I am sitting in Gritty McDuffs with a friend and a friend of a friend who is involved in music trade and it turns out the friend and the friend of a friend all know a friend of mine through different points on our lives and we all know of a friend of that friend of mine and know he is a bit of a pain in the trade.

Question: if the wind is blowing from the east, which it is, who is my friend's friend? [Ed.: 3 Aeroplan points!!!]

In other news, the old port of Portland downtown of an evening is a beautiful thing.   Cobbled and bricked, it all leans and creeks a bit but is as full of chummy watering holes.   My technological knowledge stops at the ability to get the sweet photos off my camera and on to someone else's computer.   [First prize for the first comment that tells me I could have you ZapCo's unopen-sourced kill app Blazzniff to use the power of my brain as a means of transfer (with a neat cropping tool if you wiggle your ears).]

Today, I hunt the wild fried clam and wave the magic wand at LL Bean.   Probably buy a parka.  It's 35°F with 12 mph wind, for $(&*@'s sake.

Update: it appears that even Mainers have no idea of the role curling plays in Canadian life.  If we are going to undo the beef blockade, we have to infiltrate.  I started talk of the "Maine Gentleman's Curling Aficionado  Association" yestereve.  I have done my part.