Eachyearwechainanewoneup andtossitouttherelikealobster trap, out into the ocean that splashesupagainstthedoorways from Munjoy Hill to Longfellow Square.
Onceonedisappearedinmid¬ afternoon,chainandall,sulking likeateenager.Theothertwodis¬ appeared at night, beneath the flashingyellowlightsslungacross streetstoeasethesoulsofnight¬
Anyway,Idecidedtoleaveit bare for a while and watch its remainsturnwhiteasaskeleton.
A week passed. I had other things to do (although Steve RobertsatthePressHeraldonce askedmewhatIdotheother29 days).
Thenaboltfelloff,disappeared, and came on again. Like magic, liketheendlesslyrefillingboxesof icecream,gold,andcandyinthe children’sstory"CrowTalk,"the benchhasbegunfixingitself.
Iwantedtowrite,onbehalfof thecompany,tothankthestaff of PortlandMonthlyforallthe supportyougiveus.1hopeyou know how much everyone here appreciatesallyourhelp.We alsoloveknowingthatyouare intheaudienceatleastonce during the run of a show. 1 alwayslovehearingyoungCol¬ in’s“exclamations”intheaudi¬ ence. He has always been a favorite of mine, and since “Hedda Gabler,” one of Cyn¬ thia’salso.
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PORTLAND Monthly Magazine is published by Colin and Nancy Sargent, 578 Congress Street, Portland. ME 04101. All correspondence should be addressed to 578 Congress Street, Portland. ME 04 101.
Advertising Office: 578 Congress Street, Port¬ land. ME 04101 (207) 775-4339
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Billing Questions: If you have questions re¬ garding advertising invoicing and payments, call Cheryl Casey at 775-4339.
Newsstand cover date: October 1993, publ. September 1993, Vol. 8. No. 7, copyright 1993. PORTLAND Monthly Magazine is mailed at third-class mail rates in Portland. ME 04101. (ISSN: 0887-5340). Opinions expressed in ar¬ ticles are those of authors and do not represent editorial positions of PORTLAND Monthly Magazine. Responsible only for that portion of any advertisement which is printed incorrect¬ ly. and as compensation we will run a correc¬ tion in the following issue. Nothing in this issue may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publish¬ ers. Submissions welcome, but we take no responsibility for unsolicited materials.
PORTLAND Monthly Magazine is published 10 times annually by Colin and Nancy Sargent. 578 Congress Street. Portland, with newsstand cover dates of Winterguide. Feb. March. April. May. Summerguide. July/Aug . September, October. November, and December ImagesofPortland“CommercialStreet,1902“byRonGoyette
lastingnorthoutofPort¬ landcanyieldaplethora ofout-of-the-wayplaces, back roads and side¬ tracks, and glistening gemsoffthebeatenpath.We Mainersoftenstorethisknowl¬ edgegreedily,butnowthatthe vacationershavevacatedVaca¬ tionland,Iamwillingtoimpart someofmyfavorites:
FishchowderattheDolphin Marina in Harpswell, served withcoffeeandahotblueberry muffin. A dandy junket on a stormyfallafternoon.A16oz. plasticcupoflousybeeronthe ricketydeckatMackerelCove, BaileyIslandatsunset,while thefisherfolkunloadtheirhaul oflobstersandseaurchins.Al frescodiningatFiveIslands (justbeyondReidStatePark) or at Shaw Brothers in New Harbor.Thesevistaswillfloor even the most jaded Mainer. Some are seasonal and none areeasilyfound,butIcan’t makeittooeasy.
MyfavoritenewfindisHan¬ cock,justeastofEastport.You canbecoddledattheCrocker House Inn or at La Domaine; thefoodistopdraweratboth. There’sapicturesquepreor postprandialstrollaroundthe point where you can see the secondsmallestpostofficein theU.S.andthegreenoctago¬ nallibrary,builtbythesonof thecreatorofJohnson’sAno¬ dyneLiniment,whichwaswild¬ lypopularuntilthenastyold FDA came along and removed theopium,turpentine,ether, and most of the alcohol.
yearwithoutgettinghurt.Andthat’s been working. And I think obviously theoffense has
herearealotofpeopleinand around Portland who have beenexcitedbytheprospect of your winning 20 games. Whathasitmeanttoyou,get¬ tingsoclose? made abigdiffer¬ ence:Ithinkany¬ timeyouscoretheruns theyhaveformeyou’regoingtowin alotofgamesandthat’swhat’sbeen
BillySwift: Yes,obviouslyyourcon¬ fidenceisupwhenyou’repitching wellandtheteam’sdoinggood.We have a good chance to win every gamewhenwegooutthere.Fortu¬ natelyformeI’vebeenpitchinggood andwe’vebeengettinggoodhitting whenI’mpitching.Andthewinsare goingtocome.
Doyourealizeit’sbeen88 yearssinceanativeMainer won 20 games?
BillySwift: Having my dad be a baseballplayer(HerbSwift,Billy’s dad,wasastarsemi-propitcherin thePortlandareainthe1940s)was amajorinfluence.Assoonas1was readytothrowaballhehadmeout
Do you get kidded about being a Mainer?Imean,therearen’tmany Mainersinthemajorleagues.
Yeah,quiteabit.They’llaskques¬ tionslike‘Wheredoyouplaybase¬ ball up there in the snow?’ They thinkit’sallsnow.Theydon’trealize wehaveasummerandafall.
DoyoumissplayinginFenwayPark? Youusedtoplaythereduringyour dayswithSeattle(Billypitchedforthe Seattle Mariners in the American Leaguefrom1985through1991;he’s beenwiththeSanFranciscoGiantsin theNationalLeaguesince).
How would you characterize the NationalLeagueversustheAmerican League...havingpitchedinboth?
Well,Ithinkthis(theNational) leagueisalotofhitandrun,alotof running,alotofmovement.Ithink the American League the guys sit backforahomerun;yousitbackfor thebiginnings.Overheretheseguys trytogetaruneveryinning;they’re alwaysmoving.
I’mmarriedwithtwogirls.Theold¬ estis2andonehalf.That’sAubrey. AndtheyoungestisMackenzie.She’s 17months.AndmywifeisMichelle. She’s from Madison, Maine. We’ve been married coming up on eight years.
heard a people I've few mentionyouwithrespecttothissea¬ son’sCyYoungAward.Howdoyou feelaboutthat? isdown by the wharfs. Itdefi¬ nitely com¬ pares.I know a lot of people come infrom Maine andsay thatit does remind them a lot of Maine. The restaurantsandalotofseafood compare,too. theset-upguy who comes in intheseventh (inning) and thenhe'sgone and nobody ever sees him again. As a startingpitcher you have a chancetodoas Ihaveandget the coverage and the media attentionlikea stopper or a relieverdoesn’t get.
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arry Houdini, magician and es¬ capeartistextraor¬ dinaire, jumped from the Million Dollar Bridge in Portlandin1911,to promote his ap¬ pearanceatalocal theater.
Moine's official gemstone in 1971.Ayearloterthelarg¬ estdiscoveryofthismaterial anywhere was found at Dunton Quarry in Newry.
There ore 11 varieties of snakes in Maine, all of them nonpoisonous. They ore: the eastern garter, the maritime gorter, the eastern ribbon, the northern rib¬ bon, the black racer, the eastern smooth green and the eastern milk snake
tobeaballplayer?
Well, you take my situation: I thoughtIwasgoingtobeanoutfield¬ erforthelongesttime.IthoughtI couldmakethemajorleaguesasan outfielderbutthenIfoundsomething elsethatIwasbetterat.Beopen.If youreallywanttobeapitcherandit
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ThisoceanfrontresortonEdenStreetiscomprised ofanoriginalmansionandsixattractivemotelbuildings spaced throughout twelve wooded and landscaped seasideacres.All150unitsofferanoceanview,with6 designedforthehandicapped.
IN THE BEGINNING there were typewriters, and they were good. And there were adding machines,andthese,too,were good. And countless young women were able to earn very low wagesbytypingandadding.
ChrisDuval,writingadcopyona quaint,unassumingMacintoshPlus intheExchangeStreetofficesof McCabe & Duval Advertising, remembersthedaysofthetypewrit¬ ers and adding machines, and the women who earned the low wages. “Fiveorsixyearsagowewouldwrite everythingonyellowpadsandwait forasecretarytotypeit.We’dcom¬ plainabouthowslowthatwas.
sideredanofficeapplianceonapar withphotocopiers,orthetypewrit¬ erstheywerereplacing.Executives werewiseenoughtokeepawayfrom them,andlow-wageofficeworkers knewthey’dbetter learn how to use them. But soon it became apparent that computers were more than typewriters with video screens. Withtherightsoft¬ ware,theycouldbe usedforplanning, whichisanexecu¬ tive’sactivity.So soon there were
advertisingbusiness.
Censusdataappeartobearthis out.In1980,thenumberofpeople workinghereinclericalandother administrativesupportjobstotaled 5,852.Tenyearslat¬ er, they totaled 5,895—just43work¬ ersmore.Butinthe same decade, the number of sales peopleincreasedby 36 percent, the number of profes¬ sionals rose by more than 37 per¬ cent,andthenum¬ ber of executives andadministrators twonewclassesofpeople:thecom¬ puter-literate,andthecomputer-illit¬ erate ... technophobes and technocrats.Andthesetentativenew classesdidnotobservesocioeco¬ nomicboundaries.
Buttimeschanged.Traditionaldis¬ tinctions soon reasserted them¬ selves. There are few if any technophobes around today, but
ComputerClasses
ArecomputershollowingoutMaine'smiddleclass?
StorybyJohnLovell
therearelotsandlotsoftechnoaris¬ tocrats.Andtherearelotsandlotsof workers who might best be termed technopeasants.
shotupbyanastounding70percent. Obviously, Portland has more white-collarexecutivesandprofes¬ sionals—whoaresomehowfunction-
Some Employed PortlandResidents
creased?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ingwithnocorrespondingincrease inthecity’snumbersofclericaland othersupportworkers.Howdothey manage? And why haven’t the num¬ bersofclericalofficeworkersin¬ movethingsaround.It’sahugedif¬ ference.Mycomputerison100per¬ centofthetimeandI’mconstantly workingwithit.I’vegotbillingon there,estimates,jobtracking,allmy correspondence—which I do myself ratherthanhandtoasecretary.Hav¬ ingacomputerislikemovingaroad¬ blockfromyouroffice.There’sno questionthatithasmadeusmore efficientandcutouroverhead.We haveapersonatthefrontdesk,but she’scertainlynotasecretary.She's busy managing jobs, bookkeeping, dealingwithclients,insteadoftyping pilesofpaperallday.Inasmallbusi¬ nesslikeours,computersfreeevery¬ bodytodomore.”
When computers first began appearingondesks,theywerecon-
Techno-aristocratsarethepeople whousecomputersforthinkingand planningandcreating.Technopeas¬ antsarethepeoplewhoinputdata. They work in banks and insurance companies,andinotherpartsofthe country, the computers they work withcounttheirkeystrokesandmon¬ itortheirefficiency.Thesearethe peoplewhousedtousetypewriters and adding machines. But today, there are fewer of them, because computershavemadesomeoftheir workunnecessary,likethepilesof paperoncetypedbythesecretary who once worked in Chris Duval’s
totheearningsincrease.Thatwas, after all, the booming ’80s, the decadeofexpansionwhendevelop¬ ersallwavedmagicwandsandthe streetswerelinedwithBMWs.
ndbytheendofthemagic decade,theMaineLegislature hadenactedastatuterequir¬ ing employers to teach employees how to operate computerswhileavoidingthemod¬ ernnewmaladyof“repetitivemotion injury.”Hundredsofpeoplewho’d neverheardofcarpaltunnelsyn¬ dromewerebeingtreatedforit.At first,theywentontoworkerscomp from factory assembly lines. And now,theybegangoingontoworkers comp from their computer key¬ boardsinsidebigofficebuildings. Maine’sexpertonrepetitivemotion injuries,alsoknownascumulative traumadisordersormuscular-skele¬ talinjuries,isJonathanLepoffatthe Maine Department of Labor. The problemisincreasingrapidlyallover thecountry,hesays.Someemploy¬ ers,eveninMaine,aremakingseri¬ ouseffortstoeraseit.“Unumhas
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spent a fair amount of money on ergonomickindsofthings,”Lepoff says.“SohasBlueCross/BlueShield ofMaine.”Bothofthesecompanies areinthehealthinsurancebusiness.
Repetitivemotioninjuriesnev¬ er seemed to happen in the typewriterera,Lepoffsays, because“peopleweretyping andthentheyweregettingup andfilingthings,orerasingthings, doingallsortsofotherofficejobs, andtheywereoperatingmoreslow¬ ly. Now, the exposure is greater because you hit a button on your keyboardandthefilegetssent.You don’tgetupfromyourdeskandgo putitintoafilecabinet.Peoplearen’t doingasmanyotherkindsofthings.
“Secondly, the fact that these injuriesarecompensablehaskindof legitimizedthem:It’sokaynowto haveone,you’renotmalingeringif you do have one. And people have wised up about the existence of theseinjuries.Inthepast,withpeo¬ pleworkinginshoefactories,for instance,victimswouldthinkitwas justaging.
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“And as the work force became moreknowledgeable,andlesswilling tosuffer,andtheseinjuriesbecame compensable,thismeantaninjured workeractuallyhadachoiceother thanstarvingtodeathorworkingin excruciating, crippling pain. It becamealegitimatekindofinjuryto have,onethatpeoplehadheardof.” Interestinglyinatimeofuncertain jobsecurityandparalleldeclinesin employeeloyalty,Lepoffnotesthat “There’sonlyonethingthat’spredic¬ tiveofworkerscompensationclaims beingfiled:workermorale.”
Lepoffpointsoutthatkeyboarding injuriesaren’tlimitedtotechno-peas¬ ants.“Eveninmycase,”hesays, “after a long time my mouse hand feelsalittleunpleasant.Thefirstfin¬ gerofmyrighthandhasbeensortof stiff.SoIdumpedmymouseandgot atrackball.”(That’slikeanupside¬ down computer mouse; you rotate theballtomovethecursoronthe screen.)AndatthePortlandPress Herald,areporterresignedrecently aftercarpaltunnelsyndromeinboth wristsforcedherontoextendedsick leave.
Althoughcomputershaveeliminat¬ edsomejobs,Lepoffbelievesthat “Overall,computershaveincreased the total number of jobs. What they’vealsodone,Ithink,isthat they’vecertainlyledtosocialisola¬ tionforthetechno-peasants.They’re stuckthere,doingonekindofthing alldaylong.Therepetitivenessof thesejobshasincreased,butit’snot thecomputerpersethat’scausing therepetitiveness,”although“the machine has shaped the nature of thework.”
There are no techno-peasants at McCabeDuvalAdvertising.Thefiveyear-oldagencyhasDuval,Connie McCabe, the woman who manages theoffice,andagoldenretriever. “Here,”Duvalsays,“eachpersoncan operateindependently.Anyonetask youcantakefromstarttofinish.”
“We’redoingalotofstufflatelyvia modem,alotofworkforcompanies inMassachusetts.It’ssomucheasi¬ ertojustmodemthecopytothem.If they have any changes, they just modemitback.It’ssosimple.You’re notdealingwithpiecesofpaperany more.
“And we use CompuServe databas¬ es.Forournewbusinessleads,we’re alwayspullingthenamesofcompa¬ niesoffCompuServeforprospecting. Wejustcompletedaprojectfora clientinwhichwehadtoresearch differentautosafetytips,thingslike that,andConnieandIaren’tcarpeo¬ ple, so we just dialed up Com¬ puServe,gotintoagooddatabase, and got everything we needed for thisproject.”
Duvalhasalsofoundthebigonline serviceusefulinmakingrecenthotel reservations.Withafewofthesame flightandhotelreservationsystems usedbyairlinesandtravelagents availableonCompuServe,Duvalsays he and McCabe have booked some hotelsinItalyforanupcomingclient trip.
Still, a Macintosh Plus with a modemisdistinctlyonthelowendof the high-tech computer spectrum, although the combination is more thanadequateformostadwriters. Foradgraphics,though,it’sanother story:high-speedMacswith24-bit colormonitors,double-digitmega¬ bytesofRAM,andtriple-digit-megabyte hard drives are practically essential.
Duvalsaysthatcomputershave transformedthatsideofthe business.“Weworkwithfiveor sixdifferentfreelanceartists. Threeorfouryearsago,none ofthemhadacomputer.Now,they alldo,exceptonedinosaur.Theoth¬ ers have systems that do all the graphics.Almosteveryfreelanceart directorIcanthinkof,withthe exceptionofthatone,hasacomput¬ er.Youhavetohaveonethesedays.”
CafeBrix,locatedattheCornerBrook Mall, is a new restaurantstylishlycarved outofamini-malltabularasa withadizzyingeyefordeco¬ rativedetail.Allfacetsofour recentvisitwere accomplishedwith such competence andeasethatitis hard to believe thattherestaurant isonlyafewweeks old. The menu, whileupscaleinits approach,iswiselyaccessiblein priceandappealtoawidespec¬ trumofdiners.
OurdinnerbeganwiththeLob¬ sterRisotto($8.95)andtheRavio¬ lis($5.50).TheRisotto,morestiff thansoupy,hadthesimple,bright flavorsofLobsterwithoutthecloy¬ ingunpleasantnessofhavingbeen made with a seafood stock too strong.Suspendedinthericewas a generous showing of large chunksoflobster,whilethesalty piqueofromanoshardsluminated thesubtleseafoodflavors.The ravioliswereamushroom-filled pastadressedwithapistachio, sun-driedtomatopesto.Often,try¬ ingtofigureout“whattheheckis thatstuffinsidetheraviolis”can reallytaxyourE.S.P.abilities,but atCafeBrixthestuffingwaseasily decipherableanddelicious.The saucehadarich,meatysavoriness which was so much greater than justacompositeofthecomponent parts.Asignoftruekitchenknow¬ how.
parsleybutter,andatoppingof braisedshitakemushrooms.Many restaurantsseemtoenjoycooking swordfishtillit’ssodryyoucan gagonit,butCafeBrixwouldhave noneofthisgameplaying.Itwas meltingly moist. Thepungent,herby flavorofcoriander addedaverynice counterbalanceto the winey, woodsy taste of the Shitakes. The Sweet Breads(amild,fla¬ voredmeatfromthethymusgland of young cows) were firmed up andservedwitharedwinesauce enhanced with porcini mush¬ rooms,thenplacedoverpuffpas¬ try.Averygooddishofwonderful texturesanddeepautumnalfla¬ vors.If1wereforcedtonit-pick,I would have to say that both entreestastedasifhalftheholesin the kitchen salt shaker were plugged.Althoughmytastedoes notnecessarilysetthestandard forsaltiness.Alltheplateswere veryartfullygarnished,adetail oftendismissedas“whocares.”
Myfirstbrushwithcomputers wasinthedarkdaysof1973, withtheoldDartmouthSys¬ tem.Backthen,userscon¬ nected themselves to DartmouthCollegeviaanearlyhard¬ wirelinkup,typedintheoriginal Basiclanguage,andviewedtheirout¬ put(usuallylongbannersofUnited StatesFlagsorstarsorNietzsche made from exclamation points and asterisks)onyellowrollsofteletype paper.
InDeeringHighSchoolwehada singleterminalinasound-proofed broomclosetasourlinktotheDart¬ mouthSystem.Computerswerethen consideredsomethingofavertical enrichment for math students. In fact,myCalculusIteacher,Joseph Doucette,wastheinstructorrepfor theschool’scomputersciencelab.
Thenextday,IranintoJoseph Doucette,thecomputerrep.Barely out of college himself, his eyes widenedashetoldmethatwhenyou pulledtheplugtoshutoffaDart¬ mouthterminal,somethingterrible happened.
WhatdidIdo?1wentonwithmy life.Iplungedintostreetsfullofpeo¬ ple.Iboughtacoatwithasquirrel¬ trimmed collar and went into the Underground,figuringI’dneverrun into Joe Doucette again. I was a minor.I’dbeenunderunbelievable pressure.Thebestthing1coulddo was to spend the rest of my life tellingothershowtoavoidthemis¬ takesI’vemade.
Er,JoeDoucette,nowoneofthe premier IBM programmers in thestateandco-ownerofLogi¬ calChoicecomputerstore,to whom many computer opera¬ torsintheareaareindebtedfor training,consulting,andadvice, whomImustinterviewtomakethisa responsiblestory,hassomepredic¬ tionsforbuyersintheUnderground:
paralleltechnology,youcantakea33 MHzprocesser,doubleit,andget the processing power at 66 MHz. Becauseyouhave‘two’workingfor you,ineffect,itrunscooler.IBM,I think,isgoingtobealittleaheadof Intelthistime.Underalicensefrom Intel,theycannowmakeIntel-like processorswithoutaninfringement ofpatents.NowyouseeIBMdoing everything.They’rebuildingboards inSouthCarolina,buildingboardsin Texasthatanyonecanputintoasys¬ tem.There’sanIBMDirectlinewhere you can order an IBM AMBRA by phone.
“The386SX’sarebeingphased out.Someofthepalmtopandnote¬ booksarestillusing286technology. Infact,Zenith’snewpalmtopusesa new8088platform.It’sjustthatthe level of use may change. Do you knowthedeliverypeoplewiththeir hand-held accounting devices? Those are 286 and lower. I think there’llbesupportforallplatformsat somelevel.”
I bought an Ultra 486 notebook (Midwest Micro) computer last December from Logical Choice,
whereJoeDoucettewasabletobeat thelistofno-taxsalepricesIhad researched by calling New Hamp¬ shireadvertisementsintheBoston Globe,handsdown.
Thisisawondrousmachinethat hasnotroublecontaininga405-page document,inthiscaseanovel,asa singlefile.Ifigureithassavedme about three months worth of late eveningsofmanuscriptpreparation.
AskedwhyitwascalledtheDart¬ mouth System, Joe Doucette says, “John Kemeny invented Basic at Dartmouth.BillGateshasmadethe moneyonit,butKemenyinventedit. HecameoutwithhisversionTrueBasictocounterBillGates,buthe wastoolate.Ithinkhemaystillbe at Dartmouth. He does lectures sometimes.”
LogicalChoice’stelephonenum¬ beris(207)774-8242.
Of note from a Made in Maine pointofviewisDowntimeComputer ofBrunswick,whichactuallyassem¬ bles both IBM and Macintosh com¬ putersfromcomponentparts.Their numberis(207)725-8903.
TheMacintoshmarketisgoing gentlycrazyaswell.“Takea Mac11,”saysafriend.“Upgrade itwith$17,000worthofnew software and hardware, and you’vegottheMacintosh660AV.It’s nowsellingfor$2,500retail,$2,300 wholesale. This has happened becauseofthe68040chip,whichhas a speed of 25 MHz. This does not comparetotheMHzfiguresyouhear aboutinIBM,becauseofthechip.It screams.It’slikearoomfulofMac SE’s.IthasGeoport.Youcantalkto it.”
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December to buy an Apple comput¬ er.Infact,beingmorepredictivethan reactive,hethinksitmightbebestto laylow:
"Whenisthebesttimetobuya neworusedApplecomputer?Apple dealerswillhaveyoubelieveOctober 5thisthemagicalday,butmyexpe¬ rience as both a consumer and a dealerhastaughtmetowaituntil JanuaryorFebruary.
"Nodoubt,youwouldliketogo portablewithaPowerBookormaybe aDuo.Iamwritingthiscolumnfrom aPowerBook170withallthebells and whistles—maxed RAM, 14.4 kps modem,14.4fax,activematrixb&w screen.IwishIhadwaitedtobuy. Thecostretailforthismachinein approximately February 1992 was $6,500;today’svaluemaybe$1,600. Goingportabledoesn’tgivethesame cost-to-benefitratioasadesktop machine,either.
"1alsoboughtoneofthefirstMac¬ intoshIlmachinesbackinthefallof 1987.Thepricewasabout$5,000— novideocardandawhopping1MB of RAM with 40 MB hard disk. Today’s value is approximately $2,000.1wasluckywiththatinvest¬ ment,untilthismonth.Applehasjust releasedtheirnewAVmachines.
"BillGates,theheadhonchoover at Microsoft, announced sometime thispastyearthathewasgettinghis company together with telephone, facsimile,andotherofficemachine supplycompanies.Theircollective goalwastobuildamachinewhich would1)doeverythingforyou,and 2)sitonyourdesk.Thatannounce¬ mentwasprobablyareactiontothe unannounced AV machines. The AV serieswillreplacemanyoftheitems onandoffthedeskinyourofficefor around$2,500.
"YoumightaskwhyAVmachines are so cheap, great, or you may assumethesemachinesarethebest Applewilloffer.The660AVoffersa 68040 computing environment with aclockspeedof25MHz,abuilt-in FPU,and,toreallyspicethingsup, thereisalsoanAT&T3210DSPthat willkickinanother55MHzofpower fortruemultiprocessinghardware. DidImentionthatthismachinewill also input and output NTSC, PAL,
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The 660AV also has a GeoPort for quick ISDN network connections, AppleTalk,andE-Newoptionbuilt intoit.Youcaneventalkwithit—to itrightnow.SteveJobsfirstdis¬ playedthistechnologyawhileback; itwasshowcasedintheWallStreet JournalastheCaspermachine.
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THEATER
Mad Horse Theatre Company, 955F ForestAvenue,Portland.ArthurMiller's "AllMySons"willbepresentedthrough October 24. "Kingfish," by Marlene Meyer, opens November 26. For more information,call797-3338.
Portland Stage Co., 27AForestAvenue, Portland,celebratesits20thAnniversary with“ArmsandtheMan,"theclassic comedybyGeorgeBernardShaw,dir¬ ectedbyPortlandStageCompanyartistic directorGregLearning,fromOctober17November13."It'sthe100thanniversary ofShaw'swittiestplay,"saysLearning, andtheworkbringstogetherlove,ro¬ mance,warfare,andpolitics.Next,it's "HolidayMemories,"byTrumanCapote, November 21 through December 19. Rushseatsaresoldforhalftheregular priceandmadeavailable10minutes beforecurtainatallregularlyscheduled performances.Also,inanefforttomake thetheateraccessibletoallmembersof thecommunity,PortlandStagehasPayWhat-You-Can performances for each production.Fiftyticketsarereservedfor eachproduction.Fiftyticketsarere¬ servedforthefirstSaturday9p.m.per¬ formanceandcanbepurchasedforany amount that the patron can afford. Ticketswillbelimitedtotwoperperson. CurtainCallDiscussionsarefreepost¬ performanceeventsthatprovidealively forumfordialogueamongactors,thea¬ tergoers,andPortlandStageCompany staff.Forinformation,calltheboxoffice atthePortlandPerformingArtsCenter, 774-0465.
The Lyric Theater, 176SawyerStreet, SouthPortland.TheLyricpresents"A LittleNightMusic"November19,20,21. 26,27,28.andDecember3,4,5.Formore information,call799-1421or799-6509.
The Portland Players, 420Cottage Road,SouthPortland.“Godspell"willbe playedonOctober1,2.3,8.9,10,15,16, 22,23.OnNovember26,27,28,and December3.4,5,10,and1l.it's"Musical ComedyMurdersof1940.”799-7337.
Penobscot Theatre Company. 183 MainStreet.Bangor.FromOctober7-24, see "The Glass Menagerie," by Ten¬ nesseeWilliams."Willi,anEveningof WildernessandSpirit,”byJohnPielmeier;and"BillyBishopGoestoWar."by EricPeterson&JohnGray,willappearin rotatingrepertoryfromNovember4-28. MarkTorresisproducingartisticdirector. Formoreinformation,calltheboxoffice at942-3333.
Grand Auditorium Productions. Main
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Street,Ellsworth.Thefallproductionwill be"HelloDolly!"DirectorKenStack, artisticdirectorofAcadiaRepertory Theatre,andmusicaldirectorRobert Bahrwillguidetheplaythroughper¬ formancedatesofNovember5,6,7,12, 13, 14. For more information, call 667-5911.
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Portland Concert Association pre¬ sents"SundayinthePark"onOctober13, ChamberMusicSocietyonOctober22, and"DieFledermaus"onOctober26. "DieFledermaus"isthefirstofanam¬ bitious three opera season at PCA. JohannStrauss'madcapspoofofVien¬ nesesociety,completewithpractical jokes,mistakenidentities,masquerades, and many of his most memorable waltzes,isawonderfulwaytokickoffthe triumvirate.WesternOperaTheater,the TouringCompanyoftheSanFrancisco Opera,isinits27thseasonandhas consistentlyreceivedaccoladesfor staging,costumes,andmemorableper¬ formances.OnNovember5,there'sOndekoza.ifyoulovedtheKododrummers, you'llbemesmerizedbyOndekoza,the highlyacclaimed"demondrummers"of Japan. Ondekoza creates a magical soundenvironmentthroughtherever¬ berationsproducedbytheirgiantdrums. Forinformation,call772-8630or800-6392707onawonderfulseasonwhichwill includeYoYoMa,“MadamaButterfly,” andtheLincolnCenterJazzOrchestra.
Maine Center For The Arts, Orono Campus,UniversityofMaine.OnSatur¬ day,October16,at8p.m.,it's“Sundayin theParkwithGeorge,”StephenSond¬ heim'scollaborationwiththeartistryof FrenchpainterGeorgesSeurat.OnOcto¬ ber20,at7p.m.,seetheLeipzigGewandhausOrchestra.Acclaimedconductor KurtMasurconductsaprogramfeaturing worksbyBeethovenandMendelssohn. OnOctober23,theCapitolSteps,an ensembleofpastandpresentCongressi¬ onalstaffers,comestotown.Thisgroup specializesinmusicalparodiesofgov¬ ernmentinaction.TheAndersonQuartet ,anaward-winningstringquartetfea¬ turedatPresidentClinton'sinauguration, willperformonOctober30.Forticketsor information,call(207)581-1755.
Actors Theatre of Maine openstheir twelfthfallseasonoflive,professional theaterattheOgunquitSquareTheatre with"Fascinatin'Rhythm,”featuringthe musicandlyricsoftheGershwinbrothers withadditionallyricsbyDorothyParker. PerformancesincludedatesonOctober 10,14.16,20,and23.Curtaintimeis8 p.m.Ticketsare$10.Forreservations,call theOgunquitSquareTheatreat(207) 646-5151.
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Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, presentedbythePortlandCon¬ certAssociation,comestoPortlandon October22.TheChamberMusicSociety maintainsareputationasthepremier chamberensembleinthiscountry.They are,inthewordsoftheWashingtonPost, "Superbartistscapableofthehighest featsofmusicianship."Theprogramwill includeSchubert’s“TroutQuintet"and featuresMarkPeskanov(violin),Walter Trampier(viola),LesliePamas(cello), Lewis Paer (contrabass), and David Golub(piano).Forticketinformation, call(207)772-8630.
TheateratMonmouth.TheTheaterat Monmouthpresents"MoreThingsthatgo BumpintheNight”onSaturday,October 30,at8p.m.Aneveningofnewscary storiesforthewholefamilybroughttolife byactorMichaelO’Brien.Lastfall’ssoldout program included tales by such classicwritersasEdgarAllenPoe,Am¬ broseBierce,andCharlesDickens,plus theperennialfavorite."TheLegendof Sleepy Hollow." (207) 8734085. ■
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The warm female body lying nexttomeshuffledinits sleep.Ashiverofexcitement wakes me to a semi-con¬ sciousness.Lightfromfalse dawnmadethefamiliarhotelroom fillmydreamfilledmindwitha senseofdejavu.“Coulditbeonly yesterday?”1askmyself.“Onlyyes¬ terdaythatwewalkeddownYork Beachhandinhandforthefirst time?”
“1loveyou.”Thesweetinnocent voice bounced from 23-year-old SarahLittle’snewlywedthroat.She reachedherleftarmaroundthe waistofJasonLittle,herstrong young husband; and rested her headonhisshoulder.Theywalked downthelightlypopulatedYork Beach.Awindblewinacooling mistofftheAtlanticOceanreliev¬ ingsomeofthehotAugustheat.
The Maine coast village was regrouping,rebuilding,aswasthe wholenationthatAugust.Slowly tryingtoreturntosomesortofnor¬ malcy as President Harding had statedafterthatfirstwar,hopingto restoreorderoutofconfusionnow thatthesecondwarwasending.
The two honeymooners walked silentforaminuteenjoyingeach
Thesunedgeditswayunderthe rooflineofthehousesalongold Route1,relievingsomeoftheheat. Jasonlookedoutatthestilldark lighthouse which dominated the landscapeofthearea.“Soonthey’ll belightingthatagain.”Sarahfol¬ lowed his glance and nodded. Jason suddenly stopped walking and played with the warm sand withhisbarefeet.HisArmyAir Corpsuniformdresspantsrolled tomid-calf.Helookeddownand watchedthesandfilterbetweenhis toes.“Youknow,we’remarried!!!” LookingintoSarah’seyes,there wasasmileacrosshiswholeface. Thetwolovershuggedtightand kissed,passionately.
“I,Jason,takeyou,Sarah,tobe mylawfullyweddedwifetolove and to hold in sickness and in health,till...”Thewordstuckinhis throat;hehadseentoomuchover the skies of Europe recently. “Deathdouspart.”Sarahsmiled andplacedherheadonhischest. TheirwarwithGermanyover.
“Anything you want.” Jason huggedhertighttohissideand lookedouttosea,hardlybelieving thathewasholdingSarah.Hislove forhersweptintototalcommand. Hesuddenlywantedtocrawlinside ofher,wherehewouldbesafeand warm;farawayfromtheworldhe hadjustreturnedfrom,acrossthat ocean.Hewantedtoremainforev¬ erinsideofherhugs,herarms wrappedtightlyaroundhim.Atear ofjoystunghiseyes.“Iloveyou.” Hechoked.
The warm body moved again. “Soon,”Isaytomyself.“Soonwe’ll bewatchingthesunriseagain.The continuingrisingsun,likeother dawnswe’vewatchedonlyyester¬ day.”
“Mommy!” The large round, alwaysquestioningblueeyesof twoyearoldJenniferpeeredover theedgeofthehoteldoublebed. Sarahgroanedandrolledtoface her daughter. “Mommy, up!” She liftedthechildontothebed.Jason openedoneeyetowatch.Mother’s anddaughter’sfaceswereidentical photographsofeachother.
“Where’sDaddy?”Sarahplayful¬ lyasked,thelittlechild’shead snappedtothefarsideofthebed. Jasonquicklyclosedhiseyesand coveredhimselfwiththethinwhite sheet,inanefforttocatchanextra momentofsleep.“GogetDaddy.” Sarah mischievously whispered
arah propped herself up on her left arm and watched theminthelightofpredawn.
Astingofjealousypricked her,asJasonheldJennifer withhisarmsextendedandthen quicklybroughtthebabytohis chestforatightlovefilledhug. There were times when she felt thatJenniferhadtakenherplace inJason’sheart.Shehadnot beengivenenoughtimewith Jasonalone,sheconstantly complainedtoherself.But they were at York Beach again,themostspecialof special places for them. Time seemed to reverse there.Jasonlookedoverat hiswife.
“What’s the matter?” he whispered,genuineconcernin hisvoice.“Youlooksosad.”
“Justfeelingmyage.”
“You’restillmybride,”he smiled.“We’llnevergrowold,until thedaywedie.”Hesmiledthat same smile from their wedding day.“Iloveyou,”headded,and continueplayingwiththetwoyear oldchild.
“Iloveyou.”Shesoftlyrespond¬ ed,strokinghisfacewithherright hand, “soooo much.” She prayed thatthemomentwouldnothaveto die, hoping that nothing would everchange.Thensherolledover andkissedherhusband’sshoul¬ der,knowingthetruthoftime.
Theyawncamefromdeepinside mybody.Alowerbackpainjoined itas1triedtostretchwithoutdis¬ turbing my sleeping companion.
“OhGod,”Igroan,“itwasonlyyes¬ terdaythatwesharedthatcupof teaonthebeachatdawn.” their moments at home,theWorldWarveteranfac¬ ingoffagainsttheyoungteenage radical, but York Beach always seemedtosootheoveranyanger. A pilgrimage for forgiving and remembering.
“Watch Sammy.” Sarah pointed atthelargeblackLabradorretriev¬ erjumpingandtwistingintheair afterthestickthatJasonJunior heldabovehissix-footbody.His hand held transistor radio proppedinthesandnexttohim, wasplayinganotheranti-warsong. JasonSeniorsippedfromthenew thermoscupsteaminginhishand. They had had
husband.“Iloveyou,”hervoice deeperthanhewishedtoremem¬ ber,spokethewordsthathadsur¬ faced rarer and rarer over the years.
“It’salwayssonicecomingback here.”Jasonshookhishead,and staredattherisingsun,picturing thepast,triggeredbythenearfor¬ gottenfeeling.“It’slikeacoolwind on a hot muggy August day.” He lookedathiswife,seeingthe23year-oldhemarried.“Revitalizing, refreshing,rejuvenating.”Thered and orange of dawn gave way to yellow,endingthedaydreamin Jason’smind.“It’sasifwe needthissunriseeach yeartocontinueliv¬ ing.”
“Likerecharging our batteries.” Sarahjokedand hugged him again around thewaist.He placedthetea onarockjut¬ tingoutofthe sea wall, and hugged her back.
“Like we’re relivingthatfirst timealloveragain.”
He scanned the hori¬ zon smelling the sweet colognethathehadbrought backforherfromFrancein1945. Shehadwornitontheirwedding day. His young wife had been a warmfreespiritthen.“Iwishwe couldgoback!”Hesighed,anda tearwetthecornerofhiseyes. “There’ssomuchI’dlovetomake up to you!” The tears became almosttoohardtocheck,andhis lowerlipquivered.Heshookhis headindespair.“TimesIshould havebeenwithyou,andtimes1 shouldhavewalkedaway."
“Iloveyou,”heechoedandthey kissedthesamepassionatekiss thattheyhadsharedthatfirst dawn so long before on York Beach.
Irolloverandsilentlywatch mybrideinthelightoffalse dawn.Ihaveseenherthisway toomanytimes,andyetnever enoughtimes.Leaningover1 gentlykissherawake.Thosecar¬ ing eyes which had captured my heart only yesterday, slightly sparkleagain.“1loveyou.”1whis¬ per and brush a few uncombed strandsofgraywhitehairfromher forehead.Shepullsmeclosefora hug.“It’salmosttime.”Shenods, andwedress.
tearoflovefilledhereyes. The years have never removed that emotion, though time had stopped the expressing of it. We walk across old Route 1 to the shortgraysandybeach,hardfrom theovernighttidesoakedintothe sand.Redandorangefillsthesky asthesunliesjustbelowthehori¬ zon.Weshareawarmcupoftea. Threejoggersandadogrunspast us,unawareofourlovestillnes¬ tleddeepwithin.
“Yes,dear,”Imutteredagain, myeyesreturningtotheSarah MeadCooperobituary.Diedof cancer,survivedbytwochil¬ dren,Jenniferage44,andJason age36.Sarahhadnotbeenable towaitforV-Edayeither.Her dearJohnletterhadreached me in England. 1 sipped my wife’sstrongAirForcecoffee, remembering. We had met beforetheletter,butstillSarah hadremainedinacornerofmy heart.
“Jason?”MyEnglishwife’s voicewasstrangelytranquil,as ifshecouldseeintomymind. “Do you ever wonder what yourlifewouldbelike,ifwe hadn’t married?" There is alwayssomeonethateachofus longstohavegrownoldwith, butfailtobecausetheFaiths twistourlivestheotherway. MymindcriedSarah.
Ilookedatmywifeoverthe top of the newspaper, and smelled York Beach. “No, dear.” ■