Wheelz Monday afternoon. It’s gray and cold and I’m riding my motorcycle through the Central Maine Medical Center lot, on the way back from a muddy ride. There’s an older woman sitting next to the road in a wheelchair. She’s wrapped in a blanket and apparently waiting for her ride. As I approach, slowly, I […]
Mark LaFlamme
Archive: Ask Mark Anything live reader chat
Missed our live chat with Mark LaFlamme this afternoon? Check out the replay here. Like LaFlamme’s stuff? Follow him at sunjournal.com/laflamme. Ask Mark Anything (Reader chat with Mark LaFlamme)
Street Talk: Recalling the many faces of Lisbon and Main
The dude worked Lisbon Street like he knew his way around. Like he owned the place, in fact. He wore a shiny leather coat and his hair was neatly groomed. He ducked into a specialty liquor place and emerged with a bottle of wine. A few doors down, he slipped into a health food restaurant, […]
Talk of the town
Up in smoke Wednesday afternoon, at the top of the courthouse steps in Auburn, I found an empty pack of cigarettes with a message scrawled on the side. It was soggy and the letters were starting to run, but the bright pink message was very clear. It said: “I love you!” Out there on the […]
Celebrating a disordered mind
Oh, boy! It’s here! The long wait is over. Pull the kids out of school and knock off a little bit early from work. Decorate your home and invite a few people over, why don’t you? ‘Tis time to rejoice and spread good cheer, remembering always that this day comes but once a year. Does […]
Talk of the town
My shame is great For years, I’ve been tooling on you ween . . . you people who frequently sport sweater vests. I’ve made fun of you relentlessly and without remorse. What a jerk, huh? Well, fear not. Comeuppance is at hand. Recently, some weasel from the old block posted on Facebook some photos of […]
Street Talk: I just want to be different
In place of my usual rantings this morning, I’d like to spend this time reading you a poem that’s very dear to me. Ha-ha! I’m kidding! A poem! Can you imagine? You should see your face. Forgive my mirth. What I’d really like to do today is to strap a big ponytail onto this column. […]
Talk of the town
Summer with Vultures When I first saw this headline in Wednesday’s Sun Journal, I thought it was the title of a book by one of our seasonal interns. I laughed, I cried, I wore a panty shield I’m going to just come right out and confess. I actually watched a Lifetime Channel movie the other […]
Street Talk: Crying in my pumpkin beer
Good morning, deranged person. I see you sitting there with your big, fuzzy slippers (the French call them ‘pee shoes’), your steaming cup of cocoa and your fresh-off-the-press copy of Leaf Peeper Times. The crisp, cool air outside is tempered by the crackling heat of the wood stove. You have a bowl of candy corn […]
Talk of the town: Frost on the pumpkin
Frost on the pumpkin I couldn’t be more furious. I first spotted one sitting on a doorstep in a quiet Lewiston neighborhood. A fluke, I figured. Some mentally unbalanced person put it there at random. Tomorrow she’ll put a grapefruit on her steps. Maybe a toaster oven a day after that. But there are more […]