Ok, I'm watching some videos now and this actually looks kinda badass, albeit in the nerdiest way possible. I would go watch something like this.

Are there any groups like this that do, you know...actual combat? Meaning that they at least make it rough enough to make it feel like something is actually at stake, as opposed to just playing dress-up?

Serious question, I'm genuinely quite curious.

>What would your "solution" be?

Well, this Walmart we're talking about, so: Make it known that anyone who hits the pole will henceforth no longer be allowed to wear pajama bottoms and Crocs into the store.

Problem solved.

Honestly, I'd rather just see them put in a divider so that left-hand turns aren't even an option, except for maybe a couple designated spots.

> a career in software engineering is the path i’m currently looking to take

Ok cool--if that's the case then yeah, my vote would definitely be for UMO.

That said, a big part of college is what you make of it, so if you really think you'd be more comfortable at UMF then I'm sure you could go there and have a perfectly good experience.

Best of luck to you either way.

From a strictly CS perspective, UMO is probably going to be the better choice. A bigger school will mean more resources and better internship opportunities.

If you're worried about this...

>my high school had roughly 1,000 students and even that could be overwhelming at times for my introverted self

...keep in mind that sometimes being at a larger school can, somewhat counterintuitively, mean more anonymity. A bigger student body may give you greater space to just find your niche and do your own thing than a smaller one where everybody is more likely to know each other. Kind of like how it's easier to live anonymously in a big city than in a small town.

What sort of work are you looking to do after you graduate? Are you planning on going into programming/software engineering side of things or into infrastructure (managing networks, servers, etc.)?

I don't have one, but my wife told me I should give guitar lessons to kids who just want to learn how to play cool shit fast without having to learn about sissy stuff like diatonic scales and the circle of fifths.

I think she just wants me to get out of the house more during the winter, but I'm actually kinda thinking about doing it.

If you really have have 25" already I'd consider doing it, especially if the pitch is flat.

Yup, New Hampshire too.

>What do you trust then? Personal anecdotes? Statistics may not tell the whole story, but they certainly tell the current ending.

I'm just pointing out that there are some things that you can't quantify with statistics, but that doesn't necessarily make those things unimportant or irrational.

I like the laid-back, kinda not-moving-with-the-times feel that this state has, and I believe that importing residents from Massachusetts would thoroughly ruin that, but that's not something that can be expressed on a spreadsheet. Does that mean it doesn't matter? Or that it's wrong?

So yeah, you can come up with any number of data points that "prove" Massachusetts is better, and while that might satisfy an economist, I remain unconvinced. I think that saying "Maine is nice because it's not Massachusetts" is both perfectly valid and perfectly indescribable using numbers and stats.

>Massachusetts, by almost every measurable statistic aside from CoL, is one of the best states in the US.

Which is exactly why you can't trust statistics to tell the whole story.

It was fun while it lasted, guys.

Haha, IT solidarity. -chest thump-

>I haven't found a great steakhouse in the area yet

What we've found is that, aside from Library (which wasn't great for you), you pretty much have to go to Boston to get the real classic steakhouse experience. I haven't been to Nick's, but since we're in Topsham, if we're going to drive that far for dinner, we may as well drive a little further and get something we really like.

This is our go-to place in Boston, and it's excellent. We go down there a couple times a year when I have the Marriott points and it's always great.

The nude nativity we do at my place is tastefully done and a real crowd-pleaser.

I've been twice and it was great both times, so maybe?

>Le Continental

I've been saying for years that I'd like to go back to Quebec City sometime, and I think you just gave me the reason I needed. God damn that looks good.

Library in Portsmouth, if you're willing to extend the definition of "Maine" by a couple miles.

>pretty sure they have burn seared 60% of the steaks i’ve had there

Ditto. Place sucks.

>I'm just looking for information not a job.

Ok, fair enough. Here are some options for you:

1. Writing. I hear Stephen King makes millions of dollars a year, maybe try that?
2. Lawyer. Partners at some of the bigger firms in Portland pull down some serious cash. Drop off your resume at a couple, probably can't hurt. Is it safe for me to assume you've passed the bar already?
3. Be Governor. The salary for being Governor in Maine is $70,000, which works out to more than $30/hr. Not too shabby!
4. Hedge fund manager. These guys make the big bucks. I highly suggest you look into starting your own fund; it's like a license to print money! You'll need to find some wealthy investors, but for someone with your obvious skills that shouldn't be a problem.
5. Marry rich. Ok, so this isn't technically a job, but a lot of people are doing very well these days after conning someone with deep pockets into marrying them. Start reading the obits and look for affluent widows would be my advice.

Hope this helps!

Right before I get the snow tires put on my car, if the past is any guide.

Mae's in Bath. It's probably pushing the definition of "Greater Portland", but it's the best I've had anywhere.

Yeah, well you look like the pith boy.

It's the epitome of pith compared to the linked article.

I've noticed this too, but only in one specific setting: Natural food stores. I don't know what the deal is, places like Lois', Whole Foods, Royal River, or even Morning Glory up here in Brunswick are always filled with people who look like a bunch of bitter old crones standing in an East German breadline.

I'll give you all the TLDR of the proposed changes:

1. A standard boilerplate "Land Acknowledgement" that basically says "we Europeans stole Portland from the natives." It tells nobody anything they didn't already know, does nothing to help the people it's speaking to, and functions essentially as a religious ritual or prayer, similar to the Catholic rite of confession. The only people it will appeal to are those who have a preference for performative gestures over substantive action (i.e., Portland's electorate).
2. Various proposed changes to the structure of Portland's city government in order to make it more "democratic", a word that members of the Charter Commission use to mean "more in line with my personal preferences". Said changes are unlikely to make the government function any better but will appeal to people who have an unjustified optimism regarding technocratic tinkering because it flatters their self-image by sounding vaguely "scientific" (i.e., Portland's electorate).
3. A proposal for a clean elections fund, the purpose of which is to allow poorer candidates the chance to run for public office and prove that they can fuck things up just as well as their wealthier rivals. There's also a proposal to ban campaign donations from businesses and foreign-owned entities, and to create a publicly-searchable database to track donations in order to better facilitate the harassment of those who choose to participate in the democratic process in the wrong way.
4. Changes to how RCV works in local elections. Real talk: I tried to read it but had to stop, because any discussion of RCV makes me fall asleep.
5. A proposal for removing the School Board (and its budgetary process) from the purview of the City Council. The School Board will set its own budget, which will then be approved by voters directly. While unlikely to result in better outcomes for the city's students, this will undoubtedly be a boon for the useless class of people who work in education administration. This proposal is possibly illegal and has a 100% possibility of causing more governmental dysfunction through unintended consequences, neither of which appear to have bothered the Charter Commission much.
6. Codifies the existence of the Peaks Island Council into the city charter, for reasons that are unclear and probably unnecessary. This one is so boring I can't even think of anything mean to say about it. On the upside, that means there's at least an outside chance that it will be harmless.
7. A much tamer than expected proposal to replace the Portland Citizen Review Subcommittee with a newly-created Civilian Policy Review Board that will supposedly have some extra powers but which, on the whole, sounds pretty much like business-as-usual. You get the sense that the Charter Commission would have liked to go further but had to contend with the unpleasant reality that, contrary to their most deeply-held wishes, Portland's police department isn't actually that bad.
8. A proposal to establish a Star Chamber Inquisition Ethics Commission to deal with all things ethics-related. One of the functions of said commission will be to draft a Code of Ethics, which can then be used as a weapon in various petty rivalries among city employees. The concept of such a commission is likely to appeal to the sort people who enjoy seeing their own vanity codified and who use idiotic expressions like "the appearance of impropriety" because they've lost all ability to distinguish between image and reality (i.e., Portland's electorate--see also: Item 1 above).