Negative Posts about Maine.... (Brunswick, Orono: house, neighborhood, camping)

[mollysmiles]

So, I've decided that I have things about Maine that I don't like. I can write a negative post. And I welcome you all to do the same. Here's some of MY complaints....

I hate it that Maine has such cold ocean water. It makes it very difficult to enjoy the over 8,000 miles of coastline that we have. What's up with that? They don't really think we'd just enjoy the "view" do they? Or the sea glass, walking on the beach?...yea, right.

I don't like all the trees either. Who really needs their state to be 90% trees? That's just got to be bad for people....

AND I don't like it that Maine is so different depending on where you go. Why can't it all just be the same? Mountains, oceans, woods, fields, city life, little towns, unnamed numbered areas...even 4 seasons, and a desert?! Seriously, it's never the same from place to place. Sometimes takes you by complete surprise. How can a person expect to live this way?

And the wildlife? (No, not in the Old Port!) What are all these eagles, deer, moose etc, etc, etc doing here? I'd like to just be able to take a walk in the woods and not be subjected to the loudness of the birds, or have the constant worry of seeing a bear or a deer. And the moose...they're just foolish. Standing there for that photo op. And not even in the woods! Calais PD gets called about the moose every spring! and a friend of mine had a bear in his yard!

The cell service. Hello! Camping at the foot of Katahdin and no service...or rafting on the Kennebec...I don't understand that one at all.

Worse yet....the nosey people. Why do I have to explain to everyone who stops when my car breaks down on the side of the road what happened? Why do my neighbors tell me that there was a strange car in my dooryahd or that my kid was peeling rubber on Main Street? Going to the store is crazy...everyone says hi and expects you to tell them what you've been doing and how the family is. And for heavens sake, don't ever need an ambulance or police car to come to your house because the neighborhood will be over to see if you're ok.

anyone else have complaints like these?

[Elcarim]

How absolutely hilarious! You just described some of the TOP reasons we are moving to Maine! My mom and dad were just over a bit ago, and looked at some pics of Maine with us. They too are considering the migration. They, unlike us, don't appreciate the coast, but crave the quiet countryside, farmlands and abundant wildlife. The thing we all agreed on is that there is something for every taste in Maine.

I guess we'll have to live there a while before we earn the right (or gain enough knowledge) to complain about anything. But we are all individuals and live different lives. I'm sure there is PLENTY you wouldn't trade for anything about the great state.

And I so can't wait to meet our new nosey neighbors!!

[mainebrokerman]

i hate it when a total stranger says hello, or opens a door for you while going into a store, and it ticks me off when someone waves to me i dont know.

and it really annoys me when i can leave my keys in my car overnight,(because i cant find them in the house)

and the worse, these woman that wear halter tops without a bra

[Elcarim]

And how the heck do they stand wearing halter tops when it's 62 degrees on a July day??? I can understand the fascination, however. Chilly women, bra-less, halter top....yep, I get that picture! MEN!!

And funny you should mention being ticked off when someone waves hello. That's one of my worst pet peeves. I'm rather friendly, (not in a braless halter top kind of way) and I smile and say hello to most people I pass in the store. The stupid thing is that they actually DO look at me like I've lost my mind and you see that "how dare you speak to me!" thought running through their mind. That's Southern Hospitality for you! And southerners say "Yankees are rude!" I'm guessing they don't actually KNOW many northern neighbors.

I think I was just born in the wrong place.

[BacktoNE]

My biggest complaint about Maine is that it's too far away! Not the State's fault of course, but I've gotta blame somebody

Ya, that annoying "hello", "how are you", "can I help you" really needs to stop. I haven't heard it once in nearly 15 months....

Can you tell I am SOOOOO homesick for Maine???

[MsJL]

I have a gripe. I'm getting way too old to be expected to remember the names of not only my new neighbors - I've met them all in the 6 weeks since we moved from Orono, they've made sure of that - but I also know their kids' names, their best friends' names, and the names of every pet they've ever owned in their lives.

And while we're on the subject... What on earth has happened to my Yuppie anonymity? Didn't Mainers learn the way things are now, that you don't bother people with wanting to get to know them? I lived for the better part of two decades never once meeting a neighbor - and ever since I came to Maine, I know everyone around me. Leads to even more of those annoying, friendly waves and greetings, always running into people I know. People who ask how we're doing, do we need anything, how're the kids, and on and on... Good grief, just yesterday a friendly woman showed up at my door, introduced herself as a friend of my next-door neighbor's mother (whom I met last week), and she welcomed me to the neighborhood.

Geez, after 20 years of no one giving a rat's rear about anything about me and my family, this is tough to accept - does this mean I've lost my Yuppie Membership Card?



Fine by me.

Molly, GREAT discussion. You're a hoot.

[ogre]

I think I've been living too long in MA. Living here so long has made me complacent. I've just gotten too much so that I don't appreciate all the advantages that MA has to offer.

There are the high housing costs that keep me from squandering my money on such trivialities as nice restaurants, museums, sports events, a savings account . . . Then there's all the congestion that keeps rush-hour traffic creeping along most of the day at a nice relaxed, langorous pace. And of course there are the aloof and hard-nosed people, who make it clear to me that I don't need to concern myself with the annoyance of looking out for my neighbors' well-being.

Yes, I'm beginning to realize that it's just not right for one person to have it so good all his life. It's time for me to suck it up, and build my character by living in a place where I'll come to appreciate that not everyone in this world is lucky enough to enjoy the privileged life I've led all these years in MA. Mollysmiles, I wonder in what general part of Maine you live. It would be very helpful for me to know this, as I'm quite serious about teaching myself the character-building lesson that there are those who lead quite difficult lives, and your home area sounds exactly like the kind of hardbitten place where I would be able to attain the enlightenment I so enthusiastically seek.

[mollysmiles]

you guys are so cool. really.

I hate that I drove home to the Calais house tonight from Eastport with the top off the Jeep, the bright full moon shining down, illuminating the edges of the clouds. And the smell? It was awful....salt air, pine trees, and some sicky sweet grass smell...you know the smell from the grasses that are woven into baskets? Who wants to smell all that?!

[mollysmiles]

Originally Posted by ogre

... Mollysmiles, I wonder in what general part of Maine you live. It would be very helpful for me to know this, as I'm quite serious about teaching myself the character-building lesson that there are those who lead quite difficult lives, and your home area sounds exactly like the kind of hardbitten place where I would be able to attain the enlightenment I so enthusiastically seek.

I live in a small city (we call it a city cause we have TWO stoplights ) almost as far east as you can go and still be in the US. If you get on Rt. 1 and drive until the ocean is no longer on your right, you'll be in Calais. If you don't make the turn you'll be in New Brunswick, Canada! I'm very glad to hear that you acknowledge that you could become a hardier character by moving here. Some search their entire lives for a place that you can experience the type of hardships we have here.

[mollysmiles]

Originally Posted by MsJL

...Geez, after 20 years of no one giving a rat's rear about anything about me and my family, this is tough to accept - does this mean I've lost my Yuppie Membership Card?...

ayuh...it's gone.