Out Cold

One of the best things about having my own house is that I can have lots of visitors without feeling like I am imposing on my room-mates. My cousin Lindsay came down from College of Atlantic for the weekend, which was a great chance to scope out the vegan food in Portland. In advance of her arrival I got great sourdough Maine grain bread at The Standard Baking Company (and a chocolate croissant for myself for breakfast) and dark chocolate sorbetto at Maples (and caramel and sea salt gelato for me for later!). Then Friday we spent the day wandering through the city. We had a great lunch at the Public Market House - wild mushroom and barley soup with 7 grain bread from Big Sky Bread Company and then a sweet potato quesadilla. For dessert Lindsay struck out at Bam Bam Bakery- they have a lot of dairy free and gluten free options, but nothing was totally vegan because they use honey. But I got an AMAZING Peanut Butter Delight Bar - shortbread crust topped with layer of chocolate then fluff then peanut butter with a light crunch and topped off with just a wee bit more chocolate. Too bad for her! In the late afternoon my Mom, my aunt, and my Mom's friend Cat joined us and we headed out to Brownfield to the Stone Mountain Arts Center for dinner and a Dar William Arts Center. It was a lovely drive out through the country. The sun was shining on the bright red, yellow, and orange leaves all up the sides of the mountains and along the edges of the ponds. The venue was just as beautiful. It's an old restored barn, with towering ceilings and natural wood beams. The wall behind the stage is painted a dark green with a design meant to mimic birch trees which twinkle with white lights. Tall long windows further the illusion that you are outside. And the

The dinner menu was great. We got a huge salad with pecans, pears, cranberries, and goat cheese; pizza with lots of red sauce and onions; veggie lasagna with mushrooms and spinach; and big hunks of cornbread. It was all awesome. Then, Dar came on stage. I've been a fan for a long time, but never seen her live. She sounds even better in person than on CD. Her guitar and voice are just so clear. And her lyrics are so clever and insightful. Unfortunately, half way through the first half of the show I started feeling not so good. I was hot, dizzy, and nauseous. I got up to use the bathroom and held a cold cloth to my head, hoping I'd feel better if I cooled down. I did, but only temporarily. Back at the table, I started feeling worse and worse, and then next thing I knew I was on the floor! I had passed out and the very tall bar chair I was sitting on had fallen over backward. So not only did I smack my head on the wood floor, I also made a lot of noise. I was so embarrassed when I came to. Luckily I was right by the door to the side porch. I woozily made my way out there and then laid down on the cool floor. The staff brought me a bag of ice to put on my neck. Lying on the floor in a much cooler room, I felt much better although my heart continued to feel like it was racing. Since my whole family passes out pretty easily my mom, aunt, and cousin were pretty non-plussed. I spent the second half of the show lying on the floor listening with one of them sitting with me, while the rest went back to our table. This morning I tried (of course) to go to kickboxing. Bad choice. I felt like my brain was bouncing around in my head. So, I'm trying to be smart and listen my body today. I've stayed home reading and napping, but my head is still aching. Bummer.