I'm finally home early enough that I have more than five minutes before crawling into bed exhausted. So now, the weekend update.

The weekend started out with a road trip. Haven't done that in ages. But, you put three single women in a car, and the subject always comes back to guys. At one point, we were discussing the varying degrees of cute when it comes to guys: there's cute when you're sober, cute after you've had a few drinks, and not cute ever, even if you've had plenty to drink. After more guy-chatter, we took a break at Rein's Deli, a New York style joint off of Route 84 -- and I'm pretty proud that I was able to find it after all those years. It used to be a regular stop on my trips to and from college. Having enjoyed a salami sandwich on seedless rye, some pickles, and a chocolate egg cream, I was ready to continue up to Maine. We arrived quite late, but awoke to a spectacular day, and drove out to lunch at Two Lights Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth. Stunning scenery, and a good lobster roll. Huge chunks of meat, and a dollop of mayo, not mixed in -- had I known, I would have ordered it without the mayo. Next time.

My road trip companions dropped me off in Portland, and we relaxed a bit until our first graduation event of the weekend -- dinner at Mims Brasserie, a new spot down at the old port area. I thought it was a great setting for a casual celebration, and the food was simple and well-done. I had my second serving of lobster for the day in their lobster bisque. The next day, we woke up bright and early to head up to Bates for the on-campus festivities, including a Baccalaureate service and the Phi Beta Kappa induction (my brother's wicked smahht -- takes after me, of course). Did you know the Phi Beta Kappas have a secret handshake? They may be wicked smahht, but they're still a fraternity. We had a barbecue back at my brother's house that night, with all the parents and siblings of his housemates floating around. The party got even bigger later that evening, and my brother, with his best peer pressure skills ("I don't care if you come to graduation, it's more important to me that you stay and hang out tonight!"), convinced me and my sister to stay the night. Unlike my brother, however, we did not stay up all night. But, being the old woman that I am, I made sure he had provided me with a towel, something to sleep in, and a place to store my contacts before the drinking started in earnest.

The next day was graduation. The weather was perfect, the speeches were short, and my brother didn't pass out or throw up from the previous night's festivities. Congratulations on all counts -- including the graduation part. Upon returning back to Portland, I had time for one final lobster roll before I flew back to NYC. This time, at the Portland Lobster Company. And it was perfect. Perfect. No mayo, huge chunks of lobster, toasted bun, Bibb lettuce, drawn butter, and lemon. Combine that with a picnic table on the water and end of the day sun, and I was in heaven. Yay Maine! You can find the rest of the photos here.