Another thing I learned and enjoyed on vacation to the Northeast was the fact that the state highway signs in New Hampshire featured a facial profile.

Maybe I’m a bit behind, but I did not know about this and after a brief search on the internet, I learned that the profile depicted is that of the Old Man of the Mountain.

According to Wikipedia, the Old Man of the Mountain was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA that, when viewed from the correct angle, appeared to be the jagged profile of a face. The outcrop was 1,200 feet (370 m) above Profile Lake, and measured 40 feet (12 m) tall and 25 feet (7.6 m) wide.

The first recorded mention of the Old Man was in 1805. The Man has been the New Hampshire state emblem since 1945. The reverse of the state quarter also features the Man. Daniel Webster and Nathaniel Hawthorne have written about it.

Then, tragically yet also poignantly, the Man collapsed on May 3, 2003.

This just adds to the allure and mystique of the state with the coolest motto: “Live Free or Die.”

St. Vincent “Actor Out Of Work” from Lake Fever Sessions on Vimeo.

More here: Lake Fever Sessions.

One thing I observed in Montreal was how often people used the word “perfect.” I think it might have something to do with native French speakers and the translation, or perhaps it’s just regional or something that has spread and become part of the everyday vernacular. Whatever the cause, I am grateful.

If you had correct change or ordered a meal or decided on something, the response was a perky or resolute “perfect!”. It really does wonders for your self-esteem. Wow, I really made a great choice, you think. What I chose or said or did wasn’t just okay, good, or even great - it was perfect.

I’ve recently rediscovered the library, and it’s great. I finished Benjamin Kunkel’s Indecision and Katha Pollitt’s Learning to Drive over vacation. Before vacation I read Aimee Bender’s Willful Creatures. I’m currently in the middle of Haruki Murakami’s after the quake.

I remember the awesome summer reading programs at my local library growing up where you would get rewards for certain numbers of books. I may re-institute that for myself. Here’s my first self-reward: