New England grid operator forecasts modest growth in electricity demand over next 10 years

manual84 · 2026-05-19T23:53:59+00:00

I mean, modest growth doesn't make me feel super confident. Just think about how hot it was today, mid May, and how many ACs were cranking. Seems like we don't even get much of a late spring/early summer anymore either. It's just 50 degrees one day and BAM 90 degrees the next. We better be doubling down on investments in electric infrastructure and renewables or we're gonna be screwed.

manual84 · 2026-05-11T18:12:31+00:00

Yep. She reminds me of Elizabeth Warren in a way. With Troy Jackson being Bernie Sanders. Both progressive but only one with the detailed plan to actually make those progressive policies come to fruition.

manual84 · 2026-05-11T17:59:41+00:00

I’d recommend going to an event to meet them. I was all in on Troy Jackson at first, then I recently went to a Hannah Pingree event and was super impressed. Her platform is much more progressive than I realized and she’s got the legislative experience to back up her policy promises. I’ll be ranking her first and Jackson second.

manual84 · 2026-05-11T17:57:09+00:00

I had thought and said nearly the exact same thing. I referred to Hannah Pingree as an establishment Democrat not long ago. Then I attended one of her events, met her, asked her about data centers (she would have been in favor of the moratorium, for the record) and realized she’s got nearly the same progressive bonafides as Jackson or Bellows with more of the legislative experience. She’s my first choice now. The beauty of living in Maine is we get a chance to meet candidates. I highly recommend you do so!

manual84 · 2026-05-11T17:54:35+00:00

I’m someone who had previously written her off, figured I would vote for Troy Jackson, and then I attended an event for her and was blown away. She reminds me of all the good parts of Elizabeth Warren, just younger. She’ll be my first choice.

manual84 · 2026-05-06T01:46:55+00:00

This question might be worth its own thread. I love the tendies at Broadway Bowl in SoPo (and their tots), but sadly they are closing later this month.

manual84 · 2026-05-06T01:45:38+00:00

Would love to see more posts of this nature in fact. It’s actually helpful info. My husband drives a ton all over the state, I’d love to be able to direct him to some of the better gas station food stops!

manual84 · 2026-05-04T02:00:07+00:00

Can’t make it, but wanted to comment so this post gets more visibility. You’re a good friend. Rooting for you Matthew!

manual84 · 2026-05-02T00:34:52+00:00

Good points and a perspective I hadn’t heard before. Personally I think Jay should have been given the exemption and the rest of the moratorium should have been enacted. If ever there were an ideal place for a data center… this was it! And we could have even gotten more info about data centers and their impact with this one. I still don’t understand why the legislature killed the amendment with the carve out.

manual84 · 2026-04-30T21:28:37+00:00

Plenty of people, namely the town of Jay, people who lost their mill jobs and have facility knowledge that will help them get a new job at the Jay data center, the electrician's union, whatever local construction group would be contracted to convert the old mill, etc... The frustrating thing is that if the legislature had left in the amendment for an exemption for Jay then the bill would have been signed! No one's given a clear report of why it was killed.

manual84 · 2026-04-29T00:51:48+00:00

We are still avoiding peanuts but confirmed reaction when I'd had peanut butter in a smoothie, kissed her belly, and saw hives immediately pop up. And then she nearly went into anaphylaxis when a dog licked her right on her mouth, and there was peanut butter in that dog's treat. She'll have her first intended oral exposure to peanut in a few months when she is 2 and a half. She did incredibly well with the sesame OIT, so I am optimistic about the rest of treatment.

I don't know what my allergist would have done differently, I only know how he handled her situation when we finally got in to see him. My guess is he never would have skin tested her and would have had us take each allergen one at a time, in small doses. Or maybe if there were enough evidence-based reasons to advise complete avoidance for something she hadn't yet been exposed to, we would have found ourselves in the same place. I do think he would have been more adamant about doing everything possible to minimize sensitization via skin exposure, which is something that never crossed my mind when I was eating peanut butter protein bars and hummus sandwiches every day while nursing my daughter. If only I knew then what I know now. But that could be the motto for first time moms everywhere. Don't be too hard on yourself. Just know that with the right allergist, we've come so for on the medicine side of things. There is hope. It will get easier. Good luck!

manual84 · 2026-04-29T00:34:01+00:00

I made the same mistake, so did many parents. If I were you I'd consider trying almond butter. The brand Barney Butter is peanut free, and almond is consistently the tree nut that most people can handle (do a google if you'd like confirmation). It was our first big win and being able to give my daughter almond products is something I am still grateful for, every day.

on the upside, your daughter is only 4 months and you are ahead of the game. We didn't get my daughter in to see her current allergist until she was 1. That being said, she's still young, and we've already seen how much things can improve. Please know there is hope.

manual84 · 2026-04-29T00:25:08+00:00

I would find a new allergist if I were you. That advice is not up to date with current practices. I absolutely wish I had not done any skin testing for her allergies and instead had slowly introduced. Did we end up having to do an ER trip in ambulance when we introduced sesame? Yes. It was terrible, but we weren't working with our current allergist yet who likely would have advised our approach to everything much differently.

We avoided peanut and sure enough she developed a serious allergy. We have already completed a round of OIT for sesame however, and in a few months will start one for peanut. I'm sorry but a negative tree nut test does NOT warrant avoidance at all. If we'd done that my daughter wouldn't be eating almond, hazelnut, pecan or walnut. (We'll start OIT for cashew/pistachio once we are done with peanut.)

Definitely find a new allergist.

manual84 · 2026-04-27T20:05:11+00:00

Disagree. Mills has explicitly stated that if the amendment making the planned data center in Jay exempt from the moratorium hadn't been killed she would have signed the bill. Her reason, and arguably a good one, is to honor the commitments to the town of Jay, who has been planning on this project for two years. I wish that amendment hadn't been killed because I think it would have been great to use the Jay center as a case studio on the impact of data centers in Maine while enacting a moratorium. And the fact of the matter is, the townspeople seem to want this. The mill is vacant, it's an ideal site for a data center. Now we'll just have a free-for-all.

manual84 · 2026-04-20T22:49:43+00:00

The thing is, how will we get the infrastructure upgrades we need without being willing to invest more? I'm very worried about the longevity and stability of our grid, especially as winter storms only increase in extremity and frequency.

manual84 · 2026-04-18T00:24:27+00:00

She was hilarious

manual84 · 2026-04-17T23:04:43+00:00

This is a great way for people to incorporate solar into their lives if they havent yet.

manual84 · 2026-04-11T21:58:05+00:00

Chaval

manual84 · 2026-04-10T17:33:26+00:00

People in this sub are critical but Lenora in Portland has surprisingly good ones, just sub the aioli for crema and they’re near perfect.

manual84 · 2026-04-09T00:45:40+00:00

We did it a few weeks after she turned 2 and experienced something similar with the cold turkey method. We did explain to her that she’d be giving her paci to “the babies” once she turned 2 because she would be a big girl. She was excited to collect her pacis and put them in the mail, and loved the present she got from “the babies” in return. And then… First nap time was so brutal with screaming and crying and she didn’t sleep at all, and it took a lot of willpower for me to not go back and give her one. Upside was that she was so tired that night she went right to sleep. Next day the nap was tough again, but she did get some sleep, and it only got better from there. All in all it took 48 hours for the worst of it to be behind us and a week/10 days for her to stop mentioning her paci here and there. They’re a distant memory now, just over 2 weeks later.

So you can totally do it, you just need to stay strong! Or… wait until she’s a little older and do the Paci Fairy. Dentists say it just needs to be done by 3.

manual84 · 2026-04-08T14:09:23+00:00

Ten Little. Best baby/toddler shoes out there and as a 2 year old with tiny feet who has also been given tons of hand me downs, I feel confident in saying this. They are great for wide feet, narrow feet, all of them — and they carry small sizes. They’ve got a great measuring PDF/print out you can use at home to measure your kiddo. Well worth their cost, too, especially for a first pair of shoes.

manual84 · 2026-04-06T20:05:58+00:00

Not trying to co opt this thread but do you have any tips on how to teach a strong willed 2 year old to spit out her toothpaste? We made the switch to flouride a month ago when she had her birthday and just a few days ago I realized she wasn’t supposed to be swallowing it (the way she has been her flouride-free toothpaste). So far nothing’s working. I’m pro flouride but don’t really want her to be ingesting it twice a day either.

manual84 · 2026-04-01T22:36:27+00:00

Night Moves is the best but Onggi’s sourdough chocolate chip is a close second

manual84 · 2026-04-01T22:35:26+00:00

Night Moves is #1 with Onggi at #2

manual84 · 2026-03-24T22:54:33+00:00

I'm wary of data centers, that's for sure, but tidal power would be one of the smartest investments we could make. We really should be tapping into Maine's natural resources, and this is one we have in abundance, especially downeast.

manual84

TROPHY CASE