By seven o'clock, there's already a smattering of regulars inside the notorious Ash Street bar, The Cage. The waning light of the summer evening filters in as amplifiers, microphones and a drum kit are staged at the far end of the wood-paneled front room. A clattering of pool balls can be heard in the background as musicians from around the state start trickling in, welcoming each other as they rest instrument cases of varying sizes on tables and along walls.

Sometimes when a group is forced to make a major decision, it can take forever. For a group of doctors at Central Maine Orthopaedics who had the opportunity to volunteer in Haiti following the devastating earthquake earlier this year, this was one group decision made with a singular voice.

At first glance, one might think that we're lacking in the visual arts around here. Dig a little deeper and the realization that it's all around us unravels itself: Walking into your neighborhood bank you see art hanging on the walls; heading down to quench your thirst at Gritty McDuff's you can view a rotating art display in the window front; local colleges double as galleries in many locations...and it goes on.

When 55-year-old Jill Bruce of Auburn was diagnosed with breast cancer in June last year, everything came to a screeching halt. ''It stops you in your tracks and suddenly everything in your life is different. You think about things like, how much longer do I have to live? What does this mean and what about my kids?'' With her family living out of state, the self-described independent woman was hesitant and unsure where to seek out support.

With a love for the natural world, a desire to start a business and the catchy motto ''Let's fix that'' floating around in his head, Khris Lalemand made the leap earlier this year and created 200billionbottles(.com), an eco-friendly company aimed at curtailing the use of plastic water bottles.

Community Garden Dedication on the corner of Pine and Howe streets in Lewiston on Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Confession: I'm one of those nerds who is plugged-in to even the most seemingly useless social networking applications (see: Gowalla, Foursquare, etc). I was on both Myspace and Facebook the year they came out. I'm not scared of the Interwebz, which I've had since I was nine, but I know a lot of people are afraid of the harmful potential of social networking. Including my Dad, who worries about me because he loves me.

Have you ever noticed how when it's hot in Maine almost everyone complains about how hot it is, and when it's cold almost everyone complains about how cold it is? There's no happy medium. There are no in-betweeners (sic) rejoicing at either extreme and shunning the other. More often than not, the masses are pissed - no matter what the weather brings.

My favorite poem by Robert Frost is Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. It has everything someone who is not a fan of poetry - me for instance - needs. It's short (only 16 lines), it rhymes (which proves it's good) and isn't too deep.