Alright Buckeyes!

My life is getting busy.
This may be bad.
Anchorage is the ultimate melting pot. There are people from all over. I've been introduced to Hmong culture. I'm happy to tell you more as I learn. One of the teachers I work with is Hmong, originally from California. Perhaps he'll be able to teach me some more.
One of my half goals is to make it out to the bush in the summer. I'm limiting winter travel because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't know where to begin to prepare. And I should have plenty of time when my term ends in July.
It is amazing to see how well so many cultures thrive here. Who would've thought that such a harsh climate could host so much life!
A volcano is preparing to erupt about 100 miles from here. People have been preparing for ash to cover Anchorage. It seems to have quieted down now. I'm adding to my list of natural disasters: blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and now volcanoes. I'm also shooting for an avalanche while I'm up here.
In other worlds, the Buckeyes, the basketball team I'm co-coaching, beat the Sooners 18-8. We're very excited about that. But more excited that the girls had fun playing. And did an awesome job! It turns out that our parents like our enthusiasm and the girls seem to like us. Which is much more important to me. They haven't realized that we don't know what we're doing yet...
We're learning though. We're definitely learning.
Tonight is hockey and reindeer dogs. Bill ruined my plans last Sunday when I tried to eat a reindeer dog. We determined, however, that reindeer dogs and hockey make more sense than gas station reindeer dogs.
Last night I helped out at a Scrabble Tournament. I judged.
There are a lot of competitive Scrabble people in the world. I had a few offers from people who wanted to buy me off. It was tempting... While I don't have the final numbers, the fundraiser brought in well over $5000 for the Anchorage Literacy Project.
it was such a great event! I'm adding it to my fundraising repertoire (in fact, it's my my first entry).
Things are trucking along in Anchorage. It's been a busy week. Most of my days are booked between now and March. Which is odd. Kind of nice. At least there are a lot of fun activities involved.
That being said, I do have time for a nap right now.
I plan to enjoy it!

Bus-tin'

The bus.
Perhaps the most amazing adventure I'll ever have.
If I'm lucky it's on time.
If I'm unlucky, it doesn't show up at all. Unfortunately, this happens more frequently than it should. I can only attribute it to user error so many times. Especially when I've made definite efforts to be at the bus stops early.
It's a good thing I got a tetanus shot and a flu shot at Project Homeless Connection the other day. At least one, if not both, will be necessary while waiting for the bus.
There is a great deal of entertainment value on the bus.
Yesterday, while I headed South for a doctor's appointment, a woman started scolding her boyfriend for downloading inappropriate videos to the computer. She found the links in the history.
The day before, a man told me about his days selling narcotics and fast living. Now he sells burritos and tamales, made by his mother (the former head chef for Alaska's only five star dining establishment). He offered his number for a tour around Anchorage, as well as a free burrito and a free tamale. After much insistence, I accepted. And yes, I did eat them. Though in the company of my friends. I wouldn't call them five star, but I probably would've paid a little something for them.
One bus driver offered the history of the Iditarod.
A drunk man asked if I would help him. After asking if I was his friend. I agreed on the condition that he did not ask me for money. At some point he fell asleep in the middle of a rant about not needing help. I worried at stops as his head lurched closer to my lap. Luckily I had a friend on that little adventure.
Otherwise, people are generally friendly and eager to help as I pull out my bus schedule.
Last night, on my way home from the doctor's appointment, I ran into a girl I met on Saturday. She's got a great life story, grew up in Africa and New York, school in Indiana, and moved to Alaska five months ago because she needed an adventure. As it turns out, she was off to tango lessons. How could I not join? It was perhaps one of the better dance classes of my life. I got to dance with so many people. Though dancing with the instructor spoiled me because she knew how to lead.
And tonight, I had round two of coaching basketball. Pretty awesome. I'm enjoying it more than I expected.
Our first game is Saturday morning at 9:00 (ugh!). Cheer us on!

Dance Dance Revolution

Check the rudder for a KC hair.
It's a typical problem. If the helicopter doesn't work it's due to the fact that I shed.
I'd be insulted, but I had to fix the problem last night and my hair does do a pretty good number on the rudder.
I'm officially staying with Bill and Ray. This makes me immensely happy. It seems I continued to delay moving because I didn't like the idea of going home to anybody else in Anchorage.
This works. For now.
I took an oath of office on Friday. There's no turning back now. Bonnie, my AmeriCorps recruiter, told me to sign in blood.
I haven't yet, but this is Alaska.
Governor Palin sent a representative. And Mr. Game Show shook my hand and congratulated me. He remembered my name long enough to ask me to move down five minutes later. I was a little shocked.
At the luncheon, native dancers performed for us, then invited us to join. And why wouldn't I. The movements were simple and repetitive, but as the music sped up, so did we. In doing the dance, I understood the meaning a lot more. Not that I could repeat it in words. Though I'm pretty sure I was stalking something.
Watching head movements and the waving of the head dresses enthralled me. Watching the women smile as they moved was also wonderful. The poor drummers about passed out by the end of it.
Friday night found Ray, Katie, and me at the Folk Fest at UAA.
Ray mentioned the fine sound quality, that you could hear voices over instruments. I feel, in some cases, the instruments should've been a bit louder.
However, it didn't coast anything and the last band, Bearfoot, was amazing. I highly recommend bluegrass fans look them up.
Additionally, a group of clogging ladies performed. While definitely amateur, they lit up the stage with their energy.
Last night, Bearfoot played for the contra dance hosted by the Dancing Bears. Followed by a zydeco band. I danced for about five hours straight. And rarely doubled up on partners. Plus, there are contra dances at least twice a month. All of this after Bill gave me a light up yo yo.
My time in Anchorage could be filled with dance!
Dance and buses.
My new favorite past time is studying bus schedules. I need to create scavenger hunts for myself so I can see everything around here. I can even commute between Anchorage and Wasilla! Not to mention the bus is already heated and jam packed with entertainment!
That being said, Ray leaves town this week. I am Bill's entertainment committee. Excitement hardly covers how I feel. We've got so many plans, I don't know that we'll get through everything. But we'll give it a go.
I can't imagine what I did to deserve such a good life. I hope I continue to do it, whatever it is.

MLK!

I love this holiday! It is quickly becoming my favorite.

My friends and I volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club painting bathrooms. I got to run around with kids, eat a free lunch, and I'm now coaching a 3rd and 4th grade girls basketball team. Practice starts Wednesday. I hope the games don't start Saturday, but it's possible.

We get to have parent meetings and phone trees. We also go to lug a bag of basketballs home on the bus. That was an adventure. And a good conversation starter. People thought we actually played.

While waiting for the bus, we inquired about rental cars at CheapWheels Rent-A-Car. It's definitely still beyond our AmeriCorps budget, but it's good to know that it exists. Then we went next door to Al's Wings and Wings while waiting for the bus. It's much more pleasant to sit inside a place that specializes and has a picture of Al Capone on the sign than to get splashed by motorist speeding as close to the curb as possible.

They threw in a few extra wings to my order for good measure.

It's too bad I'm not a huge fan of wings. I 'd like to be a regular there.

Last night, I got to go to a blues concert. James Cotton. It was the first time he's been to Alaska since coming with Muddy Waters in the 80s. It was amazing! Who knew that I would get such a great blues experience in Anchorage. And in a large venue.

The opening act was supposed to be the Gordie Tentrees Trio coming from Whitehorse, Canada (the capitol of Yukon). Unfortunately, one of the members couldn't make it to the show due to 100mph winds. This left me a little bit skeptical since the other two decided to perform anyhow. I would've gone to the show just to see them. They did wonderful things with a steel guitar, a slide guitar, a harmonica, and foot stomping. I wish I could relive the entire experience.

Life is good.

Once upon a sunny day...

I'm staying home alone tonight! It's so nice!
I sent Bill off to a hockey game. Ray went dancing in Palmer. I get to lay on the couch and enjoy my quiet time.
Last night I volunteered at the Beer and Barley Wine Fest (though I didn't see any barley wine).
In typical fashion, they didn't know what to do with all their volunteers. I attempted to help, but 415 volunteers is more than most people can handle. So they gave me a glass, and about 10 tickets and let me have free beer. Supposedly I get hours for this too...
Anyhow, I ran into a couple of people I met last week and chummed up with them. I even got to dance with a girl I met at the rock climbing gym. Yeah, I may be taking up rock climbing. In addition to belly dancing starting on Tuesday! WOO!
I don't understand why more people don't get out to volunteer!
This morning, after waking at 7:30, I managed to roll out of bed around 10 to the smell of bacon pieces (all the parts too fatty to go into bacon get put in bacon pieces), scrambled eggs, and potato chunks. For some reason, after breakfast Ray decided he needed a swift walk. In the mountains. To find moose antlers. It's the season for shedding. Luckily, the sun and temperature were in our favor (it was at least 45 today). So we piled in Ray's Pathfinder and headed North.
Silly me, I forgot how these mountain men like to hike and agreed to join.
There are a few rules to remember when hiking with Ray.
1. Mountain walking is speed walking on steroids
2. Trails are suggestions
3. Animal stalking is required
4. Be prepared for all elements
5. Sticks, stones, and/or snowballs will be thrown
Luckily Bill is more my speed when hiking. Especially on ice. Though I had my YakTrax!
Not too far into the hike a moose crossed above us with an antler close to dropping. Of course this means that we had to follow its tracks. Off we went, into the woods. And up the mountain. Oh, Mississippi, we went from sea level to 1500 feet. I believe you make it to 806 at your highest point. My ears popped on the way up. I fell into several feet of snow on the way down.
We ended up sledding down several sections of mountains. Denim is not ideal for sitting in the snow and scooting, but it was much faster, even dodging all the elderberry bushes. And since Ray and Bill went first, they packed a pretty good path for me. I ran into both of them several times.
They also introduced me to Devil's Club. Mostly by plowing through several sections of it. If you're looking for a good exfoliant, Devil's Club will peel away the first few layers of skin simply by touching it. Apparently it also treats diabetes. Who knew?
It's been an eventful day. But now, I'm back to enjoying the quiet of Anchorage nights.
Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Go out and volunteer!

Product Endorsement

I think there are some women who wish they were lesbians, but can't get past heterosexuality.
It's warmer in Alaska than most of the United States. Crazy that. Sorry Chicago, looks like you've got the wost of it. Even the northernmost town in Alaska is above zero (Yesterday, Barrow, AK and Boston, MA were both at 9 degrees. Chicago boasted -12 degrees). It is currently 43 degrees in Anchorage. And 40 degrees in Biloxi. And they've had more sunlight. In fact, it's still dark here.
And yet work has still been delayed. It was canceled yesterday.
It has been determined that I am a carrier of global warming.
Call me if you're interested in running science experiments.
Yak-Tracs are amazing. It didn't stop me from slipping completely, but definitely stopped me from falling. While strolling through town yesterday, the Yak-Trac on my left foot slipped off and suddenly I had no traction on that side. When reapplied, I started bouncing around like a billy goat.
If these weather patterns continue, don't hesitate, go get yourself some Yak-Tracs!

I'm working!

It warmed up enough to snow yesterday.
That turned into freezing rain this morning, delaying training until 10:00 AM.
Schools are closed. The side of the highway is lined with cars that simply couldn't hold on. You'd think that people would learn to drive on ice up here. But they still like to maintain speeds of 65 or 70. Smart.
I spoke with a woman yesterday who said that Alaskans need to pay attention to the weather in Siberia to know what's coming their way. Siberia! I guess that makes sense. I'm just glad I decided to stick with Anchorage and not go even farther into the state. I'm just fine without -76 degrees in my life. I also like being ahead of the Lower 48 in weather patterns. I just want to know who gets to start everything. If you watch us, we watch Siberia, Siberia watches Russia, where does it end?
She also discussed global warming. Cruise ships have been able to dock in Barrow, AK. That is as far North as you can go. And polar bears seem to be in trouble because there's no glaciers for frolicking over the summer months. Therefore, they've started mating with grizzly bears. That's evolution for you. I offer you plaudits polar bears; keep the species going in some form, even if it means mating with those filthy grizzlies! And it keeps hunters entertained.
She also introduced me to Full Circle Farms. They offer fresh produce via mail every two weeks. This is more than welcome on this frozen tundra where food is expensive. Five dollar foot longs are six dollar foot longs up here. It doesn't have the same ring.
Last night I learned a little West Coast Swing as taught by a couple. The woman gave me a dissertation rather than teach me the steps. And kept referring to the Lindy Hop, which I don't know. Neither activity helped me learn to dance better. Her boyfriend/husband actually danced with me, and offered tips. For some reason that worked.
Upon returning to the apartment, I found Ray with bags of meat covering half the kitchen floor and Bill pulling the cookies he just baked from the oven. I love walking into the apartment. There's always something going on.
It turns out that they have 220 pounds of meat in their freezers. Ray's method of weighing involves first weighing himself, then weighing himself with the meat and figuring the difference. It's genius. Though he did this with 4 pounds of meat that would've easily fit on the bathroom scale alone. The contents of the freezer include antelope (which is thawing as we speak), moose, elk, various goat parts (including a bloody goat skull), and Boca Burgers that have been in the freezer for at least 3 years. I took pictures of the goat skull and ate a Boca Burger. I'm surviving both so far.
On the work side of things, I started training on Monday.
It's good. It's organized. It's everything I hoped it would be.
I hope they can keep up this charade.
Actually, Nine Star has been around for more than 30 years and they have a pretty good history. It is an ideal company for me, and finding one like it in the Lower 48 would be awesome. Now I know what I want. So far. I've still got six months to go.
On Friday, we have a scavenger hunt by bus to find our partner organizations. They've given all kinds of resources to keep us healthy and alive during our time here. Not to mention help getting food stamps and various other benefits. Like a phone that's five dollars a month with 1200 state-wide minutes and unlimited text. It doesn't do me any good, but it's still available. Alaska takes care of it's people. In fact they pay them to be here. Look at the republican state go!
Unfortunately, I don't plan on staying long enough for them to pay me to be here, but it's nice to know that they would.
Well, it's still dark out, but it's nearly 9:00 AM and I still have to walk a mile over icy sidewalks. Downhill right now. Then uphill. Oh Alaska.

Dissection

Southern living is life in soft focus.
Move to Alaska and suddenly everything is much more harsh and much more real.
Or maybe it's just the weather. I don't really feel like stepping outside anymore, it takes too much work. All those clothes. Boots. Hat. Scarf. Gloves.
It stayed above 0 for most of the day today. I think it got to 1 degree! And the sun came up a bit earlier than yesterday.
I have an official checking account now. In Alaska. Back to Wells Fargo.
I will learn patience in Alaska. Mostly because there's a lot of waiting. It will be warm...in a few months. There will be things to do...when it warms up.
Luckily the people here are amazing. Susan's fiance's friend invited me to her niece's fourth birthday at Chuckie Cheese. It was incredible. And she dances!
Afterwards, Ray and I ventured off into the world of middle-aged couples and their kids. My apologies parents, but if I have kids someday, I hope I have other things to talk about. I did learn that Lutheran women can cook. Apparently it's a requirement.
More importantly, I laughed harder than I have for quite some time during a game of Balderdash. I can't believe that in 2 days I've met so many amazing people that I am excited to spend time with. The long winter is an excuse to create more activities, and follow through with them. Additionally, Bill and Ray have taken really good care of me. They feed me, chauffeur me, entertain me, and bathe me. I mean, they let me use their shower. How lucky can I get?
The true highlight of the day though, and I'm so excited this happened, was cutting the fat off moose ribs. And tomorrow, we'll eat them. How yummy.
I'm still holding out for cleaning a bear this spring. Or maybe I'll just got shoot one myself...
Ah, Alaska

Alaska turns 50!

I had to thaw out to start shivering.
I may be going into convulsions right now.
It is currently 10:32 AM. I just got back from an hour walk in -9 degrees.
The sun still appears to be rising. And it is somewhat light out. When my goosebumps are gone, and my hair thaws (it turns out that when my breath hits my hair, it freezes) I may have to go enjoy it.
When I left at 9:15 AM the sun was rising on my left and a big beautiful full moon was setting on my right. It just ducked below the horizon.
Luckily drivers are pedestrian friendly. I think they feel sorry for the stupid people that decide to walk.
There are also several bikers. Being that ice genearlly scares me, and I have much less blanace when wheels are involved, I don't think I'll be jumping on a bicycle any time soon.
I'm staying with Ray, who believes that decorating should involve as many dead things as possible. Especially if they're large dead things. There are skull and antler sets in the living room, a bear hide covering the love seat and another on the deep chest freezer and a moose antler on top of that. He and his roommate have adopted two plants since I visited last November.
On the bright side, they killed a moose recently and still have deer left over in the freezer. This means I'll get as much dead animal as I can stand (deer meat does make an excellent addition to pasta sauce). In summer, I anticipate some bear. Yum! This may mean that I'll gain the 8 pounds that I lost somewhere between Mississippi and Alaska.
My goal right now is to learn the bus system. Somehow, walking everywhere when it's the coldest winter people can remember doesn't seem very pleasant right now, although Ray has offered the use of his car...
Walking in the dark is nice though. The world is very private and very quiet. The shadows on the mountains are absolutely beautiful.
We went to a ska concert last night. Which meant I got to dance. And meet a ridiculous number of people. I think I remember 5 names out of 30. That's a good start.
On that note, Alaska has been a state for 50 years. I'll be in the middle of all kinds of celebrations!
Walking around Alaska does feel a lot like walking around Japan. Not quite sure why yet, but I've got time to figure that out.
So. I'm in Alaska. Weird.