What Must the Neighbors Think?

I just got back from taking Missy and Em to school again. I'm thinking of painting my Escape yellow and covering it with reflective tape. It would be fun to wreak havoc with the traffic by turning on the flashing red lights and putting out the stop sign. But I guess I'll keep it the color it is. I think my school bus driver days are almost over. Missy called her mechanic yesterday and had her parent's car towed in to be fixed. Hopefully they get it fixed today. I know she's hating being without a car. I don't mind helping out. I'll probably feel sad and useless when she's not calling me for a ride. ;-)

I stopped and got my latte this morning just like always. The pic attached is the stand I go to in the mornings. When I first went there and ordered my latte I told them I had my own cup but that they were going to be cranky with me using it. The barrista rolled her eyes and said "give me your Starbucks cup!" Too funny. It's hard to find a 20 oz travel mug but I did find one and sadly it's Starbucks. Oh well. Turns out Gin, the barrista, knows Kirk and Danielle really well. It's fun to stop by and chit chat a bit in the mornings on my way to Danielle's. I get Danielle a latte as well. It's the least I can do...she's letting me use her condo work out of, I use her washer/dryer and I use her shower every day. I think a latte is a small price to pay for that.

So Danielle and Missy live about five doors down from one another in the same condo complex. They are constantly in one another's place. Em and Jazzy (Danielle's niece that she's raising) are also going back and forth between the two places. That seems innocent enough I guess but now add me to the mix. At 6:45 in the morning I stop at Missy's and open the door, put Clara inside, close the door and come to Danielle's. I come inside with a carry on suitcase (has my laptops and work stuff) and a gym bag. Shortly thereafter Danielle goes to work and Jazzy goes to school. At 8am I leave and pick up Missy and Em and take them to school and come back to Danielle's. Then several times throughout the day I'm back and forth to Missy's to let Clara out. Then I leave for good in the afternoon. All innocent enough. Now imagine your Gladys Kravitz, peeking through your window and seeing all this going on. What must she be thinking? What stories are going through her mind? She came with some wild and crazy ideas about Darren and Samantha but Samantha was a witch afterall. We're not. But still, the stories. I would love to know what the neighbors think.

I'm Not a Morning Person

I’m really not a morning person. This from the guy who likes to go to work at 6:30 am. That doesn’t mean I’m a morning person, tho. It just means that I like to get to work and get my work portion of the day done and over with. But the last two mornings remind me that I’m not a morning person.

My typical routine is to get all my stuff ready. Then Clara gets on the bed and I put her jacket on her and she’ll follow me to the door. Well yesterday, she wouldn’t get off the bed. I was at the door calling her and she wouldn’t move. So I had to go back inside and give her a little push to get her off the bed. Then she just stood there. She wouldn’t follow me to the door. So again, I had to go back inside and scootch her along. I got her outside and lifted her off the porch so she could go do her business while I locked the door and put my stuff in the car. It was about 30 below and I wasn’t wearing my gloves, too hard to lock the door, unlock the car, etc with them on. So I get my stuff in the car and then get Clara inside and am ready to hop in when I realize I had my slippers on instead of my snow boots!! DOH!! So off with the glove again, back inside, change shoes, lock the door and then head off. Now do you know why I didn’t post yesterday?

Today was another reminder. Thankfully Clara was being helpful and was moving along. It was about -25 this morning. I got my stuff in the car, was actually wearing my snow boots and hopped in the car. I was about to put the car in reverse when I realized I still had the block heater plugged in. So I jumped out and unplugged the car. When I went to open the car door, it was LOCKED!!! My auto start with has an alarm with it. It automatically locks the doors!!! I was not happy and was on the verge of freaking out but my car has a keyless entry with a number pad on the door that you can unlock the doors with. I’ve never used it before with the alarm so I had no idea if it would work, if the alarm would go off or what. Luckily I had the card with the code in my wallet but I had also recently memorized the code. I put the code in and the door unlocked. Thank goodness! I put my foot on the brake and heater shut off. Crap!! It’s a new freaking car!! What was up with that?! I just didn’t want to deal with it then so I put my car in reverse and NOTHING! The engine was dead! NO!!!!! Then it dawned on me, I didn’t put the key in the ignition yet. The car shuts down like it’s supposed to when the key isn’t in the ignition so it can’t be stolen when it’s auto started!! Geeze, so I dig the key out of my pocket and put the key in, start the car and get going. But thinking a bit further, remember when I was locked out when I unplugged the block heater? I HAD THE KEY IN MY POCKET THE WHOLE TIME!!!! DOH!!! I’m so not a morning person!!

10 mpg

Ok so I missed posting yesterday. I had to take Missy and her daughter to school (sounds like I live in the South) yesterday and that threw my day off. Plus I actually had work stuff to do. Geeze! Don’t people know that when you work from home you’re “working” from home?! Lol Anyway, Missy has lived here all her life and has been having car problems for the past week. First her car, now her mom’s car. It’s funny that she’s the Alaskan and I’m from the Outside yet I’m the one rescuing her. It’s fun to tease her about it I gave them a ride this morning as well but I planned it into my day so I’d be able to post today. BTW, Missy is a teacher, not a student. Just thought I’d clear that up.

Anyway….so I had to buy a tank of gas after being here a week. To put this into perspective I bought my car new in July. In six months I had only put 2,000 miles on it. I lived on Queen Anne and I worked downtown so I commuted on the bus. I also walked to the store or to Tully’s so I rarely drove. I couldn’t tell you how much gas was because I was only buying it once a month or so. Here, different story. I’ve already put just over 200 miles on my car. When I did the math, I was only getting 10 miles per gallon! If I still had my Expedition I could understand but this is an Escape!! It should be getting better mileage than that. I know what it is, tho. I warm my car up for 24 minutes before driving it (not 23, minutes, not 25 minutes, but 24 minutes! J ) That apparently burns more gas than I thought. I guess I don’t really have to warm it up but I don’t want to drive in a freezer. I do like the cold but I’m not crazy! I want a warm car to drive around. So I guess that’s what’s eating up my gas. The price of living in Alaska. And it’s worth EVERY PENNY!!! I love it here!!! BTW, gas is $3.05/gallon.

So back to yesterday, I also picked Missy and Emeline up from school. As we were driving back to Missy’s condo, we’re in the middle of a neighborhood a block away from Missy's condo and Emeline points out a moose in someone’s yard. I thought she was messing around, she has her mom’s sense of humor, but there really was a moose in the yard. It’s not at all out of the ordinary to see a moose in someone’s yard like that. Anyway I dropped them off at home and went back to take a picture of the moose with my cell phone because I didn’t have my camera with me. As I pulled up to the yard I saw that there were actually two moose in the yard eating the trees. I tried taking some pics but as you can see they didn’t turn out too well. The could be horses for all you know but they really are moose. Well, last night as I was going home after the gym I realized that DOH, I did have my camera with me when I saw them!! That made me cranky. I definitely have my blonde moments.

-43

So some strange things happen when it's 43 below out. Surprisingly, going out to get your latte isn't one of them. :-) I still made it out to get my latte from Surnise Espresso and the Sunday paper. But my auto start did not want to work. Apparenlty the folks who installed it in Seattle don't really know how to do it so it works in the extreme cold weather. They use the use the spare key instead of a bypass module (do I sound like I know what I'm talking about cuz I don't!) and when it gets really cold, it messes with the chip in the key so it doesn't want to work. Anyway, I ran out and used my key and the car started right up. I shut it off and used the auto start and it started just fine. At some point I need to have the module swapped out in my car or I can just set it to start up every three hours when it gets really cold so it won' t be a problem. Anyway, when I jumped in to star the car the seat was like a block of ice! I wasn't expecting it to be a solid chunk but it was. Once it warmed up the seat felt more like a seat should.

Ended up not going to the cabin this weekend. It was too darn cold. With no electric you need to keep starting the truck up or keep it running. I don't think Kirk wanted to wake up in the middle of the night to walk out to his truck to start it up so we stayed in town. We went to two hockey games, saw the UAF Nanooks play Miami Ohio, who is the #2 team in the nation. They spanked the Nanooks but it was still fun to go. I've only been to three games but I can already spot the regulars who go.

I also started back at the gym this weekend. I feel so much better for starting back. My friend up here and I have the same last name (totally random) but she tried to get me on her membership as her brother but only includes the "nuclear" family. Whatever. She was able to get me a free pass for a week so I'm using it now.

Some may know of Corey's infamous blue balls. Get your mind out of the gutter. They are the squishy stress reliever balls. I brought a couple of them up with me to see how they do in the extreme cold. Rather disappointing results. Until -10 you can still squish them. When it's -40 they are too hard to squish but are very light, almost like a ping pong ball. I was hoping for something more fun. Oh well.

I guess that's it for today. I didn't have my camera to get a pic of the -43 but I did get the one attached. It warmed up to -10 by last night and it felt warm to me! I know it sounds funny but when it warms up 30 degrees in one day, it's bound to feel warmer.

27 Below Zero

So this morning was the first cold morning we've had so far. It's been in the 20s and 30s since I arrived. It's been great. Last night it started to get cold and the wind was blowing. It wouldn't have been bad except for the wind. We went to Danielle's for dinner last night. When we got back to the compound, I went to plug in the block hear on my car and found my plug to be an ice cube. The warm weather caused water to drip into the cover for the plug and with the temps dropping, it froze into an ice cube. I borrowed a torch from Kirk to melt the ice. My hands nearly froze as I was doing it. I'd have caught myself on fire for sure if I was wearing gloves! Anyway, I was being very careful (I really was!!) and only had the flam to the plug for a second or two. After I got the ice melted I realized that some of the plastic melted and dripped on to one of the prongs! And with the temp being as cold as it was, it hardened instantly on the prong. So I spent several minutes scraping it off. I was finally able to plug it in. Geeze, you try to be careful but look at what it gets you! Oh well, I didn't catch myself or the car on fire so I guess all is well but lesson learned for sure. Actually several lessons on that one.

So it was 27 below this morning and I know this will sound crazy but it's not that bad. Yes, it's cold but you dress for it. And yes, I did but a jacket for Clara (well, two jackets) and also some booties for her feet! She so doesn't like them but she'll appreciate them!! The cold weather has actually helped her to become more expedient in her bathroom duties. She usually has to sniff out the perfect spot but when it's -27, she'll go anywhere! I appreciat that because I go out with her.

And while talking about Clara, oh my gosh she's so smart!! There is a latte stand I stop by every morning (Sunrise Espresso) and if they see that you have a dog with you they give you a treat for your dog. On Tuesday Jen gave me a treat for Clara. I figured after a couple of visits Clara would figure this out. Well, on Wednesday morning she already had it figured out!! My window was fozen shut so I had to open the door and kind of step out to place my order and stuff. When I got back in, she was staning with her front legs on the center console and her face right there waiting for her treat! This morning my window worked but again she was right there waiting. I made her sit and wait for the treat. I don't want her begging every time I pull up there. What a smart dog she is.

Yes another tangent and I completely forgot where I was going with that one. Oh well.

My First Weekend

So I had a great first weekend here! My flight was early and as I waited for Kirk to pick me up, I took Clara out of her crate so she could stretch and potty. Well, after Kirk drove up, I put her in the truck and grabbed my two checked bags and he grabbed my two carry ons and away we went. The next day it dawned on me that I forgot Clara's travel crate on the sidewalk at the airport. I called lost and found and barely started to explain to the lady what I'd lost and she said they had found it and to stop by any time to pick it up! If this were Seattle, I'd have been transferred five times and no one would know anything I was talking about. I'm liking being back in a smaller town!!

After saying hi to the girls, Kirk, Duke (his dog), Clara and I headed out to the cabin. It's about 45 minutes out of town and is on 160 acres. It is one of the most peaceful places I've been. I love it out there. There is no electricity and no plumbing. Yeppers, my wishes for no Internet are coming true. I didn't wish for an outhouse but it's a package deal. Anyway, the cabin sits between a river and a slough, so you have park at the carport about several hundred yards from the cabin. You walk across a foot bridge and then go through the woods to the cabin. A beautiful walk during the day. Then it hits me, when I'm living there full-time, I'll be making that walk twice a day, by myself, IN THE DARK!! I'm afraid of the dark!! Well, not so much afraid of the dark as afraid of what I can't see in the dark. I joke and say I'm going to set off my car alarm before I leave the cabin for the car to scare any creatures off! Kirk just laughs at me.

See, another tangent!

Anyway, we got to the cabin and the tree that fell on the roof (without damaging it) in December was still there. I knew our weekend would entail removing the tree. After getting the stuff inside, we headed off to fill the propane tanks so we can have light and use the stove to cook dinner. It took about 45 minutes to get the tanks filled. I sat in the truck with the dogs while Kirk had them filled. As we pulled away, I realized I could have made better use of the time there by using the bathroom at the roadhouse!! Doh!!

We get to the cabin and it's getting dark. We hooked up the propane, started a fire and I braved the outhouse. It's less than 50 yards from the cabin but it might as well be 50 miles when you are afraid of the dark!! I made out just fine and as I started back to the cabin, my mind stared playing tricks so I ran back to the cabin. :-) I do realize it is all in my mind and the more I'm out there the more I'll get used to it. I went out the next morning when it was still dark and didn't run either time. ;-) I'm getting better.

After several hours of getting the tree off the roof (and putting a hole in the eve - oops) Kirk asked if I wanted to go for a snow machine ride. I never had before so of course I said yes. We went to the original homestead on his land and then on the frozen slough to the frozen Salcha River. It was cool knowing you riding on a frozen river. At first I was kind of afraid for my life...it felt like we could flip pretty easily but I got used to it. I took it out for a spin on my own and got comfortable with it. It won't be long until I'm buying one!

Monday was more work around the cabin and then back to the Compound for the week. It was a great weekend at the cabin...the temps were in the 30s all weekend. Thank goodness!! It would have been nasty trying to get the tree off the roof at -20 or -30!

Background

Well, I made it to Fairbanks!! After three months of plotting and planning I'm here. I'm back among friends. I'm back to where I want to be. A little background....

I grew up in a small town in northern Arizona, population 2,500. I graduated from the same high school as my dad, mom and brother. I went to undergrad at Northern Arizona University and moved to Phoenix after graduation. After a year and a half I moved to Alaska to work for Holland America as a purser on a riverboat on the Yukon River. I planned to stay four months and stayed almost five years. I lived all over in Alaska and traveled all over the US for work with Holland America.

After almost five years, I wanted to unpack and forget my suitcase existed, so I settled in Seattle. The plan was to find the love of my life and conquer coprorate America. Well, after an 8 year relationship I found myself single and not liking coporate life. I recently completed an MBA at the University of Washington and thought about looking for a new corporate job.

As I started thinking of where I'd like to apply my thoughts lingered back to Alaska, a place that I am truly passionate about. The friends I made 12 years ago when we were driver guides lived there and I'd visited them throughout my years in Seattle. In September 07 I planned a trip to surprise them, although I did have a secret squirrel to be sure everyone would be around.

When my flight landed in Fairbanks at 1:30am and I stepped off the plane, I knew I was home. The next morning when I surprised them at breakfast, after the hugs and hellos, the nex thing ot of my mouth was "I'm moving up here!" Well, I guess I had made a decison. After a great visit, it was back to Seattle to plan things out. Now, almost four months later, here I am, sitting in Fairbanks, AK, starting to blog about it.

Many people think I'm completely off my rocker to have moved up here. They don't get it. This place helps you to realize what is truly important in life, what do you really need? Do you need that Mercedes? Do you need the internet everywhere you turn? Do you need a Nordstrom or Bon Marche (sorry, I still can't call it Macy's) at your disposal? Do you need indoor plumbing? You need shelter, food, and friends and family. That's it. We've gotten so used to the other stuff that we think we need it. I know, I was there.

After finding myself single after 8 years, the internet didn't keep me warm at night. It didn't put food in my stomach. The biggest thing I was missing in my life was my friends. Sure, I had some friends in Seattle, but it's hard to describe. It takes a lot of work to maintain those friendships. If you don't call soon enough they are busy. When I moved 3o minutes south of Seattle I basically saw no one...it was too far out of the city.

I know I've only been back in AK for less than a week but my friendships here take NO EFFORT at all! It is so natural and normal that they just are. No expectations, no demands...just great freindships. I wonder how many people truly get to experience that? Until now I hadn't. Experiencing it I know 100% that I made the right decision to come back.

Ok, so I went off on a bit of a tangent...get used to it. It happens often with me.

When I quit my job, I explained to my manager and others that I'm not chasing the dream job up here, just my dream life. I have for 38 years put others first and my wants and needs last. It's time to put me first. What do I want in life? Was I going to find it in Seattle? The answer came back as no. What, then, did I want?

After my visit in September, I knew what that was. Sure, living up here limits my options to meet the love of my life but my options were limited in Seattle as well. I'm not one for the bars. I did go out just before moving north and I saw the same tired faces (albeit 11 years older) trying to look all young and hot for a hookup before the night was over. GROSS!! I do not want to be one of them. And I'm sorry but all the delivery people for my area are lesbians so no hopes of meeting a hot delivery man! lol But I digress, my point was, I was single in Seattle and basically alone and not liking where I lived. Here I may be single but I'm not alone, I'm living where I want and have my best freinds around me. The job is secondary to this. A job is not going to be the driving factor in my life. Sure, I need to find one soon and one that pays the bills, but I'm not going to define my life and my happiness by my job. There is so much more to life than that. Some people get it after I explain it this way.

So what else can I tell you? Drawing a blank at the moment but you'll learn more as I post more.