...and I will bid it a fond and wistful farewell.
For the past week we've had record high temps here in the Interior...it actually hit 41 degrees on Wednesday. It's weird to see enormous piles of snow, rivers frozen solid and yet people are in shorts. Not me, mind you, because I retain so little heat that I might as well be reptilian, but some of those crazy Fairbanksians that think that 5 degrees is sweater weather. The Chena started melting in places, causing quite the flutter...that doesn't usually happen til April so February is a tad unusual to say the least. There's been a lot of muttering about global warming too, and the good old days of 60 below til March. Well, it takes all folks but I really don't mind a bit of unusual warmth. My toes are warm for the first time in a month.
This kind of weather is called "chinook" -- not sure why, but apparently it happens occasionally when really warm air from down south forces its way up here, rather than our forcing cold air down to freeze the good people of the northern United States. But today it's only supposed to be 10 degrees, and tomorrow it's supposed to snow in a goodly way and have a high of 4 degrees with a low of 11 below. Sigh.
We'll take some pics of the winter wonderland and post soon...it snowed last night and it's quite pretty. We couldn't take many pics in the really cold weather because the camera battery would freeze after a few seconds and no longer function properly. I REALLY want to get a pic of a moose for everyone...we had traffic stopped while Connor and I were leaving Fort Wainwright on Friday because a moose was munching their way through the trees at the gate. It was BIG...probably seven or eight feet tall and just massive. When something that big, ornery and near sighted comes tromping around, the gate guards scatter, in case they piss it off and become a tap mat for a moose stomping hoe down. A police car came and honked and flashed at it to make it move along -- I tried desperately to get Connor to check it out, but he liked the police car better. No accounting for taste eh?
Anyway, so it's getting cold again. Eeesh.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sorry I've been MIA
Wednesday through Friday have literally been a blur for me. Tuesday night Connor was running around like wild man of Borneo, and fell and whacked his head. What's new, right? Heck, toddlers wear their bruises with pride...so we nursed and went to sleep and thought no more about it. Well, he woke up at 2 am burning up with fever. We gave him some medicine when the store opened at 7 am (no 24 hour quickie marts here!) but the fever never responded well. All day Wednesday it swung wildly between 101 and 104, and then at 4 pm, despite a good dose of Motrin, shot to 104.8. We called the doc and they advised us to hie ourselves to Ft Wainwright for emergency services, especially since he was getting very dehydrated and listless as well.
Just as a sidebar, I have never been taught by experience or word of mouth to respect Army medical care, but they rocked in a serious way. Blew Nellis out of the water by a mile. Anyway...
We had multiple tests for flu and RSV, and nada. He had a megadose of Tylenol and that took the edge off the fever. Finally we had a blood test. It's never good when the med tech pulls up the results and you hear her say, "Whhhhooooa." She ran off to the doc, and the doc came immediately to tell us what was going on.
Our son, the kid who has been sick maybe three times ever, managed to acquire such a wicked virus that it attacked his platelets. That suppressed his platelets to below half of what they should be, thereby compromising his ability to clot. The condition is called thrombocytopenia, and is more commonly seen in cancer patients than in healthy 2 year olds, hence the concern. We were given a follow up appointment for testing, and then warned to keep him quiet and still and watch him for any signs of bleeding. After some internet research, we half concluded that the test was faulty...people with this are usually VERY sick. There is an occurrence of false positives for this, usually in a dehydrated patient who clots too quickly and skews the test. We figured that had to be it, because, hey, he whacked himself good and hard Tuesday night and not even a welt.
We talked ourselves into thinking it was a mistake and today's testing would show this to be a great cosmic joke. Well, nothing doing...turns out the thrombocytopenia is indeed there and is indeed a concern. They did some more testing to try to isolate the virus they think is causing the issue -- apparently there's many including things that he patently doesn't have, like HIV. The doc doesn't think there's any reason to worry about cancers or anemia or autoimmune disease, but does feel it needs to be monitored closely. The good news is the platelets are not that low...not so low that he will start bleeding out of his eyes during a sneeze or anything. But they are low enough that we have to take great care in playing, not allow him to jump and fall more than a few inches, and any bleeding or bruising needs to be treated as an emergency. We have to check him over carefully every day to ensure there's no reason to think his platelets have dropped further.
This sort of thing resolves itself within a few weeks to six months, usually without treatment for the most part. If in a few weeks it doesn't improve or worsens, we'll have to do more extensive and invasive testing to eliminate anything more worrisome and might have to do a short course of steroid therapy. That is not expected to be needed, but eesh.
Connor hardly ever gets sick, but when he does, by God, he does it with a vengeance. It's really hard not to worry.
I wake up every few minutes to check him all night long...maybe someday I'll sleep again.
My poor baby.
ETA: Relief of all reliefs...turns out it's Epstein-Barr virus. That's right...my kid has mono. Can't wait for making out in high school I guess. Mono in kids this young acts nothing like mono apparently and the saliva test doesn't work in most cases to detect it. That explains all the sleeping he was doing before he got acutely sick, and why his appetite has been crap. Thankfully as a result the dr is going to wait another two weeks before testing his blood again, and it's all about watchful waiting. It IS possible for it to become chronic, but it likely won't...and as soon as the infection is inactive, his platelets will likely rebound. The thrombocytopenia is directly attributable to Epstein-Barr, which is quite a nasty little bugger. He had to have caught it 30-50 days ago, which was right in prime traveling mode -- we went to Indiana and back to Vegas, then Vegas to DC and back, then Vegas to Fairbanks. That's a lot to tax a sheltered kid's immune system with, especially with all the jet lag and confusion and stress of a major move. We were asking for this I guess, despite all my attempts to give him the best transition possible. The dr emphasized there's nothing we could have done to prevent this, but I fret anyway. Thank GOODNESS it's not cancer or anything horrid...mono I can deal with.
Just as a sidebar, I have never been taught by experience or word of mouth to respect Army medical care, but they rocked in a serious way. Blew Nellis out of the water by a mile. Anyway...
We had multiple tests for flu and RSV, and nada. He had a megadose of Tylenol and that took the edge off the fever. Finally we had a blood test. It's never good when the med tech pulls up the results and you hear her say, "Whhhhooooa." She ran off to the doc, and the doc came immediately to tell us what was going on.
Our son, the kid who has been sick maybe three times ever, managed to acquire such a wicked virus that it attacked his platelets. That suppressed his platelets to below half of what they should be, thereby compromising his ability to clot. The condition is called thrombocytopenia, and is more commonly seen in cancer patients than in healthy 2 year olds, hence the concern. We were given a follow up appointment for testing, and then warned to keep him quiet and still and watch him for any signs of bleeding. After some internet research, we half concluded that the test was faulty...people with this are usually VERY sick. There is an occurrence of false positives for this, usually in a dehydrated patient who clots too quickly and skews the test. We figured that had to be it, because, hey, he whacked himself good and hard Tuesday night and not even a welt.
We talked ourselves into thinking it was a mistake and today's testing would show this to be a great cosmic joke. Well, nothing doing...turns out the thrombocytopenia is indeed there and is indeed a concern. They did some more testing to try to isolate the virus they think is causing the issue -- apparently there's many including things that he patently doesn't have, like HIV. The doc doesn't think there's any reason to worry about cancers or anemia or autoimmune disease, but does feel it needs to be monitored closely. The good news is the platelets are not that low...not so low that he will start bleeding out of his eyes during a sneeze or anything. But they are low enough that we have to take great care in playing, not allow him to jump and fall more than a few inches, and any bleeding or bruising needs to be treated as an emergency. We have to check him over carefully every day to ensure there's no reason to think his platelets have dropped further.
This sort of thing resolves itself within a few weeks to six months, usually without treatment for the most part. If in a few weeks it doesn't improve or worsens, we'll have to do more extensive and invasive testing to eliminate anything more worrisome and might have to do a short course of steroid therapy. That is not expected to be needed, but eesh.
Connor hardly ever gets sick, but when he does, by God, he does it with a vengeance. It's really hard not to worry.
I wake up every few minutes to check him all night long...maybe someday I'll sleep again.
My poor baby.
ETA: Relief of all reliefs...turns out it's Epstein-Barr virus. That's right...my kid has mono. Can't wait for making out in high school I guess. Mono in kids this young acts nothing like mono apparently and the saliva test doesn't work in most cases to detect it. That explains all the sleeping he was doing before he got acutely sick, and why his appetite has been crap. Thankfully as a result the dr is going to wait another two weeks before testing his blood again, and it's all about watchful waiting. It IS possible for it to become chronic, but it likely won't...and as soon as the infection is inactive, his platelets will likely rebound. The thrombocytopenia is directly attributable to Epstein-Barr, which is quite a nasty little bugger. He had to have caught it 30-50 days ago, which was right in prime traveling mode -- we went to Indiana and back to Vegas, then Vegas to DC and back, then Vegas to Fairbanks. That's a lot to tax a sheltered kid's immune system with, especially with all the jet lag and confusion and stress of a major move. We were asking for this I guess, despite all my attempts to give him the best transition possible. The dr emphasized there's nothing we could have done to prevent this, but I fret anyway. Thank GOODNESS it's not cancer or anything horrid...mono I can deal with.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Exploding moose
yes, you read that right. I saw a moose explode yesterday. I went commissary shopping on base and was driving back on Richardson Highway to North Pole when a guy in a rattle trap old minivan blew by me. The roads were pretty clear, but the guy was foolhardy in the extreme to be traveling at 75 mph plus on that road. Near the Chena flood channel, a yearling moose stepped out onto the road from the median and just stood there. It was like a horrible game of chicken -- the car never flinched, wavered, slowed, anything -- and that moose absolutely imploded from the impact.
Quite honestly the guy was lucky to be alive -- check out these pictures of what usually happens during a moose vs car situation. The moose blew apart into two separate pieces and was a small one, which is probably why this guy will live to tell the tale. Unbelievably when I stopped to help, he got out and looked at the damage, and managed to drive away -- engine rattling and clanking ominously the whole way. I stood there absolutely stunned, next to this steaming moose carcass and the absolutely gianormous blood smear on the road. As I turned to get back in my car and go home (with a leery eye out for a pissed mama moose) a guy in a red pickup pulled up to ask me what happened. I told him, he eyed me for a second and asked if I minded. Minded what, I wondered. He walked over and grapped the back half of the moose, dragged it heavily to his truck and heaved it in. He then did the same with the front half. Again, stunned bunny expression from Erin. He drove off, I drove off and wondered if I had just Twilight Zoned it.
Charlie explained that this sort of thing is common practice -- it's very common for people to keep animals killed in this manner, and some police departments even keep lists of people to call when they are called to an animal-car collision so they can come get the freshly killed carcass. That gives me a major hooz, but hey, whatever floats your boat. I asked Charlie why the guy asked me if I minded, and he said as first arrival, I had dibs. Oh boy. Guess if I had acted with more celerity I could now have three hundred pounds of moose meat getting rendered for me. But I hate getting blood stains out of the minivan so there you go. BLEAH.
Yup, things are different up here.
Quite honestly the guy was lucky to be alive -- check out these pictures of what usually happens during a moose vs car situation. The moose blew apart into two separate pieces and was a small one, which is probably why this guy will live to tell the tale. Unbelievably when I stopped to help, he got out and looked at the damage, and managed to drive away -- engine rattling and clanking ominously the whole way. I stood there absolutely stunned, next to this steaming moose carcass and the absolutely gianormous blood smear on the road. As I turned to get back in my car and go home (with a leery eye out for a pissed mama moose) a guy in a red pickup pulled up to ask me what happened. I told him, he eyed me for a second and asked if I minded. Minded what, I wondered. He walked over and grapped the back half of the moose, dragged it heavily to his truck and heaved it in. He then did the same with the front half. Again, stunned bunny expression from Erin. He drove off, I drove off and wondered if I had just Twilight Zoned it.
Charlie explained that this sort of thing is common practice -- it's very common for people to keep animals killed in this manner, and some police departments even keep lists of people to call when they are called to an animal-car collision so they can come get the freshly killed carcass. That gives me a major hooz, but hey, whatever floats your boat. I asked Charlie why the guy asked me if I minded, and he said as first arrival, I had dibs. Oh boy. Guess if I had acted with more celerity I could now have three hundred pounds of moose meat getting rendered for me. But I hate getting blood stains out of the minivan so there you go. BLEAH.
Yup, things are different up here.
Friday, February 15, 2008
A decent day
We had a pretty good day by my lights...especially since Valentine's Day was such an wonderful experiment in misery. Connor had a tummy bug that resulted in seven or eight of the nastiest diapers known to man and an attitude to match...mommy changed one, and he would be filling his pants again while I was still throwing up from the first diaper change. It's no wonder that daddy was met at the door with a face full of angst. Did you see that new Toyota commercial with the sleeping badger? I think Charlie has been tip toeing around, trying not to wake the sleeping mama badger. Quite honestly, it's not working all that well for him.
So today Connor and I had a pj day and did some laundry, while watching some Brainy Baby DVDs. He's also obsessed with "Dot and the Kangaroo" so we spend a lot of time agreeing that indeed, kangaroos do jump a lot and that ducks do indeed quack. Charlie got home and we headed out to have dinner with a coworker of Charlie's and his family. We went to Geraldo's, a local pizzeria run by the Fairbanksian pizza royalty, the Gambardellas.
It was pretty good...Charlie seemed to enjoy his Frank Sinatra pizza and my stuffed canneloni was decent though entirely too heavy on raw garlic. I'm a fan, kids, but jeez...no reason to put chunks of raw garlic under the mozzarella on top of the pasta. Connor came away covered with spaghetti sauce. The place is apparently popular...there was a 45 minute waiting list as we were leaving, despite most of the prices being well into the $20-$40 range. The service was a little spotty -- we were given other people's credit cards and slips to sign -- but the food was tasty enough to guarantee a return eventually. Altogether a successful and fun outing with the Brices.
We then headed over to Barnes and Noble so I wouldn't have to continue rereading the same twenty books I had with me, and also to fetch dessert. I've been craving chocolate cake like you read about...a bite or two a day for the next few days sounds like just the ticket. Connor ate three fourths of a gianormous chocolate chip cookie, so we'll likely have a vomiting episode later, but hey, them's the breaks right?
It was gorgeous crystalline night out driving back, so we strained to see if the aurora was going to make an appearance. We found a cool website sponsored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks that predicts aurora activity, and alas...no aurora tonight. Feb 28 is supposed to be the start of another fabulous aurora period, so wait breathlessly for the update okay? ;-)
I'm loving this -5 to 5 above weather we've been having. It has thawed enough though to make the roads extremely slick, so Charlie's going to do some extreme weather driving tutoring for me. I hate driving in icy roads, and this area simply abounds in them...the base is worse than anywhere else.
I'm feeling pretty nauseous from the garlic explosion so I must go...more later!
So today Connor and I had a pj day and did some laundry, while watching some Brainy Baby DVDs. He's also obsessed with "Dot and the Kangaroo" so we spend a lot of time agreeing that indeed, kangaroos do jump a lot and that ducks do indeed quack. Charlie got home and we headed out to have dinner with a coworker of Charlie's and his family. We went to Geraldo's, a local pizzeria run by the Fairbanksian pizza royalty, the Gambardellas.
It was pretty good...Charlie seemed to enjoy his Frank Sinatra pizza and my stuffed canneloni was decent though entirely too heavy on raw garlic. I'm a fan, kids, but jeez...no reason to put chunks of raw garlic under the mozzarella on top of the pasta. Connor came away covered with spaghetti sauce. The place is apparently popular...there was a 45 minute waiting list as we were leaving, despite most of the prices being well into the $20-$40 range. The service was a little spotty -- we were given other people's credit cards and slips to sign -- but the food was tasty enough to guarantee a return eventually. Altogether a successful and fun outing with the Brices.
We then headed over to Barnes and Noble so I wouldn't have to continue rereading the same twenty books I had with me, and also to fetch dessert. I've been craving chocolate cake like you read about...a bite or two a day for the next few days sounds like just the ticket. Connor ate three fourths of a gianormous chocolate chip cookie, so we'll likely have a vomiting episode later, but hey, them's the breaks right?
It was gorgeous crystalline night out driving back, so we strained to see if the aurora was going to make an appearance. We found a cool website sponsored by the University of Alaska Fairbanks that predicts aurora activity, and alas...no aurora tonight. Feb 28 is supposed to be the start of another fabulous aurora period, so wait breathlessly for the update okay? ;-)
I'm loving this -5 to 5 above weather we've been having. It has thawed enough though to make the roads extremely slick, so Charlie's going to do some extreme weather driving tutoring for me. I hate driving in icy roads, and this area simply abounds in them...the base is worse than anywhere else.
I'm feeling pretty nauseous from the garlic explosion so I must go...more later!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Settling In
We had quite the adventure getting up here. To tell the full story, I really need to back up several weeks. We had decided to visit Charlie's family for Christmas this year, since it would probably be our last holiday visit stateside for several years. Lovely visit, but of course it sent the almost two year into a hyperactive spiral he is only now recovering from. We had a week after our return to prepare for packing out our home in Las Vegas, with all the lovely attendant preparation that comes along with that...finding spare parts to items lost or tossed long ago, probably for lack of said part...wondering what the brown goo under the dryer is...and scrambling about to figure out what items you can't live without for the next few homeless weeks. All this was complicated by the fact that I turned up pregnant about the same time. Boy, are we dumb. You'd think we would have learned what a crappy idea that was from the move from New Mexico to Nevada three years ago, but we're on a slow learning curve apparently and decided to throw caution to the wind right before a big relocation. But that's another story.
We got packed up finally...not a huge fan of Western Moving Company by the way...and Connor and I flew out to spend three weeks with mom and dad in Washington DC while Charlie wrapped up loose ends and traveled via an overland drive to Seattle, then a ferry trip and finally a short 12 hour snowy drive to Fairbanks with the car the Air Force wouldn't ship. The car's radiator exploded on the way, considerably enlivening the trip, and Charlie ended up with the Venusian death flu while on board the Alaskan Marine Ferry -- so overall he was not the happiest camper.
Connor and I endured various flight delays and hops about to 7 different airports before arriving at 3 am in Fairbanks on Sunday morning. Everything anyone has ever said to you about Alaskan winters is absolutely true. Every unbelievable word of it. It was -47 when we landed. Oh. My. God. I have never felt anything like that. All that leapt to mind was the line from "The Cremation of Sam Magee" by Robert Service: "Talk of cold/It stabbed the parka's fold like a driven nail." Yes, I realize I'm a wuss. But since I've lived in the Southwest for the past nine years and only traveled to various desert sandboxes the military chooses to play in, my blood is justifiably thin. At that temperature, metal you touch adheres instantly to any exposed skin. Your hands, unprotected, feel like icy pincers within a minute or so. They take on various unhealthy colors and remain alarmingly numb for extended periods of time. Your nasal membranes freeze, and if you wrinkle your nose, you can hear crackling. NOT a forgiving environment my friends. People tend to "bundle and scuttle" as Charlie says -- fleeing from one artificially warmed spot to another with admirable celerity. You can't open the windows from November through May for fear of freezing the ever present radiant piping...this happens much more quickly than one might think. I left a scant inch of vitamin water in the car for ten minutes and it was slush within five minutes and ice within ten. You can always tell popular dog walking routes because dog pee freezes instantly to the poles in the manner in which it fell. You wondered, now you know.
So for the first two weeks, Connor and I were virtual prisoners inside the temporary living facility. It was a small box, and did not do much for a discombobulated angry two year old and his rather ill-feeling mother. I watched a lot of "Flava of Love" reruns on Vh1 and bemoaned this wintry existence. We were searching for apartments, but this time of year the pickings are few and far between. My favorite comment? "People just don't move here this time of year." Well, okay, thanks for the commentary, but we did so please assist us or move on. It was nearly universal as I'm guessing muttered comments about our imbecility were as well. We finally found a place in North Pole...adequate and livable but bare on the creature comforts. Ha, I shouldn't say creature comforts...we did find dead birds trapped in our stove vents the first day so that counts right? With 12 hours of heavy cleaning and unpacking, the apartment is at least habitable for the next few months...the months it will hopefully take us to get into housing.
Okay, it's late and Connor is tormenting Charlie so I must away...til next time...
We got packed up finally...not a huge fan of Western Moving Company by the way...and Connor and I flew out to spend three weeks with mom and dad in Washington DC while Charlie wrapped up loose ends and traveled via an overland drive to Seattle, then a ferry trip and finally a short 12 hour snowy drive to Fairbanks with the car the Air Force wouldn't ship. The car's radiator exploded on the way, considerably enlivening the trip, and Charlie ended up with the Venusian death flu while on board the Alaskan Marine Ferry -- so overall he was not the happiest camper.
Connor and I endured various flight delays and hops about to 7 different airports before arriving at 3 am in Fairbanks on Sunday morning. Everything anyone has ever said to you about Alaskan winters is absolutely true. Every unbelievable word of it. It was -47 when we landed. Oh. My. God. I have never felt anything like that. All that leapt to mind was the line from "The Cremation of Sam Magee" by Robert Service: "Talk of cold/It stabbed the parka's fold like a driven nail." Yes, I realize I'm a wuss. But since I've lived in the Southwest for the past nine years and only traveled to various desert sandboxes the military chooses to play in, my blood is justifiably thin. At that temperature, metal you touch adheres instantly to any exposed skin. Your hands, unprotected, feel like icy pincers within a minute or so. They take on various unhealthy colors and remain alarmingly numb for extended periods of time. Your nasal membranes freeze, and if you wrinkle your nose, you can hear crackling. NOT a forgiving environment my friends. People tend to "bundle and scuttle" as Charlie says -- fleeing from one artificially warmed spot to another with admirable celerity. You can't open the windows from November through May for fear of freezing the ever present radiant piping...this happens much more quickly than one might think. I left a scant inch of vitamin water in the car for ten minutes and it was slush within five minutes and ice within ten. You can always tell popular dog walking routes because dog pee freezes instantly to the poles in the manner in which it fell. You wondered, now you know.
So for the first two weeks, Connor and I were virtual prisoners inside the temporary living facility. It was a small box, and did not do much for a discombobulated angry two year old and his rather ill-feeling mother. I watched a lot of "Flava of Love" reruns on Vh1 and bemoaned this wintry existence. We were searching for apartments, but this time of year the pickings are few and far between. My favorite comment? "People just don't move here this time of year." Well, okay, thanks for the commentary, but we did so please assist us or move on. It was nearly universal as I'm guessing muttered comments about our imbecility were as well. We finally found a place in North Pole...adequate and livable but bare on the creature comforts. Ha, I shouldn't say creature comforts...we did find dead birds trapped in our stove vents the first day so that counts right? With 12 hours of heavy cleaning and unpacking, the apartment is at least habitable for the next few months...the months it will hopefully take us to get into housing.
Okay, it's late and Connor is tormenting Charlie so I must away...til next time...
My blogging disclaimer
After much trial and tribulation, we are all finally here and settled in the Interior of Alaska. Before I talk too much about our experiences here, I just want to say that I rather view blogging as a way to unburden my heart, air honest opinions and discuss whatever topics appear from the ether and descend into my not so formidable brainy mandibles. I am an Alaskan transplant, forced partly by choice but mostly by the vagaries of US Air Force to live up here. A blog is a handy way for my family and friends to read my humble interpretation of daily life here...it amuses them and me, and perhaps anyone else who stumbles along to this site.
That being said, I may occasionally say something negative...gasp, the horror!...about this fair 49th state. Oh dear.
So let's say you are a tourist, cruising the blogging world to get ground truth of a wonderful place you want to visit. You've read the books, you're all set for quaintness and dog sledding. Great. But my site is probably not the one you want for figuring out the best place to munch on sourdough pancakes or spot musk ox. I'm patently not a tourist, and I don't write like a tourist brochure. Feel free to read if I amuse you, and if I don't, cruise on...there's lots of lovely people out there aching to provide what you're looking for.
Or let's say you're a fervent Alaskan. You know you're out there, I've met some of you already. My hats off to you, my friend, I am already humbled and awed by the Last Frontier and vastly admire those hardy souls that have been bewitched by it. So have I, to a small extent. But please no flaming...my poor tender pregnant little heart can't take it. Occasionally I will have to whine about a 45 minute drive to a library or bookstore. I may, from time to time, bemoan the exorbitant price of a chain pizza. I even could, in the potential future, say with the utmost sincerity and respect that this place is frappin' COLD. So let's remember that this a lone little pregnant woman earnestly tapping away on a computer in a tiny North Pole apartment and keep this in mind before sending me angry little firebombs via the World Wide Web. "Love that comparison of the cold to witch's anatomy" notes are of course always welcome!
And my friends and family...I will try to paint an amusing and informative picture for you of life here "way up north where the air is cold." You military types will recognize the marching cadence. I am trying desperately to get some pictures (I never seem to have a camera handy when herds of gangly moose roam by!) and I will post them and my adventures thus far as soon as possible and hopefully keep them updated.
Toodles...
That being said, I may occasionally say something negative...gasp, the horror!...about this fair 49th state. Oh dear.
So let's say you are a tourist, cruising the blogging world to get ground truth of a wonderful place you want to visit. You've read the books, you're all set for quaintness and dog sledding. Great. But my site is probably not the one you want for figuring out the best place to munch on sourdough pancakes or spot musk ox. I'm patently not a tourist, and I don't write like a tourist brochure. Feel free to read if I amuse you, and if I don't, cruise on...there's lots of lovely people out there aching to provide what you're looking for.
Or let's say you're a fervent Alaskan. You know you're out there, I've met some of you already. My hats off to you, my friend, I am already humbled and awed by the Last Frontier and vastly admire those hardy souls that have been bewitched by it. So have I, to a small extent. But please no flaming...my poor tender pregnant little heart can't take it. Occasionally I will have to whine about a 45 minute drive to a library or bookstore. I may, from time to time, bemoan the exorbitant price of a chain pizza. I even could, in the potential future, say with the utmost sincerity and respect that this place is frappin' COLD. So let's remember that this a lone little pregnant woman earnestly tapping away on a computer in a tiny North Pole apartment and keep this in mind before sending me angry little firebombs via the World Wide Web. "Love that comparison of the cold to witch's anatomy" notes are of course always welcome!
And my friends and family...I will try to paint an amusing and informative picture for you of life here "way up north where the air is cold." You military types will recognize the marching cadence. I am trying desperately to get some pictures (I never seem to have a camera handy when herds of gangly moose roam by!) and I will post them and my adventures thus far as soon as possible and hopefully keep them updated.
Toodles...
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