Heading home

I have officially completed another school year in Noorvik.  While I will always appreciate my time in the Arctic, I am excited to be heading back to the interior.  I have given it my all and then some trying to be the best influence to the community of Noorvik.  These two years have been some of the most challenging, amazing, and eye opening.  I have gained a much greater appreciation of our state and the challenges many youth face.  I leave this village knowing I gave it my all.  I truly have no regrets and feel lucky to have called it my home for even just this short time.

A summer plot...

and

Spring

So, spring is trying to come to Fairbanks. I never say spring is officially here until the grass is green, because this time of year is notorious for having surprise snowstorms to throw us back into the depths of winter. This month or so of transition between winter to summer is an odd one up north. First off, you have temperatures below freezing a night and above freezing during the day. What this means is early in the morning your driveway is an ice skating ring and by mid-afternoon it is a pond. This means any outdoor activity needs multiple back up plans. When planning an outside escape the back of my car is filled with skis, running gear, and bike gear. You just never know what activity the weather gods will allow one to partake in. This time of year we are gaining up to seven minutes of daylight a day. This really can make your internal clock confused. Most people turn into insomniacs. The trick is not to turn into a zombie due to lack of sleep. People have gone to all sorts of extreme measures to conduce sleeping in the daylight. There is always the covering of windows, putting bandanas around eyes, and taking sleeping pills. Honestly, the best way(and cheapest) is to close your eyes. I know it sounds ridiculous, but close your eyes and lie there. Eventually, you will fall asleep. Spring also means planting season. For those of us who start to dream of gardens, we rush out to the store and turn the inside of our houses into mini greenhouses. My favorite part of spring is watching people re-emerge. Honestly, the population seems to double. Everyone is out shopping for home improvement supplies. The number of bikers and runners on the side of the road gets dangerous on Sunday afternoons. The best part is watching the people who are walking across the parking lot in tank tops and shorts, despite the 40 F temps. I blame this erratic behavior on too much sunlight exposure after a long winter. Honestly, it is a good thing that we ease into spring up here. Just imagine what would happen if we jumped from the cold of winter directly to the furry of the summer mosquitoes.

The Little Things...

This morning I woke up to news of a horrific earthquake in Japan. This is just weeks after a devastating earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. My heart was still recovering after seeing pictures of a town that was almost like a second home for a few years in total devastation. While Japan admittedly doesn't mean as much to me, my heart goes out to everyone touched by the earthquake. It is amazing to see how quickly life can go from the mundane, everyday struggles, to all the sudden something more. While I'd never wish a horrific event to be thrust upon anyone, it really shows what is important. It is the little moments that we often forget, or don't take time to truly appreciate. It is when the student who has given me tons of headaches throughout the year, turns around and gives me a carrot cookies. So, just a friendly reminder out there to everyone, look around and appreciate the little things in life, because some day they may suddenly be gone.

Happy 2011!

Well, it is a new year and one of my resolutions is to keep this blog more up to date. This year has started with a bang and is going fast and furious. For the first time, in my memory at least, Anchorage area residents were allowed to legally set off fireworks. The ban hadn't stopped people much before, but at least now you didn't feel guilty doing it. I feel like it takes some of the fun out of it when it is legal. You'd think people would go overboard, but considering the closest place to purchase fireworks is a good hour and a half drive on icy roads, there wasn't a huge increase in the fireworks set off. After the fireworks it was back to work up north. It always is rough getting back into the swing of things. This fact becomes even more obvious when dealing with youth. There were a lot of tired faces at the end of the first day, but it was good to see everyone again. The most exciting news that happened over the Christmas break was that Interior Alaska finally broke free of the cold spell that had settled for a few weeks. I left Fairbanks at -40 F and returned at +30 F. This VERY rarely happens. I was almost so confused that I stopped to make sure I was indeed traveling north when I was returning. Lucky for us, we should be returning back to the normal weather in a week or so. Afterall, we wouldn't want to start the year off too different. It is hard enough remembering to date everything 2011.

It's About Time

Well folks, just in time for the new year my favorite Fairbanks politician decided to make good on a promise he made the people of Alaska.  When Murkowski began her history-making write-in bid, Joe Miller confidently promised that if Lisa won he would not challenge her victory and lock the Alaskan courts into a long and drawn out battle.  Liar, liar, pants on fire...until today.

About an hour ago the associated press reported that finally Mr. Miller has opted to do the sensible thing and return to relative anonymity.  Thank you, Joe.  Actually, scratch that.  Thank you, Lisa, for ignoring your party's nonsensical line on the repeal of DADT and voting to allow our LGBT troops to serve the country they love openly and proudly.  Clearly we elected the person with better sense.

Read more at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2010-12-31-alaska-senate-miller_N.htm?csp=outbrain&csp=obnetwork.

Me vs. The Cold

Well team it has officially started. Fall is finally over and here comes winter. Luckily, I've gotten on a production kick. See the beauty of winter is you can never have enough hats, mittens, or scarfs. Since such items are lost so quickly, the quality is never really and issue. It is all about quantity at -40. Let me describe the items needed to ski at such a temperature. First you start off with your socks. They need to be thick, but not so thick as to cut off or reduce circulation to your feet. I prefer the knee high ones, because they insulate the lower legs also. After the socks we at the spandex shorts (for extra insulation around the bum region) and fleece pants. Moving up, I layer up with three long john tops. For the outer layers it is the windproof fleece jacket and ski pants. Also added is the neoprene cover that goes over my ski boots. I then move onto the earmuffs and hat. This then is followed up by a scarf tied around my face so that it covers my nose and ears. The final touch is the liner mitts followed by my old army issue over mitts. I love those because they cover almost up to my elbows. Finally, I am ready to do battle with the cold. If only I had remembered to pee first... Too bad I am not wearing a wetsuit...