Just Wait....

Now I am forced to reply in defense of one of the great hockey teams of the land of the north. First off, a tiger skating on ice? Really a polar bear has actually seen ice before and could take a tiger down with one simple swoop. Second off, it is a cardinal sin to make fun of the person singing the national anthem. So, just tilt that nose down a little and you march your perfect little arse down to the Carlson Center to sing before you make fun of the poor fool who got tricked into singing a difficult song in a space with horrible acoustics. Third off, we didn't have to import a whole hockey team who obviously don't belong at the school. Luckily at UAF, our hockey players are just as dumb as the rest of us. Well, I don't want to give you too many more reasons why UAF is a far superior team. (I don't want you to get too depressed.) Don't worry I won't make too much fun of your puny little tigers after they loose.

CARNAGE

Saturday, October 16, 2010: a day that will no doubt go down in the books as an embarrassing loss for the UAF Nanook men's hockey team.

I am-of course-referring to the fact that tonight the Nanooks will be put to shame by my very own Colorado College Tigers. Kari, being the loyal UAF alumnae that she is, has vowed to sit next to me and talk a whole mess of useless smack at the game. The rankings don't lie, folks. The CC Tigers have an unparalleled defense and a great tradition of excellence. UAF has some fool skating around in a polar bear suit.

I never thought the day might come when I would once again be proud to have attended the classist and snooty institution that is Colorado College, but today I will let my memories of Lacoste-clad East Coast phonies and clove-smoking tree huggers fade away whilst I proudly scream, "Go Tigers!"

For more info on exactly why the Nanooks are going to get shredded please follow the link below:
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Way up north Goal Rush is on Union Colorado College bring firepower stopping power to Carlson Center

Pipecleaner Men

Yesterday was fantastic mainly due to pipe cleaners. I found myself for an hour stuck in a library with eight kids building mini catapults out of popsicle sticks. Of course, with every group there is that one kid who doesn't want to be engaged. That is until the pipe cleaners come out. After about five minutes almost every catapult had an opperator or object to launch. (Depending on how the student decided to use their pipe cleaner man.) So, there I was "enriching" students lives by launching objects across a school library. I knew that engineering degree would be useful someday...

45 MPH on the Mitchell Expressway

This morning while stuck in traffic, I wrote a haiku to express my frustration.

The first snow that sticks

We mourn the ice wrought state

Sliding off the edges

Chinese Human Rights Activist Liu Xiaobo Wins Nobel Peace Prize

As someone who has lived in the great nation of China, I find the following story of particular personal interest.  The topic of human rights was carefully avoided in classroom instruction and general conversation during my stay in Beijing.  Not to say the Chinese won't tell you what is on their minds, but discussing the failings of the current government is usually not in vogue.

To Mr. Liu Xiaobo, I offer my own deeply felt congratulations.  While most of the upper-middle class golden-tongued agitators of the legendary Tian'an men demonstrations made safe and slippery escapes to Hong Kong and points beyond, Mr Liu was one of the few who faced true and awful consequences for his belief in democracy.  Hopefully the fallout from the government will not land too many more brave souls in jail...but if it does, what are other nations prepared to do about it?

Why Liu Xiaobo Nobel Peace Prize could harm Chinese rights activists - CSMonitor.com

The first snow!

Today we had our first official snow flurries in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. (Yes, here in Alaska we don't believe in counties, we've got boroughs. After all we have got to keep up our reputation of having the biggest in everything, even how we divide up our state.) The trouble with weather is that people forget it very quickly. The amount of excitement surrounding the first snow is unbelievable. Honestly, did you not remember that a mere six months ago the snow that was surrounding you? It is funny how this always tends to coincide with the flu season starting. So, added excitement about life plus less health adults to regulate the children equals one interesting day at work. Like true Alaskans we struggled through it and have lived to tell (or improve upon) the tale of October 6th 2010.

It started out like any other day. Election results were getting in from the local elections. They were filled with drama and suspense, as usual. The unopposed candidates down in North Pole weren't beaten by any write-ins. (Luckily, there aren't enough people who know how to spell Murkowski yet despite the television ads.) There are a few newbies, a few oldies, but in the end not much has changed. Then it was on to the mid day snow fall. Which made my heart long for my studded tires, which are so conveniently located about 357 miles south of me. It was funny over hearing stay at home moms worry about the lack of clothing their sons or daughter had on this morning when there was no sign of precipitation. Then off to school. Full of paperwork, kids, and conflicts. Honestly, someday I am going to show up in full turn out gear, with the amount of fires I have to put out each day I feel like I am inadequately dressed. But after a few burnt biscuits, lots of practicing how to line up, and a catapult constructed successfully, we all got out with mainly smiles on our faces. Now the grand finale awaits me. What can it be??? A few minutes in a steam room to unwind perhaps. Or maybe a sauna.

Murkowski vs Miller: Face-Off

Well let me tell you, folks, the senate race up here in the north just keeps getting nastier and nastier.  Murkowski and Miller are tearing each other up on the radio and television waves.  And while their political cat-fight is beamed into our homes and hearts, I am left wondering...who indeed will be the less offensive candidate?

Miller has promised that, like his supporter Mama Grizzly Palin, he will shake up Washington and bring change.  Yes, this tea party boy talks a good game.  I'll even admit that he's quite likable, and the idea of smaller government is appealing.  Yet I can't forget that same party that promised to downsize government has repeatedly failed to deliver on any of their promises. (Remember those multi-billion dollar wars we got involved in?  The unchecked growth of executive powers?)

Unfortunately, what I truly believe is that Joe Miller, like many who came before and many who will come after, is all talk.  I think that he can't be a strong force in a senate that is already deeply divided and largely ineffective.  His rhetoric leads me to the conclusion that he is inflexible and unwilling to play nice with the Dems.  If he refuses to reach across the aisles and bring human understanding and common sense instead of rigid party-line politics to the table then he will bring no change.  He will play right into the established decaying order.

As for Murkowski, I think she is making a brave move running as a write-in.  All of those smear ads that pointed out how she has often failed to vote with other members of the Republican party made her infinitely more attractive to centrists like myself.  I'm not saying the woman has any more answers than Miller.  If she had everything figured out she wouldn't have lost that primary.

The glimmer of hope I see in Murkowski is that she has used her own moral and intellectual compass while casting her vote.  I do not look to her to make sweeping changes.  I look to her for what is more realistic...keeping the interests of our wonderfully unique state at heart and making sure that if federal money is going to be spent, it gets spent on us.

Speaking of channeling money into the 49th state, all of this makes me yearn for the golden years of Uncle Ted...