I miraculously survived the freezing rain the other day, just in case you were on the edge of your seat wondering. After I managed to get our truck stuck at the top of our very steep driveway, our landlord came out to investigate the source of all the ruckus.
Now, I am no greenhorn to Alaska. However, Fairbanks is very different beast as opposed to southwest. I am not used to freezing rain an inch thick! Give me snow and 40 below temps any day! Alas, the landlord pointed out that I need to "flip over the hub caps" for the four wheel drive to work. To this he received a blank stare from yours truly. Flip over the hub caps? Huh? Apparently with older model vehicles you have to turn a dial on the hub caps for the four wheel drive to work. No wonder the drive into town was so damn slick! The four wheel drive wasn't even on! After the hub caps were turned, I magically could escape the clutches of our driveway. Landlord got a hug. :-) He shall also receive baked goods in the near future.
I am going to start bringing my camera with me to work so I can take pictures on my breaks. The sunsets are amazing, but I am always working when the perfect picture arises. Hopefully I can capture some decent shots to share with you all. I also plan to do some reformatting of my blog and add a separate personal website soon. Stay tune for that one kids. It should be exciting!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Woes of Weather
This fall has been unseasonably warm all throughout Alaska. I heard that PA got snow before we did. Needless to say, I began to feel quite comfortable with the weather we have been having in Dillingham the past several weeks. This time last year there was already 10 inches or more of snow on the ground in Fairbanks. In my unprepared state, I was quite vexed this morning when I woke up to bitter wind and a dimpled sheet of ice covering the truck. Freezing rain struck us hard. It makes me very sad to know that real snow won't be making an appearance until late December.
Apparently the road crews aren't the quickest on the draw. The road into town is in great need of repair which won't happen until 2012. Granted, it is difficult to get equipment here as everything has to be barged in from Anchorage or places elsewhere. However, I hear through the grapevine that not much of anything is going to be done about the icy conditions we are suffering from today. I just hope it melts off soon. I drove into town to take Matthew to work this morning and I am just a bit scared about driving back into town to start my shift at noon. The trick is to go slow and hope you don't careen off any hills.
Just a note for those who may want to get a hold of me. My cellphone is still not working and I have no clue if it will ever. I have no message machine on my home line, however weekends are a great time to call. I have run out of minutes on my phone card, so until I take care of that I won't be making many calls out (so those of you with free long distance, get your arse to calling me!).
Apparently the road crews aren't the quickest on the draw. The road into town is in great need of repair which won't happen until 2012. Granted, it is difficult to get equipment here as everything has to be barged in from Anchorage or places elsewhere. However, I hear through the grapevine that not much of anything is going to be done about the icy conditions we are suffering from today. I just hope it melts off soon. I drove into town to take Matthew to work this morning and I am just a bit scared about driving back into town to start my shift at noon. The trick is to go slow and hope you don't careen off any hills.
Just a note for those who may want to get a hold of me. My cellphone is still not working and I have no clue if it will ever. I have no message machine on my home line, however weekends are a great time to call. I have run out of minutes on my phone card, so until I take care of that I won't be making many calls out (so those of you with free long distance, get your arse to calling me!).
Friday, October 9, 2009
पि!
I have been baking a lot lately. Last weekend I made some berry pies (or pi rather). The recipe I use makes enough crust for two pies, and for some reason one pie turns out quite pretty and the other is very ugly. Needless to say, I take the pretty pie to share with work or to potlucks. The ugly pie stays at home. Luckily they both taste just as sweet!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
It has been a while...
I know it has been quite some time since I last updated. So much has happened in a month’s time, it is difficult to sum it all up concisely without blathering on and on. Oh well, here it goes.
I finished my job in PA on the 15th of August. I had a love/hate relationship with that job, but I am glad that I did it. I gained some great experience in banding birds, and I realize I still need a lot of practice picking birds out of mist nets. I was finally getting to a comfortable stage and then the number of birds we were banding dropped off considerably. I do, however, feel quite confident in my banding skills.
The one thing I am most grateful for is the opportunity to make some long lasting friends in Clarion. The people over at ‘The Creature Program’ are some of the most lovely, fun people I have ever met. It just sucks that they’re all the way on the other side of the country. While I went to PA for a job, it was the volunteer work I was a part of that made the whole thing worthwhile.
After the job was finished, I caught a ride with my co-worker to Chicago where I spent three days touring the city with a friend of mine from Wisconsin. I had a blast! There is so much going on in Chicago during the summertime. I could see myself spending at least a couple weeks there, enjoying all the free activities they have in Millennium Park and the other surrounding parks. I was amazed at how much they had going on in just one weekend. Free concerts practically every day, free dances, free exercise classes, even the zoo is free! Good thing too, because they charge you somewhere around $25 or more just to look out on the viewpoint at the Sears Tower (or is that Wallis now?). I did however; send some money on a ghost tour. I don’t think I’d do that again, it was a little disappointing even if we did get to see more of the city than we would have otherwise. I think our geocaching trips were far better in forcing us to see parts of the city we wouldn’t have gone. Anyway, I had a Chicago style hot dog, deep dish Chicago pizza, and tea at the Ritz. All was good.
Once we finished in Chicago, we drove up to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I visited for a few days at the wildlife center I worked at last fall. It was great to see everyone…and I found I really missed it there. For some reason it felt real nice to get back to Wisconsin. I fed some squirrels, saw some animals, and ate sushi. Good times.
I flew back to Portland for a visit that lasted three weeks! Most of the time I spent with my biological (or I’ve taken to calling them the ‘bionics’) family. My bionic mother showed me how to bake pies and bread. I spent time with my siblings, doing various things like camping, and tea, and drinking beer. I also spent time at the beach with my bionic dad and his family. Matthew came down to Portland for a friend’s wedding and we both went crabbing with bionic mom and her husband. Between all of us, we caught 39 crabs! Needless to say a feast was had by all.
The wedding was nice. I think it was worth it just seeing Matthew in a tux! :-D And there are pictures, so it did happen! Ha!
Even though I had a month long vacation it really seemed to fly by. Now, I am in Dillingham working at the UAF campus here in what is deemed as Student Services. I actually like my job here. I couldn’t ask for better co-workers and I enjoy actually getting to help and converse with students. Dillingham is pretty. The leaves were all golden when I got in and now, with the wind starting to pick up and winter peeking its head around the corner, the trees are quickly losing their shape.
I think I am going to enjoy living by the bay. Already I’ve seen some amazing sunsets and when the sky is clear, the world seems to go on forever. I have been here just shy of two weeks, but I have a good feeling about the place. People seem friendly and genuine. It sure is a change of pace, but a good one indeed.
I finished my job in PA on the 15th of August. I had a love/hate relationship with that job, but I am glad that I did it. I gained some great experience in banding birds, and I realize I still need a lot of practice picking birds out of mist nets. I was finally getting to a comfortable stage and then the number of birds we were banding dropped off considerably. I do, however, feel quite confident in my banding skills.
The one thing I am most grateful for is the opportunity to make some long lasting friends in Clarion. The people over at ‘The Creature Program’ are some of the most lovely, fun people I have ever met. It just sucks that they’re all the way on the other side of the country. While I went to PA for a job, it was the volunteer work I was a part of that made the whole thing worthwhile.
After the job was finished, I caught a ride with my co-worker to Chicago where I spent three days touring the city with a friend of mine from Wisconsin. I had a blast! There is so much going on in Chicago during the summertime. I could see myself spending at least a couple weeks there, enjoying all the free activities they have in Millennium Park and the other surrounding parks. I was amazed at how much they had going on in just one weekend. Free concerts practically every day, free dances, free exercise classes, even the zoo is free! Good thing too, because they charge you somewhere around $25 or more just to look out on the viewpoint at the Sears Tower (or is that Wallis now?). I did however; send some money on a ghost tour. I don’t think I’d do that again, it was a little disappointing even if we did get to see more of the city than we would have otherwise. I think our geocaching trips were far better in forcing us to see parts of the city we wouldn’t have gone. Anyway, I had a Chicago style hot dog, deep dish Chicago pizza, and tea at the Ritz. All was good.
Once we finished in Chicago, we drove up to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I visited for a few days at the wildlife center I worked at last fall. It was great to see everyone…and I found I really missed it there. For some reason it felt real nice to get back to Wisconsin. I fed some squirrels, saw some animals, and ate sushi. Good times.
I flew back to Portland for a visit that lasted three weeks! Most of the time I spent with my biological (or I’ve taken to calling them the ‘bionics’) family. My bionic mother showed me how to bake pies and bread. I spent time with my siblings, doing various things like camping, and tea, and drinking beer. I also spent time at the beach with my bionic dad and his family. Matthew came down to Portland for a friend’s wedding and we both went crabbing with bionic mom and her husband. Between all of us, we caught 39 crabs! Needless to say a feast was had by all.
The wedding was nice. I think it was worth it just seeing Matthew in a tux! :-D And there are pictures, so it did happen! Ha!
Even though I had a month long vacation it really seemed to fly by. Now, I am in Dillingham working at the UAF campus here in what is deemed as Student Services. I actually like my job here. I couldn’t ask for better co-workers and I enjoy actually getting to help and converse with students. Dillingham is pretty. The leaves were all golden when I got in and now, with the wind starting to pick up and winter peeking its head around the corner, the trees are quickly losing their shape.
I think I am going to enjoy living by the bay. Already I’ve seen some amazing sunsets and when the sky is clear, the world seems to go on forever. I have been here just shy of two weeks, but I have a good feeling about the place. People seem friendly and genuine. It sure is a change of pace, but a good one indeed.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
आईटी हस बीन अव्हिले.
I know it has been some time since my last post. This post will be quick but I hope to have more up later this week. I have been in PA since early May and as it stands now, I only have 6 weeks left in the state. The job has been educational to say the least, but I'll get into more details on that later.
Clarion, PA is cute but mostly comatose. I have found an exotic pet rescue that I have been volunteering at after the work days are over. The people I have met there are fabulous and I hope to keep in touch with them all once I leave the state.
Sadly, I haven't been able to take pictures of my job; I left my camera charger and cable in Alaska. Figures.
I hope everyone is well and I will post more soon!
(For some reason my headings are being translated into some other language. Not sure how to fix that.)
Clarion, PA is cute but mostly comatose. I have found an exotic pet rescue that I have been volunteering at after the work days are over. The people I have met there are fabulous and I hope to keep in touch with them all once I leave the state.
Sadly, I haven't been able to take pictures of my job; I left my camera charger and cable in Alaska. Figures.
I hope everyone is well and I will post more soon!
(For some reason my headings are being translated into some other language. Not sure how to fix that.)
Sunday, April 5, 2009
लाइफ गोएस ओं
Life never ceases to amaze me. One month I am feeling utterly stagnant in my surroundings and the next I am poised on the edge of some amazing life changes. In the matter of a couple days Matthew and I both were offered jobs in our field. Next month we will be uprooting our life in Fairbanks and moving to our respective new adventures.
He will be moving to Dillingham, Alaska to be the Program Director for KDLG. This is a huge accomplishment for someone right out of college. Actually, he landed this job with a month an a half left in his undergrad career. Pretty amazing in my mind. I can't even express my pride in his accomplishments.
I, on the other hand, will be moving to Altoona, PA for the summer. I have been hired on to a field crew, studying grassland birds on reclaimed mining sites. Such a huge weight has been lifted from my soul, just knowing I will be finally working in my chosen field. I will be sure to update this page with pictures and stories of my summer adventures.
There is a plan in place for after my summer is over, but as plans wont to do, they can change. I will write more of those possibilities as they approach closer.
Take care my friends!
~Melissa
He will be moving to Dillingham, Alaska to be the Program Director for KDLG. This is a huge accomplishment for someone right out of college. Actually, he landed this job with a month an a half left in his undergrad career. Pretty amazing in my mind. I can't even express my pride in his accomplishments.
I, on the other hand, will be moving to Altoona, PA for the summer. I have been hired on to a field crew, studying grassland birds on reclaimed mining sites. Such a huge weight has been lifted from my soul, just knowing I will be finally working in my chosen field. I will be sure to update this page with pictures and stories of my summer adventures.
There is a plan in place for after my summer is over, but as plans wont to do, they can change. I will write more of those possibilities as they approach closer.
Take care my friends!
~Melissa
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I'm a slacker who misses poking dead things
The year following such a remarkable one, to me, feels rather pathetic. At least so far this seems to be the case. I am biding my time in an office job, plunking away data entry in what to me seems like a pointless task. I am not made to sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day!
The end of winter is so close I can taste it. But mother nature likes to dangle that carrot just out of reach as long as possible. While we enjoyed some wonderful weeks of 20, even 30 (F) above, the weather has turned back to bitter negative 30s at night and warming to about 5 above during the day. And wind, something we so rarely experience in the interior, has been blasting through Fairbanks, chilling us to 50 below.
The thought of summer is the only thing that keeps me going. Yet I have to remind myself it could be worse. In 2007 during this time of year it was still a constant 20-30 below during the day. I was volunteering at Fish and Game and since the freezer was stocked full of all sorts of dead treasures (my favorite being a bag full of bird strikes, a random assortment of all things feathered), we were storing our frozen wolf carcasses outside in black garbage bags sealed tight.
While tedious, I seriously would take counting wolf lice over my desk job, hands down. Even though they were dead, I was working around the one animal I had always dreamed of working with. The wolves smelled like corn chips, or like 'fresh baked corn muffins' as Mark Doty describes the scent of his favored dog's ears in Dog Years. Sierra's smells much the same way on a good day.
I have been waiting, more than likely over anxiously, for a phone call from Ft. Wainwright. I applied for a forestry job there for the summer. A four day work week outside sounds like heaven to me right now. I attribute it to the current state of our economy, but all the jobs I've applied to thus far have had a huge pool of applicants. While I feel I have a fare amount of experience, the competition has been tough. My location may also be a large factor when applying to lower 48 jobs. It is frustrating for me, however to hear that I'm in a pool of 70+ other applicants for a low end technician job.
So I have been thinking of alternatives. The front runner currently is taking the training to become an observer on fishing boats. This entails recording data on what is caught in said fishing boats. The pay is great, the contracts are 90 days long, and all room and board are provided. Until I can get my debts paid, Peace Corps are on the back burner, but I think this job will be a quick way to get those debts handled.
I want to get back to Portland so bad, but with the job market I doubt I could stay afloat for very long (a curse upon you Oregon and your high unemployment rate!). At least with this observer job, I could take the months between contracts and live it up with family and friends for a little while. I'm hoping Matthew will find work back in the NW, but as it looks, he may just end up in some small fishing town in BFE, Alaska programing for small town radio stations. The foot in the door to public radio would be a huge score for him though. I hope it works out well.
I think I have let my ranting run its course. I promise you friends, family, random internet passerby, that I will try very hard to update this blog with some sort of regularity. Sadly I feel I have nothing too terribly exciting to share!
Though if you're lonely on a Tuesday night, hop online and listen to our (Matthew and myself) radio show (http://ksua.uaf.edu), Nerd Love at 6:30pm - 8:30pm AKST. It would be great to know you're listening! Miss and love you all.
~Melissa
The end of winter is so close I can taste it. But mother nature likes to dangle that carrot just out of reach as long as possible. While we enjoyed some wonderful weeks of 20, even 30 (F) above, the weather has turned back to bitter negative 30s at night and warming to about 5 above during the day. And wind, something we so rarely experience in the interior, has been blasting through Fairbanks, chilling us to 50 below.
The thought of summer is the only thing that keeps me going. Yet I have to remind myself it could be worse. In 2007 during this time of year it was still a constant 20-30 below during the day. I was volunteering at Fish and Game and since the freezer was stocked full of all sorts of dead treasures (my favorite being a bag full of bird strikes, a random assortment of all things feathered), we were storing our frozen wolf carcasses outside in black garbage bags sealed tight.
While tedious, I seriously would take counting wolf lice over my desk job, hands down. Even though they were dead, I was working around the one animal I had always dreamed of working with. The wolves smelled like corn chips, or like 'fresh baked corn muffins' as Mark Doty describes the scent of his favored dog's ears in Dog Years. Sierra's smells much the same way on a good day.
I have been waiting, more than likely over anxiously, for a phone call from Ft. Wainwright. I applied for a forestry job there for the summer. A four day work week outside sounds like heaven to me right now. I attribute it to the current state of our economy, but all the jobs I've applied to thus far have had a huge pool of applicants. While I feel I have a fare amount of experience, the competition has been tough. My location may also be a large factor when applying to lower 48 jobs. It is frustrating for me, however to hear that I'm in a pool of 70+ other applicants for a low end technician job.
So I have been thinking of alternatives. The front runner currently is taking the training to become an observer on fishing boats. This entails recording data on what is caught in said fishing boats. The pay is great, the contracts are 90 days long, and all room and board are provided. Until I can get my debts paid, Peace Corps are on the back burner, but I think this job will be a quick way to get those debts handled.
I want to get back to Portland so bad, but with the job market I doubt I could stay afloat for very long (a curse upon you Oregon and your high unemployment rate!). At least with this observer job, I could take the months between contracts and live it up with family and friends for a little while. I'm hoping Matthew will find work back in the NW, but as it looks, he may just end up in some small fishing town in BFE, Alaska programing for small town radio stations. The foot in the door to public radio would be a huge score for him though. I hope it works out well.
I think I have let my ranting run its course. I promise you friends, family, random internet passerby, that I will try very hard to update this blog with some sort of regularity. Sadly I feel I have nothing too terribly exciting to share!
Though if you're lonely on a Tuesday night, hop online and listen to our (Matthew and myself) radio show (http://ksua.uaf.edu), Nerd Love at 6:30pm - 8:30pm AKST. It would be great to know you're listening! Miss and love you all.
~Melissa
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