Just one more chapter

Just one more chapter, then I will go to bed. I tell myself aloud almost on a nightly basis.

Then I get the end of the chapter and silently tell myself, okay now really, just one more chapter....

I can read for hours, and hours, and...before I know it, its 12:49 and I scowl because I have to work early tomorrow. Im not one of those people who do well on minimal sleep, in fact, Im quite a grouch.

I am one of those bodies who do exceptionally well after 7 hours of continuous, uninterrupted sleep (or 8, or 9, or even 10 on a rare loungable weekend luxury)

If its a good book its even worse! Oh but I do adore reading!! But I do not adore rushing around because I have ten minutes to make it to work and Im not dressed, havent eaten breakfast, and ohmygoditsnowedandIhaventwarmedthetruckupyet!
I dont want my mornings to be so hectic.

Damn you, reading addiction!

So, to alter this spiraling situation, I am setting up some boundaries, or rules if you want to get literal.

1. No reading after 8:00. I am balking at this (can you see my balking face?) And I want to argue my own rule, since reading helps me wind down for the evening, I usually dont even pick my book up until 8:30 or 9:00, but, alas. Okay, I see the dilemma. How about a compromise, no reading after 8:30? Good.

2. Wake up earlier in the morning and read. Except, this is the ONLY time when I read that I WILL fall asleep, no matter how entertaining the material....then I am late to work anyways. Cant I win?

3. I want to write more. Move over reading habit (no you are not being replaced) just learning how to share, because writing is an important hobby too that does not get near enough attention. Um.....I shouldnt mention that when I get on a roll, writing keeps me up until the wee hours of the morning.... (heheh, only once in a great while, and its worth being grouchy the next day)

What do we have if not something we can enjoy?

My top 10 list of books:

(in no particular order, and they have all kept me up waaayy past my bedtime)

1. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

2. 11 minutes, by Paulo Coelho

3. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

4. Berserk, by David Mercy

5. Perfume, the story of a murderer, by Patrick Suskind

6. What dreams may come, by Richard Matheson

7. Rose Madder, by Stephen King

8. Graceling, by Kristin Cashore

9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, By J.K. Rowling (before she became so popular)

10. The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, by Douglas Adams (this book kept me up more nights than I would like to admit)

What are some of your favorite books?

Greek orthography

It is never good for me to pick up a travel magazine....any travel magazine.....especially Afar travel magazine (which Harry Race Pharmacy carries by the way)

How many steps does it take to get to Greece? I know you all think I am totally obsessed with going to Norway- which I still am. But as the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy so bluntly yet confusingly states: sometimes you get diverted.

I am still planning a trip to Norway. I just am being diverted by going to Greece.....first. Over the Alaska day holiday weekend I met an influence that triggered my brain into action. Now everything I hear about Greece sounds fantastic, I get excited when I see a movie that is set there or books that even mention greek culture. I am googling things that I didnt even know existed. And attempting to pronounce landmarks and island names.

Although it cant be as bad as attempting to say: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, dont worry I cant pronounce it either and dont wish to hurt myslef trying, a town on the island of Anglesey in Wales, England. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llanfairpwllgwyngyll

And the dolphins, there are dolphins appearing to me everywhere! Mostly in movies, but magazines, a book, on a randoms persons t-shirt, even in the form of kitchen magnets they find a way to appear, and they have been playfully swimming through my dreams. Is it a sign? A sign I must watch the intro to hitchhikers guide to the galaxy far too much. Stinkin special features with the sing along bonus track....

This sounds all too familiar as well; since this is what happened before I took my trip to Austrailia in 2004. This mad rush- which is good before taking a trip, because you dont really want to go somewhere you are not fanatical about, that soaks into the pores of your eyeballs and you get oh so excited to go there to encounter it for yourself.

Now I cannot stop thinking about Greece. And this darned magazine isnt helping matters any, its gives these awesome links to research institutes such as this Ionian dolphin project:

http://tethys.org/tri_courses/courses_index_e.htm

Doesnt this look just a little too inviting?

For tonight I will focus on finishing up reading the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy (fantastic book by the way) then as I look around for the others, I may find myself somewhere on an adventure in Greece....

to be continued......

Turtle Transformer

Cowabunga!

Thats right, I said COWABUNGA! Not a word you hear in the everyday rafts of drifting nouns and questioning semi colons of conversation? Well, I've used that word a bit in the past month. And for good reason, I was preparing myself to transform into:

A teenage mutant ninja turtle!

Yep you heard correctly there too. In fact I didnt have too difficult a time rounding up certain individuals (you know who you are) to come along for this plight. But just where were we supposed to begin?

Bring on the pizza! And the brainstorming of how the costumes are going to come together, then the gathering materials, and cutting, and sewing, foam stuffing, more sewing, threading needles, even more sewing. Ugh I think I am starting to see GREEN! Better order more pizza..... to make these finger stabs more manageable!

Oh by the way....did I mention I signed us up for the lip sync competition? Teeheehee I didnt? Well dont worry, we are only on the waiting list.

Back to sewing, and this pizza delivery guy- I think he's onto our secret. He knows that we know that he may know about our turtle parties. Why else would we order pizza on a sometimes biweekly basis? Its not like we are having it delivered to the sewers- sheesh- boy did we have fun watching the films, 80's flashback for sure!

This year was the 25th year shell e-bration (anniversary) of the teenage turtles. I think I must know how they feel, Im about the same age and sometimes(if not most of the time) still act like a teenager.

Because OMG! OMGG, I just received a phone call AAAaaaCccKKKK!!! (I really did scream out loud at work, in fact a coworker came in to check on me)

He asked: "Are you okay"
Me: "No, ....yes, maybe.... no- definately no." Gulp.

The phone call I just got was from Raven Radio who is hosting the stardust ball and lip sync competition. Can you guess what I was freaking out about? Sigh. Time to call all the turtles and let them know we had better find our music and start forming a routine and get our turtles butts into action! Oh and completing these costumes we have been working on so diligently would be a good plan, its turtle time!

It took us a little over a month of steadily working (and plenty of pizza)to make these radical reptile costumes. And cowabunga baby- we are proud turtle brothers!! Not to mention the friends made and sewing skills learned. It was a treat this Halloween for sure!

Now what are we supposed to do for next year?

Splinters pedicure special:
available now only down in the sewers.....

For more outrageously awesome pics of this years stardust ball
(because there are just too many to post here) visit:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sitkakoala/Stardust200902

Stardust 2009

and very very soon I will have a video post of the lip sync, I promise as soon as I figure out how to embed it here so keep checking back!!

Things that do not scare me

There are so many things in life that scare me. While I do not try to dwell on these things, they wiggle themselves into my gray matter enough that I am able to take a deep breath and admit it.

So today is a dedication to all things that DO NOT scare me, because they outweigh the latter with a huge smiling "see I told you everything is alright."

So never mind the ultimatums of an ultimate run on sentence within a writers brainisphere as it appears with minimal editing for your reading pleasure:

mice, inebriated fishermen, snakes, granolas at health fairs, animal dander, sweaty armpits, thunderstorms, clowns, roller coasters, rainclouds, solitude (or complete silence), thorns, falling on ice, hard work, living with diabetes, blood, worms, glass elevators, splinters, conversations with strangers, 60 mph winds, ghosts, bees, allergies, making mistakes, walking through spiderwebs (dont get me started on the inhabitants), hiccups, surrendering, Gene Simmons tongue, motion sickness, dreadlocks, Stephen King- I kinda really adore him actually.... mean dogs, high adrenaline, land mines, losing control, darkness, spoiled milk, love. Watch out you aggresive fishy breath sea lions, I think you are curious and cute- really! Because one of my top priorities this year is overcoming the things that I fear.

And today I learned that Im not afraid of writing about my fear/or lack thereof. To take the time to make this blog I had to think entirely of what DID scare me to get to the beautifully engaging things that DO NOT.

What are you NOT afraid of?


P.S. If webs of spiders dont freak you out either check out this link and its MASSIVE web: http://www.badspiderbites.com/giant-spider-web/

Have a safe Halloween!!


( stardust ball pics soon)

Tenakee Trickle

There is a place in this world, not so far from here,

where time slows to about a crawl

You stand and stretch your legs and they begin to take you down a gravel path where you see vibrant sun ripened berries on your way, you pick some and savor the sweet, tartness with your eyes closed for a moment. A meditated calm envelopes your mind and the most urgent thing on your agenda is what your next meal will consist of. Dogs run loose and befriend each other, people tending their gardens look up and smile pleasantly as you pass.
The waves crash onto to beach at 12 hour intervals,
and people have a rhythm all of their own.

Welcome to Tenakee Springs, Alaska

It truely is a place like no where else.

A place where you are encouraged to post a sign that says:

"if no answer come to the garden"

seriously, where else would this apply?


My grandparents have a small cabin here.

And I was fortunate enough to get to visit them for a quick

weekend trip away from the bustle of my dear beloved Sitka.

A break I didnt exactly know I needed until I was loaded up on reading material and snacks and flying the 30 minute float plane ride. After the more than interesting chat with the pilot-

(only stating that he was a flirt would be an insult)

I arrived to begin my trial with tranquility

Oh yeah, did I mention I would be camping out with family? Heh heh. Okay so much for the hope of tranquility, so between the waiting in line to use the commode (fortunately a flushing one at that!) and allotting out who is sleeping in which bunk, and who will be fishing on which day. And Granny rushing around with her ebb of energy trying to make 8 of us content at any given time..... It was a rather enjoyable experience. Not that I thought it wouldnt be! (wink!)
Between the fishing....... And the crabbing.....

And the fantastic wildlife.....

And the berry picking..... mmm pancakes...

Do you know what a thimble berry is? Ive lived in Alaska for 26 years and did not know how to identify them, until now. Silly me.

The great great great great great GREAT (I could have quoted tony the tiger here and saved myself a few greats......) The Gggggrrrreeeaaat lounging and/or reading opportunities! Plus the weather for this particular weekend would be difficult to top! Sunshine the ENTIRE time!

Oh yes and not to forget precisely what Tenakee is well known for. The 107* sulfur mineral hot springs. That the local townsfolk use for bathing.

Hope you left your shyness at home!

If you didnt bring something to read (or wear or do or watch) dont worry theres always the bus stop to rummage in to see what you can find! In Tenakee garage saling is not only on Saturdays, although there IS a local farmers market every Saturday. Abundant local organic produce.

Right here. Right now!

So everyone is friendly in Tenakee right?

Do you think whoever owns this satellite has a big screen tv to match? Maybe we could go see whats on HBO?......How do we get an invite? That is after Granny talks the boys into a bit of maintenance on the cabin. Nice new blue windows Granny!

There was a ice cream social birthday party for one of the residents whilst we were there, a woman who was turning 90! Not sure about the ice cream, (although maybe the advertisements for milk "does a body good" were onto something) but Tenakee is a fairly healthy place to be. Personally I think its all that fresh air!

Fresh air does a body good!!!!

And so do hugs with grandparents!

Bye Bye Tenakee, until next time!

To see more pictures visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/sitkakoala/TenakeeAugust2009#

Things I learned this summer

*When you see something on the ground that is round, white and resembles a bird egg, dont pick it up and squish it; it most likely IS a bird egg.

*The vitamin D in sunshine is GREAT for strong fingernails (and we got the perfect amount this summer)

*Daydreaming and meter reading is not the most effective way to get work done. You may then have to retrace steps over woodpiles, stacks of junk and even strategically placed land mines made by all the loyal fido's around town.

*The BEST salmonberries are found in other peoples backyards :)

*No matter what the weather is doing, anytime you wear rain gear.....its particularly attractive to inebriated fishermen(dont believe me, go ahead, just try it)

*You can stretch out your stomach by over gorging on salmonberries. (Or maybe thats just me... Yep must be just me :)

*Dating 4 guys at once in any particular period is not good for your mental health. (Nor your free time) but at least your girlfriends can live vicariously through you.....


*The new taco cart in town is good any ol time!!!! (Im just hungry again dont mind me, but really try the 8 layer burrito or the carne asada! YUM YUM!)


*Trying to stock pile sunshine for the inevitable winter months takes a lot more energy that could better be utilized for enjoying the wonderfulness while its here- SO GO TAKE A HIKE ALREADY!!! (its only sunshine in a liquid format!)

8 seconds of guilt

Adventures in meter reading is my current status: every time I go out on the field something is bound to happen. To me. To somebody. Something is bound to happen.

One beautiful summer day this year I squished a zygote, or an undeveloped bird embryo to be more specific. Or I really should say I picked it up to examine it and with an iota of too much pressure it exploded within my hand.

This little birdie did not even have a chance to hatch!

Now my guilt is a bit more than weighted in my mind, so many thoughts were flying through my mind as I randomly saw this white object on the ground and what, just had to pick it up on first impulse? Why do we do the things that we do, when the outcome could be less than desirable. (as it turned out this particular day in May)

The first of three thoughts that wriggled around up there in my gray matter in the span of 3.6524 seconds was: Could this be a stone? Its just so smooth... the next thought was: Or could this be one of those plastic eggs that you can buy to go with a toy kitchenette like I used to have as a child?

The next thought was more like a shock: !!OH SHIT!!! It was an egg. The incredible, edible, now nonexistent, egg.

A delicate, ultra smooth, lighter than you can fathom, simple yet extraordinary egg. to which I happened to come upon, pick up, and (gulp) totally dessimate in less than 8 seconds.

I wouldnt make a very good oologist.

Sigh

Lavendar and Lapis

You may be wondering why I have not been writing. Or maybe not. I am alive, yet struggling. My diabetes is giving me a fairly difficult time currently but thats not what Im on here today to give an update about.

I have been super busy with color schemes, decorations, menu choosing, looking up the proper way to spell tulle, organizing showers, naughty bachelorette antics(more to come later, I promise) dress alterations, misplacing every roll of tape that we bought, flower "trouble", getting all 5 of us bridesmaids somewhat on the same page, nail/hair appointments, not messing up the nails/hair post appointment, and aiding the bride in any humanly possible way that we could!


DEEP INHALE OF BREATH

All for Jon and Joanna who got married on July 25th 2009.


SMILE

I have to remind myself that its not always about words that I can twist and manipulate into something humorous and imaginative to give enough credit to this fabulous day. It was the the guests, the happy feel of the environment, both of their wonderful overly helpful families, and most of all the smiles on both of their faces that only these pictures can portray! Enjoy!

Photos thieved by me but beautifully taken by John Petraborg
Kayla Lea Weis
and Kimberly Davis!

Here is the much anticipated link to over 800 photos from this wonderful day in July:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sitkakoala

Make sure to check out all 3 separate folders: bridal and groom parties, the ceremony, and the reception.

We're doing WHAT with those plungers?!!!

July 18, 2009

Clear the road is right! Watch out Sitka, here comes
a flock of wild bachelorettes just itching for
some fun on the town!!

We are totally jazzed up! We have been planning this party and the play lists for weeks (unbeknowest of the bride to be)
and we cannot wait to get this party on the road!!

Our one and only problem: the bride is, not so jazzed about the
attention a last night out on the town attracts.....
but once we got all the ladies together, the energy was contagious and dinner was fabulous.



we even had a good sport waiter
we harassed pretty mercilessly.....
lets just say he earned his tips that night!

Then we started our games.

Game number 1:

Under no circumstances do you say ANY mens names, not so hard? hahaha we shall see! You say a man/boy/guys name; you LOSE YOUR BEADS!!! (Plus once we run out of beads we are going to tape condoms to you.....)

Muahahaha. Bring it on!

A little bit of fun at the local gas station.....
where else were we supposed to play our next game?

I am a paying customer, I just hope they don't have to check their cameras for drive aways for the next couple of days or they may keel over with some gut wrenching laughs with our plunger game.

Game number 2: we break up into teams and relay style have to run with a plunger between our legs (about 10 feet away) and aim- with no hands now ladies!- the stick of the plunger into the roll of toilet paper between the legs of your teammate.

You had to have been there.


Maybe we should give guys a bit more credit for technique huh? Much tougher than it seems!!!

Then our creative gals improvised a bit with the plungers and gave the bachelorette even more reasons to pose for the camera!!

Have you been working
on your carving skills? Don't worry I think we have that
particular dexterity covered!

Working diligently

on the "nuts" for the extra embellishment on the cake.
We have to make it appropriate for the occasion, right?!

Nothing says excitment quite like the bachelorettes face at our revealing of the "penis cake"
pure awesomeness, if I do say so!

Then out we go to Pioneer park for some more publicly humiliating games.

Um, don't ask, lets just say
we like playing with our vegetables.....

Or maybe still hungry? Maybe we should

have kept some of that weenie cake around to snack on....

If you can believe it we had the entire party sans any alcoholic
beverage, yep we are THAT zany and crazy completely on our own!!

A little dancing out at kellys, some jaw dropping dares
(We had some pretty brave chicka's teeheehee....)

And an all around great time. See Ms. Bachelorette,
it wasnt too embarrassing?! Want to do it again?

Watch out single ladies, I KNOW WHO IS NEXT!!!!
Mwahahaha!!!!

(No, really I do...!)