The Search for the Giant Squid: the Biology and Mythology of the World’s most Elusive Sea Creature
By Richard Ellis
“No one has seen a giant squid feeding – in fact, no one has ever seen a healthy giant squid do anything at all – so until someone sees Architeuthis chasing something, the debate about its speed and strength will remain unresolved. Frederick Aldrich, probably the giant squid’s most devoted advocate, assumed that Architeuthis is a powerful, aggressive animal, which at least in one instance was able to plow a great furrow in beach gravel before it expired. Precisely how the giant squid hunts – of what it eats, for that matter – is not known, but Aldrich believed that its prey consists mostly of sharks, rays, and skates; not the diet of a weak hunter.”
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Yet Another Great Read
I’ve finished the Whaling book and am now reading about the Giant Squid – a logical transition, since most of what we know about the Giant Squid comes from our whaling experiences.
The Search for the Giant Squid: the Biology and Mythology of the World’s most Elusive Sea Creature
By Richard Ellis
“Deep-water animals, whether fishes or cephalopods, usually have larger eyes than their shallow-water counterparts. Since Architeuthis has the largest eyes of any animal on earth, it follows that it must use these eyes to see where there is limited light. It does not follow, however, that the eyes are large simply because the squid is large. The sperm whale, which can reach approximately the sam length as the giant squid and, at least on some occasions, frequents the same depths, has an eye about 2½ inches in diameter, not much larger than the eye of a cow. The eyes of a giant squid can be as much as 15 inches in diameter, larger than an automobile hubcap. The eye of a blue whale, the largest animal in history, gets to be about 7 inches across.”
The Search for the Giant Squid: the Biology and Mythology of the World’s most Elusive Sea Creature
By Richard Ellis
“Deep-water animals, whether fishes or cephalopods, usually have larger eyes than their shallow-water counterparts. Since Architeuthis has the largest eyes of any animal on earth, it follows that it must use these eyes to see where there is limited light. It does not follow, however, that the eyes are large simply because the squid is large. The sperm whale, which can reach approximately the sam length as the giant squid and, at least on some occasions, frequents the same depths, has an eye about 2½ inches in diameter, not much larger than the eye of a cow. The eyes of a giant squid can be as much as 15 inches in diameter, larger than an automobile hubcap. The eye of a blue whale, the largest animal in history, gets to be about 7 inches across.”
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Breakfast with the Stars
Sounds like a new reality show for television, doesn’t it. But no, it’s not a make-believe situation staged for our viewing pleasure – this really is for real, and actually happened. I know, because it happened to me this weekend!
There we were, innocently eating our breakfast at a local diner, when who should walk in the door and sit down right beside me at the bar?
Hobo Jim, that’s who!
Oh, be still my beating heart.
Sigh…
No, really. I do love Hobo Jim. My whole family has been known to follow him around from city to city just to listen to him sing. He plays a mean guitar, let me tell you. And as an added bonus: he wears a very fine pair of cowboy boots.
Those of you who know me well, know that I have a definite soft spot for cowboy boots.
We got to talking and I happened to mention to him that we’d followed him around in the past.
“So, you’re a stalker, then?” he asked.
“Yes!” I grinned and said.
Nonetheless, he went back out to his truck and got me a copy of his newest CD! How cool is that?
Rob’s favorite song: Fishing for Chickens
There we were, innocently eating our breakfast at a local diner, when who should walk in the door and sit down right beside me at the bar?
Hobo Jim, that’s who!
Oh, be still my beating heart.
Sigh…
No, really. I do love Hobo Jim. My whole family has been known to follow him around from city to city just to listen to him sing. He plays a mean guitar, let me tell you. And as an added bonus: he wears a very fine pair of cowboy boots.
Those of you who know me well, know that I have a definite soft spot for cowboy boots.
We got to talking and I happened to mention to him that we’d followed him around in the past.
“So, you’re a stalker, then?” he asked.
“Yes!” I grinned and said.
Nonetheless, he went back out to his truck and got me a copy of his newest CD! How cool is that?
Rob’s favorite song: Fishing for Chickens
Monday, December 06, 2010
Update on Things
Well, a lot has happened lately that I just haven’t gotten around to writing about – so once again you’re going to get it all in one lump sum. While that is probably not the best way to deal with things, and certainly doesn’t give me much of an opportunity to stretch my writing muscles in any creative sort of way, it does keep you up to date at least. I have dreams of keeping this thing current on a daily basis, but so far that doesn’t seem to cross the border into reality very much. Oh well, I’ll keep on dreaming and maybe someday it will be an actuality!
Cat Sitting
I had two jobs recently in my pet sitting endeavor: one was for my Sister-by-Choice as she and her family went outside to visit her mother over the Thanksgiving holiday. I looked after her house and her cat Tommy. The other was for a gentleman named Craig who had to leave unexpectedly for a short 5-day trip. He had multiple cats, both inside and outside. Both jobs were very easy to handle, and they even overlapped each other by a few days. I’m fairly certain I’ll be hearing from Craig again, as he mentioned that he would like to be able to leave more frequently so was glad to find a good babysitter. And let me assure you, these cats are most definitely his babies! I don’t think it’s possible to spoil a cat any more than he does.
Giving Blood
After a year’s waiting period due to my trip to Africa, I am finally eligible to give blood again! So, at the first opportunity I had I ran down to the Blood Bank and signed up to give. But wouldn’t you know it = they turned me away! Apparently you can’t give blood when you have a cold. They told me I had to wait until I had at minimum 3 days of feeling 100% before coming back in. So I waited the required 3 days and then tried it again – and this time they took my pint. I had no problems during the procedure; the lady taking my blood that day was very good at it, and I was still well hydrated due to the week-long cold I’d had earlier. Afterwards, however, was a completely different story. By the time I got home I was completely wiped out. All I could do was lie on the couch and watch movies with my girls. Later that night when I took the bandage off I found that I was still bleeding at the injection site, which was worrisome to say the least. It was still bleeding when I woke up the next day even! I’m all better now, but am wondering if maybe I didn’t wait long enough, or maybe it’s due to all the weight I’ve lost? Heck, it might even be the stress… who knows?
Thanksgiving Dinner
Dinner this year was at my sister Noel’s house. She had just a few people over, so it was a nice quiet afternoon. She is a most excellent cook, too: I got to have grilled Portobello mushrooms instead of the turkey that everybody else ate! We normally have a huge family gathering but this year had decided to keep things simple and not go to such extremes with the holidays. I’m hoping that Christmas will be the same way. I love my family dearly, but 30+ people is a lot to deal with even when you’re related to them.
Breakfast at Mother’s House
The day after Thanksgiving Mother invited Rob and I over for breakfast. She invited the whole family, actually – not just the two of us. But we were quite happy to go as she was offering up her famous Sourdough Pancakes! We arrived just in time to get the last of the pancakes, and got to visit with my sister Kelly and her family (husband Danny, daughter Tara, sons Gareth and Robin, and grandson Corbin) for a while before they left. Then we sat and visited with Mother for another hour or so before taking off ourselves. It was a good day!
Dinner with Katy
My niece Katy came home for the holiday: she’s going to school down in Seattle this semester. She and I got to have dinner together the day she had to go back outside, which was really cool. Her father dropped her off at the restaurant (The Fireside Grille) and I dropped her off at the airport later that night. In between times, we chatted about this and that – and she got to meet Rob finally, too.
Lorna’s Art Show
My friend Lorna has some of her paintings up at Terra Bella’s this month; the opening reception was this past Friday evening. She had quite a lot of people show up, too, and even sold two of her pieces. Terra Bella’s put out a nice spread of munchies for people: smoked salmon with crème cheese and onions on crackers, hummus with chips or cucumbers, and chocolate chip cookies. I highly recommend you go see her paintings if you’re in the neighborhood – and while you’re at it, you can go to The Perfect Cup and see some of her photography hanging up on their walls too.
Christmas Party
Lorna invited me to be her guest at her company’s Christmas Party the other day, so I borrowed an outfit from my sister (YAY! I fit my sister’s clothing again!) and got all dolled up for the affair. It was fun: we each had a couple glasses of wine and watched all the people dancing. It was a catered event, of course, but I avoided all food so that I wouldn’t get sick like I usually do at these things. Lorna ate, though, and said it was quite good. She got her 5-year service award and had to go stand up on stage even. I’m wondering if my company will do anything for Christmas? The zoo’s party is coming up soon but I don’t know if I’ll be going or not. We’ll see…
Christmas Cards
I got my Christmas Letter done finally and all my cards addressed, stamped, and mailed out this weekend. This year I sent cards to:
Alaska: Anchorage, Palmer, Eagle River, Homer, Seldovia, Fairbanks
USA: AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, IA, IL, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, NE, NY, OR, TN, TX, WA
The World: Australia, Finland, Kenya, England
Cat Sitting
I had two jobs recently in my pet sitting endeavor: one was for my Sister-by-Choice as she and her family went outside to visit her mother over the Thanksgiving holiday. I looked after her house and her cat Tommy. The other was for a gentleman named Craig who had to leave unexpectedly for a short 5-day trip. He had multiple cats, both inside and outside. Both jobs were very easy to handle, and they even overlapped each other by a few days. I’m fairly certain I’ll be hearing from Craig again, as he mentioned that he would like to be able to leave more frequently so was glad to find a good babysitter. And let me assure you, these cats are most definitely his babies! I don’t think it’s possible to spoil a cat any more than he does.
Giving Blood
After a year’s waiting period due to my trip to Africa, I am finally eligible to give blood again! So, at the first opportunity I had I ran down to the Blood Bank and signed up to give. But wouldn’t you know it = they turned me away! Apparently you can’t give blood when you have a cold. They told me I had to wait until I had at minimum 3 days of feeling 100% before coming back in. So I waited the required 3 days and then tried it again – and this time they took my pint. I had no problems during the procedure; the lady taking my blood that day was very good at it, and I was still well hydrated due to the week-long cold I’d had earlier. Afterwards, however, was a completely different story. By the time I got home I was completely wiped out. All I could do was lie on the couch and watch movies with my girls. Later that night when I took the bandage off I found that I was still bleeding at the injection site, which was worrisome to say the least. It was still bleeding when I woke up the next day even! I’m all better now, but am wondering if maybe I didn’t wait long enough, or maybe it’s due to all the weight I’ve lost? Heck, it might even be the stress… who knows?
Thanksgiving Dinner
Dinner this year was at my sister Noel’s house. She had just a few people over, so it was a nice quiet afternoon. She is a most excellent cook, too: I got to have grilled Portobello mushrooms instead of the turkey that everybody else ate! We normally have a huge family gathering but this year had decided to keep things simple and not go to such extremes with the holidays. I’m hoping that Christmas will be the same way. I love my family dearly, but 30+ people is a lot to deal with even when you’re related to them.
Breakfast at Mother’s House
The day after Thanksgiving Mother invited Rob and I over for breakfast. She invited the whole family, actually – not just the two of us. But we were quite happy to go as she was offering up her famous Sourdough Pancakes! We arrived just in time to get the last of the pancakes, and got to visit with my sister Kelly and her family (husband Danny, daughter Tara, sons Gareth and Robin, and grandson Corbin) for a while before they left. Then we sat and visited with Mother for another hour or so before taking off ourselves. It was a good day!
Dinner with Katy
My niece Katy came home for the holiday: she’s going to school down in Seattle this semester. She and I got to have dinner together the day she had to go back outside, which was really cool. Her father dropped her off at the restaurant (The Fireside Grille) and I dropped her off at the airport later that night. In between times, we chatted about this and that – and she got to meet Rob finally, too.
Lorna’s Art Show
My friend Lorna has some of her paintings up at Terra Bella’s this month; the opening reception was this past Friday evening. She had quite a lot of people show up, too, and even sold two of her pieces. Terra Bella’s put out a nice spread of munchies for people: smoked salmon with crème cheese and onions on crackers, hummus with chips or cucumbers, and chocolate chip cookies. I highly recommend you go see her paintings if you’re in the neighborhood – and while you’re at it, you can go to The Perfect Cup and see some of her photography hanging up on their walls too.
Christmas Party
Lorna invited me to be her guest at her company’s Christmas Party the other day, so I borrowed an outfit from my sister (YAY! I fit my sister’s clothing again!) and got all dolled up for the affair. It was fun: we each had a couple glasses of wine and watched all the people dancing. It was a catered event, of course, but I avoided all food so that I wouldn’t get sick like I usually do at these things. Lorna ate, though, and said it was quite good. She got her 5-year service award and had to go stand up on stage even. I’m wondering if my company will do anything for Christmas? The zoo’s party is coming up soon but I don’t know if I’ll be going or not. We’ll see…
Christmas Cards
I got my Christmas Letter done finally and all my cards addressed, stamped, and mailed out this weekend. This year I sent cards to:
Alaska: Anchorage, Palmer, Eagle River, Homer, Seldovia, Fairbanks
USA: AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, IA, IL, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, NE, NY, OR, TN, TX, WA
The World: Australia, Finland, Kenya, England
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Who Knew?
The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea
By: Philip Hoare
“While I read illicit American comics under my bedclothes, fantasizing about a world of sleek-suited superheroes, new processes – sulphurization, saponification, distillation – extended and rationalized the use of whales in lubricants, paint, varnish, ink, detergent, leather and food: hydrogenation made whale oil palatable, sanitizing its taste. Efficiency ruled, in place of the early whaler’s waste. Whale liver yielded vitamin A, and whale glands were used to make insulin for diabetics and corticotrophin to treat arthritis. Nineteenth-century trains had run on whale oil; now streamlined cars with sleek chrome fins used brake fluid made from the same stuff. Victorian New Englanders had relished doughnuts fried in whale oil; now children with crew-cuts and stripy T-shirts licked ice cream made from it. Their bright shiny faces were washed with whale soap, and having tied their shoelaces of whale skin, they marched off to school, past gardens nurtured on whale fertilizer, to draw with whale crayons while Mum sewed their clothes on a machine lubricated with whale oil, and fed the family cat on whale meat. In her office, big sister transcribed memos on typewriter ribbon charged with whale ink, pausing to apply her whale lipstick. Later that afternoon, she would play a game of tennis while a whale-strung racquet. Back home, daddy lined up the family to take their photograph on film glazed with whale gelatin."
I’m guessing this is set in the early 70’s, since Britain began to ban whale products in 1973. Still, I had no idea so many products were made from the Whale? And the number of whales killed each year is staggering. It's amazing that any managed to survive at all.
I highly recommend this book, although it's not exactly an easy read.
By: Philip Hoare
“While I read illicit American comics under my bedclothes, fantasizing about a world of sleek-suited superheroes, new processes – sulphurization, saponification, distillation – extended and rationalized the use of whales in lubricants, paint, varnish, ink, detergent, leather and food: hydrogenation made whale oil palatable, sanitizing its taste. Efficiency ruled, in place of the early whaler’s waste. Whale liver yielded vitamin A, and whale glands were used to make insulin for diabetics and corticotrophin to treat arthritis. Nineteenth-century trains had run on whale oil; now streamlined cars with sleek chrome fins used brake fluid made from the same stuff. Victorian New Englanders had relished doughnuts fried in whale oil; now children with crew-cuts and stripy T-shirts licked ice cream made from it. Their bright shiny faces were washed with whale soap, and having tied their shoelaces of whale skin, they marched off to school, past gardens nurtured on whale fertilizer, to draw with whale crayons while Mum sewed their clothes on a machine lubricated with whale oil, and fed the family cat on whale meat. In her office, big sister transcribed memos on typewriter ribbon charged with whale ink, pausing to apply her whale lipstick. Later that afternoon, she would play a game of tennis while a whale-strung racquet. Back home, daddy lined up the family to take their photograph on film glazed with whale gelatin."
I’m guessing this is set in the early 70’s, since Britain began to ban whale products in 1973. Still, I had no idea so many products were made from the Whale? And the number of whales killed each year is staggering. It's amazing that any managed to survive at all.
I highly recommend this book, although it's not exactly an easy read.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Phone Service
I got my cell phone all hooked up with ACS; not because I particularly prefer ACS over any other service but because that’s who my brother told me to use when he gave me the cell phone. It wasn’t until later on that I thought about going with GCI, which is where I get all my other service from (internet, cable, and land line).
Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep it all bundled together, rather than have multiple bills coming in from all over the place?
So, I went to GCI and asked them about it. The girl behind the counter went thru all the options available, and showed me that the costs would be quite comparable – even though at first glance it looked like it would cost more.
But then I showed her my phone; that’s when she told me that GCI doesn’t work with that particular model and I would have to get a new phone. I don’t want a new phone! I just got this one, and I’m still getting used to it.
So that took care of that whole idea.
My next question to her was to see how much it would save me if I canceled my land line service: no point in having two phones. After going over all those options, we discovered that it would actually cost me more to drop it: when you bundle everything together like I have it now, it saves you quite a bit.
So, the end result is that nothing has changed. I still have my cell phone service with ACS and my cable/internet/land line service with GCI.
I do need to find out how much it would cost to have my cell phone service upgraded to include long distance phone calls, though. Wouldn’t you know it: the one number I call most often is an out-of-state number.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to keep it all bundled together, rather than have multiple bills coming in from all over the place?
So, I went to GCI and asked them about it. The girl behind the counter went thru all the options available, and showed me that the costs would be quite comparable – even though at first glance it looked like it would cost more.
But then I showed her my phone; that’s when she told me that GCI doesn’t work with that particular model and I would have to get a new phone. I don’t want a new phone! I just got this one, and I’m still getting used to it.
So that took care of that whole idea.
My next question to her was to see how much it would save me if I canceled my land line service: no point in having two phones. After going over all those options, we discovered that it would actually cost me more to drop it: when you bundle everything together like I have it now, it saves you quite a bit.
So, the end result is that nothing has changed. I still have my cell phone service with ACS and my cable/internet/land line service with GCI.
I do need to find out how much it would cost to have my cell phone service upgraded to include long distance phone calls, though. Wouldn’t you know it: the one number I call most often is an out-of-state number.
Massage
I have been feeling rather like a truck has run over me repeatedly lately, so thought perhaps a massage would help. Thankfully, I happen to know a very good masseuse: my best friend’s sister!
Her name is Rhoda Zanella, and she owns Heart in Heart In Hand Massage Therapy (907-746-7755)
She normally operates out of a chiropractor’s office in Wasilla, but also has an office in her house. Her rates are quite agreeable: $60 for 1 hour, $90 for 1.5 hours, and $120 for 2 hours. She can even deal with insurance, if you go thru the chiropractor first. Thankfully she was able to fit me in, so I headed out there this weekend.
Her house, by the way, is a gorgeous log cabin that she designed herself and helped her brothers build. I arrived just in time to join her for some salmon with fresh veggies. How could I say no to that? We chatted for a while and got caught up on the goings on of both our families, then went downstairs to get to business.
It has been quite a while since my last massage. I used to get them all the time, but with the weight gain and the lack of insurance, I stopped. Now that I’m skinny again I felt comfortable with the idea, even though my insurance won’t pay like it used to do.
I am so glad I went! Rhoda is very good at it, and I so needed it. I do have to admit that it hurt, however. I had a lot of knots that needed to be worked out, to say nothing of the rib that keeps popping out of joint.
But it’s a good kind of pain! And I really do feel a whole lot better now.
Her name is Rhoda Zanella, and she owns Heart in Heart In Hand Massage Therapy (907-746-7755)
She normally operates out of a chiropractor’s office in Wasilla, but also has an office in her house. Her rates are quite agreeable: $60 for 1 hour, $90 for 1.5 hours, and $120 for 2 hours. She can even deal with insurance, if you go thru the chiropractor first. Thankfully she was able to fit me in, so I headed out there this weekend.
Her house, by the way, is a gorgeous log cabin that she designed herself and helped her brothers build. I arrived just in time to join her for some salmon with fresh veggies. How could I say no to that? We chatted for a while and got caught up on the goings on of both our families, then went downstairs to get to business.
It has been quite a while since my last massage. I used to get them all the time, but with the weight gain and the lack of insurance, I stopped. Now that I’m skinny again I felt comfortable with the idea, even though my insurance won’t pay like it used to do.
I am so glad I went! Rhoda is very good at it, and I so needed it. I do have to admit that it hurt, however. I had a lot of knots that needed to be worked out, to say nothing of the rib that keeps popping out of joint.
But it’s a good kind of pain! And I really do feel a whole lot better now.
The Dog In Front Of Me
The other day, as I was on my way to work, I saw the most horrible thing.
It was on the day that the roads were so icy, people were driving slowly (appropriate for the conditions, but still slow) and were being extra-carful. The car in front of me had made it thru the light, but I had not; so I sat there and watched him make his way up the road.
Not 50 feet from the intersection, a dog ran out into the road. Its owner had just opened the door of their house. The dog ran straight for the road, and of course was run over. The car did everything it could to avoid the dog, but with road conditions being what they were it was impossible to do much.
It truly was a horrible sight to see: it actually took me a few seconds to realize it was a dog I had just seen run into the car. I thought for a moment that it was a coat (of all things).
The car stopped immediately, and two people got out. The owner of the dog met them and went to see what could be done, but the dog was most definitely gone. Nothing could have lived thru what I had seen.
I just sat there at the light with my hands held over my eyes, peeking thru the fingers at the scene in front of me.
Shudder!
To make matters worse, the day after that I saw 5 or 6 ravens at that very spot – so you know there was enough residual “stuff” left behind to occupy that many birds.
Again, I say - Shudder!
It was on the day that the roads were so icy, people were driving slowly (appropriate for the conditions, but still slow) and were being extra-carful. The car in front of me had made it thru the light, but I had not; so I sat there and watched him make his way up the road.
Not 50 feet from the intersection, a dog ran out into the road. Its owner had just opened the door of their house. The dog ran straight for the road, and of course was run over. The car did everything it could to avoid the dog, but with road conditions being what they were it was impossible to do much.
It truly was a horrible sight to see: it actually took me a few seconds to realize it was a dog I had just seen run into the car. I thought for a moment that it was a coat (of all things).
The car stopped immediately, and two people got out. The owner of the dog met them and went to see what could be done, but the dog was most definitely gone. Nothing could have lived thru what I had seen.
I just sat there at the light with my hands held over my eyes, peeking thru the fingers at the scene in front of me.
Shudder!
To make matters worse, the day after that I saw 5 or 6 ravens at that very spot – so you know there was enough residual “stuff” left behind to occupy that many birds.
Again, I say - Shudder!
Mid Life Crisis
The other day my sister accused me of having a mid-life crisis. This was just seconds after I showed her my new tattoo, so it’s not entirely out of the question.
But it really made me think: am I going thru that mid-life crisis? I have done a lot of rather impulsive things lately. Things you normally would not expect from me, such as:
I’ve lost over 40 pounds
I’ve pierced my eye brow
I’ve had a black widow spider tattooed on my arm
I’ve climbed both the North Face of Mr. Alyeska and Flat Top
Heck, I even went and got a cell phone
But honestly, I don’t think that’s what I’m doing. I think I’m just trying to counter a lot of the negative stuff that’s been going on with me lately. Things I haven’t had much choice in, but have had to endure anyway. And no, I’m not going to list them all out.
So if you do have to call it a Mid Life Crisis, then I say, “I’ve Earned It and I’m Going to Enjoy It!”
But it really made me think: am I going thru that mid-life crisis? I have done a lot of rather impulsive things lately. Things you normally would not expect from me, such as:
I’ve lost over 40 pounds
I’ve pierced my eye brow
I’ve had a black widow spider tattooed on my arm
I’ve climbed both the North Face of Mr. Alyeska and Flat Top
Heck, I even went and got a cell phone
But honestly, I don’t think that’s what I’m doing. I think I’m just trying to counter a lot of the negative stuff that’s been going on with me lately. Things I haven’t had much choice in, but have had to endure anyway. And no, I’m not going to list them all out.
So if you do have to call it a Mid Life Crisis, then I say, “I’ve Earned It and I’m Going to Enjoy It!”
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Another Earthwatch Presentation
I was invited by the Eagle River Nature Center to give another presentation last weekend. They requested that I talk about my travels to Mongolia and focus on the Mongolian Ger (what we know as a yurt) since they have one up at the center that people could go look at after the talk. I was more than happy to accept their invitation; I love that place and am happy to help support it. I am also always happy to talk about Earthwatch.
The drive up there is just spectacularly gorgeous. If you’ve never been there, I highly recommend you go. Just make sure you have your winter tires on: it’s about 10 miles up in the mountains past the Wal-Mart in Eagle River.
Be sure to bring your hiking boots, too, as they have lots of really nice trails you can explore – from a short half mile stroll to a more adventurous 6 mile loop. If you’re the out-doorsy type, you might even be interested in the 3-day hike thru Crow Creek Pass. I haven’t done that one, but I’m sure it’s wonderful too.
My presentation was set for 2:00, but I got there early to ensure that I had time to set up the projector and have everything out and ready. I wasn’t sure what to expect in the way of an audience since it is such a drive in winter conditions. I was pleasantly surprised to see around 20 people sitting there listening to me! That’s probably one of my better attendance records for that place.
One of the guys from work even showed up. Patrick is very interested in the sciences, and I think I managed to hook him into the whole Earthwatch thing: he’s seriously considering going on the Mongolian Expedition himself someday. I brought some more information to work the next day to show him (and to set the hook more firmly).
I really hope he goes; I think he’d be perfect for it!
The drive up there is just spectacularly gorgeous. If you’ve never been there, I highly recommend you go. Just make sure you have your winter tires on: it’s about 10 miles up in the mountains past the Wal-Mart in Eagle River.
Be sure to bring your hiking boots, too, as they have lots of really nice trails you can explore – from a short half mile stroll to a more adventurous 6 mile loop. If you’re the out-doorsy type, you might even be interested in the 3-day hike thru Crow Creek Pass. I haven’t done that one, but I’m sure it’s wonderful too.
My presentation was set for 2:00, but I got there early to ensure that I had time to set up the projector and have everything out and ready. I wasn’t sure what to expect in the way of an audience since it is such a drive in winter conditions. I was pleasantly surprised to see around 20 people sitting there listening to me! That’s probably one of my better attendance records for that place.
One of the guys from work even showed up. Patrick is very interested in the sciences, and I think I managed to hook him into the whole Earthwatch thing: he’s seriously considering going on the Mongolian Expedition himself someday. I brought some more information to work the next day to show him (and to set the hook more firmly).
I really hope he goes; I think he’d be perfect for it!
Zoo Boo 2010
It’s been a while, but I should at least mention the fact that I worked at the zoo on Halloween as they celebrated with their annual Zoo Boo event.
We set up at least 14 stations all over zoo grounds where kids could go trick-or-treating and have fun that night. We gave away tons of candy and other things like pencils, postcards, and glow sticks. We even had a big bon fire going to warm up at.
I don’t have the final numbers yet, but I’d estimate somewhere around 2,500 people came thru the zoo that night in just 3 hours. It was a madhouse!
Thankfully, the weather wasn’t as bad as it usually is at this time of year. I remember zoo boos in the past being held at 45 below! It was a more manageable 35 degrees this year. I had the added advantage of being assigned to the only station that was indoors at the Discovery Center! It pays to be the Volunteer Coordinator’s friend, I guess. I certainly wasn’t complaining.
Among other attractions that night was the Costume Contest: being inside at the Discovery Center meant that of course I wasn’t able to witness it first hand, but I did get to see a lot of the costumes as they passed thru my station – and I’m just glad I didn’t have to be one of the judges!
There were some really cool costumes; lots of Fairy Princesses and Ninja Fighters this year, with more than a few animals like a Giraffe and a Horse (that was my particular favorite). There was even a Robbie the Robot, although I’m dating myself by identifying it, I think.
It was a fun night for everybody, but I must say that many people really wore me out. I came home afterwards and snuggled up with my girls on the couch with a quiet movie and a cup of tea, and called it good.
We set up at least 14 stations all over zoo grounds where kids could go trick-or-treating and have fun that night. We gave away tons of candy and other things like pencils, postcards, and glow sticks. We even had a big bon fire going to warm up at.
I don’t have the final numbers yet, but I’d estimate somewhere around 2,500 people came thru the zoo that night in just 3 hours. It was a madhouse!
Thankfully, the weather wasn’t as bad as it usually is at this time of year. I remember zoo boos in the past being held at 45 below! It was a more manageable 35 degrees this year. I had the added advantage of being assigned to the only station that was indoors at the Discovery Center! It pays to be the Volunteer Coordinator’s friend, I guess. I certainly wasn’t complaining.
Among other attractions that night was the Costume Contest: being inside at the Discovery Center meant that of course I wasn’t able to witness it first hand, but I did get to see a lot of the costumes as they passed thru my station – and I’m just glad I didn’t have to be one of the judges!
There were some really cool costumes; lots of Fairy Princesses and Ninja Fighters this year, with more than a few animals like a Giraffe and a Horse (that was my particular favorite). There was even a Robbie the Robot, although I’m dating myself by identifying it, I think.
It was a fun night for everybody, but I must say that many people really wore me out. I came home afterwards and snuggled up with my girls on the couch with a quiet movie and a cup of tea, and called it good.
Monday, November 01, 2010
I Finally Did It!
I have lived here in Anchorage for well over 15 years, and have never actually made it to the top of Flat Top.
This weekend, I finally did it!
According to the books Flat Top has an elevation of 3,510 feet, but trail head is most of the way up the mountain so the actual gain in elevation is only 1,350 feet. Still, it’s a very steep trail – and it was completely covered in snow and ice, which just made it that much more difficult.
I had my friend Noah pick me up so we would only have to pay one parking fee. Plus, my car doesn’t have its winter tires on yet, so I really didn’t know if it would make it all the way up there. As it turned out, his car didn’t have any on either – but he made it just fine.
We both dressed lightly, knowing that even though it was really cold at the trail head we would quickly heat up on the climb. I didn’t have the right gloves on, though. Those little cloth gloves I like so much really are not made to handle snow and ice: and I did have to actually handle it, too, pretty much the entire way back down was on my butt and hands.
Noah is a retired paratrooper with the army, and an avid mountain biker as well – so this was a piece of cake for him. He very gallantly went at my pace however, and even kicked toe-holds in the worst spots so that I could more easily make my way up. He made sure I stopped occasionally to ensure that my head didn’t explode from the exertion (well, that what it feels like it’s trying to do sometimes – not that it actually would explode) and kept handing me the water hose to keep hydrated.
With surprising ease, we actually made it to the very tippy-top!
First thing I did was text my Mother: I’m standing at the very top of Flat Top! The next thing I did was eat a protein bar and walk around the top and take in the view. OMG! What a view… unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me so couldn’t take any photos. Noah had his cell phone with him so got a quick shot of the two of us. Hopefully I can get him to send me a copy of it.
Then we had to make our way back down the mountain. That was a lot harder as the slope is really, really steep when you’re looking down at it instead of up at it. I developed a technique for some of the worst spots of crouching down and using my feet as sleds with my hands to help guide my descent. It worked really well, except that the snow and ice still managed to find its way inside my pants to thoroughly freeze my butt.
The entire climb took a lot longer than I expected it to. We started out at 11:00 and didn’t get home till around 4:00. I had planned on heading out at 10:00 and being home by 1:30 ish…
Oh my gosh, am I a sore puppy today. Rob laughed at me all day yesterday as we walked around town: every time we came to some stairs (which of course there were a lot of them) I would very gingerly easy my way down, biting my tongue the entire time so as to not groan.
But it’s a good kind of sore – the kind that reminds me at every step that I JUST CLIMBED FLAT TOP!
This weekend, I finally did it!
According to the books Flat Top has an elevation of 3,510 feet, but trail head is most of the way up the mountain so the actual gain in elevation is only 1,350 feet. Still, it’s a very steep trail – and it was completely covered in snow and ice, which just made it that much more difficult.
I had my friend Noah pick me up so we would only have to pay one parking fee. Plus, my car doesn’t have its winter tires on yet, so I really didn’t know if it would make it all the way up there. As it turned out, his car didn’t have any on either – but he made it just fine.
We both dressed lightly, knowing that even though it was really cold at the trail head we would quickly heat up on the climb. I didn’t have the right gloves on, though. Those little cloth gloves I like so much really are not made to handle snow and ice: and I did have to actually handle it, too, pretty much the entire way back down was on my butt and hands.
Noah is a retired paratrooper with the army, and an avid mountain biker as well – so this was a piece of cake for him. He very gallantly went at my pace however, and even kicked toe-holds in the worst spots so that I could more easily make my way up. He made sure I stopped occasionally to ensure that my head didn’t explode from the exertion (well, that what it feels like it’s trying to do sometimes – not that it actually would explode) and kept handing me the water hose to keep hydrated.
With surprising ease, we actually made it to the very tippy-top!
First thing I did was text my Mother: I’m standing at the very top of Flat Top! The next thing I did was eat a protein bar and walk around the top and take in the view. OMG! What a view… unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me so couldn’t take any photos. Noah had his cell phone with him so got a quick shot of the two of us. Hopefully I can get him to send me a copy of it.
Then we had to make our way back down the mountain. That was a lot harder as the slope is really, really steep when you’re looking down at it instead of up at it. I developed a technique for some of the worst spots of crouching down and using my feet as sleds with my hands to help guide my descent. It worked really well, except that the snow and ice still managed to find its way inside my pants to thoroughly freeze my butt.
The entire climb took a lot longer than I expected it to. We started out at 11:00 and didn’t get home till around 4:00. I had planned on heading out at 10:00 and being home by 1:30 ish…
Oh my gosh, am I a sore puppy today. Rob laughed at me all day yesterday as we walked around town: every time we came to some stairs (which of course there were a lot of them) I would very gingerly easy my way down, biting my tongue the entire time so as to not groan.
But it’s a good kind of sore – the kind that reminds me at every step that I JUST CLIMBED FLAT TOP!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Hiking with Guns
Rob and I went out hunting this past weekend. It was more a hike with guns, truth to tell, but we had fun anyway. He’s been dealing with some nasty legal issues and just really wanted to “kill something” so we were on the lookout for “anything that hops or flutters.” Of course, we didn’t see a thing. Or rather, we did see it, we just didn’t shoot it.
We drove out way past Sutton to the old Gun Site Mountain Lodge, then turned off on a little side road to park the car and get out onto the trails. We had planned to eat lunch at the lodge but found it to be shut down, so our hike ended up being on an empty stomach. Neither of us had had anything more than half a pancake for breakfast that morning.
I say half a pancake: we had gone to Gwennies for breakfast on our way out of town. Rob had been raving about their sourdough pancakes on the way there, so we were both really looking forward to eating them. They turned out to be just awful = not even fully cooked and practically inedible. Oh well…
By the time we got to Gun Site Mountain it was well past lunch time and both of us were quite hungry. Thankfully, I had some power bars in my backpack: we each downed one of those and half a bottle of water, and we were on our way.
We walked for an hour or so through the frozen swamp till we found the perfect dead tree, then got busy with target shooting. Rob brought his .45 and his .9, while I had my .22 pistol. I hadn’t ever shot my pistol, so got a lesson beforehand. It’s a nice little gun, I must say. Old, too: my grandfather used to shoot it back in his Mexico days. Rob’s two pistols are much newer, and much bigger too. We had fun shooting off several rounds with each gun and completely obliterating the rotten stump we were aiming at.
Eventually we meandered back to the car, taking our time and enjoying the scenery. We drove down to the King Mountain Lodge for a late lunch/early dinner, then headed on back home.
We drove out way past Sutton to the old Gun Site Mountain Lodge, then turned off on a little side road to park the car and get out onto the trails. We had planned to eat lunch at the lodge but found it to be shut down, so our hike ended up being on an empty stomach. Neither of us had had anything more than half a pancake for breakfast that morning.
I say half a pancake: we had gone to Gwennies for breakfast on our way out of town. Rob had been raving about their sourdough pancakes on the way there, so we were both really looking forward to eating them. They turned out to be just awful = not even fully cooked and practically inedible. Oh well…
By the time we got to Gun Site Mountain it was well past lunch time and both of us were quite hungry. Thankfully, I had some power bars in my backpack: we each downed one of those and half a bottle of water, and we were on our way.
We walked for an hour or so through the frozen swamp till we found the perfect dead tree, then got busy with target shooting. Rob brought his .45 and his .9, while I had my .22 pistol. I hadn’t ever shot my pistol, so got a lesson beforehand. It’s a nice little gun, I must say. Old, too: my grandfather used to shoot it back in his Mexico days. Rob’s two pistols are much newer, and much bigger too. We had fun shooting off several rounds with each gun and completely obliterating the rotten stump we were aiming at.
Eventually we meandered back to the car, taking our time and enjoying the scenery. We drove down to the King Mountain Lodge for a late lunch/early dinner, then headed on back home.
Pumpkin Carving Party
I threw another Pumpkin Carving Party this last weekend. I’ve had them in the past and do enjoy having everybody over. Honestly, though – the real reason I have them is so that I can get everybody’s seeds to toast! I do love roasted pumpkin seeds…
This year, hardly anybody showed up so I didn’t get very many. But we had fun anyway. Mother and Heather both came in from Palmer, my hiking buddy Tina (we went to high school together, way back when) showed up, and Rob came as well.
Yes, that Rob. We’re still friends, even if we’re not dating.
Anyway, Mother brought 4 little squash thingies (what is the plural form of squash, anyway?), while Heather, Tina, and Rob each had nice big pumpkins. Heather and Tina each chose rather intricate patterns from the book Tina had, while Mother and Rob each carved free-style. All ended up with very cool jack-o-lanterns!
And of course, we had food. Can’t have a party without food! Mother made a big pot of chili with cheese and sour cream on the side. Tina brought a big veggie tray with ranch dressing to dip into. I had Hot Spiced Cider on the stove with some smoked salmon dip & little round bread pieces. Rob brought some rum to add to the cider even!
The cats even had fun, helping everybody with their carving and making sure we were all behaving properly.
This year, hardly anybody showed up so I didn’t get very many. But we had fun anyway. Mother and Heather both came in from Palmer, my hiking buddy Tina (we went to high school together, way back when) showed up, and Rob came as well.
Yes, that Rob. We’re still friends, even if we’re not dating.
Anyway, Mother brought 4 little squash thingies (what is the plural form of squash, anyway?), while Heather, Tina, and Rob each had nice big pumpkins. Heather and Tina each chose rather intricate patterns from the book Tina had, while Mother and Rob each carved free-style. All ended up with very cool jack-o-lanterns!
And of course, we had food. Can’t have a party without food! Mother made a big pot of chili with cheese and sour cream on the side. Tina brought a big veggie tray with ranch dressing to dip into. I had Hot Spiced Cider on the stove with some smoked salmon dip & little round bread pieces. Rob brought some rum to add to the cider even!
The cats even had fun, helping everybody with their carving and making sure we were all behaving properly.
Monday Night Dinner
I’ve been meeting my niece Lauren for dinner each Monday night these past few weeks. She’s back at UAA attending college again this semester, and this is my way of keeping tabs on her.
It’s been fun. We try to go to a new place each week, but since both of us are somewhat limited in funds, they have to be cheap places to eat. I also like to stick to this neighborhood so that Lauren might be able to ride her bike to any of the places we try later on, should she feel like getting a bite to eat on her own one day. We sit and chat about her school, go over her homework, study for exams, and catch up on each other’s goings-on.
I have a plan for keeping our spending to a minimum: with part of my dividend this year I am going to buy one of those big coupon books (The Northern Lights Coupon Book) that gives a bunch of two-for-one deals on restaurants all over town. Then, Lauren has said that she can contribute $5 for each meal while I can pick up the remainder of the tab.
The only problem with my plan is that the darned book hasn’t been published yet! Lauren’s semester at school will be over by the time it finally hits the shelf, knowing my luck. I’ll probably still get one anyway, in hopes that she’s able to continue with her schooling on into next semester.
It’s been fun. We try to go to a new place each week, but since both of us are somewhat limited in funds, they have to be cheap places to eat. I also like to stick to this neighborhood so that Lauren might be able to ride her bike to any of the places we try later on, should she feel like getting a bite to eat on her own one day. We sit and chat about her school, go over her homework, study for exams, and catch up on each other’s goings-on.
I have a plan for keeping our spending to a minimum: with part of my dividend this year I am going to buy one of those big coupon books (The Northern Lights Coupon Book) that gives a bunch of two-for-one deals on restaurants all over town. Then, Lauren has said that she can contribute $5 for each meal while I can pick up the remainder of the tab.
The only problem with my plan is that the darned book hasn’t been published yet! Lauren’s semester at school will be over by the time it finally hits the shelf, knowing my luck. I’ll probably still get one anyway, in hopes that she’s able to continue with her schooling on into next semester.
Another Good Book
Here’s an excerpt from the book I’m currently reading. It’s quite good; I highly recommend it.
The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea
By Philip Hoare
“Whales existed before man, but they have been known to us only for two or three generations: until the invention of underwater photography, we hardly knew what they looked like. It was only after we had seen the Earth from orbiting spaceships that the first free-swimming whale was photographed underwater. The first underwater film of sperm whales, off the coast of Sri Lanka, was not taken until 1984; our images of these huge placid creatures moving gracefully and silently thought the ocean are more recent than the use of personal computers. We knew what the world looked like before we knew what the whale looked like. Even now there are beaked whales, or ziphiids, known only from bones washed up on remote beaches – esoteric, deep-see animals with strange markings which biologists have never seen alive or dead, so little studied that their status is “data deficient’. New cetaceans are still being identified in the twenty-first century, and we would do well to remember that the world harbours animals bigger than ourselves which we have yet to see; that not everything is cataloged and claimed and digitized. That in the oceans great whales swim unnamed by man.”
The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea
By Philip Hoare
“Whales existed before man, but they have been known to us only for two or three generations: until the invention of underwater photography, we hardly knew what they looked like. It was only after we had seen the Earth from orbiting spaceships that the first free-swimming whale was photographed underwater. The first underwater film of sperm whales, off the coast of Sri Lanka, was not taken until 1984; our images of these huge placid creatures moving gracefully and silently thought the ocean are more recent than the use of personal computers. We knew what the world looked like before we knew what the whale looked like. Even now there are beaked whales, or ziphiids, known only from bones washed up on remote beaches – esoteric, deep-see animals with strange markings which biologists have never seen alive or dead, so little studied that their status is “data deficient’. New cetaceans are still being identified in the twenty-first century, and we would do well to remember that the world harbours animals bigger than ourselves which we have yet to see; that not everything is cataloged and claimed and digitized. That in the oceans great whales swim unnamed by man.”
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Jury Duty
I got called for Jury Duty this week. Actually I got called for three different Jury Duties, but since I can only be in one place at a time they excused me from two of them. The one I ended up with was to serve as a petit juror for the Alaska Court System on a Criminal Case.
Free parking was provided for everybody called to serve but there was some confusion as the parking garage normally used by the court house is undergoing reconstruction at the moment, so they had to reroute everybody to different locations. Even though the instructions were quite clear as to where we go and how we handle the parking fees, there were still a lot of people who didn’t understand or got confused about what to do. I’m sure it caused no end of headaches to the poor clerks in the jury office.
Once I made it to the actual court house, I had to go through a security check. They had told us ahead of time not to bring any knives, guns, or weapons of any kind – but I forgot that I had my pocket knife in my purse so got flagged by the x-ray machine and was sent back outside to dispose of the knife. Rather than throw it away (it has a nice abalone shell handle and was my grandfather’s from way back when) I stashed it in a planter on the front lawn in hopes that it would still be there when my day was over. Thankfully, it was!
In the waiting room, I joined a throng of roughly 300 others waiting to see what the day would bring. We all filled out the required paperwork, listened to the instructions given by the clerk on duty that day, and settled in for the long haul. I brought along my Kindle and some tea, so kept myself occupied well enough, but it wasn’t too long before my name got called and I was sent up to a courtroom to begin the jury selection process.
I was joined by 49 other people, so the room was rather crowded. The Judge welcomed us and introduced the Defendant and his lawyer as well as the State counsel and the police representative charging the Defendant. He explained the process that was about to take place and had immediately excused 5 people from the case. I assume it was because of something they’d written in the paperwork we all filled out down in the waiting room. Then the clerk randomly chose the first 14 people and the selection process began.
They had a microphone that was passed on to whoever was called on to speak so that we all could hear. Each person was asked the same 9 questions to begin with:
What is your name?
What is your occupation?
What is your spouse/children’s name and occupation?
Where were you born and raised?
What are your hobbies?
Have you ever been in court?
Have you ever served on a jury?
Is there any reason you should not serve on this jury?
Do you know any of the participants of this court case?
After each person answered these questions and the judge excused any who didn’t qualify, the lawyers each got up and asked their own questions. The State Counselor was first up since the burden of proof fell on him (the defendant is of course presumed innocent until proven guilty). He was easy going and not at all boring to listen to. His questions were voiced in a hypothetical voice and were easy to understand and therefore easy to answer.
That was not the case with the Defense Counselor: man, he was awful. He kept asking the same question 3-5 times to each person. They would answer him, and he’d say “OK, but do you think…” and then he’d ask that very same question again. They’d answer him again, and he’d say “OK, but do you think…” and then he’d ask that very same question again. It just kept going on and on, to the point where it was agonizingly ridiculous. If I were the Defendant, I’d be very worried.
Throughout all this questioning, we began to see what the case was about, and it was very disturbing to say the least. The Defendant was charged with Attempted Sexual Abuse against a Minor. It was even more disturbing when you take into account the Defendant was perhaps 45-50 years old and the minor in question was only 3.
Because the Defendant’s counsel was taking so long asking the same damn question 5 times for each potential juror (why oh why didn’t the judge put a stop to it?) the selection process took two days. Two days of agony sitting on an uncomfortable bench, listening to the same question over and over again, and waiting for my turn to be called up to the stand.
Finally I did get called and was excused almost immediately. I can’t say I’m sorry about that although this would have been the perfect time for me to serve on a case. Court is held only from 8:30 to 1:30, and since I work part time in the afternoons I wouldn’t have had to miss any hours.
I still have to call in for the remainder of the week, but the odds of having to go back to court are pretty slim. I think I just may be done for the year!
Free parking was provided for everybody called to serve but there was some confusion as the parking garage normally used by the court house is undergoing reconstruction at the moment, so they had to reroute everybody to different locations. Even though the instructions were quite clear as to where we go and how we handle the parking fees, there were still a lot of people who didn’t understand or got confused about what to do. I’m sure it caused no end of headaches to the poor clerks in the jury office.
Once I made it to the actual court house, I had to go through a security check. They had told us ahead of time not to bring any knives, guns, or weapons of any kind – but I forgot that I had my pocket knife in my purse so got flagged by the x-ray machine and was sent back outside to dispose of the knife. Rather than throw it away (it has a nice abalone shell handle and was my grandfather’s from way back when) I stashed it in a planter on the front lawn in hopes that it would still be there when my day was over. Thankfully, it was!
In the waiting room, I joined a throng of roughly 300 others waiting to see what the day would bring. We all filled out the required paperwork, listened to the instructions given by the clerk on duty that day, and settled in for the long haul. I brought along my Kindle and some tea, so kept myself occupied well enough, but it wasn’t too long before my name got called and I was sent up to a courtroom to begin the jury selection process.
I was joined by 49 other people, so the room was rather crowded. The Judge welcomed us and introduced the Defendant and his lawyer as well as the State counsel and the police representative charging the Defendant. He explained the process that was about to take place and had immediately excused 5 people from the case. I assume it was because of something they’d written in the paperwork we all filled out down in the waiting room. Then the clerk randomly chose the first 14 people and the selection process began.
They had a microphone that was passed on to whoever was called on to speak so that we all could hear. Each person was asked the same 9 questions to begin with:
What is your name?
What is your occupation?
What is your spouse/children’s name and occupation?
Where were you born and raised?
What are your hobbies?
Have you ever been in court?
Have you ever served on a jury?
Is there any reason you should not serve on this jury?
Do you know any of the participants of this court case?
After each person answered these questions and the judge excused any who didn’t qualify, the lawyers each got up and asked their own questions. The State Counselor was first up since the burden of proof fell on him (the defendant is of course presumed innocent until proven guilty). He was easy going and not at all boring to listen to. His questions were voiced in a hypothetical voice and were easy to understand and therefore easy to answer.
That was not the case with the Defense Counselor: man, he was awful. He kept asking the same question 3-5 times to each person. They would answer him, and he’d say “OK, but do you think…” and then he’d ask that very same question again. They’d answer him again, and he’d say “OK, but do you think…” and then he’d ask that very same question again. It just kept going on and on, to the point where it was agonizingly ridiculous. If I were the Defendant, I’d be very worried.
Throughout all this questioning, we began to see what the case was about, and it was very disturbing to say the least. The Defendant was charged with Attempted Sexual Abuse against a Minor. It was even more disturbing when you take into account the Defendant was perhaps 45-50 years old and the minor in question was only 3.
Because the Defendant’s counsel was taking so long asking the same damn question 5 times for each potential juror (why oh why didn’t the judge put a stop to it?) the selection process took two days. Two days of agony sitting on an uncomfortable bench, listening to the same question over and over again, and waiting for my turn to be called up to the stand.
Finally I did get called and was excused almost immediately. I can’t say I’m sorry about that although this would have been the perfect time for me to serve on a case. Court is held only from 8:30 to 1:30, and since I work part time in the afternoons I wouldn’t have had to miss any hours.
I still have to call in for the remainder of the week, but the odds of having to go back to court are pretty slim. I think I just may be done for the year!
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Doctors, Doctors, and More Doctors
October is the month for medical appointments, apparently. By the time this is over, I will be sick and tired of doctors I’m sure. But since I’ve been without for way too many years and it just kicked in on the first of this month, I’m having pretty much everything taken care of.
Tuesday was for the general practitioner. I had a physical, a pap smear, and a consultation on other problems. She gave me a prescription for anti-depressants (I am so tired of crying all the time, I just want this to be over and done with), a referral for counseling, marching orders for a mammogram, and instructions for taking supplements like Vitamin D and Iron. She also tested for just about every STD that’s out there, but that’s a whole other story and one I don’t really want to go into at this time.
Wednesday was for the dentist. My insurance only covers a cleaning at this point in time, so that’s what I had done. Once I’ve been on the dental plan for over 6 months I can get the rest of the work done: I need a crown and have a filling that needs fixed.
Thursday was for the eye exam. I don’t have insurance for vision but I do have my yearly PFD that just got deposited into my bank account today, so I’m using that to pay for it. I went to Lens Crafters at the mall and had an eye exam and bought my glasses that same day. Wouldn’t you know it, I need bi-focals. But hopefully, once my eyes get used to it, I will be able to see so much better and can possibly even get back into my card-making crafts. They were having one of their best-ever sales, so I ended up with almost $200.00 off.
Monday will be my first counseling session, assuming that I’m not called in for Jury Duty that is. I have my orders to call in that week, but my case number is rather high so I’m hoping that I won’t get picked for a few days at least. I really need to go to counseling way more than I need to go to Jury Duty.
The following Saturday is my appointment for the mammogram. The Imaging Center is celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) by offering free exams, so I am taking full advantage of that. One less thing for my insurance to have to deal with.
After that, we’ll just see how things fall out with all these appointments. I may or may not be done with most of it by then, and will just have to deal with the HRA plan at work to see how much I can get reimbursed after the insurance pays for their portion.
Tuesday was for the general practitioner. I had a physical, a pap smear, and a consultation on other problems. She gave me a prescription for anti-depressants (I am so tired of crying all the time, I just want this to be over and done with), a referral for counseling, marching orders for a mammogram, and instructions for taking supplements like Vitamin D and Iron. She also tested for just about every STD that’s out there, but that’s a whole other story and one I don’t really want to go into at this time.
Wednesday was for the dentist. My insurance only covers a cleaning at this point in time, so that’s what I had done. Once I’ve been on the dental plan for over 6 months I can get the rest of the work done: I need a crown and have a filling that needs fixed.
Thursday was for the eye exam. I don’t have insurance for vision but I do have my yearly PFD that just got deposited into my bank account today, so I’m using that to pay for it. I went to Lens Crafters at the mall and had an eye exam and bought my glasses that same day. Wouldn’t you know it, I need bi-focals. But hopefully, once my eyes get used to it, I will be able to see so much better and can possibly even get back into my card-making crafts. They were having one of their best-ever sales, so I ended up with almost $200.00 off.
Monday will be my first counseling session, assuming that I’m not called in for Jury Duty that is. I have my orders to call in that week, but my case number is rather high so I’m hoping that I won’t get picked for a few days at least. I really need to go to counseling way more than I need to go to Jury Duty.
The following Saturday is my appointment for the mammogram. The Imaging Center is celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) by offering free exams, so I am taking full advantage of that. One less thing for my insurance to have to deal with.
After that, we’ll just see how things fall out with all these appointments. I may or may not be done with most of it by then, and will just have to deal with the HRA plan at work to see how much I can get reimbursed after the insurance pays for their portion.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Black Widow Spider
Back in my college days (okay, it wasn’t really college: it was more like a technical school) I was bit by a black widow spider. Not a real pleasant experience, let me assure you. The anti-venom was even worse. I sported a dead spot about the size of a quarter for 6 months afterwards; yet now, years later, I have nothing to show for it. No scar, nothing.
So, I decided I should get a tattoo put on the spot where she bit me. It took me several years to find the perfect picture, but I finally did. Then I had to wait several months more for an appointment with the tattoo artist.
But now, finally – after all this time – I have a beautiful Black Widow Spider on my arm! I’m pretty excited about that, truth to tell.
Having a tattoo put on my arm wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It wasn’t painful at all, except towards the end when he filled in the body. I do have to admit, however, that 5 minutes in to the process my body started to go into full panic mode. He had to stop and go get me an ice pack for my neck and some apple juice to bring my blood sugar levels back up. I really thought I was going to pass out there for a few minutes, but managed to keep control of things.
20 minutes later, and he went back to work. I was fine for the rest of the appointment, and didn’t even have to wait on the chair for a while afterwards like I did for the piercing.
For the next week I am to wash it gently with mild soap and hot water and then rub Vitamin A&D Ointment on, it three times a day. I am to rub unscented lotion on it three times a day the week following that. The scabbing should be gone within 7-10 days, but I don’t even see any scabs yet – so maybe I won’t have any. It’s not that big of a tattoo, after all.
But it’s my tattoo, and I love it.
So, I decided I should get a tattoo put on the spot where she bit me. It took me several years to find the perfect picture, but I finally did. Then I had to wait several months more for an appointment with the tattoo artist.
But now, finally – after all this time – I have a beautiful Black Widow Spider on my arm! I’m pretty excited about that, truth to tell.
Having a tattoo put on my arm wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It wasn’t painful at all, except towards the end when he filled in the body. I do have to admit, however, that 5 minutes in to the process my body started to go into full panic mode. He had to stop and go get me an ice pack for my neck and some apple juice to bring my blood sugar levels back up. I really thought I was going to pass out there for a few minutes, but managed to keep control of things.
20 minutes later, and he went back to work. I was fine for the rest of the appointment, and didn’t even have to wait on the chair for a while afterwards like I did for the piercing.
For the next week I am to wash it gently with mild soap and hot water and then rub Vitamin A&D Ointment on, it three times a day. I am to rub unscented lotion on it three times a day the week following that. The scabbing should be gone within 7-10 days, but I don’t even see any scabs yet – so maybe I won’t have any. It’s not that big of a tattoo, after all.
But it’s my tattoo, and I love it.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Girls Are Like Apples
“Girls are like apples...the best ones are at the top of the trees. The boys don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples that are on the ground that aren't as good, but easy. So the apples at the top think there is something wrong with them, when, in reality, they are amazing.”
I found that quote on a website where girls post questions for other girls to respond to. I copied it and sent it out to a bunch of people I know to get their reaction.
I found it interesting that almost all of the women thought of themselves as the apples on the top of the tree; not one of them associated with the apples on the ground.
That only makes sense, of course - no one wants to think of themselves as less than perfect.
Yet, to be honest, that’s exactly what I first thought : that I was one of the apples on the ground, good looking enough to catch some man’s attention at first, but not good enough to hold it so they toss me aside and go for the next one they see.
I also found it interesting that the one man who responded told me that men aren’t even looking for apples in the first place. They want “a real peach” not a “sour apple.”
Food for thought…
I found that quote on a website where girls post questions for other girls to respond to. I copied it and sent it out to a bunch of people I know to get their reaction.
I found it interesting that almost all of the women thought of themselves as the apples on the top of the tree; not one of them associated with the apples on the ground.
That only makes sense, of course - no one wants to think of themselves as less than perfect.
Yet, to be honest, that’s exactly what I first thought : that I was one of the apples on the ground, good looking enough to catch some man’s attention at first, but not good enough to hold it so they toss me aside and go for the next one they see.
I also found it interesting that the one man who responded told me that men aren’t even looking for apples in the first place. They want “a real peach” not a “sour apple.”
Food for thought…
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