A holiday mailing

This image is on the holiday calendar/greeting card from one of the Native Corporations (sort of the Alaskan Substitute for a reservation).

negative 15 degrees today with a big negative wind chill (-40).

Today's ride in was totally Ice Planet Hoth on the taun taun. Sock liners, socks, and disappointing North Face boots -easy on and off cause the zippers don't stay zipped and one ripped before I had it 2 weeks. I mean to complain to North Face. I think if I ever DO go Ice fishing - i'm gonna have to get those toe warmers (assuming Ice fishing involves sitting around).

Another Kotz resident sort of offered to take me out of town on a pretty day and go fishing.

3 layers on legs (last has been the polyester outside/fleece inside pants I've been wearing everyday for weeks). But only two on the top (a silk long shirt and fleece-ish shirt). That-s not counting the down parka.

But somehow I must have amazingly set up my goggles, balaclava, coat collar and hood that my glasses did NOT fog up inside my goggles (which often happens if the balaclava in covering the nose - sends warm moist air up into the goggles).

I'm starting to think about actually pestering to follow through with getting the Wolf Fringe I never did get... But since I plan on going helmet shopping in Milwaukee (did you now snowmobiles were invented in Wisconsin?) - the possibility that I might get an enclosed helmet would negate the need for a fringe for now. Of course, if I go ice fishing or something and am not wearing the helmet - I'll miss not having the fringe.

Snow Day

Veterans Day school, work, and most offices in town were closed - but not for the holiday - rather the first big snow of the season.
http://picasaweb.google.com/usernamesareannoying/SnowDay#

Ok, My commute Attire

Prep the Ice Planet Hoth references.... NOW

What's in your freezer?

To those of you who thought it funny that I used to (in Fairbanks) leave frozen groceries in the car - up here they leave frozen 'groceries' around the house. I've seen frozen (I assume) seal (whole seal) outside on tables... and tonight walked by Frozen Fish (guessing Shee fish) sitting in the 'arctic entryway' I share with my neighbors. huh- and I wondered whether it was consistently cold enough to keep my tortillas - this fish is nicely frozen solid.

http://www.fishalaskamagazine.com/fish/sheefish.htm

Obey the Kitty

Um... haven't quite figured this out, but finding it quite funny and can't wait to take a picture of a sticker in Kotz.

Friend of Chairman Meow

Airplanes and Seals

Well - the most exciting thing to happen in the few weeks here - I got to fly an 'advanced flight simulator' as part of letting the Chukchi employees see the toy some grant money paid for in part of an effort to train and retain pilots in the region. I have one not too exciting picture where you just see me sitting in the cut away pilot part of a plane.

The most - 'we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto' moment -- riding in the truck from the post office back to campus and boaters are cleaning up from fishing - there was a lump covered in a blanket and blood splashed... I figure gutted fish right. NO apparently - my co-worker says "Oh, I guess they got a seal".

About a block later, I think - awwww cute seal face. waaaahh Ya know there weren't many vegetarian eskimos.

Hmm... not sure how to change the Blog Title

Now that we're in Kotz (the kitties and I) - and Palin is no longer the Gov... Not sure how to change the blog title... BUT here goes on the new material.

It's about my fourth week (?) in Kotzebue. I kind of wish I had a 4 wheeler/atv - but so far walking to and fro work (and any where else I bother to go) has worked ok with occasional rides and occasionally borrowing the Ford Expedition.

I figure I didn't win the raffle for the snowmobile (or SnoGo as they are called here) - I figure someone would have let me know.

I'll post some pictures from either out my apt. windows or off into the bay (view from Front Street).

Sorry uploads taking too long on my weak connection - gonna try to link ya'll to my picasa albums and put them there...

http://picasaweb.google.com/usernamesareannoying

Kotzebue and Chukchi links for those who haven't seen them

http://kotzpdweb.tripod.com/

http://www.chukchi.alaska.edu/general/

And another quake

This time a 3.09 same general area... about 8 miles wsw of Fairbanks. Seems like we're having a lot more - or maybe its just now I know they are Earthquakes and not domestic violence in the apartment next door (which if those were quakes... were not quite on the scale of the recent 3 pt averages)...

So - exciting....

A bigger earthquake

not by too much... tonight's was a 3.98 and a little closer (@ 7 miles)

Earthquake

Wow... this time I not only felt the earthquake, I felt some of the aftershocks...

And looking at the seismology page from the university - I think it's possible that what I thought were rowdy neighbors, or even domestic violence incidents... were just smaller earthquakes. Maybe that's why my one cat is a total annoying freak sometimes... Nah - I think she just wants me to get out the fishing rod for her.

So tonight we had a 3.5 earthquake maybe 9 miles from here (10 miles from Fairbanks).

and More interesting... check out ALL THE OTHERS.... I've been not realizing..

http://www.aeic.alaska.edu/Seis/recenteqs_sub/index.html

I Found a Franklin...

No, not a Ben Franklin... not $100 - but the automotive kind...
At the opening day of Tourist Season for Pioneer Park (the local conglomeration of little museums and cabins from Fairbanks' early period) - the local antique car folks brought their cars in for the festivities... and I was barely in the gate when I saw the little lion...

and hopefully the other picture will load... an early attempt at mechanized AK transportation - a tractor with barrel-like screws that turned to provide forward motion...

Second half of previous post

More Pictures:
A picture from my walk... May 21st - to show the green.
and this last one... the same snow pile for comparison (before melt started)

Two posts

I posted the following on Facebook in response to a comment on my winter picture from the UAF museum... It's pictures from beginning to mid-may and shows the melting the mountain of plowed snow by my apt. There's still snow on May 21st after several days, in several weeks of temps in the 70s.

Car on Ice

These new pics are from last week when my car got stuck in the parking spot at UAF. I found out why folks were parking on the other side where the sun had completely melted the ice - and found out that AWD will not back you out if all 4 wheels are on ice and two are 'wedged'.

Eventually a nice undergrad pushed on the front hood after I had gathered some gravel from the melted snow piles and pushed it around my front tires.

Potlatch and Powow

Went to a Potlatch (like a potluck) and powow as part of the Native American Arts Festival on Campus.

The powow was rather similar to those in GA. But I did eat whale blubber & skin (missed out on the whale tongue) and seal meat... oh and of course moose, but that's just a regular staple. har har har

Ice Alaska

I finally dragged myself to Ice Alaska, World Ice Carving Championships... last Friday.

I think it's status as World Ice Carving Championships is kind of like the Baseball World Series... there's no actual world-level competition circuit, I don't think.

http://picasaweb.google.com/usernamesareannoying/IceAlaska#

WTF's going on with the economy

SO... as I am answering a question from my Students... it occurs to me that I could offer up my EXTENSIVE education in political economy for any of my friends to ask me about WTF's going on with the economy...

Feel free to fling questions my way and I will try to explain...

To start with... This is a basic metaphor I use to describe the economy:

Imagine a nation's economy is a car where there is a 'good' safe speed for driving that gets you where you want to go [continued national prosperity that keeps up with growing population and increased expectations of the people]... it can 'grow' by moving forward, it can grow faster, it can slow down (but still generally be moving forward), and it can completely stall out, and it can EVEN (though rare) go in reverse.

The incredibly oversimplified version

Plan A rests on the contemporary common wisdom about the role of government in an economy that has 'stalled out'. The government should step on the gas [ok, technically if it's stalled you have to do more than that - point is the government acts with its taxing and spending and money powers to get the economy moving again].

Plan B says... leave it alone, the car will start moving [ok, the car metaphor literally and figuratively 'broke down' here, but the assumption is as follows: independent of most government action, the economy will 'right itself' and start moving.

Thank you Obama

For the birds and the animals and the trees....

Apparently my nephew may have accidentally addressed his prayers the other night to Obama (instead of God or Jesus). He was present at a church event (for youth I think, but not for elementary school kids which Nathan is) where my sister was using the example of the inauguration or the campaign or something to discuss promises and then moved on to discuss promises of god to his people and vice versa.

In a move (that I'm not sure she knows has occurred in schools across the country) she created some sort of tasks/activity where the youth would write/or present messages to the president.

Later that night.... Putting Nathan to sleep.... the diction apparently wasn't too clear, but Nathan apparently addressed his prayers to Obama.

Politics

Well, I'm in love with Obama...

Policy Dork's in Love... weeeee Obama is me, but with capability and political savvy...

it's like he reads my mind about policy choices (ok, maybe not every single one).

Not quite stir crazy but...

I am getting the feeling that a change of venue from the apartment would lead to increased productivity... BUT, I am afraid to go anywhere for any length of time since I worry whether the car will restart.

We're in a apparently abnormally long, abnormally cold , cold snap. I'm afraid to go to the laundromat or my office since only the latter entitles me to plugging in the car and I wouldn't want to leave the car running for the hours involved... but wouldn't want to leave it cold for that length of time.

Apparently the 'option' would be to go - not leave the car running the whole time, but go out after an hour and run it for some time... rinse, and repeat. Not seeing the joy in this approach since the apartment is toasty warm.

There's clearly something WRONG with people who choose to live up here (ok, that might be a bit harsh since persistent -40s isn't usual).


Anyway... here are links to two informative articles... the second is about the lovely frozen suspended engine exhaust known as 'ice fog' and the first is a piece I sent out when I found it in August about life at -40.

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF18/1887.html

http://www.newsminer.com/news/2009/jan/03/no-end-sight-interior-alaska-cold-spell/

Car Go

Got to store, got kitty litter, too tired to clean number 2 litter box tonight. Ah my love for the Cat Genie grows stronger every day.

AAA finally got here at 7:30PM ( I prob. only called at 1:00 pm) hooked up the car and charged it for a good 15-20 minutes (maybe longer)... I let it run for half hour, then went to school to check up on the aerogarden (i have some viable tomato plants and one somewhat healthy looking bit of preemie spinach - aka before baby spinach, fetal spinach? guess that wouldn't sell.)

Then on to Fred Meyer. It felt very wierd leaving the car running as I went into school and FM - protected just with the itty bitty 'Club' on the steering wheel. Hopefully most folks don't know a running volvo won't lock.

Car no go at less than 40 below

Imagine this... little booster in the dash, battery jumper hooked up where you hook it up in my wierd volvo (engine compartment has places to hook up cables since the battery is in the cargo hold).... I even (VERY BRIEFLY) tried to use a hair dryer on the main battery.

no go...

Prob. tried way too many times anyway draining what little juice was able to flow from the car battery.

OH, funnier is watching me get dressed and undressed as I go in and out of the apartment to adjust things... Found the balaclava with heat exchanging breathie part. Was wearing skiing gloves (the big columbia ones) and my fingers were starting to freeze in the gloves (hence why you are supposed to wear mittons so that the heat given off by one finger helps warm the next).

Just needed to get cat litter and check on the aerogarden... Should have taken it as a sign yesterday when the car had a little trouble re-starting after going in to wait in post office lines.

I found my 'the club' and it's associated key since folks just leave their cars running when going into stores etc. But the volvo won't lock with a key in the ignition... so I figure 'the club' will be an adequate deterrant... should prob. remove any valuables from the car too.