Siblings
Thanks to my bro, Alaskan puppies are my current life!
The Beginning of Freedom
The most exciting news I’ve ever shared: My student loans are paid off!!! (10 years to the day from being offered a scholarship for my freshman year)
Proof I’m Traveling Mexico Properly
Tu 21 February 2017 @ 11:18 on some dirt road in the SE corner of Oaxaca Well, it’s only fair that I finally have a bus adventure with just under 2 weeks to go here in Mexico. Despite having very limited Spanish capabilities, I haven’t experienced many glitches in my trip. Back on a Sunday in January I did lose my debit card to an ATM after pulling out some…
South of the Border
Since leaving Fairbanks in mid-November, I’ve been through 8 states while transporting my road bike from California to Michigan via Amtrak, spent 4 of 6 weeks afflicted by 3 different colds, purged a lot from my parents’ house, got treated to Michigan’s wet snow, and went to my first and last Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena. Now I’m lying in my sleeping bag in Teri’s red and white…
Becoming a Hobbit
Flashback to life in New Zealand! 28 January 2012 will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was the day that could have led me down the road to really, truly living in Middle Earth. On that day, I went to Wellington for an extras casting call for “The Hobbit.” Now when I originally heard about the call, I figured I’d have no chance and that I…
Know What Makes You Happy
Beautiful weather? Check. Bike? Check. Helmet? Check. Wallet, phone, water, and TP? Check. Destination? Unknown! I unlocked the bike from the rack, then re-attached the lock to the rack since I knew I wouldn’t be leaving the bike alone during the day. With a quick glance at my watch to check the time – 11:30 – I was on my way. On my way up the silly hill that doesn’t…
Time for a Pint
The morning of September 5th dawned with an elusive scene in the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea: a beautiful sunrise. As the nautical miles slipped by, the Tiglax moved ever closer to returning our band of field biologists to Homer. The ship’s crew seemed anxious to return home to friends and family, and the rest of us had emotions ranging from apprehension to excitement to calm. After picking…
You May Say, I’m a Dreamer
Thursday 1September 2016, week 16: R/V Tiglax, AK time 14:40 Here I am on day 4 at sea, wondering when we’re going to meet some weather. The ship’s not rocking enough; I want to be stumbling around the boat! After spending a couple days between Gareloi and Tanaga watching for orcas with some whale biologists, the ship once again belongs to Buldirians. We stopped in Adak to drop off the…
The Times they are a-Changing
Thursday 25 August 2016, week 15: Buldir Island, 19:10 Time is rapidly flying by, and mere days are left before we Buldirians leave our summer home. I keep looking for ways to delay our return to society, with the only possible winner being a mega storm that means the Tiglax can’t pick us up on time. Unfortunately our current forecast for Friday through Monday calls for variable 10 knot winds…
The Insta-Tear Gene
Monday 22 August 2016, week 15: Buldir Island, 22:40 For years of childhood and adolescence I wondered why my mom would tear up over what seemed to me the most insignificant events. Take her to a comedic film and she’d find a way to cry at some point. It didn’t make any sense to me. As usual, genetics finally caught up with me, and now I understand why she used…