On car trips parents will sometimes threaten their kids with the line, “Don’t make me turn this car around!” How often do they actually need to enforce that warning? Most times the words are just spoken words. Well, I’m proud to say that my health forced the captain to give the order to haul in the nets, turn our boat around, and head to Dutch Harbor early. Maybe proud isn’t…
“How are you doing?” That’s a heartfelt question I’ve heard quite a bit in the last few days. Unless Michigan (or any other team) has beaten Michigan State, New Zealand has ceased to exist, or I haven’t hugged a puppy in months, chances are I’ll answer along the lines of “Good” “Pretty good” “Fine” “Okay” Here’s the truth about me. Since I don’t like imposing on people, being dependent,…
Some relatives and friends consider me crazy for taking off to the middle of nowhere to live in a tent for months, driving around NZ on my own, and wandering through Tiananmen Square during an 8 hour layover in Beijing. I’ll admit the Tiananmen adventure was something else, but everything else I’ve done pales in comparison to finding myself a job on a fishing vessel during winter in the Bering…
2014 had the proper beginning for the makings of a very good year. The 2 key components? Running and ice cream. I know that’s not how most people welcome the start of a new calendar, but I try not to do things the way most people would. This year I spent my first Christmas and New Year in Fairbanks. With the way the UAF schedule works, I was always back…
The federal government is pretty obnoxious in a lot of ways, but I’ve found one teeny tiny facet of my life that it seems to understand. But first, here’s a mini rant. Right now it’s job application season for summer, and jobs with USGS or USFWS require that you apply through this annoying website called usajobs.gov. Essentially it removes all human contact from applying for jobs. It also requires that…
Here I was on a trip home to the Mitten, stranded between jobs and yet unsure of what the next job would entail. Since I dislike working in town and didn’t want to settle for some virtually meaningless job, I’d decided to try for a job that would supposedly pay decently: commercial fishing in the Bering Sea. Now you’re probably picturing me flailing around on some small vessel like you…
Probably my favorite thing about my travel style is the capacity for crazy random happenstances. Admittedly I’m not the most outgoing person, but I seem to bump into the right people at the right place and time. I was too busy having fun in NZ to write about it when it happened, but I ended up joining a group of internationals when I was on my hike up/down Mt. Doom….
At times like this, I LOVE not being a student. The temperature outside is -10F, and students in Fairbanks are in crunch mode. As they finish up projects, build up stress, and study for finals, I do…. hmmm, what do I do? For starters, I sleep in until – well – whenever I feel like getting up! Now that I look back, I recognize I spent my time in Seattle…
Ah ha! How refreshing it is to read a book that seems to be teaching me about myself. I come from a family of readers, so you might think I’m always reading something or other. However, my reading has happened in waves ever since I started college, and I’ve primarily read books just for kicks since freeing myself from the school system. My parents recently sent me this book as…
A couple weeks ago I said goodbye to a friend. Not just any friend, but one who’s been there for me for years. Through the good times and bad, at home and abroad. When I first met this friend, I wasn’t quite sure how things would work out. But as soon as we left the store where we met, I knew we were headed off to some good adventures. Like…