I would just like to point out that tomorrow will be 4 months out from my second heart surgery. Complete happiness is an understatement when I think about where I was only a year ago compared to this year. So, I have decided for the four month marker to go ahead and tie a rope around my waist and jump into the Arctic Ocean after cutting out a hole of ice. Nothing says "thank you heart" like freezing water in the middle of the Arctic, that's what I always say. Let's see if this new heart of mine can really take a lickin and keep on tickin!
(Mom, I am just kidding about jumping in now...... After reading my last blog, she made me promise I would not tie a rope around my waist and jump into the open, frozen water.Evidently she thinks it will be a little too "dangerous.")
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Members Only
The polar bear club is a very exclusive club to join. To become a member, you must submerge yourself completely under water in the Arctic Ocean. The patch and membership certificate are totally worth any numbness or potential long term loss of sensation one might experience.
So, in order for me to join, I had to go talk to a guy named Joe.
Before calling Joe, I was not sure how this is going to work because the Arctic Ocean is still completely frozen from the beach out for a mile. It is not realistic drive a mile on the ice to jump at the edge of the ice for two reasons: 1. the ride back on the snow machine soaking wet would be horrible and 2. this is the same location I watched polar bears feast on a dead seal. The first reason being the one that really pulls the plug on that idea.
To say that Joe is a "character" would be the understatement of the year. He owns a two story house where he lives in the upstairs and has a museum downstairs. He told me a few guys from the Smisfonian museum down in DC (you probably know it as the Smithsonian) came to catalog his museum. They planned a 2 day trip to Barrow for this but ended up staying 3 weeks because he has so much stuff. The things in his museum include a 15 foot polar bear that he shot and stuffed, a family of squirrels hunted and stuffed, and a bag of marbles. So I go see Joe about an "alternate" plan for joining the polar bear club. Here were his proposals:
1. drive 10 miles on snow machines to a river that is probably melted. technically the river is part of the arctic ocean so my membership would be legitimate. while i jumped into the river, he would build a fire for me for when i got out. i could then cover myself in polar bear skins for the 10 mile ride back home while soaking wet.
2. he will measure me and then take his chainsaw and cut a circular hole of ice by the beach. he would tie a rope around my waist so that when i jumped in, he could pull me right out. when i asked him if he had ever done that before, he said yes. He measure the girl but was hung over that day so he only cut a hole as big as her. he thought the cold water would shrink her. (the way he described this next part is so hilarious i am laughing out loud thinking about it). instead, he described how she plumped up as soon as she went under the hole. it took him 1:30 minutes to finally cut more ice and get her out. he said the whole time she was stuck in the ice, all he could think was, "oh thank the lordy that she paid beforehand. I will have to use that money to call long distance to her family because she is going to die" Obviously, I entertained this idea, but after the story about this girl, I had some doubts.
I told him I wasn't really crazy about either idea but I really wanted to join the Polar Bear Club. He said he would work on some more ideas and get back to me.Joe explained that he really needs the money so he wants to find a way for me to join and pay my membership dues. Just so you know, it costs $10.....he will not be making big bucks on this at all. So, I am waiting for Joe to think of something else and give me a call. I only have 3 days left here in Barrow so the pressure is on. For some reason, I think Joe might pull through with an idea of how we can make this work. Stay tuned on this one......
So, in order for me to join, I had to go talk to a guy named Joe.
Before calling Joe, I was not sure how this is going to work because the Arctic Ocean is still completely frozen from the beach out for a mile. It is not realistic drive a mile on the ice to jump at the edge of the ice for two reasons: 1. the ride back on the snow machine soaking wet would be horrible and 2. this is the same location I watched polar bears feast on a dead seal. The first reason being the one that really pulls the plug on that idea.
To say that Joe is a "character" would be the understatement of the year. He owns a two story house where he lives in the upstairs and has a museum downstairs. He told me a few guys from the Smisfonian museum down in DC (you probably know it as the Smithsonian) came to catalog his museum. They planned a 2 day trip to Barrow for this but ended up staying 3 weeks because he has so much stuff. The things in his museum include a 15 foot polar bear that he shot and stuffed, a family of squirrels hunted and stuffed, and a bag of marbles. So I go see Joe about an "alternate" plan for joining the polar bear club. Here were his proposals:
1. drive 10 miles on snow machines to a river that is probably melted. technically the river is part of the arctic ocean so my membership would be legitimate. while i jumped into the river, he would build a fire for me for when i got out. i could then cover myself in polar bear skins for the 10 mile ride back home while soaking wet.
2. he will measure me and then take his chainsaw and cut a circular hole of ice by the beach. he would tie a rope around my waist so that when i jumped in, he could pull me right out. when i asked him if he had ever done that before, he said yes. He measure the girl but was hung over that day so he only cut a hole as big as her. he thought the cold water would shrink her. (the way he described this next part is so hilarious i am laughing out loud thinking about it). instead, he described how she plumped up as soon as she went under the hole. it took him 1:30 minutes to finally cut more ice and get her out. he said the whole time she was stuck in the ice, all he could think was, "oh thank the lordy that she paid beforehand. I will have to use that money to call long distance to her family because she is going to die" Obviously, I entertained this idea, but after the story about this girl, I had some doubts.
I told him I wasn't really crazy about either idea but I really wanted to join the Polar Bear Club. He said he would work on some more ideas and get back to me.Joe explained that he really needs the money so he wants to find a way for me to join and pay my membership dues. Just so you know, it costs $10.....he will not be making big bucks on this at all. So, I am waiting for Joe to think of something else and give me a call. I only have 3 days left here in Barrow so the pressure is on. For some reason, I think Joe might pull through with an idea of how we can make this work. Stay tuned on this one......
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
POLAR BEARS!!!!
The REAL reason I came to Barrow is to go polar bear hunting.....not to hunt and kill, but to stalk, follow, and take pictures. The whole time I have been here, my eyes have been wide open.
Last Saturday night, I spent the whole night at the northern most tip of the United States with my binoculars waiting for polar bears. There is a gigantic pile of whale bones that the natives place out there after removing all of the meat after each whaling season. Due to global warming, the polar bears are forced out of hibernation earlier and must look for food in the villages. The natives place the whale bones out away from town so that the bears can feast there instead of looking through dumpsters in the town. Some people think that there are more polar bears than usual because they are more visible when, in reality, there is a significantly lower number of polar bears. We just see more because they can't survive in the Arctic Ocean as easily as before. Most natives think that they should be placed on the endangered list, but that idea was lost in translation and a law to increase oil drilling was created instead....but that issue is a whole other blog. Anyway, I was sitting out at the point waiting for these bears to come nibble on the whale bones. While out there, I had a snack of whale intestine (a delicacy I am told). The whale intestine was very chewy and tasted like squid. It actually was not that bad though. I had a great time just sitting and waiting at the top of the world for some polar bears feasting on whale intestine and resting on a shot gun in case the bears came too close. Well, the bears did not show up Saturday night and I was very disappointed.
On Sunday, I was invited to a Memorial Day BBQ. Not quite the same type of BBQ I am used to in Texas, but such a great time. It gave me an opportunity to meet some of the other doctors at the hospital. It is difficult to know when the appropriate time to leave is though when it is 24 hour sunlight. I went to the BBQ around 3 and just chatted away. I was having a great time. The host then said she was tired and going to bed. When I looked at the clock, I realized it was 10:30 pm.....I thought it was maybe 7. The sun really throws me off.
Another dentist offered to take me to look at bears after this. We weren't out for 10 minutes before we spotted a mother polar bear with two cubs!!! It was amazing. They were about a half mile out on the ice. The mother was eating a seal and the two cubs were wrestling....they were small and very clumsy. The mother feasted for about 45 minutes. the ice was completely covered in the blood of the seal. The mother would periodically get on her hind legs and smell into the air. We were a little concerned that she noticed us (I am one of the LOUDEST and SMELLIEST people I know! jk, kind of) but we didn't scare her off. I was determined to get the perfect picture, but was so excited! After the mom finished eating, the two cubs nursed for about hour. I couldn't believe that we got to see all of this without scaring them off or without them noticing us.
I was so excited to see these polar bears. I have pretty much told everyone I have talked to about my bear story, including one of my patients that does not speak English, but I am sure he got the message. I am going to try to post some pics of these bears later this afternoon.
Don't worry, I did bear spray with me which is effective if the bear gets within 30 feet of you. I am pretty sure I would have peed myself and/or run away screaming before a HUGE mama bear got within 30 feet of me though.
Last Saturday night, I spent the whole night at the northern most tip of the United States with my binoculars waiting for polar bears. There is a gigantic pile of whale bones that the natives place out there after removing all of the meat after each whaling season. Due to global warming, the polar bears are forced out of hibernation earlier and must look for food in the villages. The natives place the whale bones out away from town so that the bears can feast there instead of looking through dumpsters in the town. Some people think that there are more polar bears than usual because they are more visible when, in reality, there is a significantly lower number of polar bears. We just see more because they can't survive in the Arctic Ocean as easily as before. Most natives think that they should be placed on the endangered list, but that idea was lost in translation and a law to increase oil drilling was created instead....but that issue is a whole other blog. Anyway, I was sitting out at the point waiting for these bears to come nibble on the whale bones. While out there, I had a snack of whale intestine (a delicacy I am told). The whale intestine was very chewy and tasted like squid. It actually was not that bad though. I had a great time just sitting and waiting at the top of the world for some polar bears feasting on whale intestine and resting on a shot gun in case the bears came too close. Well, the bears did not show up Saturday night and I was very disappointed.
On Sunday, I was invited to a Memorial Day BBQ. Not quite the same type of BBQ I am used to in Texas, but such a great time. It gave me an opportunity to meet some of the other doctors at the hospital. It is difficult to know when the appropriate time to leave is though when it is 24 hour sunlight. I went to the BBQ around 3 and just chatted away. I was having a great time. The host then said she was tired and going to bed. When I looked at the clock, I realized it was 10:30 pm.....I thought it was maybe 7. The sun really throws me off.
Another dentist offered to take me to look at bears after this. We weren't out for 10 minutes before we spotted a mother polar bear with two cubs!!! It was amazing. They were about a half mile out on the ice. The mother was eating a seal and the two cubs were wrestling....they were small and very clumsy. The mother feasted for about 45 minutes. the ice was completely covered in the blood of the seal. The mother would periodically get on her hind legs and smell into the air. We were a little concerned that she noticed us (I am one of the LOUDEST and SMELLIEST people I know! jk, kind of) but we didn't scare her off. I was determined to get the perfect picture, but was so excited! After the mom finished eating, the two cubs nursed for about hour. I couldn't believe that we got to see all of this without scaring them off or without them noticing us.
I was so excited to see these polar bears. I have pretty much told everyone I have talked to about my bear story, including one of my patients that does not speak English, but I am sure he got the message. I am going to try to post some pics of these bears later this afternoon.
Don't worry, I did bear spray with me which is effective if the bear gets within 30 feet of you. I am pretty sure I would have peed myself and/or run away screaming before a HUGE mama bear got within 30 feet of me though.
It really is a small world.....
It's funny how small our world really is. Today I had lunch with a cardiologist from Children's Hospital in Houston who is beginning to work at the hospital here in Barrow. He has a son working at MD Anderson. Needless to say, we knew a lot of the same people. He was pretty surprised (I don't know if that is the right word) when I told him my connection to Children's Hospital this past year. I love how you can meet certain people at certain times in your life who do not know you at all but can understand you and your experiences so well.
Monday, May 28, 2007
The greatest story ever told
I had SUCH a fabulous weekend full of crazy stories, polar bear hunting, whale festivals, and bbq's. this is my last week in Barrow as I fly to Anchorage late Saturday to meet my mom to explore the southwestern portion of Alaska for another week before returning to Houston. As much as I miss everyone, I am a little sad my time in Barrow is about to end as I feel like I have made some truly unique friends here and seen and done things that you can only do in Barrow.
(I'm saving my best polar bear story for another blog so stay tuned people)
Here is a great story I heard from one of the natives while I was stalking polar bears on a 4 wheeler. Before I tell it, I must give you a little background. This guy's two cousins and uncle are part of a whaling group that have not captured a whale yet. The rule regulated by the International Whaling Commission says that Arctic slope is allowed 22 shots at a whale. That does not mean 22 whales are killed and captured, but basically they are allowed to throw 22 times. Right now, the Arctic is at 19 so they have 3 throws left in the spring whaling season. When each crew sees a whale from their ice camp, they quickly jump into their boats to pursue it. When they get close to the whale, they shoot a harpoon with dynamite on the end into the whale. The crew then stops to bless the whale and thank the whale for turning itself over. After that, the crew brings the whale onto the ice and they divide the WHOLE thing to every member of the village. Well, that is ideally what is supposed to happen.
Here is a story I heard from one of the natives about his family.....pretty sure he was trying to flirt with me but his opening line was that he was 42 years old, lived with his mother, and his full time job was "staying off the dope." Also, I am pretty strict about my 8 tooth minimum for any guy, but that is not the story.
His family has not had any throws at a whale yet. They saw a whale from their ice camp and took off rowing in their boat. Their boat is covered in bearded seal skin and takes their wives over 100 hours to make. They harpoon the whale and the dynamite goes off. All three men stop to bless the whale and thank the whale for providing food and nourishment for their crew, families, and friends. They truly believe that a crew will only catch a whale if the spirit and energy is right. While they are praying, the whale jerks under the water and takes off pulling their boat quickly under water.......yes, their is a whale in the arctic ocean dragging a seal skin boat with it! The men try to get out of the boat but the force of the whale submerged them completely under water. They struggled to get their heads above water, but their muscles began shutting down due to the extremely cold temperatures of the water. These men were in the water for 6 minutes (10 minutes in this water at that temperature is death) before they are rescued by another whaling crew with a similar boat. All the men lived, but one suffered severe muscular damage and is unable to walk. Needless the say, the whale won. It is one of the greatest stories I have ever heard and, if I could tell you in person, you would understand how exciting really is.
My favorite part of the story is that these men are still out in their ice camp waiting to make another throw at a whale because they realize how important this whale is for the survival of the entire village during the winter.....talk about taking one for the team.
(I'm saving my best polar bear story for another blog so stay tuned people)
Here is a great story I heard from one of the natives while I was stalking polar bears on a 4 wheeler. Before I tell it, I must give you a little background. This guy's two cousins and uncle are part of a whaling group that have not captured a whale yet. The rule regulated by the International Whaling Commission says that Arctic slope is allowed 22 shots at a whale. That does not mean 22 whales are killed and captured, but basically they are allowed to throw 22 times. Right now, the Arctic is at 19 so they have 3 throws left in the spring whaling season. When each crew sees a whale from their ice camp, they quickly jump into their boats to pursue it. When they get close to the whale, they shoot a harpoon with dynamite on the end into the whale. The crew then stops to bless the whale and thank the whale for turning itself over. After that, the crew brings the whale onto the ice and they divide the WHOLE thing to every member of the village. Well, that is ideally what is supposed to happen.
Here is a story I heard from one of the natives about his family.....pretty sure he was trying to flirt with me but his opening line was that he was 42 years old, lived with his mother, and his full time job was "staying off the dope." Also, I am pretty strict about my 8 tooth minimum for any guy, but that is not the story.
His family has not had any throws at a whale yet. They saw a whale from their ice camp and took off rowing in their boat. Their boat is covered in bearded seal skin and takes their wives over 100 hours to make. They harpoon the whale and the dynamite goes off. All three men stop to bless the whale and thank the whale for providing food and nourishment for their crew, families, and friends. They truly believe that a crew will only catch a whale if the spirit and energy is right. While they are praying, the whale jerks under the water and takes off pulling their boat quickly under water.......yes, their is a whale in the arctic ocean dragging a seal skin boat with it! The men try to get out of the boat but the force of the whale submerged them completely under water. They struggled to get their heads above water, but their muscles began shutting down due to the extremely cold temperatures of the water. These men were in the water for 6 minutes (10 minutes in this water at that temperature is death) before they are rescued by another whaling crew with a similar boat. All the men lived, but one suffered severe muscular damage and is unable to walk. Needless the say, the whale won. It is one of the greatest stories I have ever heard and, if I could tell you in person, you would understand how exciting really is.
My favorite part of the story is that these men are still out in their ice camp waiting to make another throw at a whale because they realize how important this whale is for the survival of the entire village during the winter.....talk about taking one for the team.
Friday, May 25, 2007
3 DAY WEEKEND....HERE I COME!!
I went to lunch with the receptionist, Kim, today to a place called Brower's Cafe. One of 3 or 4 restaurants here in Barrow. It was the best $16 cheeseburger I have had.....all of the food here is so expensive. The menu included American, Korean, and Mexican food. I guess since there are so few restaurants, they have to serve it all. No more debating about where to go or what kind of food anyone wants....go to Bower's and get pretty much anything you want.
On the way back from lunch, there was a high speed car chase. A large blue truck was being chased by three cop cars (probably the only cop cars in this town). I couldn't believe this moron was fleeing from the cops.....there is nowhere to go! we are surrounded by water and the ONLY way in or out of barrow is by plane and, literally, the top of the United States is only about 8 miles north of here. Where is he going? Kim explained that some people make tracks on the snow in their snowmobiles so they can get away. Evidently cop cars do not have 4 wheel drive. I don't know what this truck was thinking, but it was flying through Barrow trying to get away! I think if he did escape the cops, they should let him go because that would be an accomplishment. Escaping a chase on a frozen tundra with a population of 4,000 with 3 cop cars chasing you.....congratulations, sir, you do not have to pay that parking ticket after all.
Pretty excited about my 3 day weekend. I love getting a vacation when I am, technically, already on somewhat of a vacation. I am in Alaska for 4 weeks on a vacation and then they tell me I have a 3 day weekend of vacation on my vacation! How great is that? It's the small things that really get me excited.
I was invited to a 6 year old's birthday party tonight at the roller rink. I am totally going to dominate limbo on roller skates. these 6 years olds don't know who they are going up against!
I have a few more adventures planned for the rest of the weekend, but I might cancel them and duck tape my eyes shut so I can get some sleep. This 24 hours of sunlight is exhausting!
On the way back from lunch, there was a high speed car chase. A large blue truck was being chased by three cop cars (probably the only cop cars in this town). I couldn't believe this moron was fleeing from the cops.....there is nowhere to go! we are surrounded by water and the ONLY way in or out of barrow is by plane and, literally, the top of the United States is only about 8 miles north of here. Where is he going? Kim explained that some people make tracks on the snow in their snowmobiles so they can get away. Evidently cop cars do not have 4 wheel drive. I don't know what this truck was thinking, but it was flying through Barrow trying to get away! I think if he did escape the cops, they should let him go because that would be an accomplishment. Escaping a chase on a frozen tundra with a population of 4,000 with 3 cop cars chasing you.....congratulations, sir, you do not have to pay that parking ticket after all.
Pretty excited about my 3 day weekend. I love getting a vacation when I am, technically, already on somewhat of a vacation. I am in Alaska for 4 weeks on a vacation and then they tell me I have a 3 day weekend of vacation on my vacation! How great is that? It's the small things that really get me excited.
I was invited to a 6 year old's birthday party tonight at the roller rink. I am totally going to dominate limbo on roller skates. these 6 years olds don't know who they are going up against!
I have a few more adventures planned for the rest of the weekend, but I might cancel them and duck tape my eyes shut so I can get some sleep. This 24 hours of sunlight is exhausting!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Actual Conversation...
While working with my patient this afternoon, my assistant Salomi decided to ask me a million questions. Here is a small excerpt from our conversation (verbatim):
Salomi: are there cactuses in texas?
me: yes. you call many of them cacti.
Salomi: you promise there are cacti there?
me: yes, they are all over texas. i dont have any in my front yard or anything, but they are on the sides of highways and in fields.
Salomi: are they big?
me: yes, they can be.
Salomi: do they talk?
....pause for my laughter and then sudden realization that she is serious.
me: no, salomi, they do not talk.
Salomi: oh, cause the ones on tv talk.
me: are they cartoons?
Salomi: Yes.
me: oh, we don't have cartoon cacti, only real ones.
Salomi: Texas is so cool.
(The patient was also disappointed that Texas does not have cartoon cacti .)
Salomi: are there cactuses in texas?
me: yes. you call many of them cacti.
Salomi: you promise there are cacti there?
me: yes, they are all over texas. i dont have any in my front yard or anything, but they are on the sides of highways and in fields.
Salomi: are they big?
me: yes, they can be.
Salomi: do they talk?
....pause for my laughter and then sudden realization that she is serious.
me: no, salomi, they do not talk.
Salomi: oh, cause the ones on tv talk.
me: are they cartoons?
Salomi: Yes.
me: oh, we don't have cartoon cacti, only real ones.
Salomi: Texas is so cool.
(The patient was also disappointed that Texas does not have cartoon cacti .)
Deal or No Deal
Today at lunch I went to this lady's house to make the deal. I met the native woman my first week here at the Heritage center and then asked her to make this for me after I looked at some of her other samples. She is a very sweet lady named Angeline who always smells like a combination of marijuana and fish. It took her all of this time to make it because her husband just hunted the caribou last weekend and she had to skin and let it dry out. She really out did herself. I'm not sure if it is completely 100% legal because when I flat out asked her if it was legal, she answered by saying, "cash only." Let's just say the components of it include polar bear fur, caribou skins, black muscox, seal skin fur, and hand made leather. I am not going to describe it any further because I believe my blog is being monitored by the F*I (i star out the "B" so as to not tip them off further). When I have this item back in my possession in Houston, then I will disclose a pic. But, take it from me, it is awesome!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Happy Hump Day!
One of the other dentists that works here rocked a side pony tail today. It was awesome.
One of my favorite things about Barrow is the pace of the day. while things usually get pretty busy during the day seeing patients, life moves at a pretty slow pace here. No one is in a hurry to do anything. It is not unusual to stop and chat with someone for 30 minutes. It seems like no one has 30 minutes just to chit chat many other places. During my lunch today, I chatted with the maintenance man about his theory on water puddles (I will not even being to describe it because it is absolutely ridiculous, but we just sat and chatted about it anyway.) I love this pace of life. I feel like we could all add 15 years onto our lifespan if we led a more slow paced, relaxed lifestyle. People don't have cell phones and very few people use computers. "Going out" means walking on the beach, driving around town, or going to the only store in town to loiter.
There is only one radio station here....KBRW Barrow. It is the most random mix of radio ever. They change it up every couple of hours from NPR to country to rap. My friend Ashley who is coming up here to do the same externship in June will love this radio station. This morning at 9am they were playing "Ghetto Cowboy." Unfortunately, the 10am-11am slot was a tribute to Avril's horribly annoying song "Girlfriend." But, lucky for me, there was a 1 hour Rod Stewart hour that really got me through the afternoon. (side note: going to the Rod Steward concert is still one of the best dates of my life...i won't say who took me on that date because jimbo would be really embarrassed he went to a rod stewart concert!). The DJ of the radio station is a really cool guy asked if I want to be interviewed on the radio......I'm still thinking about it. Maybe I could provide Barrow with the celebrity gossip it is lacking? or I could do a little stand up? or I could sing? But I think it is safer for Barrow if I simply decline the invitation.
One of my favorite things about Barrow is the pace of the day. while things usually get pretty busy during the day seeing patients, life moves at a pretty slow pace here. No one is in a hurry to do anything. It is not unusual to stop and chat with someone for 30 minutes. It seems like no one has 30 minutes just to chit chat many other places. During my lunch today, I chatted with the maintenance man about his theory on water puddles (I will not even being to describe it because it is absolutely ridiculous, but we just sat and chatted about it anyway.) I love this pace of life. I feel like we could all add 15 years onto our lifespan if we led a more slow paced, relaxed lifestyle. People don't have cell phones and very few people use computers. "Going out" means walking on the beach, driving around town, or going to the only store in town to loiter.
There is only one radio station here....KBRW Barrow. It is the most random mix of radio ever. They change it up every couple of hours from NPR to country to rap. My friend Ashley who is coming up here to do the same externship in June will love this radio station. This morning at 9am they were playing "Ghetto Cowboy." Unfortunately, the 10am-11am slot was a tribute to Avril's horribly annoying song "Girlfriend." But, lucky for me, there was a 1 hour Rod Stewart hour that really got me through the afternoon. (side note: going to the Rod Steward concert is still one of the best dates of my life...i won't say who took me on that date because jimbo would be really embarrassed he went to a rod stewart concert!). The DJ of the radio station is a really cool guy asked if I want to be interviewed on the radio......I'm still thinking about it. Maybe I could provide Barrow with the celebrity gossip it is lacking? or I could do a little stand up? or I could sing? But I think it is safer for Barrow if I simply decline the invitation.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
A little help please....
Any suggestions on how to handle a 4'8" nurse who is a close talker very eager to discuss the history of Alaska??? Very sweet lady, but also very akward.......let's just say my belly button is tired of listening to this woman ramble about Alaskan heritage. Any suggestions besides outright avoiding her?? This "close talker" is killing me!
The north pole
Now, I am not really a "geography whiz" (niki, do NOT comment on the florida story!), but I am pretty sure I am south of the north pole. One of my patients offered to let me stay at her house at the north pole for Memorial Day weekend. She said I could fly south into Fairbanks and then drive about 20 miles north to the north pole. Come to find out, there is a town called "North Pole" where they built Santa's house and have reindeer jerkey (kind of morbid). They have reindeer jerkey here in Barrow and it is delicious. Evidently, this town was not doing so hot in the 80's so they decided to change their name to North Pole to attract a lot of tourists. I am seriously considering making the trip so I can personally thank Santa for that go-kart and gymnastics tumbling mat he got me for Christmas......Santa really pulled through that year.
Good morning sunshine!
It is still 24 hours of sunlight here......ridiculous. It is nice though when I leave the dental office around 6 and it is still sunny out, then i go home and shower and eat dinner with the sun, then i beat the sun to bed, then when i wake up the sun is already shining.....besides not having any homeless people, Barrow also lacks those middle school gothic kids who dress in all black and come alive with the darkness and death and are really rebellious. I guess this is not their ideal environment with the 24 hours of sunlight and happiness.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Personal confession.....
I am not sure why I am admitting this, but I feel like the first step in solving something is admitting that you do, in fact, have a problem. I am obsessed with Jello molds. I don't care if it is red, orange, yellow, green....it is delicious with all of the little pieces of fruit inside. It is a brilliant form of culinary art. Everyday at lunch and dinner, they serve jello molds here. I never really tasted it before I came to Barrow, but now I eat it atleast three times a day. I get an extra serving at lunch and eat it as a snack after work. If I thought it was socially acceptable, I would ask for jello mold for breakfast. Please don't judge me.....I feel like this obsession with jello molds will end when I leave Alaska but, for right now, I am pretty much on a steady diet of jello molds. mmmmmm delicious.
What a weekend!
I had quite the weekend....I'm not sure if I will be able to write all in one blog so stay tuned because this weekend was ridiculously fun. Between the whaling, the tundra tour, the pics, and just the random natives I hung out with, my cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing. It is really starting to warm up and melt up here in Barrow so my outdoor "Rocky" runs are not as hard core as the first week....and by "warm up' i mean it is 20 degrees instead of negative. So, technically, I am still awesome. After a long first week in the clinic seeing patients and then a good run Friday night, i wanted to rest up for the tundra tour on Saturday. The tour is given by a native from the Top of the World Hotel. People from all over pay to fly in just for a day in Barrow to take this tour. One Australian couple flew from Perth to Detroit.....then took a train through Canada to Anchorage....then flew to Barrow for this tour. Needless to say, they were pretty happy to see some new faces. The wife fell on some ice the first time we stopped to take pics and, while it was sad that she came so far only to spend the whole tour in the car, it was some of the best physical comedy I have seen lately. Her husband and I traded off taking ridiculous pics our ourselves at various locations...he took funny pictures so his kids would think he was cool. i took funny pictures because i am a moron. At one point, I ran about 50 yards out onto the frozen tundra and did a headstand in about 3 feet of snow....my hair is wet in the rest of the pics. when i say I am a moron, i mean i am a total moron, but it was fun. The tour included going to three cemeteries, the science museum, Arctic Ocean, watching some native dancers (which was intense).....Never have i ever been chosen out of the audience to participate and not for a lack of effort. I threw part of my chicken at the knight at Medieval Times during a bday party so he would pick me....didn't happen. Well, i was chosen to dance with the natives at the end of their performance and, if I had to say so myself, I was pretty awesome. The Australian man took some video of it and he promised to send it to me. I may or may not post that footage depending on how "awesome" i look.
At the end of the tour, I asked to tour guide to drop me off on the beach so I could walk back. on my way back, I ran into the captain from the whaling crew that caught a whale last week. (see pics below). After convincing him that i was not PETA or peace corps, he let me take some pics. I posed with the whale teeth (bigger and taller than me)...I figured those pics will look great in my office one day. After chatting with them for awhile, I think I won them over so they let me get my hands dirty and cut some of the muktuk (blubber and whale meat). It smells horrible and I do not think I will ever get the smell out of my boots, but it was totally worth it. The guys were cracking up because I was so inefficient and messy when trying to cut it. They have it down to a science....after cutting for a few minutes, I managed to have muktuk all of my boots and in my hair. They said they would raise the flag on their house later this week so I could come over to eat some. It is a whole different world up here and I am loving it! Not sure what to do about my boots, but maybe the smell will go away.
Side note: another whaling crew caught a whale this morning around 5 am, so when we got to the dental office this morning, all patients except for a few, had cancelled because they were going to celebrate the whale. I'm pretty sure one of my crazy patients in dental school told me that but I did not believe them. in this case, I think it is true though.
More stories to come from this weekend, but I am going to get some lunch.......
At the end of the tour, I asked to tour guide to drop me off on the beach so I could walk back. on my way back, I ran into the captain from the whaling crew that caught a whale last week. (see pics below). After convincing him that i was not PETA or peace corps, he let me take some pics. I posed with the whale teeth (bigger and taller than me)...I figured those pics will look great in my office one day. After chatting with them for awhile, I think I won them over so they let me get my hands dirty and cut some of the muktuk (blubber and whale meat). It smells horrible and I do not think I will ever get the smell out of my boots, but it was totally worth it. The guys were cracking up because I was so inefficient and messy when trying to cut it. They have it down to a science....after cutting for a few minutes, I managed to have muktuk all of my boots and in my hair. They said they would raise the flag on their house later this week so I could come over to eat some. It is a whole different world up here and I am loving it! Not sure what to do about my boots, but maybe the smell will go away.
Side note: another whaling crew caught a whale this morning around 5 am, so when we got to the dental office this morning, all patients except for a few, had cancelled because they were going to celebrate the whale. I'm pretty sure one of my crazy patients in dental school told me that but I did not believe them. in this case, I think it is true though.
More stories to come from this weekend, but I am going to get some lunch.......
Friday, May 18, 2007
Dragging in the whale
I don't know if this pic will show up as good, but here a pic of these fisherman dragging the whale in. They actually catch the whale about 3 miles off on the frozen tundra and then drag it back to the beach. (The sky looks dark in this pic but I had to adjust my camera because it is so bright and sunny out.) The men set up camps out on the ice and do not come back until they catch a whale. I have heard more woman complaining that their husbands/boyfriends have "gone whaling." I have not been able to see out 2-3 miles yet to see these camps because it has not been a clear enough yet, but this weekend it is supposed to be clear so I will check it out again. I was mountain biking on the frozen tundra until I got a flat tire, so now I will be hiking around, but I plan on getting some more great pics this weekend.
Plans for the weekend:
Saturday: Tundra Tour in the morning and then I am going to watch native Eskimo dancers in the afternoon
Sunday: Snow shoeing to the point (northern most tip).......don't worry, I am totally breaking out the leg guitar dance again with snow shoes on.
They Caught a Whale!!!
Here is a pic taken down the street from the house I am staying in. The family is posing with the whale they caught and they are obviously very excited. The water on the right side of the pic is the Arctic Ocean. All of the meat and bones will have to be moved asap so polar bears to not come to the beach to feast. I'm pretty excited because there will be a whaling festival this weekend and, little do they know, they are getting a Texan visitor!
I can't get over how BIG that whale was....they did not mind that I took pics of them which is good because I was all about that whale!
This one is for Beth.....
I called my sister last night to congratulate her on graduating UT Austin this weekend. Pretty excited for her......nothing like ending three years of constant partying and irresponsible behavior with little to no consequences to enter the real world.
And when I refer to the "real world," I'm talking about Biggie's life down in H-town because it is tough trying to survive life as a 5 pound white Maltipoo with a name like Notorious BIG (aka Biggie Smalls). He works each day to fit in all of his napping and licking....not to mention the outfit changes he must endure. My only hope is that Beth will have an easier time out there in the real world than Biggie.
Beth wanted me to comment on The Office and Grey's Anatomy. I do have a tv up here, but have not been watching it much, mainly because there are only 3 channels. I did make a serious effort to catch both the office and grey's anatomy last night though. It is very difficult to sit at the Rosellini dinner table with the whole fam without quips from the office in the ole knoggin (I'm not sure if that word has a silent "k" but I like it). So, Beth, here are my two comments:
1. The office: Dwight is my hero. The look on his face when Michael came back to announce he withdrew his name from the corporate position was AWESOME! I also love that he painted his office black to intimidate his subordinates. My future dental office is definitely going to be painted black with black trim to intimidate my receptionist and patients and really let them know who is boss.....or I might just hire Cassie to sit in my waiting room and give them her notorious look of intimidation. If I was offered a job with the promise that the same office dynamics from that show were present, I would drop out of dental school and go work there.
2. Grey's Anatomy: There have been two times in dental school when I was told that I might have to start the whole year over again.......once my second year and then again my third year, both because of the heart surgeries I had no option in having. It is one of the worst feelings in the world when you work that hard and then are told you have to start all over. There are many things in life you should only have to do once because you know how hard or miserable it will be. The first time going through it isn't as bad because you don't necessarily know what you are in for.......open heart surgery, dental school, choosing a mullet for haircut, going through your first year as a surgical intern like George, but the second time around is harder because you do know how hard it is going to be. Fortunately, I did not let the opinions of anyone who told me I would have to redo the year stick with me. I focused on all of the people that said I could finish, and there were definitely a limited number of people who truly believed I would finish each time.
So, I did not really enjoy Grey's last night because I know how George feels. My question for George would be, "pete and repeat were on a boat. repeat fell off. who was left?" I would then watch as George figured out the riddle I incorrectly presented him. When he finally would answer "pete" I woud say, "congratulations" because George needs a little positive affirmation after failing his test........i'm going to eat some lunch. watch for my blog about the food up here later this afternoon.
And when I refer to the "real world," I'm talking about Biggie's life down in H-town because it is tough trying to survive life as a 5 pound white Maltipoo with a name like Notorious BIG (aka Biggie Smalls). He works each day to fit in all of his napping and licking....not to mention the outfit changes he must endure. My only hope is that Beth will have an easier time out there in the real world than Biggie.
Beth wanted me to comment on The Office and Grey's Anatomy. I do have a tv up here, but have not been watching it much, mainly because there are only 3 channels. I did make a serious effort to catch both the office and grey's anatomy last night though. It is very difficult to sit at the Rosellini dinner table with the whole fam without quips from the office in the ole knoggin (I'm not sure if that word has a silent "k" but I like it). So, Beth, here are my two comments:
1. The office: Dwight is my hero. The look on his face when Michael came back to announce he withdrew his name from the corporate position was AWESOME! I also love that he painted his office black to intimidate his subordinates. My future dental office is definitely going to be painted black with black trim to intimidate my receptionist and patients and really let them know who is boss.....or I might just hire Cassie to sit in my waiting room and give them her notorious look of intimidation. If I was offered a job with the promise that the same office dynamics from that show were present, I would drop out of dental school and go work there.
2. Grey's Anatomy: There have been two times in dental school when I was told that I might have to start the whole year over again.......once my second year and then again my third year, both because of the heart surgeries I had no option in having. It is one of the worst feelings in the world when you work that hard and then are told you have to start all over. There are many things in life you should only have to do once because you know how hard or miserable it will be. The first time going through it isn't as bad because you don't necessarily know what you are in for.......open heart surgery, dental school, choosing a mullet for haircut, going through your first year as a surgical intern like George, but the second time around is harder because you do know how hard it is going to be. Fortunately, I did not let the opinions of anyone who told me I would have to redo the year stick with me. I focused on all of the people that said I could finish, and there were definitely a limited number of people who truly believed I would finish each time.
So, I did not really enjoy Grey's last night because I know how George feels. My question for George would be, "pete and repeat were on a boat. repeat fell off. who was left?" I would then watch as George figured out the riddle I incorrectly presented him. When he finally would answer "pete" I woud say, "congratulations" because George needs a little positive affirmation after failing his test........i'm going to eat some lunch. watch for my blog about the food up here later this afternoon.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
you got PUNKED.....
I hate to admit it, but Punked on MTV is one of my favorite shows. I love when people do dumb stuff. I also love when old people fall off boats close to the dock but that is more of the "America's Funniest Home Videos" category. And, just for the record, no one laughs harder at that than Beth, but that is besides the point.
Anyway, I taught one of the Eskimo assistants that works in our office about "punking" someone. She could not have misunderstood the concept more if I tried, which makes it even funnier for me.
She tried to punk another assistant in the office by eating her lunch. After she ate her lunch (literally the whole thing), she got in the girl's face and said "I ate your lunch so you have to go hungry. you got punked!" technically, that is a punk, but one I would not engage in and I am sure Ashton would stay away from.
Then I heard her say later to an assistant, "hi how are you?........i dont care, you are a punk!" I told her later that the work "punk" should not be used in the office anymore. I am still laughing about her calling the other assistant a punk though. Punk Punk Punk
(I would also like to submit the above blog entry to the Guinness Book of World Records as I feel I used the word "punk" the most times EVER in history in one story. I amaze myself.)
Anyway, I taught one of the Eskimo assistants that works in our office about "punking" someone. She could not have misunderstood the concept more if I tried, which makes it even funnier for me.
She tried to punk another assistant in the office by eating her lunch. After she ate her lunch (literally the whole thing), she got in the girl's face and said "I ate your lunch so you have to go hungry. you got punked!" technically, that is a punk, but one I would not engage in and I am sure Ashton would stay away from.
Then I heard her say later to an assistant, "hi how are you?........i dont care, you are a punk!" I told her later that the work "punk" should not be used in the office anymore. I am still laughing about her calling the other assistant a punk though. Punk Punk Punk
(I would also like to submit the above blog entry to the Guinness Book of World Records as I feel I used the word "punk" the most times EVER in history in one story. I amaze myself.)
Today's Recap
Last night when I got home from work, a heard a loud pounding on the front door. When I answered it, my cab driver who drives me to work almost every morning was there and seemed very excited. He said that there was a polar bear hanging out on the beach and to hurry he would take me to get pictures. (He asked why I was here on that first day cruising around Barrow and I obviously replied, "to take my picture with a polar bear in the wild."Now when I call for a cab in the morning, he says "good morning dr jill. you see polar bear yet?) Anyway, by the time we got to the beach, there were 3 cars stopped taking pictures but the polar bear was scared away by the gaming police's gunfire. I obviously missed some high drama. The cab driver showed me the tracks, but I told him that I already peed in one last week so that was a little anti-climatic. He said he will "drop on the door" if he sees anymore. Hopefully that means he will come get me again if he sees another one.....drop on the door could imply a flaming bag of polar bear dung on my doorstep as well. Let's be honest, either way, I will be excited.
Today I ate carbibou jerkey. The other dentist here went hunting last weekend with the primary goal of killing a caribou. The visibility on the tundra last weekend was minimal...I described it as a complete white out. You could not tell the Arctic ocean, from the sky, from the road in front of you. So he took his Garmin out so that he would not get lost. After patiently waiting and watching, he decided to be more pro-active and stalk and kill the caribou. I wasn't there for any of it so he could have simply purchased this jerkey at the store, but the receptionist did confirm that she saw him dragging it behind his snow mobile on Saturday. Either way, I enjoyed two pieces of caribou jerkey today. I then drank 90 ounces of water because it was so salty.
I am also seeing lots of patients and staying very busy in the clinic, which is the second reason why I came here. Most of the patients have been super cooperative and fun to work with so all in all, things are looking up in Barrow.
Today I ate carbibou jerkey. The other dentist here went hunting last weekend with the primary goal of killing a caribou. The visibility on the tundra last weekend was minimal...I described it as a complete white out. You could not tell the Arctic ocean, from the sky, from the road in front of you. So he took his Garmin out so that he would not get lost. After patiently waiting and watching, he decided to be more pro-active and stalk and kill the caribou. I wasn't there for any of it so he could have simply purchased this jerkey at the store, but the receptionist did confirm that she saw him dragging it behind his snow mobile on Saturday. Either way, I enjoyed two pieces of caribou jerkey today. I then drank 90 ounces of water because it was so salty.
I am also seeing lots of patients and staying very busy in the clinic, which is the second reason why I came here. Most of the patients have been super cooperative and fun to work with so all in all, things are looking up in Barrow.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Good news and Bad News
I will inform you of the bad news first:
Bam bam the wolf-dog is missing. I had nothing to do with it. His leash is still there, but no sign of him. I checked last night and then again this morning on the way to work and no sign of him. Human femur bone he was chewing is still in the front yard.
Here is the good news:
I got the pic! It's great! I plan on blowing it up and framing it. I also plan on making 1,000 color copies and autographing them one day after school for anyone interested.
(ok so both were good news! I just had to say that missing Bam Bam was bad news because I directly threatened to take him out yesterday. If the authorities get involved, I want my disappointment documented in a follow up blog. I am a legal genius.)
Bam bam the wolf-dog is missing. I had nothing to do with it. His leash is still there, but no sign of him. I checked last night and then again this morning on the way to work and no sign of him. Human femur bone he was chewing is still in the front yard.
Here is the good news:
I got the pic! It's great! I plan on blowing it up and framing it. I also plan on making 1,000 color copies and autographing them one day after school for anyone interested.
(ok so both were good news! I just had to say that missing Bam Bam was bad news because I directly threatened to take him out yesterday. If the authorities get involved, I want my disappointment documented in a follow up blog. I am a legal genius.)
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Wolf Dog Scares Me......A Lot!
I was trying to take a pic by this big sign post with arrows pointing in all different directions detailing the mileage to various locations....Boston 4500 miles, North Pole 900 miles, Beijing 2200 miles, etc. It is a really cool sign and I really want a pic next to it.
There is a dog across the street named Bam Bam who is preventing me from getting this pic however. I found out that he is actually half wolf, half dog....no joke. Sitting down, he is 5 feet tall. He is the scariest animal I have ever seen tied to a leash. Trying to get close to this sign to take a pic is impossible because the dog will bark and thrash at the leash. He scares the living daylights out of me. I literally ran back to the hospital after my first encounter with him......huge, bulging wolf eyes, and I am pretty sure he was knawing an a human femur....not sure about that though. So, as much as I want this pic, I just don't know if I can brave it again without a tranquilizer gun. Everyone else seems to really like this dog. When I told the assistants in the office about my encounter, they just laughed about good ole Bam Bam. Well, good ole BamBam is about to get a bam-bam because I want the damn pic! I am going to try again after work.......
There is a dog across the street named Bam Bam who is preventing me from getting this pic however. I found out that he is actually half wolf, half dog....no joke. Sitting down, he is 5 feet tall. He is the scariest animal I have ever seen tied to a leash. Trying to get close to this sign to take a pic is impossible because the dog will bark and thrash at the leash. He scares the living daylights out of me. I literally ran back to the hospital after my first encounter with him......huge, bulging wolf eyes, and I am pretty sure he was knawing an a human femur....not sure about that though. So, as much as I want this pic, I just don't know if I can brave it again without a tranquilizer gun. Everyone else seems to really like this dog. When I told the assistants in the office about my encounter, they just laughed about good ole Bam Bam. Well, good ole BamBam is about to get a bam-bam because I want the damn pic! I am going to try again after work.......
Barrow High School Football Rules!
The Barrow High School varsity football team is gearing up for a trip to the lower 48 this Thursday. Their agenda includes traveling to Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas to scrimmage high school football teams in those areas. While in Florida, they will be introduced to the lady who donated over $700,000 to build a new indoor turf field for them. Pretty sweet.
The quaterback for this team came in today to get a mouthguard made. Such a nice kid and super excited about traveling down to Florida especially. He told me he was more afraid of alligators eating him in Florida than the fires currently ripping through the state. I tried to ease his fear of alligators in Florida by saying that his fear is equivalent to me saying that I am afraid of a polar bear eating me in Barrow. He became even more nervous when I said that. Apparently, I do not take the polar bear attack in Barrow as serious as I should. My bad. I hope he still goes to Florida. Just kidding, but seriously, scaring kids is never my goal. He has a great mouthguard in school colors (blue and gold) and our front office has been getting calls for more kids to come in and get their school colored mouthguards. All I have to say is
BARROW HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RULES!!!!
The quaterback for this team came in today to get a mouthguard made. Such a nice kid and super excited about traveling down to Florida especially. He told me he was more afraid of alligators eating him in Florida than the fires currently ripping through the state. I tried to ease his fear of alligators in Florida by saying that his fear is equivalent to me saying that I am afraid of a polar bear eating me in Barrow. He became even more nervous when I said that. Apparently, I do not take the polar bear attack in Barrow as serious as I should. My bad. I hope he still goes to Florida. Just kidding, but seriously, scaring kids is never my goal. He has a great mouthguard in school colors (blue and gold) and our front office has been getting calls for more kids to come in and get their school colored mouthguards. All I have to say is
BARROW HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RULES!!!!
These cab drivers are not as smart as I thought....
When I got to Barrow, snow and ice covered the roads. Cab drivers drove minimum 40 mph, but probably closer to 50mph. No exageration factor here thank you very much. Now that it is heating up (keep in mind it was negative two degrees this morning) with the sun is really burning down, the ice and snow have begun to melt on the roads creating a nice muddy path to drive on. My cab driver yesterday sat nervously in the front of her seat and did not go over 10mph. She was constantly on her walkie-talkie talking to other cabbies about how bad the roads were.....as George Costanza would say, "AM I IN BIZARRO WORLD HERE JERRY?"
The roads are ideal conditions right now.....slightly muddy with even path. Now is the time to drive 40 or 50! Let's not wait for the roads to ice over to feel safe to travel at a decent speed.
Let me also point out how one female cab driver cursed every time we rode by a whaling boat because those men were out whaling instead of home fixing the roads.
The roads are ideal conditions right now.....slightly muddy with even path. Now is the time to drive 40 or 50! Let's not wait for the roads to ice over to feel safe to travel at a decent speed.
Let me also point out how one female cab driver cursed every time we rode by a whaling boat because those men were out whaling instead of home fixing the roads.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Response to 7th graders at Shelton School
I guess instead of reviewing for finals like normal 7th graders should be doing, my mom encouraged all of her students to come up with questions to ask me about Alaska. They are hilarious. Here are some of the questions with my response:
1. Are the smelly Alaskan men too smelly to date?
So far, there are not too many smelly men. My flight from Seattle to Anchorage was full of bearded men in flannels traveling to Anchorage to work construction for 4 months. Many of these guys work in Alaska for 4-6 months in construction for decent salaries and then take off the other 6 months of the year. Because it is so snowy and icy the rest of the time, construction is impossible, which I am learning now as the snow melts off of the roads. It is pot hole city. So, to answer your question, if you like the outdoor, "I haven't shaved in 2 years", flannel shirt, adventure type, the are many men for you to date. I suggest you get online and meet them. Just kidding about the online part!
2. The boys asked if I would be up for a Jackass type dare that they came up with?
I think peeing in a polar bear track was pretty good, but if you can think of something else, let me know. I will either really do it or tell you I really did it so you think I am cool. The beach is starting to melt a little as it is warming to 10-15 degrees. Initiation into polar bear club is scheduled for next Sunday morning.
On a separate note, the lingo up here in Alaska is far behind. For example, they still say "not" and "dweeb." I mean, dweeb is soooooo 1996. I'm working on "whatev" and "obvi" The first time one of my Eskimo assistants uses the phrase "obvi," I will definitely laugh out loud.
PS Still REALLY sunny up here. I don't know what I miss more.....the darkness or my dog Biggie who is currently enrolled in the Mike Rosellini Boot camp for dogs in Dallas. Evidently, being able to run/sprint 5 miles a night is important for a small white dog and a pug named Moose.
1. Are the smelly Alaskan men too smelly to date?
So far, there are not too many smelly men. My flight from Seattle to Anchorage was full of bearded men in flannels traveling to Anchorage to work construction for 4 months. Many of these guys work in Alaska for 4-6 months in construction for decent salaries and then take off the other 6 months of the year. Because it is so snowy and icy the rest of the time, construction is impossible, which I am learning now as the snow melts off of the roads. It is pot hole city. So, to answer your question, if you like the outdoor, "I haven't shaved in 2 years", flannel shirt, adventure type, the are many men for you to date. I suggest you get online and meet them. Just kidding about the online part!
2. The boys asked if I would be up for a Jackass type dare that they came up with?
I think peeing in a polar bear track was pretty good, but if you can think of something else, let me know. I will either really do it or tell you I really did it so you think I am cool. The beach is starting to melt a little as it is warming to 10-15 degrees. Initiation into polar bear club is scheduled for next Sunday morning.
On a separate note, the lingo up here in Alaska is far behind. For example, they still say "not" and "dweeb." I mean, dweeb is soooooo 1996. I'm working on "whatev" and "obvi" The first time one of my Eskimo assistants uses the phrase "obvi," I will definitely laugh out loud.
PS Still REALLY sunny up here. I don't know what I miss more.....the darkness or my dog Biggie who is currently enrolled in the Mike Rosellini Boot camp for dogs in Dallas. Evidently, being able to run/sprint 5 miles a night is important for a small white dog and a pug named Moose.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Saturday afternoon social
Everyone I have met in Barrow has great suggestions about activities to do while here in Barrow. I heard from several different people that the Saturday afternoon social at the Science center is so fun and I have to check it out. So, I show up at 1:30 and see the topic for today is "Titron....the next level of science fiction." At this point, I am not sure if people thought it would be funny to tell me to go to a meeting of Barrow's science fiction club or if they really thought it was a fun activity for me. I will emphasize the fact that no one who told me to go to this Saturday afternoon social was in attendance. I decided to stay anyway. After about 90 minutes of discussing Titron, the moon around Neptune, I realized I was a little out of my comfort zone. I ended up asking what I thought was an open ended discussion question that included the words "gravity, nitrogen, and volcano." The speaker answered "yes" and I am not really sure why.
The two speakers could not have been nicer people. Both from Barrow originally and now live all over the world. The woman is currently living in South Africa writing a children's science fiction novel about how different African tribes hook "feeds" into the back of your head to insert your thoughts.
The man brought his child hood telescope and told us stories about how he used to "beam" himself up to Mars when he was 12 years old. Unfortunately, he did not leave time for follow up questions in this part of the presentation. He wore a lime green mock turtle neck that said "Pluto power" on it and passed around a petition to sign to bring planet status back to Pluto. (I was seriously contemplating buying that shirt off of his back to give to Will as a present). It was definitely a learning experience and I met some pretty hilarious characters including the two speakers, a male nurse from Georgia, and a 14 year old girl who ate 7 donuts during the presentation....yes, I counted. She told me she sleeps with the windows open with no clothes so that shivers all night to burn extra calories. I wanted to suggest that she lay off the donuts and sleep like a normal person, but I didn't think it was my place.
The two speakers could not have been nicer people. Both from Barrow originally and now live all over the world. The woman is currently living in South Africa writing a children's science fiction novel about how different African tribes hook "feeds" into the back of your head to insert your thoughts.
The man brought his child hood telescope and told us stories about how he used to "beam" himself up to Mars when he was 12 years old. Unfortunately, he did not leave time for follow up questions in this part of the presentation. He wore a lime green mock turtle neck that said "Pluto power" on it and passed around a petition to sign to bring planet status back to Pluto. (I was seriously contemplating buying that shirt off of his back to give to Will as a present). It was definitely a learning experience and I met some pretty hilarious characters including the two speakers, a male nurse from Georgia, and a 14 year old girl who ate 7 donuts during the presentation....yes, I counted. She told me she sleeps with the windows open with no clothes so that shivers all night to burn extra calories. I wanted to suggest that she lay off the donuts and sleep like a normal person, but I didn't think it was my place.
This may be an over share......
I popped a squat over the frozen Artic Ocean and it didn't melt....not even a little.
Unrelated, but important detail, I did have Usher's song "Yeah" playing on my ipod at the time too which made the whole situation that much cooler.
Unrelated, but important detail, I did have Usher's song "Yeah" playing on my ipod at the time too which made the whole situation that much cooler.
This one is dedicated to Niki, my favorite training buddy
Some of you might know that my goal after surgery last year was to run a marathon one year after surgery. Instead, I had surgery again one year later. Well, I have made it my goal again to run a marathon in February 2008. My best friend from dental school Niki was patient with me last year when I could not train and is currently training with me now. Yesterday, after work, I decided to check out the gym facilities here in Barrow. Without going into too much detail, I decided to run outside instead of utilizing their "treadmill in a closet" set up. As I was running down the frozen tundra 5 feet from the frozen Artic ocean with my breath visible on each exhale, I couldn't help but think of the Rocky movie when he fights the Russian. Pretty sure everyone will get that reference. So while my training buddy Ivan Drago is home in Houston utilizing her eliptical and track, I will be up here training like Rocky. I was thinking about carrying a piece of wood later for dramatic effect. I'm pretty awesome.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Gotta love the cab drivers in Barrow!
Each Nuiqsut resident ate an estimated 750 pounds of subsistence gathered meat and fish last year....triple the national average. They say the high fat, high calorie animal protein diet is essential to survival in harsh Arctic environment. After going to the only grocery store in town last night, I realize why they are not eating many salads. $6 for a head of lettuce and $4 per apple!
With global warming (and I finally do believe in this after talking with the cab drivers here...who are probably the most intelligent cab drivers I have ever encountered), the whole Northern Slope lifestyle is at risk. Experts say that polar bears face extinction by the end of this century. Experts also say that the northern fur seals are getting thinner, walrus are not as fat either, and seal hunters have to travel further out to sea to find ice where they can hunt. My cab driver this morning (who I referred to above as "expert") was telling me how this whole North Slope is so different than it used to be. He explained how his son would rather watch MTV than learn to quarter a caribou carcass or skin a natchiq (asking him if I could come over and watch MTV's Inferno with his son seemed inappropriate, but I obviously wanted to). Anyway, I think we all need to jump on board with this prevention of global warming. It is not often that you can find a culture of people so untainted by the over consumption and wastefulness seen everywhere I have ever lived. It would be absolutely devastating to ruin that for them.
On a different note, I need to get some sleep as Will pointed out. This 24 hour sunshine is exhausting, but also really fun. I went walking the last night becuse I couldn't sleep and, by the time I came home, it was 2 am.
With global warming (and I finally do believe in this after talking with the cab drivers here...who are probably the most intelligent cab drivers I have ever encountered), the whole Northern Slope lifestyle is at risk. Experts say that polar bears face extinction by the end of this century. Experts also say that the northern fur seals are getting thinner, walrus are not as fat either, and seal hunters have to travel further out to sea to find ice where they can hunt. My cab driver this morning (who I referred to above as "expert") was telling me how this whole North Slope is so different than it used to be. He explained how his son would rather watch MTV than learn to quarter a caribou carcass or skin a natchiq (asking him if I could come over and watch MTV's Inferno with his son seemed inappropriate, but I obviously wanted to). Anyway, I think we all need to jump on board with this prevention of global warming. It is not often that you can find a culture of people so untainted by the over consumption and wastefulness seen everywhere I have ever lived. It would be absolutely devastating to ruin that for them.
On a different note, I need to get some sleep as Will pointed out. This 24 hour sunshine is exhausting, but also really fun. I went walking the last night becuse I couldn't sleep and, by the time I came home, it was 2 am.
Polar Bear Sighting and Crepes
My cab driver claims he saw a polar bear hanging out on the frozen Artic Ocean down the street from my house....SUPER excited and maybe a little nervous about that! Ready to begin my second day here in the dental office followed by a party at one of the cardiologist's house. The theme is "Crepes on the Tundra...without the French attitude." Definitely one of the more random theme parties I have been invited to. Word is that he makes people take shots of tequila and eat crepes under a big tent. Promises to be interesting.
I never made it to see the guy about the dogs last night. I ran into some middle school kids on their first day of summer vacation. They spent all day building a bike park for their mountain bikes out of snow. It was awesome. I hung around and watched them ride for awhile. They were really friendly and asked the funniest questions. And, just for the record, they made fun of me because I was wearing 4 layers, ski hat, gloves, and hiking boots while they simply had on shorts and a t-shirt. Classic tourist.
I never made it to see the guy about the dogs last night. I ran into some middle school kids on their first day of summer vacation. They spent all day building a bike park for their mountain bikes out of snow. It was awesome. I hung around and watched them ride for awhile. They were really friendly and asked the funniest questions. And, just for the record, they made fun of me because I was wearing 4 layers, ski hat, gloves, and hiking boots while they simply had on shorts and a t-shirt. Classic tourist.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
orientation
First, I would just like to point out my grammar was unacceptable in that last post. I was pretty excited and did not go back to proofread....I'm expecting a email from Cassie with corrections any minute! I am supposed to be in orientation this afternoon. They scheduled it for 3 hours and I just finished all of it in less 25 minutes.
I had lunch today with a Baptist missionary from Arkansas.She was reading the Arkansas newspaper with a picture of her family on the front page that someone mailed to her with the headline "Arkansas couple SAVES Native Alaskan Baby from Abortion." (a little intense but I guess that's Arkansas for you) The story describes how her and her husband adopted a newborn Eskimo baby from Barrow. The baby's family treats her like she is the real birth mother of the child so she loves it here because that whole family takes care of her. I guess I lunched with a Barrow's biggest celebrity today.
After asking around, I figured out what the boat with a flag is doing in front of the house I am staying. Evidently, when a family catches a whale, they dock their boat with the colors of their family at the spot where they go out to fish. Looks like a whaling festival will be right outside my front door this weekend. Not really sure what a "whaling festival" is, but if it involves a belly flop contest into the whale blubbler, I might never leave this place. Just kidding, but seriously that would be awesome.
I just got an invite to the local ice hockey game tonight. It's an outdoor ice skating rink on the outskirts of town. Supposedly they get pretty competetive. I was just thankful that I got invited to watch and not actually play....
The road in front of the house I am staying is called cakeater and is known for the best bird watching in the state of alaska (and I use the word "road" loosely as there are not paved roads in Barrow and everything is covered in snow). The owner of the house left me a 5 pound bag of birdseed for me to throw out. I'm going to throw it when i get home and see what happens being careful my sunglasses are on.....i don't know how agressive these birds might be. So, I guess it is time to get back to "orientation." Too bad this dental stuff is going to get in the way of all of my other plans.....
I had lunch today with a Baptist missionary from Arkansas.She was reading the Arkansas newspaper with a picture of her family on the front page that someone mailed to her with the headline "Arkansas couple SAVES Native Alaskan Baby from Abortion." (a little intense but I guess that's Arkansas for you) The story describes how her and her husband adopted a newborn Eskimo baby from Barrow. The baby's family treats her like she is the real birth mother of the child so she loves it here because that whole family takes care of her. I guess I lunched with a Barrow's biggest celebrity today.
After asking around, I figured out what the boat with a flag is doing in front of the house I am staying. Evidently, when a family catches a whale, they dock their boat with the colors of their family at the spot where they go out to fish. Looks like a whaling festival will be right outside my front door this weekend. Not really sure what a "whaling festival" is, but if it involves a belly flop contest into the whale blubbler, I might never leave this place. Just kidding, but seriously that would be awesome.
I just got an invite to the local ice hockey game tonight. It's an outdoor ice skating rink on the outskirts of town. Supposedly they get pretty competetive. I was just thankful that I got invited to watch and not actually play....
The road in front of the house I am staying is called cakeater and is known for the best bird watching in the state of alaska (and I use the word "road" loosely as there are not paved roads in Barrow and everything is covered in snow). The owner of the house left me a 5 pound bag of birdseed for me to throw out. I'm going to throw it when i get home and see what happens being careful my sunglasses are on.....i don't know how agressive these birds might be. So, I guess it is time to get back to "orientation." Too bad this dental stuff is going to get in the way of all of my other plans.....
first half day....
All I have to say is wow. My mouth had pretty much been wide open since I flew over Alaska yesterday....more breath taking than any discovery channel show. THis is Jimbo's kind of place for sure. After 14 hours of traveling yesterday and spending more than 3 hours placing aluminum foil in the windows of the house I am staying to "summerize" it (ie: keep the 24 hour daylight out so I can sleep!), my mind feels a bit scattered. Here are some random thoughts about my first morning here.....
-I already miss the darkness....everything appears to be against a white backdrop. Hard to tell which is the road vs Artic Ocean vs sky. It is literally a white out.
-I did a dance at the northern most tip of Alasks last night when I got a drive through tour of Barrow. My fellow dentist who picked me up from the airport did not know what to think of my dance, but I told him everyone in Texas dances like that. It was priceless and involved a leg guitar.
-Top three questions I have been asked by everyone I meet:
1. Where are you from and are you single? (asked in same question)
2. Do you want to buy some liquor? Mama freeze can hook you up. (who is mama freeze??)
3. Can I touch your hair?
I plan on writing more later today, but I have to get back to work. With all of this light, I don't know how much I will be sleeping. I am going after work to talk to a guy about taking his dogs out.....and I must meet this mama freeze character! I'm doing great though so no need to worry (mom!) love, Jill
-I already miss the darkness....everything appears to be against a white backdrop. Hard to tell which is the road vs Artic Ocean vs sky. It is literally a white out.
-I did a dance at the northern most tip of Alasks last night when I got a drive through tour of Barrow. My fellow dentist who picked me up from the airport did not know what to think of my dance, but I told him everyone in Texas dances like that. It was priceless and involved a leg guitar.
-Top three questions I have been asked by everyone I meet:
1. Where are you from and are you single? (asked in same question)
2. Do you want to buy some liquor? Mama freeze can hook you up. (who is mama freeze??)
3. Can I touch your hair?
I plan on writing more later today, but I have to get back to work. With all of this light, I don't know how much I will be sleeping. I am going after work to talk to a guy about taking his dogs out.....and I must meet this mama freeze character! I'm doing great though so no need to worry (mom!) love, Jill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
