Progress

Mom and I spent most of the day at work in the classroom. We came home around 7pm... John actually beat us home!... We all ate lasagna and watched Project Runway.

We made a lot of progress; but, my room's not done. We're going back on Sunday to work some more (John has to go into work). Pictures to come then.

Project Runway ***spoiler alert***

Michael Korrs says (paraphrased): I don't know... is it better to design something well, but boring... or to take a risk and not be successful?

To which John says, "After 7 seasons, you should know!"

We watched the Season 8 premiere of Project Runway. Lots of fun personalities. We think Peach should join Last Comic Standing.

But, what were they thinking with kicking Mckella (or however you spell it) off????? What about the kimono guy? He stapled it on backwards!!! How can that beat the cute little dress? or the tuxedo lady?-- we were sure it would be the kimono or the tux to go home. We were wrong :(

Interested to see the weeks ahead and the new show "The Road to Austin and Santino".

Productive but Exhausted

Mom and I worked hard in my room all day long. We stopped for lunch with my teammates and dinner with John.

It's 10:30pm. I'm headed back to John's work to pick him up now... he's been working really hard.

We've all been productive... but exhausted.

Honking

People don't honk their horns much here.

It's really nice.

Since I've been here, I think I've heard the horn being honked maybe 5 times. One of them was me honking... I mean, the person did something really dumb and pulled out in front of me.

The other was my being honked at... I was in line at the McDonald's drive thru. It's a bit awkward because you pull in off a one way street and then have to quick angle around. So, I was in line, but kind of at an angle. The car in front of me pulled up; I started to go. This other person, who was coming from the other direction, but was there after me, honks at me. Some gesticulating got us to "I was here first" and the other guy indicating that he didn't care and to go around. Whatever. He was pulling up, and I didn't have another option. I backed up and started to go around. When I got to the other side, I noticed there was another drive thru on the other side! So, if you come in from one direction, you go to one drive thru, but if you come in the other side, you use the other. They are on completely opposite sides of the building. It's crazy. How would you know that??? In the end, I was kind of happy that the guy honked at me... otherwise, I might never have known. Plus, even though I used the other drive thru, I still finished before him. HA!

Lindsey and the Terrible, Irritating, No Good, Not Great Night

Do you remember Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?

If you don't, here's the plot-- from Wikipedia--
From the moment he wakes up with gum in his hair, things just do not go Alexander's way. Getting out of bed, he trips on a skateboard and drops his sweater into a sink full of water. At breakfast, Alexander's brothers Nick and Anthony reach into their cereal boxes and pull out amazing prizes, while all Alexander ends up with is cereal.

On the way to school, he doesn't get the window seat in the carpool. At school, his teacher doesn't like his drawing of an invisible castle (which is actually just a blank sheet of paper) and criticizes him for singing too loud and leaving out 16. His friend Paul reduces Alexander to third best friend and there is no dessert in his lunch.

The dentist tells Alexander he has a cavity, the elevator door hurts his foot, Anthony pushes him into the mud, Nick calls him a crybaby for crying, and Mom catches him in the act of punching Nick.

At the shoe store, they're sold out of Alexander's choice of sneakers (blue ones with red stripes), so Mom has to buy him plain white sneakers, which he'll refuse to wear.

At Dad's office, Alexander makes a mess of things when he fools around with everything there (the copying machine, the books, and the telephone) getting to the point where Dad tells him not to pick him up from work anymore.

At home, Alexander's bad day is far from over. The family has lima beans for dinner (which he hates), there is kissing on TV (which he also hates), bath time becomes a nightmare (too hot water, soap in the eyes, and losing a marble down the drain) and he has to wear his railroad train pajamas (he hates his railroad train pajamas). At bedtime, Alexander's nightlight burns out, he bites his tongue, Nick takes back a pillow, and the family cat chooses to sleep with Anthony. No wonder Alexander wants to move to Australia.

The book ends with his mother's assurance that everyone has bad days, even people who live in Australia.

I remember reading this in 4th grade. Mrs. Timpone had us write our own version. I think in my 4th grade version I wrote about my brother punching me in the eye, and I broke my arm, and ate yucky food, and got a bad grade.

So, I guess, if I compare it to either of those stories, last night wasn't so "Terrible, Horrible"... but it was definitely "Terrible, Irritating, No Good, Not Great".

So it began...

I was switching out Hayden's kennel towel as I was crating her, when I noticed she'd had an accident some time previous. And started a load of laundry.

John and I had just fallen asleep when Nelson came in the room yowling. He doesn't normally yowl... we both sat up, Nelson jumped on the bed and then he projectile vomited all over the duvet cover. He then jumped down. We followed to check on him. When I came back to take care of the duvet cover, I noticed that it was soaked through... the duvet cover, the duvet, and the sheets. Yuck! So, then I'm wide awake... worried about Nelson and with a sheet-less bed. So, we had to make the bed. And, I couldn't stand the thought of our bedding sitting there... so, in the middle of the night, I proceeded to do 3 loads of laundry. (Nelson seems fine now incidentally.)

While I was waiting, I started reading... oh, but then my book was sad... it was midnight and I'm crying.

Then, from the other room, I heard a loud sharp clatter. I checked the kitchen, the bedrooms, and the laundry room... nothing.

I go back to reading and laundering. I'm finally ready to go back to bed. I go into the bathroom to find a picture frame shattered on the floor. So, then that has to be cleaned up too.

At 5:30am, Nelson comes in to wake me up for breakfast! Ugh... just let me sleep!!!


So, now I'm going back to sleep... I'm sure tonight will be better... right?

Ack! It's washing the spider out.

The itsy bitsy spider is sick of the rain! And, the rain listened-- kind of...

It stopped raining for a bit last night and isn't raining right now. Hurray! But, the forecast now shows rain for all this week and NEXT.

Come on weather!! I know you can stop the rain.

School Year

Glendale Elementary School District teachers returned to work today.

Anchorage School District teachers did not... unless they wanted to ;) The schools are open, but teachers don't start until August 12th.

ASD students will start the following week on the 18th. That's a Wednesday, which I think is great. This gives us a few days to start readjusting to the school routine. Then, phew, a weekend to decompress.

Can't believe school is coming so quickly. Before my mom arrives late on Wednesday night (really Thursday morning) I'm mostly just cleaning up the classroom. That way, when Mom arrives, we can get to the fun stuff.

Anybody ever think of a farm or food pun for math? Please. See 7/22 post if you don't know what I'm talking about :)

FYI: Here's the calendar for the Anchorage School District.

Rain, Rain... Go AWAY!!!

Since arriving I've enjoyed the weather immensely. It's cool, sunny, and there are occasionally drizzly moments which end in rainbows or clear-crisp skies.

NOT THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It started raining on Friday and hasn't appreciably stopped since then... I'm so TIRED of the rain. I counted a minute and a half that it stopped; but, that's not enough.

So, rain, STOP.

Project Runway

Soon designers will "Carry on!" and "Make it work." ... Project Runway is coming back, starting Thursday. Woo-hoo!

True Awesome

I just went to True Value Hardware. I was so tickled by the fact that they had an entire kitchen store inside! I'm not talking about something like the kitchen store in Fred Meyer, but something a bit like Sur la Table. Very cool!!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Has anyone read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I started it and it seemed pretty good. But, then I read the back and it said "___(I don't remember what) meets Silence of the Lambs"-- CREEPY!!! Is this book scary????

Mid-Century Modern

UPDATE: Our reupholstered couch has been returned :) It's beautiful! I'm so excited... Good call John!!!

The picture at left and bottom are the "before" pictures. The picture at the top is the "after" picture.



FROM 7/20 AT 3:55PM: John did a lot of work to get our apartment ready before I got here. He had a whole house to furnish, and he had to haul it all into our apartment on his own.

One of the things John found was this really cool mid-century modern couch. The 3 pieces are actually all separate pieces. It has very cool feet and a nice shape. Unfortunately, it's seen much better days and needs to be reupholstered.

We found an upholsterer through a furniture repair company. Ric, the upholsterer met with John in June to discuss the couch. Ric used to live in North Carolina where he restored furniture. He and John discussed High Point (where the NC furniture market is... one of the biggest in the country) and Woodstuff (where Dad and Margo used to work) came up. Ric was familiar with Woodstuff, which was kind of cool.

Anyway, John found a furniture restoration site that recommended a fabric store in North Carolina... Not Just Linens. All of their fabric is $7.99/yard. We told them what we were looking for and they sent us 10 samples. We chose one of the fabrics, ordered it, and it arrived last week.

Unfortunately, our upholsterer didn't have an opening until August... but then he called today and said he had a cancellation. So, he's coming tonight. It will take less than a week. John and I are both very excited! Our elderly couch is getting fabric surgery :)

Table Markers

In my classroom, I will have desk clusters that form "tables". Each table will have a color--so I can say, "The red table is excused."-- or whatever. One of the other teachers has different shapes-- hexagon, octagon, etc... I, of course, love ladybugs. I've decided to hang different color foam ladybugs above each table to mark them. I was also able to find buckets at Michael's for 49 cents each that match each color-- very cool. I'll use these to hold each team's supplies. Here's my first ladybug :)

Our Neighborhood

These are some houses and flowers from around our neighborhood.

First Alaska Points Ceremony!

FINISHED ON 8/2/10

By popular demand (actually just my own hair-brained idea), a visit will count for 200 bonus Alaska Points :)

Welcome to our first Alaska Points Awards Ceremony-- from 7/19

In first place, with 482 points, Kyle!!! In second place, with 250 points, Mom!! And, in third place, with 70 points, Tracy!



This resets our score board... so, good luck in the weeks ahead...

ALASKA POINTS SCORE BOARD: (double points now)

Amelia-- 20 points
Valerie-- 360 points
Tracy-- 60 points
Kyle-- 180 points
Wanda-- 60 points
LaNette-- 40 points
Tamar-- 60 points
Dad-- 60 points (for contributing two of the pictures)
Chris-- 20 points
Andrew-- 40 points
Chunpeng-- 20 points
Erin-- 20 points

Bulletin Boards

Anyone who knows me probably knows that I love puns and alliteration... "It's your thyme!"

This year I've decided to have a theme for my classroom-- food: growing, cooking, eating

My mom has been a big help hunting down and giving me lots of great ideas. Here are some of our ideas:

*for students' great work-- Miss Fees' Farm, Growing Great Thinkers (with a harvest border)
*for students' good deeds-- How Sweet of You! (with an ice cream cone border)
*for today's list of "must do" and "may do" items-- Today's Menu
*for our class jobs-- Our Class Farmers
*for our reading board-- Nuts About Reading, This Week's Nut to Crack
*for our word wall-- Watermelon Word Wall, Words are the seeds of reading.
and, to this end, my dad sent me a picture of a carved watermelon from a buffet in Vietnam... really quite impressive!

Incidentally, if anyone has any good ideas for a math board, I'd LOVE to hear them. I'm stuck on that one.

My Classroom and Co-Workers

Well, I went into school today. This was the first day the school was open. Teachers don't report back until August 12th; so, I was quite surprised at the number of teachers who came to work. All of our second grade team and the first grade team were there today. I got a tour of the whole school. I was able to hang out a bit with each of my coworkers and am really looking forward to the year ahead. It's, of course, odd to be at a new school... but, to make the transition easier, this school has the same colors as Sine-- teal and purple... pretty funny, huh?

Above are some pictures of my classroom as I spun around the room. It's before my mom has worked her magic. She's coming to help me set up my room in less than a week!! Very cool.

Our House... In the Middle of Our Street... Our House

This is a picture of our house from the outside. We live downstairs. You have to go down the sidewalk on the right and then the stairs to our apartment are on the left.

I added the map from the previous post-- and I've rotated it to match what you're seeing.

I've also included a picture of Hayden out in front.

Mmm, Mmm Meatloaf

Until my freshman year in college, I'd never eaten at The Cheesecake Factory, nor had I eaten meatloaf. The night before I went to The Cheesecake Factory for the first time (for Lindsay Wieczorek's birthday), I was hanging out with Chris Rooney in Irish (one of the Honors College dorms) when someone returned with Cheesecake Factory leftovers--- They smelled fantastic! I asked what the leftovers were... MEATLOAF. When I went to The Cheesecake Factory the next night, I ate meatloaf. It was delicious.

I know some people have a meatloaf-aversion due to some bad experiences. In fact, I think that's why we never ate meatloaf when I was a child. Meatloaf conjures all sorts of hideous conceptions of stale, fatty, dense, left over messes. But, since I never ate meatloaf unless it was conceived as meatloaf (not a leftovers dumping ground), I think meatloaf is fantastic!

I was looking for recipes to use some of the ground turkey I bought and found this recipe for "Autumn Turkey Loaf". I made it tonight and it's delicious. I used about double the amount of celery and onions; but, otherwise, I followed the recipe. Two thumbs up!


Autumn Turkey Loaf

Ingredients: 1 lb. ground turkey, completely thawed; 1/4 cup chopped green onions or celery (or mixture); 1 cup (about half box) of seasoned instant stuffing mix; 1 egg, beaten; Salt/pepper to taste (I only lightly, lightly salted it because the stuffing was pretty salty.); 1 can (jellied or whole-berry) cranberry sauce, divided (I used whole-berry)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Begin by putting ground turkey into a bowl that’s large enough to knead in. Chop about 1/4 cup of green onions or celery (I used 2 green onions and about half a stalk of celery to achieve this amount). Add the chopped vegetables to the bowl along with about 1 cup (half of a regular-sized box) of instant stuffing mix (like StoveTop).

Pour a beaten egg over the mixture and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Add about 1/2 cup of the cranberry sauce (jellied or whole-berry) while reserving the rest of the can for later to be used as topping. Roll up both sleeves and start kneading the mixture until ingredients are generally distributed evenly.

Place the kneaded mixture in an ungreased (I put PAM on mine) loaf pan. Place uncovered loaf in oven and bake 45-60 minutes.

When loaf is done and removed from oven, take remaining cranberry sauce from can, place in covered, microwaveable bowl and microwave for about one minute and stir well. Slice the loaf and serve drizzled with melted cranberry sauce.

John and I had an errand to run... so I finished cooking the meatloaf before I left (actually it only took 45 minutes and I forgot to pre-heat the oven... I ended up covering it at about 30 minutes--so it wouldn't burn), and then put it back in the oven with the cranberry sauce (not microwave) on top and covered with foil for about 10 minutes. That worked really well.

If you like meatloaf, definitely try this recipe.

Crying Over Onions

Ugh, I love onions... but HATE cooking with them. They make me cry!! Today my eyes even teared up with green onions. But, I wondered why and found the following information on TLC Cooking's Website under "Why do onions make you cry?"

Unless you're a chef with a freshly broken hear, the tears you shed when chopping onions aren't emotional ones. That leaves two other categories of tears: basal and reflexive. Since basal tears are the ones that hang around our eyes and eyelids to act as a lubricant, that leaves us with reflex tears. The lachrymal glands above the eyelids regulate the release of tears. In the case of reflex crying, an external irritant, such as dust or smoke, triggers nerve endings in the cornea to communicate with the brain stem. The brain registers the irritation in the eye then alerts the lachrymal gland to stimulate tear production to flush away the invader.

If we're chopping onions a few feet away from our eyes, what's causing this weepy reaction? The answer begins in the soil. Onions are part of the plant genus Allium, along with garlic, chives, leeks and about 400 other cousins. These vegetables absorb sulfur in the earth, which helps form a class of volatile organic molecules called amino acid sulfoxides. These sulfoxides are the real tear-jerkers when onions go under the knife.

As we chop up an onion, it releases lachrymatory-factor synthase enzymes. These catalysts instigate the chemical chain reaction that ends with you crying over the kitchen counter. These enzymes react with the sulfoxides and convert them into sulfenic acids [source: Scott]. Sulfenic acids are highly unstable and rearrange into a compound called syn-propanethial-S-oxide [source: Library of Congress].

When syn-propanethial-S-oxide (a pesky combination of sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide) enters the air around our faces and approaches our eyes, it elicits the reflexive tear response described on the previous page [source: Norton]. Multiple nerve endings in the cornea register the sensation of the syn-propanethial-S-oxide as a substance that could harm our eyes. Consequently, the brain stem phones the lachrymal glands, and we commence to sniveling.

...

When recipes call for yellow Spanish onions or other sharp relatives, you can try out a few tricks to ward off crying in the presence of onions:

• Chop an onion beneath running water.
• Turn on a fan while cutting an onion to scatter the sulfur compounds.
• Chill or cook an onion before chopping it.
• Use an onion chopping container.
• Wear goggles or glasses to protect your eyes.

But dry your eyes: Despite all of these tears, there is some good news. Supposedly, the more you cook with onions and endure their sting, the less they'll affect you over time [source: Hillman]. Just keep some lemons nearby to scrub the vegetable's strong signature scent off your hands.

Off-Cultural-Kilter

My dad has been regularly traveling to China and Vietnam for work. He sent this picture of some ducks he saw while out walking around... It's, of course, novel for us. (Notice the ducks in the front seat too!) It reminds me of how culturally-centric we are...and I mean that even in terms of my own culture shock in coming here. The dress code, the fact that I can't get a medium burger (only well done), the one way streets... it is always an adjustment going someplace new. Recognizing our own cultural expectations (even down to the burger) helps us to grow and incorporate new stuff... pretty cool really.

Better than Getting Frostbite... Permafrost!

Okay, so on the vodka front... I was at Costco today (Does anyone know why they changed their name from Price Club?) and thought I'd see if they had the Frostbite Vodka. They didn't. They did however have Permafrost, which is the Alaska Distillery's higher end vodka. Yikes! 750mL (is that a handle?) sold for over $30 (the non-Costco price is supposed to be about $50)... which was more than the Ketel One.

Now I was more going to get it for the novelty, so didn't see any reason to buy it. But, I was curious to see where I could get the Frostbite Vodka, since that's what I had tasted. I emailed the "info" email address earlier today to ask where it was vended... and I got a response from the President, which I think is pretty cool :)

On another note, I have been surprised to see the way alcohol is sold here... You can't buy it with your groceries. You either go into a separate section of the store (with a separate cash register) or a liquor store. Kind of odd, but understandable for a place that has a vested interest in restricting alcohol consumption.

And, just in case anyone is worrying about my alcohol consumption, I want to let you know that this fascination with the vodka is more intellectual than palate-oriented. (I think I've had 4 drinks since I've been here. We don't have alcohol in the house either.) Just didn't want anyone fretting ;)

Puppy Challenge Throw Down

Hayden has boundless energy that she really does a great job containing! John has (wisely) taken an interest in teaching Hayden to run an agility course. Our vet's office recommended Alyeska Canine Trainers. We have to start with the Beginner class, but plan to work our way up the ladder ;) to the Agility class.

Hayden's cousin, Taro, is already a puppy-school graduate. (Several times over, I believe.)

So...

Taro,

Hayden challenges you to be the first puppy to:

1. accurately (I have no idea what this entails) complete an agility course (Here's the information from ACT-- agility.)

AND

2. become an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen (Here's the information from ACT--CGC.)

What do you think??? Bring it on??

Top picture is of Kyle and Taro; Bottom picture is of Hayden.

One Month

Today marks 1 month since I first arrived in Anchorage. Pretty exciting!

I will be going in to my school tomorrow. However, I don't officially start work until August 12th... with a class on August 5th and possibly one about parent involvement.

So far everything has been going well... here's a picture of Westchester Lagoon-- I added an arrow to show where we live (probably a bit to the left).

Haircut

Just like finding a vet... finding a hair stylist in a new city can be tricky. John needed a haircut a few weeks ago. So, we scoped out internet reviews and found Stylized. Sam is the owner (and he was born in Arizona-- big points)-- so that's who John saw. He did a nice job on John's hair. I need a trim and scheduled with Sam. Today I'm getting a haircut with Sam... just a trim, but think good (non-butchering) thoughts :)


UPDATE, 7/21, 12:35pm:

Just got back... so far, so good.

Fix You

At some point in each of our lives, I think we have all felt the need to care for someone we love. John and I have been watching So You Think You Can Dance? on TV. This week there was a routine choreographed by a man whose mother had just had major surgery. The routine was created to represent the choreographer's desire to take care of his mother and was set to Coldplay's "Fix You". For me it was really reminiscent of the pain of wishing someone well, but being somewhat powerless. Everyone has experienced this to some extent or another. This dance really reminded me of this universal experience. Hopefully no one is dealing with this now, and I hope that this routine is powerful enough to remind you you're not alone. [Warning-- This gave me goosebumps... so it might conjure tears :( ]

Fearless Feline

Nelson is still very swollen (and drooly), but has been eating and going to the bathroom. So... we're on track for recovery. He's purring immensely when he's pet and even letting me pry his mouth open (yikes, right?) to give him his meds. Keeping my fingers crossed...

Boo... Talk!

I think people are either:

A. tired of my blog

B. bored (kind of like A, but with less fatigue)

C. busy (hey, it could happen)

D. unmotivated

You all have stopped, as a whole, commenting as much. When you don't comment, blogging is kind of like talking to your dog during a walk... it starts off fine, but then you're thinking-- people are staring, why am I doing this? Who am I talking too?

So, in case you are not commenting because of "D. unmotivated", I'm doubling the Alaska Points for each post... so bring on the comments!

Using Fruit

We get most of our produce at Costco because it is much, much cheaper. So, we normally pick out 1 giant package of fruit each week. As the week goes on, the fruit starts to get super ripe. I start looking for ways to use the fruit. Anyway, this is why you see so many desserts on here... using the fruit. I found this recipe for Dessert Dumplings. It came from an old Bisquick Dessert Recipe Book... (I changed the sauce part a bit. The dumplings are hers.)

"Mrs John Jerome Finlay is featured on the dessert pages. Who was Mrs.John Jerome Finlay? According to this 1933 Bisquick recipe book, Mrs. Finlay was Jane Scriven before her marriage. She was one of the most popular girls in Chicago, a Member of Junior League and on the Committee for Enchanted Island at the World's Fair. Mother of 3 year old Barbara... models clothes at all important charity affairs. Finds time to make her husband's favorite recipes herself."

This is a little shout out to Mrs. Finlay ;)

For Sauce:

Bring 1 cup of fruit, 1 cup of juice, 1 T. of flour, 1.5 T brown sugar, and 2 T. of butter to a boil

"For Dumplings:

"Add 1/4 cup sugar to 1 1/2 cups Bisquick. Stir in 1/2 cup milk. Beat well and drop into hot sauce, in a wide kettle. Cover tightly and cook over low flame (or over asbestos mat*) to keep from burning. Cook 10 minutes. *Obviously asbestos mats do not exist any more."

It took more than 10 minutes to cook it (probably 15), but was very tasty. I think next time I would make more sauce-- perhaps a bit more fruit and definitely more juice. Fruit and juice could easily have been increased by half.

[The picture at the top is of my Cherry Dumplings...Tasty!]

Nelson Doing Okay

Nelson was in surgery for over 2 hours today. He had to have 7 teeth extracted. He's acting very "drunk" right now. He's trying to eat, but is confused about the whole situation with his teeth. He's being super affectionate, but also growling at his reflection. Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon :)

Going for a Walk

On Saturday, John and I took Hayden for a walk along the Chester Creek trail. This trail picks up by the lagoon, which is right near our house. Thought you'd all like to see some pics. It's soooo beautiful!! (at least, I think so)

Mmmm... Frostbite

Tonight we got dinner at Snow Goose Brewery. I had 2 drinks... that's more than all it took ;) --I wasn't driving, though-- The first drink was a screwdriver (vodka and orange juice) and Goose Juice was the 2nd (which is vodka, cranberry triple sec, pineapple juice, and orange juice)... both very tasty. But, that's not really worth writing about... what is worth writing about is the Frost Bite Vodka, which is the Brewery's well vodka and what my drinks were made with... this vodka is made with local grain, local water, and local glacier ice. How local of me!! Anyway, here's the article about this vodka's recent popularity. I can vouch for its deliciousness... that is, I couldn't taste it ;)

How to Spot Summer Tourists in Alaska

In the summer (though I hear it's not the case in winter), it's a bit like Disneyland here... in that, almost everywhere you look, there are tourists.

In case you want to spot a tourist in Alaska, I've devised the following signs:

1. They're wearing parkas.

2. They're walking on the streets of downtown with shiny new hiking boots.

3. They're wearing North Face/Columbia/Patagonia's latest Gore-Tex/Omni-Tech/Nano Puff jackets. (Now, Alaskans wear these sometimes too... they just look well-worn.)

4. They have to ask directions to Minnesota, Northern Lights, or Benson. (These are the major Anchorage streets.)

5. They're having friends take their picture with a giant stuffed (typically a stuffed animal, sometimes taxidermied--I know that's not a word, but don't know what else to call it) bear, moose, or puffin.

6. They're wearing the same windbreaker as the 20 people around them.

7. They can't find the entrance to Snow City Cafe.

8. They just stepped off the boat (and they're not at Ellis Island). --that one's John's ;)

Now, you may be thinking that it's quite presumptuous to be "outing" the tourists after less than a month stay. However, I am a Cheechako... not a tourist... a Cheechako is what the locals call newly arrived residents. Here's some other Alaskan slang from the Alaska Slang website... (I've only included the terms I've actually heard since I've been here.)

Lower 48: The 48 states south of Alaska. [Hawaii just gets omitted.]

Cheechako: Someone new to Alaska

Sourdough: Someone old to Alaska

Permanent Fund [I've always heard it as Permanent Fund Dividend]: Money we get for living here; from the state-- who gets it from the oil companies; who supply 20% of the nation's oil supply. You get oil; we get cash!

Fireweed: The weed everyone loves. It grows anywhere it wants to. Has pink flowers... and in the fall the leaves turn a fiery red... hence the name Fireweed.

Dip Netting: Holding a large fishnet, on the end of a long pole, in a river, waiting for fish to swim into it. Rather successful.

And then, I haven't heard this one, but have definitely observed the non-winter season:

Two Seasons: We have two seasons--winter and road construction. Actually it's more like "road fixing" construction. We don't get many new roads here.

First Week

Today is our 1 week "anniversary" with Hayden.

This has been a long, long critter week at our house.

On Sunday, Hayden destroyed one shoe each from three different pairs of shoes and broke into 2 bottles of vitamins. On Wednesday, Hayden began eating her wooden crate. She's into a wire crate now and things have settled down. Because she was abandoned, she seems to really have difficulty when we're gone. Secured in her wire crate, we've managed to duck a lot of further issues.

Everything was sort of compounded when we went to the vet on Tuesday. It's tricky being new to a town and trying to choose doctors. I found the Alaska Veterinary Clinic, because one of the doctors volunteered extensively for the ASPCA spay clinic. I thought it would be nice to patronize his clinic. We knew Hayden had a skin infection when we adopted her... and the vet confirmed this. We thought this would be the big thing. But, I took Nelson in also, because he'd been scratching his ears; I thought he had allergies. Nope. Nelson has Grade 3 dental disease (1 is the start, 4 is the worst). Apparently, he wasn't scratching his ears, but his mouth. Poor little guy.

Unfortunately, my visit was the worst visit I'd ever had to a vet. The vet tech did as much of the exam as the vet herself. I couldn't ask many questions because the vet was in and out so much. She also wasn't able to give any insight into why a 4 year old cat would have such severe dental disease, nor any ideas about what we might expect in the months and years ahead. And, the surgery was going to be performed by yet another vet. Hmmm... no.

Avril, one of John's co-workers, highly recommended Dr. John Basler at College Village Animal Clinic. He was fantastic!!!! I took Nelson in on Wednesday afternoon. He spent over an hour with us. He was thorough in his exam, and patiently answered my questions. He also printed off information for me to take home and read. Then, he rearranged his schedule for Monday (since he was going out of town on Tuesday) to fit Nelson into surgery--so he could do Nelson's surgery himself. I'm so very, very appreciative of all Dr. Basler did for Nelson. I'm optimistic his surgery will go well on Monday.

So, phew... we're almost into the weekend and are optimistic the weeks ahead will be much smoother.

(The picture is of Hayden with her favorite toy "Pinkie"-- a pink hedgehog.)

Alaska Chic

When I was in middle school, Phantom of the Opera came to Gammage. I remember getting all dressed up in my fancy dress; Kyle and Dad wore tuxes... albeit that was a special black tie event fundraiser. But, I definitely remember the formality of theater-going. I think this has diminished somewhat over the last several years; however, in general, attending the theater is special and people dress accordingly.

When I went to the Anchorage Concert Association to order our tickets, I thought I better ask what people wear to the theater... I'd hate to go and be under-dressed. The woman laughed. She said, everything in Anchorage is "Alaska Chic". She said there would be someone in galoshes and flannel next to someone in a ball gown with a mink coat. Essentially, the rule is-- wear whatever you want.

It's fantastic!

Last summer we went to The Grove in L.A. We were just getting dinner; so, I didn't give any thought to the fact that I was wearing a t-shirt (Threadless--so, fashionable) and jeans. Oh-ho-ho... not in L.A. Everyone stared at me (and I didn't have toilet paper stuck to my shoe). It was weird and unnecessary.

In Alaska, as in Arizona, jeans and a t-shirt are fine in 85% of the cases. In Arizona, something more might be required. In Alaska, nothing will be required... it's just too cold to go naked. So, wear your sweatpants, overalls, socks with sandals... anything goes when you're in the wilder wester.

(Not So) Descpicable Me

John and I just went and saw Despicable Me. It's super cute. We saw it in 3D and really enjoyed it! 2 thumbs up... even better than Toy Story 3... at least, I thought so!

***OPEN LETTER TO KYLE***

Dear Kyle,

We understand Mr. Pibb is your absolute favorite soda. We have now made Mr. Pibb available at our local theater. We assume this will compel you to visit us. That's right... Mr. Pibb on tap at our movie theater. Mm Hm, we thought so.

Sincerely,

The Municipality of Anchorage

Out and About

Last Sunday John and I went to the Double Musky Inn... it's a really famous restaurant here (and not at all a hotel). It's out in Girdwood--about 45 minutes away. [FYI--We ate the spicy crawfish cheese dip and scalloped stuffed mushrooms rockefeller for appetizers (which were fantastic) and split their French pepper steak (which is supposed to be famous, but we really disliked) and had the "Cajun Delight" for dessert (imagine a Pecan Sandy with creamy stuff on top).]

While we were driving out, I decided to try to capture some of the views. It was very overcast, so the brilliance of the colors really doesn't show up AND I took them from inside the car... so, ignore the poor quality and use your imagination. This is Alaska.

Top Left-- This is the AK 1 (Seward Highway)... you are in South Anchorage... Potters' Marsh is on the left

Bottom Left--You are still on AK 1, the ocean (maybe an inlet?) is on your right--this is primarily mud flats... as the tide comes in you have all sorts of odd whirlpools, because the mud flats aren't even. On the left is a mountain (don't know which one?) and it is GREEN-- as the glaciers and snow melt from above, you can see small waterfalls. Apparently this is a good place to see mountain sheep and whales-- though we've seen neither. You are driving through Chugach State Park. Glaciers on mountains can be seen in the distant middle.

Right-- At this point we've turned off AK 1 onto Alyeska Blvd in Girdwood. You can see the sky has brightened up and those are glacier covered mountains in the distance.

So, have I convinced anyone to visit yet???

Crepes, Brocolli Salad, Coffee Cake, Blackberry Crisp, Meatballs, and Mac & Cheese

One of the things I've really enjoyed since arriving is all the cooking I've had the time to do. A few things I've made that have been fun are:

Crepes/Blintzes--

Crepe batter is .5 cup flour, 3/4 cup water/milk (it was supposed to be 1/4 c. milk and 1/4 c. water, but that's too little and the proportions don't seem to make a difference), 1 t. salt, 1 egg, and 1 T. melted butter. It's easiest to mix all the wet ingredients and then add the flour slowly. It's pretty simple-- then you just pour a 1/2 cup of batter into the medium heated pan and voila!

I fill it with some combination of fruit and honey and cottage cheese. What a tasty weekend breakfast! Anyone know the difference between a blintz and a crepe? Is a blintz made with a crepe?



Broccoli Salad--

I wanted to make pasta salad, but didn't want the carbs. I found Paula Dean's recipe for broccoli salad and figured I could alter it.

Her recipe was-- 1 head broccoli, 6 to 8 slices cooked/crumbled bacon, 1/2 cup chopped red onion, 1/2 cup raisins, optional
8 ounces small chunks sharp Cheddar, 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes, Salt and freshly ground black pepper ...Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem. Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head thoroughly. Cut the head into flowerets and the stem into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, onion, raisins if using, and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.

I didn't have all the ingredients... I used broccoli, salami chunks (rather than bacon), cheddar, balsamic vinegar, and mayonnaise, with a sprinkle of sugar. It was tasty!



Coffee Cake--

I had apricots... so I made this Bisquick coffee cake recipe with apricots instead of blueberry. It was very tasty, though the cooking time was a bit "off".

Cake--2 cups Bisquick mix, 2/3 cup. sugar, 1/3 cup. sour cream, 1 egg, 1/4 c. milk, 1 c. canned blueberries, drained & rinsed. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan. Mix sour cream and egg; stir in milk gradually. Stir in Bisquick just until moistened. Spread half of batter in pan and sprinkle with half of streusel. Spread remaining batter over streusel and sprinkle with blueberries. Sprinkle with remaining streusel. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Streusel--1/3 cup Bisquick, 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (I like to add a bit more since I love cinnamon!), 2 tablespoons of margarine or butter

Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes
Baking Time: 30-40 minutes

Blackberry Crisp:

Berries--4 cups blackberries, 1 Tb flour, 3 Tb brown sugar, a bit of salt, 1 t vanilla, and a heaping Tb of sour cream... preheat oven to 375 degrees; toss berries and other ingredients together and pour into greased glass pie pan

Topping-- 1/2 cup unbleached white flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/8 tsp salt, 6 Tb unsalted butter...Combine the 1/2 cup flour, 6 Tb brown sugar, spices, and salt. Cut 4 Tb of butter into small pieces; then cream it into the flour mixture with the bottom of a tablespoon. Continue creaming the mixture until there is no loose flour. Distribute the topping over the berries.

Put in oven. Bake. After about 20 minutes, slice the remaining 2 Tb of butter onto browning top. Bake until the top is lightly browned, and the juices have risen around the edges, about another 10-20 minutes.

Yum, yum, yum... definitely serve with whipped cream.

Turkey Meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs, salt and pepper, 1 T. Italian seasoning, 1 t. garlic powder... mix ingredients together; shape into balls; cook in skillet over medium heat until meatballs are no longer pink in the center

I used these in meatball sandwiches because I decimated them trying to cook them evenly... the "ball" part of the meatball didn't work for me, although they tasted great!



Macaroni and Cheese:

This is my next to try... this is Brynne Evans' recipe and I've had it when she makes it... it's fantastic. We have some spicy sausage that I might cook on the side and then have this.

2 cups elbow macaroni; 1/2 stick butter; 2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar; 1 can cheddar cheese soup; 1/2 cup sour cream; 1/2 tsp ground mustard; 1/2 tsp salt (+ extra salt for boiling the macaroni); 1/2 tsp pepper; 1 cup milk

Boil macaroni in salted water, but do not completely cook (about half the recommended time for cooking). Melt butter and cheddar cheese on stove top. Add to crockpot. Add cheddar cheese soup, sour cream, mustard, salt, pepper and milk to crockpot. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Stir in macaroni. Put crockpot on low for 3 hrs.

If you like when there is a little bit of the overcooked cheese that gets brown and kind of crunchy, then try this (because it doesn't always happen when cooked on low for the whole time). So if you want the overcooked, crunchy cheese or if you have less than 3 hours to cook it, turn the crockpot to high for about a 1/2 hour and cut the overall time by about a 1/2 hour. Then just keep an eye on it.

Anchorage Concert Association

When I met with my co-workers in late June, Jeannette had put together a basket of local activity pamphlets. One of the brochures was for the Anchorage Concert Association. They put on the major shows here. John and I were definitely looking for ways to get out this year. We decided to get a subscription to see several of the performances this year. We picked a show a month, except for in March when we picked 2. We're looking forward to it, especially once we saw the beautiful hall!

NY Times on Anchorage

Here is a slideshow on the "cool" side of Anchorage from the New York Times.

Updated at 9:35pm:

John and I decided to try the Cake Studio (slide 4). When we went in, John asked if they'd had a flood of newcomers since the New York Times article. She said, "Well, you know here and there." ...that seemed to be an odd response... I told her about how Pizzeria Bianco had gotten so, so busy after its Times review (and Oprah, but I omitted that). She laughed and said, "Really? I guess people read the New York Times all over, huh?"

Now that just seemed odd...

I said, "You know you were covered in the Times, right?"

"Well, yeah, the local Times," she said.

John and I clarified that, indeed, the Cake Studio was covered in the New York Times.

She was excited, but extremely skeptical (that kind of "uh-huh, whatever you say" nod). I told her I'd send the link... maybe now she'll really believe me ;)

Pets

Here are some new pictures of Hayden and 2 of Nelson (who had crawled inside a plastic zippered comforter bag).

Enjoy :) Both pets are doing great!

Finally... Pictures!

Just found my card reader in a box. I can finally share pictures :)

I don't have pictures of everything and won't post all the pics I have; but, if you see an old post at the top again, it's because I've added pics :) I'll move it back in a couple of days.

BC: Grocery Stores Revisited

Last night John, Brian, and I went to dinner at the home of one of the attorneys at the Federal Public Defender's office. Avril (the attorney), her husband Sen, and their son Rouchie (spelling?) were incredibly welcoming. We all had a great time-- great food, great company. It was particularly fun because Avril works on habeas cases, Sen is a judge, and their son is a paralegal... so we had the full spectrum of perspective on the Anchorage legal community. The legal community here is very small and collegial, so the tales were fun.

The conversation migrated to Alaska "need-to-know" information: how to stay safe around moose and bears, staying warm, Alaska fashion, and Costco.

Costco is a significant part of life in Alaska. Food can be very costly in Alaska. Probably the easiest comparison is that on sale food in Alaska is about equivalent to full price food in Arizona. (It seems to me to be about $1 more per item.) So, almost everyone shops at Costco... it's generally cheaper (or as cheap) to buy a giant package at Costco as it is to buy the small package at Fred Meyer. The major stores here, aside from Costco, are Fred Meyer (Fry's), Carr's (Safeway), and Wal-Mart. But, Costco is the place. Avril said the locals call their time before shopping there as BC--before Costco.

The Grocery Store

"Ever consider what they must think of us? --I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with this amazing haul-- chicken, pork, half cow. Dogs must think we're the most amazing hunters on earth!" ...Anne Tyler

Critter Connection

Nelson and Hayden are super unsure of one another... but seem to be adjusting. Earlier she fell asleep on one side of my club chair and Nelson on the other. I'm hopeful :)

We don't know a whole lot about Hayden. We do know she was abandoned by her previous owners. John and I have observed her being both clingy and quaking... typically at the same time. She doesn't seem too fond of water or loud noises. We're pleased by her overall demeanor and eagerness to please. Hopefully with a little love, she'll be able to settle down soon.

A New Addition :)

This last Monday John and I visited Anchorage Animal Control to see a dog we'd found online. Her name was Munchie (terrible I know... and not based on behavior habits), and we fell in love. We wanted to make sure we were thinking this all through... so, we'd decided before we went that, even if we wanted her, we were going to leave without her and talk about it. We thought about it and talked about it the rest of the day Monday and on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning we decided the pros outweighed the cons; we were going to bring her home.

I went online to check the times that the pound opened, but she was no longer listed as available. I panicked. I knew she'd been available when the pound closed (and it's an automatic online update when they're adopted). Of course, I thought the worst. But,

when I called right as they opened, they let me know that she'd been taken to be spayed. Phew! So, she wasn't available Wednesday obviously and was still recovering yesterday.

Today dawned and, although still not sure what name we'd give her (because we definitely weren't keeping Munchie), we were optimistic we'd be able to pick her up and bring her home.

Hayden (a shout out to Tempe) is a super sweet English Pointer mix... 42 pounds, about 1 year old, and excited to be home.

Trails

I found this trail guide for Anchorage. John and I are hoping to be able to check some of them out. We tried to go to the Far North Bicentennial Park this past Monday, but couldn't find the parking lot. I needed the directions ;) Anyway, they look pretty cool!

**POINTS**

--as of 7/18/10, 10:30PM--
ALASKA POINTS SCORE BOARD:

Tracy-- 70 points
Dad-- 40 points
Mom-- 250 points
Andrew-- 40 points
Kyle-- 482 points
Margo--40 points
Amelia-- 30 points
Wanda-- 40 points
Sandy-- 20 points
Erin-- 30 points
Andrea--10 points
Kerry--30 points
Chris--10 points

Best Worst Movie (that's the actual title!)

Tonight John, Brian, Joe, and I are going to see Best Worst Movie (the trailer is linked below) at the Beartooth Theatre. This is a movie about Troll 2 (pictured at left... not actually scary).

So, right now we're watching Troll 2 (it's on Hulu... you definitely don't want to pay for it)... and tonight we're going to see Best Worst Movie. I've pasted the description below and, guess what, it's coming to theaters in Tempe and Boston... so you too can enjoy the fun ;)

"In 1989, a group of unknown Utah actors starred in what would be crowned the worst movie of all time: TROLL 2. After two decades of running from this cinematic disaster, the cast can no longer hide from the legion of followers that celebrate them for their ineptitude.

"BEST WORST MOVIE, directed by TROLL 2’s once-disgraced child star, Michael Paul Stephenson, unravels the stories of these unforgettable real-life characters and the colorful army of devotees who continue to revel in the film’s perfectly flawed brilliance.

"At the center of this celebrated documentary is the improbable story of a small-town Alabama dentist-turned-cult-movie-icon, and an Italian filmmaker who come to terms (or doesn’t) with his internationally revered cinematic failure.

"BEST WORST MOVIE is an affectionate and intoxicatingly fun tribute to the single greatest bad movie ever made and the people responsible for unleashing it on the world. The result is a hilarious and tender offbeat journey that pays homage to lovers of bad movies and the people who make them, while investigating a deeper story about the strange nature of celebrity, the catharsis of redemption and the humanity that exists in making even the worst movie ever made."

1:03am: Okay, just got back from Best Worst Movie. [Trailer is linked.] (We watched Troll 2 before we left... it's comically awful and nonsensical.) Best Worst Movie is awesome!! Laugh out loud funny. We all enjoyed it immensely. Go if you can! It's self-deprecating and insightful. You follow George Hardy ("You don't piss on hospitality...I won't allow it.")--the lead actor who is a dentist as he discovers how Troll 2 became a cult classic. The director is also involved and sees the situation very differently. We were all cracking up... truth is sometimes stranger (or funnier) than fiction!!!

UPCOMING SCREENINGS:

August 6th in Cambridge, MA (the cast will be at this screening)

August 19th in Tempe, AZ

--can't find any in D.C., but I found these on the website if you want to check again--