So I’m still on vacation, also known as babysitting duty. Nephew Sam-Sam is just the cutest thing. While I’m spending my days catering to a seven-month-old, why don’t you check out this interview Brenda Cooper did with me…I’ll be posting an interview with her in a week or so, after I get home and readjusted to life in Alaska. I really love Chicago, but I don’t think I could move back; just too many people for my taste.
Archive for the ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood (aka Life in Alaska)’ Category
Still on Vacation
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009Bunco for Breast Cancer
Monday, October 5th, 2009
Went to the fifth annual Crystal Lake Bunco for Breast Cancer yesterday. It was so much fun! I had 4 wins and 8 losses. Last year they raised $50,000 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, definitely collected more than that this year! My Aunt Carol is a survivor (for several years now) and it was great to see her and all the other women who have conquered this killer.
624 women were there, most wearing various shades of pink. There were raffles of gift baskets and I actually won one! It was the Interior Accents basket and included (among other things) some gift certificates to local restaurants (I’m leaving them with my mother), a ‘Save the Boobies’ T-shirt, and a pink cashmere scarf. The list of donors was several pages long, it was an amazing event.
My cousin Laura also won a raffle basket. It had a gift certificate for a tooth whitening procedure and a discount on designer shoes. She sat at the lucky table with me!
More Snow! Is Winter Here to Stay?
Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Woke up to more snow this morning, about an inch on the ground. Dug my boots out of the closet and took Dinah on a walk around the block, she loves the snow. And she’s completely recovered from her chocolate escapade. I had some M&M’s yesterday and when she smelled them on my breath she got her drooly jawls all in my face and tried to sit on my lap. She obviously has no idea that the chocolate is what caused her tummy ache. It’s a housecleaning kind of Saturday, but first I have to recover from my cheese coma. Did homemade mac & cheese for lunch with bacon & jarlsburg, rich and creamy deliciousness.
Goodbye to Tina & Dinah Loves Chocolate
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Today was Tina’s last day at the store. She’s heading back to Oregon with her family and they’re going to miss our wicked winter wonderland.
(For all you Silent Outsiders, I woke up this morning to snow on my car, gasp!) I’m going to miss Tina’s constant cheery smile and all the hard work she puts in behind the used book counter. I’m going to miss her continual bustling around the store, always with a purpose, a task. Bye Tina! Have a safe trip home & keep in touch.
Other store news: we’re doing some rearranging. It looks like the room that used to be all Alaskan books, which became the Bargain Annex full of remaindered books, is going to turn into the Children’s Paradise I’ve always wanted it to be. Yay! There are semi-organized stacks of books everywhere.
(It kinda looks like all my books at home.) We still have a lot of shelving and fixture measurements to work out, but I’m looking forward to the change. It was a busy, busy day but I’m finally feeling caught up at my desk after almost a week of sickness.
When I got home from work today I knew something was wrong when Dinah didn’t meet me at the door. And she wasn’t sleeping on her bed in the office. Why? Because in my rush to get out the door this morning with all my medications I forgot to put the gate up to keep her downstairs. So where was this pampered pooch all day long? The princess spent a relaxing day upstairs eating bonbons and lounging on the master’s bed.
There were brown streaks all over the carpeting. Nope, not poop, it was chocolate. It’s a good thing Nick bought that carpet shampooer last month. Pulled that out and shampooed the upstairs. I called the vet and let him know she’d had about eight ounces of chocolate including the wrappers. (Less than half a bag of those assorted Hershey mini chocolate bars. She had to go behind the couch and dig them out of a knitting bag, it’s not like they were left out on the couch or end table. She was on a mission for chocolate.) A dog her size (150 lbs) can ingest about two pounds of chocolate before poisoning sets in. So I guess that’s good news. He warned me that she’s going to have diarrhea. Boy was he right.
Since Dinah was outside, roaming the yard and expelling chocolate from her bowels, I packed in my meager container garden. The flowers were starting to die and my peppers never fully matured this year. Again. Last summer it was all rain and no sun, this summer it was all smoke from forest fires and no sun. I’m not going to plant any peppers next summer and the weather will be beautiful. The garden is clear, and Dinah is sleeping off her chocolate hangover, the carpets are shampooed, and now I can finally get to work writing.
Drugs Rule!
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009Even after my last blog post I wasn’t feeling that great and decided that if I was still nasty on Monday I’d go to urgent care. (I rarely get sick and in the four years I’ve lived in Fairbanks I have yet to have need of a general practitioner doctor.) So I went.
The good news is it’s not strep & it’s not the flu. Some funky virus decided to take up residence in my sinuses and the doc prescribed a whole bunch of meds.
It’s decidedly overkill, but we don’t want it showing up again later. I’ve got antibiotics, nasal spray, an oral steroid, and Claritin-D. Yep, had to sign for that one at the pharmacy counter saying that I wouldn’t use it to cook up meth.
I took all my drugs this morning and WOW! I feel effin’ awesome. Everyone at the store noticed a change in my voice & attitude. David thinks I should be on drugs all the time because I’m such a pleasant person on them. Ha! Finally, after a week of sleep and coughs and post nasal drip I feel human again and ready to tackle the written word. Three cheers for modern medicine! Huzah! Huzah! Huzah!
Almost Human
Saturday, September 19th, 2009
I am almost returned to my human form. Ventured forth from under the blankets this morning to take Dinah on a much-needed walk. It was a little cold outside, but the fresh air was rejuvenating. In the hopes that this evil bug is leaving me, I did all the laundry, including the sheets and blankets that have been my home for the last few days. I love putting on fresh clothes warm from the dryer, so cuddly.
When I returned from the PNBA show I was so excited and inspired to get back to writing, and then that evil creature stopped me in my tracks. So it’s back to work, I’ve got short stories to work on, emails to send, queries to write…
Some Crud
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
Fall is falling; the trees that were green when I left last week have gone to orange, the hills are beautiful, though monochromatic. I miss the multitude of reds and goldens of Chicagoland autumn, and I hope I will not be too late to see the fall color when I visit next month. The weather has brought evil colds and germs and flu.
Somehow I have been infected (I blame my recent air travel) and was plagued by feverdreams last night. I went into the store for three hours and quarantined myself in the office. Got some work done, but my throat was too scratchy to speak much, so I went home.
I napped all day, and that’s how I know I’m sick: I had no interest in reading any of my new books. I have been fortified by chicken noodle soup and orange juice and several extra hours of sleep. It’s back to bed for me; I hope that I haven’t infected anybody else, but if I have, I apologize.
Family Time
Thursday, August 27th, 2009I spent a great day at the museum with family visitors today. No one ever comes up to Alaska to visit, so I was uber-blessed with six visitors at once!
Grandma & Grandpa
Aunt Pam & Uncle Al
and Aunt Carol & Uncle Pete.
I didn’t get a picture of Uncle Pete with my camera, but I’ll have plenty when everyone else emails the contents of their cameras when they get back from their Inside Passage cruise. We spent the whole day at the Museum of the North
where we saw both movies (Winter & The Aurora) and had looked at all the wonderful displays and artwork. They had a perfect, clear day and could see far-off Denali from the top of College Hill, I hope they get to see it inside Denali Park when they arrive there later this week. We took a break in the middle of the day for lunch at Gulliver’s, and they all turned green with envy over the store I where I spend my days. Back to the museum to see the rest of the exhibits, it is the best place to go in Fairbanks, and then it was dinner at The Silver Gulch, where they had gluten-free beer for Aunt Carol and made her day. It was so much fun to see them and I can’t wait for my trip to Chicago in October.
Clearing the Air
Friday, August 7th, 2009The smoke is starting to clear and I feel like doing more than just napping. 2.5 million acres of Alaska have burned this summer, most in the Interior. I’ve been feeling like a beekeeper’s captive bee, all drugged out on smoke and without the energy to sting anybody. I quit smoking just over two years ago and my lungs aren’t used to the lack of oxygen anymore. The sky is still a little hazy, but I was able to differentiate clouds from smoke when I was driving home from work, so that’s an improvement.
It was another crazy-insane week at the bookstore, put in an hour and a half of overtime and still am not at all caught up. I may go in Sunday morning for an hour or two of uninterrupted work. It’s all the time I need to get back on track, but David or Maria will have to approve the overtime.
Happy Weekend!
Earthquake & Sweaters for Sammy
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009A 3.8 earthquake woke me up at 4:15 this morning. The house shook a little bit, but it was the glass candle holder rattling against is base that awoke me. I don’t mind the quakes, but I didn’t get much sleep last night. It was 53 miles WSW of Fairbanks. I love the recent earthquake site. It’s so handy.
Mailed out two sweaters to Sammy today. I hope they fit that big baby. Four & a half months old and he’s already 18 pounds. Wow!
Also got my new Moo mini cards in the mail and am super excited about passing them about. If you want one, contact me with your address and I’ll send one out to ya!
