alaska day!

Happy Alaska Day! It's the 145th anniversary of the day that the US took possession of Alaska from Russia. A lot of people have the day off, because it's a state holiday, but I do not.

Last night it was supposed to snow, but it didn't. Today, tonight, and tomorrow we're supposedly going to have snow showers, but I'm pretty much set: I have my boots (2 pairs even), my winter-weight jacket, and I'm almost done crocheting a hat and mittens.

I know there are other parts of the US that already have snow, and of course the rest of Alaska has had it for about a month now, but the panhandle, where Juneau is located, is very temperate compared to the rest of the state. Having grown up in Western MA, I'm pretty confident I can handle winter here. My husband, who grew up in Maine, will find it a piece of cake.

A year ago, I was visiting my parents in MA right around this time, and we had an unexpected snowstorm. I hadn't brought boots or a heavy coat on the trip, because the snow wasn't expected. It was pretty funny trying to step around the drifts. Fortunately it all melted while I was still there. I probably should have at least brought my rubber mocs from L. L. Bean (I'm wearing them right now). They're as comfy as shoes and they would have made a huge difference. I'll probably be wearing these all winter, when I'm not wearing my knee-height Bog boots that is.

I'll take some pretty pictures of the snow when it comes!

the winter of my content

Winter is here in Alaska. No, I'm not kidding. It's snowing up on the mainland, and last night, we had our first major frost here in Juneau. It's supposed to be warmer the rest of the week, but basically, anytime after this it could snow.

I'm not sure I'm quite ready, but I don't think I mind too much. I need for Chris to send my Bean boots though. I have a pair of knee-high Mucks, but I figure the Bean boots are probably sufficient unless I'm actually wading through snowbanks. The Bean boots are essentially shoes, really, but for snow. I actually bought them in Maine on one of our trips there, and they've had only light use since then because until now I haven't lived anywhere where it snows a lot.

Yesterday, on the way to work, my engine overheated. I am hoping I managed to stop before the head gasket got damaged, but of course you can't know without taking the engine apart. It's not so bad at this point, anyway, that I have water in my oil or whatever (I did check). I didn't have coolant with me, so I had it towed to a mechanic, who put some in and said it started up without overheating again. I drove it home (after work) and my roomie and I checked the coolant level which had not really changed noticeably (although he did put some more in anyway). Tonight we're going to check it again and then after that I'll check it on weekends. My big issue with checking it, actually, is that the hood is hard to open -- it actually takes one person pulling the release inside the car and another person doing the actual opening. But I have two roomies so as long as one of them is around to help it should be cool.

My feeling is that I want to go ahead and get it fixed (although if I'm going to pay someone to open it up I hope the gasket's actually cracked, because the cost of fixing it is mostly labor and I'll have to pay it even if there's nothing to fix), even though fixing it will cost way more than I paid for her in the first place. This might seem like a silly thing to do, but my only two alternatives are either buying another inexpensive car - which might develop the same issue or, who knows, might even already HAVE a cracked head gasket - or putting a down payment on a new or certified pre-owned car and having to make payments for years (but of course having the security of a warranty).

I would like to think that I will never have a period of unemployment or financial crisis again. As jobs go, from everything I have been told, this one is very stable. But I am pretty gun-shy on the subject, and right now I'm stressed out by the fact that the contract I'm on hasn't been renewed yet. It very likely will be, and from what I've been given to understand, I'd very likely remain in my job even if my company lost the contract to another company simply because I'm here and I'm competent, but right now is really not a great time for me to be contemplating car payments. That said, if Chris and Dante were already here, I might very well go for it, and if the car lasts that long, a new or certified pre-owned car may be the way I go.

Anyway! Juneau is still breathtakingly beautiful. Pretty much every day as I'm driving in I'm just marveling at how gorgeous it is. Yeah, I'm a sucker for natural beauty. I'm so glad I'm here.

it's just water...from the sky

I've been traveling! I've taken two trips, one (aborted unfortunately due to some unforeseen circumstances) to the Alaska mainland, and then one to Washington DC for training. DC is only about 3 hours from where Chris and Dante are still living, so I got to see them on Chris's day off (Wednesday) and then spent the weekend with them. I returned on Monday (my 49th birthday) and am getting back in the swing of things.

I found I kind of missed DC and was really happy to spend some time there. I went to college there, and lived in the area for about 15 years, so I have a lot of memories of the place. I felt a little wistful with having moved so far away at first.

It was funny though. On Tuesday a big storm blew through the area and everybody was going on about all the rain. I found I didn't mind it a bit, although I did get pretty wet Tuesday night walking back to my hotel from the class. By the time my plane landed in Juneau the following Monday night, I was really glad to be back in the soft, cool wetness, and I've been happy as a clam since, even though yesterday I had a sore throat (probably from being so tired), and I'm still pretty out of it today (though the sore throat is gone). I'll probably be fine by tomorrow.

 I do miss Chris and Dante terribly. We've been paying bills and stuff and so we haven't really been able to put any money away for them to make the move out here, which means they'll probably have to wait till our tax refund hits. That's not too far off from the original plan, but I wish some sort of miracle would occur that would allow them to move out here sooner. We'll manage; we have to. But it kind of sucks.

Here, have a gratuitous picture of some Alaskan mountains on the way to Anchorage!

news flash: it's gorgeous

Wow, it's been a while. I didn't have anything really new to talk about. I've been making some new friends, and I've joined Weight Watchers, but nothing really blog-worthy.

When I got here, it was "high summer", but the temps were mostly in the mid-fifties during the day, which I take it is cool even for Juneau. During the latter part of July and much of August, the temps reached the mid 60's to low 70's, but it didn't get any warmer than that (which suits me fine). As of now, it's back to mid-50's to very low 60's during the day, with mid to low 40's at night, which again suits me.

Right at the moment, our days are about as long as they are on the mainland, give or take a few minutes. I'm not sure when I'm really going to notice that we have a lot lesslight, but I'm sure I will definitely notice it. I'm not sure how much it will matter, and I do have a SAD lamp, so I should be okay.

I confess I haven't been going out a lot or doing "Alaska" things because I'm saving a lot of that stuff for when Chris and Dante move up here (although even so, they'll have to wait for summer to come again to do some of them). I've been trying to take some decent pictures, but I need to edit them. My laptop hard drive died, and I'm waiting for the replacement to come in, and then perhaps I'll post some pictures. Even a crappy day here often yields some gorgeous scenery.

I did drive "out the road" (i.e. to the end of Glacier Highway) the other day with a friend and saw some GORGEOUS views. I didn't take any pictures, though, so I will have to do it again. The road is in bad repair up towards the end (they are widening it) and so it might take me a while. But if I ever question what I'm doing here, that's a drive I can take to remind myself.

new (to me) car!

I've bought a car! One thing that is pretty much de rigueur here in Alaska is four wheel drive, so that was one thing I looked for in a car. I didn't even look at cars that didn't have it, because we will already have such a car when Chris arrives, as he's bringing ours.

I went through Craigslist, because I didn't have a ton of money to spend. I found a guy who flips cars, and bought from him, because even if what he had to sell wasn't pretty I was fairly sure that he had a reputation to protect. He had more than one car for sale, but the one I purchased was a 1990 Subaru Legacy wagon.

I actually found (and test drove) the car last week, and asked him to save it for me till I got paid (today). I guess he'd had trouble selling the car, because he agreed and even reduced the price on it. So today I met with him, gave him money, he signed the title over, and I've got a new car!

She's dark blue (except where's she's been reconstructed, which is that black anti-rust paint stuff), with a dark blue velour interior. The tag on the key fob the guy gave me says "Ugly Subaru", but she's not ugly to me. We've already bonded, and I've named her Morgen. I'm going to take great care of her.

Along with registering the car, I got my Alaska driver's license, so I'm now completely legal. After work today, I'm going to go buy a bed, and then I'll be set on the big stuff.

It's been sunny here all week, but today it started to rain. I don't mind; the sun was actually making me a little nervous. I think my co-workers are all a little annoyed at me though because I mentioned in a meeting that I was wishing it would rain. Oops.

speed bump

Well, I've hit my first really annoying bump. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later, because of course, I'd seen the notices on mail-order sites saying that they ship (certain items) only to the contiguous US.

I need to buy a bed. My roomie, when I first moved in, lent me an airbed (which leaks) but told me that when his houseguest (mom) left, I could use the spare bed. It later developed, however, that what he meant was that I could use the spare bed if he didn't have houseguests. He doesn't often have them, I guess, but he wants that bed available for when they're there.  And he does have some guy coming next month who will need the bed for a few weeks (I guess).

Well, that's fine, I'd been intending to buy a bed. I have back problems, so I decided on a new bed rather than taking my chances on Craigslist. So, because we have Prime, I decided to order off Amazon. I picked out a bed and a platform frame and I was all set.

Except I wasn't. I can't get those items shipped to me here. We put a man on the moon, but we can't ship a bed to friggin' Alaska. So I hopped in my roomie's car and drove to Sears, where I talked to a young man named Seth who found me a bed that I will be ordering on Friday. I forgot to ask if they'll deliver it or we have to pick it up, but either way I'm good because my roomie has a truck and has already agreed to haul it. So, bump navigated and it's all good.

In other news, I've also arranged to buy a car, a '90 Subaru Legacy. It's not in pristine condition, but it goes and I like it. My roomie's been letting me drive his Very Large SUV, but it's huge and makes me nervous to drive it. The Subie suits me, and it's a pretty dark blue.

Both of these things are happening Friday, because that's when I get paid. I hate having to wait (and I have to wait longer for the bed because it needs to be shipped to the store), but at least I have it all worked out. When I got here I had no bed, no car, and nowhere to live, and now I've got all three. Not too shabby!

a week in

I've been in Juneau a week now. I'd hoped, originally, to have explored a lot more by now, but unfortunately I came down with a cold toward the end of last week, so I've been spending all my free time resting. Viruses tend to hit me hard.

It's a pity, because the weather's been fabulous, fairly sunny and in the 60's. Fortunately, the house I'm staying in has a ton of windows and skylights, and so I haven't felt too shut in.

One of my colleagues from work met me at the airport when I flew in, and he told me that he had a room he was looking to rent out and I could move in pretty much right away. So after two days in the hotel, that's what I did. He's renting this house but looking to buy elsewhere in the area, which means the timing could work out such that when Chris and Dante arrive he'll be partially moved out and we could take over his lease. The house would be perfect for us while we're getting on our feet, so I'm hoping that it'll happen that way.

Anyway, this weekend I'm hoping to perhaps do a bit more exploring, although I'm not going to push myself too much if I'm tired. Definitely the weekend after that I'm going to be outside, rain or shine, as I'll have just gotten paid and I'll want to break in my first pair of XtraTufs boots.

Work has been great as well. I'm working as a contrator with the Coast Guard, doing infosec, and everyone's been very nice to me. My roomie has lent me a vehicle as well, until I can buy one, and so I'm pretty free to do whatever I want to do. So far I haven't used that freedom much, due to wanting to rest as much as possible, but I'm hoping to stretch my legs soon.

The house is actually in North Douglas Island, across the channel from Juneau. It's almost directly across from where I work, but there's only one bridge, so the commute takes me about 20 minutes. Still, that's not bad, and it's a gorgeous drive. I don't think I'll ever get tired of the scenery.

Here's a pic of our "backyard"...the Mendenhall Wetlands Preserve.

Nothing's quite as pretty...

My first morning in Juneau, and all I can really think about is how lovely it is. But first things first!

I'm staying at the Alaskan Hotel for my first few days, courtesy of my awesome Mom, but after that I'm most likely going to rooming with one of my colleagues. The Alaskan is charming, and currently I'm wishing only for some actual pots or even bowls in kitchenette-equipped room. I forgot to bring my camp spoon, so I'm hoping there's spoons at work so that I can make myself some oatmeal.

I didn't sleep too badly my first night (rare when I'm traveling), although the relative lack of darkness was a bit odd. Still, I'm looking forward to my first day here.

packing!

Today I took down my two rollerboard suitcases and started packing. Somehow, packing makes the trip seem real to me in a way that it hasn't, quite, up till now (although signing the offer letter definitely helped).

I think I bought these suitcases, which are definitely on the cheap side, when we still lived in Los Angeles. They're still in good condition because I've actually rarely used them, preferring to travel with duffels when possible. But I expect to do a lot of hoofing my first days in Juneau, and until/unless I find a housing situation for the first three weeks where I feel secure leaving my bags, I'd prefer that they be as easy to move around as possible. Even then, I wish I could restrict things to just one bag. If I can get it all in the checked bag, I may leave the smaller rollerboard home (I'm also taking a shoulder/briefcase bag). I'll probably need both rollerboards though, since until I find an apartment, the contents of my luggage is going to be everything I have.

I'm having a little issue with money; I thought that I would be able to sell my handgun (purchased in California, rarely used) and a couple of my guitars. Apparently, I already sold the guitar that's really the more valuable of the two (a vintage Rickenbacker). I don't remember selling it, but the particular time period in which I would have done so is kind of a blur for me for various reasons. So what I have left to sell are a couple of run of the mill violins (one a student violin) and an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe. As for my gun, I've mispI placed the key for the breech lock somewhere. I'm sure it's in a safe place, probably wherever I put its original case, but I don't know where that is right now. This means that I'm going to have to cut the lock in order to be able to sell the damn thing, which I really want to do, because it wasn't the right size for my hands anyway.

So if I can't offload those items, I'm a little at a loss as to what I'm going to do for cash. That said, I'm sure I will neither be out on the street nor starve, so while I'm nervous I'm not really freaking out or anything. I was just hoping to be in a much better position, cash-wise.

Back to packing, I guess. I'm generally a really good packer, in terms of just being able to throw stuff in a bag and go, but this is a little different. I've never really done anything like this before.

like a whisper from an angel

As an adult, I've never really had a stable life, I guess. Back when I was in my 20's, it was because my first husband and I didn't have a lot of money (but we did have kids), and so it was a bit of a struggle. In my 30's, my second husband and I moved to Los Angeles, because I really had a yen to live on the West Coast and that was the offer we had; we ended up loving it. During that time, the Dot Com boom and bust made life a little crazy.

And then in my 40's, I married my third husband, and that's when things really started to get interesting. Infosec really took off for me and I've been the breadwinner in my family, but at the same time, I've spent about 1/3 of the last decade unemployed (three separate times) because of the vagaries of the economy, where I was living at the time, and my own unique (for my chosen field) background. We've also moved twice in the last decade -- once from Los Angeles to Charlotte, NC and thence to Yorktown, VA -- and that, of course, has been a destablizing influence.

But now I think I can truly say that things have gotten wild. I'm close to the end of my 40's, have just come out of that third period of unemployment, and have accepted an offer in Juneau, Alaska. I've always loved the West Coast, and I was hoping to end up in the Pacific Northwest, but seriously...Juneau?

I barely hesitated at all when I got the offer, actually. It hadn't been all that long ago that Chris and I had thought about a move and rejected the idea. But neither of us were really getting any local employment nibbles. Yorktown is a great area but pretty much all the Infosec jobs were going to military contractors, and I was being beat out of those by ex-military. I knew that pretty much anywhere else, I would be employed, so I had broadened my search, including considering a move back to Charlotte, which had recovered from the initial crash that had hit that banking town so hard.

And then, like a whisper from an angel, I got the call from a firm that had interviewed me and almost-but-not-quite hired me. "I've got a job...but it's in Juneau. Would you consider that?" Boy would I! Especially after looking up the climate and discovering that it's cool in summer and no colder in winter than where I grew up! I do kind of wonder how I'll handle all the rain (Juneau is located in a temperate rain forest) but I don't dislike rain per se, and I was already considering moving back to a more rainy area, so I think it'll be okay.

Contemplating the trip is a little scary; currently I have nowhere to stay. I won't get paid till the end of my third week there, and I can't afford to stay in a hotel. However, I am not letting that stop me - I know something will work out. So, in about a week, I'm on my way!

My husband, Chris, and our son Dante are actually going to follow me in about six months, and Chris will be writing his own travelogue. I'll be using this blog to talk about getting myself there, my experiences when I arrive, and what it's like to settle into Juneau. I'm very excited!