Pictures of Where I'm NOT

Beach in Northern Borneo

This morning, our home is covered in a dense fog. This fog is a great metaphor for how my brain is feeling. If I could find my camera I would put a picture of pure white above this paragraph. It would accentuate the metaphor. Luckily, just being camera-less and having to live in the past should do. It is warm and so the snow is rotten all around. Everything is muddy. The cars are filthy, caked in mud, and it's not just my car that is filthy, it's the entire state. (Even people with garages). We will hide Easter eggs in the muck. Yuck.

Vince's father Tom is out of the hospital. He has had three stints put in. There was talk in my earshot about how he is not over weight at all and active and how he was surprised that he would have a heart attack. I was not surprised. I've been watching this guy eat for 15 years. I think he gave up green vegetables when he left the holler in West Virginia and moved to Cleveland 55 years ago. (Watch Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" and you'll see what I mean.)

Thank God he only needed stints put in and did not have to have the open heart surgery. He is staying with Vince's brother for a while until he heals up. I had a funny mental image of him recovering from the heart attack on the disco light bed in his living room (some of you may remember this visual feature from a blog post I wrote last summer). But he seems to be well cared for with Tommy so that is good.

Our nuclear family is good. I've finished work at Razdolna for this month and that is good. I had a great time doing my Razdolna co-worker friends nails this weekend. I don't know where this nail business is heading but it is amusing. In my less amusing, but soul satisfying job, I am working to promote an Epilepsy training that is taking place here in Homer next month.

Falcom and Marina are having their talent show Friday night. School is out in six weeks. I'm ready.

DeeJay is trying to activate some sort of plan come late May. Yes, he is graduating. Well, he will if he can pass Alaska Studies and PE. Both of which he got D's in this past report card. How can a person get a D in PE you wonder? You don't dress down.

Six weeks. Six weeks. It's like a mantra I keep telling myself. Six weeks.

Willie has been practicing driving. He does pretty well. Unfortunately for Willie he can not see over the steering wheel without a pillow under his bum. Yes, it is quite an image.

I had better check out and get on with nail tech-ing. I'd better find my camera. I MUST show you some of the nails I've created!

UG! Fog... I will say though, that having purged myself the tiniest bit I do feel lighter!

Spring Road to Razdolna

There has been a lot going on (including Vince's dad having a heart attack) and I have a serious need to emote. For now this sunrise photo of my commute will have to do.
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Pizza night with Maygen and Iris

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Nail School

As loyal readers are aware, I've been toying with the idea of becoming a nail tech for a while. I finally took the plunge (with a big push from Jerami) and here I am.

Three hundred fifty dollars for what? Twelve hours. Five chapters. The twelve hours have to be broken out over two days. The tests are given after lunch each day.

I finished the reading in about 30 minutes. I asked the bald, tattooed school master if I could take the test in the morning and he said, "do you not listen? I've told you three times no test til after lunch!"

"I was just thinking I would take it since I've completed the reading."

"This class is designed for the English (language) challenged individual. Didn't I tell you to bring a book."

And so I sat.

After lunch I brought in my new kit. I got good feeling from my classmates about the system I bought. It was less expensive and way easier than their systems.

We waited to take the test. Our proctor was late returning from his AA meeting.

When we finally started taking the test I realized that all the answers were circled in the book and written in Thai in pen in the margin.

After the test, I did a set of gels on my classmate and I will say the today, they look great and she loves them!

Now, today we are back to sitting at the table. Watching the clock tick. I'd better get some coffee.
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Nail time!

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Yes, it tastes as good as it looks.

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Three Days in Anchorage

I'm alone in Anchorage! I am doing everything I want to do without compromise or a Chuckie Cheese! Today I spent lots of money at Arctic Beauty. Tonight I go to the hotel, give myself a pedicure while reading vampire romance novels! (Thank you Suzanne! You were right and they even have a pamphlet especially designed to help the fan of vampire romance find authors!)

More to follow!
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DeeJay is 19

Nineteen years old. How did that happen? I was hugging him yesterday telling him that I remember when he was 8 and that if he would have asked me then if I thought he'd ever turn 19 I would have said, "NO!"

What a huge year this is for him. Graduating high school. Applying for secondary education. Applying for scholarships. Hard to believe how far he has come!

Maygen and Iris came over early in the day and began cooking DeeJay's food of choice: Chicken Pesole with cabbage salad, shrimp, soda, sparkling cider and chips.

Family friends came over to celebrate with him. All of his buddies were at work, including his brother Willie.
We all hung out and enjoyed the volcano cake that Marina made for him ALL BY HERSELF! Yea, she had a little help brainstorming the correct pans to use and turning on the stove, but other than that she has mastered the box cake! She had the genius idea of encrusting it with Magic Shell. She is an artist!

We laughed and talked and then when Brandon got off work from Safeway he picked up Willie and the two of them came home. They ate some cake and then all three drove to town. Why? To go to Safeway and pick up chips and sodas.

Vince and Glen were sitting by the fire when the boys left. Vince said, "What is wrong with them? Didn't Brandon just leave Safeway? Couldn't they have planned better? What a bunch of dorks!" And then Glen, "There is nothing in town for them but trouble!"

I couldn't believe those two men! How quickly a parent can forget that at this same time in their own lives they were driving around for no apparent reason, looking for friends, looking to hang out...with girls. I don't remember the specifics of my 19th birthday. I don't think I was sweet and hanging out with my grandmother as she gave me a jar of foot powder for my birthday.

We love you DeeJay and are excited to see what the next ten years bring!



Willie using physical artistry to express how his life working at McDonald's feels.

Some Girls Dance Ballet

Our girl practices karate!
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And the "Most Artistic Blizzard Photo" Award Goes to...

Valda!"Window"
"Drifting in the Wood Shed"

Severe Winter Weather

If anyone besides Anna read my post about my trip to Anchorage with Vince, you will recall that it was a beautiful weekend. It was exactly as if spring had begun. Roads dry. Everything melted. I think I may have mentioned that it was getting me hyped up to think winter was over and we could all relax. HA

Woke up Friday to our door being blown open by the wind and a snow drift in our dining room. Three feet of new snow on the front porch.

Winter is back like a lion! School was closed Friday. I was working in Razdolna yesterday and got stuck in the road on the way to school. (It was blown over the hay field and no one could see the road and good thing some big men in a big truck were driving past. Why is this road not plowed? Because there are no school busses going there and so it is not a priority.)

Last night after working at Raz, Willie and I were outside plowing. Is there a person in my near vicinity who is unaware of my aversion to plowing?

Plowing involves being out in the driving snow. Plowing provides an opportunity to get the heavy truck stuck in the snow which you then have to dig out. Plowing requires pushing snow into the snow berms with a force much like an auto accident.

I admit though, that I had fun with Willie. He is a great helper and we were mostly successful in our endeavor.

When we began to plow Valda's we ran into professional plow truck driver, our nice neighbor Greg. With his blue tooth behind his ear, he ran through all the reasons Valda's driveway is especially hard to plow. He mentioned all the reasons this plow truck needs to say a long goodnight (It's a 1979 with black smoke rolling from it's exhaust rig.) He mentioned that he would gladly come by and pick up this work for me if I wanted him too. He is very sweet. I looked back at his rig: A new-ish diesel engine, a superior plow that can practically reach out and grab the snow, a smile on Greg's face.

I said, "You know Greg, my man loves to plow. If and when he changes his mind I'll call."

Greg said, "I don't blame him! Plowing is fun."

Willie said, "I love plowing!"

I smiled and said, "Arrg..."

Grrl Party at Brit's

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The Ride to School

Super epic ride to school today. The road to the switchback it was so icy people we stationed to warn us against driving. Cars were in the ditch along the sides. Even on her chained up four wheeler we were sliding all over the road.
Joanna decided at the top of the switchback that we would walk to school, and I was all right with that, until Mr. White came and offered us a ride in the back of his pick-up. Never one to shy away from an authentic experience, I jumped right in with my co-teachers and took one scary ride to the Russian Village.

The road was so steep I was rolled across the into Joanna's personal space.

It was right after this first picture I had to consider if I had made a prudent choice...

After school I was caught strolling around the village in my Louis Vuitton grocery bag. Here are pictures of some of my darling students standing in the mud in their dresses. I can't help but wonder if I broke a spiritual law in this time of lent by photographing them... Oh well!

Hena and the crew from the elementary school picked me up and let me ride on the front of the wheeler. This is actually really fun.

To make matters even more exciting the tide on the beach was high and so we were forced to take a 'frontage' road that included a very nice ditch to jump.

The ride up was just as scary as the ride down. It was not icy, just muddy, but still steep and freaky.

And there we were riding in the back of a pickup. I think the smiles on our faces in these pictures are of the feeling..."I can not believe I choose to have a job where we have to do things like this! I'm not even wasted!"

Doesn't my bag fit in so well with my environment? You have to love it! And look at Joanna! Isn't she the ultimate village teacher? Suzanne owes me big time...hee hee hee