conducive work environment

the past month has been scarce in the posts because ive been spending my days packing up two dorms that have been open for 10 years. so that's a decade of teenager's stuff. ive been spending time taking apart bunk beds, carrying furniture, cleaning ovens, and quite a bit of time with a power drill dismantling shelving units. everything that wasnt moved to the new dorm has landed by my "space" and has gradually taken over. what would the IO psychologists say about my work environment?

quality vs. quantity

nancy noted that i dont update enough....what can i say, it's been a crazy month.

anecdote to satiate until i have more time to craft a well thought out post: last week, krissy was preparing to have a hunger banquet with the youth group and we were looking through her materials: fact sheets, pamphlets, including a picture of kids in some remote african surrounding being served food: beans, bread with peanut butter, and an apple. it continued to state how such meager food is a welcome respite for these kids that so often have nothing...this is the exchange betweenkrissy, bridget, and myself...
krissy: look at these kids.
bridget: wait- they're eating what we eat everyday.
me: yeah, but they have apples....


such is the life of a rural jv.
we are budgeted $70 per person, per month for food. sally, one of our support people noted that the standard per deim for someone that visits bethel is $50 per day because prices are so high. living s-i-m-p-l-y.

dont quit your day job

last weekend, i attempted to show off my skills that i have gained being a tundra woman for the past few months by canoeing on a half-frozen lake in birchwood, outside of anchorage. we no sooner got in to the canoe than it capsized leaving all three of us, chelsea, bridget, and myself, initiated in the polar bear club. sarah, our ever viligant area director was very concerned about the dangers of hypothermia. bridget and i were forced into warm clothes and our sleeping bags to "warm our core" while chelsea slipped out with nothing but plastic bags between her feet and her soaking wet shoes. matt, the camp manager, provided us with hypothermia medicine. the pills looked and tasted surprisingly like m&m's, but, who are we to disagree with a professional outdoorsman.

warming my core after the chilly freeze...

leave room for the holy spirit

what did you do on saturday night?

while i know of at least 3 weddings that i missed a few saturday nights ago, i was having the most fun of anyone, chaperoning a the youth group halloween dance with my housemates. krissy, youth minister extraordinare, worked with the teenagers to plan a dance to end all halloween dances with decorations from everyone's favorite, oriental trading. our jvc costume box yielded enough ridiculous clothing to create excellent costumes for everyone. krissy, rocked out as a tourist, complete with fanny pack and camera around her neck, kaela made an excellent pirate, and courtney rounded them all up as a cowgirl. the other half of our bethel family went the religious route, i was the devil, with costume provided by nancy s. jones, chelsea was my counterpart, as the wo(man) herself, God, and bridget caused quite a stir as eve. our friend, jesse, dj-ed, and matt regulated in the judge's robe he took from his boss at the courthouse. we may have had more fun than the kids- because,



obviously, teenagers are way too cool to rock out, but we enjoyed ourselves immensely. the most popular items of the night were the glow sticks- so much so that we eventually had to ration them- one per customer.

to everything turn, turn, turn

while talking on the phone this weekend with
molly, she mentioned that she had a discussion with a woman at the post
office about whether or notalaska has a fall right now or if they just
go straight from summer to winter. while technically the calendar puts
us in the autumnal season, we did have fall, past tense. it's been
snowing for a few weeks now and yesterday the average low, according to
the weatherforecast on one of the two radio stations (this being the non-christian rock station) announced the low as 0 degrees.

fall would probably best be described as the day when all of the mosquitoes die because it gets too cold, but before the tundra is frozen enough to accumulate snowfall. it lasted 3-4 weeks in september. i did see some turning leaves at the end of september in anchorage, but we plunged into winter on october 6th- our first snow and our first real snow accumulation, on october 16th.

the picture above was taken yesterday by my housemate, krissy.
freeze up has begun so you can see where people have already begun
walking on the ice. this is "honey bucket" lake next to the catholic
church where she works. "hb" lake is so aptly named as it is a man made lake when people can dump their honey buckets when the get filled. not too many honey buckets exist in bethel
anymore, our neighborhood, city sub, now requires running water, but,
not all of the neighborhoods do. i just love the smell of honey buckets
in the morning!

happy alaska day!

today, we, in the largest state in the union, celebrate alaska day. alaska day, observed every year on october 18th, celebrates the transfer of the alaskan territory from russia to the united states in 1867. now, eventhough the treaty was signed on march 30, 1867 (or seward's day) the commissioners didnt arrive in sitka, ak until october. every year, like in 1867 the russian flag is lowered and american flag raised.my housemate kaela, is on a business trip in sitka this week so she is experiencing the ceremonial flag raising and parade. i am celebrating by teaching english, political science, and life skills. gooooo alaska!

Q & A

street art is alive and well in bethel. all of the dumpsters are painted with messages about the dangers of smoking, domestic violence, nutrition and other issues. some residents, including, dario, have taken to using the side of houses and storage containers to make public statements. i see this one at least 4 times a day coming in and out of school.

i've got spirit, yes i do

this month, october, my advisor group at school is in charge of "spirit days." we have spirit fridays to remind kids that they dont need drugs and alcohol to have fun- there are plenty of other ways to have a good time. our team picked today to be "hat day"- make a hat for extra points or simply wear your favorite one. my housemates have taken great interest in "spirit fridays" laughing as i walked through town in bright blue pants during "clown" day, scoured the rummage sale items to find something for "old timer" day and layered 2 pairs of leggings to wear my pink stripped pants for pajama day, and heard tales of getting whipped cream and chocolate fudge all over myself the messiest of them all- "sundae drop" in which you drop fudge covered marshmallows onto a student's whipped cream covered face- aiming for the mouth. needless to say, my team, which has named themselves "the leaders" (apple doesnt fall far from the tree) were the scoreboard leaders for september- earning themselves ice cream sundaes during lunch. the pressure is on to perform this month...i have no fear that "the leaders" will rise to the challenge. preparation for hat day got me thinking about the many hats i have worn in the past couple of months...
k300 hat i am sporting today during hat day, sorting all of our winter hats...it says "race official" on the side- i dont get more legit (adge-notice the jg wentworth shirt)...


pampering night with a mask we found in the cabinet-the walrus is not technically a hat...


when practicing your pizza dough throwing, a chef's hat is must...

strong like bull

our neighbor, myron, went moose hunting a few weeks ago. after we had him over for dinner we went to see his catch and see where he is cleaning and dressing.

bridget, the vegetarian, showing him a little love

a 700 lb moose will feed a family for the whole winter. there is a moratorium on hunting most moose right now, particularly, bull moose- the big boys, because they "help" populate the species.
they also had puppies...

celebrity status

on tuesday, bethel residents took part in one of our countries oldest traditions: election day. well, about 700 of the 3,000 registered voters took part. since we are long time (almost two month) residents of bethel, and the city clerk lives across the street from our house, we were asked to be election officials for the big day. bridget, who joined us about 3 weeks after we arrivved in bethel was asked to be precinct chairperson- in charge of the city hall precinct. clearly, we were qualified for this task.

with what we know of bethel thus far, hilarity was sure to ensue. and this experience, like all others did not disappoint. my favorite alaska election law is that of the "PK" voter. there are 3 ways someone can check in to vote in their precinct on election day: 1- voter registration card, 2- other form of ID- preferably a driver's license or tribal card- but even a piece of mail with your name on it will do. now, if all of that is too official for you- you can rely on the "PK" or being "personally known" at the polls. basically, if you go to vote- and anyone in the room can vouch for you- that you are who you say you are- voila- gimme a ballot and let 'em rip. i felt proud when i could "PK" several people at my precinct, the senior center. and people actually get pretty hot under the collar if they feel that they should be "pk" and they show up and no one at the polls knows them.

oh, and when working at the polls, be sure to display your american flag- stars to the left- as it was the most specific instruction received during the entire election process.

technicolor tundra

pictures out and about in bethel- mostly taken from the boardwalk i take to and from work. boardwalks are all across the tundra because it's usually too wet, muddy, and spongy to walk on when the ground is not frozen.


sun setting on our street


who knew flat land could be so gorgeous?

our house in the middle of our street

bring it on

going through our cold weather gear- getting ready for the snow in a few weeks!a ski mask, goggles, gloves, and a beaver fur hat may keep me warm...maybe.

onward and upward

picking up some side work doing some construction at the house being built across the street from our humble abode. the one good thing about the only consistent thing about the weather is it's inconsistency allows for some daily kick ass rainbows.

2 legit 2 quit

the trifecta of residency has been completed. in the past few weeks i have received: a library card, health insurance, and an ADL (alaska driver's license). the last being the most trying and eventful- but the written test isn't such a crap shoot when your boss is the driving instructor and has all of the answers to every possible version of the test- however, some of the questions seem obsolete considering- we have one stop sign, no traffic lights, and no highway let alone on ramps and off ramps. the only hope of putting my knowledge to use is when the ice road starts rolling- hopefully i'll spot some ice road truckers. incidentally, the bethel dmv is one woman show- a woman- barely stands 5 feet tall and operates the entire operation in one room- with a blue tooth and a step stool so she can see over the counter. it's the most efficient dmv i've ever witnessed. although it was pretty bittersweet having to surrender my maryland license.

above is a picture of the gang (l-r: courtney, chelsea, kaela, bridget, myself, and krissy) at hangar lake- where bush pilots park their single and double prop planes. it was a great fall night- excellent for taking pictures.

28 days later

so, we're nearing the one month mark of "sj: the year of the jv" and here are some things that one month ago, i never thought i would be doing today, 28 days later:

-driving f150s and suburbans full of teenagers and/or trash around 16 miles of local road
-being trained to be a eucharistic minister
-gutting & filleting fish daily
-having the highlight of most days be when the mail comes (thank you everyone!!)
-meeting the us secretary of education & alaskan senators
-teaching psychology (who uses their degree?)
-picking berries in our backyard
-getting exciting when gutting and discovering it's a female fish- yeeaaaa fish eggs!
-breaking down and spending 5 dollars for a box of triscuits
-climbing over and under the alaskan pipeline to get anywhere
-wearing sneakers
-eating school lunch (including government cheese)
-looking forward to sub-zero temps because then the mosquitos will stop biting
-loving life as a tundra woman

it's been a crazy month with lots of laughs and lots lots lots of "is this really my life?" moments- but it can only get crazier from here. thank you to everyone for the cards, emails, packages, and phone calls. i hope you have been enjoying my responses on at least a 4 hour delay.

not your typical 31 flavors

ingredients:
berries picked from the tundra (the maker must choose their ingredients- berry or fish and stay with that recipe for the rest of their life- if it is found out that they are using different kinds of berries it is considered inappropriate and they will lose respect in the community)
crisco (or whale/caribou/moose fat)
sugar

what do you get? the yup'ik delicacy of akutaq or eskimo ice cream.

for a friday treat we make some blueberry akutaq at school today. our master chef/administrative assistant, lucy, was our on hand expert who learned from her mother, who learned from her mother, etc. etc. with the help of an electric mixer we were able to recreate in a short amount of time what used to take hours of hard labor. there are special techniques for mixing the berries & fat- turning to the left is a bad omen.

if you dont think about the fact that you're eating crisco, it's not half bad.

watch out iditarod

our neighbors, the klejkas, have a dog sled team. i miss cash and murphy so much that myself and some of my roommates have volunteered to take care of the dogs and learn how to be mushers.

just waiting on the first snowfall- the wait will not be that long.

could i get more alaskan?

we've been in bethel for about a week now-the traveling days were long- however, i can tell you about the beauty of the portland, seattle, and anchorage airports after spending quite a bit of time in all three. long layovers=living simply. after arriving to bethel on a delayed flight we arrived at our house to find out- surprise, we were hosting a potluck dinner in about an hour. we met many people from town including many former volunteers who just loved bethel so much they stayed to hang out- with or without jobs. we have been settling in- and we had a true alaskan day on tuesday. we cooked caribou for dinner and then set out for the kuskokwim river to "catch the silvers run" aka fish for salmon. by alaskan state law- residents can use nets to catch fish due to subsistance living- but you have to live in the state for over a year in order to work the boat and pull in the net- and the DA, Tom, was our captain- so that law was obeyed. we caught about 10 salmon- which was pretty good for an hour trip and our first time on the river. little did we know the fun was just beginning- ya gotta clean what you catch- so we all learned how to gut and filet the fish- each taking a turn with the ulu (special knife used to cut fish). and froze most of it for the winter- and after seeing the prices at the grocery store- free food= good food. ps- this picture was taken around 11:30 pm- the sun really does set at midnight.

SJ i'll miss U

mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the hawk

he is flying though the doorway cause he never ever walks

he is flying through the rafters like a loyal loyal hawk

the hawk will never die!

glory glory what a hell of a way to fly

glory glory what a hell of a way to fly

glory glory what a hell of a way to fly

THE HAWK WILL NEVER DIE !

lower 48

as i enter my last two weeks on the east coast, i have been thinking quite a bit about the things that i think will be the hardest to do without, or the things that i will miss the most from the wonderful lower 48 states, now, i do not have a working knowledge of what will be available in the great white north, but, somethings cannot be replicated or replaced...below, in no particular order, are the 48 greatest things about the lower 48 states, in my humble opinion:

1. thursday dinners at the corner bakery w/ the usual suspects
2. sink or swim @ brownies ending with a trip to the muddy duck (rest in peace)
3. bravo reality wednesdays in merion gardens A-301
4. dogs of any kind (cash & murphy, pacey & mac, reggie, cooper & jake, galileo-not technically)
5. my friends: honey & sugar
6. imparting my wisdom on my protege, stephani strasburger
7. team fabulous
8. co-hosting the radio show
9. hang sessions with joseph peter ricculli
10. iced coffee from dunkin donuts
11. thanksgiving at 1304 gibbs court
12. wxpn (minus "kids corner")
13. pranks with jason todd bartlett
14. beverages with 144 carson street
15. daily crossword care of the free new york times
16. dance parties in the faith-justice institute
17. drexel arms apartments, particularly, b4
18. rev. timothy ryan lannon, sj
19. benjamin franklin

20. buying 4 dvds for 20 dollars at blockbuster
21. alpha gamma delta, zeta pi (and susan eberts prater)
22. merion gardens 4th floor b-side
23. mg/lc 'o6-'o7 staff, yeah, we're better than you and we know it
24. the narberth triangle with good friends
25. 2oo7 graduating class of the psychology 5-year

26. screaming "the hawk will never die" with the class of 2oo6

27. the bryn mawr film institute
28. hb & sp adventures
29. anything and everything involving christine coulon
30. st. mary's by the sea, cape may, nj
31. 34th street light display in the b-more at christmas time
32. sweatpants, ovb & sex & the city with aubrey anne medwid
33. pat hughes' yearbooks
34. the last 21 years on gibbs court, with the exception of the invention of "tree tag"
35. ken & nancy jones (duh)
36. views of boathouse row & the philadelphia skyline at night
37. red wine with amanda lynn george

38. helen stewart=best ever. the end.
39. the ladies of "the view": anne, jackie (bff), patty & peggy
40. kop with professional shopper, molly "chinese bird" abbott
41. chocolate chip cannolis from caesar's den
42. infomericals starring casey, greg, and myself, particularly, "perry greglock"
43. summer conferences with jim-bob and the "orl" professional staff
44. los ninos, 2oo7
45. campion 212/3rd floor circa '04-'06
46. free library of philadelphia
47. hitting a bucket of balls at the driving range
48. the beautiful "boat" that i can masterfully parallel park, complete with spoiler c/o ken jones