Asher's Search for His Lady-Eskimo

Man Down! Man Down!

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:38:00 +0000

Well...it's afternoon in Alaska...and jet lag has hit me like Ward hits his calculator...hard.

WARD ALERT: Ward, a man that defines consistency, has survived me being gone from Anchorage for so long. In fact, I came back to find that his clothes were all over and the fridge was full of food and drinks...the man must have thrown a party and brought girls home. I have no doubt this was the case.

Anyway...so I made it back to Anchorage just in time to have Ward cook some Halibut that he recently caught. It was soooo good.

WARD ALERT 2.0: Ward has stuffed our freezer full of nearly 15,000 pounds of fish. I think he skipped work for 2 weeks and just went fishing.

Yesterday, after I got home and just before Ward made me dinner (yes, I said, "made me"), I went for a run on a trail near our apartment because I had been sitting down for nearly two days. Don't be fooled though...even though I once considered myself as "Oklahoma's greatest athlete in the world", my run soon became a jog...only to transition into a walk...and then a pant for oxygen as I sat on a bench for nearly 10 minutes.

But as I was running through a very wooded and dense park, I heard what sounded like paintball guns. Great...I'm gonna get shot. So I was running through while looking for the kid-soldiers. I soon ran into one and yelled at him, "hey, kid! Am I gonna get shot if I run through this area?" "No!" he yelled back, "they're just air-soft guns...you won't die."

Well...that didn't eliminate the possibility of getting shot. And I was wearing gray shorts and black fleece...just as this kid was wearing...so I looked like a target.

Eventually I became one...

So I rushed through the trees like Emmitt Smith rushed through the Bills in 1992...but I soon got destroyed much like when Thruman Thomas met, in both Super Bowls, Leon Lett...bullets began flying everywhere...I started yelling, "hey, I'm not playing!!!!!!!!!! STOP!" It didn't matter. I started getting pelted with little pellet-like bullets.

In total, I think I was shot about 7 times in the arm and back. But it felt like the Spanish Armada while meeting the British...real bad.

I don't want to confuse you - I survived the attack of the revolting Lost Boys last night. But it wasn't pretty. I don't know who they were or what in the world they were doing...cause I just ran. I wish that would have counted towards my 40 time in high school...but I think I ran 50 yards in about 3 seconds.

Isn't it great how Alaska welcomes people back?...by shooting at them.

Peace Out, Queen Lady!

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:34:00 +0000

In t-minus 12 hours, I'll be departing the humble island to travel back to the Midwest and back to reality in Alaska...the largest state known to man.

My time in England has been amazing. The class that I took was a struggle academically, but a lot of fun socially. I'll never forget the discussions that carry throughout the day and continue into the night. I'll never forget seeing buildings and books that are older than anything in America. And I'll never forget how much I cherish the Value Menu at McDonalds. Everything in England is about 73x more expensive than it would be in the U-better than everyone-S.

Example: Oh, would you like a burger? That'll be roughly $14. Cheese? $2. Tomato? $1.

England only has a couple of things on the United States:
1) Smaller streets (makes it easier to cross).
2) Skinnier people (gas is about $7-$8 over here...a gallon...so they have to walk.
3) Older everything.

Other than that...that's about all they have. And if that doesn't make you sleep better at night, then nothing else will. You live in America...we need to start telling the world, "you're welcome" for things like:

1) Microsoft
2) IBM
3) Apple
4) Airplane travel
5) Sea-Doos
6) The Ford Automotive assembly line
7) Levi Jeans
8) Landing on the moon
9) Beating the Soviets
10) Facebook
11) Disney
12) Nikelodeon
13) Garth Brooks
14) Boone Pickens
15) Horizontal Drilling
16) James Madison
17) Privatized Health Care
18) Capitalism
19) Amazon.com
20) Dallas Cowboys
21) Jimmy Johnson
22) Nolan Ryan
23) Yellowstone
24) KFC
25) Tupperware

And that's just a short list. My actual list is well over 250 things of which America should be proud.

So while my time in England has been fun, inspiring, and relaxing...I can't wait to get back to my beloved 'colonies' in the Americas.

Mom: please empty the washer/dryer...my socks really smell...

...and there she was...

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:50:00 +0000

Arriving in London around noon on Friday morning left little doubt that it would be a phenomenal weekend. The sun was shining, the emotions of everyone were electric, and...well...we were in London!

American Disclaimer: Don't worry, I never dropped my 'America is still better' attitude while in London. At any chance I could, I would always remind the Brits that "well, you're welcome for the WWII victory" or "yeah, that was us landing on the moon" and even a little "we didn't like your tea anyways".

Our time late Friday evening gave us skyline glimpses atop the London Eye. The view was spectacular. London, from the air, isn't as impressive as NYC, but it's not bad at all. All of this was precluded with our group visiting the Amnesty International Action Center. It was a state of the art building that centralizes A.I.'s marketing/campaigning. All of their resources are devoted towards mobilizing groups within the realms of advocacy, political lobbying, or grass roots activism. A.I. is a highly contraversial group, in my opinion, but the place was fascinating to view, inquire, and tour.

We stayed the night in a really good hostel (to my surprise...I've seen the movie). I didn't think hostels had showers...and that was a wonderful surprise. When we woke up, we had to rush to the Churchill War Cabinet Museum. Inside the museum, under a massive building just across from Parliment, was Churchill's secret bunker where most of the war, from the Brit's position, was conducted. Everything from his secretaries, War Cabinet, chief staffers, military advisers, etc all had little offices and action centers so that they could secretly and safely control the Brit's actions and reactions towards the world above. Most everything was left as it was when the room was abandoned after the war was completed. Basically, Churchill was incredible...

After that, Bubba and I wandered around most of London. And when I say "most"...I mean "most"...as in nearly all of it. We walked so much...and I complained plenty.

Nevertheless...there we were walking around in Harrad's (world's largest department store) looking at things we would never be able to afford.

Side note: I tried on a watch that cost nearly $10,000. I told them I needed something that was suitable for taking around many of my friends while I was flying my own private jet. Pretty much things like, "well, I hate heavy things on my hands...but I don't want to look like a slob in Manhattan...you understand of course." They bought it...but I didn't buy the watch. I told them, "I don't like the way the leather touches my wrist"...and I walked away like I was angry at them.

Anyway...we were looking for the other girls so we could meet up and head out of London to Cambridge...and there she was.

Coming out of an Armani section, she glided across the floor effortlessly and as if time was in her complete control. I simply stopped. And my jaw was on the ground. I literally ran into a rack of high fashion clothes when I first turned to look at her. She of course didn't notice. She looked as though she was a goddess from the Persian Empire. And she probably is for all that I know.

As she glanced over in my direction I was sweating.

And so there we were...her and I. And she looked at me too. Maybe she was looking past me at that point as I was standing near some purses...but I didn't care...because she was...well, pretty.

Standing nearly 50 feet from her...I tried to quickly think of everything that I had learned about talking to girls...and nothing was making sense in my head. And then I started day dreaming about what I would say if she looked at me and spoke to me. What if she asked for my name. Or asked for my number...or something like that.

But then...all that was good broke loose.

As I was day dreaming...she vanished. As quickly as she came, she left. When I wasn't looking for her, she appeared. And when she was there, I thought about what she could be, and then wasn't there anymore.

Is this the story of my life? Possibly. Doubtful. But nevertheless, she's out there...and now I have to go find her.

London

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:17:00 +0000

Good Sunday morning, all! It's still raining over here in England (apparently quite normal). I just got back into Cambridge from spending two days touring London.

Not to sound like an Olympian...but I probably walked 2,000 miles within the city. We saw everything from Amnesty International, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, to Harrad's.

The coolest part...my camera ran out of battery right before our private tour of Buckingham Palace...given by Her Royal Majesty, Queen Victoria...sorry. I know...isn't that awesome? But don't worry, I snapped a couple of sweet shots for your kid's scrapbooks.

Click HERE for pictures!

I'll write more tomorrow as it's quite late. Gotta get up early for church!!!

TEASER: I found her. As in...her...my lady. The lady. My love...

Still Pic'in

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:07:00 +0000

For some new pics from the Cambridge area: click HERE.

Also, I go to London this morning until late Saturday night...expect a London post real soon!

Cheer, Laddy.

Some Scholarly Pics...Ya'll

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:25:00 +0000

Click HERE for some warm up pics...

Feeling Smarter Already...

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:42:00 +0000

It's terribly rainy over here...but unlike the Midwest...the Cambridge drains actually drain all the water.

Gosh, what an academic setting I'm in over here. Our course work is both lecture based and discussion oriented. Today, we began our first session with an overview and insight into ethics and with worldview/leadership principles. All of it was very interesting to listen to and hear. Our professor lead the discussions and taught many things, but hearing insight and questions from others is what made the day. Each of us comes from something different and everyone is pretty darn smart.

We are in class from 9-12 and 2-4...which isn't bad at all. This afternoon, we did an exercise where we wrote down what our basic "virtues" were...in essence, we wrote down where we saw ourselves in a long time from now. Then after that, we found a partner and described that hopeful future and also elaborated on what kinds of people have influenced us the most and what kind of people have been our influence into what we wanted to become. It was all real cool to not only write it down, but hear other people talk about their pursuits and background. I talked with a kid named Austin from Yukon. But instead of sitting in the classroom (which is a very large room with a very, very large boardroom style table), we went and walked around Cambridge while talking. He had a cool story and is a cool guy.

Now don't kid yourself...I'm still looking for lady Eskimos over here. It's summer, but people are still bundled up because of the climate...so it's hard to find one with that special Eskimo physique. The ladies have their faults across the pond...mostly it's the bad teeth, bad fashion, and bad manners. So with that, if I happen to come home with a lady from England...beware...she'll be, well, awfully salty.

I kinda get the impression that the permanent students over here are constantly studying only for the sake of knowledge. There doesn't seem to be a sense of desired application. But maybe I don't have an appreciation for the classical education. If I want to learn something...it's because I want to do something with that knowledge...not just have it for the sake of being knowledgeable. Why study music for 3-4 years if you aren't going to play or do something directly related to music? Well, in Cambridge, you wouldn't be too far out of step...but possibly be celebrated.

Hopefully I'll take some pics tonight. Kids are complaining about how early the sun rises (5am)...poor them. And it's "so annoying" that it stays out real late...huh...

Cheers (such an English thing to say).

Studying In Cambridge

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:46:00 +0000

Good Monday morning…or as they say in England, “good-day, Gents!”

My summer adventures and constant hunt for a lady Eskimo has brought me all the way across the great Atlantic Ocean to the world famous Cambridge University…more specifically, Magdalene College. The plane ride from OKC was exhausting (could only sleep for 1 hour) and the London “tube” (subway) was long, boring, and smelly. But I finally arrived!

I have a one bedroom apartment that is covered with desks and book shelves…which I haven’t filled up yet. Our coursework provides us with a private classroom (13 students) and a private study/lounge. Everything is within walking distance…and everything is EXPENSIVE. Yikes…the pound is killing our dollar!

The group that I’m studying with are all OSU students and have varied academic interests…and personalities for that matter. The stuff we’re studying is “Leadership Ethics” – based off of Thatcher, Churchill, Queen Victoria, William Wilberforce, and the Irish (I think). The reading material has already been fascinating so I can’t wait for the lectures and discussions to begin this morning!

I didn’t bring my camera around when I got here…but pictures should be coming soon enough. The architecture is beautiful and old, the people are nicer than I thought, and it’s constantly muggy…but not hot.

More to come…soon enough!

Top Ten: What I'm Enjoying about the Airport...

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:53:00 +0000

Security Checkpoints – You can plan all you want when trying to time your arrival at an airport. You can pick the best time to go through traffic, park in a good location, and give yourself plenty of time to actually get in the airport terminal. But all of that means absolutely nothing when you immediately show your ID to the ugly lady or balding man at the United check out counter. Simply, they can either let you by with ease or completely change your life. Then, you walk to the security check when you have to undress yourself in a hurry, pull out your laptop as if the X-Ray can’t see through a backpack, and continue to walk through the metal detector all for the sake of a nickel being in your pocket. The guy who is holding the wand that is supposed to find bombs in your arm pits and knee caps will all of the sudden decide that you are a threat to national security because he’s already tagged two “darker” people, and you balance out the ALCU’s quota. Arrive early? Pack light? Who cares, you’re still gonna be delayed because you left your belt on.
Bags Equal Money – I just got charged $25 dollars to place another bag under the plane. Apparently the airlines are behind in knowing how to run a money-making business, so they charge extra for bags. They could just jack up the price…but they’d rather depress you by saying, “thanks for choosing United…oh, is that an extra bag?...that’ll be $25 dollars because our unions strike every three years.”
Candy Competes with the Euro – Why in the world are peanuts and candy bars $3.25? I mean, what, are we in Boone Pickens Stadium? I don’t understand how 18 Cheezits can actually amount to $2.50! I couldn’t eat a good dinner because I knew about traffic and then I was met by Randy with the metal wand…all I want is a snack…and I can’t afford one.
People Really Care About You – I’m a pretty hydrated person…which means I have to use the restroom a lot. Well, I’d rather not carry two carry-on bags in the smelly and moist bathroom…so I ask the cowboy looking man next to me if he’d watch my stuff. He simply declined. HOW CAN YOU DECLINE!? He wasn’t going anywhere…he just didn’t want to say, “Hey, those aren’t yours,” if someone were to come up and take my stuff. Jerk.
Electric Plug-Ins – Simply, there are none…anywhere. Where can I plug my computer into the wall so I don’t run out of batteries? Oh, I know…at a booth right next to the candy shop…and I’m gonna be charged $1 per 5 minutes. So if I want to use some electricity…I get charged for it. I’m surprised the lights are on.
Bad Lighting – We all know by now that the heavenly lights never go off during the summer in Alaska…but why do the airport lights go off? It’s 9:45pm right now…and I’m sitting in the dark. Surely, part of my $25 for my bag can turn on a 60v light bulb.
Dogs – Since when could you bring a dog inside an airport? Why are dogs treated like children? Why did a dog just poop on the floor next to my bag? Those are all questions that everyone wants to ask…but the answer would probably cost us 50 cents.
Cleanliness – I’m not afraid of germs nor do dirty things bother me…but I’m pretty sure this place is dirrrrrty. I wonder the last time there was a vacuum in the house, a rag used, or a floor swept. Actually, I’d rather not know.
Parents – There’s this little girl who is laying across from me trying to fake cry. I know that her mother knows she’s faking it. The mother is sitting right next to her. The child is still relentlessly crying because she wants some $5 candy bar. What is the mother doing? Sitting. Hopefully, she’s thinking about how terrible of a parent she is because something physical needs to be done to that girl right about now. If a child is fake crying in the airport…they should clean the floors, clean up the dog poop, and tape their mouth shut.
Delays – I don’t even know why we have to check in at a certain time. I think we should just roll up to the airport and say, “I want to fly on an airplane before tomorrow night.”...to which we’d get a reply of, “oh, look at you…you seem to think that we know what we’re doing here, don’t you? Silly boy…”

North Slope Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:40:00 +0000

Read Tuesday's notes for the story from the North Slope.

You can view the North Slope pics by clicking HERE.

The North Slope

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:22:00 +0000

Good Tuesday evening…mow the yard, make the bed, and microwave the leftovers…I’m coming home Mom!

From the tail end of this Sunday night until this evening, I was visiting ConocoPhillip’s upstream operations in Kaparuk, Alaska. If you have a map of Alaska with you, as all of you should by now, guide your finger near the most northern edge of AK…that’s where I’ve been staying for 2 nights and 3 days.

The Kaparuk and Prudhoe Bay operations, financially shared between our beloved COP and BP (British Petroleum), is vast enough to cover the size of two…yes, two, Houston metropolitan. That’s makes sense…it’s twice the size of Houston in other words. Now it’s not a city like Houston up here…PETA and the Sierra Club would throw a fit. But the wells, rigs, and platforms are spread out almost remotely throughout what is called the North Slope. Hundreds of thousands of miles of pipe finds it way across the landscape and throughout the earth up here. And surprisingly to all you environmentalists…the birds, bears, and caribou don’t mind at all…in fact, their populations have flourished.

You know another thing that is flourishing…those stupid mosquitoes. Who would have thought that hundreds of miles away from civilization, mosquitoes are simply waiting to pounce on you?

There were 13 other interns traveling up with me. We flew up from Anchorage and then hopped over on a smaller airplane to Kaparuk. All of them were fun to be with and listen to…but I was the lone finance ranger yet again. There were geologists, mechanical engineers, petroleum engineers, who-cares engineers, geo-physicists, etc. And then there was me, “Asher Griffin, Oklahoma State, 4th year accounting student…yeah, I don’t know why I’m here either.”

There were plenty of jokes to go around about everything and everyone. Little Bird was accompanying us along the way. In fact, when we jumped in the Arctic Ocean as part of our tour – that’s right, we swam in the ARCTIC Ocean…as in the ocean north of everything in the world – Little Bird beat everyone in staying in the water the longest. The water truly was unbearably cold. When we jumped in, the temperature was sitting at 36 degrees. There was floating ice around us. It wasn’t too windy and the sun was out. But my gosh…that’s cold water.

I don’t know why people like working on the North Slope. The money is spectacular…thanks to your vehicles. The sun shines for 24 hours a day for 75 straight days in the summer (it’s above the Arctic Circle). It’s COMPLETELY pitch dark for about 50 straight days in the winter. The temperature can get as low as -50 degree F…as in about 150 degrees colder than what it is right now in OKC. But…since Kaparuk only gets about 10 inches of precipitation throughout the year…it’s considered a desert. Oh, and it’s flatter than West Texas…there’s no stupid slope. That must be a native joke or something.

Employees work up here for 2 weeks at a time putting in 12 hour shifts, then getting 2 full weeks off. Pretty cool…if you’re not married or hate the wifey. The food was AMAZING. There’s a place that reminds me of a 7/11 open 24/7, a movie theatre, game rooms, two work out facilities, giant dining room with all the food you can dream of, and much more. It’s a little city. Thousands of people work in Kaparuk. One guy I talked to actually lives in Florida and flies up to the North Slope ever two weeks for work. Isn’t that weird?!

So next time you pull up and pump your car full of gas…remember what it took to get that gas there. Oil and gas are found miles and miles under the earth, is produced and processed in climates that no sane person would put themselves through, and then is sent to other areas withstanding the objections of politicians and fanatics. Object all you want, but the fact that science, mathematics, and imagination can all combine to nearly conquer the earth’s obstacles is staggering.

“Through rain, rock, and resistance - we’ll find a way because people depend on it.” – A line taken from a book I found in a conference room about petroleum engineering.

I fly home tomorrow night and I’ll land in OKC on Thursday morning. I can’t wait to be at home for a couple of days. On the 5th, I fly to England for a couple of weeks. It will be a fun time for sure. I’m very blessed…and I hope I’ll keep you updated the entire time.

And I’ll get my pics up soon…promise!

Church

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:10:00 +0000

Good Sunday afternoon as we welcome the herd of Germans to town!

Church is probably my favorite thing to go to even when it’s not even my own church. I believe this was my 7th weekend in Alaska if I’m counting right, and it was my 3rd time to go to Church in the Wildwood. CWW is a small church located about 20 minutes northeast of Anchorage. It’s a smaller church, but a wonderful church. The teaching is in-depth, challenging, and Word-centered. The singing is modest. And the people truly brighten your day. You can see why I go back.

This morning, the pastor announced that one of his friends from seminary was bringing a group of his German friends through town. They were going to stop by the church and listen to the service…35 of them. Well, they were about 25% of the church once they rolled in. And they looked German…I don’t really know what that means…but I think you know what I mean. You know…like how someone looks southern or a girl looks spoiled…these people looked German.

Anyway…this big, BIG German lady came and sat beside me as we were singing. She slightly looked in all directions as if to gather her bearings and then looked down at my hymnal while softly mumbling the tune to the song. “Cool,” I thought, “she’s heard of a not-so-common hymn.” So I stuck my hymnal out in front of her while gesturing “want my hymnal?” Now this lady, who had quite a presence already, motioned the book away from her. She raised her heard and gained my attention with her eyes and stated in a thick, thick, thick German accent, “Dear boy, when I go to heaven, I will sing His hymns from my heart with all my heart…I don’t need your hymnal…you shouldn’t either.”

Great. I felt like crap after that. I mean, she’s right…how many times have I sang “Wonderful Grace of Jesus”?

After the service she tapped my shoulder and said, “About memorizing hymns and songs: ‘thy word have I hidden in my heart’…it’s what we ought to do. But we shouldn’t trap in the words. Sing with your heart if His words are in there. What comes from us is what we put in us.”

Oh, Alaska...

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:07:00 +0000

Hey there...my name is Asher...we used to hang out?

It's been a while and I've gotten a lot emails from some angry readers. Needless to say, I've been doing a lot of here...I just haven't really cared to write. Why? I don't know...I don't really have a reason...but it's worked for me.

Ok, serious though...my computer (an HP) won't read my camera's picture card...so I can't show you any awesome photos. But trust me, they're worth seeing...at least on my camera's 2 inch screen.

Me and the posse spent last weekend in Danli National Park. I highly recommend the adventure to anyone that wants to travel 30 miles or so south of the North Pole. Did you know that there's a town named North Pole in Alaska? Yeah...some people are starving for attention.

I get to go to the North Slope on Sunday and will stay there until Tuesday. If you don't know what the North Slope is - it's a big, flat field at the very northern edge of Alaska. It's also the location where the big oil companies are raping the land of its resources only to supply all of your whiny needs with efficient, dependable, and clean fuel.

I'll post tomorrow with some highlights.

Ugh.

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:51:00 +0000

Update: Ward has moved the party from our apartment to another apartment. Rumor has it that Ward has already gotten into trouble for loud music...there will still be hot tubbing aparently. The engineers could make this awkward...

Developing...

Be...Our...Guest?

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:11:00 +0000

Because of much demand, AsherInAlaska will now have a weekly guest (ghost) writer. Someone, through my selection, will add to this great story once a week. The people may change from time to time, but the stories will continue to flow. I will, however, have full editing rights to whatever the ghost may write. I won't change their words...but I may delete some in case it makes me out to be quite rude...as if that's possible...

What a week it has been in the office! I've been auditing. And let me tell you...it's made me grumpy, grumpy, and a little grumpy. When you combine me not knowing a darn thing about auditing and mix it with a stack of paper, only to sprinkle a little "who cares?" on top...you get...corporate life!

Ward Alert: Ward, who practically gets more girls than Ricky Martin during Marti Gras, is hosting a party (...that's right...a party...) at our apartment tonight. There will be food and girls...and...a hot tub? That's right ladies...come one, come all!

I'll probably be in bed by 9:30...

Party details to come soon...

Some Videos!

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:54:00 +0000

Video of ice falling:

Video being towed (1of2):

Video being towed (2of2):

Alida doing a shimmy (1of2):

Alida doing a shimmy (2of2):

Iceberg! Straight Ahead!

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 23:02:00 +0000

For pictures of us kayaking...see the updated photo album HERE.

What can be better than spending a day waste deep in pure ice water? Well, nothing is better if you're sitting in a kayak.

Eight other interns and I traveled southeast of Anchorage at 6am Saturday morning to paddle around Prince William Sound. We were entirely surrounded by glaciers, chunks of ice in the water, and snow covered trees. The water was freezing cold. (One engineering intern remarked how it might be colder than 32 degrees because there's salt in it...cool guy, right?...eh...)

After renting out kayaks and gear (and I was wearing a lot of gear), we went down to the docks of Whittier, AK, to meet our tow boat...owned and operated by Brooke. Brooked seemed to be a cool guy that probably wasn't interesting. But he did remind us if we fell in the water, we have 5 minutes before we're unable to swim and 10 minutes before we become unconscious. Great. I'm about to cry at this part.

As I'm sitting in the Kayak with BooYa (LSU), I was reminded that if a whale breaches the sea...that we may fall out. Great again.

Ward Alert: Ward, a king among salmon killers, cooked enough fish for 10 people by using only 1/2 of a king salmon that he caught a day before. What a cook! This has nothing to do with us kayaking...but it needed to be said.

Light Foot, TigerLover (LSU), and OldManRiver (ConocoPhillips full time) sat in the 3-man kayak and basically torpedoed every other kayak during the day. Obama and her friend that flew up for a month, Unemployed (Univ. of Okla.), towed BooYa and I for 45 minutes when our rudder broke. They thought we were paddling to help out our cause...nope...we just sat back and enjoyed the sights. Ward and LewisClark tied a world record for 'paddling to the same spot everyone else went to - only quicker'.

Here's a pic of me falling asleep while being towed...ha!

We ate lunch at the foot of some glacier thinking our boats would be safe. What we forgot that the tide raises not only sooner than normal, but rather quickly. After eating and climbing around a bit, TigerLover looked back and noticed that our kayaks were floating away.

Perfect.

So we all raced down the hillside (all round rocks) to go get our kayaks. One was left ashore, TigerLover's, Light Foot's, and OldManRiver's. I got my bottom half all wet by chasing one kayak not thinking that my boots weren't 2 1/2 feet tall...an awesome feeling. But Ward and LewisClark got all of the kayaks back for us...even the trash that went along with them.

We saw A TON of calving (where ice fall from the glaciers into the sea). Imagine ice forms the size of houses falling hundreds of feet into the sea...it's loud, powerful, surreal, and amazing. Yep, all those things.

It was cool the see the change in scenery. There were all kinds of wildlife in the water (which, the water had a blue/green tint to it)...luckily none of it pooped on us.

In all, we paddled around for nearly 6 hours. BooYa and I kept it pretty chill. We were last to each place, we paddled around the shortest distance, but we enjoy our time and views the most. Simply, we might as well have worn a "Yellowstone" shirt with weird hats while attaching a fanny-pack to our waste - we were complete tourist.

We ate dinner in Whittier. BooYa and I were so hungry that we had probably 5 more pounds of food than everyone else...with no regrets.

Kayaking was easily the most fun I've had since being here. It's scenery was the most unique thing I have ever been a part of. While each day brings the end of the summer closer, I'm becoming more and more thankful for what each day has brought. The other interns are so fun to hang out with and every adventure is better than the last one.

Oh...and I saw a cute girl at dinner on Saturday night. Don't worry, she was totally into me. Did I say anything to her? Well, no. But I'm thinking that approach might work...we'll see.

Hi Mom and Dad!

Buying Drugs at Wal-Mart

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:02:00 +0000

I woke up this morning at 3:30am to my right eye feeling like it was on fire. I can't remember that kind of pain...so I started freaking out. I couldn't read the time on the clock because I couldn't fully open my eyes and I didn't want to call anyone because I forgot I am 3 hours behind, not in front. Duh. So I started pacing back and forth in my room freaking out (I think I was still half asleep at this point).

I'm pretty sure I either called my mom at that point or texted her something dramatic. I really can't remember what she told me to do except "put an ice pack on it" (well, I don't have those...) and "take some IB profen" (yet again, still on the shelf at the store). So I basically laid with my face in the pillow wondering why this was the way I was going to die.

Ward woke me up at 6:09 to remind me that we had to go to work. Well...this wasn't going to happen as I could feel every vein in my eyeball. So I called in injured...luckily they understood...or was glad that I wasn't showing up. Either way...I laid in my bed hating everything about eyes until about 2pm...in the afternoon.

At about 5:30pm, BooYa came over to apartment to bring me some Gatorade. I felt bad because I wasn't sick...I was injured. In fact, I was so out of it all day that when I went to the restroom, I sat on the bathtub instead of the toilet...don't worry though, I figured the different before anything dark happened.

This is getting long...so I'll get to the point...

There I was in Wal-Mart stating, "hi, I'm Asher Griffin, 4-19-86, here to pick up a prescription." They look at the screen and go, "umm...yeah, our system actually did your prescription at the other Wal-Mart...sorry about that."

What? That's the dumbest mistake I've ever heard.

So Light Foot and BooYa and I went to the other Wal-Mart and asked the same question. The lady looked very confused, typed something and said, "um...yeah...we're still working on it, can you wait 20 minutes?" "Um...yeah...," I said, "Ma'am, my medicine is in a bottle that you order from Canada or something, there's nothing to work on."...nevertheless, I waited. When I went back to the counter, they told me, "um...we actually don't have it in stock." "In stock?!" I asked, "wait, you told me you were working on it. Is there a pharmacist back there who has a license to know what they're talking about?"

I waited.

A lady came up and said, "Hi, can I help you?"

"Yes, my doctor called in a prescription to this pharmacy 12 hours ago...do you have the drug in stock? That seems to be up for debate."

"Hmm...yes, well I wasn't aware of this...let me look." (Wasn't aware? What kind of Advil are they making back there?!)...I waited for 10 more minutes.

"Griffin, Asher...eye drops," finally proclaimed the lady at the counter. Ah, wonderful. Alas, I can see again!

Now why does this matter? Well it doesn't actually. But next time you need drops for your eyes so you can drive using two eyes instead of one...don't buy drugs with me.

Boiling Water = Hot Water

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:41:00 +0000

I’ve learned a lot of things throughout my life. I’ve learned how to add up my rent bill with my credit card bill. I’ve learned how to dance really well (this is my blog…I don’t need your comments on this point). And I’ve learned how to navigate with a GPS. All of these are essential in life.

But one thing that I learned this past weekend is that when water reaches the point of boiling…its temperature is very hot. Real hot. Hellish hot.

So there I was camping with 12 other thirsty interns - we ran out of water. And we didn’t have a water purifier…that would’ve been easy. We decided to boil the water as we were taught in Boy Scouts. And because I hadn’t contributed much of anything except cordial comments throughout our tenure in the woods, I took it upon myself to boil the water.

Well…after the first pot had boiled over, I grabbed one of the water bottles and began to pour the lava-like liquid into the container only to completely drench my left hand (my right one was pouring, left was holding the bottle…problem stemmed from here) with water so hot it would have solved the global cooling that occurred in the ‘60s. Surprisingly, I didn’t complain about it until I wanted attention on Monday. Weird, I know. In fact, my immediate sounds were (with pursed lips) “mmsssgggppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Go ahead, sound it out. I did while writing it.

The bad part was that I kept missing the bottles and pouring the water on my hand. I’ve become the stupid child that continues to touch the hot stove while crying.

So for all of you children that may be reading this blog…or for those of you that are teachers and instruct the downfall of our future…take note – boiling water poured onto normal skin hurts worse than giving birth to children. And yes, I asked the collection of mothers at work for support on that claim.

Now why does this matter to you? Simple…now you know that I’m as smart as you originally thought. Boiled water = hot.

And for the record: it took the engineers 30 minutes of watching me melt myself before they constructed a funnel for the water. I’m sure they immediately thought of how to make one…but wanted to see an accounting major work his magic. Jerks.

Wait...No Glacier?

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 22:32:00 +0000

Click for pictures of the trip.
With two nights of sleep behind me, 24 ounces of eye drops in me, and memories captivating me, I wish you a good Tuesday morning.

Seeking for harmony amongst us and nature’s beauty around us, 7 ConocoPhillips and 6 Chevron interns set out on what was supposed to be a basic 18 mile hike in total. There was confusion at the beginning…why in the world did we invite those loud mouth Chevron kids? While we still haven’t quite figured that out…we hope they spend the rest of the summer with us.

Ward Alert: Ward, a giver of kindness and muscle, spent his Saturday helping an elderly woman (we actually don’t know if she’s elderly or even a woman…) move from an old apartment into another. What a guy that Ward Kable of Wichita Falls.

After getting to the parking lot a good two hours later than we anticipated, we set out on our hike only to encounter a mountain bike race. Now if you were a grown and respected adult, would you ride around on spokes in the middle of the forest with skimpy shorts and a sponsored shirt? Yeah, I wouldn’t either. Nevertheless, with our eyes diverted to something more wholesome and less weird, we marched on…all 13 of us.

LewisClark was back in full force and promised us no snow. Light foot looked as out of place as usual, yet still causing no disturbance. Obama literally talked about 36 hours straight. All of which was encouraging…most of which meant…well, you got the idea. But as it is with every good team, we had our share of rookies. Standing at 6 foot-a-lot and weighing in at 5 jugs of protein mix was UnderBear (Marietta). A fresh face to us and sporting the camo pants was GIJoe (Penn State). And last for the Phillips 66ers is the ever so polite, Miss Gig'Em . For team Chevron, we were accompanied by HookEm (Texas); the kid never dropped his hook ‘em horns from the sky. Bringing him back to reality was the Nurse (Wash. State). Carrying the load from second base was none other than Duely (Texas A&M) ; I swear he carried 164lbs worth of tent with him, to and from glory land. Bringing the noise and not passing out ear plugs was Lady Thatcher (Texas A&M). Edging just years away from social security benefits was our full-time companion, Duck Man (Oregeon Alumnus). And last by about 20 feet was our giver of joy and provider of a pure gallon of water, Mario (LSU).

The trail followed a lake hidden within the peaks of Alaska for nearly 8 miles. We climbed nearly 60 feet of elevation over 9 miles within 4 hours. Whew…we beat our old time! In fact, LewisClark was so anxious for more, he told an old wife’s tale about a glacier that is just beyond the end of the trail. Well, friends, we never reached that iceberg. Either it receded due to Al Gore’s 3rd grade calculations or Dr. LewisClark has just prescribed his last “I heard about this one place in the mountains” pill. That side adventure gave a total of 5 miles both to and from, bringing our Saturday total to 19 miles…on foot I you need to be reminded.

Upon arriving back at the campsite, we found that UnderBear, who actually climbed two Alaskan trees 30 feet skyward to hang our bear-bag, made good use of a pocket knife and tree trunks. Alas, a fire for our hotdogs and smores! The fire never ended and we plan on starting our own logging business real soon.

Not a single thing was said throughout that night that wasn’t brutally criticized by one of us. HookEm and I teamed up to strike down the force of any nice person’s thoughts. LewisClark made the food. Light Foot seemed to know everyone from every story or went to high school with at least one of your friends. Mario tag teamed UnderBear in bringing flames and frivolous thoughts to the table. Lady Thatcher was playing house by washing her face in the cooking pot and relentlessly wanting to tie up our bear bag.

We finally made it to bed after boiling 13 liters of water for our hike back in the morning. It was during the night time that we learned of Mario’s ability to watch the camp in case a polar bear wanders out of a nearby zoo and that girls are certainly capable and more than willing to fart…or fluff for you with gentle ears.

An early morning came knocking at our door at the early hour of eleven…as in one hour away from noon. The ground treated our backs like a Ford truck treats its passengers – rough. But we had to get up or else we were going to miss lunch. When packing our things, we looked ahead to our trip home with daunting expressions and dreams of beds and non-propane cooked delights.

One thing kept us going though. If we ever made it back to our cars…we were driving straight to Denny’s. And we were going to order 13 All-American Slams.

We ended the trip with no injuries and only one sick puppy. UnderBear, probably in a state of shock for not doing a morning work out routine, somehow hitched a 5 mile ride back to our cars on top of a four-wheeler. Did we see him get on this vehicle and ride away? No. Did we notice that we were one short maybe 2 miles after he actually departed our group? Yes. Did we even bother to look for him or wonder where he went? No. We wanted to get to Denny’s.

Needless to say…we made it back. We avoided the snow, the rain, and the high winds. We saw the bluest lake you’ll ever see. We told more stories that would make you laugh so hard you’ll cry. And we, somehow, were 12 for 13 on staying together. Real good odds!

There’s not much to say about a hike that is flat. You still have to look 5 feet in front of you for loose branches or embedded rocks. But anytime we looked up, we saw the coolest surroundings we could imagine. The mountains seemed unreal.

I was the first to tell anyone that 13 people in the backcountry of Alaska is too many to travel with…this weekend proved me wrong. It was an incredible time.

Mom: please ship me some Nyquil…the 72 hour kind…it’s gonna be that kind of weekend coming up.

Standby...

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Morning!

Unfortunately, I will not have a post today about the weekend’s getaway. We got back last night from our 26 miles/2 days adventure and I was pooped. In fact, I was so pooped, all I could do was…well…you know…….sit on the couch (you have a gross mind…you were thinking about me pooping, weren’t you?!). I think I caught a cold…maybe pink eye? Who really knows?

Until my written rundown of the weekend (it’s worth the wait, trust me!), you can view the pictures here (click on “here”).

Just to tease you…we have Mario, UnderBear, DuckMan, and other new characters coming to my adventure’s write-ups. There are also appearances by Obama, LewisClark, and Light Foot.

Lay Down Your Calculators, Here Comes the Circus

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:03:00 +0000

Five snooze button taps later…good Wednesday morning, patrons of pity!

How long could you live without a TV? A day…week…month? Well, for an apartment full of eager and vivacious interns…the answer was about one week.

As Ward and I have become a part of a good group of interns, we have honestly enjoyed spending time with them in mountainous adventures, late night movie watching, and random Wal-Mart runs. But nothing would prepare me for this test of practical intelligence.

Light Foot wanted a TV worse than you can imagine. So Ward offered to drive the group to Wal-Mart so they (her apartment) could get one and bring it back. Due to a well thought out 90 day return policy…Light Foot decides to buy a big TV…we’re talking big. However, what this young, bright, and knowledgeable student of Petroleum Engineering forgot to calculate was the size of the car versus the size of the TV.

So there I was in the parking lot of Wal-Mart watching 4, count ‘em 4, highly intelligent engineering students trying to fit a square block in a non-square hole. Did I help? No…this was too good…

They had to all but tear apart the entire box and TV to put it in the back seat of our sky-blue Tarus (I know, you’re still jealous…)…then they remembered they also had to fit their own bodies in the car.

I can faintly remember going to the circus when I was little. There was talent everywhere. Never had I seen people fly through the air with such precision or tame beastly animals with such ease. But I never thought I could travel all the way to Anchorage, Alaska, to see a bunch of clowns entertain an audience of one with plastics and a piece of cardboard.

To think I was a boy scout...

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:25:00 +0000

I wasn’t supposed to be back in the city until Monday night…but with my feet being swollen, my body still shivering, and everything I have on me wet as a dog, I wish you a good afternoon and happy Sunday.

Disclaimer: This is a long post…but it’s worth the reading. Pictures can be seen here. All other albums from the summer (past and soon enough future) can be seen here.

What an 11 hours it was while backpacking in the serenity of Alaska with God’s work and beauty in every direction. Not even a compass would point you to a more perfect and surreal location. But to be honest, due to nature’s resolve, we were forced to turn back from reaching our cabin with only roughly a mile to go. But had you been there, you would have aligned yourself with our simple thoughts of, “you’ve got to be kidding me…”

Before I dig in any more…this could have all been avoided with better preparation (Be Prepared,” says the enthusiastic boy scout!), more winter equipment, and a helicopter. The names of the people with us have been changed to protect their identity and pride…except Ward…you have a good idea about him already.

On Thursday morning, LewisClark (of Rice University) sent an email to the interns describing a cool trip with backpacking, terrific countryside views, and a cozy cabin for a 3 day/2 night stay that we should all join him on. Eight of us joined in! The line-up of frontiersmen consisted of LewisClark, Ward, yours truly, Little Bird (Texas Tech), Canary (Univ. of Houston), Light Foot (Univ. of Texas), Obama (Univ. of Okla.), and Local (Univ. of Alaska). We all ate dinner together on Thursday and Friday, as well as staying the night at Little Bird’s apartment on Friday the night before the big excursion.

The foreshadowing that Saturday morning brought was perfect in retrospect; it was dreary and rainy. The two hour drive to the trailhead gave time for more “yeah, I don’t really know you…but we’re kinda sleeping together tonight…” conversations. As we were unloading our cars at the trailhead, a lady who had just hiked up to the first of two lakes said there would be a “little snow” (boy was she wrong!) and that the first part was kind of rough.

Starting up the hill with a steep climb ahead of us, I kept thinking how the feet of Local and Little Bird were going to get so wet…and then cold. Great. So they’d probably get frostbite and we’d have to carry them out. (They didn’t complain once though…because they’re awesome). We crossed two rivers…this we were equipped for…

Once our ascent began to level out, snow became the turf of norm we would be walking on. And not just any snow - deep snow. We were lucky enough to sink six to twelve inches on most steps, but more times than we wished, we would sink all the way up to our upper thighs and hips. The snow covered the entire terrain.

As beautiful as it was (this was the most snow I had ever seen at one time), we became more and more frustrated as we’d be able to walk on top of some parts and them unexpectedly and immediately sink through a couple of feet of snow and, what felt like, slush. This is when we got wet – real wet. Waterproof boots and gators were only holding out the water and snow that would come from the side or below the boot, but they were completely unable to stop nature’s force from above. At times it would lightly rain or sleet, but for the most part we were protected from the beaming UV rays by the clouds…though they never brought us emotional comfort.

Little Bird seemed to have the rough end of the deal (or she moped the best) as her pack was disproportioned and heavy for her size. She was also wearing brand new, lime green, neon, tennis shoes (really?). Local was on her first backpacking adventure and was carrying a backpack and big ‘ole sleeping bag that would slide from left to right (also wearing tennis shoes). Light Foot kept frustrating us because she would step on the snow and sink maybe six inches while the rest of us would step in that same hole only to sink a good foot further down. But she reminded us of our youth with her efforts to make a snowman and snow angel. Ward carried a GPS and kept reminding us that even though we had traveled 30 more minutes, it only equated to about 50 feet. And we always seemed to be “eh, a mile or mile and a half away”…the whole time! LewisClark was blazing the trail in front us as if he was training to be an Army Ranger specializing in snowy conditions. Granted, he got everything together…and nearly led us to our despair. Obama kept the hope alive within the group…she didn’t say anything of much worth (hence, “Obama”), but was fun, encouraging, and determined to get out of the sometimes waste deep foot holes. Canary was completely out of her Houston element. And with her backpack and shifting sleeping back, she seemed to truck along fine (except for the point where it seemed like she was going to cry…like a baby). I, however, was annoying and sarcastic as usual…

The trip took us by two mountain lakes and through a deep and remarkable valley. With snow all around and under us, we kept thinking, “it’s just a little bit further…” Well I’m sure it was…but we never got there. Closing in on hour six of our adventure, we reached a world class ravine where snow was likely to destroy any intruders. The cliff, yes cliff, leading the way into this ravine looked not only challenging, but daunting. We didn’t know if we could do it safely, timely, or if we could even get out of it. Each step at this point something we had to be talked into, every breath was gasped for and every emotion became bitterer as the elevation inched higher.

Ward Alert: Ward, a true mountaineer among trail peasants, picked up the back end of the group by making sure nobody got left behind…but once he wanted to lead the group, we immediately found the ravine. Clearly his fault; the tribe has spoken.

We were at a decision point. “Go the extra mile” to our cabin that we couldn’t exactly pin point while risking our health and bones. Or turn back, “quit”, call it a day/night, and hopefully make it back to the cars before midnight…Simply, we couldn’t talk ourselves into continuing on the trek. Nobody wanted to fess-up to LewisClark as we know he could have made it and in timely fashion by himself and we felt bad because he organized the whole thing. But we were with girls here…five of them! We were under experienced, ill-equipped, and unprepared for what was ahead of us. So after 6 hours of walking aimlessly into the depth of Alaska’s wilderness, we turned back. Thank goodness.

We had to beat the sunset though - it was about 5pm at this point (ha, so we had 7 hours!). We stopped to change our socks, only for the new ones to soak almost instantly. We had plenty to eat. And our morale significantly picked up on the way back even though our bodies were breaking down. Tracing our steps seemed like an endless process. But ironically, the more we wandered back the more the sun came out from the clouds. Clearly, God was saying, “hey, today is not the day to backpack…duh.”

Coming down the last part of the trail towards our vehicles was satisfying and relieving. We had gone nearly 13 miles in about 10+ hours. Nobody was injured (although we’re all feeling injured today I’m sure) and everyone had a good time…surprisingly.

What’s to be learned from this? Well, Alaska gives way for true adventure. But the real adventure is not so much in the peaks climbed or the trails conquered, but in the journey within yourself and along side your friends. And what a group we became. We relied on each other, entertained and encouraged each other, and over all really had a good time throughout our weekend. The best part is that the weekend has yet to come to a close. Let the journey begin… (And let the snow melt before we go back).

While Eating a Jelly Muffin...

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:45:00 +0000

So there I was doing my work thing...

Just before lunch today, I was sitting at my desk putting stuff into Excel eating some muffin type food that I got from a meeting earlier in the morning when, BAM, out squirts some purple jelly ALL OVER my right sleeve!

I don't sit by anyone, so yelled, "uhhhhhh!" really loud. And I thought, "Ok, just roll up the sleeves and nobody will think you're an idiot." But then I remembered, "wait, this is gonna stain and I really like this shirt!"

So I got up from my desk, check around the corner to make sure nobody was looking, and ran to the bathroom. I immediately shoved my arm under the sink and put it on full blast and hot. "OOWWW!"...it got really hot. I started rubbing on the purple to see if it would come out because now I'm starting to get nervous knowing that Mom would be upset that I stained a shirt (it happened when I was 7...a lot).

Right when I think I'm making progress, a huge guy that works down the hall (I'm talking huge...like 6'3" 240ish (hefty)) busts in the bathroom door, looks at me and says, "DUDE! That happens all the time when I eat...you must have had the gumbo! It's normal man...it's normal."

So many thoughts are now going through my head as I'm thinking I'm a total slob, going to be laughed at in the office, and now my whole right arm is soaked and I had no plan to dry myself. So all I could to say back was, "yeah, I don't know...this isn't your normal 'gumbo' situation."

"Man! Let me look," he comes over and looks at it, "oh man...let me, yeah, I think I've got some Shout stuff in my office. Hang on." At that, he runs out of the bathroom (now I feel really bad because he clearly had to the use the bathroom and now he's looking for Shout) while I continue to scrub my arm.

Well by the time he gets back, I rub all the purple jelly stuff out of my sleeve. He comes in looking really sad and says, "Hey bud, I'm sorry, I thought I had some, but I didn't."...pause..."Hey that's great, it's gone!"...."Yeah," I said, "I was worried."

"Man, are you married?" he randomly asked.

"No, why?" I answered thinking, "do I look, act, or seem married?"

"Bud, you gotta get married...wives will take care of that stuff...I'm the biggest slob and she packs in all the Shout and stuff to keep me clean. It's great."

"Yeah...that sounds nice," I said, "Know anybody?"

...the journey continues...

One Cube, Many Lives...

noreply@blogger.com (Asher Griffin) — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:52:00 +0000

Greetings all! And happy bump day at that.

What a week it has been! Kidding...it's been low key.

Work started on Monday morning bright and early...at 10am. My supervisor called me at 9:45 to "make sure things were alright and that I would be coming to work"...I really hope she continues that trend...I need a wake up call every now and then. But going to work at 10am was a first day kind of thing...for certain.

My job basically consists of me sitting in my cubicle (30 feet away from civilization) while people from around the office come and let me help them on cool tasks or projects. So I'm not doing anything specific, just lots of little things...but it's better than refilling the coffee machine, right? The other interns all seem really nice. I have only interacted with one intern, Ward, though.

Ward Alert: Ward, a brain among modern intelligence, is by far the most normal looking engineering/geo science intern (are 19 total interns, 18 engineer/geo science interns...my luck). So good for him...and good for us!

Disclaimer: there's actually one other "business" intern...she's a MBA student from Yale...so she doesn't count.

My day consists of waking up at 5:30am (don't worry...the sun is shining ever so bright; just for me), go downstairs to "work out", then Ward and I get to work by 7ish. We leave at 5pm. I, however, mentally leave work by about 3pm (don't tell anyone). When we get home, we microwave our nutritionish (not a word, I'm aware) frozen delights and go about our night.

Technology Alert: whoever provided free internet last week sold their soul to the devil and put a password on it...leaving us without Facebook while in the apartment. I hope the sun shines extra on their evenings.

When moving to Alaska, I left all my laundry skills in Oklahoma as I apparently put too much detergent in the wash and I didn't fully "wash" and there were white spots on ALL of my clothes. "No, boy, you're wrong," remarked a man washing things beside me, "sometimes people leave too much bleach in the wash and it gets all over someone else's stuff."

Great.

So with spots all over my shirts, making me look like a walking milk-cow, I will need to look harder for a lady-Eskimo...as women were called to wash men's things, correct?

This may be my problem.

But I will continue to search the valley's and mountains! This weekend, Ward and I plan to either fight the rapids of the Alaskan rivers, kayak near the glaciers, or hike on some stupid mountain. Surely she's out there.

To my lady-Eskimo: Whether you're in the hills, igloos, or on the bus to Wal-Mart, know, fair-lady, that I am coming for you! I wouldn't mind you calling, texting, or Facebooking me in the meantime.

Ward and I both get Friday off - probably because we're so good at being interns - so look for some cool pics by the end of the weekend! And maybe another post before that if something stupid happens.

Good evening!