Observations

Military bases have banned the use of handheld cell phones while driving. Here in Alaska they do not fool around! The penalty for a first offense is a 30 day post driving privilege suspension. (and don't even think of speeding in a school zone - that's one year!) It's enough of a deterrent that I won't even consider picking up that phone. I do use the hands-free option, which is legal. However, today as I was driving around the post I made an interesting observation. I was driving behind a Hunter Green Tahoe. This driver had a Military Police sticker proudly displayed across his rear window. Normally this is a good indication of someone's military occupation specialty. In fact, I think Sgt Dad's car would look pretty cool with Drill Sergeant across the rear, but I digress. When the Tahoe and I approached a stop sign, I got a very clear view of the male driver holding a cell phone to his ear and yakking away. Very interesting choice of activity for someone who has given the indication that he, or perhaps his spouse, is an MP..............

The Eagle Has Landed and Distractions

Well, my dear Eagle has made it. His flight from the nest lasted all night but he arrived safe and sound in NY. He even managed to negotiate a plane change in the infamous Chicago O'hare airport all on his own! I'm glad there was good weather last night. I'm already hoping for clear weather for his flight home for Christmas. It's strange to think that this boy I've had for the past 18 years won't be in my sight again for 3 months. When he comes home again he will be a different boy. I'm making sure to buy his ticket to ensure that he will be here for his birthday. There's an empty spot in this house and the ghost of his presence.....
So, Sgt Dad has been attempting to distract me today. We started out by going to the Peanut Farm this morning. And what is the Peanut Farm? It's a popular restaurant/sports bar that has tons of big screen TVs and the NFL Ticket. A big plus for Sgt Dad is that this is a popular place for Bills fans. I imagine that other than Buffalo, this place has the most Bills fans in the country! It's great to finally meet other Bills hold outs and not get laughed at for it! Because of this, it's almost as fun as watching the game at the stadium. We stayed until the 3rd quarter and left when Sgt Dad gave up. The poor team is plagued with injuries, mediocre players and rookies. Hopefully there will be a good year for them soon. When we got home, I helped Middle Son get himself arranged in Eagle's room. He didn't waste any time in claiming it for his own. Fortunately Eagle left a lot of stuff behind so I don't feel as though he has gone for good. Although, he took so much that we had to pay $50 in overage charges. At any rate, Middle Son is settled in and Youngest Son has his own space. After that I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the game room. When we moved in several boxes of books and office stuff were shoved neatly in the closet. So, today I went through them and got stuff all organized.
Now I've got to deal with dinner. It seems like all I do is prepare and clean up meals all weekend sometimes! I think tonight is gonna be a fix your own meal night. I'll deal with cooking for less people tomorrow. (I sound like one of my favorite heroines with that particular statement)

The View from Up Here... or Myopic Lifestyle

Friday morning I took the boys to school since I had to withdraw Oldest Son. It had been raining over night and therefore the air was saturated with water. This caused a very heavy fog especially as I got closer to their school because there is a river that runs through that town. One could barely see three car lengths ahead. Upon exiting the high school, I had the feeling that someone had put a white barrier up and the only place that existed in the world was this school. I guess this was reflecting my own feelings that morning. I was feeling overwhelmed with loss because of Oldest Son's imminent departure. I felt as though there was nothing else in the world. As I drove away and slowly, slowly the fog was dissipating, the world was becoming a bigger place. It occurred to me then that often we have a myopic view of the world, whether we are wrapped up in bliss or sorrow. We lose sight of the reality that whatever is going on is just a small piece of the picture. This moment in time I am grieving over the end of an era but in the bigger picture this is what I want. I do want my child to become independent and live a full and happy life. The timing of off for sure but this is a necessary step for his ultimate lifetime success. I don't think a single president or titan of industry has been based out of his mother's home! So, I will allow my myopia over this weekend but next week the fog will clear and I'll see the bigger picture and revel in being able to see my young Eagle flying away from the nest and spreading his wings.
So, in that spirit, Oldest Son will henceforth be known as Eagle.

Restaurant Review II

Last night Sgt Dad wanted to "carbo-load" before his PT test this morning; so, we decided to try a new restaurant. We went to Muldoon Pizza and Fine Italian Dining. He ordered spaghetti and meatballs and I ordered the antipasto salad. We shared an order of chicken wings. While waiting for our food, I visited the restroom. Had I visited it before ordering, we never would have eaten there. That was a disgusting, filthy bathroom! There were layers of grime on the light switch, door, and soap dispenser. In the corner was a build up of layers of black dirt. I guess it was from being pushed in there by a rag mop. It didn't smell bad so I could tell they wipe it down regularly but not really clean it. UGH! So I had the heebie jeebies and that may have tainted my opinion of the food- NOT! The spaghetti was way past al dente and the sauce was terrible. The meatballs tasted like mushy frozen meat-like products. My salad was fresh but only iceberg lettuce and the dressing was basically only vinegar. I can barely comment on the wings. They were clearly baked and not fried and lightly breaded. TERRIBLE! We had ordered a pizza to-go to bring home for the boys. Surprisingly, it was pretty good. However, in light of the condition of the bathroom, I would not ever get food from them again.
We are still having connectivity issues with our ISP. Last night they said that the problem was with the upload and located at the pole. They had to call another team to come and repair that. However, last night we had high winds and it wasn't safe for them to climb the pole. Hopefully they will be out today to complete the repair and hopefully that is really the source of the problem. It's really frustrating when you sit down to accomplish something online and you can't get on. I was going to post last night but lost connection and it didn't come back up before I went to bed. Grrrr!

Termination Dust

In Alaska summer isn't officially over until termination dust arrives. And what is termination dust? It is the arrival of snow on the otherwise green mountain tops. It arrived near the end of this week. We had a few days of heavy clouds and rain and as the clouds rolled away we saw what was left behind- termination dust. It means time to change from summer and prepare for winter. Everyone has begun pulling their lawn decorations indoors for the winter. I've seen more than one person haul out their snow tires and head off to the garage to have them mounted and commercials advertising studded tire sales. I read somewhere that it is legal to start driving with studded tires as of September 15th. Slowly we'll see that termination dust drift downward and before I know it there will be snow on the ground out my front door. The leaves have begun changing already and are about 50% or more towards peak. It's 9:10 pm and only the faintest light is visible. After the fall equinox the daylight will begin to drop off dramatically. I've begun looking for a "happy" light already to stave off SAD. Might as well be proactive!

Yesterday enjoyed watching Oldest Son's football game. They played against another team for their homecoming. ERHS is quite popular as opponents for homecoming games.. The opposing team's kicker kicked as state record field goal, 49 yards, against us and won 45 to 7. ERHS has a good quarterback and reciever who are leading the league in completions and yards. However, the rest of the league is focused on rushing yards. Oldest Son got alot of playtime yesterday. So we sat through the game in the rain but enjoyed it much more. Our old friends from Japan were there too as their oldest son, Oldest Son's friend, goes to the opposing school and their daughter ERHS. Next week ERHS homecoming but it doesn't look like we'll go as more than likely Oldest Son will return to Rochester this week.

Speaking of that, I nearly had a breakdown about it today. I was feeling out of sorts and like I was about to burst into tears all day and just couldn't figure out the reason for my turmoil. Finally it dawned on me that I am not doing so well suppressing my emotions over this upcoming departure. I'm sure going to miss that boy!

I had to go out today to buy contacts for Youngest Son. On my way home I spotted a large Mama Moose grazing off the side of the road. I quickly u-turned and pulled off to the side, got out of my van and started snapping pictures. She was just watching me and I seemed a bit jumping to I got back in the van pretty quick. I pulled another u-turn and it was then I noticed her calf in the woods not too far from her. Then I realized why she had been so jumpy. I guess it was pretty lucky of me that I hadn't hung around getting pictures longer. I tried to get a good shot of her and the calf but they were pretty well hidden.

We were going to go to Denali National Park this weekend for military day but I read the dates wrong and it isn't until Tuesday. So, since we're both working and the kids are in school we won't be able to go this year. I am hopeful this is a yearly event and next year we'll take leave and go out to see the park.

I had a BIG scare today with my cell phone bill. My friend Dawn will totally empathize with me on this one. I opened the bill to pay it today and nearly fell over when I read the total: $589.45!!!! It was data usage on one particular phone. So naturally I flipped out! I called our provider because we had paid for text messaging for this phone and our bill shouldn't be so big. It turns out it was for internet usage. I explained to the poor customer service rep that Sgt Dad and I had explicitly blocked internet usage with the clerk when purchasing the phones. She informed me that the block was removed when I added AOL instant messaging. Then explained that the charges are because using AOL also uses internet. I explained to her that I was not informed of this when I added AOL IM to the phones. After a long time on the phone and her speaking with her manager we got all the overage charges reversed and removed AOL from the phones. They can live with out it! Their service rep should tell people that using IM requires internet usage and you need a plan or you will incur these kinds of bills. In hindsight, I guess I should have realized that the aol im uses the internet but it seems that there should be some fine print at least stating that fact. Alls well that ends well I guess but I imagine that I have a few more gray hairs coming from this event. Sgt Dad actually grabbed the phone from me for a minute and let her have it! It was amazing! He was having a bad day. Our internet went out- again! They just can't provide us with reliable internet service! We have another service call scheduled for Tuesday. Hopefully they can find a way to keep us from getting booted so frequently- and despite how that sounds we are using broadband and not dial-up.

Finally, the last bit of news is that I'm officially an Alaskan resident. I got my driver's license and registered to vote.

Now, how long before I'm eligible for "free money"???

Earthquake!

This afternoon I experienced my first Alaskan earthquake. It was just a couple seconds long and nothing fell off the shelves but it was enough to get my blood pumping! I had forgotten that earthquakes are fairly common up here. Had I not experienced earthquakes while living in Japan, I probably would have been pretty shaken up. Those of us in the office enjoyed sharing our "first earthquake" experiences. None of us had ever been in a bad one. In fact, I really need to give thought as to what to do should a major earthquake hit. I have no way of getting outdoors quickly enough. I guess I'll just have to manage with the old standby of standing in the doorway and praying that it isn't strong enough to take down the building.
One of my greatest fears while living in Japan was that a big quake would hit while I was far from home and separated from my children. I don't know how I'd stand not being able to get quickly home to them. At least with the popularity of cell phones I'm more likely to at least be able to get in contact with them in an emergency- provided of course the cell phone towers aren't knocked out.
Speaking of disasters, we all remembered 9-11 today in our own way. Many of us chatted about our experiences that day and how it changed us and our lives. For me, it was the first time I felt vulnerable to world-wide turbulence. I always felt very safe here in the US, as though it would never, could never happen here. I don't walk around expecting danger everywhere but I also am more aware of my surroundings than before. I'm sorry my children haven't been able to grow up as I did with no war and no soldiers dying. I knew nothing of war for America while growing up. It was all in the history books for me, not in the daily news reports. I'm sorry for the innocence lost on that day for all of us.
Switching to lighter news; I had my first experience of traffic delays from Moose IN the road. I see moose nearly every day but today a Mama and her calf were crossing the road and taking their sweet time. How AWESOME is it that such a magnificent creature is so abundant here. Also, the people here have such respect for them. They just slow down and wait for the moose to cross. No honking horns or obvious frustration, it's just part of Alaskan life. In fact, I know people who've been trapped at home because a Moose was at their front door and wouldn't move. Moose are HUGE and you don't dare try to run around one. Perhaps moose are the secret to the different way of life around here. At any rate, I love the attitude of people here. It's quite contagious. I wish I could let you all experience it too.
Come on up and visit. Alaska is a magnificent place!

Belated Birthday

I'm in trouble! Youngest Son asked to see his birthday post and somehow I never got around to posting it! His birthday was Aug 12th. He turned 14 and is now eligible to get his learner's permit! Alaskan's must be nuts to allow 14 year olds on the road! I will, however, take him to get his permit. He will only be allowed to drive on side streets for some time. At least he's grown a bit this summer and is physically big enough to manage. He's actually taller then me now! Anyway, my sweet little boy is now a full-blown teenager and now he has his own birthday post- although a belated one!

Happy Birthday Son- I love you!!

Are you ready for some football???

I've noticed that soccer mom's have the reputation but it's football mom's that are truly nuts! At least I must be! I sat out in the cold, 52 degrees, and rain through two and a half hours of a game I don't like, all to see my child on the field! The first half of the game was so miserable! It just steadily rained and the wind blew! Despite wearing two jackets and a tarp and using an umbrella, I got pretty wet. During half-time, Sgt Dad, Middle Son and I went to a laundromat to dry our jackets and blanket. It was a pretty good idea. The warm dry clothes went a long way towards reheating our frigid bodies. For the second half, the rain finally let up and it went so much faster.

Our team got creamed- again. It stinks! However, our school has 800 students in comparison to the other area schools which have about 1600+ students. At least I got to see my son on the field a couple times. Today was the other team's homecoming. There were some crazy teens in the home team stands sans shirts- in this weather!

All-in-all I'm glad I went. I wanted to leave in the worst way but couldn't allow myself to go home, miss my son playing all the while he is standing out there without any of the comforts I had brought along for myself. I figured if he could be out there in short sleeves and take it, I could manage with all the gear I had brought!

Happy Birthday Tater!

Today was Tater's 16th birthday! I can't believe it! We took him (and Strummer but not Eagle since he was at football practice) to the Bear Tooth for dinner and a movie. This restaurant/movie theater is a popular local attraction. They took out every other row of theater seats and replaced them with dinner tables. So you enter the theater and pay only $3 per person then order your food. Then they give you an orange cone w/ a number on it. You then go into the theater and find your seat/table, put your cone on the table and enjoy the movie while waiting for your food to be cooked and then delivered to your table. We saw Evan Almighty. It was a good movie! We did learn that it's best to get there a bit early or your order will be last (like ours was) and wasn't the best food we ever had. However, overall it was a great experience and we'll do it again. For the four of us we spent about $55 which is the same or less than just going to a regular movie and having snacks. Tater really enjoyed it! After dinner I couldn't wait any longer and gave him his birthday present without even wrapping it. He got Guitar Hero II for XBOX 360. He was really happy. Then we stopped at the grocery store and bought cake and his favorite ice cream- mint chocolate chip. Yes, I totally cheated on my diet! So, when we got home, I sang a solo Happy Birthday as Sgt. Dad and the other two boys did not join in. Poor Tater! I hope his ears will recover before next year! I think Tater had a good birthday. We'll try to take him tomorrow to get his permit.
So, that's about all that's going on worth mentioning tonight. I'm tired after a long week and I'm off to bed. G'nite!

Today's the 5th???

In case you live under a rock- today was my birthday. And what a day! It started off with a bizarre and vivid dream. I was visiting a friend who had adopted a daughter (not true- we both have sons only) and the new daughter (only two or three in the dream) was showing the house to me. It was a beautiful, huge Victorian and the little girl had several cubby-hole type "rooms" within her room all just big enough for twin mattresses- like lots of sleeping cubbies. Then I was talking with my friend and her husband on this large catwalk type Balcony looking out at a large stained glass window. I was asking if the window was original to the house and thinking it was impossible because look at how it's bowing even now with the wind. When suddenly the wind blew in the window! I don't remember the rest but it was so vivid! I nearly had to call her to see if she had adopted a little girl. At this point my obnoxious alarm was beeping and I hit it off and lay there with my eyes closed, trying hard to sleep but not really, when Sgt. Dad came barging in telling me one of the dogs had peed on the carpet. I grumpily realize that it's my birthday- 35- ugh! and drag myself out of bed to deal with the mess. So, I sop up the pee, soak it, steam clean it up, spray it with enzyme cleaner and realize it's 6:15 and I've only heard one boy moving around. They all have to catch the bus at 6:45 so I run upstairs and awake my younger two. I run back down and pack a "snack" of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for oldest son to eat after school and before football practice. I don't have the heart to remind them it's my birthday. So off they go with out a reminder. Sighing, I got my newspaper and had a cup of coffee while completing the daily crossword. With the house to myself, I got ready in record time and left the house. It was then I realized Sgt Dad had gone by bicycle for PT and left the garage door up and I had to leave it open as I had also noticed his keys sitting on the kitchen counter. So, off to work I go leaving my home unsecured. Traffic was a bear. They even spoke about it on the radio how early rush hour was this morning.... I guess everyone tried to be early? I was feeling all bummed out and missing friends and family when I got to work. BUT when I booted up my computer and checked my email my day turned around! Mommy to the rescue! My Mom remembered my birthday! and so did my former co-workers! It SO made my day! I didn't tell anyone here, except my counterpart who actually had remembered. In fact, we were supposed to go to lunch together but he had something to do at noon and didn't come back until 2:30 and by then I didn't feel like going anywhere. By this time Sgt Dad had still not called and I was realizing that he was going to forget my birthday- again! At 2:45 my younger two boys called- they remembered and felt bad that in the rush this morning they hadn't! How sweet. After getting home I gave Sgt Dad plenty of hints and time to remember- but he didn't and I stubbornly refused to remind him. I bitterly cooked dinner and picked up oldest son from football. Oldest son remembered. He even cooked up an excuse to go out and buy me a card and a present! He usually is good to me. Sgt Dad finally realized what was up and blamed me for not reminding him!! LOL. He said- you can't ever keep a secret- why didn't you tell me. Anyway... that was my day. Tomorrow Sgt Dad will take me out for my belated birthday! Now that I'm an "old" lady I can't stay up late- I need my beauty sleep! Goodnight!

Alaska State Fair

So, we went to the state fair to celebrate Labor Day. It was probably no bigger than the Monroe County Fair for you Rochestarians and would be about 1/2 the size of the SC State Fair. It's doubtful we'll go next year. Cost-wise it was par for the course for Alaska, which means expensive. I guess if you are a farmer or into 4H it's a great fair. Also, since there seems to be a lack of amusement parks here, it's probably the only chance many locals have to enjoy the rides. They had a Gravitron which I haven't seen in probably over 20 years. I was fascinated by the piglets that were born on Aug 28th. Their mother was gigantic! The view of the snow capped mountains was beautiful also. I'm totally rambling tonight because I'm worn out from hours of traipsing around the fair. Sgt Dad has to check out ALL the food stands before deciding what to eat and see ALL the rides before deciding which to ride. Which reminds me, youngest son attempted the games where you are supposed to shoot all the red star off the target and he nearly did it! So- video games are good for at least one thing- marksmanship! For the record, Sgt Dad didn't shoot all the star off either. (it was a windy day... that target kept moving.... )
All in all we had a nice family day only marred by the frequent remembrances of my oldest son's upcoming flight from the coop.
Enjoy the fair pictures!