Last week was finals week at UAA. Like the rest of my fellow collegians, I was trying to cram studying and paper writing into every spare second of the day. The Cuddy cafeteria, normally buzzing with chatter, was as quiet as a library with young co-eds grouped at various tables, huddled over textbooks and laptops trying to get all the last minute studying done before exams. One particular set of students caught my eye. This group had not only the ubiquitous and seemingly prerequisite cup of coffee but also an entire case of Red Bull as a study aid. Curiosity aroused, I looked more closely around the room and nearly every student was two-fisting liquid energy, most with a cup of coffee chased with some kind of energy drink. Had I been a real journalist, I would have interviewed them all to ask more about their study habits. Do energy drinks really help? Don't they get jittery? Do they crash? Can they remember what they learn "high" on caffeine? Can they sleep when they need to? How many energy drinks are required to get through finals week? How much coffee?
As for me, I get by on coffee, lots of coffee. To be even more specific, I get by on Venti, Breve, Sugar-free Hazelnut, 3-Splenda Lattes.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
A Well-Lived Life
Mark Twain said, “Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. “ Millie Tapscott has lived a life full of smiles and her beautiful, wrinkled face is evidence of that. When I met Millie at Anchorage Pioneer Home this week, there was hardly a moment when her mouth was not turned up in a smile. Millie was clearly a popular resident. Our conversation was frequently interrupted by other residents stopping by to say, “Hi.”
Millie sat in her chair, dressed casually in denim slacks and sweatshirt. She kept her hands, gnarled with age, in her lap as she absent-mindedly fidgeted with a wrinkle. Millie didn’t tell me much about her own accomplishments; she only wanted to talk about her husband, Jim, who died in 2005 after nearly 60 years of marriage. Millie is quite proud of the art work he created which is displayed in the lobby of Key Bank in downtown Anchorage. She told of their travels around the world. When I asked her if she still travelled, she smiled and said, “Not much, it isn’t fun without Jim.”
Millie told me how she came to be in Alaska; she worked for Betchel Price Callahan Construction Co on the Al-Can highway project. She never moved from Alaska after that. She came to Anchorage from Fairbanks and started the first beauty salon on Fort Richardson. Millie met Jim in 1946 and they were married that same year. It was quite clear that Millie and Jim were a team.
Several Anchorage Daily News articles mention Millie and Jim by name. The couple was crowned King and Queen Regents for the 1995 Fur Rendezvous and the following year were King and Queen of Wasilla’s Iditarod Days Festival. Clearly, the couple was involved and respected in the community.
As my time with Millie was drawing to a close, the dining server stopped at our table to ask Millie if she wanted the tuna or chili for dinner. Millie wrinkled her nose to that and asked for something else. The server said, “That’s all I have.” Undaunted, Millie said, “How about cottage cheese? You have that don’t you?” At this point the server acquiesced. Millie turned to me smiling, “I knew it.”
Millie is a pioneering woman. How brave she must have been to take that job working on the Al-Can project and to live in Anchorage at a time when there were only two paved roads. She survived the 1964 earthquake. She was actually driving at the time! She raised her daughter, Lynn, and had a successful career of her own and teamed up with her husband on many projects. Now, in the twilight of her life, she reflects happily on her many years with Jim, always with a smile on her face.
Millie sat in her chair, dressed casually in denim slacks and sweatshirt. She kept her hands, gnarled with age, in her lap as she absent-mindedly fidgeted with a wrinkle. Millie didn’t tell me much about her own accomplishments; she only wanted to talk about her husband, Jim, who died in 2005 after nearly 60 years of marriage. Millie is quite proud of the art work he created which is displayed in the lobby of Key Bank in downtown Anchorage. She told of their travels around the world. When I asked her if she still travelled, she smiled and said, “Not much, it isn’t fun without Jim.”
Millie told me how she came to be in Alaska; she worked for Betchel Price Callahan Construction Co on the Al-Can highway project. She never moved from Alaska after that. She came to Anchorage from Fairbanks and started the first beauty salon on Fort Richardson. Millie met Jim in 1946 and they were married that same year. It was quite clear that Millie and Jim were a team.
Several Anchorage Daily News articles mention Millie and Jim by name. The couple was crowned King and Queen Regents for the 1995 Fur Rendezvous and the following year were King and Queen of Wasilla’s Iditarod Days Festival. Clearly, the couple was involved and respected in the community.
As my time with Millie was drawing to a close, the dining server stopped at our table to ask Millie if she wanted the tuna or chili for dinner. Millie wrinkled her nose to that and asked for something else. The server said, “That’s all I have.” Undaunted, Millie said, “How about cottage cheese? You have that don’t you?” At this point the server acquiesced. Millie turned to me smiling, “I knew it.”
Millie is a pioneering woman. How brave she must have been to take that job working on the Al-Can project and to live in Anchorage at a time when there were only two paved roads. She survived the 1964 earthquake. She was actually driving at the time! She raised her daughter, Lynn, and had a successful career of her own and teamed up with her husband on many projects. Now, in the twilight of her life, she reflects happily on her many years with Jim, always with a smile on her face.
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