So weird

My car alarm and starter decided to start working again. Jut as I'm carrying 4 pkgs up my stairs in the freezing rain. Seriously scared the bejuz out of me. No more trudging out in the cold to start the car though. Loving that

Did that really just happen...?

Here's the synopsis...

• Car's auto-starter/alarm stopped working sometime over the summer
• When winter hit, my car kept tripping the house breaker (block heater on car that is)
• Breaker was checked. It's a 20amp and the 2 blankets together don't equal 5. Breaker was swapped and its good. Every plug car was plugged not tripped.
• Driving home from gym last week, rear passenger tire popped. Ended up driving 2-3 blocks before I realized. 
• Changed tire in -26. Took me 2 hrs and a phone-a-friend. Decided it was too cold to do without a block heater so I called my mechanic...
• Turns out block heater is leaking antifreeze and shorting itself out. 
• Part didn't come in on Saturday flight. Hopefully it makes the Tuesday one.

Oh, and yesterday it actually snowed... A blizzard too. First snow of the year. Just a bit different from last year.

Changing tire in sub-zero temps... New badge system

After spending the last 2 hrs changing my tire in -26 F weather. In the dark. I can say a couple things... 1) I love my Carhartt bibs and bunny boots... 2) cold metal is wicked. It burns. 3) thank the powers that be that full size spares exist and 4) I want a merit badge.

I had a friend come help me and we decided there will now be a merit badge system for Bethel. Changing a tire in sub-zero weather is deserving of a badge. We will have to come up with others. But still.

Happy and safe driving my friends.

Crud cont...

I'm going to try to keep this from getting gross but I feel I should update- and if nothing else, a cautionary tale. I posted yesterday about finally getting the Bethel Crud after 18 months of being here. So this is the synopsis...

Last week I ended up not going to the gym all week because I tweaked by knee slightly (just a slight ache really but given my knee's history i didn't want to go running 4 miles and push it) falling on the ice Monday morning, then by the time that was feeling better (Wednesday) I had my first massage in a while. Apparently, my insurance will pay for 20 visits per calendar year and the ear is almost up. I knew from massages in lifetimes past that you need to drink LOTS of water to flush out all the toxins released and I've also just laid the groundwork for the Fitness Challenge which starts first of the year so I was drinking a ton of water this week. I had something like 64 oz on Wednesday and Thursday each. Thursday i ordered a late lunch at work because i had worked hard through the last couple days and wanted to treat myself a little. I was still sore from the massage- i had to idea a person's bum could be that tight. i was still full from lunch by the time I went home so i have a light dinner (summer sausage and cheese) and then went to bed around 11ish. This is when the fun begins folks...

• 4:30am Friday I was woken out of a dead sleep to the tell-tale warning from my body, "girl, you're gonna lose your lunch. High-tale that rear-end to the potty-room". So I did, and I did- rather I lost my dinner. I remember thinking 2 things. 1- this is so gross and 2- after 10 hrs shouldn't that have made its way through the system already and be somewhat more digested.
• 4:30-5:30am I proceeded to evacuate from everywhere. I feel quite fortunately that it was always sequential and not simultaneous. 
• By 6am I was exhausted and texted my boss (her preferred method of calling in) to let her know I was going to stay home. 
• By 8:30am I was ridiculously relieved that I'd called in because I was up to round 4 or so in the bathroom. Checked temp: 97.8 ( I usually run a 96.8 so it was equivalent to most people's 99.6). Achy and starting to get the chills. I figured it was probably the flu. Just waiting on the fever.
• By 10am-ish (5.5 hrs into the ordeal) I was getting pretty intense stomach cramps and had already lost count of how many rounds of evacuation. These were simultaneous cramps on right and left sides of my stomach just under the rib cage. Random contractions of the entire stomach. Briefly I thought that if it didn't hurt so much it might actually qualify as a decent ab workout (I was grasping at straws trying to make myself feel better). I was actually getting quite nervous about appendicitis at one point in here but i still wasn't running a fever. So weak at this point I didn't want to chance walking on the ice to try and get the Imodium that was stashed in my car's first aid kit. I asked someone to stop by and grab it for me on her way home for lunch but the hospital was short staffed enough with everybody being out with the crud that she never got a lunch. Mom reminded me later that if it was in my car during the winter, especially last winter (which it was) that the extreme cold probably rendered it useless. i guess i figured it was better to try that than nothing, but i didn't end up getting it so it was a moot point.
• At 11am I was able to take some ibuprofen and took a 3 hour nap. Thank who/whatever you pray to. I opted- at mom's recommendation- to try and sip and force water down. I was throwing up so regularly before this i didn't want to think about it. Looking back- that was one of my biggest mistakes though it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference. I was exhausted and feeling so week but the ibuprofen seemed to dull the stomach cramps enough for me to rest a bit which was much appreciated. Sometime before this my bum had just gotten raw. burning from everything. I understand and feel so bad for babies with diarrhea and rashes. it's miserable and when you already feel crummy... it's rough.
• 2pm (waking up from 3 hr nap) rolls around with another round of multi-point evacuation (still sequential). I try to take more ibuprofen but it was not even 45 minutes before i threw up again so i doubt much got it. There was always a lull for a bit after an evacuation where it start to feel ok for a little bit and think maybe it was getting better. I was so wrong. The chills got stronger and stronger. i turned up the heat in my apartment to about 73 where normally its at 68 or so. I was still cold but i curled up in front of the couch and slept for maybe 30 minutes before the cramping got so bad i relocated to the floor in front of the toilet wrapped up in a blanket. 
• It's now 3:00pm-ish and the cramping so so severe i'm actually yelling out and crying. I felt so weak and pathetic. I napped a little longer in my bed but i was more like just lying there. the cramping and chills were so bad i couldn't really fall asleep. 
• 5pm- Jumped out of bed for another round of throwing up only this time... it was lime green. Not bile. It wasn't bitter at all. I then asked for 2nd opinion from a couple people and was told to go to the ER. On one hand I felt defeat. I haven't gone to the ER for an illness before. I've been for injuries but never so sick i couldn't just persevere and keep moving. Well... this was the time. Also, my head was hurting pretty bad. I couldn't tell if it was dehydration headache or Migraine since i didn't get caffeine today.
• 5:45pm I get to the ER and register. I dropped my stuff off in my office (next door to the ER and kept my ipad and phone so i could attempt to pass the time. I get ice-chips from the desk and try to work on sucking those down to increase fluid intake.
• 7pm I was triaged. grabbed a 2nd cup of ice. This is where time and even details get a bit fuzzy on me.
• 8pm-ish one of the nurses I work with sometimes pulled me back into Fast-Track. Its a program they set up to help with ER overflow after hours. Cases that a PA (Physicians Assistant) or NP (Nurse Practitioner) can deal with or cases where a nurse can take care of administering things get sent through to Fast Track. Think of it like being Triaged between actual ER and Urgent Care. 
• They set me up for IV fluids. I have notoriously bad veins. By this, I mean that they are small and like to roll. Often the depth is quite deceiving as well. I used to donate platelets and it's a fairly large needed (16/18) so we were hoping for the smaller needles (20/22) that it wouldn't be so bad. We were wrong. It took 3 sticks and a 2nd nurse before we got a good insertion. I do not blame them in the least. The Red Cross actually used me as a test dummy for their new phlebotomists and I can't begin to tell you the weird things that have happened to me with needles. 
• As I'm sitting there waiting for them to get the IV solution ready- i think they were also giving me some anti-nausea meds- I could not stop shaking and chattering. They gave me a heated blanket and my body absorbed the head almost instantly.
• They hooked me up to the IV and brought me a couple more heated blankets. 
• 10pm ish (Still Friday)- Halfway through the bag, I was almost convulsing with chills. They got me a few more heated blankets (i think i was up to 8 or so by then) and someone went to get my coat from my office to pile on top of me. Shivering so violently I was actually crying on/off. Just between being cold, tired, weak and to be really honest by bum burning, well, I couldn't keep it in.
• 11pm-ish When the bag was done they took a look at me again. I was still freezing and having found out that I hadn't actually peed all day they opted to put me on another IV bag. This time I pulled my arm with the IV under the blanket and onto my tummy so the fluid would hopefully be warmed a little before going into me. I also was so tired by then I just curled up on my side and tried to pass out.
• 12 midnight- My IV beeped to tell everybody i was done and i was surprised to realize i had actually slept about an hour.  As the ladies came in to check on me and i rolled over they asked how I was and if i needed anything. My automatic reaction when the right side of my head exploded was caffeine. They asked why and I told them i had a migraine. They unhooked my IV and then gave me 2 injections of Toridol (no idea how much, I wasn't in any shape to keep track). I was also thirsty at this point so they got me some juice and a trip to the potty had us cheering that i was actually peeing again. It's a certain kind of bad when peeing is something to cheer about.
• 1am Saturday- i was released with a bottle of Imodium and instructions for the rest of the weekend. I headed to the convenience store in town that is open till 4am and stocked up on Gatorades, V8 spashes, water, sprite and a coke to try and stave off more migraines over the weekend. I also grabbed a loaf of bread to work on toast as I started feeling better. I was honestly surprised I was able to carry that much liquid but i was feeling way more human after the IVs. 
• 1:30 am- juices all in the fridge and 1 next to the bed I passed out until about 7:30 am. 
• 7:30 am Sat- another round of southern evacuation. This began the Imodium being popped like M&Ms. Instructions from the ER was take 1 capsule after each loose stool. Well... this morning that was rough.  I didn't realize until later that the post-ER instructions said that fruit juice should be diluted. oops. Luckily it was only an 12 oz V8 Splash but it wasn't the best idea. I just felt like i needed some nutrients in my body if I could swing it. 
• Late morning- Somewhere between the multitude of potty runs i texted friends with babies and asked what the preferred diaper cream for rashes and diarrhea bum was now-a-days. Turns out it's Desitin. 
• 2:30pm i am starting to feel hungry so i made some toast. just buttered. a test. we shall see if it stays down.
• 2:45 pm- So having depleted half my Imodium stash (was given 20 when i left the ER at 1am, you do the math) and having a raw bum, i headed to the store.
• 3pm- check-out with diaper cream and Imodium... not my favorite. The cashier was one of the 2 people that had been keeping close tabs on me the day before so she looks at me and asks what the cream was. i said it was diapercream and you should have seen the look on her face. I made it out of there and home in one piece. I called the parents to let them hear my voice since they've been getting texts throughout the night and morning. They're on the other coast so it wasn't bad till i was leaving the hospital and it was 5am for them. But they wanted to be kept in the loop since I'm here by myself.  
• 3:30-5pm- phone with the parents. they were happy to hear i was feeling better. and it seemed like at least dad didn't realize just how dehydrated i was till he started putting the time-lines together. I got ridiculously dehydrated in approximately 12 hours. That's it. If I'd been out camping or if I'd waited a few hours more to go to the ER or if I didn't have the technology and common-sense enough to text people and ask if i should go when i was feeling unable to make the decision, it might have been worse. On one had, I feel like we've gotten much too reliant on technology but on the other, there are so many cases where it saves lives. Not saying I was close to death or anything, but i was pretty severely dehydrated. I don't want to think how that would have turned out without modern medicine, vehicles or communication technology.
• 5:15 pm peed without the runs!!! cause for celebration and another piece of toast
• 5:30-10:30 pm  Good long nap
• 10:30pm Saturday- did some dishes and stripped the bed. Changes sheets and took a much needed shower. I can't tell you how much better i feel having a shower for the first time since Thursday morning. new sheets helped too. 

Now it's early Sunday morning. My sleep cycle is all screwed up and my stomach still hurts. It's tender to the touch and i feel like it's swollen. It feels like my intestines are really angry with me still. I'm still drinking lots. I can tell you from personal experience if you have babies, that Desitin does in fact work. The thickness is a good thing. I know it almost feels oily and it's hard to wash off your fingers after applying it but that's a good design. you want it to stick to the skin like that so it can help heal the chap and it also protects from more wetness from -whatever fluid- irritating the skin more. I do highly recommend repeat applications throughout the entire process though. and for geez sake- please wipe gingerly and baby wipes are cooling. especially if after you're done with the rigorous cleaning you just place/press a fresh wipe over the affected area (seriously- this is what this weekend boils down to? advice in taking care of a baby's diarrhea bum... ::shakes head::). When the bum is raw like that it's really really painful. i would almost say the burning bum was as bad if not worse than the stomach cramps.

Oh that note... I'm going to curl up with a book and see if i can drink some more. lets see if I can feel good enough to go back to work Monday or if I need to give it another day. cross your fingers for me friends.

Bethel Crud

I've been here for 18 months and finally got the Bethel Crud. Think flu but severe stomach cramps. Ridding fluid from both ends and not keeping anything down. I don't have a fever but the chills are rough. Cramps are like both sides of my stomach contracting simultaneously.

In the ER getting an IV now and my bad veins made it a little rough on the nurse since I'm dehydrated too.

I fell victim, again & requests from the people

I have been doing so well walking on the ice covered driveways, streets and walkways (even in Danskos- on accident of course) that i didn't expect to slip while trying to get into my car this morning. BUT- all my years of being a Kamikaze for various sports (during volleyball i spent more time on the floor than upright some days) that I'm apparently REALLY good at falling.

Last time I gently slid onto my back. Today, I somehow corkscrewed my body and ended up just sitting on the ground. Let me tell you- that takes skills. And apparently YEARS of throwing myself to the ground so falling is an instinctual artform. HA- falling is an artform. I need a hobby.

On a side-note... it was actually requested that I head up another Fitness Challenge at work. We are all on a PTO blackout until sometime in March so it's a captive audience. It won't be quite as long. Not sure if I want to do the same format. We'll see how this works out.

Today's temp

3 degrees F with RealFeel (windchill) of -23 degrees. Enjoy your warmth my friends.

A look back

I don't know that I can call this a regret, but I wish that when I came to Alaska I'd gone somewhere closer/with more access to some of the more published or stereotypical Alaskan views. The expense here is so great that its really cost prohibitive to travel and view more of the Alaskan landscape on my salary and while I'm trying to pay off my student loans.

When I leave here I won't want to move to another part of Alaska more than likely because I want to be closer to the rest of the country but at the same time I do wish I'd spent time in Denali or exploring Juneau or Fairbanks or Kodiak, anywhere really.  I'm jealous of people I know who are based out of Anchorage and have gone and spent weekends hiking, climbing, etc. but I have also learned so much being here I can't find it to regret this move. If I had to do it all over again I might have selected a different place to live.

It's too bad current cost of living information is so hard to find.

Weather?

Internet is ridiculously sluggish and even completely unresponsive at times. Good news is I'm tired enough I'll be passing out soon. Bad news is its incredibly annoying.

Drunk in gummies

I can tell you they almost all smell like their respective liquors but I'm not tasting them all tonight.

The selection includes... Gin, vodka, midori, rum, Jim bean, tequila and crown royal. Yay gummies. I'll narrow it down for future big batches.

Negatives

The temperature will be hitting negatives tonight. Including windchill it's been about -20. I laugh when I see people in snow pants if its in the 30s. Hehe

Ups and downs

A patient got to talking to me about my kuspak. Then we started talking about how one of the reasons I really enjoyed the process of learning how to make and then creating the kuspak was because not only was I walking away with the kuspak but I was learning it in a traditional way. I didn't learn from a class, the Internet or reading. I learned it from someone that had gone before me, an elder. I enjoy being brought into the culture and being thought enough of to be taught in that way.

Before that moment I hadn't spoken those thoughts out loud. I knew it meant more to me but I hadn't spent the time to label the feeling. 

The conversation somehow morphed into that patient asking for my palm and sharing with me what they saw for my future. It was completely unexpected. Now- I'm not going to share what was said because I was actually asked not to. I will say this though. I have been feeling a bit suffocated lately and this is why...

I have learned a lot being here. About Alaska, the native culture(s), and myself- personally and professionally. But at the same time, I have been frustrated with red tape at work and finances. Yes, I'm making ore here but the cost of living is significantly higher than most other places. It's more expensive here than Boston and Chicago were and with some Hawaiian patients I have found that its more expensive here than in Hawaii. The cost of getting goods here is pretty outrageous. Gas and groceries... Wow. So saving is hard. The money from IHS (Indian Health Services)  and LRP (Loan Repayment Program) has been huge but in the mean time, I haven't been able to pay as much off on student loans that I wanted. I have a ear left on my car too which is a pretty big chunk of money every month. I'm also have been working on lining up a roommate so we can get a 2- bedroom which will be cheaper. I have a year+ left here (to fulfill my LRP contract, breaking it would be a HUGE burden) and the walls just feel to be closing in on me at times

... So with the walls tight and frustrations high this conversation with my patient was a step back. When they asked for my palm I mentioned that this was unexpected. But what came of it was a bit refreshing. It breathed back some hope that even though I may not be filled with joy and happiness now, it's not impossible. I'm sort of laying the ground-work now for a happy future. 

Ultimately, I'm content with where I am right now. I need to put together a bit more of a long-term plan. A 5 year plan I guess. Maybe a 2 or 3 year plan too. I feel almost silly doing that for myself but I think it's essential to have goals in life. The palm reading was a re-energization that was needed. A spark of hope. So now it's just a matter of continuing to put one foot in front of the next

Well I'm stuck inside mostly because I have a headache (by headache i might mean migraine. And by might i mean i do) but I just checked the weather and its 1 degree F with a RealFeel of -30. Wind is a pain when it's this cold out.

Sunrise 9:58am and sunset at 5:06 pm.

8 degrees with a real feel of -12

The forecast...

Btw. It's snowing and 26 degrees right now.

Alaska Dispatch news

Alaska... Science vs religion (fishing restrictions) [click here]


There are 2 sides to every situation, the question is... can we come to a conclusion that will satisfy both?

I understand the significance of religious points of view and wanting to maintain the culture, however, if regulations aren't followed, how long until there won't be any fish to fish? There would be no way to pass down that part of culture except through stories.

Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way, but I'm almost seeing the tables turned here. White man's regulations are trying to preserve for generations to come where the stubbornness of some threaten to kill off a centuries old way of life. Is it truly about religious/cultural freedoms or is it about sticking it to the man?

Baking GF bread

I found a GF (gluten free) sandwich bread that I really enjoy. Especially when I make it cinnamon bread. It's so yummy. The box says its only supposed to take 30-40 min to rise... It lies! I've been letting it rise for over an hour and its probably halfway there. I might get toast before bed or maybe not :(

Little Houses

I've become almost obsessed in the last few days with mini homes. I realized my apartment is in fact very tiny. Including the arctic entry which is essentially a mud room & utility room combined (housing my 2-300gal water tanks and water heater) my entire apartment is just at 500 sq ft. And absolutely no closet space.

I'm convinced that if done appropriately, with built-ins and good organization, I could easily live in a small home. I have been looking for different ways people have done this and hoping that someday I can pull this off. Hopefully someday will be within the next 5 years or so. I am reading lots where people build these homes themselves for $30k-50k. Even with contracting out certain parts of the project.

Someday

no sign of snow... but we've got ice

It's not quite as cold this year (at this time) as it was last year. We have only had a dusting of snow, though we've already had some nasty freezing rain that has left everything a solid sheet. oh- about that... I dislike freezing rain. So here's what happened on Friday...

My car was in 4WD because it had started freezing puddles the night before. My truck (OK- SUV technically) usually does pretty well anyway in that sort of condition but i really didn't want to end up in a ditch. As I'm driving to work, a car in front of me pulls over and lets me pass. I was confused because we were only going about 20 mph and i was in no way on their bumper. There was a good half a block between us. I was stopping just find at stop signs- granted I'm way better at braking sooner in the last couple years than i used to be. Then i pull into the hospital parking lot. I fishtail and correct.

I should probably add in here that I had the good fortune of learning how to drive in an area known for it's snowfall. Upstate NY. My parents wanted to make sure I knew what to do in snow and ice and my dad took me to the high school parking lot once and as a terrified new driver (BTW, he had a habit of scaring the piss out of me when i learned how to drive that year- ask me sometime about learning stick on a hill off of the main drag of Erie BLVD. I STILL hold that against him) told me to gun it across the parking lot. WHAT?!? i reluctantly did, then he yelled "SLAM ON THE BRAKES!" never has my heart beat so far out of my chest before that. That day i learned to purposely fishtail, correct a fishtail and even do donuts. Granted he wanted me to do them around a lamp-post and I dementedly refused.

That year, I learned that i disliked driving minivans and rear-wheel drive vehicles in the snow/ice. I learned to make sure your windshield fluid is rated for the cold temperatures- of it'll freeze on your windshield and let me tell you... that is a mess. I learned to keep a shovel and a winter safety kit in the trunk and much much more.

back to the original story...

I correct my fishtail in the hospital parking lot, and park. Then i go to get out of the car. I was lucky to have found a spot where i could be a full door length away from the car next to me, grabbed my messenger bag and stepped down from my car. That's when it happened. I seriously didn't even have time to think the words "oh shit"- all of the sudden I was flat on my ass and under my car. I tried to get up and failed. I literally had to pull myself out from under the car by the door and the floor to the car (the running board was icky with dirt/mud/ice and who knows what else). my entire right leg, hip and arm were wet. Luckily i was actually wearing and had my coat zipped up so no mud on my shirt. and my jeans were dark enough that if there was it didn't show. I'm pretty sure it was fresh enough ice there wasn't any/much dirt though. I'm also pretty sure that if I hadn't been working out all that much lately that fall woulda hurt a hell of a lot more. But i went down pretty smoothly. no tweeking of knees or anything and literally just slid under the car (thank god for 8" clearance). Once i got to a standing position, i had my next challenge... getting to the front of the hospital. Have you ever tried to stand on a sheet of ice with sneakers? It's practically impossible to walk. You have to use baby steps- still not all that efficient- or just skate. well... it's hard to skate on uneven ground so babysteps it was. luckily the walk-way was covered in dirt so it wasn't so bad but it was interesting. Once i get upstairs i realize i don't have my keys. I had them getting out of the car- but they weren't in my pockets or my hand. i got security to open the door and then my right had woman (who is leaving me for the big-bad world unfortunately) volunteered to go to my car and look. Luckily they had landed in my seat as I got fell out of my truck. sigh... 3 days later now and i am seriously lucky i'm not covered in 1 huge bruise but needless to say. I slid across the street later in the day to exchange my too-small-never-been-worn ice cleats i purchased last year for ones that will actually fit. Those things aren't leaving my bag for the rest of the winter.

This is what my cleats look like but there are a bunch of different ones out there.

Current Gas Prices...

 

I don't complain much anymore. Also- I distinctly remember getting off the plane last year for Christmas to pass a gas station and yelled, "Shit, Gas is half-price! Mom- we should fill up". She looked at me like I had 4 heads and calmly said, "Honey, It just went up 20 cents." ... oops.Yep, and we drill for it here. It costs that much because the pipeline sends the unrefined gas south where it's refined and then barged back up here. We pay for the expense of TRANSPORTATION more than anything. The cost per barrel isn't just the gas itself, it's every other mark-up you see.

I can't wait until we actually have biodiesel and other sustainable energy sources figured out. It frustrates me to no end that the technology has been there for decades but it hasn't been moved forward because of whatever stick whoever has stuck up their rears. Maybe the survivalists have a point. It's be awesome to be completely self sustaining and be able to live off the grid.

Random Thought

Someone would absolutely make bank if they could figure out how to open some sort of Dollar Store/Tree here. People come in from a village and go shopping. Sure it's cheap stuff, but when you're on a tight budget or live in one of the most expensive places in the country that cheap stuff goes far. It'd be hard to keep it stocked but it'd be busy always. huh... if I had a better business head I might actually think about this.

my very first Kuspak/Quspak

A Kuspak (or Quspak) is a very traditional Alaska native garment. I can be worn in many seasons depending on how it is made. It can be sewn into a parka/coat or can be worn as a lightweight shirt. Traditionally, there are different versions for men vs women- a women's version has a skirt. Many do not still wear it like this though some do. There are many designs from basic to quite detailed and complicated. They can be made for everyday wear or for dress occasions- yes, it's essentially a lightweight hoodie.

I asked one of my go-to Alaska information Guru and my Bethel-Mom to show me how to make my very own and I was blessed that she agreed. It took portions of 3 days for her to supervise me through the entire process. I was "fired" twice and she kicked me out of the drivers seat (seat in front of the sewing machine) and she fixed something I just wasn't doing correctly (completely due to my inexperience behind a sewing machine at all). I'd estimate that I probably completed somewhere between 90-95% of the project by myself with her instructing me and showing me how to start then handing the wheel to me. She was vital in making sure I stayed true to her original design and wouldn't make the entire thing look sloppy. The most difficult parts for a newbie sewer were attaching the cuffs and collar which is mostly what she did for me at the end. The most tedious portion was probably creating the hem/border piece. That is NOT a pre-fabricated hem. That hem/border was made by hand, my hand (i'm a little proud- can you tell?). I've included a few pictures but out of respect for the pattern originator I have not included enough to recreate the entire project.

Start of the Hem part of the project

Various pieces and hem before putting it all together.

Finished project

Finished with the Hood

Close-up of hem

Not bad for my first Kuspak and my 2nd real sewing project ever. I might get somewhere after-all.

A Word on Thanksgiving

I'm not much of Thanksgiving person, especially lately having been emerged in a native culture that has different views on this particular holiday. That being said, I am somewhat caught up in the thought-provoking nature of the season...

I'm Thankful for:
- running water
- health education (hygiene, sex ed and disease transmission)
- healthcare
- easy access to classroom education
- parents that have gone before me and realize & encouraged the value of education
- food in my belly and clothes on my back
- a culture that largely discourages incest and encourages the youth to pursue dreams
- and much much more

Large portions of the state are without running water to bathe, drink or even use the bathroom in. Honeybuckets are still very much in use today in our country- I do not mean outhouses, I mean buckets or in some cases coffee cans that people sit on to do their business. The sometime abysmal knowledge of personal hygiene is saddening. I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain to parents that the reason all 7 of their children now have the same skin infection is that all 7 sleep in the same beds with sheets that have gone 6 months without washing and that you do actually need to clean wounds with soap or other cleaning products- the next line is usually that soap is expensive and washing clothes isn't something they can afford. Or that the reason the antibiotics aren't working is because the child received maybe 2 days out of 10 or 14 prescribed. This is basic health education many do not have. I have seen 16 year old with 2 children- already out of diapers. I've seen one of the highest STD rates in the US- due to lack of sex education or access to birth control. BTW- a portion of those pregnancies are due to rape or incest. I've seen children with disabilities (Autism, physical impairments, FAS, and cognitive issues) seeing a therapist (pick a therapist) once a month- maybe- because the therapist have to fly from village to village to do rounds. And the 1 hospital for the region (the region is the size of the state of Oregon) has only 50 beds with no real trauma team/dept. Sub-regional and village clinics help see more minor cases but you can't go looking for a provider in the phonebook or ask for referrals from friends. You don't get to be picky here- you hope the person seeing you knows what they are doing.

On the flip side, I'm also Thankful for exposure to:
- a much more accepting view of adoption
- tradition actually rooted in STRONG family ties and culture
- a culture that values hard work and working with your hands
- a culture that values and listens to their elders!!!
- A culture that does not value your worth to the community in how many things you have or how much money you make but what you do for and with your neighbors, family and friends

All joking or somewhat scary comments aside- I've been in Rural Alaska for 16 months now and I have seen many things I never really imagined. Just like everywhere else I've lived there is a spectrum of what people have access to in every regard. There are some highly educated and/or driven individuals who use their skills to help progress knowledge yet preserve a culture that has been changing since 'our' (the white man) arrive and subsequent take-over (one might even venture to say hostile take-over). There are those who struggle to gain access to education, opportunities and healthcare but fight for it everyday. And there are those who like living the way the do and want no intervention. There are some (sometimes strong) opinions about the white man and the culture we brought. No one way is right- or wrong. One can only choose what is right for themselves and those close to them. It doesn't make me any less thankful. In fact, I think I can say that it only makes more more thankful for more.

Broom Ball

I just found out that Bethel has a Broom Ball team... interesting... Broomball (click here for link to wikipedia entry). A thought for the winter.

getting chilly

oh yea... it felt like -3 this AM when I left for work... I didn't even zip up my coat. no hat/gloves. Think I've acclimated yet?

Not live-fire... but...

We got an email after the JACO accredidation team was here saying that they commented that  visiting us was a humbling experience. I was telling mom this and this is how the conversation went:

me

so JACO visited us last week for accreditation

apparently it was a humbling experience

Mom

So why was it humbling?

me

humbling that we do as much as we do with so little

i'd assume

in some ways i feel like it's like Doctors without Borders

without the live fire risks

Mom

Yep..you just have bears, possible exposure risk between car / house, bedbugs, & patients risk plane accidents or river thawing....8 - D

 

Alaska Dispatch warnings this morning...

Alaska Dispatch

Anchorage Police have sent out a bear advisory via Twitter for Hillside residents:

Caution advised Hillside & DeArmoun area wounded brown bear in the area. Concern for children enroute school and joggers/walkers.

Take care this morning, folks

Gas

I recieved this email today...

Hello all, I just heard unofficially that gas prices will be going up .52 cents in Bethel very soon. If that is true, then you might want to fill ‘er up before gas is more than 7 bucks a gallon.

This makes me sad. OVER $7 a  gallon for gas. NYC would be cheaper.

Honeybuckets

Honeybuckets Vs. Plumbing

This is an article from this week in the Alaska Dispatch. This is 2012 and a large chunk of the US is still without plumbing. I know this is also still the case in parts of Appalachia. After seeing the impact plumbing has on health and well-being... well lets say I will NEVER take plumbing for granted again.

getting chilly

it's a brisk 28 degrees today... in the sun. I actually broke out the gloves. Still wearing a vest and fleece though. Ears are a little pink after being outside in the wind though.

Northern Lights... in color... well in green