Open Thread – A Day North
I promised a better blog post than my bleary-eyed one yesterday night. So, here’s my day up north.
4:15am – Alarm goes off. Eye opens. Denial. Hand slaps snooze button.
4:30am – Alarm goes off. Eye opens. Horror at the realization it really is time to get up.
4:35am – Shower, teeth, hair, clothes, bag, dog, keys.
5:45am – Airport. Coffee.
6:30am – Board plane. Sleep.
7:05am – Flight takes off.
7:10am – Turbulence over Cook Inlet. Downdrafts, floppy wings, plane shaking. If we go down, I hope we crash close enough to shore that someone from the fire department can reach me with a rope throw bag because we apparently don’t have a seaworthy rescue vessel for such things. And thanks to Dan Sullivan we’ll have to have the Troopers handle the call first because the Fire Department has lost $150,000 that would be used for people who deal with incidents like the one I’m imagining in my head right now. Thanks, Dan. A pox on your house… I am not a morning person.
7:25am – Coffee. Juice. Why is the flight attendant wearing 4 inch patent leather spiked heels? She just did a whole thing about floatation and the life boat. How is she going to not pop the lifeboat with those things? What if we have an emergency situation that involves evacuating people or lifting, or stepping over bodies. They really ought to have rules about that. Try take picture of shoes, but it’s too dark.
8:00am – Touch down in Fairbanks. Feel smug that I have no carry-on bag. Do not realize that later I will find this ironic. Twice.
8:05 – Meet up with Sine Anahita from the Sociology Department of UAF. Get taken to a very awesome coffee shop called the Alaska Coffee Roasting Company. Get an Americano. Americano is 2000 degrees. Must wait. Engage in wonderful conversation. Get ready to go. Americano is now only 1200 degrees.
9:15am – Try to visit the World Ice Carving Championships to see the amazing ice sculptures. It’s closed. Plan B – The Museum of the North.
9:30am – Pull up next to the most amazing building I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s like a giant angle celebration. I am told it is two colliding icebergs. I, who normally am not a fan of “modern” looking architecture, am swept off my feet. I have an hour and a half to myself in this museum. I can’t wait.
9:32am – I enter the iceberg. I take a sip of my Americano. It is now 900 degrees and I get a “fuzzy tongue”. I put the travel mug in my deep coat pocket so I do not violate museum guidelines. I walk around with a big stupid smile on my face. I see amazing things and begin to take pictures. I call Spouse twice to tell him about the things I’ve seen. I have “museum joy.” I have experienced museum joy since childhood. On field trips, while all the other kids were rolling their eyes, and violating rules, and goofing around in the bathroom, I was riveted to information plaques, and glass cases and tried to absorb everything I saw like I was going to be dead the next day. I go through rooms of paintings, stuffed creatures, fossils, mummified critters, artifacts, furniture, Alaskana, Native crafts, more paintings, and then, a stairway.
10:30- I am deeply in love with this building. There are angles that go nowhere, long pointy rooms, walls that slant in or out depending on your perspective, soaring ceilings, open spaces, little crannies, windows, curves, points and slopes. More paintings upstairs, and then suddenly…
10:45am – …my camera stops working. There is a blinking message on my screen. “Memory Card Full.” I begin deleting some pictures so I can fit others on, and then I realize, I had indeed brought a spare! More clicking. I am deliberately withholding my discoveries for use in open threads in case you were wondering.
Gift shop! Mammoth Christmas ornament, birch syrup, birch lollipops, raven magnet, cool mug with picture of iceberg building. And a book shelf. With books. I feel a sudden need to turn one of them face down. Can you find it? I bet you can.
11:00am – My ride returns. I explain my love for the building and I hear the story of the giant cost overruns, and the person who got blamed for them. History will judge her a hero, I say. The colliding icebergs are a monument that will outlive the penny pinchers with no sense of architectural destiny – the sensible people with no aesthetic vision. Sometimes we need people like that, and other times they need to just be quiet. Does anyone gripe that the Jefferson Memorial went over cost? Do we remember the price of the Brooklyn Bridge?
11:15am – We go to visit an ice sculpture that is free, out in the wild. It’s a bear. I get out of the car to take a picture of it. It’s about 0 degrees, and I wonder why my right side feels much colder than my left side. I touch my coat and realize that the travel mug that was in my coat pocket has emptied its contents all down my side. The Americano is now less than 98.6 degrees.
11:30am – Bathroom across from the Women’s Studies Office. Paper towels. Blotting. More towels. More blotting. Realization that blotting will only be so effective and that evaporation must be relied upon as the ultimate solution. My shirt is soaked. I remember the smug “I have no luggage” feeling and think that if I had luggage, I would also have a shirt. I do not realize that this is only the first of two times I will regret not having luggage.
12:00pm – Veggie burger and more delightful conversation at the Wood Center. Marvel at the “stairway to nowhere.” Must remember to take a picture, I think. I find out that on a clear day you can see Mt. McKinley from Fairbanks. I already know you can see it on a clear day from Anchorage. Suddenly the state seems smaller, and Denali seems bigger. The distance from each city to the mountain is about the same as from NY to Boston.
12:50pm – I meet fellow panelist Jerry McBeath (pronounced Macbeth). I think of asking him if he shied away from a career in drama because nobody would ever be able to say his name in a theatre because of the superstition. Then I think he’s probably heard variations of that his entire life and I decide to spare him. I meet Kayt Sunwood from the Women’s Studies Department who helped arrange my trip. I meet Chris Coffman, the moderator.
1:00pm – The panel begins. I am completely impressed with both of the other people on the panel, and the moderator. Jerry McYouKnowWho talks about palin from a political science perspective. He actually has some positive things to say about Palin that I cannot disagree with. Gold star for him. Sine Anahita talks about Palin from a sociological perspective. I find her insightful and interesting. I say things too, but like always, I forget what they are as soon as the event is over. But, you can listen to a podcast of the panel HERE if you like.
2:00pm – The discussion is over. There was so much more to talk about, but alas we only had an hour. There is apparently a “dead hour” between 1 and 2pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a dedicated group tries to fill this hour with interesting things. It makes me wish I lived closer. I get to meet several people afterwards, some who were readers of Mudflats and some who were not. Everyone was very friendly and seemed to enjoy the discussion.
2:30pm – Gulliver’s Books. I’ve heard about it, and now here I am. It smells like books. I like it immediately. They have free coffee. I like it even more. I am joined by Kayt Sunwood, and Jamie Smith, the amazingly talented cartoonist who does “Nuggets” and the blog “Ink and Snow.” He’s contributed generously to The Mudflats and I’m very excited to meet him. We have a great conversation about blogging, and I notice the doodles in his notebook from the panel discussion. I am even impressed by his doodling. He gives me a signed book! I take his picture with Brian the moose. The time flies.
4:00pm - Kayt drives me to the airport. More great conversation. I see a bumper sticker that says Quitter with a picture of Palin. It seems like the perfect way to symbolically end the day. I say my good-byes and my thank yous.
4:15pm – I check in, and go through security. “Do you have any liquids?” I know they will ask me, so I quickly finish a bottle of water I have in my bag. Bags on X-ray belt. Shoes off. Coat off. Laptop out. “Is this your bag?” I am asked.
“Yes.”
“Is this your bag?” I am asked again.
“Yes.”
Bags are rifled through. I wait.
“What is this?” A rubber-gloved hand holds up something wrapped in tissue and bubble wrap. I have no idea what that is, and then it hits me. Birch syrup. More than 3 oz. of birch syrup. Argh. Spouse will not have this special treat on his waffles this weekend. I am sad. I wave good-bye to the birch syrup and the TSA lady feels bad too. Second time I wished I had luggage.
4:30pm – Exhausted. More coffee. Another Americano. This one is immediately drinkable. Still sad about syrup. Syrup sadness. I purchase a giant cranberry pistachio cookie to ease the sorrow and board the plane.
5:00pm – Plane takes off. I eat cookie. It’s the best cookie I’ve ever had. I’m almost done when I realize that I should have probably given the cookie to Spouse since he’s the one not getting the syrup. Oops.
5:10pm – More turbulence. Flappy wings. I wonder if the mayor of Fairbanks has cut vital city services too. The view looks nice. I wish I was sitting by the window. The girl who is sitting by the window is reading People Magazine. She is intently digesting an article about whether Tiger Woods’ wife will take him back. I don’t care whether his wife takes him back. I care about the back country rescue team that may or may not exist in Fairbanks and how they are prepared to deal with wilderness plane crashes. I also think that if you get a window seat, you should have to sign a paper saying you will actually look OUT of the window and enjoy the view instead of reading stupid magazine articles about adulterous golfers.
5:20pm – Orange juice. Magazine girl has fallen asleep and is still not looking out the window. On the positive side, the flight attendant is wearing very sensible shoes that would not contribute to the chaos of a potential emergency situation.
6:00pm – We descend over the mudflats and wheels touch down at the unfortunately named Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. A great day.
6:20pm – Remember that I did not take a picture of the stairway to nowhere. Also realize that I did not take a picture of any of the wonderful people involved with the event! Sigh…
Wow, that was a heck of a day. Too bad about the syrup!
Sounds like a great trip. Sorry about the syrup.
Thank you for coming! I was the one in the back of the room with a bad cold, but it was great to see you and to hear Sine and Jerry hold forth. Did you get to go to The Place Where You Go to Listen when you were at the museum? Glad to read your rave on the building.
Come back to Fairbanks soon. We have politics here, too!
I didn’t even know there was such a thing as birch syrup. Or that it was explosive.
Tell me….did that flight attendant with the 4 inch spike heels also have on a hootchie mama mini skirt and huge black 80’s hair?? If so that is the same flight attendant I had on my flight to JNU last monday.
Nope. There must be more than one. This one was blonde. AKM
Oh yes, Alaska is absolutely famous for its fabulously explosive birch syrup. When you aren’t hijacking planes, or maybe in between – it’s great on waffles! Love birch syrup!
Not big on mornings here, also too. Well it depends – if the sun is shining I love getting up. But let’s face it, I live in Juneau, so it’s just a pipe dream…
Is it possible to describe how birch syrup differs from real maple syrup?
Aside from the explosiveness.
More outbriefings should be like this! You hit all of the important points and the brevity of it added to your inate humor – loved it, but sorry about the syrup, also – I think I’m going to have to look around the ‘net and order some.
This speaks for itself – note that Willow also made the trip:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/03/palin-at-oscar-gift-suite_n_485101.html
Sarah Palin aligns her public image with the heartland, but it appears the former Alaska Governor has gone Hollywood. And when she leaves, she may be taking some of it with her.
On top of an appearance on the Tonight Show and rumors that she’s shopping around a TV show with reality producer Mark Burnett, Palin and her entourage were seen partaking in one of celebrity’s lushest rituals — the Oscar gifting suite.
While the group was loading up on freebies, the Los Angeles Times reported that, “Palin’s middle child, Willow, got her hair styled, receiving a blowout from Erick Orellana of the Chris McMillan Salon (Jennifer Aniston’s longtime hairstylist).”
The Times also indicated that Palin was supposed to donate $1,700 along with all of her gift items to the Red Cross, which is currently helping with relief efforts in Haiti and Chile.
But E! Online insists, “we can assure you she did not give up any of her swag.” They quote an unnamed vendor who claims that upwards of 20 people from the Palin camp swarmed the event. “They were like locusts,” he told the entertainment news outlet.
According to AOL’s Pop Eater, publicist Ben Russo of EMC/Bowery said, “she kind of cleaned the place out.” They list out a number of her swag-grabs, including United Hair Care products, jewels from Pascal Mouawad, Skagen watches and a whopping 40 pairs or AIAIAI earphones.
It didn’t stop there. HollywoodLife.com reports that she also picked up a blue Kenya robe from designer Jenna Leigh, facewash and a pair of foam Bandal sandals. Or, in common-sense language, Palin and her handlers, “practically cleaned out the suite.” Another unnamed source from HollywoodLife.com says that the former Vice Presidential candidate was intent on spreading all that wealth around her own circle. “She insisted every person in her huge entourage get something, and there were assistants, nannies, security – insanity!” The same source also said that security swept the venue and would not allow photos, which are often expected by companies to use as promotion in exchange for the free products.
It is just too sad that Sarah has put her children front and center. Granted, the older ones are adults (or near to) and must start taking responsibility for their actions, but what sort of a chance do they have with all that’s occurred in the last couple of years. There is an “letter to Bristol” in this next article. It isn’t a nice one, but typical of what is starting to be the norm. It has to hurt her, despite it being the truth, yet will her mother spout off about the abuse of her daughter, or can we only hope she realizes that she brought it upon them?
http://jdrourke.wordpress.com/
Re: that rumored collaboration with Mark Burnett about a reality show — we can only hope it’ll be a combination of “Celebrity Survivor’ and the ‘Lost’ show — with Palin the only one who NEVER gets voted off the island.
RE: the Tonight show appearance, and the greedy grabbing at the Oscar gifting suite — Palin made a crack last night that she’s glad she’s not vice president after all, she wouldn’t know what to do with all that free time.
So, the next day, she shows us that’s a lie…er, fib…er, exaggeration…she knew all along what she’d do with her free time!
I am sorry about that syrup.
I am with you on the pictures. I came home from my weekend in Alaska with seven pictures only. SEVEN! Four of sunrise out my hotel room window, and three of a dead bear (the one with the deer) in the Anchorage airport taken at four stinking thirty in the morning on the way home. The rest of the time I spent walking around looking and reveling in the beauty. Totally forgot about pictures.
Thank you for sharing your day.
Another link on the Palin Oscar gift clean out:
http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/the_awful_truth/b169997_sarah_palin_grabby_entourage_like.html
Gotta love it: “grabby entourage”. The quotes attributed to Palin are gold there also, too.
Liberals vs. retards.
http://i.imgur.com/UfxoF.jpg
I want a reality show that puts Sarah Palin and Rachel Maddow together as roommates for a month. Last woman alive, wins!
Birch Syrup here,
http://www.alaskabirchsyrup.com/gibaandcr.html
I couldn’t figure out which book you overturned however, however I am assuming it wasn’t the directors cut of “Nailin Palin” but may have been the crayon scribbled book she had someone else write for her…
No?
14. What did Rachel ever do to you?
AKM. You’ll just have to go back. With a suitcase next time.
Morning Joe (which I rarely watch) just mentioned that there will be a reality show in Alaska. Sarah basically will be the hostess, but it won’t be around her kitchen table. It will be shoots of people, places, and events around Alaska. Gawd………some people just keep falling into it and coming up smelling like roses with an ever-growing bank account. If I was still a resident of Alaska, I don’t think I’d want her representing my state on a TV show! Heck………I’m no longer a resident and I still don’t want her representing my former state!
Far From Fenway Fan -
I say put sarah with Janeane Garofalo !!
Levi -
Dang Dude , write the book and hose these mofos !!
http://www.tmz.com/2010/03/04/levi-johnston-bristol-palin-child-support-3500/
Multiple sources confirm that Palin and uber-reality show producer Mark Burnett have been making the rounds in Hollywood this week to pitch a TV docudrama about Alaska. One source called it a “Planet Earth-type look” at Palin’s home state.
So, Palin getting her hair done in a helicopter while Todd or somebody shoots at wolves from the door? While the Palin daughters poop out more bastard babies in Wasilla? Sounds awesome!
Or not. Palin and her locusts hit the big three teevee networks to shop her great idea to make more money for Sarah Palin, but the kind of low-budget reality programming she’s pitching is better suited to Basic Cable, if there’s even a channel that would show some earth-rapist wingnut as your tour guide to Alaska.
Read more at Wonkette: http://wonkette.com/414034/sarah-palin-planning-new-teevee-show-about-sarah-palin#ixzz0hDTjebUg
Another report on Palin’s locust attack:
http://www.newser.com/story/82398/palin-crew-descend-on-oscar-swag-like-locusts.html
If Sarah gets the show as discussed on Morning Joe, it will just be another gimmick to make her seem like someone that she is not. This may all be in her plan to make herself bigger than life for a Presidential run. There is one thing that she is exceptionally good at and that is self promotion. If she follows a script, then she may sound halfway intelligent (at least giving the illusion that she might be). After all, people know that she had “help” writing her book but they still credit her as the author.
Coffee in the pocket…been there done that. Hope you were wearing black!
Back in the rags, right where this family belongs. I’d rather see a “teevee” show made than see this idiot in any form of politics. I still say, more $$$, more living like lottery winners, 5 years to bankruptcy court. Then into the trailor park, where the whole crew belongs. Trash. Total trash.
planned to donate what she received at the suite to charity.
Oh, really?
Too fab she gave money, but we can assure you she did not give up any of her swag.
We’re sure she’ll get around to donating all her acquired goods to charity, right about the time she donates her wardrobe the RNC bought her. Remember that one?
Read more: http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/the_awful_truth/b169997_sarah_palin_grabby_entourage_like.html#ixzz0hDbgmypv
_________
Grifter.
Never has someone so undeserving received such attention and money. All the Palins need to just go away.
I have adopted this song as my paean to Mrs. Palin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNaNgMElIeg&feature=related
Also, too I just like this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq01UYiMyHg&feature=related
On the bright side about the luggage thing – if you had needed to wait for a checked bag there would have been less time in the museum. Or less time to pick up an Americano, but I’m trying to accentuate the positive.
Raven Magnet, you say? Hmmmm.
Excuse #7342 for Palin the grifter :
Ah ha, yeah, I’ll say this was it…
“A golf official has blamed embezzling more than £60,000 for gifts and holidays on the effects of his Parkinson’s disease medication.
George McIntosh, 53, of Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, admitted his crime, but said the drugs he was taking gave him “compulsive generosity”.
Palin has yet to ‘give back to the tea party movement’ the $100,000 she collect in speaking fee (less the commission to the speaker’s bureau?). She can say whatever she pleases because no one has ever made her suffer the consequences of her lies. Many have tried but their (our) voices are drowned out by her phony righteous indignation.
She reminds me a bit of Al Capone…he got away with murder (literally) for years before the IRS finally caught up with him.
A fun little ditty about SP….
Palin At Oscar Gift Suite: Sarah Palin And Entourage ‘Like Locusts’…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/03/palin-at-oscar-gift-suite_n_485101.html
@ # 21 OMG-
“If Sarah gets the show as discussed on Morning Joe, it will just be another gimmick to make her seem like someone that she is not. …”
Maybe we could call it Morning Ho …..
teutonic13…great idea.
morning ho- lol!
AKM, this is one of your best posts! I laughed throughout!
Really enjoying listening to the panel discussion yesterday.
But… “I don’t think she’s quite as empty as they think she is. …”
Aha. But no one is underestimating her drive. She is ambitious. But there’s not much there to back up the ambitious.
Nice pitch for Going Rouge.
Too bad about the syrup. It’s not the syrup that’s explosive but what’s left once it runs thru the system. A cousin’s kid has some real problems with real syrup – his system converts much of it into methane which, as most of you know, can be problematic. Except to those frat boys who try to light it. …
And how about that animal print top Scarah is wearin’? She could wear that on her first day of Morning Ho. With heels. And jeans. And maybe a bathrobe over the whole gettup.
errata:
Really enjoying listening to the panel discussion fromyesterday.
Give Sarah a show…? A fun read:
http://gawker.com/5484853/please-give-sarah-palin-her-own-show?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gawker%2Ffull+(Gawker)
AKM, yes! Museum Joy! I have it too. Always was my favorite thing to do- but then, I was an odd little kid.
Don’t worry about too few photos- you have the memories, if not the syrup.
teutonic13, great idea!
This is Sarah’s song, and she does have BIG BALLS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvBceZn6MjE&feature=related
Strangelet…the best I can give you about birch syrup is it’s lighter. It’s similar to maple but it doesn’t make me as full, and doesn’t have the uber-sweet flavor. Hard to describe, but tasty enough to try to sneak past TSA.
Love your description of ‘museum joy’ the state museum in Juneau still gives me that feeling. The last best time was the fiber arts display from Anchorage that included every thing from an axe to a delicate paper and thread house.
“I find out that on a clear day you can see Mt. McKinley from Fairbanks. I already know you can see it on a clear day from Anchorage. Suddenly the state seems smaller, and Denali seems bigger. The distance from each city to the mountain is about the same as from NY to Boston.”
That’s an amazing statement, and many of us Mud flatters live in CA, where there is the next-tallest mountain in the US.
Please, I’m begging you to take down this grifting WasillaBilly fraud and her entourage of Grifterettes.
That counter at the top of the page that tallies the number of people who have lost their health insurance in the past two years went over 5 million in the last 24 hours. That is so depressing. Time for the damn vote.
Sorry to disrupt the serenity but this is too juicy to pass up.
Apparently Palin and Co somehow got entrance into the Oscar gift suite and grabbed everything in site. Didn’t do the donations that are politely encouraged in the name of charity.
The were described as “locusts”, sweeping through and grabbing everything in site. And didn’t allow pictures, which is customary payback for vendors who donate the swag.
White trash. That’s all I have to say.
Thank goodness this woman never got closer to the White House than a tourist tour.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/03/palin-at-oscar-gift-suite_n_485101.html
The day of the locust/Keeping up with the Palins
McCain got a boost for his faltering campaign, and Murdoch sold plenty of books and got a ratings boost for his cable tv outlet. But what about the neocons? Have they been had?
Is Bill “Palin Resigning Could Be Shrewd Gamble” Kristol wrong again?
Hey Great Granny – what I couldn’t figure out is if Murdoch has put the word out. I noted the Sarah locust event on line in the Times but went to look for it last night and it wasn’t listed. Went to the Daily News (LA/San Fernando Valley coverage) and nothing there either. Went to Bing and searched by 2010 Palin oscar event and got the link to the story. I cannot understand how she gets away with any good publicity – there are people willing to scream and point if Tiger looks in the general direction of a woman so why she gets a pass and hasn’t been exposed as the dim-witted but savvy opportunist she is.
Gosh, even what may appear to be a boring post, a busy day like that makes me giggle and snort out loud. Love your writing. Please never stop and know that I may not make it to this page everyday but I love it when I do.
me. me. me.
i know the book you turned over in the museum.
i know cause i’ve turned over that very same book many a time and recognize it’s ugly back cover.
Wonderful recap AKM -
will listen to the audio tonight.
Sorry about the syrup
Spotted the book right away.
You know, I’m not sure you would have been allowed that syrup in checked in luggage either. I think the liquid size ban is for all things planey, not just carry on.
I am such a museum junkie. The only difference is that I would not have had the foresight to bring another memory card with me.
I like the aisle. I can go to the bathroom without stumbling over people.
Here’s the confirmation…..on the book story from last night…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030402147.html?hpid=moreheadlines
AAaarrrrggggggghhhhhhh………..
THere was a cut of $150,000 from the fire dept and over $193,000 given to the Sullivan trust fund. If Sullivan did the right thing he would give back the money and reinstate the cut funds from the fire dept. He says if he wasn’t Mayor, this would not be looked at as wrong. How right he is. He IS the mayor and responsible for proper use of money during his term. Call up his office and demand that he do the right thing.
Probably he won’t- can this be brought to court by the city?— or by a citizen– Andree??
Sarah exhorts the faithful, “Pick a party.”
But, she’s taking the ones with all the free stuff. The rest of you pick something else.
I was quite surprised with the story of Palin grifting the Oscar gift suite – not that she grabbed everything in sight, even though she is not a member of the Academy and has made endless snarky comments about Hollywood, but that she was accompanied by her “entourage upwards of TWENTY people. ”
Are these employees/hangers’ on expenses being footed by Murdoch or by those poor deluded fools who buy her books and otherwise contribute to Sarah Pac or whatever scams she’s organized? Transparency would be quite entertaining. Hope the IRS gets on her case.
“We looooooooooove her because she’s just like us!” Will they ever wake up and smell the coffee?
Or as another poster wrote, “I’ll take People Who Are Too Stupid to Live for $100, Alex.”
I have to filter the swag story through Sopranos episode 6-7 , Luxury Lounge, where Chris follows Ben Kingsley through a gift room, desperate for both the loot and the status that would entitle him to grab the loot. They encounter Lauren Bacall and at the end, he mugs her for her loot bag.
So, did Sarah watch this and, identifying with Bacall, encourage her minions to grab a share so none of them would mug her later?
This gave me a visit to TV without Pity, which does great recaps.
Saw there that the next Celebrity Apprentice will star Rod Blagojevich.
Next remark deleted in the interest of international amity.
I looked up Aiaiai earphones- they average about 50 euros or $68 US$ x40 = $2500 plus…
Um… I guess I can also admit that I was one of the kids actually LOOKING at the art at the MMA in NYC, not running around trying to get into the closed exhibits, or touching priceless oil paintings. I made goals to see every exhibit at the Boston Museum of Science and the Natural History Museum on those school trips, too. I am a museumophile. There are a few in NYC I want to see this year. Let me know if you come back east. We’ll be museum geeks together
I, also, too, am one to notice what the flight attendants are like or wearing in case of emergency. My last flight, last April, my attendant was about 6+ months pregnant, by the looks of it. Who’s saving whom? And I either sit at the exit door, or I look to see who I’m going to have to shove out of the way because clearly they aren’t going to be able to help. I hate flying. H.A.T.E. That last trip in April was the first one since 1995 on a plane. No kidding.
I think that a closed, sealed bottle of syrup is clearly not on the terrorist watch list. Have these people nothing better to do? I bet someone is enjoying that syrup right now…Poor spouse ;0)
Thanks for sharing.
Afterthought- Did Sarah swarm early so she couldn’t be photographed or seen side by side with a tiny perfect Hollywood starlet?
What a great trip!!!! I love to visit museums. Sooooo many memories of my trips to Chicago, but we took the train. How times have changed. No hassle security issues.
If anyone brought back that series, The Riches, they could get many seasons’ plot lines for Wayne & Dahlia Malone, based on Todd and Sarah. The difficulty would be in greatly dumbing down and coarsening the main characters, because the Malones were brilliant frauds; loving, attentive parents; and also too demonstrated kindness and humanity. But I think Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are fine enough actors to handle that challenge, and wouldn’t it be funny!
Quitterpants Reality Show. Every week she tries a new job and before the 2nd advertisement break, she quits.
Other activities in Fairbanks this week:
“FAIRBANKS – The National Park Service is proposing to increase a no-trapping zone for wolves on the northeast boundary of Denali National Park and Preserve.
However, the chairman of the Alaska Board of Game has questioned the need for the 77-square-mile expansion on state land.
The proposal marks the first time the service has formally asked the state to enlarge or retain the Stampede Closed Area, one of two areas of state land adjacent to the park closed to wolf trapping. Currently, wolf trapping is prohibited on 122 square miles of state land around the park.
“We believe that the buffer will enhance or protect wolf viewing opportunities in the park, especially in light of the increased trapping efforts we’ve seen along the (Parks) highway,” Denali assistant superintendent Elwood Lynn said.”
Mmmmhhh, Coffee Perfume… Nice.
Great post. Thanks, AKM.
I, too, suffer from ‘museum joy’. So much so, that when I wandered away from my parents in the Museum of Science and Industry, I was unaware that I had been missing for hours. I couldn’t understand why they were so upset.
Birch syrup available in Anchorage, and always try the State Fair! Also, not that great, sorry to say.
I lost a $50 bottle of great whiskey at the last security point on one flight from Ireland. So, there you go…!
Thanks for the great experience of Fairbanks and museums. Reminds me of my “museum joy” — I’m off to sign-up for a membership at the Anchorage Museum, something I’ve been wanting to do. I am a member of “Friends of the Library” at the Loussac. Really, the whole Palin-thing is so Jerry Springer… supporting and doing good things in our community is progressive and meaningful.
Live joyfully. Thoughts become things. http://www.tut.com
OOPs! Delete my previous comment. Wasn’t trying to Spam. Didn’t realize the website was selling anything.. Just sharing the principle of “thinking good thoughts.”
Hope you guys didn’t miss the latest Republican fear fest against Democrats (I’d say enjoy, but it’s just way too pathetic…):
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33866.html
Wonderful writeup on your Squa… I mean Fairbanks trip. It makes me want to go see that inspiring structure.
And now, for the ‘coffee-spew worthy’ news of the day (from the ADN):
“The Anchorage Assembly has agreed to pay $193,000 from the city treasury to a trust led by Mayor Dan Sullivan to fulfill a one-of-a-kind life-insurance deal promised by the city nearly 30 years ago to his father, former Mayor George Sullivan.”
Isn’t it lovely how our Mayor is keen on chopping support for essential life-saving services but then is oh-so-eager to turn around and have the CITY dole out a tidy sum to him due to an obscure loop-hole benefit.
Thanks, George! It’s nice to see you are only fiscally conservative when it doesn’t involve your own pocketbook.
nswfm @ 41
CA’s Mt Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48, but not 2nd tallest in the U.S.
Q: How many of the ten highest peaks in the U.S. are in Alaska?
A: All of ‘em.
If you’re into “record book joy,” you gotta’ love AK.
AKM, when you were at the Museum did you step inside “The Place Where We Go To Listen”? I love that room.
@ comment 41 from nswfm:
‘That’s an amazing statement, and many of us Mud flatters live in CA, where there is the next-tallest mountain in the US.’
Sorry, nswfm, but California’s Mt. Whitney (14,505 feet) is number 16.
Alaska peaks taller than Whitney: Denali (20,230), St. Elias (18,008), Foraker (17,400), Bona (16,421), Blackburn (16,390), Sanford (16,237), South Buttress (15,885), Vancouver (15,700), Churchill (15,638), Fairweather (15,300), Hubbard (14,950), Bear (14,831), East Buttress (14,730), Hunter (14,573), Browne Tower (14,530).
Whitney is the tallest US mountain outside Alaska . . .
Oh my dearest dear one,
“museum joy”
Those who have it, needed a title. You gave it.
Oh, AKM, you make me giggle, with your descriptions of the flight, especially, and everything else. Thanks – great way to start the day.
And I agree with you about the museum – I’m not a fan of modern type buildings either, but that one is great, like it just rose out of the earth and belongs where it is.
Sounds like you had a fun, interesting and productive trip!
The photos are great, and I really love the architecture of the museum! It’s fantastic. Two colliding icebergs describes it perfectly. I feel the chill looking at it, but in a good way. Very intriguing.
Palin is not unpleasant to the eyes…albeit in an “I’m just too cool” sort of way. She reads scripts well…no matter the author, she has the capacity to ‘own’ what is written down for her. For that, I give her credit. She’s a ’sure draw’, no matter where she is, what she says, or what she does — I give her credit for that, too. Also.
People are utterly fascinated by her – either because they adore her or they abhor her. Both the adorers and the abhorers follow her every move: the former because they can’t get enough of her – they are convinced she is ‘just like them’ and supporting the small-town-girl-makes-good (of Palin) brings [reflected] caché and glory to them; the latter because they are disgusted by all she stands for and is – they are convinced that if they just ‘keep at’ her, they’ll find something that’ll (finally!) ‘bring her down’ and/or that the accumulation of her [exposed] blatant misdeeds and bs will be so overwhelmingly obvious to everyone that her crap, all bundled together, will (finally!) bring about her well-deserved downfall.
I think everyone — the adorers, the abhorers, and those in neither ‘camp’, the ambivalent — will unhesitatingly admit: she has an uncanny knack for seeing (or creating) opportunities, seizing them, and making the absolute most of them.
Both those who love her and those who don’t care one way or the other about her, find this trait admirable and uplifting…it’s what they aspire to in their lives. But, inevitably, it drives those who *cannot* abide her, absolutely nuts! — not because they, themselves, don’t aspire to the same, but because they are fully aware of the *entirety* of Palin (Mudpups would fall into this category! Yea, ‘pups!) and it gets on their/our last nerve that she’s sucked in so many people with her ‘just like you’ prattle.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: There is only ONE thing that will turn ALL but the most extreme diehard Palinbot minority, *against* her and her grifting and lying ways. It *isn’t* her politics; it *isn’t* the way she (mis)treats her children; it *isn’t* that she ‘fudged’ on her taxes; it *isn’t* that she manipulated the sales of ‘her’ book by purchasing whole blocks of them herself; it *isn’t* that she speaks ten-kinds-of ugly about POTUS and/or government programs/necessary, sensible, sustainable reform; it *isn’t* that she uses ghostwriters on FB and for ‘her’ book(s) and passes the words off as her own; it *isn’t* her anti-choice stance; it *isn’t* her cozy relationship with (and agreement with the principles of) the AIP; it *isn’t* the rumors swirling around her about her youngest child and/or grandchild; it *isn’t* her ‘love’ of G_d and country, and troops; it *isn’t* her lack of substance to support what she spouts, or her lack of follow-up on what she spouts; it *isn’t* her personal family dynamics; it *isn’t* the myriad things she does and says that are easily *proven* to be so much hooey and hogwash.
Each thing listed above, in and of itself — or even combined! — can (and will) be dismissed by those who think she’s the cat’s meow (and/or by those who are ambivalent about her) as the left’s/media’s/[name your pick] ‘hate’ towards/of her. And ‘fear’…don’t forget ‘fear’ of her. People who adore her and/or those who care neither way about her, will find something (if not many things) in what she spouts with which they agree…ergo, she solidifies in them her ‘just like me’ creds and an even stronger bond is forged towards/with all things Palin.
No, all of those [listed, and even more that are not listed!] are *NOT* going to make those who adore her and/or who are ambivalent towards her, wake up to the *real* Sarah Palin… The ONLY thing that will galvanize people to join together *against* all things Palin, is at the very core of her – it’s her personal core drive that goes *beyond* the politics, the fame, the notoriety; her ‘religion.’ Her ‘religion’ -as she has freely and openly proclaimed, *IS* her driving force; her ‘religion’ is what informs her and what she, according to its teachings, would spread to the entire nation…and world. *Her* ‘religion’ and what it teaches!
Unfortunately, when ‘good Christian people’ (the majority of her non-wavering base, from what I understand) hear that she is ‘religious’, they assume that *her* religion is the *same as* theirs. Afterall, isn’t a Christian a Christian? [Heck, for some 'Christians', under special circumstances, even Catholics can be considered 'good Christians' by non-Catholics, and vice versa. Mormons, too and also...providing, of course, they 'believe right' on certain, select issues.]
I’m of the firm belief that the ONLY way to put the kibosh on Palin and her incessant blight on our sensibilities (and sanity!), is to expose again and again and again! — with NO let up — the ‘religion’ that *she* follows. Even the most ardent evangelical would cringe at *what* that ‘religion’ espouses; they might whole-heartedly agree with the idea that ‘the Word’ *must* be the first and foremost basis for *everything* our nation does and is, and they might wholeheartedly support the effort that ‘the Word’ *must* be spread to every corner of the globe, but they will, in a heartbeat, distance themselves as far and as fast as they can, from *anyone* whose ‘religion’ believes –as Palin’s *does*!– in witchcraft. Witchcraft is anathema to evangelicals — it, and other superstitions, are the very thing they would wipe from the face of the earth (replacing it, of course, with their versions of whatever, but that’s a different story…) The mission of the evangelicals is to get RID of witchcraft and such supersitions; NOT support it.
The point being: Palin’s (unapologetic) ties to her ‘religion’ and the beliefs/tenets of that particular ‘religion’, *must* be made known far and wide, precisely, unambiguously, universally, and *factually* in this nation. Unless –and until– they are, there is *nothing* that’ll stop her from following *her* “calling from G-d” to plant/insinuate *her* ‘religion’ into *every aspect* of our government and our way of life. Fanatics — particularily good-looking, ‘just like you’, charismatic fanatics — are just like that…and people who do *not* know ALL that is Palin, will keep supporting – and falling for the steps she takes in – her unabashed climb towards making *her* ‘religion’s’ beliefs *for our entire country*, a reality.
Expose her ‘religion’ for what it is, and ‘the battle’ against her insanity (and constant assault on our nerves) is 98% complete. Exposed to the unassailable *truth* about that aspect of her life, those who would apologize for her (or who have done so in the past), cannot help but toss her onto the trash heap as a certifiably whackadoodle nutjob who is NOT ‘just like them’…there is *no* ‘defense’ they can offer up for that *specific* aspect of the Palin. Leastwise, that’s the way I see it. beth.
[[OK - stepping down off of the soap box, now. Gads, those who blindly follow her, frustrate me; she, on the other hand, totally infuriates me! Or maybe it's the other way around. Either way... b.]]
“You know, I’m not sure you would have been allowed that syrup in checked in luggage either. I think the liquid size ban is for all things planey, not just carry on.”
No, it can go in your checked luggage. When we travel, I take fairly large bottles of shampoo and body wash and lotion and perfume. In fact, mid-way through our last trip, the shampoo bottle broke and I had to replace it. The one that came home with us is huge as it was the only size the store had. No problems with having it in the checked luggage, except that it made it a whole lot heavier.
I knew there was some subliminal force that lured me to the Mudflats. A fellow museumaholic.
I went everyday for a week to the M. of Nat History back in the ‘70’s and felt like I was having to rush. Then I got another week to try to squeeze in all the other museums on the mall.
Well designed museums are as rich an experience as any chocolate confection, their pleasures are greater and linger longer in the mind. And they aren’t fattening.
Next time you visit FBX — and this is for anybody else who visits or lives there — you MUST hear John Luther Adams’ piece at the Museum of the North, The Place Where You Go To Listen. And give yourselves at least 45 minutes to settle in to it — hours even better.
Mmmmm, museums! Although, I have to say that when we were in Fbx 4.5 years ago (before the museum renovation/etc. was finished) we really weren’t that impressed with that one. LOVE the one here, and all the ones I’ve been in elsewhere around the world (and in AK, esp. Sheldon Jackson in Sitka and the Pratt in Homer). Grew up spending lots of time in museums and may have missed a calling there…
Todd Palins snowmachine team was sponsored by Mystic lubricants for the Iron Dog race this year.
Mystik now seems to be owned by Citgo.
The Venezuelan government owned and operated Citgo.
Commonsense folks (race fans) all across the country know the bigger the logo the more they paid. The Mystik Logo was huge on the snowmachine trailer seen in the pictures on Mystik website.
Oh also too and Sarah made a commercial for the Iditarod with the sponsoered snowmachine visible- with the Mystik logo visible also too.
What will you tell your conservative supporters about this?
Maybe try “moneys is money-doesn’t matter where it comes from it spends the same?”
Sarah: Pallin around with someone is one thing, taking their money in a commercial deal and pimping the same deal is another.
Put Stapleton on it right away and come up with an excuse quick!
DF @ 63 – they took real Irish Whiskey from ya? That’s… that’s… blasphemy!
Really enjoyed listening to that tape of the panel at UAF. Sending that link to just about everybody. …
Just remembered my re-turn trip from Miami. Waiting 4 hours in Chicago-O’Hare airport, I found the perfume I wanted soooooo bad– Issey Miyake. Trouble was, it was in a duty free store. The clerk said I could not buy it, because I was an American. A man overheard this conversation and said he would buy it for me. The clerk informed him—–She can not take this onboard. I am still ticked!! I thanked the gentleman for being so kind.
I provided some information on Mystik.
I made a typo or two – It is spelled Mystik.
I forgot a few links.
From the Mystik website you can see all about the Davis Palin team
http://www.mystiklubricants.com/do/page/sponsorship
Look at all the places they are sponsored for.
Look at the size of the Mystik logo on the trailer.
Watch Sarah’s commercial on youtube- Don’t miss the Mystik logo on the snowmobile!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2XzGTeOI0g
The Mystik products are on the Citgo website.
http://www.citgo.com/Products/MSDS/MystikLubricantsMSDS.jsp
Don’t I remember Sarah said some things about Chavez and Venezula that were not nice?
If this is true, can hypocrite fit on your hand?
Loved following your day, AKM. From the heights of museum joy to the depths of syrup sadness. Very enjoyable recap .
Re: liquids on planes – I cannot for the life of me understand how they can take things without compensating you for them. There’s something very wrong with that. And the lack of common sense just floors me. Goes right along with asking the elderly to remove their shoes. Just plain stupid. ( grumble )
For those of you on Facebook who are also sickened by Glenn Beck – you can pop over and become a fan of Squash Beck: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Squash-Glenn-Beck-Lets-Get-More-Fans-Than-the-Real-One/340594210027?ref=nf
Pass this along and help Squash Beck get more followers than Icky Real Beck in hopes of raising more awareness about this very sick, twisted person.
Gotta love this take on Palin’s charity lootin’ episode from L.A.:
http://losangelesballs.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/sarah-palin-must-be-stopped-a-locust-for-oscar-swag/
Note the caption under her picture: “Worst Person Ever”
Hello all,
I’ve been absent for awhile. Taking a break from the Palinpalooza for awhile to maintain my sanity. I keep trying to hold to my New Year’s resolution to not give her one second of my precious time. And, unfortunately, like my chocolate addiction, I frequently fall off the wagon.
First things first. My friend whose name is Colleen is a rookie in the Iditarod this year. She works a full time job, adopts shelter dogs and trains her dogs. I have no idea when she sleeps. She is taking the ashes of my two beloved Malamutes, whom I lost over the past year, with her to spread in “the most beautiful spot” that she can find on the trail. With them goes the spirit of “the old man team” (my 2 used to go for runs with 7 of her retired dogs–wonderful sunset runs with no pressure where we would laugh and sing to them on the trail). Her dogs will be wearing the coats at the ceremonial start that make the sentence “Until there are none Adopt 1″. If you are in Anchorage for the ceremonial start or watching on TV Sat morning please cheer for her and send her and her team positive thoughts along the trail (for safety and fun). This is the dream of her lifetime. Please do not let the BS with “she who shall not be named” on the Iditarod website besmirch the efforts of many of the mushers and hundreds of volunteers. Many of these people give up years of their life, as well as most of their hard-earned money, to participate in the adventure. It is one of the things that Alaska has to itself and that defines the history of Alaska. If you have ever seen a sled dog when the harnesses come out you will know that this is what they love to do more than anything (other than be loved unconditionally by their owners). Running this race is a huge endeavor (I liken it to the logistics required to climb Mt Everest), let us not let that be lost in the antics of you know who. The reason that they use her is because she brings publicity (good or bad) to everything that her picture is on. I choose to rise above this and see things for what they are.
Secondly, I too love museums. I visited that museum in Fairbanks last year with a friend, who just received his degree in Anthropology. It was excellent. I too loved “The Place Where We Go To Listen ” room. It would be awesome to have that in my house.
Over Christmas I went on a behind the scenes personal tour of the Museum of Natural History in Denver with their wolf expert. It was also awesome. Every leaf and blade of grass in their dioramas is hand cut and wired (by volunteers). One of the exhibits has more than a million. Now that’s a zen activity if ever there was one. Our guide shared with us that one of their fundy tour guides brings groups back to the area where bones are catalogued and tells her tours “this is where they make the fossils”. Cracked me up!
As for the bottle of syrup….I have a “security story”. At least 7 years ago when my in-laws were here, we sent them home with a box of frozen fish (halibut, red salmon, king salmon, crab legs, shrimp) which they checked through as luggage. When family got to New Mexico they knew it felt lighter. When they opened it there was nothing left but a few red salmon filets and one of those pieces of paper that say your luggage has been inspected by TSA. When M-I-L called and chewed them a new one she was told “it wasn’t fit for human consumption so it was thrown away”. She asked how they were suddenly qualified to make that call as they are not the FDA. That one never had a resolution. Since then I have met many other people, who come here to fish, who have encountered the same thing. DH and I have decided that they have quite a BBQ going at TSA meetings. Perhaps they have decided to have breakfast as well as dinner. And I know that they are using the tube of toothpaste they confiscated on my last flight after their feast.
So does Dan Sullivan get to keep the $193,000 ? has his father passed so that he can get the life insurance policy money?
All I can say is ‘wow’ about this latest article:
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/lou-dobbs-glenn-beck-sarah-palin-michele-bachmann/story?id=9989249&page=1
It’s nothing that we haven’t been writing on blogs but it’s quite another thing to be published in the MSM…and it’s about time.
budget day in Canada
Harper and Palin would get along great
“Environmental assessments on major energy projects, in the oilsands and elsewhere, will no longer be handled inside Environment Canada. The Canadian Energy Board and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission will take over those responsibilities, even though their budgets are scheduled to shrink over the next three years.”
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gijHxd_Jc9IKl3PIOuf2UY_rqEwg
annoys the heck out of me
Palin speaking with Laura Bush…1/2 of the proceeds from Bush will be donated to charity but will Sarah be donating a dime? As usual, it doesn’t look like it.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/33916.html
The stairs to nowhere actually end in a nice spot with a table. It is quite a nice spot for eating, drinking, and a smoke or two…back when I smoked.
Thanks for those of you who corrected me. In my defense, I’d just woken up and read the crap about the Palin Grifters Galore and typed that incorrectly into my one and only BlackBerry!
aw, lovemydogs, i soooo wanted to meet you when in anchorage last week.
we could have loved us some sled dogs at the fur rondy.
those kiddos do come unglued when those harnesses come out.
I just came across this iconic image. It is hilarious and depicts Granny Grifter to a tee.
http://www.dependablerenegade.com/dependable_renegade/2010/03/its-my-due.html
fawnskin mudpup: I won’t be in Anchorage this weekend because I am feeding the rest of Colleen’s kennel while she and her husband and their families are up there for the start. However, I may be up there for a class next Thursday….maybe get together for a going out of town cuppa after??? Do you know how to PM on the forum?
@lovemydogs, glad to see you back. You might want to check out this thread.
http://www.themudflats.net/2010/02/26/anonymous-bloggers-on-the-shannyn-moore-show/
Irishgirl: Thanks. My husband used to play rugby in his youth. In fact we met at a rugby match….say no more.
@Lovemydogs….it is more about fawnskin than rugby!!!
Lovemydogs,
Ok, I forgot that I was listening to SM live at the time. Fawnskin was visiting Anchorage and she was on the radio! I think she may have returned home at this stage. But it turns out that she is an actress. Shocked a few of us!!
Irishgirl: Aha. I just read the rest of the comments…a moviestar eh???
I can never listen to anything on my computer or download any video because I am dial-up trash. Missed Shannyn’s show last weekend-too much to do on Sat afternoons-sure wish they would air it at another time.
Still….gotta love that rugby.
(((lovemydogs))))…..agreed on the rugby!
Shannyn and AKM were talking about this Poll on the radio today.
The show should be podcast later.
Rep. Alan Grayson is beating out ALL of the other GOP candidates ( combined ) running against Him…
—————————
“The candidate leading the Florida GOP primary to determine who will take on Rep. Alan Grayson, the Democrat who represents the Orlando-based district, is none other than Grayson himself, according to a poll paid for by his campaign. Grayson is a freshman congressman who has drawn scorn from the GOP and has quickly built a nationwide following of progressives.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/04/grayson-leading-in-republ_n_486090.html
Swag Grab:
…..in which the swag hag heroine follows her greedy “gutteral instincts” yet again.
…..and where we see the populist duenna assiduously shepherd her sacred cow of Capitalism with her unashamed personal entitlement. Sweet! Way to stick those vendors, grifter!
Footnote: If the vendors didn’t know how to slap a few greedy paws, then they deserved the scouring they received from the locusts.
as long as palin stays out of national political office, I’ll be one happy camper…other than that, I don’t care how she makes her money/stand-up comedy, actress, reality star, fiction author…don’t care at all, just keep out of MY business!
My favorite “no liquids in carry-on” experience happened last year whilst leaving Nicaragua for the USA. Our hotel had left a little bitty, one shot bottle of Nicaraguan rum on our pillow each night. I had tossed one of these in my carry-on, intending to drink it before leaving, but forgot about it. When we got to security at the airport, they discovered it. Instead of confiscating it, the security person sent a colleague to a soda machine to buy a Coke, so that I could enjoy a rum and Coke at the xray machine at 6 in the morning! Got to LOVE those Nicaraguans!!
Re; Palin’s reality show..I’m thinking Anna Nicole Smith territory.
don’t worry Love My Dogs, we will be excited for Colleen and her dogs and we will cheer for all the dogs. Mrs Palin did a good job with her ad and she really is not important enough to spoil the race for us. those of us mudpups who don’t know much about the race hope that you and all the pups will help us. tell us what to expect and what is going on please just like you did last year. O.K.?
Thanks
Folks , bear with me with this post. I hafta share dammit and y’all are ” it ”
Ok – I’m in “moving hell “. I have to move out of my very huge ( and very old ) 3 story, 4 bedroom, bajillion square ft. home with a yard that could double as a landing strip. It’s been in my Mom’s family since 1920ish and when Mom died in ‘99 she left it to her husband, George. ( not my father ) 2 years later he was dating an 86 year old gal and decided to move in w/ her. Didn’t want to sell this house so I moved in and took it over. Great move for me. No rent ( it’s paid for ) which would allow me to build my business from a home office.
Last year George’s 86+ gal died. He stayed on at her place to get it ready to sell. ( Her kids live out of town ) This week, it sold. George will now be moving back to this ( my ) house – first week of April . This means I must move.
He’s made the suggestion that we share the house but my dear Mudpups – this cannot and will not happen. For you see – the man is certifiably insane. Nutters. Off his rocker. Mad as a hatter. A character straight out of a Dickens novel. He’s ” you can’t make this stuff up ” kind of crazy.
The man will break out in song, mid-sentence. For ex: Last year he was visiting and , while we were talking about an upcoming Christmas gathering, he suddenly stood up, turned to the kitchen cupboards, and launched into a song to my collection of Christmas coffee cups. It began with , ” O Christmas mugs, Dear Christmas Mugs ” and went on from there. Awkward ? O yes. Does one applaud after ? I still don’t know. He does this often and I’ve never become used to it . He sang a song once about an oil stain in the driveway. ” Oil Stain. OIL STAIN! This is the Sound of the Oil Stain!! ” and then began to howl. Yep. Tis true.
He wraps cleaned, empty tuna cans in foil ( and sometimes in wrapping paper ) and then hides them. When I moved back here I found wrapped tuna cans in desk drawers. Bathroom cabinets. In plastic bags filled with pennies. ( the foiled tuna cans that were found in the freezer had broken string and metal wingnuts in them. The humor of that was not lost on me, I assure you ) Singing and tuna cans are only the tip of the crazy-berg. The stories are endless and a cross between funny and ” Oh my dear GAWD” .
So – staying in my beloved home is not an option. I looked at an apartment today that I’ll barely be able to afford. ( After paying no rent for 5 years , ANY rent is going to be a reach ) The entire downstairs living area is the size of my current dining room. ( Granted, I have a very big dining room but dang – that’s a small living space ) To say the least, my nerves are strained. I’m doing my best ” glass half full ” mantra but it doesn’t always work.
And, on top of that – Crazy George is showing up every single day with boxes of his things. They are everywhere . It’s nearly impossible to get through a room without smashing into the box mountains. And when I ask where they should go he says, ” read the labels and decide”.
Well a recent box is labeled , ” Kews. 2 % Summer. Stronghead Bibbles and Misc. ”
( Stronghead Bibbles ?????? )
o help.
Oh, BG, {{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs for you}}}}}}}}}}}}}. I wish I could be there to help (even though I hate moving). Any chance he needs a (mental) health check-up to make sure things are okay?
buffalogal…
all those past lives have arrived to haunt you.
better get help from somewhere east of your back door.
InJuneau @103 – no doubt whatsoever he needs a mental evaluation. The thing is , much like $P , he’s a functioning crazy person. He’d be given a pass upon first psych interview , as long as he didn’t launch into song about her desk or hair,
Thanks for the hugs tho! I’m going to need them over the next weeks. ( and lordy – I would never wish this move on anyone . I would refuse your help , in the name of friendship . It’d be for the best ! )
Fawnskin @104 & interested others – Heading up to the chat tree fort for a few minutes. 8:40PM EST .
Just wanted to drop a quick note of warning and in apology in case any of the nuts follow me here from my site. Seems I’ve struck a nerve among the supporters of the “mean girls of south hadley” who bullied an irish girl to death. I suspect they are trying to pull a Mikey Doogan on me.
@ BuffaloGal
While I respect your need to move, I must say that I really liked his “Christmas Mug” carol.
The tinfoil-wrapped tuna cans are a bit much but at least they’re clean and presumably he doesn’t leave them on the stairs at night, right?
“Read the labels and decide”…….means “kick it out of the flow of traffic.”
“2% Summer?” I can’t quibble with that. I would actually spring for “2% Summer” about now. Sick of this damn winter.
“Stronghead Bibbles”……Bibles that you wear around your neck like a bib, so you can read your daily spiritual lessons while you’re eating. I prefer the term “StrongNeck Bibbles” myself.
Don’t bother about the “glass half-full or half-empty” mantra. You’ve already got both hands full of Christmas mugs filled with oil, Kews, and misc. It’s been my experience that mantras suck anyway. Laughing beats mantras every time.
Jes’ kiddin’ gal. Stay strong, keep laughing, kick the hell out of his boxes….and please keep us informed about this perplexing but humorous (for us not involved, anyway) move of residence. We have your back…. and you have our ear(s).
Did he give you a free house for years?
IRS to come a knockin’ at S’error’s door! Yup, IRS has determined that the swag bags are gifts subject to tax. They’ve got to be declared – so if S’error & family took home as much as has been reported, there’s a gift declaration and tax to be paid.
When this ruling first came about – I think it was 2 Oscars ago – the swag dropped considerably since no one wanted to deal with it. IRS got smart and asked that all bags have an IRS form already in it as a reminder. Does any one know whether these bags were so gifted with IRS forms?
AKM -
Your birch syrup saga reminds me of several trips I took back in the late 80s and early 90s to Russia with a friend and his high school students. It was still the Soviet Union at the time and going through customs, especially as Americans, was a truly (and deliberately) frightening experience.
Quite a few of the members of our group (NOT including me…yuck!) would purchase tins of caviar at the gift shops (or from the hotel waiters who were all enthusiastic members of the black market!). There was no posted limit on the amount of caviar a person could take out of the country, so you never knew if you could actually get your goodies home with you. It appeared that the legal limit of caviar was in direct proportion to how much the customs agent wanted for dinner that night! Some people would get several tins out with no problem while the person in front of them might have their one small tin confiscated.
On my last trip, another friend of mine was about to lose most of his caviar until the agent saw the airline headset he had stolen from Finnair on the way over from NY. The agent looked at my friend (actually a NYPD cop) and said, “Ahh, doctor, doctor!” He put the headset, and ALL the caviar, back in the suitcase and waved him on his way. And who says crime doesn’t pay?!?!
((((((BG))))))
I feel your pain. Dealing with a father with dementia and then cleaning out the house to sell it (took 3 weeks–he was a hoarder) was the worst time of my life. He had paperbags inside of paper bags, inside of paperbags with a shirt in the middle that might have oh, $200 cash in the pocket. Had to go through all of the trash with a fine toothed comb to be sure that my Mom had the money. It sounds that George could definitely use an evaluation and some help esp. if he is going to live alone. Otherwise you will end up cleaning out the house again one day. To say nothing of it possibly not being safe. I work with the elderly and it can be quite a strain on the patience meter. Hang in there. Good luck with the apt hunting. Moving sucks—–but it is a good time to get rid of clutter!!!
Lee323 @108 – I’ll be giving George a call tomorrow and letting him know you appreciate his creativity and madness. Expect an insane call somewhere in the afternoon. ( enjoy !)
Buffie – if you dress like s’error palin and prance around for a few minutes, do you suppose he might let you stay? ya betcha!!
Lovemydogs @112 – If I came across one tuna can with $$$ in it , it’d make it nearly worthwhile. you’ve given me hope to continue on ! ( I’m sure you were hit on a deeper level, being as it was your Dad. George married in when I was older and was a big crazy from the get-go. Easier to deal with that as a history )
sauerkraut – you used ” s’error” and “prancing in the same sentence . I’m not sure what to do with that . If I end up not sleeping – I’m blaming you.
Leenie17 – I was trying to send you a msg and I got a most odd error in return. ( or was it an odd “s’error” ? ) either way, I’m not going to try it again! I’m going to reboot instead. Just in case!
@113 BuffaloGal
Great idea! I will serve as a sacrificial anode for you!
If I didn’t live a million miles away, I would take Crazy George on a nice long explore (ala Winnie The Pooh) until all your moving was completed.
buffie – I am sure our good friend austin will find a nice picture to help you get thru it.
but not ’til morning, prolly!!
what’s up with the treehouse… did it move or does no one go there anymore?
Buffalo Gal. It sounds like he needs a kind executor. That should be you. Otherwise someone else is going to step in, have him sign your house over to them and you’ll never live in your beloved house ever again. When George passes, some stranger may move in because he’s signed the house over to them.
Really.
As much as it may be a living hell to live with him, other’s won’t feel that way. And with you leaving, he’s vulnerable to the first grifter that sees a chicken ready for plucking.
Very entertaining post and great photos, AKM!
Curses on plane window hogs! I’m prepared to stand with you on some legislation requiring people to sign a “Paper of Intent to Look Out the Window” if they want to sit by the plane’s window.
115 BuffaloGal Says:
Leenie17 – I was trying to send you a msg and I got a most odd error in return. ( or was it an odd “s’error” ? ) either way, I’m not going to try it again! I’m going to reboot instead. Just in case!
~~~~~~~~~~~
A message where?
I’ve only ventured on the forum a couple of times (and not recently so I don’t remember how!) and don’t know how to get anywhere else here on the flats, so that could be the reason. Sorry!
Buff: I agree with mlaiuppa!!! It’s worth looking into.
BuffaloGal -
I second the comments from mlaiuppa. Try to find a way to protect both George and yourself.
I am in the middle of a similar situation with my one remaining parent. Unfortunately, the people taking advantage are also family members, slightly more distantly related than myself. At this point, the only ‘inheritance’ I expect to get are the several hundred dollars in lawyer’s fees which I have just paid to defend myself and protect my own assets, meager though they may be. There is currently a lot of spinning taking place in the final resting place of my long-deceased other parent who would be absolutely horrified at what has been done to me and my sibling.
Assets and less-than-stable elderly people are a combination made in grifter heaven.
Buff: I positively grinned at the tuna can story. I think you have a potential gold mine there…in stories. I see a book in it all. Since the house is so big, don’t you think you could live upstairs? Get a carpenter to install walls or doors that can be locked. Your own place. Then get him a domestic helper. Get yourself a recording device and interview him. He’s probably got a lifetime of stories.. and with his eccentricities, they would likely be incredibly entertaining. Perhaps he just need a creative outlet.
I’m not kidding. You might want to reconsider. It would be a shame to lose the house. And I really do think there are gems to be gathered from the old dude. Singing about a stain in the driveway? Now, THAT’S joie de vivre for you. I understand he’s not your father and you might not feel any responsibility to him, but there are worse things than 2% summer.
@ BuffaloGal
It really is a tough situation that you are facing since the house was willed to George by your Mother…. and he does sound certifiably crazy. Whether or not you would be in a position to be legally appointed his executor or trustee would depend in part if he has closer blood relatives that would function in that capacity. Getting legal advice regarding the situation sounds like a good idea.
I certainly didn’t mean to minimize your situation by trying to get you to laugh. Sometimes laughing at the absurd is the only thing which makes tough situations tolerable to bear on a day by day basis.
http:// wonderwall.msn.com/tv/sarah-palin-gets-into-oscar-spirit-with-freebie-frenzy-1541266.story? gt1=28135
this is truly a story about the Wasilla Hillbillys.
Democratic Representative Grayson leads in REPUBLICAN primary, will face himself in November…..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/04/grayson-leading-in-republ_n_486090.html
BuffaloGal:
That includes me. My last ditty was just today–an ode to my new work table.
All this takes patience, patience, patience.
I know about small living spaces. When my dear hubby and I ended up unemployed and having to move (we’ve rented out our house. No jobs in he area, but renters!) we had to move into a studio apartment. We were there, the two of us, for nearly a year! Talk about crowded.
If renting an apartment is going to be a strain, seriously consider making yourself an apartment in the house. That way, you’ll be there to make sure things are OK (do you inherit the house when George passes on?) Get yourself locks on your doors and invest in a good set of ear phones and ear plugs so you can work without being disturbed when he’s inspired by your Christmas mugs. Pretty much everyone in my family has sung to things like mugs–and always in a completely sober state!
He may be crazy, but he could be diverting and fun to have around in measured doses.
Now, if you decide to stay, here’s one way to help you make it living with him in the same house. Make a list of all his good qualities. If you only get one, that’s fine. Every time you’re irritated, remind yourself of his good qualities. Like, “He’s singing to my mugs, but he treated Mom like a queen.” or whatever it is you come up with. Be diligent, and you’ll start to see other things to admire about him and having him around will be much easier. It really does work.
In the mean time, find a place to put all his boxes. He can have them moved and unpack them once he’s moved in.
While you may not want to take him up on it, it’s awfully nice that he’s offering to have you stay on. I didn’t hear of an ulterior motive on his part, so I’m choosing to think he has a generous nature.
(((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))) and all the best to you. You’ll make it!
Much thanks for the lovely photos, and for taking us along on your adventure.
Special thanks for the link to Palin Panel. I commend you for a job well done..you were great. I found the Panel members info interesting, informative and had a few giggles over several comments made.
I left a post on that Women’s Center link.
AKM…this 77 year old Canadian woman is one happy gal…knowing Sarah Palin belongs to USA…and not Canada.
Sincerely,
Eileen C. Tallon { a.k.a EileensHoot }