Not down with the sickness

My earthly form is being converted entirely into mucus.  I've been skirting around the border of illness for the past couple weeks, occasionally dipping my big toe in long enough to get a raspy throat or runny nose, with the unpleasant knowledge that any passing butterfly could shove me over the brink into full-on miserable sickness.  And yesterday, that very thing happened.  I went to work feeling tired and about as under the weather as usual, and as the day wore on I got progressively more tired; like a cheap wind-up kid's toy found in a McDonald's happy meal and left forgotten after the first winding, white plastic cogs turning slower and slower until they don't move at all unless you nudge the toy with your foot, prodding it to jerk around briefly.  That's the point I hit when I got home.  I sat down on the couch and found I couldn't get back up.  I wanted to go upstairs to my room to collapse, but my groggy-though-determined efforts in that direction left me kneeling on the floor with my face plastered to the couch cushion where my derriere had so recently been settled.  Though drained of almost all energy, I delved into forgotten reservoirs and 45 minutes later had summoned the strength to animate my body long enough to move the 20 feet out of the main room and into a nearby dark hallway, where I collapsed heavily on the carpet and lay for 5 hours taking choking lungfuls of air at odd intervals and dozing.

And after that... I felt much better.  In fact I felt almost completely new again, aside from the fact that since then an inter-dimensional rift has opened in my body allowing an ungodly amount of mucus to pour through and out of me.

All things considered, I've been remarkably blessed in my health here.  I've spent endless days in the pouring rain, handling tickets and money, and worst of all, shaking hands with hundreds of old people who've been shut up with thousands of other old folks from countless countries and climes in a floating metal hulk at sea.  That's what'll get ya every time; the hand on hand contact.  Touching hands is unsafe and clearly how Rome ended, but I can't stop grabbing every five fingered microbial troop carrier that presents itself.  There's just something screwed deep down into me that recoils against refusing a gift freely offered, even if that gift is a person's living hand.   Add to that the long-houred days with weeks at a time between days off, and it's a miracle I haven't been more sick than I have.  It seems like most days I'll feel like total garbage, go to work and suddenly be totally fine all day until I get home and feel sick again.  I honestly feel that being able to keep working effectively is a blessing I'm being given, and I'm indeed grateful.

I have some funny stories about tourists, but it's 10:02 and I have to wake up for work at 4:00, so I'll have to update this tomorrow, or more probably on some other, ill-defined date.  Rusden out.

Snorkeling in Alaska

One thing I've come to realize here in Alaska is that days off are few and far between, and so when you get one you have to make the very most of it.  Our last day off was one that we all had together, and we all loaded up the driver van and did some whale watching before spending a few hours hiking up at Ward Lake.  Today was my second day off, and I'd been waiting for it with a long list of cool things I wanted to do.

The way things work here, when you get the rare day off a manager will look at a list of tours and activities you've indicated you're interested in, call their connections to see if they have room for you, and call you to ask if you want to go flying around Misty Fjords in a float plane on a bear watching tour or go kayaking or snorkeling or whatever.  When I found out I was off today I asked if I could get a spot on a plane, since that's number one on my Ketchikan bucket list.  Unfortunately all flights were full, so I got to do my second pick: SNORKELING!!

This week's music pick

Music is incredible.  These are a few of the songs I've been enjoying in the past few days.  They're all a little off of the beaten path, but give them all a try: I'll bet there's at least one that plucks your harp.

 The Weakerthans - Without Mythology

I like the Weakerthans.  The music is genre-less (though some call it folk-punk), the lyrics, poetry.  The style of this song is a little different than the rest of their material, but I really dig it.  If you don't like this one, consider trying some of their other stuff, like this!

Listen to this song on a grey, rainy day (like it is today here in Ketchikan).

Eluveitie - Luxtos

What's this?  A band that combines traditional Celtic folk music and instruments with a powerful Gothenburg influenced heavy metal style?  And they sing in Gaulish, an ancient language that's been dead for over a thousand years?  And they have a hurdy-gurdy player?!  Yes, please!

Animal Collective - My Girls

Animal Collective wanders on the territorial edges of music, exploring the borders and redefining what music is.  I've been digging into their material to find my favorites and so far this song has really stuck with me.  It's not conventional, but that's not what Animal Collective is about, and neither am I.







Kola Kid - Pizza Power 

Somewhere there is a kid, and he presumably consumes and enjoys Kola, or otherwise interacts with Kola in a way that would warrant the moniker Kola Kid.  And he also makes great chiptunes.This track is a soothing mixture of bleeps and bloops set along a groovy drum beat with an almost trance-like result.

Stephanie Mabey - The Zombie Song

Zombies: I like them.  Zombie movies, zombies video games, and yes, even zombie music.  I first heard this track back in October around Halloween time (when else do you hear songs about zombies?) and thought it was great.  Heard it flipping through random stuff on my iPod this week and decided to bring it back to life (pun not only very much intended, but carefully crafted).  While I'm a sucker for zombie stuff, her other stuff is pretty neat as well.

Totem Poles, antique guns, and a super slide

WARNING: The following post contains very frank discussion concerning the movements of bowels (or the lack thereof).  Squeamish readers should skip ahead.

In my last post about zip-lining I mentioned the super slide at the end.  Here's a little video of me going down it.  Pro tip:  They tell you to brake.  Don't do it.  

Since I haven't been in Alaska for a week yet, every day is a day of firsts.  Today, I had my very first Alaskan bowel movement!  It took 5 days, which is pretty typical for when I move to a new location.  I don't know what it is, but I had the same problem when I went to the MTC (it took 6 days), and when I first got to Suriname (about 5 days there).  I'm not sure how normal that is but it doesn't seem to be an issue for anyone else.  Anyway, my long wait is over, and that's pretty much all I need to say about that.  If you have more questions you can ask me, and I'll tell you that's creepy.

The Ketchikan Krew Takes to the Treetops

As a special treat, we were all taken to Alaska Canopy Tours after work today, where we went through what is hands down the coolest (and only) zip-line course I've ever gone through.  And, well, it was a total blast.  The weather was beautiful with the sun making a rare appearance, and from our platforms perched 100 feet above the rainforest floor we had a beautiful view across the ocean to the verdant, snow-capped mountains which stretched to the (most appropriately) mist-obscured Misty Fjords to the Southwest.  The college age guides, who were kind enough to take all 13 of us through the course for free, were all really cool guys who invited us to come back any time we had free time want to go zip-lining for a while.  We also have invitations to hang out with them after hours at some of their regular bonfires and other parties.  I know that I could come down to the zip lines every day off all summer and never get tired of the thrill and beauty, but with all the other activities and attractions, I don't know how often I'll get to come down.

It's crazy to me that the biggest dilemma I'm facing this summer is that I might not go have time to go soaring around the treetops of a massive Red Cedar forest in Alaska as much as I want because there are so many other cool things I have to do on my days off.  Gosh, I'm really between a rock and a hard place.  But don't grieve for me, I will find some way to soldier on.