March 2001 - June 2001 >> November 2001 >> Home The entries are in reverse order, so click here to go to the beginning. (6/20) Summer Vacation...
Last week, when I dropped my mother off at the airport after her visit, I tried not watch the planes leaving. They were a reminder; my turn was approaching.
Now, surrounded by too many bulging duffle bags, I finish packing. My 'vacation' is over. The summer, and work, stretches ahead. Writing never feels like work. I suppose that's why people want to get paid to write. We all want to be on permanent vacation.
I had the strangest sensation last night. As usual, I worked right down to the wire. Next to the last day, I finished the last chapter. The End. Probably aware of the many stages still left, like, say, second draft, I didn't feel very much excitement. But I did feel aimlessness. I literally sat at the computer, my hand idle on the mouse. What to do with myself?
I suppose I should be proud of myself and all that. The stack of paper, vaguely resembling a novel, is very nice to stroke. I flip the pages, imagining it bound. But all I have to do is stop on one page, and my eye finds another typo, another sentence that needs to be reworked...the process goes on...the only thing that's stopped is that vacation.
I plan to return in the fall. I could say because I need to be working on the 4th draft and 8th draft, so on, but mostly it's because this is my home. And vacations are great. Thank you everyone for reading and keep an eye out for more entries.
(6/15) Cooking for Alaskans...
There's a woman selling fresh fish out of a shack between a Pesco gas station and the Western Marine and Auto. Naturally, I had to buy some. If it's coming out a shack, it's got to be good. More...
(6/1) Avalanches...
Two weeks ago, the weather was very strange. One day would be warm, at least for here, and sunny, the next, cold and rainy. On one of the cold days, I went for a walk into town. More...
In the Juneau Guide, 2001, there's a handy lexicon for the tourists:
Entry for Lemon Creek-- That big valley between downtown and the airport. Also refers to a local glacier and stream. If someone lives in Lemon Creek, they mean the mobile home park or the neighborhood. If someone just got out of Lemon Creek, they mean the state prison.
Bwwwahh! So listen carefully when making a blind date! And trust me, living is Lemon Creek is pretty much the same as living in prison.
(5/19) Tourists...
The first thing I did when I got back was to go down to the docks and stare at the tourists. I figured it would be something new for them. More...
(5/18) Mother's Day...
So far, each trip to and from Juneau has gone smoothly. But flying in and out of Alaska is one of the last great adventures in this civilized country, and it was time for me to be reminded. I just didn't expect to get caught in Seattle. More...
(4/29) Old School...
Today the rain came, cold and heavy. It feels like tracer fire as it strikes my hood, creates bubbles in the puddles because it hits so hard. And I don't have those rubber boots. More...
(4/26) Rubber Boots...
The rain has finally come, thank god. I left California to escape the sunshine. Since I've gotten here, I've been looking for a pair of rubber boots. Not just any rubber boots, but a pair like the ones I had as a child. Everyone wore them, and they had a specific appearance. More...
(4/23) Folk Music...
There's been a Folk Music festival going for two weeks. I finally decided to drop into the hall on my way back from the library. With my usual luck, it turned out to be the last day. And the performance wasn't going to start for two hours. So I sat behind a potted palm, and watched what little action there was among the waiting musicians. More...
(4/22) 'How's It Going?'...
"How's the writing going?"
People ask that question with a bit of anxiety, like asking how the cancer scare's going. More...
Heard on the street, woman on cell phone: 'Yes, it's on the five o'clock plane. I told him it was a pot roast.' (4/19) Spring...
Spring has slipped into town. Not like California, where sun and heat arrives in a rush of hugs and kisses, plops its fat ass down on the sofa and doesn't go away until November. More...
(4/17) Police Blotter
The Juneau Empire isn't any thicker than the average Big Box store Sunday sales circular. There's no paper on Saturday, so they can save up energy to put out the Sunday issue. Most of the articles are pulled off the AP, and despite Juneau being the state capitol, the droning bureaucracy stories are kept to a minimum. More...
(4/16) Twilight
Back again because I give up. I just give up. The numbers will not crunch...my tax numbers that is. I stared at the forms and receipts for the better part of the weekend and today, and then, just gave up. I ran off the extension form, filled it out, and walked down to the post office. More....
(4/13) Wild Creatures:
I went for a hike today, and saw my first wild animal. After I got over the terror, excitement set in. A real live wild animal, not dead by the side of the road, or trapped behind glass in a zoo. More...
(4/12) Synchronized Swimming:
I wandered down to the municipal swimming pool to check out the schedule. It's a hoppin' place. Adults of all sizes, shapes and ages hurry through the doors, dripping plastic bags hanging from their hands. The ubiquitous over-energized children rush around. More...
(4/11) The Locals...
I had one of those epiphany moments back in California. I was in a mall and realized that there were probably as many people under that roof on a Sunday afternoon as there are residents in Juneau. This came to me as I was pressed against a wall, hyperventilating. I'd never thought I'd had a social phobia, but now I have to wonder. Or maybe, there's just too many damn people in the lower 48. More...
(4/10) Home At Last
I've divided my time in Alaska to finish my novel into segments. The markers are the times I have to go Outside to work in California. This is a necessary evil born of my inability to save money. One segment out of four is gone, and I'm returned from working to begin another. More...
(3/28) Expectations
I have to leave, and I don't want to. I'm going to a gathering, which should be fun, and then to work, which will give me money. Both of those things are good. But I just don't want to leave. More...
Public Spectacle: I bought a vacuum for $7.50 from the Salvation Army today. The store is about 8 blocks from my apartment. I carried an upright Hoover vacuum through the streets, alternating arms. I'm sure no one stared, or commented to their passengers. In California, they slow down if they see someone walking at all. (3/26) Woman Staring At the Dune
You do a lot of staring when you write. You don't want to look at the words on the screen. They're the problem. So instead, you turn, and stare out the window. More...
(3/24) Nature Hike
My goal is to get some exercise while in Alaska but by taking advantage of the many hiking trails in the area, not by joining some gym.
I'd picked up a book of Juneau hiking trails. It seemed like a good idea since I'd gone up to Perseverance Trail, and found this broken off bit of a sign on the ground:
'...been fatal. Alaska State Parks welcomes you to this beautiful trail but cautions you that trail use is at your own risk.' More...
I love Alaska Obituaries: Lifelong Skagway resident, Oscar Siegrud Selmer...He retired in 1978 as the chief painter for the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad after 36 years of service. He designed the thunderbirds that today front the diesel locomotives. He was well known for his friendly welcome to Skagway and his love of fishing. He was fond of his cat Shadow. Okay, it's the cat that makes me sniffle. Poor Shadow! (3/23) It's Cold
It's cold here. The Writer gets little sympathy when she says that. Friends patiently remind her, "Writer, you're in Alaska." More...
(3/22) Home, Sweet Home
It's a little unnerving to pick out an apartment from 3,000 miles away. And having requirements, in a town of 30,000, like fully furnished and central location, didn't help. More...
Why I love Alaska the Best: From 3/21 Juneau Empire--
Ground was supposed to be broken for new classrooms for UAS, but it's been a bit cold..."The earth was frozen so hard the ceremonial shovels could not penetrate it. The school had to haul in a load of sand and a dozen civic leaders tossed that around instead. Then an onlooker broke from the audience, took a shovel, and hacked a hole in the icy earth.
'It's supposed to be a groundbreaking,' he said, motioning to the dignitaries shoveling sand behind him. 'Everyone else is just playing in the dirt.'"Objects I see that I wonder what they are: For sale at Fred Meyer, tube sand. (3/21) Perhaps I'm Overdressed
I waited to buy a coat until I got up here. I felt I needed to evaluate the situation first. I didn't think I could make a proper judgment from the warmth and security of the Berkeley REI. I did try on a few items from the clearance rack, but although the price was good on a boy's coat, I couldn't get past the fact it had a pocket for a cell phone. More...
Out on North Douglas Road: Highway maintenance provide by:
The Douglas Cricket Club. Do they wear white flannel in the muskeg?March means it's still winter in Juneau. I'd mentally prepared for cold and snow, a grumpy greeting. So it was all rather anticlimactic when the plane dropped out of the clouds to sun -- a large-breasted babbling aunt, enveloping me in her rose-scented embrace. More...