Sunday, December 12, 2010

Catching up


Wow, it’s been about two weeks since my last blog post.  Just getting everyone used to the post schedule I’m going to have in a few weeks.  (That’s my excuse anyways.)  Since I have about two weeks to cover at once, I’ll just give you some of the highlight.  And to make up for my lack of posting, I have pictures!
            Last weekend a group of us trainees went on a moose hunt through the city.
          The city of Anchorage currently has an estimated moose population of over 1,000.  They are like deer here, wandering through people’s yards and cutting off traffic.  There is a network of trails through the city that are surprisingly busy even in December.  Tons of people go running, cross country skiing, ski skating, skijoring, and…biking!  They have these bikes with huge fat snow tires that can ride through snow.   
          Anyways, our trek was successful.  We not only found a moose, but also saw the mudflats at Cook Inlet, and rode down a whale slide.
            A few of us also went sledding down Flattop Mountain, just outside of Anchorage.  The slope was pretty steep, and the powdery snow flew up in our faces.  We had to stick out our feet to stop from sliding across the gravel and into the trees.




And the view was pretty fantastic.  Out there by the water is the city of Anchorage.
             Class has been good.  It mostly includes watching videos (including episodes of Deadliest Catch), species identification of crabs, fish, and invertebrates, how to fill out tons of paperwork, and safety.  The last few days we’ve been watching videos of people falling overboard and getting hypothermia.  We also had “the girl talk” last week.  The take home message from this talk: don’t flush your tampons down the toilet.  Other important lessons from this talk: You will be stared at mostly because you’re different; don’t let it go to your head.  Don’t sleep with the crab fleet.  Women smell different than men.  Fishermen get really freaked out by periods.
            Only one more week of class!  The final is on Friday.  I’m feeling confident, but at the same time there is a lot of pressure to do well on this test.  This is the test that will allow me to do this job, and just as important, allow me to get my reimbursement for travel and equipment.  
            A quick list of less exciting events in the last two weeks:  dancing, live music, lost credit card, lost drivers license, roasting marshmallows by the fire, drinking lots of hot chocolate, sharing tastes in music, setting a 495 piece puzzle, frequent walks to the ghetto grocery store, coffee shops, thai food, and currently and Indiana Jones movie marathon. 

1 comment:

  1. Is that top picture at Kincaid Park? have fun with all your adventures!

    ReplyDelete