Favorite Things

See if you can spot the sarcasm....

I love it when people with 'smart phones' ride the bus. From my personal observation (from the seat of my bike) when they step off the bus and begin their journey down the sidewalk they forget to join the rest of us in the real world and they walk and text down the middle of the sidewalk. I'm here to tell you it isn't pretty and it's at least as dangerous to me as people driving and texting.

I also love vehicle shopping. Heaven forbid you have taken the time to know what you want. Because you won't be able to find it. Even if money were no object. Not that I don't totally love my bike being my main mode of transportation. It's just that I forgot to run errands last weekend and I'm out of cat food. For some reason in this town all the pet stores are within one large shopping mall block of each other. I'm not kidding, even the new one. And it's way outside my biking range. Except for the high end one down by the railroad tracks. Its entire business hours are while I'm at work and class all day. Fear not, the cats are just getting fat off the stores of canned food I have for bribing them to not scratch me when I administer twice daily medicine.

I love that I have two dogs. So do the cats. This way someone gets to feel superior at all times. Usually it's the cats. Rarely is it me. A few nights ago I settled down in my study chair to study. I realized I forgot my snack on the kitchen counter, so I retrieved it. I don't live in a huge house or anything. We're talking the journey to the kitchen is approximately 3 seconds from the chair. I returned to the chair and noticed Percy was licking her chops and looking sheepish. I didn't think much of it at the time as she had a kong with peanut butter in it and she pretty much always looks sheepish. Despite having this dog in my life for six years I have apparently not mastered the ability to tell 'sheepish' from 'guilty'. This was obvious as soon as I was a couple pages into the reading and thought I would have a little sip of eggnog. Funny, I don't remember spilling on the outside of the cup.......wait, why is the cup mostly empty....and there is nog on the table, floor, dog bed, ..... dog..... Damn dog. That was a huge cup....and it had rum in it. Maybe that was the attractant. Stay tuned for future tests to see if Percy will be attending AA meetings.

I think most of what else I love in the world right now can be summed up with people's realistic sense of themselves. This includes their pets and children. No, I'm sure your akita on the extendable leash ten feet from you had nothing to do with knocking you off your feet when he lunged at me. Seriously, go ahead, blame the female runner.....with the lab....on the pinch collar....I'm sure he started it. Yes, your chihuahua is so cute it's like it's not even a dog. Go ahead and bring him inside the place of business. His constant yapping won't bother a soul. Don't mind if I do the same thing with my 96 pound black lab. You don't mind, do you? It's okay, he's a search and rescue dog so he's perfect. Oh, except that he doesn't really like little yappy dogs. Thanks for the snack.....

View from the Snow Cave

Most of my winter fun has involved a view such as this from inside a snow cave. Now that school has started this is about as fun as it gets. When it's darker because I'm training at night or there is loose snow over the blocks for a more advanced dog, I often fall asleep. Sometimes inside a snow cave is the best place to be; it's out of the wind, it's quiet, and there's nothing to stress about. Especially if you have done something silly like not doing a radio check before you get in the cave and you actually have a dead radio. Then it's really quiet.

Tatonka and I have a full day tomorrow. We're giving a demonstration to some kids at the science center, doing some backcountry skiing together, and then a little cave work. He has no idea how much fun is headed his way or I'm sure he would have not given me that sappy big brown eyed pathetic look when I left the house this morning.

Big Dig

Tatonka and I are finally recovered from our 5 day extravaganza of training at the resort. It was an experience. We had a lot of snow fall during the last three days. Conditions deteriorated so much that the resort was closed for the 5th day.

Tatonka got to dig people out of the deepest caves he's ever played with. And he finally loaded onto the chairlift without any help from me. We may have even found some methods that work for skiing together too.

I guess that means it was a success. Our final two tests were postponed as the whole group was exhausted. Since classes start tomorrow rescheduling is about to become a nightmare. In the meantime I have been out skiing, improving my 'handler skills'. Very strange to ski without a pack or a dog, threw my balance way off.

Night Ski

I was such a good girl last weekend. At least on Saturday. I spent the whole day inside, cleaning and studying. So when Niwt called on his way back from skiing at the resort all afternoon I jumped at the chance to get out of the house and onto my skis. Partly because I got a new jacket when I won a contract a few weeks ago at work and partly because it had nothing to do with testing or training Tatonka which has been the focus of our days a lot recently.

So I changed clothes and threw my gear into the truck with the dogs when he pulled into the driveway. We got up to the Flattop parking lot just as darkness was really descending. We didn't even skin up, just boot packed up the trail, kicking the ball for the dogs along the way.

Unfortunately, even with headlamps we didn't go far. The snow was crunchy under a layer of ice and the moon was hidden by a thick cloud bank. So we stuck with a short run back down the trail. Sunday Tatonka and I hit the flat trails by the house for some skijoring. Followed on Monday by his second avalanche test in which he exceeded my wildest expectations. Of course it was an endurance test and he has no challenges there. We're looking forward to 5 days at the resort for an avalanche dog workshop starting tomorrow night. I guess he doesn't really know that yet, but the kennel appearing in the living room last night may have given him a clue.

Winter Biking in Anchor Town

I appreciate that some of you will think I'm crazy for riding my bike in the winter, but let me just point out that I'm not alone and it hasn't even come close to killing me. Today I went one step further and rode to school, swam, and then rode to the office. This is when I realized how much riding at 30 degrees sucks a lot more than at 20 degrees. Those of you who were here during our latest sub zero spell can appreciate that I stop riding at 0 degrees because I'm not completely insane. The problem that arises in the warmer temps is that trails, like next to the creek that I ride to school, are packed with layers of snow and are frequently groomed for skiers. During warmer periods this firm pack becomes soft and riding (and running) on them becomes akin to biking on the beach. Not a hard packed beach, I mean that dry sand up where you put your towel and sunscreen. It's a workout for sure.

Another fun challenge is riding on streets. At 30 all the vehicles are spinning tires and barely in control. Which makes me feel just a wee bit vulnerable when I'm waiting for a light to change and cars are spinning out in the turn lane. News flash people: slow down and put it in 4 wheel drive if you have it. If you are driving a Mini Cooper or a VW Bug, my heart does not bleed for you. You live in Alaska, park it for the winter or trade it in. Sorry, stepping off the soapbox now.

Some retailers are awesome and they shovel or plow their sidewalks. I love you. Waiting for the Muni to plow the sidewalks after it snows is fairly hit and miss. I'm torn here because I love snow and love to ski, but it can take quite a while to get my entire route to work plowed. Sometimes I get faked out by most of it being plowed and then I end up walking part of it. The other thing that happens when it snows is that holes get filled in just like the potholes in the road. Not a big deal when it's 10 degrees because everything is frozen solid. But at 30 degrees when you are booking down the sidewalk between lights, not getting hit by any vehicles and you hit a hole of soft snow.....let's just say the car occupants have a high chance of getting a fun show of you flying through the air at approximately 9.7 mph. I know that doesn't sound fast, but give it a try and you might change your mind.

Currently I'm sitting at work watching the snow start to fall outside. It's not dumping or anything, but just like my co-workers who live an hour outside of town, I'm keeping an eye on it. We're well overdue for a good dump or two here. I would rather it happen now than next week when I'm trying to work my dog at the avalanche workshop.

Girlfriend Surprise Extreme

Someone once told me that girlfriends are among the most important things in life. More important even than spouses. I think they were right. Sometimes adventures are really good things; this weekend was a prime example of that. We have been suffering through another super chilled snow free run of weather here and KAES was on my calendar for a skiing weekend. She came north instead of me going south because I had another canine chairlift adventure scheduled. When I went to pick her up at the airport Friday night I had already had the adventure of not going to the Beer and Barley Wine Festival because I didn't know tickets would sell out days before the doors opened. I jumped in the truck as soon as she called to say she was on the ground and hoped the truck would be warm by the time I got to the airport. I need not have worried as instead of picking up one person I picked up three. I have no words to explain my excitement and delight. I was simply dumbfounded to see three of my favorite people in the same place at the same time.

KAES had been in cahoots (cahoots I say!!) with Niwt for days, possibly weeks I believe, about this little surprise. I had no idea. None. So I didn't feel bad when we took over his side and booted him out to live at my house for the weekend. Except to come cook meals and change the DVD because we all had our hands busy with yarn. All the girls came over (except Bear because I simply can't disturb her slumbering, she's too cute).

As forecasted, the weather remained cold, super cold if you hail from Seattle. They all gamefully came down to the resort Saturday for a half day of skiing in the frigid temps and survived. I didn't hear any complaints about spending Sunday knitting the day away with a jaunt to the local yarn shop when I discovered I might not have enough linen for my kitchen curtain. I was beat into submission on my use of ravelry and will never go back. KAES and I tried to go swimming Monday morning, but discovered that it was a holiday and the pool was closed for the holiday and also for maintenance. So we cross country skied instead. Brrrrr!! Very sad to put them all back on the plane yesterday, but hope this will be the start of a tradition. Next year I hope I won't be trying to certify a dog for avalanche, have thesis work hanging over my head, or such cold weather on offering. I might have thought it was all a dream if I didn't have some pictures to prove they were here.

Lucky Girl

I started the week feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. Probably because I got to ride my bike to work, which meant that it was above 0 degrees and I had a job to ride to. I never get over being amused that I have studs on my bike but not on my truck. Not that the truck has left the driveway in a month. But I do have a place to tow her to, hopefully this weekend, where I can start the super fun repair/exploration process since I determined that the new truck I want does not exist in this state and I can't afford a payment anyways. So I intend to stay well aquainted with my blue beauty and to that end have procured supplies for and cut out handlebar toasties to sew up this weekend. They are blue. I know, I'm a dork. But I'm a happy, healthy, employed dork.

Stay tuned for adventures of dogs riding chairlifts, humans skiing down slopes and down trails, thesis research, ice worm counting, and whatever else KAES and I come up with this weekend. Probably knitting if the weather gets any colder.