Honk Honk!

I have noticed that I seem to get honked at when I'm running a lot more here. It's possible that I am imagining it - maybe drivers just always happen to be honking at other drivers or situations as I run by. It definitely feels like I am being honked at though. The really strange part is that I am generally nowhere near in anybody's way as I am running; usually I am on a dedicated pedestrian path of some sort - well off the road and far from any sort of intersections. I don't get it.

It reminds me of driving around DC with the senator's wife. She always talked about how people in DC were much more apt to honk for no apparent reason than California drivers. We were driving in a parking garage and she did a quick demonstration.

"Oh there's a person...honk...oh there's a blue car...honk...oh there is pavement...honk!"

Apparently in Alaska, they say, "Oh, there's a runner...HONK!"

I'll pretend they are cheering me on!

Not To Be Avoided

While at work today I dropped a black pen. It was uncovered (or engaged with the point out, since it was a retractable pen,) so as it was falling, I figured it would leave a big black mark all down my leg. I could actually feel it writing on me in slow motion as it fell. Luckily, I quickly realized that I was wearing black pants, so it really didn't matter at all.

I announced this wondrous discovery to my officemate immediately.

M: "Ha! I dropped my black pen and it wrote on me, but I'm wearing black pants, so it really doesn't matter!"

Less than ten minutes later, I dropped an entire wedge of soft, white Laughing Cow cheese right in my lap. It went all over both pant legs.

And the universe says,

"Ha, Maryse! Nice try, nice try, but I win again!"

Happy Discovery

I was so excited to discover that lilacs grow in Alaska this summer. I had been taking a little lunch time stroll, when I noticed some rather short bushes with purple blooms on them. The lilacs I am used to (in Wisconsin) tend to be rather tall and wide, while these were more short and hedge-like. They looked suspicious though, so I walked on over. And soon enough I could smell the amazing lilac scent on the breeze, and I realized that I was in luck!

They seem to bloom a little bit later in the year here; it was nearly the end of June when I discovered them. I've always been a huge lilac fan, so it's nice to know that I'll get to look forward to them once a year here.

Horror Film Reminiscent

Also on the Winner Creek Trail, we found that we were following a little girl in a pink outfit. She was small, probably only 6 or 7, I'd say. She was probably 60 yards ahead of us; we'd see her every now and again when we came around a corner, and then she'd disappear again. It was quite strange, because it appeared as though she was all alone, just a kindergartener on a hike by herself. It seemed so out of the ordinary that I kept imagining horror film scenes. For whatever reason, her presence there alone just seemed ominous; I guess that it was the juxtaposition of a cute little girl in pink looking like she was walking in the school yard when actually she was all alone with the vastness of the forest or something - unsettling! Anyway, I kept picturing her turning around and being that wicked creature that comes out of the TV in The Ring. (I hate that girl! Sometimes I still think she might come out of my TV when I go to turn it off and it's still glowing a little bit.) Or maybe even the vampire girl from Let Me In. And then, of course, I couldn't get through it without imagining those girls from The Shining.

Eventually (and not really unexpectedly) the little girl did take off ahead, and we came up to see that she did have an entire family with her after all. So that was good, because I really was not planning on being in a horror film that day.

Missed Flight #3

I missed the third flight of my flying career this summer. I was trying to head out of town on a Friday night to FW&BF's wedding. I was really excited; I'm a huge wedding fan, and I was particularly excited to see FW&BF and go to her wedding - I knew it'd be great.

I got to the airport over an hour ahead of time; I was already checked in, and I had no bags to check at all. My flight was a red eye - leaving at 12:45AM. It seemed like the hour would be plenty of time, given that it generally takes less than 30 minutes to check in, check your bags, pass through security, and get to your gate in Anchorage. Or so I thought...

When I walked into the airport, I saw that the security line was extremely long. It was all the way out past the zig-zagging Disneyland ropes and snaking around the airport ticketing area. I got in line, and I tried to just ignore the passing time. It appeared that airlines were pulling people out for immediately departing flights, so I figured it would all be okay. As it got nearer to my departure time, I began to notice that they weren't pulling out any flights for Alaska Airlines. They were mainly for Continental, with a couple of the other big carriers thrown in there. I still tried to maintain my composure. I couldn't believe that I'd get to the airport an hour early, and I'd end up missing my flight.

By the time that I actually made it up to the scanners and TSA agents, there were only about 15 minutes left to make my flight. I was feeling a bit worried at that point. The TSA agent noticed me rushing, and he asked what time my flight was. When I told him, he said that I'd make it.

I got through security with a few minutes to spare, and I took off running down the terminal.

As I got to my gate, I saw that the door was closed to the jetway. I went up to the counter anyway. By my watch I still had 10 minutes to spare. I stood in front of the gate agent, and he did his best to ignore me. He seriously said nothing and didn't even look up from the keyboard that he was madly typing away on. Eventually I asked him if I could still get on my flight and what had happened to my seat. He said that they gave away my seat, and he offered no other help. After a bit he realized that he hadn't gotten rid of me and directed me to the customer service center just down the hall.

I dejectedly made my way down there, only to find that it was closed. So I walked to another gate and found a helpful gate agent.
She tried to get me on another flight, but then realized that the only flight she could get me on would get me into Seattle, but that I wouldn't make the connection for it anyway. She also explained that on that particular weekend in June, (the first weekend in June), they had added 9 red-eyes for the summer. While they added all those flights, they didn't actually add any additional TSA people. So that explains it. Noted: make sure to add an hour of time to your airport arrival time in the summer when you are departing from Anchorage.

Don't Take Beef Jerky From Strangers

Earlier this summer we were out hiking the Winner Creek Trail. We went across the hand tram, and then stopped for a little break after Rob and DJ Valentine had exhausted themselves pulling several cars of people across the gorge.

DJ Valentine was enjoying a beef jerky snack, when a young man took an interest in it. He was standing on the platform right near DJ Valentine on the stairs, watching him eat.

YM: "Beef jerky sure is good, isn't it?"

DJ: (Looks at YM a little quizzically.) "Yep. Do you want some?"

YM: (Looks back at his family, and then back at DJ.) "Yeah, thanks."

YM then proceeded to very carefully eat his beef jerky while keeping it hidden from his sister and parents behind him. He obviously really wanted the jerky, yet also realized that generally one does not take random food from people you meet on the hiking trail.

Thievery

I was walking around the park during lunch one day. Up near the duck pond, there was a little boy riding his bike with training wheels on the path. He stopped his bike in the middle of the path, and then began to walk down through the bushes to the duck pond. He looked really young - maybe only 3 or 4. I tried to keep an eye on him, as there didn't seem to be any other adults around. I couldn't figure out who he came to the park with. As I got closer to him, he noticed me heading his way.

He appeared to be eyeing me warily. I saw him trying to gauge the distance between me and his bike, and then between himself and his bike. He really wanted to be down by the duck pond, but at the same time, he didn't want some strange woman getting near his bike. When I was nearly at his bike, he raced up next to it, and acted as though he was going to get on and ride away. He waited there as I walked by. I smiled at him, and he just gave my a sideways glance; it was as near to a scowl as I think a three year-old can get.

As soon as I was a safe distance away, he walked back down to the duck pond. He had been convinced that I was in need of a tiny bicycle with training wheels and was not above stealing one from him. Poor little guy; I never did figure out who was there with him.

I'm So Hungry, I Could Eat Cardboard

Rob Valentine and I were working on a 1,000 piece puzzle. It took a little more time commitment than either of us could really handle. We ended up moving it to a piece of cardboard and putting it downstairs for a little break. As it turns out, Miss America discovered it.

She promptly tore the puzzle apart (it was over half done) and ate an edge piece. So much for that little project! Miss America either hates puzzles or was really hungry. Actually, I think I'm voting for a combination of the two.

Don't Mess With Dessert

Rob Valentine and I were splitting a peanut butter bar for dessert last night. There was just a slight miscommunication involved in the whole thing.

It all went down like this.

Scenario#1

RV: "Do you want the rest of this?"

M: "No."

RV then proceeds to stab the remaining bite of peanut butter bar. I notice and get worried that he's going to eat the rest of the peanut butter bar.

M: "That's not one bite. That's not one bite. That's not one bite."

(I was repeating myself because it seemed like the more I said it, the more determined Rob Valentine was to eat the whole thing in one bite. And I rapidly saw my last bite of peanut butter bar disappearing.)

Scenario #2

RV: "Do you want any more of this?"

M: "No."

RV then begins to take the last bite of peanut butter bar, having discussed it thoroughly with me and getting the go ahead.

M: "That's not one bite. That's not one bite. That's not one bite."

(RV then wonders what is wrong with me. Why am I counseling him on how large a bite of peanut butter bar should be? And why would I have a problem with him taking the last bite of peanut butter bar that I have already told him I didn't want?)

I'm sure that the conversation must have happened exactly as Rob Valentine heard and said it; it seems more likely that I would mis-hear than that he just wouldn't know what he said. It is pretty amazing how two different conversations can happen at once though. At least the peanut butter bar wasn't the absolute best dessert ever, or I would have been sad at missing out on my last bite. As it was my milk/dessert ratio was a little off.

Agua Del Fuego

It's been an awesome week for me. Actually, Tuesday was one of those days. It was very Monday-esque, I guess, probably due to being the first day of the week. The fun started with random household injuries, and ended with me starting a cup of water on fire. I know it doesn't seem possible; I'd most likely be in high demand if I were living in feudal France or something (I mean, forgetting about the fact that it took a microwave for me to achieve the feat;) they were always wanting to make fire out of something, right?

So I forgot to bring a coffee cup to work with me to make my daily tea. I decided that one of the medium-sized dixie cups that are found in the break room would suffice. So I filled it up with water, and pressed the two-minute quick start button. I then walked away to work on something in the two-minute break. I returned when the microwave started beeping - to a rather awful smoke smell and a small flame burning on one of the bottom crease edges of the cup. I opened the microwave door, and a flood of water poured out the crease, putting out the flame.

See - awesome!

In True Form

We went bowling the other night.

On my first roll, I walked up, went in for the slide, felt my shoe stick, and promptly went head over toes down the bowling alley.

Because that's how I roll.