Because I'm Lonely

Because I'm lonely.

Garage Sale!!

Garage sales with Leyla. Good times!  This is something that we've been talking about doing together for quite awhile now, and finally we both were available to hit them up!  It's been tough finding a common time because I've been away and sick and Leyla works the weekends at the station. 

Leyla is really shit-hot. She has a wicked bubbly personality and is a lot of fun to hang around with. She's a really good reporter, too. Part of the reason I like working with her is because she's a team player and she thinks visually. 

Not too many photos here to post, but hopefully there'll be more in the future. We hit up three (or was it four?) different garage sales. Leyla picked up a floor vase and a large freezer ziplock bag full of jewelry! Total cash paid: $9.00. I picked up a small cooler for me to pack beer in for my softball and flag football games. Total cash paid: $3.00.  It was a good day!

Leyla is also the gal who gave me this plant. I don't recall the name of it, but when she first gave it to me, there were no flowers and there wasn't too much growth coming from it...NOW look at it!!!

Temperature update: 60 degrees and SUNNY

Sorry, still no new pictures....Phil W.

I feel the need to be transcended.

I am home. Alone. 

It is a Friday evening and I am still not well enough to venture out or be social.

I feel restless. 

Bored.

I know that Alaska has more than this to offer me, but for some reason I feel...I have the feeling, of old. 

I need something to invigorate me. I'm not used to having this much "time". Even when I know that I have things to do: weddings to edit, bills to pay, cleaning to do...I dunno. I feel listless, I guess.

I am glad to have this alone time. It causes me to ponder. 

I like that.

I must say that I am glad to say that I received a text from one of my co-workers inviting me to brunch on Sunday...I am very much looking forward to this, as we have not hung out much outside of work yet. Although I'm sure she will be ruthlessly firing personal accusations at me as to whom I may be dating...she is unhealthily obsessed, I swear!!

Flag football officially starts on Sunday. I doubt that I will be physically playing, as I am still sick and not feeling respirator-ally up for running for an hour or so straight... I'll be sure to bring my camera, though, so that I can have some new Alaska pictures for you all - especially for Phil!!

Temperature update: 58 degrees and cloudy in Anchorage with a sunset at 9:54p.

19 more days til I'm of the Eastward persuasion...wait, I always feel persuaded East...

Lately

With being stuck at home pretty much straight for the past four days with a cold, I've had a lot of time to clean, edit, recoup and think. 

With all this "spare" time not being too busy, or as busy as I usually am, I've had time to think about home. And man, I'm homesick!! Nothing too terrible, but I'm just missing the winding roads, the accents, Whitman and Hanson, good friends, family. The list goes on.

If anyone has any pictures of the goings-on that I've been missing out on back home, would you mind emailing them to me?  [[carolyn.h.hall@gmail.com]]

I'm very much looking forward to the trip to Vermont for Kristy and Justin's wedding...which is fast approaching! And luckily I'll be able to visit with Alyssa and Tim for an evening as well. 

I got sent home from work yesterday morning, because of my cold...I go outside to start my car for the first time in about two weeks after being in Juneau and after being on call, and of course my car doesn't start....AGAIN. FOURTH time this has happened; FOURTH time it has been sent to the shop. Talked to the shop this morning and they said they need to keep it overnight because they can't seem to find out what's wrong with it and the owner will be able to look at it tomorrow. What the heck?? Never had so many problems with my Volvo back home!! 

That's about all I got for now. I'm thinking it's a good idea for me to get back to some of your emails that I've received over the past couple of months, but haven't gotten back to yet...I know, I'm a bad friend...but I'll get there eventually, I swear!!

Temperature update: 65 degrees and cloudy

Coupla pics

Here are a couple of pictures I promised. Not many, but here they are:

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These first few are from a quick little story that myself and our Web guru did about a Hovercraft that was taking some test voyages out of the Port of Anchorage. Not great pictures, cuz it was quick trip. But hopefully you get the idea...

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Angela Blanchard and I did a story a couple of weeks ago now for a series called "Day Trippin'". Basically the series focuses on summer activities that people can do within the Anchorage Bowl. 

This particular story was about ATV tours. The ATV trip took us out towards the Eklutna Glacier. We didn't go out as far as the glacier, but it was still a really cool experience. Winding trails, beautiful scenery, sand bars, rivers....wow. 

Neither of us had been on an ATV before, so that alone was interesting. What was even more interesting was me trying to shoot video with a 20 lb camera from behind Angela, who was driving the vehicle. Not my greatest stuff, that's for sure!!  

These pictures are the "after" pictures of the ATV trip. They don't do our filthiness justice!!!!

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These last two pictures are the ONLY pictures I took the entire time I was in Juneau...I know, I know, I'm sorry!  I just wasn't thinking, "oh, I'm in Juneau, I should take some pictures cuz I've never been here before". I dunno, I just wasn't in the picture-taking mood I guess...too focused on work I suppose?? Not to mention the only time I was outside when I was there was when Angela and I were walking to/from the Capitol building...and occasionally when we had the time for lunch.

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Temperature update: 57 degrees and mostly cloudy.

Alaska trivia: Anchorage's population in 1942 was 7,724, but with the war going on development was sparked and the population grew to 43,314 by 1945.

Health update: Sick. Can at least talk with a hoarse voice now, but still sick...

Juneau and more

Again it has been awhile since a post.  

Just a couple of days after my last post I was sent to Juneau to cover the Legislature's 4th Special Session. I was there Wednesday through Monday. What a trip! Covering politics has never been something that I thought I would ever get into. Alaska politics, however, is a different story. Even after working and living here after about a month or so I knew more about Alaska politics than Massachusetts politics. 

And now, after spending several days with Alaska legislatures and staff, I definitely know more about how politics "work". This place is crazy! Between caucuses and coalitions and ulterior motives and appeasing this person or that...holy cow. 

It was fascinating to observe the Legislatures. Especially because the differences between rural Alaska and urban Alaska are so vast. Bush Alaska's needs are so different from urban Alaska's needs that it takes some real compromising from the Legislatures to see that all concerns are addressed. It's hard for me to describe, but it's truly intriguing to see first-hand how it all goes down. 

Many thanks to Chris and Gary for their constant stream of informed goings-on of processes and personalities. What a help! It's a lot trying to wrap your brain around some of the issues and the procedural process of the House and Senate.

I hope I get to go back Juneau to cover the Legislature at some point...perhaps not for the regular session, because that lasts 90 days. I don't know if I could handle a steady day in and day out of politics for 90 days, but the small dosage that I received was absolutely stimulating and intriguing. 

Until yesterday, I had not had a day off in 12 days. Small feat in Red Sox world, but to my new schedule and life, that's a lot! And of course I've been wicked behind in my editing (and blogging). 

Also, I come back from Juneau to see that I'm on call. I wasn't supposed to be on call until tomorrow, but because of scheduling changes, I came back from a trip to being on call. Such is the news business. Nothing crazy for me so far with on-call. Just one false alarm and then a trip in to the station to help edit Friday night's show. 

One thing I forgot to mention is that I'm sick. I could feel it just a tad last Monday and then by Wednesday/Thursday it was a full-blown cold. Coughing, aching body. Now it's a stuffy and runny nose, lots of coughing, no voice, sore throat and I'm tired. I think I only got about four hours of sleep last night. Just couldn't stop coughing. It SUCKED. Can't wait to get over this!

I have a couple of pictures of Juneau, nothing crazy though. I can't post them yet, because I left my camera at work. There aren't many pictures, as I was indoors in the Capitol for the most part and didn't really get out to see the town. It was mostly cloudy and rainy the whole time I was there anyways. From what I could see, though, the town was pretty much built directly at the base of the mountains. Geez, it's crazy. The mountain slopes just come right down on top of the town. Avalanches are major threats to homes there in the winters. It's just amazing see how close everything is to the scenery. I'm sure I'll get back to Juneau some day so that I can take some better pictures. 

Back to my tea and honey...and editing...

Temperature update: 56 degrees and sunny!

Alaska trivia: Juneau is often described as a little San Francisco due to its hilly setting.