The Big House Can't Be Green

I am getting pretty sick of all the news programs and magazines listing their little "become more green" tips all the time. Those tiny tidbits of feel good eco-nonsense, like replace your light bulbs, turn down the heat, combine errands....yadda, yadda. Sure those ideas are better than "screw it, I'm entitled to idle my hummer all day long". But the big lie is simply that the media is afraid to actually say "it".
What is "it", you ask?
The economy, stupid. We still haven't figured out how to live in the United States without growing the economy. Currently, growing the economy always means: purchasing more and developing more. Just listen to the financial reports talk about the market for new homes as an indicator of economic well-being. And these "new homes" aren't exactly solar powered yurts. They are good-ole American McMansions. Built with toxic particle board, and requiring a small power plant just to keep all the square footage heated, cooled and lit. Not to mention the forest of trees required to furnish the monster.
Nobody tells you: stop purchasing new furniture, shoes, cars and houses- which all require raw materials, chemical emissions and electricity to produce.....no, they keep focusing on those stupid light bulbs!

How to Spot a Tourist in Alaska

Tourist season is upon us once again in Alaska. I honestly have nothing against tourists, but find it funny that they have no idea how much they stick out in Alaska.

Tourist clues:
1- Wearing warm coats in 60 degree weather. (Alaskans know that's shorts weather!)

2- Fancy outdoor gear including never before worn hiking boots. Many out-of-townees seem to think you need rugged gear to stroll the mall in Anchorage....

3- Constantly calling friends in the lower 48 on their cell phones at 10:00pm, simply to say "I can't believe it's still light out!"

4- Wearing perfume while hiking. Wow! some folks just don't get what makes the mosquitoes tick...

5- Unrealistic fishing expectations & throwing a line into the wrong waters. Hey-as new comers we were guilty of this one too. Alaska has great fishing--but most folks sit at fishing holes for hours (if not days) just to catch "the big one".

6- Wearing hats & T-shirts that say only "Alaska" on them. Actual Alaskans love the word Alaska too--but it must be in a broader context: as in "Alaska Arctic fence post repair" or "Alaska girls kick ass"....

7- Inability to comprehend the beauty of duct tape.

8- Lastly, tourists don't believe the Moose poop earrings are made of real moose poop!! Yes, they are and no, it's not gross>>>.

Breaking Free From the Fashion Police

It isn't hard to observe that most Alaskan women have absolutely no regard for fashion or fancy preening and pruning. At first it may strike some as odd or even a bit too rustic--but from the women's perspective it is a joyful liberation from the fashion police.
Once a woman has moved to Alaska, it only takes a few years to give up on fashion and easily swim in the waters of comfort instead. It becomes the dirty little secret of ladies whose family & friends still reside in the "lower 48". These new Alaskan women snicker how those on the "outside" obsess and wonder how someone can "let themselves go". But alas--they don't know how liberating it feels to drink from the fountain of freedom from expectations.
It's not like giving up on fashion and heavy make-up means Alaskan women look bad. There certainly are quite a few that should look in the mirror more often. But in my opinion, the worst cases simply need to get into shape or find a laundromat.
It is certainly a much bigger crime that so many "urban" women spend so much money & time on clothes, shoes and make-overs. It is the most ridiculous and frivolous waste of time imaginable. And in the long run-an incredible stressor.
Just ask any "Alaska girl" about the relief of breaking free...

Work versus Effort?

The individual works hardest for himself. That is the fundamental theory behind capitalism. I have to agree, that by observing failed political systems, the individual cog is a substantial element for success.
The problem is the equality of pay versus effort. Now this one really bugs me. There is no way that pay equals effort, not in this country and especially not globally. For example--I would say a slaughter house employee, farmer or a burger flipper puts forth way more effort than say an accountant or quality control tester. Some would argue that you are paying for "brain-power". I don't buy it. Once you learn your job, most white color workers will complain their work is mind numbing.
Of course income reflects higher education. But the dirty little secret of higher education is that effort maybe plays about 25% of a role. The rest is luck & brains. We are not born with the same brains folks, nor are we all born to parents wealthy enough or smart enough themselves to push us through higher education.
I don't really have an answer at this point in time, just sharing a frustration.....Because quite a few folks in this country feel a sense of entitlement because they "worked for it", and I'm saying--get a reality check.

That's Why You Are So Busy

A few blogs back I had puzzled over the two types of people I meet--the "Chronically bored" and the " Overscheduled/Overworked". I have decided that the overscheduled category may not be as common as I previously thought, especially as the latest figures regarding Television viewership put Americans at 4.5 hours per day!!
I trust those figures to be accurate, and that can only mean one thing--Americans are busy, busy, busy: rushing to get home to their big screen TV's!!! Too busy to shop small markets, cook home cooked meals, plant a garden or put down that cellphone. Because heaven for bid, they might just miss the next episode of Deal or No Deal...

School Spirit in Alaska

One of the most frustrating things about the Alaskan status quo is the disregard for education. Simply put, quite a few good paying jobs here require little if any education. Most Alaskans can afford pretty nice lifestyles by picking up a trade, craft or working in the oil fields. Into this mix throw a healthy dose of illiterate rednecks and you have the perfect formula to mock the educated or any establishment fostering education.
This attitude rears its ugly head every election season. Alaskan voters hate to see their property taxes rise--especially if the money goes to something silly like the school system. Needless to say, many kids attend classes in temporary trailers, programs are cut and I even heard talk of eliminating kindergarten!
Of course when parents don't care about schools, neither do the kids. You could point to something ordinary like drop out rates, but here the problem includes a propensity for vandalism.

I have never lived in a place where children habitually set fire to their schools and school playgrounds. The playgrounds are an especially weird crime--who hates playgrounds? But needless to say, every summer playgrounds and schools all across Alaska are set ablaze. The school system encourages campers to camp in school parking lots to eliminate the carnage, but needless to say--it still happens.

Bugs, Bugs, and More Bugs

Let me be the first to admit the stereotype about Alaska being full of mosquitoes is pretty much true. Not everywhere mind you- the average tourist will barely meet a mosquito in any big Alaskan town. They are pretty rare along the beaches as well--especially if it is windy.
But, if you happen to be in the woods on a cloudy day in June---watch out!!
The tundra and interior also have the same mosquito swarms that follow you or any hapless animal around. Poking, proding and buzzing until they each have made an attempt to sting you in the ear, lip or get through those jeans!
It is actually pretty incredible, especially because I have seen every bug repellent imaginable used against these "swarms" and nothing can stomp out their motivation. Here at my homestead, I too get to experience mosquito swarms in June. We actually have a "mosquito magnet" and a bat house--to attract bug eating bats. Well the mosquito magnet just can't keep up. A list of other things I have tried to spray on my porch or body or dogs includes: vanilla, eucalyptus, citronella (I swear they love the stuff), every "natural" repellent sold in the store, listerine and catnip. Nothing really works. Even regular Deet repellents are a joke to the mad swarms, but I heard the military uses 100% deet.
All one can really do, is wrap themselves in bug netting and wait for August. But I guess all these mosquitoes do help feed our salmon though.....