On this day of days, when heat ravages the interiour of continents, when one’s continence has contents, if not context, we ask if a cup of coffee is better than a pot of potential or a pitcher of beer.
Meditation is being here and now in the here and now, if not the hoosegow.
Time for caffeine and contemplation of spruce trees, moose crossing roads and Rhodes scholars wearing collars…
So far, on this trip through central Alaska on the way to Canada, I’ve learned that the student visa/exchange program is alive and well. Tonight, a young lady named Karjah from Jamaica, to name one who traveled to Tok, Alaska, for summer work.
We take a journey because the final destination is well known. We remember and honour our ancestors through continuous learning along the way.
Plenty more to thank: Dan, our driver/guide/geologist; Hannah (“Raena k’rana” in Athabascan?), steamboat Discovery guide, grandpa still in village, she getting educated at Univ. of Alaska – Fairbanks; Nic(ole), Rachel – gift shop sales; fellow travelers like Aidan and Doug Collins; Ashley (“Koo’kook” in Athabascan?); Steph; Lance Mackie; Rynda, Josie, Joan and Pat at Santa House; Sarah at Rika’s Roadhouse; Hugh, Julie, Caribou, Brooke, Kelvin, Karjah and Sheila at Westmark Tok; Van Voorhis from Ellington, CT.
Well, guess I oughta thank a few people for their kindness and generosity: Scott Hummel and other volunteers at Fountainhead Museum; Stephanie and others at Bear Lodge; Dylan, Eric and Brittany onboard McKinley Explorer; Elessa (a/k/a Y1TA (“Yita”)); Pat at Denali Park Depot Gift Shop; Anna, Kelly and Moldova at Prospectors Pizza; Rick and Alex at Denali Fly Fishing Tours; George Hamilton of Denali National Park tours; Alan Olsen of Black Diamond ATV; Anya (from Russia) and Sophia Ferrell of Courtyard Cafe; Edna S of Holland America; Carly J Mooney (more on her later) and other performers/cooks at Cabin Nite; Joe, Chris, Dawn and Scott of Holland America train car; drivers like Thomas A; Jeremy of Glacier Brewhouse; workers of Toklat Visitor Center; people who wave at people waving back on trains; smiling faces of fellow passengers; more as time permits…
Image-laden blog entries continue:
So many to thank, too tired to think, too much fun in inclement weather:
Seems odd, definitely surreal, sitting in a wooden chair in a guest room of the McKinley Chalet Resort, writing this blog entry at 20:56 local (Alaska) time, strong WiFi signal connecting me to the world not far from the tallest mountain peak in North America, Denali, also known as Mount McKinley.
A land/sea tour for the comfortable middle class, sharing the wealth with hearty bodies, providing this moment.
The surreal continues…
Yesterday, my niece stood next to and shook the hand of the President of the United States of America, a photo of the two of them together appearing on MSNBC and Reuters International.
Today, my wife and I rode on a train that stopped in Wasilla, Alaska, USA, home to a former U.S. state governor and U.S. Vice President candidate, Sarah Palin.
But this is more than a journal entry in a travelogue.
This philosophical dissertation in miniature asks, “I know my destination but do I know where I’m going?”
What are we doing here together, you and I, observing a minute spot in the universe?
What are we trying to accomplish by interacting with the tour director/concierge, driver guide, train staff and hotel gift shop clerks?
In a moment like this, we live.
We allocate resources not only for larger missions outside of this spacetime but also nail down this spacetime in words and images.
Ever tried to keep up with all the people, places and names you encounter in the outer space of an inner social pace?
Well, it turns out that nametags are a key part of keeping up with the fellow travelers wandering the planet.
For instance, the nametags a company gives its employees.
I have fuzzy vision, especially in the morning when I’m not quite awake or the evening after partying drinking having a late-night snack.
Visit a hotel or tourist area in that condition and visualising the labels attached to a person’s lapel or chest can be daunting.
Especially the way the label/nametag is made.
For me, black letters on a white background are the easiest to read.
The most difficult are black letters on a shiny, gold background at the Westmark Hotel, where the staff is some of the most friendly you’ll meet but reading their names in order to memorise and later recall them here frustrates me on this rainy day in the paradise of the Pacific Northwest.
A few to thank today: Elizabeth, Doreen, Brendan; Tom; more to follow. To those whose names I have not written here, I apologise for the fuzziness of middle-aged eyes and having too much of a good time! 😉
How many animals have I killed today?
I ate reindeer sausage, bought a fox tail, wore leather shoes, tried on a T-shirt dyed with octopus ink, and walked through a city paved with fossil fuel.
I also bought organic tea and handmixed honey.
On the 12th floor of a highrise hotel, I try to feel the dampened vibrations of the planet through my feet, relying on the repercussions and reverberations in the air to tell me what I sense signals future events. Nothing indicates to me a pending disastrous earthquake here on the Pacific Rim.
No matter where I am — standing in the shade of a storefront while eating a popcicle made with locally-grown rhubarb, sitting in a trendy cafe, walking down a street crowded with tourists, or zoned out in Zone 1 — I who does not exist am part of this planet’s ecosystem, joyously participating in the pain and happiness that I call yours/mine/ours.
The universe is here amusing me nonstop.
Not far from the view of Russia in Sarah Palin’s backyard is a microcosm, an irregular United Nations, of people from around the world giving capitalism its due. Anchorage, AK, is OK with me, O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A.
One World Order? Already done.
Global economy? In full cyclical swing.
One summer we’re making fun of global warming while the air temp is 115 deg F and the next summer we’re wishing for hot weather — same summer, different parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
A few websites for the day: www.katiesevignystudio.com, www.facebook.com/soapdishdiva, www.onceinabluemoose.com, alaskanutandhoney.com, www.tundracomics.com
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Thanks to many, including: Julia at cAKe bakery; Madison, Monique and others at Once In A Blue Moose, organisers of Anchorage Market & Festival; Masha; Katie at Sevigney Studio Art; Zach Tundra Comics; James at Soap Dish Diva; Gail Jones at Alaskan Valley Nectar; Polar Bear Gifts Outlet Store; David Green Furs; Melissa at Snow City Cafe; Gina and her handcarved art; belly dancers; paperazzi; Evon Zerbetz; Ashley Schweizer of HollandAmerica; Westmark; and more!
While Nigerians get all burned up over spilt fuel, Syrians kill each other because there aren’t enough regular citizens to say, “Hey, Syria is no longer a country, which means countries don’t exist, which means a lot of people who call themselves politicians are suddenly no longer needed, which means the unemployment rate just shot up…,” and labels are still labels, let’s stop a moment and ask ourselves, “What should writers do when they write” (and they aren’t journalists, film critics, thinktank analysts, students, or others engaged in something besides [non]fictional storytelling)?”
In other words, humour me and make me think, if only mindlessly.
Let’s let consciousness (not a “conscience”) be our guide…
According to the University for the Study of University Studies**, a compilation of studies on the investigation into the root causes of paedophilia has demonstrated that there is an indirect correlation between those who believe in and practice polygamy* and those who practice paedophilia.
When reached for comment, the academician in charge, who requested anonymity after receiving threats from people around the world who actively practice polygamy, said, “We can either legitimise and institutionalise polygamy, giving full rights and recognition to those who wish to mate with young women as soon as they reach puberty, or we can continue to find adults confessing they were abused as children by closet polygamists. Either way, it appears to be not so much an individual mental problem, but a natural progression of a species that has refined social interaction into what cultural anthropologists currently call civilisation.”
To validate the study, the academician recommended hypnotising those accused of paedophilia, such as the Penn State assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky, as well as those who assist in covering up paedophilia activities, such as Catholic priests and others up the Vatican’s chain of command, to reach their subconscious thoughts and see if they secretly believe in polygamy.
The release of this study has sent shockwaves throughout the community of “true believers” of the Mormon faith as well as orthodox Muslims. Producers for the TV shows, “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” and “The Jerry Springer Show,” were not surprised.
Salman Rushdie refused to respond to requests for information regarding a book he is reported to have penned about this very subject years ago but never published.
*Note: there is a small, but not insignificant number of those who believe in and practice polyandry. The same comments about polygamy above also apply to polyandry, according to footnotes in the university study.
**Due to a concern for their safety, the administration, faculty and staff of the online university that produced this study have also asked for their names and the name of the university to be withheld from this news article, pending approval of their acceptance into the Federal Witness Protection Program.
While we set our supercomputers to analyse processes that heat our CPUs surreptitiously, we give you another list of books added recently to our old-fashioned library of paper-and-ink products:
Meanwhile, our staff in the Department of Dastardly Deeds has developed a potential storyline for us to follow:
By experimenting with chemical formulae, scientists have perfected the ideal poison letter. Soon, they will infiltrate the labs of laser printer cartridge manufacturers, change the ingredients of the cartridge contents and release the newest formula into the homes, factories, offices, Internet cafes, construction trailers and libraries of the world.
Then, when the time is right, they will activate the signal that tells the cartridges to print a special circuit on paper.
The circuit, combined with the special ink that, after being heated and fused to the paper, uses the release of heat as the paper cools to send a strong enough “charge” to a blob of ink in one corner of the paper to achieve a minor goal of the Department of Dastardly Deeds.
The scientists have asked us not to reveal their goal at this time.
We won’t, because we have to figure out if their goal aligns with our major milestones before we decide to increase or eliminate their department budget.
While that’s going on, we’ll let you know that the brain circuit reconfiguration we’re testing on Jesse Jackson, Jr., may work this time. We have tried similar experiments on other members in the public eye (refrain from referring to our previous work as “lobotomy,” electroshock treatment, drug cocktail service, etc.), in order to keep them in line with our milestones.
Those who haven’t stayed on message have been moved aside (again, refrain from referring to our previous work as “failing the newspaper test,” “assassination,” “drug overdose,” suicide, not seeking reelection, retiring unexpectedly, etc.).
Managing a planet is distracting, we admit, but, on days when we’re bored, it provides an entertaining respite from looking back at this time period 1000 years in the future while trying to live a fulfilling life 1000 years from now, too.
treetrunkdings 