Thoughtz from the KOTZ - Aug 3, 2015

No real rhyme or reason for writing tonight other than I've got some time to kill after another day of workshop and logistics. So I figured I'd jump on here in the instance that any lost souls are looking for an oasis in the dried up fields of the Internet Blogosphere...

And I'll offer a PRE- Apology for not writing in creative and flowing essay form - I'm just not so moved at the moment.

Random observances and experiences of the Naluagmiu with the orange beard...  
* At the corner of Lagoon Street and Third Ave there is a a separate sign attached to the post just below the Stop sign. It reads " No Littering" - but not too many people in Kotz pay attention to that.
* A 20 oz. Mountain Dew cost me $3.17 at the AC Store (Alaska Commercial) - I splurged because I'm giving up Pop once I get to The Rock.
* "The Rock" is what I've affectionately nicknamed the Island of Kivalina. Although I've never been there, I anxiously am looking forward to Friday and my Bering Air flight delivering me safely. I wonder if Sean Connery will be there to welcome us.
*It's probably more of a sand and gravel bar but that doesn't soften the solitary confinement of living on island. The ROCK!
* $259 a night will secure you a one night stay in the local motel. It's a fancy joint located right on the Kotzebue Sound with a breathtaking view of water and mountains. I recommend the Reindeer Burger and if you're with corporate SHELL - you might save a few bucks.
* In the last last 10 days, I've eaten more Asian and Mexican food here north of the Arctic Circle than I did in the previous 2 months of Summer.
* In my defense, I've also eaten RAW Seal Blubber, RAW Reindeer Kidney, cooked BlackMeat of a Seal, and a stew of Reindeer Liver, Tongue and Venison.
* I've applied sunscreen after 8:00 pm more than once.
* The new teachers of the C3/C4 have bonded. Bonded enough to have given each other nicknames and to separate off in to cliques for meals and travel.
* When you strike up a conversation with any of the locals, most are inquisitive and respectful about our plight - until they hear we're headed for Kivalina. And then conversation shifts...often silently and  into a darker place but that is quickly followed by laughs, sympathy and sometimes hugs.
* T-Mobile has been taking my money in the Lower 48 for more than a decade. We've had a tempestuous relationship to put it nicely - until today. I stood in line for close to an hour at GCI, the Alaskan cellular provider, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that my T-Mobile is the lost Step-Brother of GCI. And to make it better, they play nicely together. No more/no less money out of my pocket - even on The Rock.
* Folks say that it's hard to infer emotion and intent through email and text. However, those folks didn't get the frantic text messages that I got from Michele today as she tried to solicit my help with un-hitching the camper from our new truck in Gooseberry Falls...which I haven't hit up on Google Earth yet but I'm pretty sure it's 5,000 miles from here. I offered advice but was glad to hear the Tom from Hawaii was there to help.
* School districts and colleges in the Lower 48 could take lessons from the NWABSD and the University of Alaska Anchorage. They are footing the bill, training us nicely AND setting me up with 6+ graduate credits. (I'll gladly write in my Feelings Journal for you again tonight if you're going to keep feeding me and forcing lane changes on me.)
* There are people from every clime and place in this far away land. I thought I'd have an interesting story to tell - but mine is a tame tale compared to those in my present company. (but I'll save that for a different day.)

I miss my wife and kids like no tomorrow. Their love and devotion is what gets me out of bed every day. I cannot wait to hold them all in my arms again. Until then - I'll just be the Naluagmiu taking it all in and writing here from time to time.

naluagmiu - Iñupiaq term nor non-Native, literally meaning "bleached sealskin"