Despite the fact that I am still staying up way too late and waking up way too early due to the perpetual sunlight, I finally feel like I am getting into a daily routine. I woke up this morning at 5am and found my internet to be sluggish once again. This was no surprise. I just fixed my coffee, made a note that I am not tough enough to drink it black so I need to buy cream the next time that I am at a grocery store, and made some phone calls while various web pages took 10 minutes to load. At about 9am I took Tess out for a run. I was as sluggish as the internet, but we got it done. After 35 minutes of running (and another swim in the fountain for Tess), there was another day of Operation FFF on the books. On the run we also passed some women working out in the park. I made a mental note: when I am done being a hermit I should swing by the park at 9:30am on a Wednesday and make some friends.
On my way out of town today I stopped by the rental office and dropped off my rent check for July. While I was there Rebecca (the owner of the Barry White ring tone phone) introduced me to Loretta. Loretta is married to Sam, who is a realtor in Girdwood. The three of us chatted for a few minutes about my swinging 70’s bachelor pad and then Rebecca excused herself while she took a phone call. I spoke with Loretta for a few more minutes before we both headed out for work. As I was driving into Anchorage I spent a little time reflecting on Loretta. In hindsight, she struck me as a typical Alaskan woman. She was over 40, and she had short-ish hair. She was fit looking and friendly. In just five minutes she had suggested various ways that I could make myself more comfortable in Girdwood, including things to do and places to have coffee. She also rattled off all the different jobs that she had around town. She ran a cleaning business and helped with the property management and she taught school. She is a Jane of all trades. I think that is part of the reason why I am drawn to Alaska. The people are friendly, and all the women seem like they can do just about anything they set their minds to. They are inviting and encouraging all at once. Of course, they all seem like they should be gay too. But they aren’t. And that’s ok! It’s just nice to be surrounded by so many confident, friendly, and strong women.
After work today I took Tess on a quick drive out to Bird Point. I didn’t really want to go for a lengthy hike so we just poked around the nature displays and enjoyed the views. The point is supposedly a great place to view beluga whales, but I have yet to see one on this trip. Nevertheless we had a nice stroll and eventually wandered by some statues of beluga whales. The statues are designed to look like parts of the beluga whales are emerging from the sidewalk. Tess even momentarily gave up her attempt to be a new age Picasso and posed nicely, facing the camera, for some very cute pictures by some of the statues. Sadly, it was only when I got home and reviewed the pictures that I realize how phallic those statues look. So, we’ll see if I post those pictures after all!
After our walk, I stopped in at the mercantile to pick up some cream for my coffee. I also tried to find some hard cider because it sounded heavenly after a hot walk. I got the cream, but sadly, there was no cider in sight. I don’t drink beer, and I’m not sure that I want to start drinking hard alcohol alone in the 70’s bachelor pad quite so early in my trip so I settled on Mike’s Hard Lemonade. However, when I got home and cracked a bottle open, I discovered that that sh*t is kind of nasty. Of course, it was cold, so I kept drinking it. I’m just saying, it’s going to take some getting used to.
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