I havent forgotten the little people

Ok..so none of us are little people..I just havent posted in a few days, but I have gotten home from work very late ( tonite not so much ) and have not had the energy to think, much less, type. The week has gone well. I have learned alot, and am getting more comfortable each day. I still have miles and miles to go, but I feel the vehicle is pointed in the right direction. I saw a fox the other day, and I thought it was a wolf. Hey fox..wolf..what's the fucking difference. I never got close enough to him to ask for ID. Suffice it to say, there arent alot of foxes in Arlington heights. I bowled again last night, and made steady, if not, meteoric progress. 131 124 143. I made some good shots and some bad ones, but my averege has zoomed to 123. Look out Marshall Holman. Meanwhile, we havent seen the good side of Zero in a week now, but I wont go into that. I am going to relax tonight..have a pizza and try to sleep through the night. Its been tough. The time change. The lifestyle change. Leaving behind friends and loved ones. New jobs. The unseen future. All kinds of stuff that makes for an interesting stew of uncertainty. Life, you might call it. I guess I would have to call it life as well. Adios from the worn end of week 2 in Alaska. Dear God. Its me Charlie.

More Broken Promises

Ok I promised not to bitch too much about the weather, but its going to be 3o below tonite. Thats right..30 below. Now today's high was -11. The high. - 11. The high. Getting the picture? Its cold. My lungs are fighting not to freeze. I really have no words to describe how cold -30 really is. And I am never at a loss for words. -30. Think about it. I think my all time low temprature wise was January of 1981 it hit -28. Once. for like 6 minutes. Ok Im done bitching about the weather. For today anyway.

DeGamma...De Soto & De....Vokoun?

Ok so Im not an immortal explorer. But if you know me, you know that I love to drive aroud in a new place and get my bearings. You know..find the 7-11's or mini-marts. Check out to see if they have a Waffle House or a Sonic Drive In..stuff like that. Fairbanks.....ah well Fairbanks has none of the above. Or a Best Buy for that matter.But there are adequate choices for department & grocery store items. They Have Jiffy Lubes and Blockbuster Video stores. They also have an ungodly amount of hardware stores and the like. See people up here never throw shit away. They just fix it. There is a survival instinct that is somewhat foreign to me, but then again I might be the worlds unhandiest man, so maybe my view is skewed a wee bit.

So time keeps moving and I remain up here in the Land that Progress forgot. But the people are still nice and more importantly..I still have a job. I will check in tomorrow with more from,as my cousin calls it " The End of the Highway "

Sorry Faithfull Reader(s)

Monday was so busy that I got home and crawled into bed. I did not post last night. Another great day in the office. Learing new stuff and trying to prove my worth to my boss, which is no easy task.

I am dealing with shit all over the country as we speak. You dont travel this far and not leave behind some slop. Good news......it will all pass and can only get better. Bad news.....there are always casualties. And like any war, the plan is to achive victory with the fewest amount of innocent victims getting hurt. I have my hopes, but no one gets out unscathed.

I try like hell not to bitch about the weather, but todays high is slated to be a balmy -6. Lows overnight this week are going to dip to -25. If any of my friends want to send wool socks or some long undies, I wouldnt refuse the package..

Listen for the silence

When you undertake new endeavors you are always on shaky footing. Despite having skills in th earea, you have to listen for the silence. Its the way a road sports team knows it is going to win. You take the crowd out of the game and you know you are on the road to victory. Now to apply this thinking to moi, I have been doing accounting of one kind or another since 1980, so I know my craft. But I am 4200 miles from my loved ones......I know NO ONE other than my cousins, and I am very much the road team here. But as I completed a whole week of work tonite, I heard the confidence in my cousins voice tonight asd we laid out the rest of the week. It was a great sund. Gone was the trepidation of Wednesday or Thursday..... replaced by a tone that signaled that I was not some Johnny Come Lately, but someone she could trust. I didnt say anything to her, but I sensed a relief in her voice that she knew that I could do the job. And who doesnt crave that confidence from their employer? I am off to bed tonight knowing that I can compete in this territory..and that I can be a major player for her. To quote Jesse " The Body " Ventura when he was flexing his biceps on some shitty AWA wrestling show in the late 70's...
I am so great I can hardly believe it myself!!!!!!!!! Tonight all is right with the world

7 days does not a week make

Tonight as I got to bed I complete my 7th night as an Alaskian..Alaskanite..Alaskonian?? Not really sure how we cold weather mavens refer to ourselves, I reflect on the surrealistic events that have taken over my life. Despite my efforts, I have not banged Sarah Palin yet. To be honest, I havent had a chance to find the woman, much less bed her down. Work has been a mixed bag. I know so much, and yet have so much to learn. My cousin is a wonderfull woman burdened by the realities of dealing with employees. She trusts no one, and yet feels responsible for her charges. Its an interesting shaddow dance. I, being a cynic by nature, also feel that employees will take the proverbial mile when offered that historical inch. However, in my professional life, I have yet to encounter the myriad of ways that hourly employees can sqirm out of doing the work they are paid to do. I am trying to remain neutral, but even I can see the effort put into screwing the boss. It is both funny and frustrating. Oh well. I am exhausted and need what I will refer to as my beauty sleep. I want to thank Eddie and Poncho for the comments. You make me laugh. I hope I can return the favor.

Hear me now...Believe me later

Ok so as a bowler I make a fine accountant. I was indeed a girley man.....my scores were 78 124 & 144 for a mind blowing average of 115. I did meet some nice people and we managed to split our series ( 3 games and total series ) so the night wasnt a total loss. While I am competitive by nature, I realize that games of skill are indeed made up of that...skill. I have had my moments of glory on the lanes, but I wore a much younger mans clothes then. At the tender age of 47 my knees creek, my hamstrings groan and my back is but one bad twist away from being in traction.
78 you say? Still in awe of that? I had one mark. I threw a gutter ball on both my first and second shots of the 9th frame, and as I watched my manhood shrivel up and die, I did rebound for 2 games that can best be desribed as uneventful. Bowling.....what can I say but FIE on you....
Now to be honest I did all this with a PINK house ball and rental shoes ( my finances will not allow for equipment of my own just yet ) but A 78 IS A 78 IS A 78 no matter how you try to spin it. Earl Anthony...we barely knew ye!!!!!!!!

Who is Vod Kaknockers?

I cant speak for anyone else, but stupid funny ship pops into my head at odd times and sometimes will make me smile and other times will make me spit out my coffee. The headline on this post was the name of a Two and a Half Men epiosde 2 years ago. This AM as I get ready to move into my new diggs, those words made me spit my coffee out. Laughter like that is a good sign, because being far away from my loved ones and roots, I need to laugh out loud every now and then. The options to that are not good, and I wont talk about them here.

What was the genisis of the thought you ask? Well some things remain between me and my bartender if you will. Have a good day to my readers and those who might stumble in by accident.

Keep on Keeping on

Well as the days roll by things fall into place for me. I got the high sign on my apartment lease which is a relief, because my credit looks like the inside of a rabid dogs intestines. Its a furnished place with a 5 month lease. It gives me an out if I need it, but I dont have to waste what little money I have on shit like cable..or a bed....or a couch.

Things at worl are falling into place. My cousin is old school, which is good and bad. She has fixed ways she wants things done, but she knows that I have alot to offer. So we are working on a balance. She is very nice to her employees, until they fuck with her. Then she will cut you off. I know alot of employers who are like that. Its really all you can ask for as an employee.

Today we hovered around ZERO all day, but I saw the Alaskan sun for the first time. It was for only about an hour, but it made this town glisten. Well it made the parking lot of the bowling alley glisten anyway. Tomorrow night I bowl in a league for the first time and I am scared shitless. I suck at bowling, like I do at most sports, and these guys will all be strangers. Im not from here, so maybe they will be leery of me to start with. Time to summon the charm. I will say FUCK alot and try to misdirect their attentions from my immense suckiness. I promise to report my scores honestly.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls

Well, one thing remains constant no matter where you go and that is death. My cousin's step daughter died this AM after a lengthy and ultimately unsuccessful struggle with cancer. She was in her early 40's. I never met her, but when death touches those near you, it cant help but touch you. It should remind us all that we are all here for the moment, and we can't take for granted oppurtunities we are presented with.

My day was great. I am getting into the meat of my new job. There is much to learn. I am confident and cautious. I need to learn alot abot the bowling game. As I mentioned earlier, there are many facets to it. Plus, there are alot of personalities involved. Co-workers, customers vendors etc. I am polishing up my people skills. I am aimiable by nature, but I have never been political about it. I am a stranger in a strange land, to be sure, so I am keeping my ears open and my mouth shut.

I started a Blog....

I know its corny, but whenever I log in to this blog, that old Bee Gees song runs through my head. And yes people, the joke truely is on me!!!!!!

The tank is on empty

Whew..... I am older than I thought. I started work @ 1:00 and went till 9:00 The plan wa s for me to go a few hours longer, but I faded. Like the '69 Cubs, or a nun on a hayride. But today I did some real good things. I came to Alaska to make a difference and I felt myself doing just that. I have been an accountant for 28 years, but know nothing about the bowling business. And not that it is brain surgey, but there alot of different spokes comming out from the hub. Snack bar, bar bar, locker rental, vending revenue, tournament hosting, league bowling....onandonandonandon. I am confident I can marry my accounting experience with an abilty to learn fast and make a difference again. I have had moments in the sun before but always managed to sabatoge my own gains. Stupid comments, stupid actions, dissapointing results. Its enough to make you want to heave.

The pace here is sooooo much slower than Chicago. People have things to do and places to go, but not everyone is racing to get there. Even ina loud and bustling setting like a bowling alley, there is a calmness and self awareness that things can wait a few seconds until they jolly-well get there to do it. I see myself mellowing out down the line to fit this pace, and believe me, it will help me live longer. There is a whole lot less of a whole lot of things here than in Chi-town. But in alot of ways there is so much more than I ever dreamed imagineable. And 1 last thought. Its awfull hard to kill a grizzly bear with a water pistol.

Suzi Alaska????

Ok so today is for real. 12 hour work days, getting my apartment lined up. Puting on chapstick. Yes it is cold here, but worse, its very dry. Now those in the know, know I am hard of smelling. I would make a lousy mine worker, casue I would never smell the gas leaks..resulting in a crushing death. But here, my nose is constantly dry, so I drink more diet coke. Thank god its freebie while I am on the clock. But back to the chapstick. I paid 1.99 for a product knows as Alaska..a chapstick knock off made from Alaska petroleum products. Well I am all for supporting the local economy. But this little beauty saved my ass. Not that I plan on doing alot of kissing here, but you have to be prepared. I look out my window as see..well nothing. The sun wont be up here for about another 150 minutes. Its ok though, casue I have to SSS ( shit shower shave ) anyway.

Ok I know what you are gonna say

Engagement: Cook and Ball

This in an actual engagement listing from today's Fairbanks News Miner the daily newspaper. I did not doctor the headline. And I know I didnt invent this form of comedy, but it always makes me laugh. 1. The couple doesnt realize how this will read in the paper? 2. Who cares that Ms Cook is marrying Mr Ball. 3. Insert your own cooked balls joke here.

Man oh Man

Wow..the 3 hour time change has kicked me right in the balls I am exhausted. I ended up working today for about 3 hours. It felt good to be productive. Its cold here and thats all I have to say about that. My son and I are going through a difficult time. Me leaving has re-ignited all his abandonement fears, and I dont blame the kid. It sucks for him, cept to say he will at least be eating hot meals under different tutalage. Oh yeah he has his own ride now ( mine ) The people here are very nice, and when you leave 9 million people for 65 thousand you forget that people have manners and arent looking to push you out of the way to get out of an elevator, or to wait in line for sushi.

Day 1/2

I was so tired last night I didn't do justice to yesterday, and it was too important a day to half-ass. It may take me a few days to get out my feelings about the move. First of all I love airports and flying. I like to people watch, and where can you find a tastier collection of wierdos than at an airport. And yesterday was no different. No one stood out, cept maybe the skinhead with the 3 foot spike mohawk. Not my cup of tea, but to each his own. I have so much to do. Buy some coffee seems to be at the head of the list. I start my new job tomorrow so today will be spent buying some things I forgot to buy before I left. Exciting I know. My mind is going in a million directions right now, and sans coffee, I cannot seem to coral any of the threads. Be back a little later.

Touchdown!!!

Well I am in Alaska. Wheels down in Fairbanks @11:43 local time. The flight was pleasant after a small mishap @ the security gate and a chatty guy in the seat next to me. Had a nice dinner, warm nuts and hot towel. I went outside to meet my cousin who was picking me up and it was -10 Yep 10 below fucking zero. Now I dont want to make this blog a referendum on the weather, but 10 below is 10 below. When I get my energy back I will write more, but in the meantime I am having a diet coke and watching local TV news. Goodnight Frank & Lea wherever you are

Just for the record

I leave in 11 hours for...well who knows what really. I am a little overwhelmed today as I put the finishing touches on my packing and look around this place one last time. I feel a little like the last episode of a long running sit-com where the star look over the set one last time before turning off the lights, or closing the door or whatever they do on final episodes. I know what you are saying...for every door that closes another opens and all that malarkey, and somewhere deep in my cynical heart I guess I wouldn't be traveling to the outer reaches of America if I didn't believe that. It is cold and gray this AM here in Illinois. I am sure it will be colder and grayer in Alaska, but never mind that now. Weather is a state of mind, or so I have been told. They say ( there goes THEY opening their big mouths again ) you are only as cold as your mind allows you to be. Well I am sure the makers of winter coats and really warm gloves would disagree. Oh well back to my sit-com finale.

Thanks Eddie

Eddie..my man my guy Thanks for being the first..no one can ever take that from you....of course that and a fucking nickel will buy you..................................NOTHING

Nut cutting time

Nut cutting time was one of those stuipid phrases we used as kids. I am leaving for Fairbanks in less than 18 hours...so it is indeed Nut Cutting time..in the valley no less.....dont ask, It would take too much time to explain

Remember?

Remember 10-10 long distance calling plans from the 1990's? What ever happened to them?

Remember the Mc DLT from Mickey D's? The hot side was hot and if I recall correctly, the cool side was cool.

Remember life before cellphones? You could drive in your car and sing with the music real loud without the fear of missing a call or text. And if you needed to get ahold of someone you stopped at a gas station and..wait for it......found a Payphone. So privacy is the price we have paid to be accessible 24/7. Well that and those " Can you hear me now? " commercials

And while I am thinking of it, remember the bag phone? The brick phone? Hell for that matter, the Bone-a-phone.

A Crusade

If the remainder of my life accomplishes anything, I want it to bring the phrase " Stick It " back into popular usage.

Example

Fred : Hey your Cubs sure took it on the chin last night.

Bob: Hey Fred, Stick It!!

Help me out here people, wont you?

You know what THEY say

Who are THEY? And how come THEY talk so much? But more disturbingly, why do WE care?

A Few of my Favorite Things

The West Wing ( Seasons 1-4 & Season 7 )
Sports Night
Singing Karaoke ( Pronounced Carry-Oh-Key not Ca-roke-e )
Road Trips
Big Gulps ( 48 thirsty ounces of Diet Coke )
Air America Radio
The MSNBC Nightly Line-up
Murder on The Orient Express
John Powers Novels ( semi-autobiographical )

Thanks in Advance

There are 2 special people in Alaska who I want to thank, in advance, for their faith in me. I dont know if they will ever read this, but KS & KL I wont let you down.

Just wondering..Just in case

Being no stranger to 12 step programs, I wonder...is there a BlogAnoyn? If so, whats their toll free number? And lastly, Jane, how do you stop this crazy thing?

Dont ask!!!

Its random at best to be sure. But its a special gift to a special person

My Left Wing Heros Part Duex

Rachel Maddow..a close second in my heart. Even if she plays for the other team!!!

My Left Wing Heros

My love for this woman is Limitless. Stephanie Miller is the Left Wing Goddess

Ok I get it

I can see where this can be addictive. Not only the posting, but the reading of other blogs. I will resits the urge to rant & rave, but I am moving to a place where Sarah Palin is the big cheese. I guess better my new Governor than my new V-P. I am a HUGE liberal, but not to the point of excluding the other point of view. I listen to Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow but to hear the other side I do try to stomach a few minutes of Laura Ingraham Michael Savage and Hugh Hewitt. While they often make me want to throw up, its is always good to hear the other side of the argument. Go Barack Go Joe and Go USA!!!!

Why? Read on and you will learn

In the interest of full disclosure, I have never been in Billings MT. It merely symbolizes a huge change in my life. I am moving from Chicago to Fairbanks AK, and though I would have loved to drive there, my 1997 Jeep would have died somewhere around LaCrosse WI. So I am flying to Fairbanks to start my life over. I leave behind my a life that could best be described as a mixed bag of success and failure. All self-inflicted. If you get nothing out of reading this blog, understand that I am not a finger pointer. I have had wonderful things happen to me that I take pride in. And I have had shitty things happen to me that I take responsibility for. It is as simple as that. Oh yeah why Billings? Well anyone who knows me knows that since I got my first drivers license in 1977 my one goal was to drive the USA coast to coast. So you know, since no one goes to Alaska without either WANTING to go there, or has made a serious error in navigation, my fictionional cross- country driving trip should have landed me in Seattle or some other west coast haven. I have a new job waiting for me, along with a pair of very supportive cousins. I never dreamed I would leave this area, and there are many realtionships that will be affected, but frankly, thats none of your business. Maybe as this blog evolves, so will my desire to share details. In the meantime I will leave you with this. Alex.....in a way I hope you understand, this move is for you. You know how I feel about you, and visa versa. Matt....thanks for being a better big brother than I ever gave you credit for. Mis.....if everone had a sister like you, this world would truely be a better place. What I owe you cant be measured, and I will never be able to repay you. My plan to do so is to be a success and redeem your faith in me. I can't even the score with money, so I will do it with actions. Linda, Brent, Scott & Rachelle.....your love and support has meant so much to me and I thank you. There remains one name missing from this list. She knows who she is and she knows what she means to me. If this move accomplishes nothing else, I want to help remove fears that she will choke to death in the middle of the night so she can streamline her communications. Ms. Broctune, and for now thats how I plan to refer to her, I love you. In closing this opening entry, future posts wont be so long ( Promise ) and will be a mish-mash of my oddesey to Alaska, the re-building of a promising life, reflections and rememberances of the past, triumphs and tribulations in the present, and the hopes and.....another word that starts with H, for the future. I am a 47 year old silly smart-ass who has a 3rd or 4th chance ( I lose count ) to make good on what everyone one once sure was gonna be a doozy of a life. I will try to be honest with the reader. I will accept critique and/or praise. Other names of those who have shaped my life will appear in the future. If I didnt mention you here, its only because I am starting to get bored with my own ramblings. Thanks for listening