workin like a husky, sight-seeing like a puffin

The title about sums up what I've been up to.

To get some of the boring stuff out of the way, yes I have been working some pretty hectic hours since I've started. Hell, the last three days I put in about 33 hours and I need a nap. I don't have room to complain, though...because the co-workers are great and the job itself is probably one of the best I've ever had. My schedule is just about set for the rest of the summer, and I'll be generally working 35-45hr with a guaranteed 2 days off (generally Thursdays and Fridays) each week. With the decent pay and sweet tips (3 weeks and I've made 600 in tips alone), I will definitely be reaching my goal and have my textbooks all year paid for by the 5th-6th week, at this rate. Then the rest will be for general school needs, maybe a splurge item or two, but mostly to make up for my lack of money making this coming school year. The RA job pays...ehh so-so. So I will need all the money I can get. One last little fact about work before I talk more about my travels: generally the shifts I have worked are either 7am-close (breakfast/lunch..ends about 230), 5pm-close (dinner shift: the TIPS MONEYMAKER which ends about 11pm-1130pm), and the infamous split shift: 7am-11am and 5pm-close.

Guess which shift I have had in the last 3 days??
Hint: 10-11hours a day makes for lots of napping and weird times for food cravings.

Ok, fun stuff now. The last two weeks I have used at least one of my days off for just relaxing (or working when I subbed for my friend Bonnie while she had to go to CA for a week) and the other for travelling outside the little community of Cooper Landing. No kayaking or guided tours YET (and i stress yet), but awesome trips nonetheless. For example, 2 weeks ago I went with Brittany (from PA also! but lived in Alaska for multiple years too), Jermaine (also from PA! yeah east coast), and Chris (Michigan native...ugh) to a port town/tourist area known as Seward, AK. Chris had an agenda (haircut and Rx stuff) and the rest of us just wanted to roadtrip, so about 45 minutes later we arrive in Seward. Chris sets off to do his thing and the rest of us end up at the Alaska Sealife Center for Rescue and Resurrection. It was amazing. One of my favorite sights had to be the bird aviary (is that what its called?). There, I saw some of the cutest birds ever. No penguins though :-/ But! There was a bird that looked like a cross between a penguin and pigeon and is called a meurre (sp.?). One walked right up to a tourist, got real close for a picture opp, promptly bit his finger afterward and flew off. It was classic. And I saw my first puffin!!! It's a cousin of the penguin with a crazy head of hair. Other than that, I did get to see otters and sealions playing in their tanks. One otter kept coming to the top, hopping around the land and then flipping back into the pool. I probably squealed like an 8 year old...or even worse than one. It was that cute. Anyways, we had a great time and then I bought grocceries at Safeway. $25 for like 6 items...LAME. Afterwards we ventured back. Great great trip and good company.

This past week, however, I went to Soldotna (another touristy area) with friends/co-workers Ryan (girl Ryan), Kyla, Peter, Barb and her husband Robert (they drove). Kyla needed to get a new drivers license so she could prove she was 21 (hers expired) and Peter needed a license in general, both Ryans needed grocceries, and Robert had a dr appt. Anyways, it was a 35min trip and while at the DMV Ryan and I had a crazy idea. We wanted to get Alaskan IDs too. So we definitely filled out a form for Alaskan state IDs, making us residents of Alaska...well technically. $15, 2 questions, and a photograph later, Ryan and I had our state IDs: the ultimate souvenir. PS: I will now use my Alaskan ID for all identification purposes because the picture is about 359135 times better than my PA driver's license. Plus it makes for a cool story. Oh yeah, and Kyla passed her test. Peter did not. It's quite an interesting feeling to be technically considered a resident of Alaska after that simple process. To become a resident of Ohio (which I probably never will be at this rate) and get in-state tuition, you have to show documentation of 1-2yr of groccery bills (receipts), prove you pay for your own tuition NO HELP OR ASSISTANCE ALLOWED, and blah blah blah. Meanwhile they WANT you to be a resident of Alaska and actively encourage you to come up and work and establish residency. I know, I know...Alaska is completely different than Ohio but seriously, I wish more states were like Alaska in that way. Not very realistic, but hey I can dream right?

The rest of the trip was great, got all of our necessities and more, and headed back for a nap. Oh yeah, I finally found a McDonald's in alaska!!!!! It was pricey but hey, gotta try it out just to say you did. Then splurged on a real dinner at the restaurant I work at with Ryan and Kyla. 30% discounts are sweet and made our meals less than $10 each (an entree and dessert each). God bless the almightly discount.

That sums up what I've been doing lately. I'm not a morning person in any stretch of the mind, but I've made it to work on time (or early) everytime so far. Must be the gorgeous sunshine and weather when I get up. I wish I could capture the essence of this place and save it for a rainy, dreary day back in Ohio which are sure to occur throughout the year. Ahh well, my pictures will have to do the job for now. WHICH i plan on being able to update on my webshots page in the coming weeks...stay tuned.

taking it day by day,
-yohe

PS: ask me about my internship project if you'd like to know more about it...especially if you know ANYTHING about maps, I need all the help i can get. More details later.