countdown to my lower 48 return: 10 days

Time just keeps going faster and faster up here.
It's not stopping.
It feels like I just got here last week or so.
Days melted into days...and then months...and in less than 2 weeks is my last day of work followed by my next day departure from Anchorage back to Pittsburgh.
I really should have brought a laptop with internet connection because i havent had the time to do this blog justice. Too many old folks and coworkers swarming the only internet terminal at most hours, and my only time to reach it is either on my days off (non-existent once again) or if i have a late work shift the next day (which will be happening more often before i leave, hold that thought). But I still havent done everything I had hoped to do before I left Alaska.

I have, however, been keeping myself busy every single day and have done some pretty crazy/amazing things.

Whitewater rafting down Sixmile Creek?? Yes. A whole big group of coworkers and managers arranged this trip and of course barely anyone has had any prior rafting experience. And according to all the research i've done, this is of course the most dangerous area in Alaska to raft...class 5 (the highest possible class) meaning we actually had to pass a survival swim test to make sure we wouldnt die as soon as someone fell out of the raft (everyone made bets on who would fall out first and i wasnt voted at all, haha). And to sum it up as efficiently as possible, we were given drysuits, helmets and lifejackets because of how ridiculously intense the trip would be. 40 degree water. When I jumped in and fought against the current to make it to the other side of the bank, I seriously had to tell myself to BREATHE IN BREATHE OUT because the shock of the cold shut my automatic sense of breathing. I paddled like hell and didnt stop until rocks scraped my jacket (3 ft deep). At that point, I figured the trip would be horrible and i would die. But i didnt! Our courageous vessel (me, Foley, Steve, Casi, Erika, Allie, Scotty the guide) didnt even tip throughout the entire trip. But I did get to watch my roommate's raft tip and everyone went flying into the rapids (very funny despite the moderate danger, i'm evil). But when Tiana and Bornheim came riding past on the guide rescue boat, i knew everything would turn out fine. Then our awesome boat paddled backwards so we could collect all the paddles, missing people, etc that washed down the river. We were that intense. But yeah, some of the rapids that we went through had ridiculous names like the Pearly Gates, George Foreman, the Anvil, and Let's Make a Deal (the final asskicking rapid). After we fared every canyon flawlessly, our guide told us to hop out and float the rest of the way. As ridiculous as it was, it was one of my favorite parts. Well, until my hands were so frozen they hurt. And when Allie and I smacked our ass on shallow rocks. And when i could barely walk until all the feeling came back to me. Afterwards we all had a survival party at a bar in Hope, Alaska...beer and fish and chips is great survival celebration food.

Mission...SUCCESS.

Thats been my craziest, death-defying activity besides surviving 50-60 hour work weeks. So far, Peter (server) and Ryan (line cook) have left and more of my friends are to follow. Casi (hostess)'s last day is Tuesday and Emily (busser/server)'s is friday? I'm not sure, but due to employees leaving so soon...the rest of us are picking up the slack.
Due to circumstances, I have been partially promoted.
What am i doing now?
I will be the new hostess with the mostest (according to Emily).
Yes, I said hostess...long story but thats the official title we use at the restaurant (especially in the mocking of Ryan Yohe by various smartasses).
I am now taking several hostess shifts and instead of working 7-3 (or 7-11 and 5-1130) i now work 2-10! Late wakeups!!!! YESSSSSSSS. Hence why i am online at 215am and work tomorrow my first night hostess shift.
I even went up to HR and found a new work shirt in celebration of my new position.
I'm actually scared about this because Casi has been the pro all summer and no one else can make it as smoothly as she has...but i'm willing to give it a shot.
Pissing off customers and coworkers will be my destiny, but hey someone's got to do it.
Wish me luck!

Oh yeah, and I helped out with the husky show again! Lorraine finally remembers my damn name, which is a plus. $15 for less than 2 hours of work, hell yes. And playing with huskies!!! And she gave me a free shirt for helping out. Boo. Yah.

Tonite I stopped to look up at the night sky after work and the stars are actually out!
I wish i could take a picture of them because it is such a rare occurrence during this time to see the stars EVER. I tried. We'll see if it comes out nicely. But the NORTHERN LIGHTS WILL BE COMING OUT SOON and I will get a picture of them. So help me God.

I really wish you could have seen the sky tonite.
Alaska is such a beautiful place rain, shine, or the darkness which finally happens as the summer is ending.

In fact, today was the first sighting of "termination dust" on the mountains.
"termination dust" is snow, meaning the summer...TERMINATED!
Thats what the locals say, apparently.
But for the last few weeks, it really has felt like summer has come to an end.
RAIN.
CLOUDS.
NO SUNSHINE.
Yesterday was the first sunshine i have seen in almost 2 weeks. When it peaked out of the clouds around 10am, the entire dining room broke out in applause. Ridiculous and funny and sad at the same time. Now its back to constant rain and clouds...except for right now.

time for this hostess to get some shuteye because i can actually get 8 hours of sleep tonite!!! This rarely happens except for days off.

Just remember.
I'll be home in my sweet time.

taking it day by day,
-yohe

catchup!!

Man it's been a long time since i've been able to update this...and a lot has happened.
Sorry to do this folks, but since i'm on borrowed time in an internet cafe in Anchorage for my day off, the update will have to be in bulleted format.
(figures, when i have so much to say and not enough time to say it)

-i've been working 50-60hr weeks with usually a day off. You know what that means...lots of naptime between breakfast and dinner shifts, and then dinner to breakfast shifts. Not even enough to constitute a full nights rest...so i call them powernaps. But the pay is worth it.

-I've seen wildlife!!! A couple of moose between Cooper Landing and Soldotna and then BEARS!!! Two happy little cubs playing by the Kenai river when i went on a float trip with Ryan for $15 (yeah employee discounts!) and I swear I met the river guide at a party weeks ago. He looked familiar but I figured under the circumstances of said party (alcohol consumption..shame shame) I shouldnt inquire.

-Lots of little trips, hikes, walks, etc. around Cooper Landing. Walking to the cemetary, community center and library is about a 1-2 mile venture one way and when the sun is out, I feel like I could just keep on walking. But then I would miss work the next day and that would not be good.

-I, Ryan Yohe, am addicted to bingo. Sandy and Tiana took me to Soldotna last week to play Bingo with some wild and crazy old Alaskan beauties. I was definitely the youngest person playing and ALMOST won about 3 games, including the $900 blackout by 3 numbers. Ugh, next time I will strike it big...and yes there will be a next time. I am hooked.

-Still need to work on my internship project, but dont have to turn in any paperwork until i return to columbus...thank god. That takes a big burden off me, but the project still needs to get rolling...ASAP? You betcha.

-Possibly buying a new digital camera which will make picture uploading about 12491234 times easier....theoretically. We shall see, and i will inform the masses if pictures are uploaded onto my Webshots site.

-workout/exercise regimen up to 75 crunches and pushups 2X/daily. Still pushing myself everyday on top of lifting crazy amounts of weight on trays and such. Hopefully it will all pay off when i'm taking my two weight training classes this quarter...yes, we're talking 3 easy credits right there.


I thought I had more to say before i blanked....but here we are.

I'll be home in 4 weeks, it feels so weird to say that. And I will live up the rest of my time in Alaska while banking at the same time.

...and to think in one month i'll have to be RESPONSIBLE for the rest of the year....hahahahahahahaha

-Yohe

RED ALERT: aka my bout with late nights and the infamous norwalk virus

As of right now, it is after 2am.
I clocked out of work around 130am after what could have been one of the most deepest cleansings of a workplace I have ever survived.
In fact, the cooks/chefs are STILL cleaning as I type, and probably won't get out intil 3am earliest.

Why is this happening?
Two reasons:
1) health inspector is coming tomorrow. wuh woh.
2) theres a massively contagious virus that reared its ugly head at our resort.
THE NORWALK VIRUS.

Norwalk virus? Whats that, you ask? Well it is one of the biggest, contagious diseases that spreads in...you guessed it, outbreaks. This virus is often associated with cruises, because so many people are kept in such close quarters and it spreads like wildfire. Well, guess what happened...some people ended up getting it on a cruise that takes guests to my resort. When the news hits us, we are immediately put under CODE RED which now has officially made my shit list. CODE RED means we have to wipe everything on each table (salt, pepper, flowers, fronts and backs of seats) with Virox, an agent that in large doses gives you a nice dry red peeling burning sensation. It's supposedly an accelerated hydrogen peroxide, but I swear there has to be some flesh-eating agent added to it. Also, we cant serve the breakfast buffet which makes all the guests super-pissed. Sorry folks, you got sick...all we can do is make sure you dont infect us or each other. No buffet? Deal with it. Overall it just makes for at least 1-3 hours of extra preparation and cleaning a night which is a waste of time. Oh yeah, and we cant serve ourselves in our employee dining room...we have to wait for the chefs to serve us which is a burden for everyone. Overall, Norwalk virus needs to take a hike. So does CODE RED.

Well we have hit our 2nd CODE RED of the season this past week and it just ended this afternoon. Thank God. But not before good old Norwalky took a pot-shot at me. I actually handled questionable materials which may be linked to the most recent virus scare. A guy and his family came to eat, then promptly left after 4-5 minutes. I had to clean his table and my buddy Kirk comes up to me and says, "Dude. Wash your hands and use the most caution you can for this table. Sanitize everything. Dont even blink without washing your hands." So of course the father of the family leaves his bulky wallet under a napkin so i tempted fate, grabbed it and ran after him. Caught up with him and my general manager saw me and said, "Ryan...go wash your hands NOW. They are all sick and its almost determined they're our cause for CODE RED." Terrific. But then my co-worker goes home with Norwalk instead of me. Go figure. But hey, wahooooo it wasnt me. Poor Bonnie though.

Side little fact: guess what the virus is named after?
Its birthplace.
NORWALK, OHIO.
way to go Ohio, next time someone at school calls my home state "Pennsyltucky" I have some ammunition :-p At least we dont produce a virus that causes (i'm going to be graphic) explosive diarrhea and explosive vomiting, often simultaneously. Ha ha ha.

Ok it is officially one of my days off, I need a good old night of 7-8 hours of sleep. Mmmmm sleep.

But seriously, don't get me wrong. THIS JOB ROCKS. CODE RED is just a slight issue that I have to deal with like last summer and, oh, say...being constantly poor. As in, poor poor. But this time around, I'm walking out of here with almost $2000 (hopefully).

Does anyone read this?

taking it day by day,
-yohe

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.

alaska = good

That title about sums it up.
I have officially been here for 1 week and 1 day.
So far...

Work is decent (i'm carrying an envelope with a week's worth of tips in my pocket as we speak, but waiting to count it when i get out of the public eye).
My coworkers are pretty amazing, and within the past 4-5 days I have been making some of the craziest, most unique friends ever.
The scenery honestly could be one of the best parts, though. Everyday I step outside in 60-65 (or higher) degree weather and, if im not working, take an hour or two and just go exploring. For example, On Saturday before I worked I walked the entire perimeter of the Kenai resort and briefly walked up a nature trail marked DO NOT ENTER (due to numerous bear sightings)...then I got scared and ran back down because I kept hearing the bushes and trees rustling. I know, i'm a wuss...but then again I would like to keep my face from ending up in a bear's mouth. Afterwards I took a 2 mile walk and found a local Cooper Landing cemetary. You can even get buried for free up there if you inquire at the post office/community center. Go figure. The sun was out, which just made everything even more beautiful to look at, even corroded old headstones/tombstones. Nature has always mellowed me out in the past, even when I find myself going nuts from working 4 jobs while taking 5 classes during the school year. But there is something completely different about the atmosphere up in Alaska. I cant put my finger on it, but I will think about it for the next few months. There has to be something...i just dont know what.

I didnt end up going on a fjords tour like I was supposed to on my day off Friday, because they needed me to fill in for another busser. Boo. However, I have Thursday and Friday this week off and I plan on using them to the best of my ability to see EVERYTHING. Maybe on the river? Maybe by land? Maybe on horse? Who knows, and thats why I love this place...so much to do, and everywhere is the perfect start.

Plus I'm working out daily, starting out small but progressively getting better and better with it. We will see how that goes in the long run...but hopefully when I get back to the lower 48 (ha, love saying that) it will be noticed.

I'm working a split shift today (7am-1130am and 5pm-1130pm) and I'm running on 3.5 hours of sleep thanks to impromptu Anchorman showing in the rec room with Ryan (girl Ryan!), Kirk, Alex, Hurley, Andrea, and briefly Kyla. Yes I just name dropped some of my new friends, and I have no shame. Well maybe a little...but ahh well. Time for a nap...hope everyones having fun in the sweltering heat while I'm staying nice and cool (i'm even wearing t-shirt and shorts everyday and not freezing!)...PS: come up and visit, you wont regret it.

Taking it day by day,
-Yohe

PPS: IMPORTANT: if you are reading this and want a summer job until September or later, let me know!!! They are currently hiring and need people in the restaurant and housekeeping (among other areas) and asked me if i had any friends looking for work. All you need to know is housing is $15/day (includes 3 meals a day and a clean, nice place to stay) and they can help you find airfare. ALL OF THIS CAN COME OUT OF YOUR PAYCHECK SO YOU WONT HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING TO FLY UP HERE!!! Seriously, this is the chance of a lifetime...if you need a job, let me know.
yohe.9@osu.edu

...and so our story begins

Wow.
Alaska is amazing.

It's been 4 days since I arrived and it is still hard to believe that I'm actually here. The mountains outside my window and everywhere i look are the only proof i need, though. I can't even begin to describe how it feels to be up here. The atmosphere is incredible, my coworkers are great, and...well I'll try to start from the beginning because its been pretty eventful and I'm not even through my first week.

PS: if i get cut off, its because someone needs to use the internet...stupid employee yielding to the customer's needs.

So in a matter of 20 or so hours I made 3 flights: pittsburgh to chicago (stayed in a swanky 1 star motel for 7hrs), chicago to minneapolis, and then minneapolis to...canada??? Well not intentionally...but thats a funny story. I fell asleep for roughly an hour on the flight and I wake up to see the woman who was sitting next to me SLAPPING the woman in front of us yelling, "Barbara!!!! WAKE UP!!!" What the hell? Turns out she was having a heart attack. Terrific. Fortunately...the woman next to me is an RN (registered nurse) and then 3 doctors come running from the front of the plane asking to help. Then the lady 3 rows up and across runs back and says she is an EMT. Apparently we had an entire ER on our flight. But we had to emergency land in Edmonton, Canada for 2 hours to refuel, get her back safely off the plane, blah blah blah...and then i arrived in beautiful Anchorage, Alaska.

I was picked up by Jerry, one of the front desk employees and we had a great 2 hour drive with him making fun of me and pointing out inlets, mountains, birds, and eventually my final destination: cooper landing, alaska. That is where the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge is located, obviously. As soon as I got there, I immediately thought of one thing: summer camp. IT felt like I was going to be at a summer camp. Well, except for the fact that people who are pretty well off come up here to enjoy all Alaska has to offer...so more of a rich summer camp. But everything is so beautiful up here, I honestly just stop and stare at everything around me half of the time I'm not working.

Speaking of, I started my job as a busser/host/server on Monday. Not too bad, I'm learning and catching on pretty quick but theres still so much to learn. Plus I have seasoned coworkers like Andrea and Emily to kick my ass into shape...its just tough love (i keep telling myself). But honestly, I have not met a coworker in any department that I did not like immediately. They're all very welcoming (i'm the new guy, almost everyone else arrived about a month ago) and I can already tell this will be an interesting summer...

Plus I made $21 in tips from helping clear tables in the bar last night for 25min, booyah! Some other highlights include helping out with a sled dog show, basically playing with 3 huskies! One is pure white and really relaxed (Kishu), silver and crazy (Cabo), and the big dog himself (my favorite)...BUCKEYE! Yes, I'm not kidding...Lorraine is one of the bravest women i've ever met, she is a sled dog expert and has done quite a bit of her own adventuring. She wants me to help out with the shows now!! This was my first night, by the way...how sweet is that?

Plus I'm learning new languages from my coworkers. So far, i've met employees from the following areas
-French Canada
-Bulgaria
-Russia
-Czech Rep.

and there are more, but its escaping me now.

I better head out for now, but tomorrow is my first day off and I plan on spending it on one of various actvities I get to do or see for FREE...could be historic carriage ride? Could be fjord boat trip? Could be glacier sightseeing? Who knows, but wherever I end up...i'll tell you all about it.

taking it day by day,
-Yohe

just days away...

So the school year is up (finally) and I am slowly but surely getting ready for my trip to Alaska. At the moment I'm relaxing, recamping, and packing all my stuff so I can make it to my flight on time tomorrow. My schedule goes as follows:

TONITE:
-absorb more cat/doghair and embrace it.
-maybe go to Denny's one last time while in the "lower 48". Any takers????
-rest and kick ass at Guitar Hero, my newest, guiltiest pleasure

SATURDAY:
-finish washing my life away and get it all packed up
-say my last goodbyes and spreading the word about my new baby (this journal) because lord knows I wont be able to call/txt/im you as much as I'd like
-airport to check in and make my 730 flight from PITT to CHICAGO
-get to my hotel and rest up (someone take me sightseeing instead!)

SUNDAY:
-7am flight to Minneapolis :-/
-9ish flight to Anchorage :-D
-arrive around noon (5pm ET) and meet Jerry, my limo/van shuttle
-2 hour drive to Cooper Landing, AK (aka Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge)

and the rest will be history.

I'm sorry that I didnt get to say goodbye to everyone, and I'm hoping that they'll stumble upon this either from facebook or a friend of a friend. If this applies to you and you just found this blog, hope you keep up to date with what i'm doing because each weekend i plan on seeing EURRTHING.

oh and another thing. it just dawned on me that I might not have a reliable place to load my Alaskan pics onto webshots, so that is definitely on the iffy side for right now. My new goal, if they cant transfer my pics is to make it to a Walmart (there's one either in Anchorage or along the way? could be far though) somehow and put all my pics on a data CD and then upload from there. But we will see...any suggestions how to ensure me, my Sony cam, and my USB cord will be able to transfer everything to webshots??? Greatly appreciated if you got em.

Thats it for now, time for Degrassi!!! For everyone out there booing me, I boo you back.

taking it day by day,
-yohe

PS: who loves the eskimo profile pic? hint: ME