Is there anything meaningful about what I am doing here? All I did today was drive in circles around the same mile of road for 4 hours, carting tourists back and forth and answering the same 5 questions a hundred and fifty times. Boring. I mean, I'm grateful for hours, but I walked away from today feeling like I accomplished nothing.
I'm feeling down today. It is raining, I had a pointless day, and once again I am comparing myself to others. I feel overshadowed and under appreciated. It's hard not to feel put down when I can see visible disappointment on others' faces when it's me who opens the door; and I can't tell if this place is more constructive or destructive towards my growth as a person on days like today. I know that my hopelessness blues are deep and intense when they happen, but this is precisely the problem. This doesn't happen quite so exaggerated when I am around people that I truly believe care about me. The only thing I feel that is holding my pieces together tonight is the fact that Daniel will be here on Friday. Otherwise, I would feel like letting myself fall apart.
Sorry for the dramatic and depressing update. I hope that this passes and that I can put a smile back on my face tomorrow. I know I'm hormonal right now, but it doesn't mean that there isn't some validity in how I am feeling...
(Edit: I forgot to mention that yesterday, during one of my infinite circles, I met a photographer who had climbed Mount Shasta just about a week ago with Jeremy Jones & company. Dude lives in Lake Tahoe and just shoots snowboarders for a profession. What a great way to live - he was very nice and very humble, which I always think is fabulous.)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Day #44: Another Week Passed
A few days have passed since I've updated this thing, so here I am again with only a few new things to share. On Tuesday (usually a 13+ hour day) I didn't wind up working at all. Funny story actually - I had breakfast with my friend Pat, whose clutch in his truck went out just before he made it for our rendezvous. He offered to give me a ride to work in his clutch-less truck anyway, but we got in the truck and it wouldn't start, so he told me I should probably just walk. Now, it was pouring rain on Tuesday. So I started walking, made it halfway to work at the parking lot where the tram is, and I see Pat drive by. Perfect. Then I got to work soaking wet to find out all of my duties (the helicopters) were cancelled, so I could just go home. We had a good laugh about it (shortly after I socked him). On Wednesday I got in trouble at the glacier because my group asked me to hang out there with them, but the ranger lady tracked me down and said that I wasn't allowed to accompany them because it was considered "guiding." Apparently there is only one company in town who is allowed to "guide" around the glacier, so I got in trouble. Then I had a couple of uneventful days.
Yesterday evening was pretty fun - about half the company showed up for a birthday celebration for one of the older drivers. He is a very sweet man from the south with a great sense of humor. We had dinner at the Thane Ore House, which is a giant all you can eat buffet where they cook the food in front of you. There was salmon, halibut, ribs, beans, salad, corn bread, and we brought the cake. Afterward we played horseshoes and drank all of the establishment's supply of beer; what a great time! This morning, since I had the day off, I went fishing with Pat and I caught a chum salmon! He'll send me the picture, and I'll post it for your viewing pleasure when I get it. :) It was very exciting; when Daniel gets here, we're going to try to catch a silver or a king salmon that we can cook and eat ourselves. And! I just got home from seeing Cowboys & Aliens with my friend Nick. So it's been a chill day here in Juneau.
PS. Daniel will be here in a week!!
PPS. Oma I know you have been reading this, so HI and I LOVE YOU!
PPPS. I'm going to learn how to ride this dirtbike soon!
Yesterday evening was pretty fun - about half the company showed up for a birthday celebration for one of the older drivers. He is a very sweet man from the south with a great sense of humor. We had dinner at the Thane Ore House, which is a giant all you can eat buffet where they cook the food in front of you. There was salmon, halibut, ribs, beans, salad, corn bread, and we brought the cake. Afterward we played horseshoes and drank all of the establishment's supply of beer; what a great time! This morning, since I had the day off, I went fishing with Pat and I caught a chum salmon! He'll send me the picture, and I'll post it for your viewing pleasure when I get it. :) It was very exciting; when Daniel gets here, we're going to try to catch a silver or a king salmon that we can cook and eat ourselves. And! I just got home from seeing Cowboys & Aliens with my friend Nick. So it's been a chill day here in Juneau.
PS. Daniel will be here in a week!!
PPS. Oma I know you have been reading this, so HI and I LOVE YOU!
PPPS. I'm going to learn how to ride this dirtbike soon!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Day #40: Things Are Heating Up
There's a lot of drama happening around the Juneau division these days and I'm trying to avoid it like the plague. The "simple" task of trying to remain under the radar can be exhausting, especially when you're trying to find the perfect balance between not screwing up and making it known that you're good at your job. I won't go into any detail, for one because it stresses me out to think about it, but also because it doesn't do any good to bitch and moan about something that probably won't change, though I will say this: I feel like I need to walk on eggshells for a couple of weeks. I'm terrified of screwing up.
So needless to say, today was something else. Talk about mood swings on my end. Woke up feeling exhausted; had some coffee, felt great; lost my name tag, which I hate because I feel like my guests need to know my name; had a rough start to my day (I think I may have gotten off on the wrong foot with my guests); worked longer than expected (I am grateful for the hours, I just wish I could have eaten!!); and then of course had problems parking my bus and doing my post-trip stuff because of fatigue. Now I must say that I am quite proud of myself for keeping a smile and a positive attitude throughout the day, especially with the storm howling all around me. I am now fed, about to go to bed, sleep in and have breakfast with a friend (I work a half day tomorrow), so I am happy.
(I do need to add one more note, for myself, so that I can remember a moment I had with a very nice couple from Oklahoma yesterday. I got to the docks and it was raining and cold, now I was shivering and welcoming some tourists to Juneau when this couple sitting on a bench called out asking if I was cold. When I replied yes, they scooted away from each other about 8 inches and motioned for me to sit in between them. I sad down, and they squeezed together and put their arms around me, rubbing my arms and trying to warm them up. All the while, they chatted with me about how wonderful Alaska is and how sweet I seemed to be. I was disappointed when they weren't on my tour, but later on in the day I got added to a duty in which I got to see them again!! They were so excited to see me that they sat in the front seat and enthusiastically answered my trivia questions on their return to the ship. God really shined through this couple - as they left, gave me hugs, and said sincerely "God bless you, Kristin," I told them I'd never forget them and meant it.)
So needless to say, today was something else. Talk about mood swings on my end. Woke up feeling exhausted; had some coffee, felt great; lost my name tag, which I hate because I feel like my guests need to know my name; had a rough start to my day (I think I may have gotten off on the wrong foot with my guests); worked longer than expected (I am grateful for the hours, I just wish I could have eaten!!); and then of course had problems parking my bus and doing my post-trip stuff because of fatigue. Now I must say that I am quite proud of myself for keeping a smile and a positive attitude throughout the day, especially with the storm howling all around me. I am now fed, about to go to bed, sleep in and have breakfast with a friend (I work a half day tomorrow), so I am happy.
(I do need to add one more note, for myself, so that I can remember a moment I had with a very nice couple from Oklahoma yesterday. I got to the docks and it was raining and cold, now I was shivering and welcoming some tourists to Juneau when this couple sitting on a bench called out asking if I was cold. When I replied yes, they scooted away from each other about 8 inches and motioned for me to sit in between them. I sad down, and they squeezed together and put their arms around me, rubbing my arms and trying to warm them up. All the while, they chatted with me about how wonderful Alaska is and how sweet I seemed to be. I was disappointed when they weren't on my tour, but later on in the day I got added to a duty in which I got to see them again!! They were so excited to see me that they sat in the front seat and enthusiastically answered my trivia questions on their return to the ship. God really shined through this couple - as they left, gave me hugs, and said sincerely "God bless you, Kristin," I told them I'd never forget them and meant it.)
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Day #38: A Day of Firsts
A short day: 7 hours. My first transfer was cancelled; took a nap in the back of my bus. Then I had a combo tour (glacier, salmon hatchery, then to the salmon bake for a feast), with a rambunctious group of older folks off of a carnival ship. They were very fun, tipped me well, and provided me with a whole lot of firsts: one gentleman (probably late 60's) gave me a dollar bill that he had folded into a ring with some bills stuffed in it; that same gentleman practically took his shirt off in the salmon hatchery to show me all of his tattoos (two half sleeves, and both sides of his torso were completely covered with a pheonix and a mountain lion), and then I showed him a couple of mine; another gentleman from New Zealand tipped me with a calendar from his country after I told him how badly I want to visit it; and I met another family of Williamsons. What a hilarious list of events today, huh?
I would just like to say that it has been sunny for 5 days in a row now. I'm afraid that I'm getting used to it - I know that when it goes away I'll probably be very depressed! I'm pretty stoked to say, though, that I think I'm finally (as of about a week ago) really psyched to be here in Alaska. Maybe it's that I've settled in, or that I've already saved a ton of money, OR that I'm making fabulous friends, but there are definitely too many reasons why Juneau has treated me well so far. The weather has been great, the hiking is fabulous, the company is wonderful, and the work is really, really fun. I'm no longer counting down the days until I come home, I am simply existing and living & loving life. I am, however, counting the days until Daniel gets here: 13!! Just can't wait!!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Day #36: Daily Shenanigans
So it's been a busy couple of days! Tuesday was a 14 hour day, with my biggest tip tour yet. I learned a lesson that day to not judge a group preemptively after I assumed they wouldn't tip me at all; they gave me the biggest tip on a tour I've gotten since I've been here (and now I know that all groups sheould be treated the same!). Yesterday was a hectic day - I had three of the exact same tours, but they intertwined, so I had to keep lists of what I told each group so I wouldn't wind up repeating myself. On this day I learned to solidify my tour and do everything I can to not repeat myself. Now let me just say that doing 3 of the same exact tours back to back for 11 hours is very exhausting - by my last return trip I was so pooped I couldn't wait to go home. But this group turned out to be great; I had some new folks who'd been driven out by a different driver and so I decided to play Alaska/Juneau trivia with them, and they LOVED it. They gave me the energy for the last push back into town. What a hoot, these people were partying! They also gave me a round of applause for a very tight turn and treated me well. :)
Today was a day off, and it was a great day!! This morning I woke up early to meet my friend Pat for a hike - we hiked up the Perseverance Trail which used to be the access road into the Alaska-Juneau Mine. It was a giant system of trails, most of which we hiked, and then at the end of the last trail we continued on even further (bush whacking, true Alaska style) where we found some old mine ruins. We found a giant caved in building, some mine shafts and tunnels. I'd say we walked a good 10 miles today, which felt great, and luckily the weather was beautiful (clear and 80!). Spending the morning under big blue sunny Alaskan skies was an absolute dream come true. I decided that when Daniel gets here we are going to hike the 3 mile, extremely treacherous, intensely strenuous Blackerbee Trail up to the Juneau Icefield. I'm pretty sure he'd love it. The trails here are awesome - they all have so many great views and tons of history.
After I got home from my hike with Pat I took a nap, but we heard that Mendenhall Lake was flooded, so Alyssa and I went up to the glacier with Sean, Nick S & Nick H. Turns out, a reservoir of water on top of the glacier had been let loose when its dam broke free, and due to this breakage the lake where the glacier lets up is now 8 feet higher. It's supposed to level itself out over the next several days but until then you can only walk a small fraction of the way out to the glacier. So we goofed around out there for a bit, took some photos, then headed back out the channel to do some fishing. We found one of the creeks where the salmon run and many of my friends were able to catch them with their bare hands!! It was quite the sight - tons of salmon everywhere in the river and lots of eagles just chillin, waiting for dinner. We had many laughs, gave a random drunk guy a ride back into town, then headed up into the valley for some late night McFlurries from McD's. It was a great day.
Tomorrow I have one tour and a quick transfer, and I'm only scheduled to work for about 6 hours. I'm looking forward to sleeping in, going for a walk around town, and having a great afternoon of driving a bus. All the while I'm going to be dreaming about how Daniel will be here in 2 weeks - I can't wait, we're going to have such a blast!
Today was a day off, and it was a great day!! This morning I woke up early to meet my friend Pat for a hike - we hiked up the Perseverance Trail which used to be the access road into the Alaska-Juneau Mine. It was a giant system of trails, most of which we hiked, and then at the end of the last trail we continued on even further (bush whacking, true Alaska style) where we found some old mine ruins. We found a giant caved in building, some mine shafts and tunnels. I'd say we walked a good 10 miles today, which felt great, and luckily the weather was beautiful (clear and 80!). Spending the morning under big blue sunny Alaskan skies was an absolute dream come true. I decided that when Daniel gets here we are going to hike the 3 mile, extremely treacherous, intensely strenuous Blackerbee Trail up to the Juneau Icefield. I'm pretty sure he'd love it. The trails here are awesome - they all have so many great views and tons of history.
After I got home from my hike with Pat I took a nap, but we heard that Mendenhall Lake was flooded, so Alyssa and I went up to the glacier with Sean, Nick S & Nick H. Turns out, a reservoir of water on top of the glacier had been let loose when its dam broke free, and due to this breakage the lake where the glacier lets up is now 8 feet higher. It's supposed to level itself out over the next several days but until then you can only walk a small fraction of the way out to the glacier. So we goofed around out there for a bit, took some photos, then headed back out the channel to do some fishing. We found one of the creeks where the salmon run and many of my friends were able to catch them with their bare hands!! It was quite the sight - tons of salmon everywhere in the river and lots of eagles just chillin, waiting for dinner. We had many laughs, gave a random drunk guy a ride back into town, then headed up into the valley for some late night McFlurries from McD's. It was a great day.
Tomorrow I have one tour and a quick transfer, and I'm only scheduled to work for about 6 hours. I'm looking forward to sleeping in, going for a walk around town, and having a great afternoon of driving a bus. All the while I'm going to be dreaming about how Daniel will be here in 2 weeks - I can't wait, we're going to have such a blast!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Day #31: Just Keeping You Updated
Saturday I gave a mine tour to 7 people, two of which were little boys of about 4. It was interesting, I suppose, but then afterward I just had a bunch of transfers back to ships. It was anticlimatic, in fact, until my friend Nick and I decided to take a walk out to the docks... We wound up having a really intense (but fabulous) conversation about our views on some issues in the world. I didn't realize how much I needed stimulated conversation from someone up here, because up until now everything felt very surfacey. So afterward, with a new energy, I followed some friends out to the bars for the first time since I've been here, had a couple of drinks, and genuinely bonded with some really nice people from around work. I was really glad to establish a connection with someone, because it makes me feel like I am part of this little city in a deeper way now. I feel strangely revitalized - I just hope it lasts.
Today, all I had to do was give a private tour to a family of 19 who chartered the whale watching company for a few hours. They were very nice, out of Park City, Utah, had a great time out on the water, and were very generous to me at the end of the day. Alyssa and I had overlapping schedules, so we staged at Safeway for a couple of hours where we played Bananagrams, did some grocery shopping, and read a little. It was a pretty low key day. Tomorrow I have 2 tours and I am very much looking forward to both of them. How is everyone else doing? I miss you all... Talk to you soon, I hope!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Day #27: Struggle Between Opposites
Today was more or less a relaxing day; I had lots of stage time between runs back and forth from the docks to the ski area so I read a ton of the book I'm reading, which is Lynn Hill's autobiography "Climbing Free." (Lynn Hill was the first woman to free climb [unaided climbing, not to be confused with free soloing without a rope] the Nose of El Cap in Yosemite. She is a huge inspiration to me.) In the 70's and her teen years, she spent her summers in Yosemite climbing with some of the legends of trad climbing, living off of next to nothing but being the happiest she could have imagined. One summer she lived off of $75 for 4 months. She spent her twenties in the 80's road tripping with her boyfriend just exploring different climbing crags, working odd jobs along the way to make it by. The people who surrounded her were supportive and shared her passion for climbing and the outdoors; they became lifelong friends. Her goal was merely freedom and building the relationship with the rocks she sent. So much of me wants to throw my hands up and simply pursue this passion for the free-spirited lifestyle of climbing. I want to be out there right now. But I justify my time here by telling myself that the more I do it, the longer I will be able to live a simple, free life.
Again, I don't meen to insinuate that I'm not having fun or that I don't totally appreciate this experience and opportunity. There are just days, like today, when I wish I were free from this and I could simply strap on my rock shoes, grab my climbing partner, and head out to the crag. (And I know that life can't be like that always, but I'm young and unattached to anything substantial, so I feel like I should take full advantage of that!) Anyway, I came today home from a 12 hour day feeling very worn down and tired. This work is taking a lot out of me; I am recognizing the true value of leisure time, something I'll never take for granted or sacrifice. I don't hate this time here - Juneau is beautiful, especially when it's sunny - but let's just say that when September ends I will be one happy chickling. Basically, I have two sides of my being that are in opposition of each other, and I'm just trying to find a balance between the two... Thanks for your support, everyone.
Again, I don't meen to insinuate that I'm not having fun or that I don't totally appreciate this experience and opportunity. There are just days, like today, when I wish I were free from this and I could simply strap on my rock shoes, grab my climbing partner, and head out to the crag. (And I know that life can't be like that always, but I'm young and unattached to anything substantial, so I feel like I should take full advantage of that!) Anyway, I came today home from a 12 hour day feeling very worn down and tired. This work is taking a lot out of me; I am recognizing the true value of leisure time, something I'll never take for granted or sacrifice. I don't hate this time here - Juneau is beautiful, especially when it's sunny - but let's just say that when September ends I will be one happy chickling. Basically, I have two sides of my being that are in opposition of each other, and I'm just trying to find a balance between the two... Thanks for your support, everyone.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Day #24: Finally, a Sunny Day
Today was glorious on too many levels. First of all, it is SUNNY, so I am absolutely thrilled to see some peaks around Juneau. Because of this, I was all psyched for my only tour today: a Best of Juneau Tour, which is a whale watching excursion plus a salmon feast out at Orca Point Lodge, and then a few minutes out at the glacier. So I automatically had energy in my favor, but this group was great. They laughed at all of my jokes and absolutely loved me! But I did some things differently today, which I think helped; first of all I tried to make a more personal connection with all of my guests - asked where they were from and then tried my best to remember and remind them that I remembered as I went along. I also let them sit on the edge of their seats the whole tour after I told them I studied voice in college, and I ended the tour with my personal rendition of "So Long, Farewell," from the Sound of Music. Basically it all boiled down to the best day ever: they got to see bubble net feeding (a crazy whale feeding ritual which is not seen by many people), they saw lots of wildlife, the sun was out and it was warm, plus they had the best tour guide of all. :) When they got off the bus at the end of our tour, each one of them gave me a hug, wished me good luck, and told me how much of a blast the tour was. It was easily the best tour I've given and the best group of people I've had. (And I think I've finally figured out some of the great tricks to being an awesome guide!) After they were gone, I was giddy and ecstatic because the energy was contagious - then I counted what I made, and it was TWICE what I've made on my highest paying tour so far. What a GREAT day! I only pray that I didn't get any weird cruise ship illnesses from all the hugs, but that's what washing my hands is for, right?
Friday, July 8, 2011
Day #22: A Couple of Days Off
Yesterday was day 1 of 2 days off - we went for a hike, and it was awesome. Eight of us ventured up the "unmaintained hazardous" West Glacier Trail onto the Mendenhall Glacier and into an ice cave we found there. The hike was awesome with great views and great company, and the ice caves were glorious! The ice inside was glowing so blue that it pretty much illuminated the entire cave. We came back and had dinner in the restaurant downstairs in the hotel, where payment turned out to be extremely complicated, and then we watched the "world premiere" of our silent dance party video. David did a great job editing it, check the video out here (I'm in there in small amounts): youtube video ...Anyway after all of that we finally got to bed pretty late after a really nice day off.
Then we had a second day, and bear in mind that today is Alyssa's birthday! So I asked her what she wanted to do. She wanted to go kayaking, so we grabbed our friend James who has a sailboat and a student ID at the University of Alaska and went to UAS to rent 2 sea kayaks for $10 each for half the day. We kayaked about 2 miles out to the next island in Auke Bay and then came back. It was really fun and relaxing, although I'm sure my arms will be slightly sore tomorrow. Alyssa then wanted to have Thai food for dinner, so several of us went out to the only Thai food restaurant in Juneau for a meal - it was great. Now we're talking about going to see Horrible Bosses downtown tonight, and I may or may not go, but I have to work at 630 tomorrow morning! So we'll see how I feel.
P.S. Been using the new GoPro and I LOVE IT!!
P.P.S. Daniel gets here in 28 days; I couldn't be more stoked!
P.P.P.S. Leave me a comment so I can see who reads this thing! :)
Then we had a second day, and bear in mind that today is Alyssa's birthday! So I asked her what she wanted to do. She wanted to go kayaking, so we grabbed our friend James who has a sailboat and a student ID at the University of Alaska and went to UAS to rent 2 sea kayaks for $10 each for half the day. We kayaked about 2 miles out to the next island in Auke Bay and then came back. It was really fun and relaxing, although I'm sure my arms will be slightly sore tomorrow. Alyssa then wanted to have Thai food for dinner, so several of us went out to the only Thai food restaurant in Juneau for a meal - it was great. Now we're talking about going to see Horrible Bosses downtown tonight, and I may or may not go, but I have to work at 630 tomorrow morning! So we'll see how I feel.
P.S. Been using the new GoPro and I LOVE IT!!
P.P.S. Daniel gets here in 28 days; I couldn't be more stoked!
P.P.P.S. Leave me a comment so I can see who reads this thing! :)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Day #19: It's Been a Busy Week
Sunday was the 3rd of July here, and since we don't have enough darkness at 10pm, in Juneau we celebrate the 4th on the 3rd at midnight. So Sunday evening about 40 of us went over to a coworker's place (he lives on the water on south Douglas) and hung out on the beach until the fireworks. There were probably over 500 people on the beach from houses all along the water, and dozens of bonfires. Someone even built a 40 foot tall wooden replica of Sauron's tower and set it on fire. So we all hung out on the beach until the fireworks, which they set off from a barge in the middle of the channel, and they lasted almost half an hour! It was a great show, and a great time. Then, on Monday, they had a 4th of July parade. Because of some logistics of the parade and the amount of roads they had to shut down to have the parade, we were barred from our destinations and were therefore forced against our will to be paid to watch the Juneau 4th of July Parade. Pretty much our whole fleet was down there, except those who were actually in the parade. It was a really great time - and afterwards, I gave a city tour to a great group. We found a box of ridiculous red white and blue decorations, so we all decorated our buses and uniforms to be more festive. There were a bunch of really weird happenings yesterday as well, and I'll spare you the details, but all in all it was a weird day with a lot of confusion and a lot of pay for not a lot of work.
Today was the 7th consecutive day that I've worked, and I've worked 66 hours in the last 7 days. I therefore only have 14 available hours tomorrow and will probably have the day off. But today was good, except that I slammed my finger in the luggage bay door (my finger is now black and I had to fill out like 6 forms for worker's comp). I was a little tired from having worked 7 days straight, and my tour may have suffered a little because of that, but everything else went really smoothly. I also may have talked Daniel into coming up for a week or so in August. He has never been to Alaska, and we miss each other a lot, so I am really hoping that he will visit! If he does, I'm going to take the week off and comp some tours with him. I think he'd really enjoy dog sledding, a whale watching tour, and probably a helicopter ride! We'll see where he stands in a couple of days, but hopefully I have him convinced!
So now that I've talked to my parents about this, I feel like I can share my possible change of plans with everything. I may not be going to Colorado this fall or winter after all. Daniel and I are going to do a lot of travelling and climbing this fall (City of Rocks, ID, Red Rocks, NV, and probably Red River Gorge, KY). Because we will probably be gone until mid December, timing doesn't work too well for working at any resort in Colorado. This doesn't mean for sure yet that I won't go to CO the following fall for grad school, it just means I'd pay more for an additional quarter if I did. That being said, I feel a great need to travel and be young while I can, and go back to grad school later in life if I still feel that Music Therapy is the path for me. It may not be. Needless to say, I have a lot of soul searching to do over the next year and I'm really excited for all of the endless possibilities. Now I know what you're thinking - and the answer is yes, part of my motivation is, in fact, Daniel. I am serious about my relationship with him and really want to be with him, but the beautiful thing is that it works and that it's really what I've longed for all along. I've finally found that person who simply wants to travel, see the world, and be a dirtbag with me for a while, and I happen to care immensely for that person. We are perfect travel companions and best friends, so it couldn't be more perfect. I want to live my life: be a tumbleweed, find a world outside my own, and do it with someone who makes me incredibly happy. I feel really, really great about this decision; I just thought you all should know that the plan has indeed changed to not having a plan at all...
Today was the 7th consecutive day that I've worked, and I've worked 66 hours in the last 7 days. I therefore only have 14 available hours tomorrow and will probably have the day off. But today was good, except that I slammed my finger in the luggage bay door (my finger is now black and I had to fill out like 6 forms for worker's comp). I was a little tired from having worked 7 days straight, and my tour may have suffered a little because of that, but everything else went really smoothly. I also may have talked Daniel into coming up for a week or so in August. He has never been to Alaska, and we miss each other a lot, so I am really hoping that he will visit! If he does, I'm going to take the week off and comp some tours with him. I think he'd really enjoy dog sledding, a whale watching tour, and probably a helicopter ride! We'll see where he stands in a couple of days, but hopefully I have him convinced!
So now that I've talked to my parents about this, I feel like I can share my possible change of plans with everything. I may not be going to Colorado this fall or winter after all. Daniel and I are going to do a lot of travelling and climbing this fall (City of Rocks, ID, Red Rocks, NV, and probably Red River Gorge, KY). Because we will probably be gone until mid December, timing doesn't work too well for working at any resort in Colorado. This doesn't mean for sure yet that I won't go to CO the following fall for grad school, it just means I'd pay more for an additional quarter if I did. That being said, I feel a great need to travel and be young while I can, and go back to grad school later in life if I still feel that Music Therapy is the path for me. It may not be. Needless to say, I have a lot of soul searching to do over the next year and I'm really excited for all of the endless possibilities. Now I know what you're thinking - and the answer is yes, part of my motivation is, in fact, Daniel. I am serious about my relationship with him and really want to be with him, but the beautiful thing is that it works and that it's really what I've longed for all along. I've finally found that person who simply wants to travel, see the world, and be a dirtbag with me for a while, and I happen to care immensely for that person. We are perfect travel companions and best friends, so it couldn't be more perfect. I want to live my life: be a tumbleweed, find a world outside my own, and do it with someone who makes me incredibly happy. I feel really, really great about this decision; I just thought you all should know that the plan has indeed changed to not having a plan at all...
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Day #16: I Love My Job
On days when I stay busy, I really love my job! Today was great because I wound up with an opportunity to tour a group I wouldn't normally have toured (it was just a transfer), and got some really great tips. I dropped them off at the helipad, then would have sat in the parking lot to wait for them to get back, but the owner of the company came out and asked me if I'd like to go along! Naturally, I said no... But really, I went up to the Taku glacier with an awesome pilot named Nate and two couples from Brazil and had a grand little time. So I finished out the rest of my day, made a few more bucks in tips, and came back to the office to find my new Chaco sandals and my GoPro waiting for me! Deborah then let me ride her scooter home, which was super fun, and then I met up with James to climb. All in all, it was a great day, with a great string of events, and I couldn't have asked for much more!
The days are starting to blur together - I don't remember what I did yesterday or Wednesday unless I look at my log book, and I definitely lose track of what day of the week it is. Most days are filled with hours of work that go by really quick and then more hours of hanging out with people around the hotel. Last night, for example, we had a silent dance party, which was basically everyone putting in headphones with the same playlist and dancing down the streets of Juneau (I will post the link to the video when David finishes editing it). We got some weird looks from people since they couldn't hear the music, but it was a total blast! We also surprised one of our managers by barging into the bar screaming happy birthday at the top of our lungs, which she loved and then proceeded to give all 25 of us hugs. So essentially we just have a really great time here - and I am having a blast! My tours are coming together, I am making good money, and I am meeting some fantastic people. This summer is a summer I will never forget :)
The days are starting to blur together - I don't remember what I did yesterday or Wednesday unless I look at my log book, and I definitely lose track of what day of the week it is. Most days are filled with hours of work that go by really quick and then more hours of hanging out with people around the hotel. Last night, for example, we had a silent dance party, which was basically everyone putting in headphones with the same playlist and dancing down the streets of Juneau (I will post the link to the video when David finishes editing it). We got some weird looks from people since they couldn't hear the music, but it was a total blast! We also surprised one of our managers by barging into the bar screaming happy birthday at the top of our lungs, which she loved and then proceeded to give all 25 of us hugs. So essentially we just have a really great time here - and I am having a blast! My tours are coming together, I am making good money, and I am meeting some fantastic people. This summer is a summer I will never forget :)
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