Wednesday, July 26, 2006

I am so ready to leave.....


Dalton Mud
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.
...it's not funny. So before I came up here everyone who had been here gave me two impressions they either 1) loved it or 2) hated it. Well while I have been here I have determined why those felt the way they did. If they are young and unattached, or PI's (Primary Investigators- the Professors with all the $$), or only up here for a week or 2 then they loved it. but if you have a family, children, an SO (that you really love) at home, and are here for longer than a couple of weeks you are DYING to go home. I was young and unattached once, hoping from place to place with all my belongings, and ten years ago this would of been a great (and fun) experience. and at times it has been. I am glad I tried it out, I have now seen Alaska, and seen a critter or two. but I have also realized I have made a wonderful home in NC, and for the long haul am happier there.

On the upside I have a couple of job prospects and an interview when I get home. So I may not be unemployed for long.

There are 7 new photos of toolik in the set on flickr. I am leaving here Fri morning and wil be home by Sat night, but don't expect any blogging till at least wed/thurs (I may have some stitching done then!)

Monday, July 10, 2006

You say it 's your birthday!

Yes it is. I have been here in arctic alaska for 19 days and have 18 more to go.. the novelty has worn off a bit and I am ready to go home. the landscape is beautiful but bleak and hard to explore, walking on tundra is very difficult and a mile can seem like 3. and since I get to walk it just about every day, I am done.
But I did get today off cause I whined a bit about turning 32 (the younger folks can hike the 3 mile journey today). So I finally get time to post some photos on Flickr and post to my blog. No stitching here, no time and no comfy chair to sit in to do it if I had time.

The weather here is not predictable but you can garantee that it will rain once a day, it will be clear once a day, it will be windy at least once, and calm the rest of the time. It may be 40 or 60 or 70, or all of those temps in 5 hours. you need to wear 3-5 layers at any time it could snow in you (it did on the 7th of july.) but be ready to strip off all the layers if it becomes warm, and apply deet....the mosquitos are out. Although the bugs are bad, I had imagined them alot worse, like coastal forest of maryland bad, where you are covered head to toe in a blanket of mosquitos, but they aren't that dense, and they are no bigger than at home. go figure with all those tall tales.

Hey Liz, yes the green/blue tube things are what we sleep in, they are called weatherports, and are just big tarps stretched over an aluminum frame on a plywood platform.

Just click on the photo to see all the new pics (I have only uploaded a few of the bajillions I have taken, cause they are a bit big).