Mail! From Alaska!

[cadhla]

According to maps of the United States, there's a state waaaaaaaaaaay up at the top, connected to the rest of the country largely via, well, Canada. And an ocean. And, one assumes, some weather patterns. Steve Niles fed it to vampires in 30 Days of Night. I fed it to zombies in Newsflesh. Our Meg visited it once, and brought back reports of

Comments

[wcg]

I've been to Alaska. For some pictures, take a look at http://pics.livejournal.com/wcg/gallery/00001q8z

There is indeed a whole lot of snow. There are also lots and lots of evergreens. Grizzly bears and moose were reported, but I didn't personally see them.

I used to live in Alaska

[capplor]

And I can swear that it's a real place, complete with hills, snow, a wide ranging, very continental climate (standing in the same area of the Tanana Valley over the course of a year I saw it reach 110º above zero & -72º below), and real live people, as well as some imaginary ones.

In fact, & I bet you didn't know this about the Fred here, I used to live in North Pole (real town, 13 miles south of Fairbanks) & would often jam or shoot pool with my neighbor; Santa Claus. He played a hot banjo.

Congrats on the gifties.

Re: I used to live in Alaska

[azurelunatic]

Fairbanks here, 1980-2000, just north of the Musk Ox Farm.

Re: I used to live in Alaska

[kengr]

Friend of a Friend was a kindergarten teacher up around there.

Standard wintertime demo was to get the kids all bundled up, have them watch you fill a cup with hot water, and follow you outside.

She'd then throw the water into the air and they'd watch it come down as ice droplets.

Re: I used to live in Alaska

[capplor]

I left in 1979, with a college degree & an itch to wander. Had some friends out by the Quivit patch, but they moved to Israel about the same time that I left.

I miss the Aurora.

The hot water bit is a standard for kids & chichakos. Once you've been through break-up (which is not, as it sounds, a relational thing but rather something to do with ice & a river or two) you have fun building surreal furniture out of water ice. Or, at least, I did. Seanan would have loved that tea set I made once.

[technoshaman]

Brave, brave postmooster. The Mariner Moose will be sad.

[vixyish]

I've met the Mariner Moose. I've hugged the Mariner Moose. I've got a photo of me getting smooched by the Mariner Moose. AND YOU SIR, ARE NO MARI-- er, wait, that's not what I was gonna-- anyway, I don't think he's capable of being sad. :)

[technoshaman]

Silly, silly kitsune. :)

(I'd no idea you were a baseball fan?)

[vixyish]

Oops-- apparently the smooch didn't get captured on film. Just the hug.

(In 2003 I participated in the American Heart Walk, through my employer at the time, WaMu. If you raised $1,000 in pledges, you got to meet the moose.)

This bit of total randomness was brought to you by the letters P and R and OCRASTINATION.

[vixyish]

One of my new favorite phrases ever is now "brave, civic-minded moose."

[wcg]

Like this one?

[vixyish]

That moose is not civic-minded.

[wcg]

No, but he's very single minded.

[wendyzski]

I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of Alaska.

However, I do also have my very own fuzzy Necrotizing Fasciitis.