Ok. So, I'm officially a News-Miner (News-Minus, News-Moaner (my personal fav)) employee. I'm working three nights a week as a copy editor. I actually really like it (partly because I know it's temporary). My bosses are really nice and the work is such that I get be in a newspaper atmosphere while getting to be a little creative (part of the duties besides editing copy are to layout/design the pages) but unlike being a reporter at the paper, I don't take my work home with me. Once the night is done, it's done. This way, I can still freelance and write about things I like, while having my days free to run dogs AND having the extra cash AND the normalcy of saying things like 'I can't, I have to work.' or 'The funniest thing happened at work last night.' So, it's good all around. Last night the publisher and managing editor brought in dinner and dessert for the night crew. Yeah.
Sam's very professional at work. I call him Mr. Harrel, but I think that just turns him on.
The dogs are great, but I'm really looking forward to summer, mostly because Sam might actually get a break. He hasn't had time off since October and that was when he went to Kentucky or some far-flung place, to, you guessed it, work. I guess he had a little fun, but it certainly wasn't with me. That's why I'm excited for the summer; camping, rafting, canoeing etc.
It seems for the past several months, he's been going non-stop. Someone's always sick, or on leave of some sort or whining about something. Not Sam. He's so dedicated to paper it almost makes me feel a little ill. He has to work today, of course, on his day off. I offered to pick up an assignment, but we'll see. I'm just bitter because we had plans today and now, well, we don't. I'll get over it.
I sold an Iditarod story to the Anchorage Daily News and they put at the top on the front page. I wasn't expecting that. I've got a couple assignments lined up for March but I'm thinking it'll be an enterprise month. There's a lot going on from NCAA rifle shooting to a national clown conference...I'm sure someone will buy something. The big thing now is having audio with a photo slide show so I bought a new digital recorder and might try to put something together at the sled dog races next weekend. We'll see.
Well, Meg told me that I have joined the ranks of Mary H.
Meg had a layover at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago this week and got online whilst waiting in the terminal. She tried to log onto my blog but was denied because apparently my site contains 'questionable material.' (This happened to Mary's cojoin also, that's the connection...)
I guess I've also joined a million other women in their late '20s (I'm not 30 yet, dammit! Remind me to stick my head in the oven on July 5...maybe this is what they mean by questionable material) who say the word 'ass' too much...The Diet Coke of evil, just one calorie, not evil enough...
What else? The Iditarod has begun. Good luck Ken, Lance, Gerry, Sebastian, Hans and Aaron! Also the Canada Winter Games are going on in Whitehorse right now and the Yukon News (my old paper) is doing an amazing job covering it. Fun stories, beautiful photography...www.yukon-news.com
Our friend down south sent some photos of Sam back in the day. I just have to say thank-you. I laughed for days. Sam, cute as he was and is, had some mega mulitude. Oy.
The other day I bought a stuffed monkey for Sister. She likes to bury random things when she's inside so I thought I'd get her a little friend to bury in the straw in her house. She immediately ripped the arms off the monkey, so I took it away from her. That same day I wrote an email to Sam and, joking of course, made some threat that ended with 'do it, or the monkey gets it!' Sam wrote back saying, he wasn't worried because the monkey had been disarmed. Disarmed! Ha! Well done, honey. Very clever.
Well, that's it for now.
Peace.
Hazel and Sister giving Meg a ride down the driveway. She was too chicken to run in the real sled with a real team...I guess I should mention that the last time I took her for a ride (it was two years ago, I've gotten better since then) I dumped her out on her arse, lost the team and ended up running home...ha!
The moose here have no boundaries. They're always following me around, calling, emailing...enough already!
GUS! I forgot to post my newest dog. He's really sweet but he hates the yearlings and is always trying to hump the ladies...
His first time inside.
11 comments:
You should post one of those photos of "Sam in the Day!" Share the Curls! He was an actual working assistant to a Sports Illustrated photographer. How times change. Hope y'all get warm, we're going skiing for spring break to Durango. Meeting up the the "MONSTER, SR," with my "MONSTER, JR." Sam'll know.
D & N
No way! The pic where Sam's wearing glasses really freaked me out. I didn't even know it was him! Your duds aren't much better! I just have to ask: what were you guys thinking? I guess it was the '80s. Luckily all the photos of me in my goth/headbanger-chick phase are locked away in my parents' basement. Talk about big hair, yikes!
Our duds were rockin' just like the two of us! Thin, no wrinkles or gray...did you like the shorts or the fireproof driver's suits best? We were awesome in our youth and we traveled the world making tons of money and breaking busloads of hearts.
I'll spare you the photos from the sea! A goth head banger from Toronto? Talk about an identity crisis...... !!!
Love & kisses
D & N
you're from Toronto?
Ok. You and Sam were happenin' dudes. Wait, I mean geeks. Wait, I mean...what? Identity issues were the least of my concerns when I was a teenager. I do remember slathering on black eyeliner and white powder on my face with my friend TW and hitchhiking into town. I was also a cross-colour wearin' hip hop wannabe and skater girl...you name it. And no, I'm not from TO. When an American asks where I'm from, I say Canada. If they nod like they know where that is, I say Ontario. Sometimes I get a shrug and sometimes another nod. Then I say near Toronto, which in my experience, is one of three cities in Canada that Americans seem to have a vague idea of. (the other two are Montreal and Vancouver) If they seem to know where Toronto is, I'll say 'actually closer to Ottawa,' which usually throws them off. If you want specifics, I'm from the sticks between the city of Brockville and the town of Prescott. Actually between the villages of Maitland and Maynard in Augusta township. Rocky Road, between the second and third concessions. Follow the smells of maple syrup, gin and regret.
Defensive today, eh?
I LOVE the smell of regret. So powerful. I smelled it in Shannonville, the scene of my last race as a driver; in Trois-Rivières where I watched a competitor lose his left leg in a racing crash; in Shannonville where despite the pouring rain at Mosport I was fast but scared "shite"-less (to quote the Brits). Then of course you can count the forever long tows to Edmonton, Gimli, Westwood, Calgary, you name it, if it was a tiny race track with big star drivers, we were there.
You could add the places I'd would still like to see: Nova Scotia (home of us misplaced of Scots heritage), Churchill, Q-City (again!). I'll pass on Ottawa, politicians of any nationality give me the heebies.
"Near Toronto" to those of us from the LA basin means the same as "near LA" which of course means Los Angeles. Therefore "near TO" of course means Toronto. It doesn't matter if it's Bedford Park or Kingston, it's all Toronto to us.
And we were not geeks! Jeezus, Geeks are those filthy haired, chain smoking, lost "groupyouths" pounding the endless miles of Yonge Street in their cheap, leather-imitation jackets, bad makeup, and dirty jeans, not wanting to go home but lost nonetheless in the city (their city!) home of SAM'S record store near The Bay...you, at that time, never realizing what that could mean.
"Near Fairbanks," however, is a completely different matter.
Welcome to America, chickie! Your one of us. Now go find me a Canadian wife so I can move out of this place! A pure business deal.
Hugs,
D & N
Defensive? Moi? Listen. All I'm sayin' is that many Americans don't know much about Canada. You obviously know some geography, so good for you. What you don't know is how not to be a big boob. Yeah, I went there. Don't call me chickie or I'll rip your arms off and feed them to Sister, she likes pig! As for finding a wife, I don't think that'll happen, so just sneak across the border and be an alien. There are no fences in north....yet.
I didn't come here to live in the US, I came here for Sam...and dogs...but mostly for Sam.
Hello!It's Grant!! Good to hear/see you're doing well! Don't know if you got email but I'll be in Alaska from May-September to learn some more 'dog stuff'/take care of a homestead down in Homer! Would be great to meet up if you can. I'd also like to know if you know of any way of getting to Anchorage from Whitehorse...by bus!! I hate to fly and one flight from the UK to Canada is enough for me for a while! Take care.
Grant! Sorry I didn't get back to you. Yes you can take a bus from Whitehorse to Anchorage but what a ride. Yuck! It'll be at least 20 hours. You could take a bus from WHitehorse to Fairbanks and then we could take an ol' fashioned road trip down to Anchorage...just a thought..Homer is beautiful..you'll love it. Who are you working for?
20 hours on a bus? I managed 39 hours from Helsinki to Italy last summer, just to go pick up some guys dog poop eh? But the offer of an ol' fashioned road trip sounds too good to pass on, reckon i'll take you up on that. I'll be working in Homer for Dr. Linda Chamberlain at the Howling Husky Homestead (if those American swines give me a visa that is!!).
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