If you have the desire for knowledge and the power to give it physical expression..

I have suddenly become absolutely obsessed with Antarctica and Apsley Cherry-Garrard (even his name is awesome!), who was on Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to reach the South Pole (Scott made it, but everyone with him died..Cherry found their bodies later, just 11 miles from a food cache!). His book (The Worst Journey in the World), has had a huge impact on me ever since I read it (and I think reading the novel Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson raised the obsession too. It was weird..all of a sudden at work it hit me full force, and then I was just staring into nothing being like "CHERRY ANTARCTICA YAY" LOL), so I was very excited to find this docudrama. Reading it and being amazed was one thing, actually watching it (even a dramatization) was just..wow. I can't imagine it being -65 and not being able to light a match, having your clothes freeze solid, getting in sleeping bags that are frozen too, like in this part:


Wow..it's amazing they even lived through that! Cherry has become one of my heroes

Here, have a pic of him :D:

SQUEE CHERRY. He's..kinda cute LOL (yeah I have the weirdest obessions :P)

I also think the last paragraph in his book is interesting: "And I tell you, if you have the desire for knowledge and the power to give it physical expression, go out and explore. If you are a brave man you will do nothing: if you are fearful you may do much, for none but cowards have need to prove their bravery. Some will tell you that you are mad, and nearly all will say, 'What is the use?' For we are a nation of shopkeepers, and no shopkeeper will look at research which will not promise him a financial return within a year. And so you will sledge nearly alone, but those with whom you sledge will not be shopkeepers: that is worth a good deal. If you march your Winter Journeys you will have your reward, so long as all you want is a penguin's egg"

I want to see Scott's hut SO bad..and I read the eggs they carried back are in the Natural History Museum in London..I'VE BEEN THERE! I guess I know where I'm going if I'm ever in London again :P

( here's a pic of me squeeing over the book, and then i'll shut up lol )

I had been wanting A Dance With Dragons (the 5th book in A Song of Ice and Fire..it didn't come with the set I got) but didn't really want it in hardback. I checked Amazon but it doesn't come out in paperback till October. I thought about buying it on Amazon but it's a big book and probably would be easier buying it at Fred Meyer or something (or even better, my bookstore haha). Well what do you know, I saw it today in the "to be cleaned" pile! I grabbed it and said "MINE" and hugged it close LOL. The other cleaners must have thought I was crazy haha (or maybe not, since I do that with glacier/mountaineering books too :P). That's not even the first time that's happened to me at the bookstore. Now instead of like $15 I get it for $2!! That place WINS haha :D

It was SNOWING AGAIN earlier..OH COME ON WINTER, LEAVE US ALONE ALREADY. Haha. I bet the Tanana River's gonna break up late..it still has like 50 inches of ice on it. Guess I won't be winning the Ice Classic this year :P

( Day 16: A song from a film score that seems to go along with your life. )

Would you rather be caught picking your nose on the huge screen at a big stadium or on a first date with someone special? On the screen..since everyone would care more about the game and not actually know me haha

Today's trivia: The cheetah is the only cat that can't retract its claws

Cooool. I actually saw an iceberg (though much smaller) do that once haha. It was pretty sweet

Confession..I am enthralled with people with disabilities. I have actually wished to have leg braces or crutches cause I'm so fascinated. When I see them in public I want to stare in fascination but obviously I can't do that. I enjoy reading books even more if someone has a disability. Wth is wrong with me..?

( Day 28: A picture of something you wish you could change )

Today as I was walking to work I was going by someone's house and heard this bell noise. I looked and saw this lovely black kitty on the other side of the fence! I called to him and he made the "mmgh" noise Abby always does and came over to me and I pet him! He liked playing with the grass hehe. Awwwe :D

Nina and I made a job/school plan for this year and next..we started on it today. She gave me questionnaire/personality things to fill out and sites to fill out stuff on as well. I like filling out things so it looked fun haha. I'm such a nerd :P

Poor Pat called last night and said she slipped and fell on the ice..her ribs and arms were in a lot of pain and were swollen. I could hear the pain in her voice. Ouuuch. She went to the doctor today..I hope she didn't break anything!

Today started my third year with AmeriCorps! Yaay haha

( Day 36 - A picture of your pet )

Would you rather never again be able to celebrate the winter holidays or never again be able to celebrate your birthday? Hmm..my birthday

Today's trivia: Bison are born orange

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Open my eyes, lay in bed, check the time, ignore Abby who's licking my face/putting her nose on my eye..haha

Tagging is fun and VERY addictive haha. It's weird reading my old entries..I talked about HammerFall too much :P

( 09. A picture of the most beautiful place of your state, in your opinion )

When I was in 8th grade we had vocab lists every week and after the school year was over I got the idea to make sentences with the words (only me right? Haha). Then in 10th grade I did it again..and now I did it a third time haha. I shall post it here. Enjoy :P

( vocab fun )

Today's trivia: Mario, from Super Mario, was originally named "Jumpman"

Yesterday I decided to listen to Demons and Wizards on Myspace to see if I'd like them (it's Hansi Kursch's other band). I listened to "Crimson King" and the beginning was EPIC so I bought both of their CDs haha. Hopefully the other songs will be good

I'm crazy haha..I'm alphabetizing people's LJ titles. :P I'm not gonna show anyone and no one else uses my computer usually so don't worry about other people seeing (I'm just doing it on Word). If you'd like to see yours alphabetized I'll email it to you haha. I've done mine, viciousvixen666, softpaw, harmony83, joansies, lickintoadz, mrfantastico, thekelaal and I'm working on rdyfrde's :P

( pic of the day )

Today's trivia: Tombstones were originally put over graves so the dead couldn't escape

Haha..I liked the scarf though so mom got it for me. Fairbanks was crazy busy yesterday for some reason..maybe it was the snow

( pic of the day )

Today's trivia: A squirrel can fall as much as 600 feet to the ground without injuring itself

Redoubt erupted again this morning..the ash cloud went up to around 65,000 feet! Paulette and I were looking at the volcano information for like 15 minutes or so at work haha (mom had texted me the volcano had erupted and I told her)

I saw this sick/dying bird at the feeder this morning. Poor bird..*sniff*

It got above freezing today! When I went past the river this morning I was like "OMG!" at how much of it had melted! Though that part of it gets warm water dumped in it and kept partially unfrozen most of the winter (unless it gets -20 and below a long time..then almost all of it freezes over anyway) so it would unfreeze first. I'm a river addict..when I realized the route we were taking wouldn't take us over the river I told mom I needed to go to Fred Meyer so we would go over it. :P I DID need to go..but still haha

Earlier I saw someone wearing capris, a short sleeve shirt with no jacket, flip flops, and was eating an ice cream sandwich. Woww Fairbanks :P

( pic of the day )

Gwichin: The Athabaskans of northeastern Alaska, once called Kutchin by whites. The world also describes their language

(Me talking about a song called The Helicopter Sequence): *soundtrack people* oh i know!! since the scene has a helicopter i shall call it...THE HELICOPTER SEQUENCE...*thunderous applause* and theeeen the'll all be like THE NAME SHOULD GO IN A MUSEUM!!! and they'll think it's the most innovative idea EVAH

In English we're watching Becket...at the beginning during the credits (it's an old movie) there was AWESOME church music playing and a church bell was too! Then in the first scene this HUGE church bell was ringing and inside the church people were singing in Latin...I think I was scaring the person next to me haha

I have to present my speech tomorrow...I'm sooo nervous. The teacher gave us an example of a speech she wrote...I didn't like it. I didn't sound right to me...

Today's Latin: benedicite (bless you)

"Beyond the shore the sea is filled up with sentiment and strength. Here lie the thoughts imprisoned, a field of forces and laments"--"Force of the Shore," Epica