When I was a kid, me and Ryan and mom drove to New Braunfels, Texas with our friends Julie and Madison (I'm still friends with them on Facebook!) in May 2001. On the drive we listened to a story, which I wrote a little about in my journal, which says "we just listened to a story. It was about a wolf who tries to eat a hen named rainbow and Jimmy Tractorwheel saved her. It was a good story!" I never really made the effort to find the title of it because I thought it would be too obscure to find (though I am pretty good at finding things online). At work today, I was looking up vintage books to see how much they were worth..I picked up a little red one and started flipping through it, and suddenly I saw the name "Tractorwheel," and something about a hen. I about fell over! Could that be the book we listened to?? I have my journal typed up on LJ, so I found the entry where my first journal entries were typed, and it matched the book I had exactly! No way!!! The book is called Wolf Story by Warren Chappell. I'm so glad I have paper journals and this LJ, otherwise I'd forget so many things! It's SO cool that book showed up at work..I had to excitedly tell Denise and Vicki about it haha. I'm definitely buying that copy for myself, it's special! I'll have to ask if anyone else remembers listening to that story lol

Today was the first snowfall of the season! Right as I was getting a headache Vicki was like "guess what everyone?! IT'S SNOWING!!" It wasn't a large amount, but Vicki still had to run around and play in it LOL (thankfully the headache went away by itself)

Cherry's uncle Hugh did a talk yesterday at the Royal Geographic Society, which was recorded and posted on Cherry's group page on Facebook. Hugh is Angela's sister, whom Cherry married. Pretty much the only time Cherry was happy was in Antarctica (before Scott and the others died, of course)..he hated having to manage his estates and thought being a part of the "landed gentry" was pretty boring. Even though Hugh remembers him as curmudgeonly and uncomfortable around kids, he still has good memories of Cherry. He still has the Worst Journey copies Cherry bought for Angela! He talked about how unfortunate it was that people blamed Cherry for Scott's death, the museum curator not caring about the eggs he brought back, and that after he was invalided out of WWI, someone sent him a white feather and called him a coward. WOW. I'd be grumpy too! I've said this many times, but there's nothing Cherry could have done to save Scott..he would have died in the blizzard looking for them. After the talk, a guy stood up and said his father was a member of the Dorset House Club, and he said as a "special treat" he was allowed to go over to Cherry's table and ask him questions about the expedition!! That's amazing! He said Cherry was always a gentle, kind person and was a bit too modest about his answers to the questions haha. Aww, that's the Cherry I love. <3 It's great there are still people around who knew him and his kind side! I'll always be honored he said hi to me through my phone when I was at his grave!

( oct 7-8 )

Yesterday mom had a dentist appointment, so we left for Anchorage pretty late (after 1). We were going to stop in Healy for snacks (1 1/2-2 hours away) and that part of the drive seemed to last FOREVER haha (and it was raining..ugh). The trip seemed to go by faster after we got snacks lol. The fall colors were pretty, though a lot of the leaves had fallen off the trees in the mountains. Mom put on music from her phone when the radio died..I Googled The Sound of Silence when it came on, and read this: "Simon wrote 'The Sound of Silence' when he was 21 years old, later explaining that the song was written in his bathroom, where he turned off the lights to better concentrate. 'The main thing about playing the guitar, though, was that I was able to sit by myself and play and dream. And I was always happy doing that. I used to go off in the bathroom, because the bathroom had tiles, so it was a slight echo chamber. I'd turn on the faucet so that water would run (I like that sound, it's very soothing to me) and I'd play. In the dark.'" He..composed one of his most famous songs by playing with water in his bathroom?? I won't think of the song the same way again probably LOL. The last 50 or so miles to Anchorage is painful too, since you have to drive slower in the populated areas and you're tired and just want to get there already!! Haha. It was after 8 when we finally found the hotel..laying on the nice bed felt HEAVENLY haha. Nice curtains too! It was nice to relax the rest of the night lol

Today mom dropped me off at Title Wave Books and went to her appointment. There are WAY too many tempting things in that store LOL..I just kept adding more things!! I found one book (Mutiny on the Globe) that's been on my Amazon wishlist since 2019!! There was a section for curtain/window treatment books too, and of course had to get a couple of those LOL. Mom shopped some when she was done with her appointment too. I was there for THREE hours..there were other books to look at, but I already had an obscene amount and my eyes were tired, so I had to get out of there LOL. *bank account cringes* After that we had lunch at Yak and Yeti a couple doors down (a Himalayan restaurant..hadn't been there in a long time!), got something for dad at Lowe's, then went back to the hotel (mom's still recovering from covid, and is still pretty tired). Not sure what we're doing for dinner, but I'm slowly getting hungry lol. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be less tired :P

( some pics!! )

Happy 35th birthday to me! So weird haha. Mom made me a big breakfast (eggs, hash browns, strawberries, etc), and we sat outside for a couple hours, enjoying the nice weather. We must be having a Chinook, because it's been SUPER windy all day (it has finally quieted down now), and was in the 80s. It was cool watching the wind move the water on the lake in an interesting way. We had milkshakes, then dad took me to Barnes and Noble. On the way, I noticed a smoke plume to the south..definitely the right conditions for a forest fire. I read later it's called the McDonald Fire, and it's burning near a military training area. The Alaska Wildland Fire site says "it is burning in an area designated for limited management, meaning that unless the fire threatens property or people, it will be allowed to play its natural ecological role." They're not sure how it started yet. I'm glad it's not threatening anything so far though. After that, we all went to dinner at Chena's Alaskan Grill, where I go every year on my birthday. It was too hot and windy to sit outside, but it was still nice. Amazingly, they were way OVER staffed..the place wasn't even full and there were at LEAST 10-15 waiters/waitresses milling around..weird. O_o After that, we went home..mom had decorated while I was at the bookstore, so there were cool balloons and other festive decorations, cake Ryan made, and an intriguing wooden box with a bow on it. Inside was this cool book journal, which mom made herself. I was completely awed and stunned at all the details and effort that went into it..she dyed/aged paper, made bookmarks, sewed around some of the pages, found authentic original polar exploration little cards, had little charms hanging from the outside (one had "16" on it!), etc. Months ago I remember mom watching all these crafting videos, and now I know why..she'd been preparing this journal for a very long time. I'm absolutely amazed and touched she did all that work just for me..she outdoes herself every year with gifts haha. She was worried she wouldn't get it done in time, especially since we went to Kansas and then me getting sick, but she did (she also stained the box..it smelled interesting haha). I probably took too many pictures, but it's too cool not to share! Then we had red velvet cake, which Ryan made with espresso for some reason..it would have tasted better without the espresso, but I appreciate his hard work all the same. And now I'm tired..phew, birthdays are exhausting! Haha. It was a nice day though :)

( birthday pics!! )

8. If You Were a Super Rich Philanthropist, What Causes Would You Support? Animal shelters and things like that, literacy ones, etc

1. It's 17 days until Christmas. How do you feel about that? Kind of panicked, because I still need to get gifts for people..every year I say I'm going to do it early, but it never seems to happen lol
2. It's the second night of Hanukkah. How do you feel about that? Cool!
3. It's Howie Hawkins's birthday. Have you wished him a happy birthday yet? I don't know who that is
4. John Lennon died on this date in 1980. Your reaction? Sad :(
5. Beethoven's 7th Symphony premiered in Vienna with Beethoven conducting, on this day in 1813. Can you hum any part of the 7th? No, I don't think I'm familiar with that one

I just read a book about a guy's travels (Horizon), which had interesting parts (especially when he went to Cape Crozier and saw the remains of Cherry, Birdie and Wilson's shelter), but he kept going off on these super long, tedious and boring tangents (I'm pretty sure he challenged himself to find the most obscure words possible and put them everywhere in his book). I hate not finishing a book, so I kept plodding along, and then I read this: "Autistics and psychopaths, though some in either group are highly intelligent, have a limited ability to empathize, to move into higher levels of intentionality and be attentive there to the needs, the fears, and the hopes of other people." "Autistics"?? Really?? I suppose that could be true with some autistic people, but anyone can tell you I'm an empath..when someone gets upset, I take on their emotions, and want to cry along with them. Ugh, I hate generalizations like that..it makes me wonder if he's ever met anyone with autism..we're all unique! I was SO happy when I finished the book earlier haha..the part about Antarctica definitely saved it from being a two-star book :P

I caught whatever sickness is going around town (when I said I wanted more time in the day to do addictive hidden letter/number games, getting sick is NOT what I meant LOL). I either got it from mom or my 91 year old coworker who was coughing and dripping everywhere. *shudders* Mom had a fever for like a week, but I seem to have gotten just the cough and tiredness part. I always feel guilty missing work, but Abby's loving the extra cuddle time haha

( dec 2-8 )

Happy National Book Lovers Day!! My TBR bookshelf is always growing haha


How can I resist taking a picture with my favorite book?? LOL

After only eight months as Executive Director at the Literacy Council, Heidi had to step down (she's been having trouble finding daycare for her son). She definitely enjoyed it though. Someone already working at LCA might take the position, which is cool, because she's very nice lol

Good thing I have insurance, because after those ER visits and hospital stays, I would have ended up owing THOUSANDS of dollars. O___o It's crazy it costs so much!

( august 6-9 )

Today's trivia: At $378.5 million, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is the most expensive film ever made

Remember that super rare biography of Cherry I found in May that the seller was allowing me to pay in chunks for a few months?


It's hereee, yay! No pictures, but maybe I'll learn something new! I love my cool Cherry collection haha

And a fall survey!
Go apple picking V.S. Go on a hayride? Go on a hayride
Scary V.S. Sweet? Sweet
Sweaters V.S. Boots? Sweaters
Socks V.S. Mittens? Socks
Bonfires V.S. Football? Bonfires
Trick-or-Treating V.S. Watch scary movies? Trick-or-treating
Apple Pie V.S. Pumpkin Pie? Pumpkin pie
Halloween V.S. Thanksgiving? Both!
Bake Pie V.S. Bake Cookies? Cookies
Rain V.S. Fog? Rain, though fog can be cool too
Black Cats V.S. Owls? Black cats
Ghosts V.S. Wizards? Wizards
Go Hiking V.S. Sleep in? Sleep in lol
Cinnamon V.S. Nutmeg? Cinnamon
Reading V.S. Writing? Reading
Hot Chocolate V.S. Tea? Hot chocolate
Live in a Cabin In a Forest V.S. Have it be fall 24/7? Live in a cabin
Candy Apples V.S. Caramel Apples? Ew, neither
Blankets V.S. Pillows? Blankets
Roasted marshmallows V.S. Roasted chestnuts? Marshmallows
Coffee V.S. Apple Cider? Apple cider
Red Leaves V.S. Orange Leaves? Both
Scented Candles V.S. The Smell of Fresh Baked Goods? Fresh baked goods
Carve Pumpkins V.S. Make Pumpkin Pie? Neither really..
Pumpkin Spice Lattes V.S. Chai Tea Lattes? Neither
Coats V.S. Over-sized Sweaters? Depends on how cold it is
Beanies V.S. Berets? Beanies
Candy Corn V.S. Peanut Butter Cups? Candy corn
S'mores V.S. Apple Crisp? S'mores
Jump In a Pile of Leaves V.S. Swing on a Tire Swing? Swing on a tire swing
Corn Maze V.S. Haunted House? Haunted house maybe
Bob For Apples V.S. Visit a Pumpkin Patch? Visit a pumpkin patch
Whipped Cream on Hot Chocolate V.S. Marshmallows on Hot Chocolate? Whipped cream

( 28. Is there a book or TV series that you enjoy, but acknowledge that it's not actually very good? What makes you love it enough to keep reading/watching? )

Today's trivia: The oldest surviving stained glass windows still in situ are thought to be the Prophet Windows in Augsburg Cathedral in Germany, from around the year 1065

*swoons*

I think we're going to have to postpone the California trip..dad probably shouldn't be driving with the meds he's on, and we don't want to leave him while he's still recovering. Sad, but things happen I guess lol

( pokemon update )

Day 51. A song that you realized you’ve been mishearing the lyrics for years. I still hear "Greyboy is waiting there for you" instead of "hurry boy, it's waiting there for you" in "Africa" by Toto haha

Today's trivia: Tanzania gets its name from Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which joined together in 1964

1. What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before? Went to Wheathampstead (this might get mentioned a lot lol), went kayaking with manatees, etc
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? It was just to do a reading challenge, which I completed. I've been thinking about doing Project 365 (where you take a picture every day for a year), or something like that..
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yeah, one of my coworkers did..her baby's name is Juniper! I love it, since junipers are one of my favorite trees lol
4. Did anyone close to you die? No
5. What countries did you visit? England
6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018? More vacations lol
7. What date from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Feb. 26, when I went to Wheathampstead..I can't put into words how amazing that was lol
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Visiting Cherry's grave, going to the Scott Polar Research Institute, going to Florida, researching my family tree and finding Mayflower relatives, etc
9. What was your biggest failure? Probably gaining weight and not going to Juneau
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Just like cat scratches and minor sniffles
11. What was the best thing you bought? The South Polar Times (complete), fun shirts, etc
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Anyone who was a good human lol
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Bleh, "you know who" :/
14. Where did most of your money go? Rent, vacation, etc
15. What did you look forward to most this year? Going to England
( the rest )

The road in Anchorage that got buckled from the earthquake is already fixed and is good as new! We Alaskans don't let anything stop us :D

As of yesterday, it's been 96 years since The Worst Journey in the World was published! The 100th anniversary will be very special :D

December 04 → talk about television this year. The Terror, about the Franklin Expedition was pretty cool, as was the second season of Atypical (about an autistic young man who loves penguins). I saw other good ones, but I don't remember the name of them lol

December 05 → talk about books this year. I haven't finished reading this year yet! Look for my "books read in 2018" post lol

Today's trivia: 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Mulan are the only Disney cartoons where both parents are present and don't die throughout the movie

→ Comment with "Come at me, bro"
→ I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can get to know you better.
→ Update your journal with the answers to the questions.
→ Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions.

monkiainen asked me:

1. If you could meet Cherry right now, what would you ask him? Haha honestly, the question I've been dying to ask him is "why did you hate your glasses so much??" It must have been amazing to be able to see after 15 years of not being able to lol, but he seemed ashamed of them..

2. If someone would ask you to go a polar exploration, would you go? How would do prepare for the journey? It would be a lot of work, but I don't think I could say no to an opportunity like that lol. I'd have to get lots of supplies, study maps, exercise so I don't die on the trip lol, and I'd probably need training in ropework and first aid and things like that

3. What is your favourite literary genre and why? I like mysteries, historical ones like Charles Finch and C.J. Sansom, and adventurous type ones like Nevada Barr's..they keep your attention and are exciting to read. Of course I like novels about Antarctica and polar explorers as well, and sci-fi like The Martian (it was hilarious, and a survival story too!). I like adventure in my books :D

4. What has been your worst journey so far? What made it so bad? Physically, the time I had a meltdown on a plane because I couldn't handle sitting in the middle seat..I just started sobbing and begging Ryan to trade places with me, but he wouldn't. Amazingly, the person sitting by the window seat saw how upset I was, and she traded places with me! Mom gave me her iPad so I could listen to Enya, both of which helped calm me down. But what I call MY "Winter Journey" was my depression in 2015..I felt anxious and angry all the time and didn't know why, and didn't enjoy things I normally would have loved. I'd just lay in bed crying and think of hurting myself with Abby's claws. I was always in pain from being so tense. I knew I had to get help when I just wanted to end it all and actually got partway out of bed. That scares me every time I think about it. D: Thankfully my doctor heard my pleas for help and gave me the amazing Prozac, which has (probably literally) been a lifesaver. Depression is definitely not something to take lightly!

5. Your favourite Simon's Cat episode and why? Hmm..maybe Cat Man Do, where the cat is doing anything he can to wake up Simon. It reminds me of Abby, especially the paw on the face haha

Look what someone donated to us at work!

A SIGNED copy of a book by famous polar explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson?!!? He might not have been the nicest guy (he abandoned his ship because he was bored, the ship sank and a bunch of people died), but wow!! I snatched that right up haha (it was surprisingly cheap!). My job is so cool lol

( September 22-26 )

Today's trivia: Linda Wolfe has been married 23 times, making her the most married women in the world

Check out THIS awesome find:

I can't believe someone just casually donated this to the bookstore! Hudson Stuck was one of the first people to climb Denali successfully, and it's a first edition!! (He also wrote The Ascent of Denali..I've seen a first edition in the store downtown I go to sometimes, but it's pretty expensive.) I love the picture on the cover too! I figured it would be kind of expensive, but I knew 100% that I HAD to have this book lol..some expensive books I'm just like "ehhh, should I really get this?" and hesitate, but not with this book. It's such an awesome feeling finding something like this, to me it's like finding buried treasure lol. I was totally squeeing in front of everyone LOL. It was rather expensive, but totally worth it. :D We get such awesome books!!

My dad has a sinus infection (he's had sinus issues for years, but sometimes it flares up and gets worse) and was tired of feeling terrible, but didn't want to go to the doctor and get antibiotics, so he researched "natural" ways to get rid of the infection. He must have been desperate, because he INHALED APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!! He likened the pain to when he was in a gas chamber in the military and they made him take his mask off. OMG NO. I can't believed he actually tried that, it just SOUNDS painful. D: D: His nose actually bled after that and he just felt worse. He had no problem going to the doctor and getting antibiotics after that LOL. I researched it online too, and one thing I found was to SNORT CAYENNE PEPPER OFF A SPOON!! WTF?!?? NOPE, I think I'll stick with antibiotics if I get one. I can't imagine how painful that must be D: *shudders*

( april 4 and 5 )

Today's trivia: An estimated 16 million tons of rain falls to earth every second