Category Archive:Alaska

88888

June 20th, 2007 / Categories: Alaska, Family, Moose Nuggets / 2 Comments »

In Chinese communities around the world, eight (8) is considered the most fortuitous of numbers, making it much coveted for addresses, phone numbers and bank accounts, as the Chinese’s and Cantonese’s articulation and pronunciation for eight (ba for Mandarin and paat for Cantonese) sounds similar to the word that signifies ‘prosperity’ (fa for Mandarin and faat for Cantonese).

My dentist is Chinese and his license plate is all 8s. I asked him one time for the reason and he pretty much told me exactly what the above quoted website says.

He reiterated that today – I was at his office giving him and his staff a training from my agency that he had requested – he then told me that in China such a license plate would cost a million dollars. “Here, it’s (practically) free,” he laughed.

And, then I told him about my car – you might remember my posting a photo when my odometer turned 70000 (January 24, 2006). Well, as I was driving to his office to give the training, I just had to pull over because my odometer turned 88888. Yes, I took a picture:

888888 

Pretty doggoned cool, huh?

btw – I LOVE my dentist. He is so much fun!

Untitled

June 9th, 2007 / Categories: Alaska, Moose Nuggets / 7 Comments »

amytan.JPG

Attended a reading by Amy Tan tonight as part of the conference. She is fantastically funny. If you EVER have a chance to see her, do not hesitate. You will be glad that you did – really. In the meantime, go to her website and check out her Myths and Legends page. lol

Lessa and I have been going, going, going all day – workshops and speakers and then tonight’s reading. We are looking forward to sleeping in for a bit in the morning. The group from Kenai is meeting at 10 with someone who wants to collaborate with us on a project. Hmmmmmm

There will be more workshop sessions tomorrow – another fabulous lunch – and then readings tomorrow night by different faculty presenters from the conference. We have a choice of three venues to attend.

Before I leave you tonight, I want to share a pic I took just for Faith of Dyslexic Chicken fame.  She has a Rubber Chicken Project going – sort of like the PurpleMoose on parade – where she takes her rubber chicken places and takes pictures to prove s/he’s been there.

My rubber chicken is much smaller, but having ever so much fun in Faiths honor – shown here at the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference, Homer, Alaska June 9, 2007 – being chewed upon by some really green teeth . . .

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Homer Serenade

June 9th, 2007 / Categories: Alaska, inspiration, Moose Nuggets / Comments Closed

So, Lessa and I are back in our room for the night – she is tapping away on the KLL laptop and I am tapping away on my own. Life is sweet. But where, oh Moosie, ol’ Moosie ol’ pal, does the serenade of your title come in, we ask?

Well, the room was a bit stifling (I KNOW! Alaska and stifling – not always terms you see mixed, right?) so I opened the window (not without some doing, I must say) and blocked it with the ever so kindly left stick! And, now we are being treated to someone somewhere who is singing loudly . . . not unpleasantly, but a bit funny to hear.

We have been duly registered at the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference, have visited the bookstore, made purchases, have sat in the restaurant where Lessa partook of a “blue moon” (sing it with me now . . . blue moon . . .) margarita while I drank a mocha, and we have had a delightful dinner of rice, salmon and asparagus, and then we enjoyed the first night keynote speech of Amy Tan.

Oh, friends . . . if you EVER get a chance to hear her speak, please do so. She is delightful and funny, and quirky, and very down to earth.

And, in case you did not know it – she is the writer of the children’s tv series Sagwa, which kitty was named after her own much loved (and dearly missed) kitty.

We are looking forward to the next few days of learning under Ms. Tan and other gifted writers. I’ll pop in from time to time – and I’m sure Lessa will have pictures soon. We’ll be back in Kenai Tuesday late afternoon.

 

It’s time . . .

June 2nd, 2007 / Categories: Alaska, Moose Nuggets, Reading List / 7 Comments »

Okay, folks, it is true. It is not only knitters (of which I am one) who have stashes upon stashes . . .  it is also readers (of which I am ONE) who have stashes upon stashes.

I am cleaning out the book stash – and it pains me greatly to do so. I LOVE books, love to read, wish I had more time – or the ability to stay awake longer – to read. Or, in this case, to read these titles again.

But I do not, and I cannot, so I am coming to you all with a proposition.

I live in Alaska – I make my own fun. Yes, indeedy.

The first five – non-family member- folks who post a comment to this post may take their pick of one of the following titles by Alaskan authors. I will be happy to slip the book into the mail to you come Monday. How’s that for a cool deal from a cool purple moose?

I’ve linked the books to their Amazon counterpart so you can make an informed decision on which you might like.

One to a customer, please – and please leave your choice in your comment. I will email you – so make sure you leave a good, working, email address – so that we can exchange mailing addresses.

On your mark – get set – CHOOSE!

:moose:

Death Takes Passage, by Sue Henry – A Jessie Arnold Mystery (c) 1997

The Music of What Happens by John Straley – A Cecil Younger Mystery (c) 1996

Dead Stick by Megan Mallory Rust – A Taylor Morgan, pilot mystery (c) 1998

and, just because I have way more of her books – AND – because I know some of you really enjoy reading her – here are TWO books by Dana Stabenow:

A Cold Day for Murder – a Kate Shugak mystery (c) 1992

Fire and Ice – a Liam Campbell mystery (c) 1998
 

There are nineteen more titles where these came from – so I will likely do this again. It depends on how this go around works. There is just no more room in my (junk) catch-all room so it is time to clear some out. I am not giving up the autographed copies that I have, however. Sorry ’bout that. The family will likely inherit those someday. Yup, I’ve been blessed to have met Dana, John and Sue. Dana and John attended writers group functions and we treated them to dinner before their speaking engagements. I met Sue at the Writers Conference in 2003.

by the way – Lessa and I are attending this year’s Kachemak Bay Writers Conference next weekend. We leave Friday and return Tuesday. Amy Tan is the keynote speaker this year. Woo-hoo!

Okay – enough from me – enter comment zone. 

 

critter count – finale

May 21st, 2007 / Categories: Alaska, Moose Nuggets / 2 Comments »

Well, we all know that I have a tendency to collect moose – right? From the beginning of our trip to Homer where a real live 1000+ pounder caused some damage to the car – to the Goofy Moose we found as we left Homer. What? I didn’t tell you about the Goofy Moose?

aha – perfect finale to our anniversary trip tale, I’m thinking.

When we stopped for breakfast – at the Caribou (thanks, Gal) – we spotted several goofy caricatures carved from wood placed around the restaurant. I grabbed one of the business cards as it had a website address on it and I figured – well, you know what I figured – I would contact the “Bear Man” at a later date to see about getting one of the said Goofy Moose.

I didn’t have to wait long – as we left the Spit area after our boat jaunt I spotted the critters sitting alongside the road. Made a u-ie and went back to take a closer look – oh, so cute! Oh, so necessary for my collection! Oh, the things he let us see that I didn’t get a picture of – because they are only for “special” minded folks. Yes, I know that many of you out there have the mindset to stand for it – but, well, I just blushed and carried on – no pics.

😳

Anyway . . .  I did take a shot of the “moose-squito” for you all.

 msqto.JPG  schnort!

goofy.JPG and here is your faithful PurpleMoose grinning just like the Goofy Moose.

Darn! I thought I had taken a shot of my little guy – but I don’t find it here. And, he is in my office at work, so can’t get a shot for you today. Maybe later this week. And, I am only going to post these smaller photos because I understand that people have tried to take shots of the sculptures in order to make their own – I don’t want to be a cause of such a thing. Go on over and visit his site and get your own.

as per usual – I am living up to my motto – I live in Alaska – I make my own fun. Woot!

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