Housing Blues

It's reality check time once again. Here in Alaska the price of stuff goes up in the winter. Its ski season and housing comes at a premium. Even a one room with bath, heat and electric is $700 bucks. And furnished? Well, one ad posted here on the Girdwood Post Office Bulletin board said to get a bed off craigslist. That's a little risky I think. A friend told me he had to spend two days with a neighbor while his place was sprayed for bed bugs.

 

 

Both the post office and the Mercantile had bulletin boards where people try to sell gear, tires, look for their dogs, offer services and advise of town meetings.

If you want a job here, make sure you have a bed to sleep in. A new co worker admitted he was couch surfing cause he had no money and no housing.

 

This sunset photo was taken near town while crossing the bridge. It was nearly 4 p.m. Its cold and very beautiful.

 

Hours have been cut and we in company housing were notified of a 10% raise in rent.  These are important considerations when choosing a place to work. For me, right now, its all about the adventure. Tomorrow night is a full moon. Back Country Skiing will be awesome!

Jobs For All Who Want Them-My Green Power Idea

I can't believe its that time again. Do we really have to start choosing our candidates already?
Now, I know its a really big deal because things are not going so good. The one big thing we need is jobs.

With enough jobs people could buy homes again, they could enjoy our country's natural beauty, eat some of the great food our country cooks up in nice restaurants, and pay taxes. Yes, we could pay some taxes and maybe our elected officials would get back to work and off the streets. I just don't want to put up with the campaign trail again, so soon.

Mr.President, I have an idea for jobs.

We know how to make wind mills and wind farms. We know how to do solar panels. I've been dehydrating apples in the back window of my car all week. I took a lovely solar shower today. All cheap. Just plastic and glass.

I'm no scientist, but we have plenty of technology to combine solar and wind to make one viable contraption for your average American family. I believe a good science teacher could challenge his high school class to come up with an affordable system this year.

This solar flashlight always seems to be ready to go, even though I keep it in my purse on a key ring.

This yard light operates via rechargeable  battery by solar power, and it has been working for over a year. Each only cost a few bucks at Walmart.

As I drive across the country, I'm amazed by the wind farms. Hundreds of windmills, out in the open fields, basking in the sun. How come there are no solar panels installed on the bases of those windmills? There could be double the energy gathered from the same amount of land.
While they are installing the cables to transmit the wind power generated to the main storage facility, bundle that right up with a solar panel cable  transmitting all the electricity that has been gathered from the solar panels installed on the base of that windmill.

When it's night or stormy, the wind power will charge the system, when its still but sunny, the solar panels will charge the system. When its even party cloudy, and mildly breezy, both will work together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_farm

Windmills have been used to pump water for centuries. What if it just ran a turbine instead, on the homestead.

I believe we could create and manufacture an affordable system like this. I envision something every family could go to home depot and buy for $100 bucks. It would be simple enough the average person could take it home and set up in the yard and assemble themselves. It would be a minature version of those colosal giants on the windfarms seen across the land.

Mr. President, think of all the jobs that would create! It would be a long term solution, a real solution. Think of all the clean energy and all the oil we could avoid buying. Imagine the emotional boost our economy would get. That's some change I could believe in.

Just thinking.

I Love My Job in the Tetons

I didn't go crazy.  This is the first time  I can say I LOVE my job.

That alone is worth a lot of other grief, be it snoring room mates, broken showers and compromises on room temperatures and sporadic Internet access.

Each work day, I arrive, put on my clean long apron, and begin baking. The chef has  determined that I am the official Bread Baker, and has even assigned me an assistant a couple times a week.
I make breads from scratch, corn muffins, fococcia, lavash (which is a spicy cracker) and various other rolls.
Our shapes are all important, the presentation must be consistent and eye candy.

But if that's not enough, across the ample stainless steel table, or along the butcher block work spaces,
culinary graduates are making pastries, granola, dipping strawberries in chocolate, creating tempting morsels of delight for the upcoming banquets.
All this of course must be trimmed, tasted, wrapped and analyzed by the fortunate crew who work in this abundant space. The chef is patient and teaches us something new every day.

I've worked in kitchens a fourth that size with twice the people .
Nice.
There is equipment I've never worked with before, like the pastry sheeter, and the ball roller. We have a huge closet just for warming doughs, and the refrigeration is spacious.
Gotta love a well appointed kitchen, and a staff that actually doesn't want to leave! Our uniforms are washed for us, they are white chef coats and checkered pants. Mine actually fit.
Did I fall into employment heaven?
The down side is housing, but we deal. Our back yard is amazing, the Grand Tetons just south of Yellowstone National Park.

There Are No Rules-Just Owner's Manuals

It's been said there are two immutables, death and taxes.

I'm hoping for reincarnation.

We all know rich bastards who know all the loopholes and pay no taxes.

John Boswell's book, What to Say to Get Your Way

is full of handy little phrases to soften your first line in conversations. Especially where a difference of opinion can escalate, where a business deal could be messed up, or job related performance reviews, saying the wrong thing can loose your audience.

Published in 2010, the mood of the book is reconciliation, compromise, and a tad wimpy.

Its a fast read, some of the 146 pages simply contain two phrases, like:

"Don't say: "I hope I've helped." Say: "I'm sorry I can't be more helpful."

or

"Don't say: "I feel your pain." Say: "I can't imagine how you must feel."

Really?

Please. Sometimes we just need to talk. Others phrases make sense, like

"Don't Say: "Stop being so critical." Say: "I feel like I'm being attacked."

I can handle that. It says, never tell your interviewer to hire you, they won't regret it. That works.

But as Ecclesiastes writes: to every thing there is a season.

May I add,

A time to back down, a time to assert.

A time to repair, a time to throw it the hell away.

A time to buy local, a time to buy online.

Successful survivalists are quick to anticipate and adapt. We know there are no rules, every thing can change with a single breath or lack of breath.

A new version of Windows could come out tomorrow, a new Ipad, Ipod or or other Icontraption.

My new mantra:

There are no rules, just owner's manuals. If you get stuck, read.