Sunny Afternoon

After that last storm I was sure summer was gone. But today it must have been 70. Brent took us out in the boat. We went and looked at the sea lions basking near the boat harbor - Emmy thought that was pretty cool. Then we went fishing. I caught 3 flounders, 3 bullheads, and nearly caught a greenling. Jeremy caught a few bullheads, and Brent was the recipient of most of Emmy's attention, so he didn't actually get to fish that seriously. So, no fish dinner, but we had lots of fun anyway. Emmy did great in the boat and Brent let her "steer" the kicker. Maybe I'll post some pics soon of the sunny day. But am too tired just now.

Near-Darwin award goes to...

This guy is probably pretty embarrassed right now:

Don Carroll, one of the two seasonal hotel employees rescued Monday on the Stampede Trail after a hike to the "Into the Wild" bus near Denali Park, admits he had been rescued earlier this summer, wearing only a hoodie and jeans, after getting lost on another hike. (That time, he guided rescuers to his location with a phone text message.) "If police see me (hiking) in the woods, they're going to arrest me," Carroll, of subrurban Chicago, told the local daily paper. "The chief ranger said he's not going to come looking for me anymore." In his latest escapade, Carroll says, he and friend Jia Long He got lost and separated from their gear after visiting the abandoned bus made famous in the book and movie "Into the Wild," about vagabond Chris McCandless's death from starvation in the bus in 1992. Carroll and He avoided starvation over the weekend by eating berries. Carroll adds in his defense that he did a lot of hiking in the park this summer that did not require his rescue.

Kicarwigmi - In Anchorage

I came up to Anchorage for a few days to present at the Koniag Shareholder committee Meeting, which is this morning. We will be playing Alutiiq Animal Bingo.

We had Indian food last night at a place called Namaste, which is new. Alberta says there may even be another Indian Restaurant opening up, which would make three in Anchorage, and also three statewide, since no other community to my knowledge has an Indian restaurant. I sooooo wish Kodiak had one. There are so few restaurants there that even the good ones get tiresome after a while.

Jeremy's B-Day

Check out this video of Emmy singing Happy Birthday for her Daddy. Today is Jeremy's birthday. We are going to have a little cookout, nothing fancy. Nothing like the cowboy-themed surprise party we had for him when he turned 29, but then, that's one thing you can't ever do more than once.

Bubble Wrap

Emmy just discovered she can stomp bubble wrap to pop the bubbles. She is too light to pop many of them without a great deal of effort.

Health Care Reform town hall with Obama

This is worth taking the time to watch.

Baby Mommy and Baby Daddy

Emmy has had these two dolls for a long time, but just recently named them Baby Daddy (in blue) and Baby Mommy (in pink). She has a bunny she calls "Me" and last night she had Baby Mommy and Baby Daddy sleep with their arms around "Me". So cute. It is interesting how she has also recently expressed a strong liking for pink, even though we have never tried to teach her that certain colors are for boys and others for girls. Recently when we were going to give her her first haircut she said "I want a pink haircut." She must have learned that at daycare. Yeah, let's blame those other peoples' kids.

Racism still alive in Alaska

A Native person was attacked in a hate crime in Anchorage, and a man and woman have been arrested in connection with the video they took of it. Perhaps this was their idea of a fun date? This is one of the saddest things I have ever heard. Many a time I have heard people say that there isn't really racism anymore against Native people, all the time perpetuating jokes about drunk Natives, and passing it off as "just a joke". I bet this couple who attacked the person in Anchorage thought it was pretty funny as well, to beat up on a person who didn't even fight back.

With their video camera rolling, a young white couple threw eggs at an Alaska Native man and kicked him, slinging slurs in what appears to have been a racially motivated assault, police said Thursday. During the attack, the victim held his hand out trying to shake the hands of his aggressors, police said. The assailants, who were arrested Thursday night, recorded the downtown assault in two short clips and posted them on the video-sharing site YouTube... (read the full article here)

See also the post by Alaska Real.

Essay competition

For more information, go to the website here.

Radio Show tonight

Tune in to Spruce Tip Brew on KMXT 100.1 FM...7-9 pm tonight.