UrbanInupiaq

I have moved 3 times in the past year. This has helped me remove clutter from my life and forcing organization. We’ll see how long it lasts.

I would like to re-visit many of the places I have been and take photos…both to show others as well as to help me keep my memories.

I am watching my native culture deteriorate. Fewer people speak Inupiaq. Outside influences from the federal and state government to individuals from elsewhere are changing and manipulating local laws and values.

I have been up and down the “inside passage” between Seattle, WA and Seward, Alaska. Beautiful trip…full of mountains, sealife, and sea birds.

I tend to gamble now and then. I’ve been fairly lucky. To date I have won airline tickets on JAL, a trip to the east coast, a snowmachine, and was down to one in ten for a new car. My best so far is winning 20k in Vegas on a slot machine. Ideally I would like to win enough to retire.

I got ahold of a Dell Latitude D600 laptop for free. It was out of warranty and wasn’t running so the company I was working for at the time gave it to me for free. I replaced the screen and added a hard drive which got me working again. Total investment $110.00 for a 1.4GHz laptop with 1GB of memory and a DVD player. This will keep me going awhile longer.

I an updating my entrees. I did get to visit my sister and her family in December 2006. Great visit. I am so happy that she married into a wonderful family.

I spent an active summer fishing and doing outdoor activities. I dropped down to 218. Almost half way to my goal.

I just got back from spending my summer up in Kotzebue, Alaska. This has been the first time I have had to visit there since 1994. I had a chance to visit many elders and friends.

I’ve been busy. Helped put my grandfather into a senior center in Kotzebue, Alaska back in February. Then brought him back to Anchorage, Alaska in August 2007.

Mom has been in need of help as well. She was diagnosed with a muscular disease a couple years ago. Her muscles are deteriorating. This past April, mom broke her toe. In July, she broke her arm.

This isn’t exactly the type of help I was thinking of…but I have made myself available.

I have been from the top of the world to the bottom, as well as a trip to Europe. I now just need to fill in Africa, Asia and Australia.

There are two islands 4 miles apart which during the winter you can walk between…one is in Russia and the other in Alaska…between is the international dateline. If I walk between the two and back in a day…I can then say I have walked from today into tomorrow and back…cool huh.

I live in Alaska, we see the northern lights alot here. My favorite place to see them is in Fairbanks. There have been days were I can spend more than an hour outside in the cold just looking up at them moving this way and that.

Inupiaq is my native language. It is a dialect of Eskimo. I currently know about 300 words and a few phrases.

I hope I never have to worry for long or become afraid to meet new people or to do new things. I want my mind to continue to tackle new thoughts, ideas and problems with a “bring it on” attitude. I hope I am physically able to compete with people half my age into the near future. I would enjoy laughing every day for the rest of my life.

I used to teach this game. Haven’t touched a raquet in 4 years. This is mainly do to the fact that over the past 4 years I have been either in a location where there wasn’t tennis for 500 air miles…or taking care of my 89yr old grandfather.

It’s kinda hard to golf when there is still snow on the ground. I have to limit myself to putting in the living room…at least for the next couple months.

I am gonna meet up with Toni and Nick, friends of mine from Barrow later tonight.

I have had a couple of female friends over recently, and they have helped me organize my household. It was unasked for…and very appreciated.

I am currently reading Flicker which is a fascinating book about the filming industry. One more sleepless night should finish it =)