Questions!
Feb. 28th, 2012 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseI far prefer the "ask your friend for questions" memes to the "answer a set of pre-written questions" ones. Mostly because my friends are thoughtful and intelligent and all-around awesome and tend to ask much better questions than whatever 15-year-old high school student was bored enough to write a whole long list of queries for their friends to answer. And writing out some answers seems likely to take my mind off the way the wind seems to be trying its best to blow our house down to the bottom of the hill. (Okay, so it's probably not that bad. But if you happen to come by later and there's no house here, have a look down on Tombstone Canyon somewhere. Or in Oz.)
These questions came from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
epi_lj, who often gives interesting and thoughtful answers, even to questions written by the aforementioned bored 15-year-olds. And, as is required in these sorts of social contracts, if you'd like me to ask you questions, just let me know!
Is there anything that you really miss about Alaska that you haven't been able to find anywhere else?
Hrmmm. I've actually been thinking on this one on and off all day, and haven't come up with anything definite. Even the sort of joking answers ("80-below-zero temperatures", "incredibly high grocery prices") wouldn't fit the bill, as know they exist in other places as well (Alberta and Hawaii, respectively).
In all honesty? I think what I miss most is the quiet. Not in the immediate sense (we actually live in a very quiet area, most of the time), but in a somewhat more loosey-goosey, "mental space" sense. There just aren't that many people in Alaska - half a million or so in a state two and a half times the size of Texas. Even the biggest concentration of them is only 250,000 (or possibly a bit more; I learned these numbers in high school, and I think the population's gone up since then). It's a very different feeling from, say, Tucson, which [a] has more than 2 million people and [b] is far more spread out. (Harsh geography tends to concentrate people in Alaskan cities; housing prices are probably the number-one factor in the cost of living being so high, the next being how groceries are all flown in and therefore priced higher.) There's the fact that you can get almost anywhere in Anchorage within fifteen minutes, whereas in Tucson it's almost always half an hour or more to get *anywhere* thanks to the layout and the traffic.
But it's more than just city planning differences. Like I said, it's the mental space. Call it people-awareness, call it the collective unconscious, call it whatever you like, but there's a very different feel to being near two million people than there is to being near an eighth of that. Or a miniscule fraction, when you're out in one of the villages. (And Tucson's fairly isolated, as cities go - it was even more different in Michigan, where the various towns just kind of blended into each other and there was no end to the people.) I don't really mind the mental noise; I'm a city girl at heart, and to me it says "vibrancy" and "culture" and "community" and "new experiences". But I can totally understand why some people get sick of it and move to more rural areas. And Alaska's about as rural as you can get, with some amazing scenery and stunning natural features that you (also) just don't see anywhere else. And I guess I miss those a bit, too, even though growing up they were just normal.
Do you have a mental "happy place" or a similar sort of soothing mental exercise that you visit or pull out to cope with difficult situations?
While I'm nowhere near a type-A personality, I have just enough of my mother's overachieving mentality to only rarely admit that a situation is difficult - usually, if something seems tough I just assume I'm not putting enough effort into it and redouble said effort. That said, I get overwhelmed like anyone, and for a long time I didn't really have anywhere to turn except to hide somewhere and cry. A couple of years ago, though, I came across an article in Psychology Today about how simply focusing on your breathing can do amazing things to reduce stress. The general idea being, most stress comes from worries about either the past or the future, and if you're focusing on your breath, you have no choice but to live in the here and now. It made sense to me at the time, as I've done yoga on and off for years, which also has excellent stress-reducing properties and a strong focus on breath.
The verdict? It takes practice - it's amazing how strong the habit of living in the future or the past can be. But it's well worth the effort, even if it's occasionally frustrating to think "Okay, I should be good now" and have all the worries come right back down on your shoulders. Learning to live in the present moment is an ongoing process, but it's a good skill to cultivate. To that end, I try to practice meditative breathing in stressful situations, and it's why I have a sticker on my computer that just says "BREATHE".
What book or movie do you find yourself returning to, to re-read or re-watch, most often?
Man, this is another tough one. My biggest motivator behind slowing my purchases of movies and books was the sheer fact that I don't re-watch or re-read them that often. When I do, it's almost always because I want to share it with someone who hasn't seen/read it before, so the movies I see most often from year to year can vary depending on who I'm spending time with. All that said...two of my favorite movies are Juno and Stranger Than Fiction, and I've been known to put one or the other on now and then when I feel the need for some cinematic comfort-food. Oh, and Casablanca, but that one's sort of a gimme. :)
What life accomplishment are you most proud of?
Questions like these often strike me as setting up for failure, largely because people are absolute crap at gauging their progress on - well, anything they do. Objectively, yes, you probably have 'life accomplishments' that are worthy of pride, but sort of by definition, you're always focusing on the things you *want* to achieve (in my case right now, writing a novel). Once you've already accomplished something, on the other hand, it tends to seem like a lot less of a big deal than it did before - after all, if you've done it, it couldn't be that hard.
That said, after some thought I remembered exactly how intimidated I was by voice lessons (I grew up with an operatically-trained mother, so even though people often told me I had a nice voice it was difficult to imagine I could ever be as good as her). Eventually, though, I've reached the point where I'm fairly pleased with my voice, even if it's nowhere near as rich and full as my mother's. But a certain amount of that will come with age, too.
If you could get all of your readers to visit one page on the internet just as a favour to you (and look at whatever is on it seriously), what page would it be?
Hrmm. Sort of oddly for someone who feels strongly about a number of causes, I don't have a whole lot of 'serious' websites in my bookmarks. There are several that I very much like the idea of and occasionally reference - religioustolerance.org, because the kind of misunderstanding and ignorance you see commonly displayed about various religions is just mind-boggling; snopes.com, because far too few people learn to think critically. But a single page is different from a whole website. And in that case...I'd probably have to go with Cracked's 10 Most Important Things They Didn't Teach You In School. Irreverent tone aside, it's actually a pretty thorough roundup of the kinds of common-sense things everyone should have figured out about living in Western society, but so few people actually have. Plus, it's funny.
What's your favourite breakfast?
I'm actually not really much of a breakfast person, but when I do eat it...hrm. I like corned beef hash and eggs from a comfort-food standpoint, especially with some good hot sauce to go atop it. But I've also had some pretty amazing breakfasts from Apache Spring, the new little cafe that just opened up here in town. Last Sunday the chef had this dish with eggs, spinach, mushrooms, onions, chorizo, and homemade salsa all layered together and baked with Muenster cheese on top. It was heavenly, like a breakfast lasagna. So that's definitely high up there too.
Relate a story that happened (approximately) eight years ago.
I'm tempted to go the troll route and relate a story from the news, since the biggest thing that happened in my life eight years ago was dating Brian. Which is a sweet story, but not a particularly gripping one. Although there's one moment that makes me smile to this day; it was before we were dating-dating (he was with another girl and I was in the process of breaking up with my previous boyfriend Ryan), though I was definitely eyeing him as a potential next candidate. A bunch of us were hanging out at Ryan's parents' house, and I was making quesadillas; I made Brian's first, and asked him if he wanted any garlic in it. I distinctly remember having a moment of worry that he might not like garlic, and that sort of spiraling-out panic that if he didn't then I couldn't marry him because we'd never be able to eat the same things and blah blah blah (note that this was long before marriage, or even really dating, was ever on the table). But then he smiled and said "I don't think there's such a thing as too much garlic," and my panic was put to rest. :)
Okay, your turn! Leave a comment, and I'll think up some questions I'd like to ask you.
These questions came from
epi_lj, who often gives interesting and thoughtful answers, even to questions written by the aforementioned bored 15-year-olds. And, as is required in these sorts of social contracts, if you'd like me to ask you questions, just let me know!Is there anything that you really miss about Alaska that you haven't been able to find anywhere else?
Hrmmm. I've actually been thinking on this one on and off all day, and haven't come up with anything definite. Even the sort of joking answers ("80-below-zero temperatures", "incredibly high grocery prices") wouldn't fit the bill, as know they exist in other places as well (Alberta and Hawaii, respectively).
In all honesty? I think what I miss most is the quiet. Not in the immediate sense (we actually live in a very quiet area, most of the time), but in a somewhat more loosey-goosey, "mental space" sense. There just aren't that many people in Alaska - half a million or so in a state two and a half times the size of Texas. Even the biggest concentration of them is only 250,000 (or possibly a bit more; I learned these numbers in high school, and I think the population's gone up since then). It's a very different feeling from, say, Tucson, which [a] has more than 2 million people and [b] is far more spread out. (Harsh geography tends to concentrate people in Alaskan cities; housing prices are probably the number-one factor in the cost of living being so high, the next being how groceries are all flown in and therefore priced higher.) There's the fact that you can get almost anywhere in Anchorage within fifteen minutes, whereas in Tucson it's almost always half an hour or more to get *anywhere* thanks to the layout and the traffic.
But it's more than just city planning differences. Like I said, it's the mental space. Call it people-awareness, call it the collective unconscious, call it whatever you like, but there's a very different feel to being near two million people than there is to being near an eighth of that. Or a miniscule fraction, when you're out in one of the villages. (And Tucson's fairly isolated, as cities go - it was even more different in Michigan, where the various towns just kind of blended into each other and there was no end to the people.) I don't really mind the mental noise; I'm a city girl at heart, and to me it says "vibrancy" and "culture" and "community" and "new experiences". But I can totally understand why some people get sick of it and move to more rural areas. And Alaska's about as rural as you can get, with some amazing scenery and stunning natural features that you (also) just don't see anywhere else. And I guess I miss those a bit, too, even though growing up they were just normal.
Do you have a mental "happy place" or a similar sort of soothing mental exercise that you visit or pull out to cope with difficult situations?
While I'm nowhere near a type-A personality, I have just enough of my mother's overachieving mentality to only rarely admit that a situation is difficult - usually, if something seems tough I just assume I'm not putting enough effort into it and redouble said effort. That said, I get overwhelmed like anyone, and for a long time I didn't really have anywhere to turn except to hide somewhere and cry. A couple of years ago, though, I came across an article in Psychology Today about how simply focusing on your breathing can do amazing things to reduce stress. The general idea being, most stress comes from worries about either the past or the future, and if you're focusing on your breath, you have no choice but to live in the here and now. It made sense to me at the time, as I've done yoga on and off for years, which also has excellent stress-reducing properties and a strong focus on breath.
The verdict? It takes practice - it's amazing how strong the habit of living in the future or the past can be. But it's well worth the effort, even if it's occasionally frustrating to think "Okay, I should be good now" and have all the worries come right back down on your shoulders. Learning to live in the present moment is an ongoing process, but it's a good skill to cultivate. To that end, I try to practice meditative breathing in stressful situations, and it's why I have a sticker on my computer that just says "BREATHE".
What book or movie do you find yourself returning to, to re-read or re-watch, most often?
Man, this is another tough one. My biggest motivator behind slowing my purchases of movies and books was the sheer fact that I don't re-watch or re-read them that often. When I do, it's almost always because I want to share it with someone who hasn't seen/read it before, so the movies I see most often from year to year can vary depending on who I'm spending time with. All that said...two of my favorite movies are Juno and Stranger Than Fiction, and I've been known to put one or the other on now and then when I feel the need for some cinematic comfort-food. Oh, and Casablanca, but that one's sort of a gimme. :)
What life accomplishment are you most proud of?
Questions like these often strike me as setting up for failure, largely because people are absolute crap at gauging their progress on - well, anything they do. Objectively, yes, you probably have 'life accomplishments' that are worthy of pride, but sort of by definition, you're always focusing on the things you *want* to achieve (in my case right now, writing a novel). Once you've already accomplished something, on the other hand, it tends to seem like a lot less of a big deal than it did before - after all, if you've done it, it couldn't be that hard.
That said, after some thought I remembered exactly how intimidated I was by voice lessons (I grew up with an operatically-trained mother, so even though people often told me I had a nice voice it was difficult to imagine I could ever be as good as her). Eventually, though, I've reached the point where I'm fairly pleased with my voice, even if it's nowhere near as rich and full as my mother's. But a certain amount of that will come with age, too.
If you could get all of your readers to visit one page on the internet just as a favour to you (and look at whatever is on it seriously), what page would it be?
Hrmm. Sort of oddly for someone who feels strongly about a number of causes, I don't have a whole lot of 'serious' websites in my bookmarks. There are several that I very much like the idea of and occasionally reference - religioustolerance.org, because the kind of misunderstanding and ignorance you see commonly displayed about various religions is just mind-boggling; snopes.com, because far too few people learn to think critically. But a single page is different from a whole website. And in that case...I'd probably have to go with Cracked's 10 Most Important Things They Didn't Teach You In School. Irreverent tone aside, it's actually a pretty thorough roundup of the kinds of common-sense things everyone should have figured out about living in Western society, but so few people actually have. Plus, it's funny.
What's your favourite breakfast?
I'm actually not really much of a breakfast person, but when I do eat it...hrm. I like corned beef hash and eggs from a comfort-food standpoint, especially with some good hot sauce to go atop it. But I've also had some pretty amazing breakfasts from Apache Spring, the new little cafe that just opened up here in town. Last Sunday the chef had this dish with eggs, spinach, mushrooms, onions, chorizo, and homemade salsa all layered together and baked with Muenster cheese on top. It was heavenly, like a breakfast lasagna. So that's definitely high up there too.
Relate a story that happened (approximately) eight years ago.
I'm tempted to go the troll route and relate a story from the news, since the biggest thing that happened in my life eight years ago was dating Brian. Which is a sweet story, but not a particularly gripping one. Although there's one moment that makes me smile to this day; it was before we were dating-dating (he was with another girl and I was in the process of breaking up with my previous boyfriend Ryan), though I was definitely eyeing him as a potential next candidate. A bunch of us were hanging out at Ryan's parents' house, and I was making quesadillas; I made Brian's first, and asked him if he wanted any garlic in it. I distinctly remember having a moment of worry that he might not like garlic, and that sort of spiraling-out panic that if he didn't then I couldn't marry him because we'd never be able to eat the same things and blah blah blah (note that this was long before marriage, or even really dating, was ever on the table). But then he smiled and said "I don't think there's such a thing as too much garlic," and my panic was put to rest. :)
Okay, your turn! Leave a comment, and I'll think up some questions I'd like to ask you.
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no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 06:16 pm (UTC)What is the average air speed of an African swallow laden with a coconut?
Can you give me love and rhetoric without the blood?
What would you do for a Klondike Bar?
What, exactly, defines something as completely different?
Why shouldn't you work for the NSA?
Seriously, dude, what is it with you and cilantro?
no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 11:43 pm (UTC)As much as I like to paint myself as a troublemaker and a gadfly, I'm fairly certain Big Brother has better things to do, and if I demanded my FBI records under FoI they'd blink and say "Who?"
Big Corporation, on the other hand, has a shit ton of resources and I know he's watching me. And I try to throw as much chaff as I can, despite the strong suspicion that it's spitting in the wind.
2. What is the average air speed of an African swallow laden with a coconut?
Seriously? Zero. Zero miles per hour. Have you seen swallows? Even the biggest ones, even the Giant African Swallow Of Unusual Size weighs about two ounces. It'd be like tying an engine block to your ankle and then telling you to dash on down to the chocolatier's for a truffle.
3. Can I give you love and rhetoric without the blood?
Even if it weren't compulsory, it would be extremely difficult. Love tends to call out to blood, blood tends to tie itself to love. Rhetoric more or less goes along for the ride, so it's certainly not going to stop and say "Hey, how did all that blood get in here, anyway?"
4. What would I do for a Klondike Bar?
At the moment I'm exhausted and ice cream makes me cough, so not much more than 'be a good neighbor'--help it get its car out of the ditch, or at least watch for traffic while others did, keep an eye on its cat while it's out of town, that sort of thing.
5. What, exactly, defines something as completely different?
Largely? The size of the set. The more items in the set, the harder it is to be *completely* different. Also, the more descriptive the set, the easier it is. Say, a 'completely different Elizabethan body swapping romance novel' is going to have a small set *and* a descriptive one--in order to be contained in the set, it must obviously be set in Elizabethan England, and involve both romance and body-swapping.
6. Why shouldn't I work for the NSA?
Most importantly, because there are certain assumptions that are neccessary for working there, primarily the idea that national security is of utmost importance, which lends itself to the idea that national primacy is the highest concern.
And I cannot subscribe to that.
7. Seriously, dude, what is it with you and cilantro?
You know when you've been throwing up all day and there's nothing left but the bile your stomach is frantically producing so there's something to throw up? Well keep the bitterness but lose the aching muscles from convulsive action and replace the smell of your bathroom with piled up lawn trimmings. That's kind of our relationship.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 06:58 pm (UTC)Why did you decide to study massage in particular?
Who was it that initially got you in to gaming?
Who was your first girlfriend (in the love/relationship sense, assuming you've had one?)
How would you describe your relationship with your mother?
Do you plan to stay in the Toronto area indefinitely?
Seriously, dude, why haven't you come to visit me already? :p
no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 07:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 07:36 pm (UTC)What's your name, or a nickname you go by? (I feel a little silly asking this, but I don't actually know how to refer to you when I'm talking about "that one cool chick's" blog posts. :)
Is there a story associated with said name/nickname?
How did you get into martial arts?
What exactly do you do for a living?
I surmise from one of your earlier blog entries that you grew up in the South but now live in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, if I'm not mistaken). How did you end up there?
How did you and Maria meet? Have you met in real life?
Have you taken the Myers-Briggs personality assessment? If so, how accurate do you consider it?
no subject
Date: 2012-02-29 07:19 am (UTC)Raven. Occasionally people who have known me from various online forums will refer to me by my really ancient handles on whatever forums (and sometimes I get "Raven thewronghands", if people know several folks named Raven), but Raven is my first name.
Is there a story associated with said name/nickname?
Not really. Ravens are nifty, though, and I'm pleased to share a name with them.
How did you get into martial arts?
My parents put me in karate when I was nine. They made my siblings and I all go, and said we had to go for at least a year since all their kids were going to know how to defend themselves. After that, we were allowed to quit. My sister quit promptly at the one year mark. My brother quit after about five years. I have just failed to quit ever since. [grin]
What exactly do you do for a living?
I work for a boutique security consultancy. My company does everything from selling firewalls to designing networks to performing attacks against our client's networks as if we were a hostile entity, and then reporting back to the clients what they need to fix and how we got in. I do more of the latter, some of the middle, and none of the former.
I surmise from one of your earlier blog entries that you grew up in the South but now live in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, if I'm not mistaken). How did you end up there?
I moved here the first time accidentally -- I was trying to go to a suburb of Vancouver, BC, but had some unforeseen trouble with Canadian customs. (Too many Americans fleeing the re-election of W; they saw another one with a car full of stuff and were all "oh HELL no".) They bounced me back to the US, and plan B was basically to settle in the closest major city. Seattle was it. I lived here for a while, fell in love with the city, reluctantly moved to Maryland for a relationship, and moved back here as soon as possible after that relationship ended. I have no future intentions of moving again. I do want to travel, but I'm happy to come back here.
How did you and Maria meet? Have you met in real life?
We met through our mutual friends -- I think it was
Have you taken the Myers-Briggs personality assessment? If so, how accurate do you consider it?
I have; it was interesting but I don't take it as dogma. I'm an ENTP. I like looking at the ways that people frame describing human thought and human variation -- the systems often tell you a lot about the people who make them and the people who are attracted to that framing. I regard Myers-Briggs as essentially one framing among many there. Sometimes it's useful, often it's fun, I don't necessarily think it is OMG The Truthiest, but it's a way of seeing that works for lots of folks.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-01 09:34 pm (UTC)Your moving story amuses me. Though it begs the question, were you also fleeing the re-election of W? :D
That's nifty about security. My husband has a CISSP and builds/maintains long-range wilderness-based wireless networks (currently for Cochise County), so I've learned a bit through osmosis about network structure and security and such. He sometimes refers to himself as a 'digital plumber', which always amuses me - both the accuracy and the humility of it.
My attitude towards M-B is similar to yours; I'm not obsessed with it like some folks I've met, but it's a useful framework for getting to know people (especially when you add in their reactions to their categorization). I used to come up pretty solidly ENFP, but over the past decade or so I've been working on developing organizational and logical skills, as well as getting used to having a smaller social circle. It's been some time since I took it last, but I think I'd test out much closer to the middle of the spectrum on F/T and P/J, and possibly I/E.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 08:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 09:16 pm (UTC)Some of these are a bit personal, so if you'd rather answer them here or privately than in your blog (or not answer at all), I totally understand.
Trust is obviously a big issue for you, especially in romantic relationships. Do you see this as an obstacle you want to overcome, or are you more comfortable keeping your distance?
Similarly, I've gotten the impression that you trust women somewhat more easily than men, and yet you seem to have few female friends. Are my impressions incorrect, or do you stay away from women for some reason?
I know you identify as polyamorous, and I'm curious what your ideal family structure would be like. Do you prefer to be on your own? Would you like to find a primary partner (or triad, or...?) Or would you like to come live in my commune? :D
On a lighter note, have you tried anything in your new crockpot yet? :)
Do you like getting dressed up, or is it an "only when I absolutely have to" kind of thing?
Where would you like to travel most in the world?
Would it be weird if I asked for your measurements?
no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 10:25 pm (UTC)Also, I'd point out that you only saw a small slice of Michigan. The Detroit area is much like Phoenix (except that someone who lives in a suburb of Phoenix is much more likely to admit to living outside of Phoenix, whereas most Detroit-suburbanites hatehatehate having to admit to Detroit), where there is no separation between Phoenix and Mesa and Scottsdale and Chandler and and and. Get a bit north of Flint, and you start to see more rural areas. There's a section north of Saginaw that I can't drive down the freeway with my windows open, because the whole area reeks of cow.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-01 04:42 am (UTC)As for questions, there's no rush. :) Let's see...
What is it about mystery as a genre that appeals to you?
If you had the option to live in your favorite place in the world (known or unknown) or to live somewhere you disliked that was nearer to those you cared about (assuming a similar level of financial comfort in both situations), which would you pick, and why?
Do you have a favorite food (or several)?
What's your funniest bawdy story, either from direct or secondhand experience?
Do you have a pet issue/cause? Note I'm not saying something you're necessarily active about (the way I often write about gender relations or encourage critical thinking), but something that you take particular interest in?
I note that you read a lot of..."disposable" (for lack of a better word) books. Have you ever come across a story that really gripped you, possibly enough to make you change the way you look at something? Is there a reason you don't (seem to) go searching for this kind of story? (Note I'm not being critical here - to each their own. And besides, if every book I read changed my entire outlook on life, I'd probably get whiplash pretty quickly. :D)
Do you have plans to look for an outside job, or are you enjoying homemaker status? (Again, no criticism implied. I can understand the appeal of both options.)
no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-11 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-28 11:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-01 05:02 am (UTC)How did you end up in Minnesota?
Do you plan on getting another cat, now that Yitzhak is gone? Or are you enjoying being a two-cat household?
One of the things I respect most about you, even if I don't always agree with how you express it, is your strong political/religious identity. Would you say it grew out of your own personality/family environment, or was there a particular event or series of events in your life that precipitated it?
Similarly, you told me once that you had, in the past, been Cat Piss Man (the original article seems to have vanished, but I found a copy/paste in this thread (http://forum.rpg.net/archive/index.php/t-36461.html)). What inspired the sudden bout of self-awareness and change?
What's your 'favorite' OH JOHN RINGO NO moment?
What's the worst pun you've ever heard/come up with? (Yes, I realize that with you, I'm asking for it.)
no subject
Date: 2012-03-01 05:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-01 06:23 am (UTC)I'd like questions too!
Date: 2012-02-29 04:31 pm (UTC)Re: I'd like questions too!
Date: 2012-03-01 06:36 am (UTC)I realize you're not at liberty to discuss specifics, but has your experience with Scientology changed your attitude toward religion in general?
What's your current favorite recipe?
Have you given any thought to getting a pet of one sort or another, if only to give you a reason to go home and not work constant 10-hour days? Fish don't count. :P
Were you planning to see On the Ice (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663660/)? (Did you know Taktuk's brother is in it?)
Did living in Barrow for five years change your perceptions of Alaska at all?
Have you gotten your birthday package yet?