"Work"

Actually, I haven't done much real work yet. All I've done after three weeks of my summer job is training. Here is what I've been trained in so far:

Bear Safety
Internet Security
CPR/First Aid
Operational Leadership (essentially "safety first," but we are ALL leaders)
B3 Training (airplane and helicopter safety)
River Rafting 1 (Theory--Day 1)
River Rafting 2 (Application--Day 2)

And taking place this week:
Whitewater Rafting/Rescue (3 day course, 1 day classroom, 2 days practical application)

Anyway, that's been my job so far this summer. I can't complain. This is all just information that I can file away. Though I do wonder when we will start doing what my job actually entails. . .fixing the trails of WRST NP/P.

And, much to my surprise, the weather for the last two weeks has been. . .for lack of a better word, HOT (70's)! I am not complaining. Not at all.

Charly

So I have a confession to make. My mom was reading that Mormon love story called "Charly" by Jack Weyland and left it lying on the table. Like any curious writer I picked it up with the intention of analyzing the writing style and ended up reading the whole thing. Surprisingly, I think I actually enjoyed the book. Though I will confess that I don't see the whole reason that Charly married Sam in the first place. He was boring and idiotic. And insensitive. And kind of stupid. Why can a guy like that get married when I, being NONE of those things (and extremely humble), am not?

The Last Frontier

This is just an update post. I have nothing of significance to write, but I'd like to put something down just to change the way my blog looks, and to give myself a false sense of accomplishment.

So here I am, back in Alaska. The Last Frontier.

And it is a frontier. In both the good ways and bad ways. However, since I am a 29-year-old-single-male, I find the bad things far outweigh the good. Namely, there are no attractive single, marriageable/date-able women here.

In an effort to prepare for this, a kind-of did a dating marathon before I returned, but I think that only made things worse. Now the frustration from seeing nothing but hairy faced men all day feels much more acute. Alaska is a wild and lonely land, and I feel it in my bones. It's also really cold here, and I feel that in my bones too.

Still, it does feel good to be working again. There's a freshness about working with my fellow crew members, they're a rough lot but I enjoy their banter. And I suppose that watching my bank account fill up again will have a certain satisfaction of its own. All is not lost.

Still, I've been here a week, and I'm already trying to plan out my return to Utah. That's a bad sign. This summer could drag on forever.