Momma's Tired

What a weekend. I spent two days at the "Ultimate Athlete" seminar hosted by Crossfit. It was very informative and I learned a lot but man am I tired. Stick a fork in me I am done! Preemptive Advil is in order because tomorrow I don't know that I'll be able to lift my arms above my head to wash my hair, or be able to bend over to pull on socks. I squatted, deadlifted and bench pressed more than I ever have before.

Weight I deadlifted.

Leaving Cheechako Behind

My car has Alaska plates and a plug hanging from its grill. The windshield boasts not one, but three cracks. I'm not sure what I think of all this other than should I be pulled over, the state trooper can't yell at me about needing to register my car. 

The car is looking more like a seasoned Alaskan but does this mean I've left my Cheechako ways behind? That remains to be seen -- it's early in the season yet. 

Break Up

Moving to a new place comes with regional sayings and ways of using words that are unique to that place. Alaska is no different. We've been over Cheechako. And the opposite of a Cheechako is Sourdough. Meaning, someone who's lived so long in Alaska that they smell sour from living in a dry cabin. Sure they may know a thing or two that us "cheeky babes" don't but really they just need indoor plumbing.

More Driving Challenges

Two weekends ago, Fairbanks got dumped on snow wise. Some reports say up to 18 inches. All I know is that my car looked like this one morning, and this was after I had cleared it off the night before.

My advice: don't drop your keys in the snow -- they are almost impossible to find. And should you lock your keys in the trunk of your car...well, that's a story for another post.

Driving

Before getting to Fairbanks I anticipated going through driving withdrawals. I like to drive. Period. I know it's not the environmentally correct position to hold, but I do. If I have to drive 30-40 minutes to my job, sign me up! Road trip for 8+ hours? I'm there. Driving is my thing. It's not just the cliche of "feeling free" that I like. I actually like the act of driving. I like feeling the car respond to the pressure I apply to the gas peddle. I like the discordance of watching the scenery speed by while everything in the bubble of the car moves in slow motion, comparatively.

One Week

It's been one week since I arrived in Fairbanks. It feels much longer than that -- like dog years. But in the best of ways. I couldn't be happier to be here. Perhaps it's the novelty of a new place and meeting new people, but I like it here. I haven't been homesick in the least. I'm sure that'll change at some point, but honestly between email, phone, text and facebook, to a large degree interactions with my friends isn't vastly different from when I'm in California. I can easily go for months between seeing certain friends and family. Seeing people in the Bay Area can actually be hard! Heck, for some people, despite living only 20 miles away, I'm on a once every 6 months schedule! Four months between visits will be an anomaly.