Tuesday, May 31, 2011

A little sightseeing . . .

Last summer, when they came up for Jeff and Mel's wedding, one of the side trips that Karen and Brian Ochs took was to Seward. Karen was all kinds of nutty about it. She talked at length about how charming and beautiful it was. I had been there a couple of months back with Girdwood Tom and it was nice but I couldn't really perceive what all the fuss was about. Well, Steve and I took a little getaway there from Sunday to Monday. It was a moderately quiet opening weekend but certainly more lively than in March. And it was blue skied, sunny, and breezy. Okay Karen. I get it now ; ) It really is lovely.

I hear tell they have the Mt. Marathon race over the 4th of July. The town swells with visitors and people come from all over to run the mile and a half to the peak of Mt. Marathon (usually takes 33-45 minutes to ascend) and back down again (not surprisingly, this is a 10-12 minute trip). Reportedly, many past winners crossed the finish line bloody and bruised. They say it is the place to be in Alaska on the 4th. Sounds like fun. So I'm going to try to return for that. Maybe with Tonmy. Or Steve. So many men, so little time. . .

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Vestibular Neuritis

That's what Tommy had. It is a vertigo issue but it's caused by a virus. So the bad news is that it is sudden, intense, and debilitating. The good news is that it was simply a virus that has run its course rather than an ongoing condition. What a relief.

Windy but a beautiful day today in Anchorage. 64 degrees today and supposed to get to 70. It's supposed to be even a bit warmer in the next couple of days. I believe I need to rustle up a golf partner.

Be Safe with Mary, Episode 4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fg0qzF3kzY&feature=related

I hope you've enjoyed our introductory series. (There was actually one more episode but it was of me getting on the bike with my helmet and that just seemed silly.)

Monday, May 23, 2011

This is why I came . . .

I came north to find fun, freedom, rest, adventure, and time with my kids. If I were to grade my experience thus far, even with the pain and rehab of my knee injury, I would totally give it an A.

Thursday was Jeff's birthday. I got the go ahead the day before from Dr. Mannion (Mary: So, will I be able to golf tomorrow? long pause, Dr. M: I don't know, could you golf before? Bah dum bum!), and Jeff invited me to be his fourth for a round of golf at Settler's Bay. It's out in the valley overlooking Goose Bay with a stretch of mountains beyond. It was beautiful, we all played fairly well for the first round of the season, and enjoyed the day and each other entirely. I held up pretty well and didn't really lose steam until around the 16th hole.

Then it was on to Jeff and Mel's for a birthday BBQ/potluck. I'll list the attendees for those of you who know some of them: Corrie & Nathan, Paul & Stacy, and Ben (all Campbell cousins), Cat and Lee (Catherine Ellis from Bremerton and her sweetheart whom we thoroughly enjoy), Jeff, Mel, (no Amy cuz she had to work, pooh), Phil, Jill, Tommy, Steve, and me. It was a good weather day and Jeff's landlord/neighbor rustled up a little backyard bonfire container and some wood. The food was delicious, the fire lovely, and the company and conversation most excellent. Jeff was visibly pleased.

Saturday, we had a bonus gathering of Jeff, Mel, me, Jill, Cat and Lee. We played Loaded Questions which is always a hoot. But what was really awesome is that Mike Murray had found a couple of videotapes from way back in the day and had them recorded to DVD and sent them to Jeff for his birthday. I don't have adequate words to express what a treat those are. Quite something.

Sunday started out great. It was a lovely, sunny day soTommy and I went to the market downtown and had a great time right up until he was debilitated with dizziness and vomiting. Yep. Right in the middle of the market. But don't worry. People on either side of us continued their lunches. It ended with medics being called and a trip to the ER. All his lab work came back with fairly normal ranges.It was apparently a wicked bout of vertigo. He was pretty miserable for another four or so hours but then it seemed to straighten itself out and he is, happily, much better today. Scary. He said he knew it wasn't a heart attack or stroke or anything like that. I asked him to practice being debilitated but still somehow conveying that information to his companion. I would've liked to have known that sooner. Phewf. I'm just glad he's okay.

I'm having trouble loading Episode 4 of Be Safe with Mary so I'll attempt to post it next time : )

In the absence of comments from my readers, I don't know if you're seeing or enjoying these. I know the comment process on the blog is cumbersome. So if you get a minute, either shoot me a quick e-mail or a FB post. It would be fun to hear from you, too.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

While the cat is away the mouse will play.

I'm at Tommy's. He's at his friend Greg's painting a garage. He graciously invited me to join him but I declined. So I've puttered around here a bit and have now landed on his computer that has a real internet connection (instead of the pretend one we sometimes borrow on Jill's laptop).

So click on the link below for Episode 3 of Be Safe with Mary

     http://www.youtube.com/v/Hy8oVrI2l4E?hl=en&fs=1

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that after watching the third installment of Be Safe with Mary, you:

   a) Think that maybe I should go back to work because clearly I have too much time on my hands.
   b) No longer believe that inebriants were not consumed prior to taping this program.
   c) Wish that you had consumed whatever we had consumed.
   d) All of the above
   5) How dare you! (Yes, you should interpret righteous indignation here.)

Both D and 5 are correct.

   D: I can't fault you for applying thoughtful logic to the scenario at hand.
   5: a) Just because I know how to amuse myself on a Saturday morning doesn't mean I should go  back to work
       b) I swear on the lives of my children, we simply started the day with a nutritious breakfast
       c) I'm concerned about your level of interest in intoxicants

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Once a teacher, always a teacher . . .

As promised, thus begins the "Be Safe with Mary" series, Thomas Smith, Producer/Videographer

Episode 1:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/O3wfEt-EihU

Because of the charming way in which I wheeze when I giggle, some of my audio is difficult to discern. A couple of lines are transcripted here.

   TS: Do you think the helmet makes you a better poker player?
   MM: Yes, I'm pretty sure it does.
  
   TS: So you've noticed a decline in head injuries, is that right?
   MM: I almost never hurt myself playing poker anymore.

Episode 2: (Turns out Thomas ain't so good at countin'.)
http://www.youtube.com/v/W2NMi7D4Pck?hl=en&fs=1"


Note: For the record, no inebrients were consumed prior to the making of this video. I am not even shitting you.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Safety first

I am mending well from my knee surgery. Just one week left of physical therapy and then I'll be off the dole. Sure have appreciated that little WC insurance policy these last couple of months. I've managed to stash enough dough away that I don't actually need to go back to work while I'm here. With Alaska's too quick summer coming, I'm giving serious consideration to just playing. I know. Good idea, huh?

Speaking of playing, I've been playing a fair amount of poker up here. Bad news/Good news: The bad news is that I play too much. The good news is that it is online and for play money. So I get to satisfy my card playing Jones but spend no cash. Now, as I've said before, spring has sprung. So I'm also trying to get out in it as much as I can. To that end, I have taken up bicycle riding. I'm still a bit wobbly and moderately out of shape. But it is definitely good rehab and I'm getting stronger each time. Tommy just lives a mile away from the AHfWWG so it's a very good starter route.

The other day, I was playing poker and checking on line to ensure the proper way to wear my helmet. It was quite a struggle but I finally got the straps straightened out and was just wearing it to get used to it. Suddenly, the absurdity of wearing a helmet while playing video poker struck me and I got quite a giggle from what I saw in my mind's eye. That's just about when Tommy came in the room with his digital camera. I didn't know he even knew how to operate it for video. That guy is just full of surprises. Now he likes to refer to himself as the producer of my internet series: Safety First with Mary.

The videos will follow in my next posting. (I need Jilli to show me how to post video--cuz Tommy ain't that smart yet.)