Time is the longest distance between two places - Tennessee Williams

I took this picture right after the last real post I wrote about it being a snowy day.  It's all sunshine and severe clear here today

Today marks the last of my three day weekend.  I have found that my one puzzle I brought lasted for about 2 hours, I go to the gym a lot, and walk around town a lot.  I don't have much to do. So I think a lot about what I left behind, and what awaits me when I return.  It was weird to watch the TV and see what had happened in Boston.  It sounds weird and feels horrible to say but being so far away it was  as if it happened in another country, on another planet! It was and is a horrible tragedy in every way, but up here people didn't much talk about it.  They talked about hunting and kiddos and life... their blissful small town lives.  There is a lot to be learned from that I think. It wasn't that the community ignored the news, they acknowledged that something terrible had happened, but in the next breath it was on to the next thing. It is kind of refreshing.  I am sitting here drinking my tea and watching the Today Show and all they can talk about is this tragedy, how these pressure cooker bombs were made... if nothing else the people in Nome are probably more worried about the government taking away their crock pots than anything else.  Life runs at a much different pace here. After 10 days or so at this pace I find it very hard to relate. I see everything that is happening on facebook, and the news, and from talking to my friends in the lower 48 and I feel like my life is just standing still. I am in this weird time warp; and the rest of the world is just whipping around at a million miles an hour.  My god I need a hobby stat because I'm thinking like this and it's been only 10 days!

The good news is today I am going to look at an ATV that is for sale!  Perhaps by the weekend I will have a mode of transportation that isn't just my feet!  I will be sure to post a pic of my sweet new ride! (Yes it will probably be camo.... when in Nome!).  They are starting to clear the roads outside of town.  Yes they are dirt.  I met an awesome girl from VA here. She is a new ER nurse like me, and will also be here for 2 years.  Seems like a lot of people either run away from things up here or just wanted an adventure.   So my friend and I are going to be studying how to properly triage folks at the Bering Tea... it's like Starbucks, except that it's not at all.  But they have hot soups, and home made baked goods (Which all of those things would make Starbucks just SOOO much better!)

My god that blue sky! It's not like Starbucks because it's closed on Sundays, and after 2pm all the other days of the week. But what if I want Reindeer Vegetable soup on a Sunday?!?!? (That is what they are serving today. Don't mind if I do!)

 I went to dinner with one of my original Nomies Monday and we enjoyed our $35 pizza (yeah this meal doesn't happen all that often, and this was a cheaper pizza on the menu!). We then went on a drive to the other side of the mountain into a little teeny town of Dexter (note this was a 5-10 minute drive outside of town).  This is what we saw when we came around the corner:

Taken at 1045pm

If that face was fully covered in snow I would probably ski right on down it... Next winter! And don't worry there are numerous insane people like me here that like to skin up the sides of mountains and slide down them and then repeat :)  So I won't be doing this alone by any means.

On our way out of town we stopped at another friends place, this guy was a riot! I met his two little girls, and also go to see his very impressive gun rack:

There is a third rifle hanging from the left antler.  He said this was the biggest moose he had ever seen.

I want this to be known about this community, and about most of the native villages and bush towns in Alaska.  People don't hunt animals here just for a nice rack to mount, or skins to make a rug out of.  These people rely on these kills to give them food for the entire year.  A village called Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island off the coast of Nome just harpooned a Bow Whale, and the entire village will be get meat from this kill.  It is extremely important to know that every single piece of every animal that is killed is used. From the fur, to the meat, to the bones. Nothing goes to waste. ::::::: steps off soap box :::::::::

So fingers crossed this ATV works out this evening!  Also I was just voicing my feelings earlier, I'm doing great, I'm making friends, just have to get used to the speed of life here. It takes time, and soon enough I will be running on bush AK time just like the rest of them ;)

I leave you with the receipt from me purchasing a HALF a gallon of milk yesterday.  Yup that is most certainly $5.99.  Makes your milk seem pretty cheap eh?

I work the next two days so perhaps I will check in on Saturday or Sunday! Until then lovelies!