Columns 2013

The yin and yang of village life

The stories could not have been better positioned on the front page of Sunday’s ADN to express what I think of as the yin and yang of life in Bush Alaska. The story of a tragic crash near St. Mary’s and the subsequent heroic efforts of village people to reach the crash and help the survivors, juxtaposed against the story of bootleggers and bootlegging in my old hometown. There you have in, in stark black and white, life in Alaska’s villages.

Living in a small Alaskan village is a window into both the best and the worse of human nature.

Continue reading →
Scribblings

I’ll never understand

I”ll never understand Black Friday and whatever color today is considered in cyber shopping.  Did you know that if, instead of getting more stuff, you simply donated to a charity to help those who have NO stuff, you wouldn’t have to wait in any lines, wouldn’t have to worry about getting trampled, could enjoy your Thanksgiving meal the way god intended with a three hour nap after it followed by sandwiches… seriously, what the hell is wrong with us?

Continue reading →
Scribblings

A hint to charities

Maybe if you didn’t all call me between Thanksgiving and Christmas I wouldn’t be so snarly on the phone. Oh yeah, and if you’re calling from an East Coast call center, check the time difference. I’m highly unlikely to give to a cause that calls me at 6 AM.

Continue reading →
Scribblings

Low T drugs – oh sweet lord!

First of all, I never watch sports at all because ALL the ads are either for low T drugs or penile erection drugs. We can’t find the money to cover birth control for women but we insist insurance pay for men to get it up until they’re ninety. What is wrong with that picture?

As for the low T crap, it’s just another drug looking to solve a problem no one knew we even had three years ago. Too bad they haven’t come up with a drug to make old men with three hour hard-ons attractive to older women who

Continue reading →
Columns 2013

A new appreciation for life

Some years when Thanksgiving rolls around, I find myself at a loss for something new to be grateful for. Until this year I considered the continued health and good fortune that generally blesses my extended family and friends a given. But the past twelve months have changed my outlook. This year taught me just how fragile existence can be.

It started early in the year when my cousin found he had a significant aneurysm and valve problem that would require open heart surgery. This is the cousin who shared my youth and my college years, if not my college activities.

Continue reading →
Scribblings

Friday night excitement

Here’s what passes for excitement on a Friday night in my house. I sit on the couch eating popcorn. Snowy sits as close to me as possible without actually crawling into my skin. He watches anxiously as each piece of popcorn goes into my mouth waiting for that one stray broken off piece to fall onto my bathrobe. When it finally falls, he eyes it intently, his eyes darting back and forth from the little piece of popcorn to my eyes to see if I’m making any sign that it is forbidden. He nose sniffs ever so gently closer and

Continue reading →