Happy New Year! FAQ from "up there"

It's a little after 11 am, and the sun has just peaked over the Chugach Mountains and is dappling our winter wonderland with it's lovely light. I felt the sudden need to write and update you all, even thought it's been ages (and is might also have something to do with the fact that I'm supposed to be cleaning now . . .) I think it's no coincidence that I haven't written since I began teaching in August. But I remain determined that I can keep writing AND teaching, and I've resolved to be better about keeping my blog updated this year.

Let's start with an FAQ. Every time we run into old friends and family from the lower 48, here's what they ask, so I'm thinking it's safe to bet you'll wonder too . . .

Is it cold up there?
Yes. and not really, all at the same time. As soon as autumn hit it started getting into the 20's at night, and the mountains would get snow at the top (know as "termination dust" up here) but not down here in the Anchorage bowl. I'm told it's been unseasonably warm up here this year, but we finally got snow in November up here, well after Colorado's first big snow storm! Lately it's been pretty warm: 20's at night and up to 30-35 in the day. Once you adjust and expect it's going to always be cold outside it's just not that big of a deal. Anything above 30 makes you feel like you don't need your hat, so it "feels" warm. It's been down to 8 for a couple of days, but we've been told February is typically the coldest month, so we'll see!!

A couple strange things I've noticed since I've never had a winter that stayed basically always below freezing the whole time:

• you should really take the time to clean your car off each time it snows. If you don't it's just going to keep building up! I actually couldn't open the back of our Subaru for a few days because I'd be negligent about removing the ice buildup from the bumper, it was iced in!!
• yes, it can get cold enough to ice up the inside of the windshield too.
  
• the road plowing crews up here are a sight to see! The plows are HUGE (I think the tires are literally taller than me) and they work in groups. They know exactly what they're doing, so the roads are almost always plowed and graveled in all the right places.
• I'm told the last snow day we had here in Anchorage was a long, long, time about (I think I recall) 15 years or so ago. It actually snowed about three feel in 24 hours. THAT is how much snow it takes to slow this city down.

We do live basically on the ocean. Really it's an inlet, but the maritime weather keeps up much warmer than the interior of Alaska. The weather's basically comparable to the interior north of the US (think upstate New York, Minnesota, Michigan . . .)

Is it dark up there right now?
yes. Sun's up (over the mountains) around 11, setting about 3:30. We've passed the equinox, so we're slowing getting more light now. But you really can't even tell when the sun sets or rises each day, becuase it's ALWAYS cloudy. A nice sunny day like today has been incredibly rare. I feel like we live in a giant white cloudy dome. Even at night it doesn't feel that dark because there are so many city lights and they just reflect of the clouds or fog of whatever the overcast of the day is. I've seen perhaps 4 or 5 sunsets since September. Also, it's not as big a deal (the dark) as you'd think. Life goes on. It's pitch black when you drive to work, big whoop, you know? The one weird thing is I wake up and sometimes panic because I think I've overslept and it might be 9 or 10 am, or maybe just 3 am, and I have to go find a clock. I will say when we went to visit Matt's family for Christmas we both sat in their sun room for hours at a stretch just doing nothing other than soaking up the sun. I almost got offended every time they would come and close the blinds because it was getting hot.

Do you like it?
I'd tell you, "yes." and Matt would say, "it's alright." We don't like Anchorage. It's not the best city ever. The pollution is really bothering my lungs, and neither of us like the traffic or crazy drivers (it's truly an entirely different breed of crazy driver up here, I promise. I've not ever seen anything like it). There are great trails in the city, for walking or skiing, and they keep them groomed and lit during the winter. So that's a neat thing about our city. But we haven't really explored them like we should. The rest of the city leaves a lot to be desired. But Alaska, well it's a truly neat place and incredibly beautiful (just not the city). It's also it's own little place with some crazy quirks. It's the state with the highest rate of rape. yuck. Alcoholism is a huge problem, as is vagrancy in the city. Corruption is nearly an expected part of the government, and it feel a little like corporations are always trying to take advantage of the fact that this place is unbelievably rich in resources, and yet there's comparatively a tiny population to fight any sort of environmental damage that would come from maximizing profits of those resources. The government approved mine tailing dumping in a pond knowing it would kill all pond-life in it for the next 100 years. "It will create jobs," they said. On the other hand the native tribes are much stronger than anything I've ever experienced. Many have created corporations and in some cases really fight to make sure businesses don't just strip the land. So it's a mixed bag up here. But we are enjoying the adventure while we have the chance to.

That's it for now, more later I promise!