Alas-kaaaaaa...

After being patted down in two different airports and getting three hours of sleep between flights, I made it to Alaska. How is it, you ask? Green and overcast, mainly. Snowy mountain tops are obscured by a thick, swirling layer of clouds and nearly everything is green. Christin wants to go polar beat swimming, and although I managed to stick my toe in a river created by a nearby glacier, I don't think we'll have the opportunity to dive right in...even though you know I'd do it! To satisfy my need for activity other than chatting up the old folks on the tour bus (yes, I'm on a guided bus tour), I've decided to take pictures and buy the most ridiculous products of tourism that Alaska has to offer. If you are lucky enough to receive one of these effects, such as a postcard with an eagle flying in the scenic Alaskan sky, let me know if you think it's a cheesy as I do.

I had to cancel all my credit cards and such since I couldn't find my wallet in Boston. My only other true expensive casualty was my iPod, but luckily that's easily replaceable. If I didn't have my camera, I couldn't take awesome pictures of Alaska, and if my laptop was stolen once again I would have been so angry at myself! Life could be worse though -- especially if the airlines hadn't let me fly back to Seattle and Alaska.

I already feel myself looking more at the positives of life than the negatives, which was part of the reason I moved away. However, I never plan on adopting many of the ideals that my work strives for. I've already found that I disagree not necessarily with the ideals, but the ways that it strives to achieve them -- such as the curfew and zero-tolerance alcohol policies. I guess that's one of the reasons I joined this organization though -- to enact change. I just didn't think it would have to be in this manner. Eventually I think I'll get to be in on the change that needs to happen in parts of the Seattle school system, but it's just going to take a while to get there. Training quite frankly drives me nuts, and I just can't wait to actually go out in Seattle and work with communities to leave a positive mark in the world.

Once I actually do more in Alaska besides travel in a tour bus with people that scream when they see an animal out the window (Rabbit!!!), I'll write again. Wi-fi is a bit scarce, and pictures would definitely help any descriptions I could give you, but it's worth documenting -- trust me.

Loves loves loves,

Corey

P.S. -- a plus of my new crackberry is that I'm not bored despite the loss of my iPod. I found this cute article on the New York Times -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/opinion/03dowd.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin -- and I've always loved Maureen Dowd :)