ahh, internet two days in a row!

me driving the boat, originally uploaded by pinprick.

i got some photos up on flickr! not a ton, because i'm using some local wireless connection that is a bit spotty but they are up, and you can actually see proof that i am alive, alaska is beauitful, and the fisherman is a real person. you can also see from the photo above that this is as cute as it gets for me in this state. that bandana and i are best friends!

having your period while on a boat that's beached is a serious pain the ass. i never would have thought of that if i wasn't currently going through it. it might be more information than you need, but i don't care. i'm sick to death of having to hike into town because i need to use a toilet that flushes! however, it does give me a good excuse to have beers at a local bar, since they have wireless and flushing toilets. whew.

i'm currently in naknek, alaska. you can try to look it up, but i i don't know if you'll find anything. it's a small town on the naknek river, with a little general store where i bought a bottle of conditioner that would have cost me $2 at home but was $11 here. the locals are nice, but they do stare a little. when i walk up to the store to use the pay phone i get looks, when i burst into tears i get more. it's a bit disconcerting, especially since i look totally normal. not much about me stands out here; i live in a sweatshirt and pants, hair pulled back, frumpy but not hideous. the young girls in this town are beautiful, i don't try to compete. they have real showers, showers that don't move and where you can spend more than 7 minutes in them. they don't live in diesel engines, they get to wash their hair on a regular basis, and i'm just happy when i'm not totally gross.

naknek is lovely, but it is very much a small town. i've been here for three days, five total when you count in last week, but i already know way too much about the inhabitants. i couldn't live in a town like this, i grew up in one like it but not even on this small a scale and it's a bit claustrophobic for me. my fisherman wants to live in one of the bucolic towns on the coast, like false pass, and while i love the idea of living in a place so lovely i would have to go home at least once a year, if not more. i would need some internet, i would need some culture on occasion. i would need to spend time with people who have an idea about life outside their town, and aren't so consumed with the local gossip. that makes me sound like a snob, but i can't help it. at times i feel sick of hearing about what the hell is going on here, i just want to have a beer and not worry about who i might be offending. nothing you do here go unnoticed, and that would get old for me.

i had the day off, used my boss's computer to get some stuff done and download open office software, but i have to go back now. it's almost dinner time, and while i know the boys can do fine by themselves i feel better when i'm there. plus, i could use a sandwich.