Okay- I have to admit it. I officially don't understand people. I've been watching this whole 'Chik Fil-A' thing blow itself totally out of proportion over the last couple of weeks. Oh, its only the latest in a long series of head shakers, but I REALLY don't understand this. Near as I can tell, the owners of the chain (A single family, as I understand) has used a percentage of their profits to fund legislation against homosexual marriage and the Gay, Lesbian and transsexual community (And their supporters) have declared a mass media war against the company involving protests, media flaming, some sort of same sex 'kiss in' etc. which of course, has spawned retaliation of similar things from the chik-fil-a people so the whole thing has blown up to ludicrous proportions which I am, unfortunately, forced to follow if I choose to log into my Facebook page. Now- Here's where I start to get fuzzy. My question on this whole thing is a two-parter, so pay attention because there will be a quiz at the end. First- The GBLT community has always been the first group to preach about freedom of expression, equal rights to express themselves, etc. Now that's cool, I'm all about self expression. However- It seems to me that that is EXACTLY what they are up in arms and protesting about right now. The Chic Fill A people chose to express their dislike for the concept of homosexual marriage. (Again, I'm actually all for it. Life has a tendency to suck enough, if you can grab some happiness somewhere then go for it, more power to you. Also, having never been proposed to by a gay man I REALLY don't feel like I have a horse in that race, so to speak.) So the first part of my question is this: Why is it that people seem to feel like Freedom of speech and expression is great- unless its about something they don't agree with? Then they do their best to protest it and force it to stop? News flash, people. Freedom of speech is for EVERYONE whether you like it or not. It would seem to me that it would be far more productive for the GBLT community to simply boycott the restaurant. Well, unless they REALLY like the food they serve there. Never eaten in one, so I couldn't say one way or another about that either. The second part of the question is: I wonder what they REALLY hope to accomplish by this? Does someone out there actually sit and think "Hmmm...if we stage a protest and force our beliefs on these people who are completely convinced that our lifestyle is wrong they'll see the light and change their minds." After all, protesting someone's beliefs IS the most expedient way to come to an agreement, right? Seriously, folks- What the hell is wrong with people? It seems to me like there are a lot of people out there that haven't figured out yet, if someone doesn't like you or your beliefs you aren't likely going to change their minds by protesting the fact that they don't like you or your beliefs. It seems to me that life as a GBLT would be difficult enough to live, without inviting the inevitable backlash of protesting something voraciously that they aren't going to change anyway. If the very liberal folks are to be believed its the 1% of the population that has all the money and hates gays, etc. anyway, so wouldn't this, in effect, create a HUGE advertisement for the restaurant and actually HELP them financially? As I said before, though, I really don't understand. Perhaps I'm missing some larger point somewhere along the way. Maybe someday I'll figure it all out, but in the meantime all I see is people moving further and further apart in a world that is already far to separated. In the end it seems simple. Everyone just wants to be left alone to live their life in the way that makes them happy. Maybe we should all start working on that and stop worrying so much about judging what makes someone else happy.

Hello, everyone. (If anyone is still reading this, I know its been a while) I'm still up here, hanging in Alaska. The Silvers are in! (Silver salmon, for all of you non inducted Alaskans) Every year I head into salmon season, a sparkle in my eye, a hopeful smile on my lips, visions of all the fishing and nature shows of my youth dancing in my brain. Then I get to the fishing spot and after 2 or 3 thousand casts I remember- Oh yeah- I'm a LOUSY salmon fisherman. Seriously, they have to be the MOST confounding fish in North America, likely in the world. I know guys that have a sort of 6th sense about salmon. They could tie a frikking eye bolt onto the end of the line and huge fish would somehow have swum through the eye and gotten caught. Its most unnerving. I, however, am not one of those people. Oh, I can fish, I do well enough with Pike and Burbot, but salmon? Oh, they're my unicorn. See, the problem is, salmon don't bite because they're hungry, like any SANE fish does. Oh no. Once they hit fresh water salmon are like a teenager on prom night. All they care about is spawning. The only way to hook the little buggers is to somehow magically decide what color lure is going to be threatening to them so they will bite it to defend their spawning grounds. Apparently I haven't yet received the ability to piss a fish off at will. Oh, I'll get one or two of the really stupid, aggressive, behavior disordered fish a season, the class bully of the salmon world, but I REALLY have to work on it. So..that's what I've been doing. I heard the siren cry at the gas station the other day. The conversation (In line, with a complete stranger, by the way,) went something like this: Stranger: *Nod*  "Hows it goin?"Me: *nod of acknowledgment* "Not bad. How are you?" Stranger: *Shrug* "Eh, not bad. Fish are in, so how bad can it be?" Me:*Alarm bells begin ringing loudly in ears* cautiously doubtful (You can't trust strangers on things THIS important, it obviously requires further questioning.) "They are? You catch some?" Stranger: *Shake of the head* "Not yet, but a buddy of mine limited out on silvers down at the mouth of the Willow." Me: (Hopeful, but still not sold) "Really? Today?" Stranger: "Nah, yesterday. He said he saw more moving in as he left."  Now, after this conversation the images of the fishing shows start. The information has been freely given and received, there are places and times, so it MUST be true. Hell, he wouldn't lie about his friend catching fish, it would be dishonorable! visions of  wild, mad gleeful giggling as cast after cast results in a massive fish on the line. Scores of  recently won battles line the shore with glistening, sparkling silver monsters, the fare of a thousand fishy banquets, Sushi the Emperor would be proud to have gracing his table! (In fact, the limit on silver salmon is 2/day, but my imagination has a tendency to go overboard, probably why I'm a writer.) So, head straight home, grab Beenie and fishing gear, (Corbin is 14 and doesn't fish. He might take an interest if a fishing pole was shaped like an x-box controller, but until a major redesign happens, he's out.) and head straight to 'The Spot' Which, if anyone cares to know, is actually Caswell Creek, but 'The Spot' sounds way more cool and mysterious. Anyway- Long story short, 2 hours pass and I've gotten one pink salmon. Now, Pink salmon are what most of you non-Alaskans think salmon is. Its really not bad, it DOES taste like salmon, just in a really..pinky way. People up here are fish snobs, though. Pinks are below disdain. They are to be thrown back or fed to the dogs (Coincidently, much the same thing is felt about dog salmon- Also not bad eating for us non discerning folks who just like a good fish dinner sometimes.) So...I catch the pink which was a Humpy, or male salmon. (Yeah, I know, we have weird names for EVERY type of salmon up here, its a crazy state.)  It was actually a very nice pink, all things considered, but there was only one, so I was going to take the hook out and send him back to his hormone addled paradise so he could breed and die as God intended he do. Then Beenie spoke up. She had decided it was WAY to nice a fish to let go, it HAD to come home and go into the freezer. I sighed and whacked him on the head. There is no point arguing with a 9 year old when a fish is involved. So...we carry the pink up the hill, Beenie proudly holding the fish, me with the 2 fishing poles, tackle box, her jacket, bottle of juice, gum, my gun, and likely 10 or 12 pounds of miscellaneous rocks that ALSO had to come home courtesy of Beenie..(See reference to 9 year old and fish, just substitute rocks..same thing) As we get to the top one of the regulars is, of course, getting ready to bring his son down and fish. Now, when you're in Alaska and you run into another Alaskan getting ready to go silver fishing, and you're carrying a pink, the parade of emotions is always hilarious. First- elation as they see that you have exerted the effort to carry a fish up the hill, so it MUST be worth keeping. Second- disdain as they realize what you are actually carrying. You must be a tourist. Third- sympathy. Because you're carrying a gun you must be a resident and therefore you MUST be starving in order to bring a pink home. Fourth- Understanding as you feel the need to explain yourself and you tell them your nine year old daughter insisted on bringing it home. Fifth- Complete understanding as they look over at their OWN nine year old son running enthusiastically down the hill happy and carefree while he picks up his fishing poles, tackle box, gun, son's jacket, landing net, fish whacker etc. Ah, bonding in Alaska.

Its a dark day for the country today. Obamacare has been upheld as 'constitutional'. Apparently it is a constitutional thing for the government to fine an individual who 'chooses' not to have health care. Interesting the way that's worded. Chooses not to have health care- I wonder- Is that like choosing to be gay? or choosing to have cancer? From my perspective (And no, I don't have health care for myself, by the way, I'm unemployed at the moment and I simply can't afford personal health care. My kids are covered by the state, but I don't qualify due to a 'glitch' Since my stepson Nick lives with me and his father doesn't pay child support I don't qualify for any assistance from the state.) most anyone who can afford health care will get health care. We're not talking a minor expense, people. I've looked into the costs of 'personal' health insurance. your most basic, crap coverage will run you around 250$ a month. For me at this time that is NOT an insignificant expense. (that is with around a 5000$ deductible, by the way) I simply can't afford it, so I won't be getting it. So now its constitutional to fine me because I can't afford to spend the money on something the government says I should have. Sounds a lot like legalized theft to me. Read your history books, anyone ever heard of 'debtor's prison'? The other thing that simply boggles my mind is all the democrats that are saying how great this is. Democrats who, traditionally are supposed to be for the 'little' guy. Do they not realize how many small businesses this new 'constitutional' directive is going to drive into bankruptcy? Small businesses are in the same boat I am. a little mom and pop shop which is barely struggling by will be forced to close simply because they can't afford to buy group insurance for Maggie Sue who helps out once or twice a week in the shop. Wake the hell up, people! The only ones this new directive is going to help are the insurance companies. The other gem that happened yesterday, which most people haven't taken notice of is the fact that Obama declared a national emergency because of Russia's decision on how they process weapons grade plutonium or some such. Now, I agree that we have to keep an eye on where the world's plutonium is going, kind of an important thing to know, but why a national emergency about it? Well, here's what a lot of people don't realize. In the case of a national emergency being declared all voting for officials is suspended until the emergency is declared over. Oh, another little gem? Under national emergency martial law can be declared with no notice by the President of the United States. Heads up, people. The masks are coming off and no one is even bothering to hide the fact that our 'free' country isn't being such a great place to live anymore. Hail Amerikastan.

I don't want to say the mosquitos are bad this year, but my first waking thought this morning was that somehow I must have gone on a bender last night and fallen asleep on the Willow air strip and there were about a hundred Piper Supercubs  circling and waiting for approach. As I slowly cracked my eyes open, waiting for one of them to land on top of me I saw the cloud of mosquitos circling my face.They are literally everywhere. The only consolation is that they should be gone soon. We had a couple of days of rain and it kicked their breeding cycle into high gear. My K.I.T.H (Killed in the house) count is over 400 and still climbing.  We got a new cat yesterday. Sylvester is his name and I think he'll be a pretty cool cat, once he manages to get up the courage to leave the kitty condo and start exploring. He hasn't moved that we've seen since he got here, not that I can blame him. Coming into a house with 4 other cats, 4 dogs, a goat and 3 kids intimidates the hell out of me sometimes, too. The infamous tattoo has been once again rescheduled. I'm supposed to get it Monday now. We'll see if it happens. Perhaps the stars will align and I'll be able to get it done this time. I hope so, I'd really like it to be fully healed before I go to work as a commercial fisherman in July. That's right, I'll soon have another truly 'Alaskan' experience under my belt. Some very good friends have given me the opportunity to help them out and I'm really looking forward to it. Other than that not a lot going on. I'm going to be cramming today to catch up on my school work. I have no idea what my problem has been lately, but my study habits have been abhorrent. I really need to remove my head from my backside and get back into studying again, so this weekend will be new leaf time. It's hard to explain. It seems like I've been marking time in life for the past couple of months, waiting for something to happen. Well, enough of that. Its time to plunge forward, move onward and outward and get back to the business of making a new life for myself and the kids. After all, if I don't, no one is going to do it for me. And on that note I best go and get to work. Still plenty of homework to do and I need to get my mosquito KITH numbers higher because they are driving me crazy! Have a good day, a great weekend, and an amazing life! Later!

The coolest cat in the world died tonight. HArvey, the first animal we got when we came to Alaska laid down by Aoibheann's chair and passed away. It seems like he has always been around. We saved Harvey from destruction when we got him from the shelter. We had been in Alaska exactly one week when Glenda decided she needed to have an animal around so we went to the shelter. She was actually looking for a small female kitten. We looked at a bunch of them and then the girl asked us if we would consider looking at an older male cat because no one had adopted him and he was slated for destruction. They brought Harvey out and he was instantly one of the family. I always expected he'd get eaten by a bear out here, he used to spend almost all summer outside, only coming in occasionally to check on his people. Whenever we would pull into the driveway Harvey would amble out to greet us. Whenever something bad would happen it seemed like Harvey was there, offering quiet comfort, purring as if to say, "don't worry, everything will be fine in the end." I'm gonna miss you, Buddy. I know you hung out long enough to make sure we were all right after Glenda passed away, and now you went to be with her. You always liked her best anyway. And so we say goodbye, my friend. I'm sure I'll see you again someday, probably waiting for me when my time comes, purring to let me know everything will be okay.

So, I'm starting my new class at Full Sail this week. Its a technology class, so maybe I'll finally figure out how to use this *&*^* MAC. Part of the class is to write an intro for the other students, since their so big into social networking at that school. I was going to write the usual pat answer to the question and then, when I was out fishing today I started to actually think about it. the question was "Who are you? Tell us about yourself." Hmm...as I stood casting and reeling in (Yes, I did catch one pike and missed another one, by the way, thanks for asking) I started thinking about it. Who am I anyway? I honestly don't have an answer to that anymore. I'm a dad, at least I try to be. I'm a hunter, a fisherman, an Alaskan, a writer, an outsider, an insider, a guy who stopped mid-stream in his life and decided to switch careers about 90 degrees and start all over again. That should probably scare the hell out of me, but I just have a feeling of anticipation. I know NOTHING about the entertainment industry. I'm learning more in casual conversations with other students and teachers than I ever expected to know. I'm even considering staying in school to get my Master's in directing because it looks like it would be a lot of fun to do. I've realized- I'm 43 years old and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I've been a lot of things that I'm not anymore. I look back at the various stages in my life and just shake my head. The experiences have all changed who I am and it makes me wonder who I will be when the ride is finally all over. I was, I hope, a good husband to an amazing woman and I hope I have it in me to be a good husband again someday. I've ridden in corporate planes, been to the top of grain elevators and jumped on top of barges to avoid getting cut in half by flying ropes. I've been lucky enough to number corporate executives as well as homeless pool sharks among my friends. I've watched the greatest love of my life die, kissed her goodbye as she passed from this world just as I've watched all three of my children enter it and cry for the first time ever. I have a goat living on my porch, for chrissake! Of course, I won't put any of this in the little introductory blurb for my technology class. Well, maybe the goat part, but not much else. Anyway, the question got me thinking. I'm willing to bet that most of you have lived your lives in different levels as well. You can probably look back through the years and see the different people that you were. I guess my point is this- Celebrate who you were, embrace it because it will always be a part of who you are now and who you are going to be in the future. I hope you all have a great day. Hug the people you love and never be afraid to talk to strangers because they might be your next best friend! Peace-

Well, I actually have an excuse for not posting this time. Last week was pretty much a blur of activity getting a new washer and dryer and then packing for a 5 day camping trip with the kids. I never knew I would appreciate a dryer so much before! My old one broke back in October and we spent the winter drying clothes on a piece of cord wrapped around the room, drying clothes by the heat of the wood stove. It was a serious pain in the butt! I just considered it another character building exercise, though. It was another thing that we made it through, just like cutting wood for heat at -30 and surviving the first year without Glenda. All I could think about (When I wasn't cussing the dryer for dying) was "well, at least the washer didn't go too.." My thinking has become that a lot lately. Things that were earth shattering 2 years ago have become merely annoying now. I've realized that in the great scheme of life most of the things that used to absolutely drive me insane really aren't that big a deal. I must say, though- I now appreciate dryer technology as well as clean, dry, non- stiff as a board clothes much more than I ever did! The camping trip was good. I don't think it ever hit the level of 'amazing' that the trip did last year. A bunch of people didn't make it and the weather beat us up a couple of days, but it was a great trip none the less. Just being able to disconnect from the world for a little while and wholly concentrate on the business of living is a nice thing sometimes. My tattoo appointment got rescheduled for next Tuesday which is, ironically, the day after Glenda's birthday. I say ironic because she always wanted us to get tattoos to commemorate and honor the move to Alaska. It was the point in our lives that we stopped one life completely and started a new one. It wasn't a gradual change, we went from a job offer to all of us living up here, knowing not a soul in just over a month. We completely upheaved everything we knew and it turned out to be the best move we had ever made as a married couple. We learned to rely on each other, wholly and completely. Moving here changed both of us a lot and she always wanted to commemorate that change by getting a tattoo. Well, She can't anymore, but I can. In a way I'm getting this for both of us. I didn't get a bear this weekend, but I'm not giving up hope, I'll go out and try again in a different place. Its a strange thing, being under pressure to provide food for your family. I can't go to the store and buy this stuff, I have to hunt it down, kill it, gut it, skin it and butcher it if I want to feed it to my family.  It really makes you appreciate where meat comes from. There are no small, sterile white styrofoam containers of bear in the store. Anyway- I should go, the dryer just finished its cycle and I have to switch loads out. I'm still catching up on all the clothes that didn't get washed while the dryer was DOA. Have a great day, everyone! I'll talk to you soon.