Wind, Ice, and Power...

1/17/25

I can say, without being sarcastic (much), that the Alaskan power grid is cobbled together (at the best of times) with bailing wire, duct tape, and is partially lubricated by WD- 40.

There was a wind storm that came through Sunday morning that knocked out power to my apartment. I love my little apartment (no sarcasm). I like the location and the quietness that surrounds me. I have a good neighborhood and good neighbors. But it is of the beaten path. But there is one small problem. Electricity makes the water run and the gas heater fire up. So on top of the inconvenience of the lights going out, I don't have water or heat.

Did I happen to mention that I live in Alaska and it is January?! No? Because I do and it is! Thank God that I was once gifted a very nice king size wool blanket made at the now long gone Barron Wollen Mills that was in Brigham City Utah! It was a wedding present from my parents way back in 1997 when I married Jenifer Francis. At the time I said jokingly words to the effect of, "Oh, how nice! No need for this I have a beautiful woman to keep me warm!"

Well friends, without going into too many details that will make me and everyone else cry. Jeni passed away not too long after we were married. But I still have the hand tied (thinner now) comforter from that wedding and the wool blanket. Both kept me warm over the 48 hours that I had no power or heat. And thankfully I work during the day so I had the chance to warm up (most of the time).

Unfortunately I use a CPAP to sleep so I didn't rest much in the long dark of the night. Have I mentioned that we only get 6.5 hours of daylight right now? No? Well it is getting brighter since December 21st. By summer we will be completely reversed and I will be using a mask to sleep because we will only have 6 hours of twilight darkness. Not so bad all things considered! Every silver lining has its cloud. 
Moving forward I am looking to invest in a small camping battery for my CPAP and maybe a gas generator for the freezer. It partially thawed. Thankfully it is the winter. But power issues happen in summer too. 
To be clear, I am not hating on Alaska. Back when I lived in Cache Valley Utah the power lines system was much the same but older. I just need to be more prepared for things I know will happen. More often than not, I have found that life comes at me sideways. 

Yeah, I got busy...

Forgive me. It was the holidays, end of the year reports and the ramp up for the new year. Not complaining (too much!) it is good to be busy. I am of the mind to get myself a Maine Coon Cat! It is either that or continue being, well, lonely. It is hard to find friends outside of work and it is never a good idea to believe you have anything beyond acquaintances at work. It is never a good idea to get to comfortable or relaxed personally or socially at any place of business these days. So I am looking to reach out and make friends elsewhere. I enjoy writing fiction. I am investigating local writing clubs and groups. We shall see what happens. Right now the power which was flickering the lights is now out. Until later.

Alaska to Arizona and Back

Things I don't talk about and things I do talk about. 

Some things that I don't talk about are:

Who I work for. Who I work with. My opinions about my job. My opinions about the people I work for and with. 

Really it is none of your business and it is the quickest and easiest way to get myself fired. So, I won't be going into any of that. 
Just know that I am employed and I like working at my job. Having had the experience of being unemployed up here was not fun at all I do not wish to repeat that experience. So, please don't ask me about my job. Thank you.

other things...

I am not one to go on about political rants or tirades. The only thing I will say on the matter is this: "If you don't vote, you can't complain."

People up here in Alaska are good folks that want the best for themselves and their families. When it comes to politicians promising things, well friends... they don't put up with people who talk out of both sides of their mouths. People up here have an independent kind of mindset. They also have a live and let live kind of viewpoint on other people. You respect them and their values and more often than not they will return the favor. 

Religion. I have mine. I am an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS. What some people still refer to as "The Mormons". I try to live my faith as best I can and try to be a good example to others on what a member of my church is. Do I always succeed? No. One of the main reasons that I go to church is because I am NOT perfect and I need help to become a better child of God.

That being said, I don't look down on anyone's religion or the lack thereof. There are those out there that want to use their faith as a cudgel to beat others down into submission and despair. I call that 'Bible Bashing'. I don't do it and I don't like anyone doing it to me. So, if I do bring up anything about my faith/beliefs or anyone else's beliefs, you can be assured that it will be in a positive nature with the goal to be uplifting. 

Sexuality and dating. This is not the place for me or anyone else to go on about what happens between consenting adults in their relationships with each other. That being said, up here in Alaska I have learned that it is best to bring your own partner with you when you come. Pickings are slim up here and when you are my age there is not a whole lot of variety to choose from. I am not saying that I am the 'pick of the litter' or anything myself, but I can't say that I have found much that catches my eye up here. 
The other big issue is finding someone who can or wants to live up here. In Alaska I have found that there are basically (w/a few exceptions) 2 kinds of people that live up here: (1) People that want to be here. And (2) People who are looking to get out of here. Then you have the tourists. 
I am sure I will have other things I will discuss as the mood hits me.

-10 this morning

You will find that I write a bunch (some) about the weather. Well... that's because one thing that we have up here is interesting weather patterns and types. Some are good and others... not so much. Today I got up and checked the temperature outside and lo and behold it was negative 10 degrees. Which can be considered slightly brisk up here. And though it can be argued that I do have a price, I am not looking to take a job up on the North Slope or change my home address to Burrow. Is there a salary that would move me up there?... yes... is it anything less than 7 figures?... no. 

And one other small small ongoing issue: the days are getting shorter. Lots shorter. And they will continue to get shorter until sometime in December. Then slowly but surely they will start to get longer. But until then I have at home a sun lamp to keep me happy. Hey, light therapy is important, especially up here where I have to take B vitamins supplements to keep healthy. 
Also, it is slightly odd to watch the sun rise and skirt the horizon until it sets in the early evening. When I was in Seward last winter, the mountains blocked the passage of the sun so that we did get light but the sun wasn't as visible as it is here in Kenai. Although it is colder here in Kenai, seeing the sun (no matter how briefly) is one of the reasons I like it better here. 

My (rented) home!

Welcome to Being Frank In Alaska!

This my first time doing something like this. But I was asked to give a little of a view of how I live and what I am doing up here in Alaska. So, with that goal in mind I will try and bring a little bit of my life home to you. Thank you.