Icewind's Ramblings

While we were on vacation one of the treats was ‘spa day’ where everyone get a nice massage, pedicure, and manicure. The really funny part was the guys all agreed (somewhat reluctantly) to go ahead and defy the ‘manly thing’ and go and have a fun time with everything. We were in Mexico so we wouldn’t know anyone and if it turned out really bad our secret would remain with the Mayan women who worked on us. Scott and I had a ball with it and had the whole spa rolling on the floor laughing. There were several older women in with us having manicures and they said their husbands would not be caught dead getting a manicure. We ran with the idea and I can honestly say that my hands and toes looked great several weeks after returning to Alaska and the weather that sometimes takes it toll on my body parts. You know your feet are bad when . . . the young woman giving you your pedicure looks like she needs to be resuscitated after she finishes working on your crusty feet. W...

Well after months and months it’s over . . . the ‘change’ is in the air and a night full of celebration is over. I am reminded of a line in one of the best movies about political campaigning, “What do we do now?” Solidly the best movie about a political campaign and the rigors of the campaign trail The Candidate , the charming, unapologetically liberal Robert Redford vehicle from 1972. I was considering writing a post on the ways in which the movie predicted this modern campaign but I was busy and like many of us never got to it. See for yourself . . . The question that ends the segment is the question that ends the movie, and it’s the question that’s before our nation today: What now? When Obama was announced last night even an hour before the polling places closed in Alaska , it was Obama and now his party will finally have to come up with an answer. To its credit, the film doesn’t attempt to provide one and we were left with the promise of John ...

Benjamin Franklin said, "Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing". An old friend recently emailed me that her mom had passed and I could sense the loss in the brief words that were wrote informing me. I knew that loss from my own dad’s passing when I was young. I wrote a few words and wanted to fill the void I knew was missing but as I wrote I drew from my own loss years ago. I filled the rest with my experiences here in Alaska. Not much I thought but the reply seemed to find its mark. Solace over the miles. I was told it’s never too late to write my book or two. I have one nearly completed that is gathering dust on my hard drive that I should finish and work to find a publisher and another that is started but that too sitting in my mind that is waiting for that much needed down time to find my loving fingers on the keyboard. Sadly it is like many things that get put on the back burner until that time it is brought to the top of the pile. My...

There’s a moment in the movie “Apocalypse Now” where the colonel played by Robert Duvall looks out over a burning battlefield and says wistfully “someday this war’s going to end.” That’s how a lot of people feel after the 18 month contest our country and the candidates have run. It hasn’t always been ‘pretty’ or nice as both sides have run a hard fought campaign to the Presidency. But it has been an ‘Amazing Race’, a historic election on so many fronts, with unconventional nominees and enough twists and turns to fill a feature film or a long running television show of the sorts of “The West Wing” . Today was D-Day of sorts, and we now know the 44th president of the United States and after months of being in partisan mindsets we need to begin transitioning back to thinking about, yes, Country First. If you care about the Country First, which all of us should, than the wounds left by even successful low-blows are troubling if they divide the country, dumb...

Tonight there was a lot to laugh about as SNL’s Presidential Bash 2008 brought plenty of old and new skits for everyone to enjoy. Some of the old greats were remembered and the current nominee’s showed a slightly fun side of themselves much needed in this long campaign. There is only a few hours left to exercise your right to vote . . . Get out and cast your ballot as the poles have already opened on the ‘left coast’ in New Hampshire. I am reminded of an old child’s fable that sheds light on my feeling of what I fear of Barack Obama`s campaign and possible tenure running the country. Once upon a time there was a scorpion that desperately wanted to cross a river because on the other side was a lovely female scorpion waiting for him. But since scorpions can not swim he was sure to drown if he tried to cross the river. Hop, hop, hop along came a frog intent on crossing the river too. Now frogs are perfect swimmers so it would be a piece of cake for our l...

This was one of those nice sorta different weekends for me. After a really busy week at work (that’s nothing new) I found myself enjoying my Saturday breakfast with friends. The morning was clear with developing ice fog for a few hours as the sun came over the mountains. I decided I was only going to run and do a couple of chores this morning while it was early then kick back and relax. I have been working this week getting my new computer set up, changing and installing programs from one to the other. For the most part things have gone smoothly but one of my games is giving me fits installing the files, patches, and other updates. I have tried installing, un-installing, and re-installing the game about eight times now but it still is not working correctly. I found an article today that may have the answers so I will try again once my head is in the right frame of mind. I did install Homeworld and played it for a few hours to see how good this video card i...