Icewind's Ramblings

I was a late comer to start watching the television series Lost but once I started it has been a nonstop joy ride.  The show has a huge cast that is driven with multilayered characters and storylines.  It has been entertaining and fascinating watching the different aspects come into play and focus. The pilot episode introduced us to the main group and in later episodes through flashbacks their stories and dramas unfold before us.  It seems every one of the survivors of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 is indeed “Lost” in their lives.  Over the seasons we watch as each face their particular problem and the metamorphosis that transpires. Terry O’Quinn is one of the main forces on Lost and over the years he has appeared in some of my favorite shows, NCIS, JAG, The West Wing, Alias, Star Trek TNG as well as many movies.  He is always a joy to watch as his characters have varied widely.  On NCIS in the episode called “Enigma” he played a Marine Colonel suf...

I have a buddy that lives in San Francisco who tells me that like many places in this country that the cost of health care is way out of reach for many people . . . including him.  He tells me that with some of his ‘issues’ he has to get creative to get the kind of quality health care that is readily available in his area. He tells me that on the Golden Gate Bridge there are yellow emergency mental health phones located every 200 feet or so.  These are possible suicidal jumpers who can make that last call for help if they want too.  He says he cannot afford mental health services, so every Thursday; he goes to the bridge to get some free therapy.  There is one catch, throughout the conversation he has to say he feels like jumping. "So lately, I just don't feel productive and a lot of my mother issues keep coming up." "Sir, this is only for emergencies." "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel like jumping.  Now, can we get back to that dream I had last week?...

The rest of the country has Groundhog Day but as always we do things a little different here in Alaska .  During last years legislative session Senator Linda Menard’s Senate Bill 58 finally passed and tomorrow marks Alaska ’s official first Marmot Day. In the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, the character Bill Murray played, Phil Connors, wakes up each morning repeating February 2 over and over again.  Phil’s sour and sarcastic attitude carried through each day in the beginning until he finally changed his outlook on things and looked for the positive or meaningful things in life breaking the cycle. We should all look around for the positive things each day so we do not become in a ‘rut’ going through life in some meaningless existence. Celebrating Marmot Day in Alaska is not quite like Pennsylvania ’s version with Punxsutawney Phil as we did not give our marmots and weather forecasting duties ensuring no one gets blamed for the crazy weather found here.  Groundhogs are ...