Icewind's Ramblings

On my recent trip to Mexico something totally unexpected happened.  I have carried around different burdens on my shoulders for the last forty years and while on vacation had the opportunity to release those burdens in a most unexpected and unusual way.  The area I was visiting was in the Rivera Maya in Mexico.  This area is approximately an hour and half south of Cancun and about twenty miles south of Playa del Carmen.  There is a rich Mayan culture here with many temples and ruins within a short drive.  The Mayan influence is everywhere, in the food, the art work, and most importantly the people who are proud of their heritage.  I was staying at the Hard Rock Rivera Maya a large sprawling resort with two sides to accommodate everyone.  Hacienda is the family (kids) side of the resort and Heaven is the adult only part of what I jokingly called “the compound”.  When you turn off the main highway there is a large guitar lighted in red and ...

For me and many others music makes up the story of our lives. Music is always with us, in our mind, on the radio, in movies, and songs you know by heart that no one can take away from you.  Music is always there to get you through the good and bad times in your life. Sit back; think about your music for a few moments Let the music take you where ever it may and picture your life as a playlist, and see what your top ten songs would be in the story of your life. Music makes pictures and often tells stories All of it magic and all of it true And all of this pictures and all of the stories And all of the magic the music is you . . . (John Denver concert opening song) Here is the story of my life through songs and is my top 10 playlist. 1. Old Friend - Terry Edwards (Cullowhee) 2. One Particular Harbor - Jimmy Buffett 3. Chances - Five for Fighting 4. Walk Away Joe - Trisha Yearwood 5. Somewhere over the rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole 6. The Prete...

I've been a bit of a slacker lately not getting new tires for my car before winter set in so I purchased them yesterday and went to get them installed this morning.  In Alaska it's done a little differently than the Lower 48 where you just go and have them swapped over.  Many people use studded tires here so every fall there is a massive rush to the tire stores at the first sign of snowfall.  I waited so I found myself going to Costco at 6:45 am this morning the temperature was minus 5 degrees to be outside waiting for them to open around 8:30 am.  I was number 5 in line at that time but was prepared.  I had my Margaritaville chair, my thermos of Bailey's coffee, and warm clothing.  The conversations with those there turned out to be quite interesting at that time of the morning waiting for someone to show up. The line grew to over 50 people by the time the doors opened.  I met several people, mainly the other 4 in front of me and once vehicles w...

I've been away for awhile with real life and haven't posted for awhile now.  I almost forgot how to start a new thread and had to create a new email so I could access my dormant account again. Much has changed within my life but the same outlook on things, encounters with others and taking away a slightly tilted look at things remains the same.  Hopefully I have found my writing voice once again. If you are not familiar or new to my posts please take a look through my archives for some funny stories and outlooks on life in Alaska and things in general. Thanks for playing, Ice

Rule # 5 You Don't Waste Good Some of you may know what I am talking about and some may have to look it up but one thing is certain, like Gibbs I live by the cup, all day long. I have an auto start on my coffee maker and I can always be found with a cup of coffee.  I like my coffee not just as a pick me up but I love the smell and taste of really good coffee.  I credit this to my mother as she gave us "Good to the last Drop" Maxwell House Master Blend growing up and I have always gone to great lengths to find it all of my life. For many of us we try to learn from our mistakes and life our lives a certain way and in many ways we may or may not have them written down anywhere.  For one of my favorite antagonist there is a set of rules written down and over the years many have been revealed to the followers and fans.  One of my favorites is Rule # 5 . . . You Don't Waste Good! Now this can be taken in so many contexts and is open for interpretation ...

"Time is NOT on your side." So said The Rolling Stones only because the National Association of Chronic Procrastinators promised a lucrative sponsorship deal . . . which is still in the works to this very day. The NACP keeps putting off negotiations for a later date. Sadly The Rolling Stones are old now gathering moss. It's a sunny glorious day in Alaska and once again people are out and about walking, bicycling, and enjoying the sunshine.  It is amazing how attitudes change after a long winter's night. Now comes the good part . . . fishing! Ice

Memorial Day 2013 This post is one that struck me when it was first circulated in 2009 by the Anchorage Daily News as an opinion piece ran here: http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/807109.html It still holds meaning for me today and I wanted run it again as I think it captures the essence of this holiday and its true meaning in how it came to be and the fact that life goes on . . . Our view: Memorial Day We honor the fallen today with silence and taps and life Published: May 24th, 2009 04:40 PM Last Modified: May 24th, 2009 04:48 PM Chances are that when you opened this page you saw the photograph first, in the same second that you saw the headline.  When you look at it and read the caption, isn't it easy to imagine the grandfather buried beneath that headstone, wherever he is, taking great joy in the grandchildren who visit his grave? Today we honor the dead who served, from those killed in battle to those who died peacefully decades after t...

I saw this and figured I would post this for my friend Terran who enjoys such nonsense. Enjoy Terran! Ice

Life Observation # 173 – Feeling Bad  When feeling bad can feel really good . . . for someone. Sometimes we don't feel good . . . it could be from sickness or just feeling lousy in general but within that yucky feeling there may sometimes be something else going on where you find it within yourself to change it up a bit and it's pleasant what can happen, both in your mind and body. Is a little TLC in order or is it something like feeling bad sometimes is like getting to scratch an itch that you've been trying to ignore for a while.  Like a mosquito bite. If you scratch it though, it keeps on itching, and then you scratch it again, and again, until it becomes an open sore.  Keep picking at it and it gets worse. I know it gives a very temporary feeling of relief to scratch, but only prolongs the itch. My advice?   Just like the mosquito bite, don't give in to the urge to scratch it, and it starts to go away much faster.  Get a ...

Life Observation # 172 Silence is Golden . . . Duct tape is Silver! Ice

It is great being back at work again and I am getting into the grind of putting bids out to get projects done around Alaska this summer.  The group that I am working with are great and now that my official State of Alaska email is up and running I have started to receive emails 'welcoming' me to DPS and 'congrats' on the new job replacing a long time employee who is retiring at the end of the month. My first email this morning was from one of the troopers who sent this to me so I know I will fit in just fine with this bunch of characters.  Missing Wife Found by Alaska State Troopers The day after his wife disappeared in a kayaking accident, an Anchorage man answered his door to find two grim faced Alaska State Troopers. "We're sorry Mr. Wilkens, but we have some information about your wife," said one of the troopers. "Tell me! Did you find her?" Wilkens asked. The troopers looked at each other. One said, "We hav...

There's nothing like putting on a pair of warm jeans just out of the dryer on a cold, wet morning! Ice

It snowed in May in Anchorage Alaska yesterday and many people felt like it was the last days had arrived as everyone wants the snow to be gone for the season and warmer weather to finally arrive.  With the crazy weather it brought about mixed emotions and moods for many people so in the spirit of trying to motivate everyone to be positive and move forward to a great day.   "You polish your turd, I'll polish my turd, Then everyone can have shiny shit!" Happy Cinco de Mayo by the way! Ice

Life Observation # 169 - Patience  "Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a false messiah."           - Illusions by Richard Bach - Sometimes in our life we go through something and while in the middle of it may not understand why things are the way they are.  What I have learned is that you must trust yourself and stay true to your values even when the outcome and costs to yourself are on the line. I think it is about the value of a man or woman holding onto what they believe and having the understanding that it is not always in our hands or timetable to change the outcome. Patience was a hard thing for me to learn but after 7 months I think I have a pretty good grasp of it. Great things are on the horizon and I am spreading my wings to soar up to new heights to see it come to fruition! H...

Life Observation # 168 "Holding on to anything is like holding on to your breath. You will suffocate.” Sometimes we need to remember we cannot do it all on our own and need to look up and ask for help.  It still amazes me how that works and the capacity of what happens when you do. Ice

Boston Marathon Tragedy – 04-15-13 Once again I find myself looking at the news in real time of another needless tragedy on so many levels of American society. Our hearts and prayers go out to those families affected by this tragedy and the effects it will have on this country in our efforts to secure our safety and well being. "More than any time in recent history, America 's destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek, nor did we provoke, an assault on our freedom and our way of life.  We did not expect, nor did we invite, a confrontation with evil.  Yet the true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive. 2 people were killed and over a hundred maimed and injured a couple of hours ago at the Boston Marathon finish line in Massachusetts .  This is another needless act of violence in this country.  Police were on scene as this tragedy unfolded and you could easily see that they ran towards the tw...

Life Observation # 167 Purpose gives life meaning. The human mind has no elastic limit. Ice

There is many times that something triggers our imagination back to something and recently it was one of those times for me.  I saw something that triggered a memory of story telling and great music with friends.  It was a time where I spent many nights listening to music and stories with my friends that played in Atlanta at the time in a band called Cullowhee. One of the stories told was the difference between Heaven and Hell, told by my friend, Terry Edwards.  With his customary southern drawl and laid back style he painted the picture to all of us in the audience listening. Terry would tell the story about the man who died, and when he arrived at the "Pearly Gates" Saint Peter told him he was going to take him on a tour of heaven and of hell.   First, they took a tour of heaven. St. Peter and the man arrived just in time for dinner . . . it was in a huge banquet hall and the tables were sagging with the weight of the sumptuous entrees.  Eve...

Hotheaded Naked Ice Borers In its April, 2013 issue Defenders Magazine announced that Dr. Aprile Rooz, a noted wildlife biologist, had found a fascinating new Arctic species: the hotheaded naked ice borer.  These bizarre creatures were each about half a foot long, very light, and had a bony plate attached to their head that could become burning hot, allowing them to bore tunnels through ice at high speeds.  They used this ability to hunt penguins.  Packs of them would melt the ice beneath a penguin causing it to sink into the slush, at which point the borers would surround the hapless creature and consume it. Dr. Rooz discovered the borers by chance as a result of their predatory nature.  While studying a group of penguins on Arctic sea ice, she noticed one frightened member of the group rapidly sinking into the ice.  When she pulled the hapless creature out of the fast-growing slush pool that surrounded it, she found a host of small creatures attached to ...

Several months ago I watched the movie, “Moneyball” with Brad Pitt.  It is a baseball story on the Oakland A’s rebuilding their baseball team using on base statistics as opposed to high dollar ball players.  There was a song that Pitt’s daughter in the story played that has kind of stuck with me since and at different times kept going off in my head. Major league baseball slang for playing in the big leagues is called being in “The Show” which the name of the song is written by Lenka.  It is a catchy little tune but it kept going over in my mind how much like Life it applies for many of us.   “I'm just a little bit caught in the middle, Life is a maze and love is a riddle, I don't know where to go, can't do it alone, I've tried and I don't know why. Slow it down, make it stop or else my heart is going to pop', Cause it's too much, yeah it's a lot to be something I'm not, I'm a fool out of love 'cause I just can't get ...