Dispatches from the Rock

Back into the Blue

2007-09-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

So I have done very little with this page in quite some time... floating makes this difficult. So here are the visual highlights from the last several months:

This is the Dusk, and it was quite a fantastic ship although my tounge is somewhat tied by federal regulations.

This is what I spend my days counting. In this fishery I collected, weighed and measured about one metric ton of fish a day, one by one, by hand.

Here is your humble narrator in full regalia on the weather deck of the Alsea, a walley pollok trawler fishing out of Dutch Harbor.

This is the Russian Orthodox Church in the village of Akutan. 89 people live in this tiny native enclave. Absolutely stunning surroundings.

The Dawn Rises

2007-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

So I just got back from my first boat: the glory known as the "dawn". This boat rubbed me in all of the right places. The initial bout of nausea gave way to the glorious ocean in all of its oceanic glory. Nothing quite like four guys and 18 metric tons of fish. There is very little like the experience of working twelve hours in a fish soaked, listing office with whales 30 ft. off of the side.

Also what boat wouldn't be complete without a picture of a topless mermaid:

Almost Free!

2007-05-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this entry from the Anchorage Airport, where I have spent the last 11 hours. At least I am almost out of Anchorage. My employment plans changed direction like a drunk who just saw a Taco Bell sign on the horizon. Instead of starting in Dutch on the 10th of June, I'm off to Kodiak and would be steaming out to the flat fish grounds in the Gulf right now if my plane had not been delayed. I should be on the fishing vessel "Dawn" for 2-3 weeks. Pictures will be forthcoming. I can't wait to hit the ocean.

Anchors Away!

2007-05-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

Anchorage continues to discourage me from ever wanting to live here. I did get out to climb Flat-Top, which was one wacky mountain. It looks like someone just loped off the last 100 ft or so. It did have some nice trees though.

This was shortly followed by getting kicked out of a bar by the name of Humpy's, which demonstrates once again why this city is ass-tastic.

The job is looking almost ideal. I can't wait to get out on the islands. It also looks like I'll be based out Akutan, which provides for more chances at island exploring

Anchorage is dull. I miss the non-stop strangeness of Dutch, the industrial landscape, and the fisher folk at the bars. I can't wait for my plane trip back out there.

Three fisher folk at latitudes, living the good life, re-injecting their paychecks right back into the island economy. I think that they were pretending to be tigers.

Land of the Living Dead

2007-05-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

Charlie and myself in an abandoned cliff house overlooking hog island

So I rolled in to Anchorage yesterday, carried on the wings of Pen Air's finest twin prop aeroplane. So far I have to say that I am not thrilled by this town... it looks exactly like Des Moines if Des Moines was near a mountain range and hosted a burgeoning homeless population. Seriously, this place is quite unawe-inspiring. My heart pines for the Rock... seriously I miss the place. Maybe it is just the location of the house which I am crashing in, but this town does have the distinct flavor of any post-apoc zombie movie... I have never seen this many blizted staggerers in this small an area.

2007-04-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some back-logged pictures taken by my brother and I;

1) Kareoke, Jim and I. Jim was a wasted fisherman who was hitting on and dribbling chew on Becky late one monday evening. My response: Strokin! Jim couldn't really talk at this point. His rendition of the Clarence Carter classic sounded much like : Stroooookinnnnnn? I be Stroooooookeinnnn!, Straaaaaaaaaaghghhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm; Easssssst strokin!

This delightful picture was from the apex of my brother's and my pinata party. The pinata was a large tomatoey looking object filled with these:

That's all from the rock for now. Ya'll should come and visit next month when we blow up my brother's defunked subaru.

2007-04-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

The rock is ablaze with battles galore! The firey font of heaven rains down tiny cancer rays to smight the frozen shores. On a domestic note, This is what happens when roommates attack:

The weather has been freaking ridiculous, I understand why people have lived on this rock for the last 9,000 odd years.

On an occupational note: This is why my job is so busy, because thousands of people who don't speak english work with machines like this one. When you grow up in suburban Minneapolis, and see all of the warning signs like this one, you tend to think of them as more humerous than frighteningly probhibitive; working out here you see that the signs are understatements if anything.

Yup, this job just isn't boring.

Despite the entertainment of severed limbs, I will be leaving this island at the end of the month. Chasing the dream written by Lou Reed:

I wish that I was born a thousand years ago,

And I wish that I'd sail the darkest seas,

On a great big clipper ship, sailing from this port into that,

In my sailor's suit and cap,

Away from the big city, where a man cannot be free.

Weeks of Blur

2007-02-01T13:46:00.000-08:00

I have let my blog suffer during the crazy times of the last two weeks, hopefully I can make up for it. This is the extent to which my room is decorated, yes I was using my coat as my pillow for the first fortnight:

This was before I acquired a futon? for free... futons suck by the way

A great thing about this town is that I feel as though my grammar and spelling skillz are well in line with segments of the local population. This is your average advertisment at the Eagle:

Notice how there are approximately 7 words spelled correctly. I'm not sure what "intertainment" is but I'm sure that Joe would be fascinated by it.

This is what Beckie looks like. She is an med student from Perth who was on the rock for a month working at the clinic. Things are a lot quieter since she left.

2007-01-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

This is what I woke up to yesterday. This place breaks my heart sometimes.

2007-01-03T09:21:00.000-08:00

This is what I looked like after my glorious 24 hour journey from Minneapolis to Cinncinati to Chicago to Anchorage to Cold Bay to Dutch Harbor.... Damn sexy. This sexiness was heightened over the next couple of days because my bag was delayed in Anchorage due to weather. This island is mantastic, with enough snow to satiate my winter hungry side... more photos forthcomming as I figure out what the hell I'm doing.