Officially done with 1/4 of the comps list. Not as far along as I'd like to be, but making progress.

Also, after a couple weeks of frustrating writing time when I never seemed to be writing anything worth reading, I finally think I've latched on to something. Maybe. At least the words are coming more smoothly than before.

Still also trying to enjoy Alaska summertime, which is not, actually, that summer-like, in my opinion. It's been very rainy, and lately even cold -- we're talking 50s, sometimes even 40s in the morning. But at least there are fresh blueberries to be foraged and most of the mosquitoes have moved on to torment other areas, so being outside is bearable. On days that aren't too wet, hiking is a must, and I've been spending so much time on the porch that I keep leaving things outside thinking it's just another room in the cabin.

The plants are growing!

This is about as exciting as my life gets right now.


Still reading, still writing, and tomorrow, Sarah, a friend of mine from undergrad, is coming to visit, so I should have more to do for awhile!

Summer is slowly wasting away, the veggies are growing in the garden, I've spent far too much time not reading for comps, but what can ya do? It is summer, after all.

I've started to receive rejection letters from some of the journals I've submitted to, and I'm happy to say they have almost all been personalized -- hand written thank yous on form letters, comments that they'd almost chosen to publish a poem, etc. Means somebody ought to bite eventually, right?

Apologies for the long hiatus. The end of the semester was a crazy one, and after a brief trip to Iowa, I'm back at the cabin.

Plans for the summer include:

• reading for the comps - the list is here, if you're interested: http://www.alaska.edu/english/mfa/requirements/readinglist/fiction-2010-and-2011/ I'll be taking the test in February, and so far, I've read only 8 of these books, so it's time to get crackin'.
• writing - I want to polish up some of the stories I wrote during the year, as well as write some new ones and get started on the idea I have for my thesis to see if it'll work.
• submitting to publications
  
• gardening - Just spent the afternoon (off and on) tilling one of two raised garden beds. It seems they haven't been used in awhile, and between the weeds, roots, and hordes of mosquitoes, getting them ready for planting is turning out to be much more work than I'd anticipated.
• sewing/crocheting/cooking/whatever else catches my fancy
  
• jury's still out on the whole employment thing....

I'm hoping to be able to go see more of Alaska this summer. I've pretty much only been in Fairbanks so far, aside from the drive up. I'm feeling pretty limited by the fact that I don't have a job right now, but I'd at least like to make it to Denali, and I'll be seeing what other hiking trails I can find around the area as well (though I'm pretty attached to and content with Murphy Dome already).

I would also just like to note that the mosquitoes here are the largest I've ever seen. And yes, I have seen the ones in Minnesota.

Moose Encounter!

Friday night. I'm headed to my jeep after time at the pub with friends. I walk out of the building that houses the English department and proceed past one of the residence halls, where students are gathered outside. I walk past the end of the building. A moose is just around the corner. I see her. She sees me. She starts running towards me. I start running back where I came from. When she sees me running, she stops. When I see her stop, I stop. I watch warily as she walks slowly across my path and down the street before I proceed on my way home.

The way I see it, there are 3 major markers to indicate how cold it is: freezing point, zero, and snot freeze cold.

A Bit About Auckland

I made some great new friends! My first afternoon in Auckland, I met an Aussie named Brent, also attending the conference, who I then enjoyed the greater part of the next 5 days with. We also quickly made friends with another Australian named Irini. I met many other wonderful people, but these two (also both writers!) are definitely the best friends I made. In general, I was a bit of a novelty to people, being only a Master's student and having come from Alaska. It made for easy conversation starters, besides the usual, "What is your research on?"


The conference was great. There were a lot of interesting sessions to go to, on all different topics, and I thoroughly exhausted my mind every day. The conference attracted people from many disciplines, and the atmosphere was also really great ("cruisie," Brent liked to say). Everyone was friendly and encouraging, so by the time I had to present, I felt like I was talking to a room full of friends, rather than a bunch of intimidating strangers.

In the evenings, Brent, Irini and I grabbed dinner together, near the harbor or in Auckland's busy downtown and then chilled out for awhile longer before bed. Tuesday night was the conference banquet, which I had forgotten to pay for, and which they insisted on sneaking me into (the way it was run, I think I ate off of everyone else's tickets). I can't say we did anything too original in Auckland -- watched a movie, read each other's writing, took a ferry to a suburb -- but I thought Auckland was just lovely, and it was spending time with new friends that was the most enjoyable part for me.

After the conference was over, with my new friends headed back to their respective homes, I did some more exploring. I took a ferry over to Waiheke island, where I enjoyed wandering through the bush, wading along the beach, and just generally relaxing. Saturday before my flight, I went to the Auckland Museum and finally learned something about New Zealand. The museum has a cultural performance, which I went to, and the Maori songs and dances that they performed were quite beautiful.

Fairbanks greeted me back with -36 degrees, and now I'm just trying to get back into the swing of things.

Just a quick note from Auckland to say the conference was great! I was pretty nervous presenting, but it went fine and people asked a lot of questions. I also made good friends with a couple of Aussies and met a lot of other interesting people. More details later -- I've got only 2 days left and tons of plans for enjoying the time!

I thought my class last semester was awesome; my new class is totally rockin' out. Today we talked voice and style. We talked audience. Talked how much to guide, how much to trust. We discussed what "flow" meant really, broke it down so we can understand and improve it.

Let me remind you -- this is class meeting #3.

Friday we're discussing another essay -- "Fatheralong" by John Edgar Wideman. We're gonna listen to some Johnny Cash (still psyched we're in a smart classroom and using it every chance I get). We're gonna read a USA today article and discuss how people are commenting on it -- how they're arguing, how they're representing themselves, that sort of thing.

I'm lovin' this. I'm having far too much fun.

I've been back in Fairbanks since Wednesday night. The semester hasn't started yet, but as usual, I'm hard at work, revising my syllabus and course calender, cleaning and reorganizing my cabin and (hopefully) office, and making plans for my trip to New Zealand.

The conference I'll be attending is put on by the Australasian Universities Languages and Literature Association. I only just found out my paper was accepted on Monday, so it's been a bit of a rush getting things together. The conference theme is "Storytelling in Language, Literature, and Culture," especially in relation to indigenous cultures, so it fits right in. I'm looking forward to hearing what others have been studying related to storytelling and how it might help me deepen my own understanding of my subject.

I am now officially registered for the conference and have booked plane tickets. Since the conference is Monday through Wednesday, and I won't be able to make it back in time for my Thursday class or Friday teaching, I decided to take some extra time there to explore Auckland. My flight out is an evening flight on Saturday, so I'll have almost three days free to enjoy the city. Now the question is: what to do?

I'm pretty sure everything I know about New Zealand, I've learned from Flight of the Conchords. Perhaps it's time to do some real research.

I also went up to Murphy Dome for some hiking today. The days are much longer than when I left -- 5 hours as opposed to 3 -- and the temperatures have been in the single digit negatives, though there's wind up on the top of the hill, so it feels colder. The mountains were what I missed most during my time back in Iowa. Seeing them was worth the stinging cheeks, I think.

Just found out I get to present a revised version of my paper on Native Alaskan writing at a conference in Auckland, New Zealand next month. Totally psyched.

"Tuesdays at the Cabin" are becoming a coveted tradition in my life, occasionally requiring intense guarding, lest I be required to go into town (next week has already been taken from me by a writing center meeting). Many understand the importance of this day to me, but few know why it is so important. As I am currently working on a paper outlining the features of Native Alaskan writing*, it occurred to me that I might write out the features of "Tuesdays at the Cabin" as well, so that others might be able to better comprehend their beauty.


Common features of "Tuesdays at the Cabin":
1. An early beginning.
2. Getting dressed is optional; pajamas may be worn all day.
3. A LOT of homework.
4. Home-cooked meals.
5. A constant supply of tea.
6. Many trips to the outhouse.
7. Picture taking.
8. A short afternoon nap to collect my thoughts.
9. Singing.
10. Dancing.
11. Dish washing.
12. Writing time. (Of course!)

If I were efficient, or had less to do, this day would probably result in an early bedtime, but it never does.

*For those interested in Native Alaskan writing, definitely check out Our Voices: Native Stories of Alaska and the Yukon, edited by James Ruppert and John W. Bernet. I am fortunate to have Ruppert about 20 feet away from my cubicle anytime I have questions.

What I Learned on Thanksgiving:

The cabin is a jungle gym. I have obviously not been enjoying it to its full potential.

Photo Courtesy of Liz E.

Ice, Ice, Baby

Yesterday started out as a typical morning: I got up before dawn, threw my stuff together for the day, ate breakfast, packed up my dirty laundry so I could do it at a friend's apartment in the evening. When I headed out the door, it was raining.

Raining? There's been snow for a month and a half already. Last week the temperatures were below zero. But yes, it was raining. My parka felt a little overkill.

Still, I jumped in the truck and left. The roads in the hills weren't bad at all, just a little wet. I keep forgetting, however, that the hills are warmer than the valley that is Fairbanks, and the farther into town I got, the more slippery the roads became.

I'm not really sure why I continued driving. My rationale was that I had to get there to teach, though, being the teacher, I can cancel class for things such as hazardous driving conditions. I arrived on campus to find half empty parking lots and buildings. While I was on my drive, the e-mail went out saying classes were canceled for the day. The trip was not all wasted though. I took a shower and went to the store for some necessities before making the trek back.

Yes, I drove back on the ice. I was not keen on the idea of being stuck on campus, especially considering the forecast said the rain would continue until at least this afternoon. If I was going to be stuck somewhere, I preferred the cabin. Fourteen miles is a very long drive when you are going ten to thirty miles an hour. But the truck and it's (now working) 4 wheel drive served me well, and I made it back just fine.

The warmth and rain continued all day yesterday, last night, and is still going today. I haven't been out, but Doug went driving around the neighborhood and says the ice is 3 inches thick most places. Doug says in the 30 years he's lived here, he's never seen ice like this. It figures. I wondered why everyone was going so crazy about it. I mean, it was slippery, but we get that in Iowa. The rain is now supposed to last through tomorrow, and classes continue to be canceled until after Thanksgiving.

Not sure when it's going to be safe to drive again, so now I'm hunkered down by myself for awhile, stocked up on food, water, dirty laundry, and hours and hours of writing time. What else could a girl ask for? (Well, other than a shower.)

The Family

Being a new MFA student means being part of a group of displaced writers chasing their dreams. Most people think I'm in Alaska, so I must be meeting a lot of Alaskans. Truth is, we have a couple of those. But most of us are from the lower 48 -- from Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington, Tennessee, Wyoming, South Carolina, Oregon, Massachusetts....

With the holidays approaching, we've pieced together our family the best we can. Most of us first years are getting to be good friends. In the office, we rely on each other for help with homework, teaching, and writing. Writing is held as a sacred act. Teaching and homework can be interrupted, but if anyone even mumbles the words, "I'm writing," those being distracting apologize and leave. Most distracting for me personally is Wisconsin, an antsy nonfiction writer whose desk is near mine. Still, I especially relish the afternoons when we're both writing, when I know magic is happening, when he interrupts me every fifteen minutes with, "Hey, Lisa, how does this sound?"

On weekends, we gather to pretend, for just a little while, that we are not drowning under a pile of homework, grading, and revisions. Last weekend, this meant meeting up at Wisconsin's cabin to can the sauerkraut he'd been making in a bucket under his table. There was food, drinks, music, dancing, and, of course, canning. All the food was homemade, and almost everything had to have kraut in it. It was sauerkraut day, after all! Crackers and hummus, pizza with sourdough and kraut, chocolate sauerkraut cake. In all, we canned something like 32 pints of sauerkraut that evening. I like to liken these sorts of events to a barn raising: we get together, get work done, and have a good time doing it. (The picture is from when the "Iowa Waltz" started playing. Of course, I had to dance to it!)

We're making plans to have Thanksgiving at my place. A big turkey-stuffing-mashed potatoes-pie kind of Thanksgiving, the way it's supposed to be done. I'm looking forward to having the family together for dinner.