2:16pm Kenai, AK
Last week was crazy busy. We had fish everyday; the processors worked 9am-12am daily. By friday i was really getting worn down. I started getting headaches from stress, lack of sleep and lack of good food. Then Sunday rolled around and it was my perfect storm. The fish slowed down on Saturday and all of the crews were planning on starting late on Sunday. I went to bed early watched a movie and then got to sleep in until 6:50am! They didn't have a lot of fish so i decided that it was the day - the day to do something for myself. My perfect storm - the planets had aligned - I slept in, had a light easy day, nothing to do to prep for dinner, I got all of my work done early...it was perfect. I worked with this in mind so that nothing would keep me from relaxing. I clocked out and called a cab...i was going to get some retail therapy at freddies. As we pulled in to the dot the cabbie told me about this new brewery that had recently opened up by freddies - St. Elias - he said the beer was good and the food was pretty awesome too. Hmmm...beer, restaurant, close by - sold! I poked around freddies for a few and then decided that it would still be there in a bit so i walked up the hill to said brewery. It was perfect; decorated to look like an old brick oven pizzeria with lots of windows and character. Three years in the making apparently. I sat at the bar and enjoyed a vanilla bean porter while i waited for my pepperoni pizza to get fired in the oven. Some folks from Anchorage came and sat down next to me. They were in Kenai for the dip netting - residents are allowed to go out on the river and catch up to 25 fish with these large nets (like a net for a fish tank only bigger) they are allowed more depending on the size of their household. This week the river has been full of dip netters and the open field by our plant turned into what looked like a "hobo camp" overnight - filled with campers, tents and drunk people. The people sitting next to me didn't catch anything but they had a good time doing so. Dip netting will continue for a while so we can look forward to their crazy river antics for the next few weeks.
Next i tried a puddle jumper pale ale. Not bad but i preferred the porter. So i got a growler of the porter to go, threw it in my purse and headed back to Freddies. I meandered around for a bit, got a few shirts and some more beer and then called a cab. To make the evening truly a treat we stopped at Dairy Queen on the way back. Perfect - the whole night was just perfect.
My high school principal used to say "Don't count the days; make the days count." I have less than a month of work left. I am passed the half way point and i am tired - but i don't want to wish away my time here. I want to enjoy what i have left and try to find things everyday that will make each day awesome. So i am taking suggestions - silly, small, big, i don't care - ideas or missions that i can do to enhance my journey.
I'm off to the laundry but something tells me you aren't surprised.