Something like 3000 miles from where I started

Me + downtown Anchorage
Originally uploaded by t-dawg.

"... aaand if you look on the starboard side of the screen (monitor lurches alarmingly to the right), you may catch a glimpse of the rare Paleskinned Redhaired Tara, with lovely downtown Anchorage as a backdrop."


Sorry, sightseeing humor. I am sitting now in a lovely coffee shop (with free wireless, of course) in Anchorage, drinking a tasty latte and looking around at my new home. Now I'm not saying I actually plan to take up residence at Kaladi Bros., but it's a sufficiently fantastic place that I wouldn't mind doing so. Luckily I just moved into an awesome little bungalow, so resorting to living out of coffee houses probably won't be necessary, although there are no nearby wireless networks for me to poach and I'm somewhat reluctant to activate an overpriced DSL connection. Anyway, I've only just started to explore the various cafes, bars, nooks, and crannies of Anchorage, but I'm pretty certain I'm in for an awesome year.

Okay, the elephant in the room--this is my, um, blog. I've been severely reluctant (can I be that??) to write a blog in the past, mostly due to this little nagging voice in the back of my head telling me "Tara! Nothing exciting happens to you! Get over yourself!" But now, something pretty exciting seems to be happening. I've moved a jillion miles away to a place a jillion times colder and bigger than California, and I've got several "firsts" coming down the pipes: most notably first time living outside California longer than a summer, and first full-time job lasting longer than 3 months. So here we are. I promise to try not to be too boring or too obnoxious, but I can't promise not to brag about all the fun I'm having.

Here is the short list of things I've done so far, with more detailed posts to come (photos are already up on Flickr):

• fabulous mother-daughter roadtrip over 800 miles from Orinda to Seattle
• marvelous ferry ride from Bellingham, WA to Haines, AK, along with my buddy John, my lovely lesbaru, and all my worldly possessions
  
• spectacular drive from Haines to Anchorage, covering over 700 miles and countless glaciers, mountains,
  
• first couple of days of work, including accidentally setting off the emergency exit alarm (but I wasn't the only one!!!)
  

Finally, I promise that this blog will NOT be the only way I keep in touch with all my loved ones. Real two-way communication is necessary. If you (and you know who you are) don't call me, I'll call you!!!

ooookay time to go catch today's last few rays of sunlight... I am quickly learning that every sunny day is a blessing. Think good thoughts for clear Alaskan skies!