ALASKA SKY

Alaska - July 5, 2002

KEEPING COOL

An outdoor fountain at Anheuser-Busch complex. We went on a tour recently when some relatives came for a visit. Today A-B is in the headline of local newspaper and international news as a Belgium company has made an offer to purchase A-B, an icon and national pride of American beers, for 40 billions. In my humble opinion, I hope it is an offer that A-B will refuse.
As the temperature has started to pass 90 degrees here and extreme summer heat began to make life unbearable, I thought posting these photos would help my readers keeping cool. The photo below was taken on July 4, 2002 on the Alaska Cruise. That was the day when we were at Glaciers Bay. I was freezing even with the heavy coat, fur hat, gloves and all covered up. I later learned that the temperature in St. Louis that day was over 100!

My husband often laughs at me when I would not come outside because of the heat. His comment was, "How did you live in Viet Nam, a tropical country, and unable to endure the temperature?" I responded, "We did not have air condition in Viet Nam. Now I am used to the good life." I wonder how my body would adjust to the weather in Viet Nam when we hope to visit my birth country for the first time since we left more than 30 years ago.

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

When the dog bites, when the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things
and then I don't feel so bad!

Borrowing from the song "My Favorite Things", a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music, when Maria sang with the von Trapp children during a thunderstorm, these are a few of my favorite things when I had to stay in door because of the freezing temperature and slippery roads.

My husband loves to tell the story how he saw an old locker about to be discarded, thrown into the dumpster at work and asked if he could have it. He took it home, fixed the broken lock, painted it and it became our Red Wings locker. We keep ticket stubs, game notes and sports related items in the locker. The plastic boxes on top of the locker contain my husband's hats. CP has over a hundred hats as he always adds more to the collection from places we travel to. The hat on the side of the locker was from Alaska, appropriate look of the wilderness. Next to the locker are the ticket holders which are to be used with appropriate sports, Hockey Hall of Fame or Detroit Red Wings when we go to the hockey games, Superbowl XL when we go to football games and World Series when we go to baseball games.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eye lashes

Silver white winters that melt into spring

These are a few of my favorite things!

There were no girls in white dresses but plenty of snowflakes and freezing temperature when we waited outside Ford Field Stadium in Detroit for Superbowl XL. We were so excited because it was our first Superbowl and for poor people like us, it would be once in a lifetime experience. We still laugh about a man in the seat next to us that he looked like "Tony the Fist" from the Godfather.

The above Yao Ming jersey was an attendance prize from a conference I attended in Chicago with my sister back in 2005. When the raffle number was called for a prize of Yao Ming's shirt, I did not pay much attention. Then my sister CH looked at the ticket and told me that it was my number. Thinking that it was just a lousy t-shirt, I was pleasantly surprised that the prize was actually an autographed jersey, with certificate of authentication of Yao Ming signature. A person at the next table tried to offer me $150 to which I responded, "Bidding starts at $1,000". The next day I checked Ebay and found that similar item was sold for $350. I had a photo of me wearing the jersey but it was so long that it looked as if I was wearing a dress!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things!

Here is another example of my husband's handiwork. We purchased the reproduction of the new Busch Stadium for only $15 (original price was $75) because the right bottom corner was a bit dogeared. CP found the frame for $20 at an estate sale. We had to purchase the two small frames for the tickets, the first World Series game in the new Busch Stadium. Added the two pitcher's helmets, blue from the Detroit Tigers and red from St. Louis Cardinals, the total cost was just a little over a hundred dollars.

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels

Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings

These are a few of my favorite things!

Well, I don't have anything that has flying wild geese on it. The elephant below was a gift from my brother VL when he went to India on a business trip. Look closely inside this elephant, you will see a smaller elephant and another smaller elephant. All three elephants were carved from one stone. I would love to see how it was done. It is sad that people who have such talents could only peddle their art works to tourists for a few dollars while a handbag with the name of a famous designer printed all over (no artistry there) would sell for hundred of dollars.

DECK THE HALLS

Both of the above items were purchased after Christmas last year (2006). We paid $10 for the wreath and only $5 for Santa on the sleigh. The photo on the box showed that there were eight raindeer (sold separately) pulling the sleigh. The item was on sale because the store ran out of the reindeer. My husband spend the following 11 months searching for the reindeer on Ebay. The reindeer are available in a set of two, at a cost of $20 each, plus shipping. For a sale item that cost only $5, adding the complete set of 8 reindeer, the total came to be more than $100. Santa needed his reindeer to deliver the toys, otherwise, all the good children would be so disappointed without a visit from Santa!



Deck the halls with boughs of holly,


Fa la la la la, la la la la.


Tis the season to be jolly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.



We purchased the above nativity when we were in Alaska. It was our first cruise on the Princess Line. I was concern that my motion sickness would cause problems while we were at sea. Luckily, there was no major incidents that a couple of Dramamine and an expensive relief band could not take care of. We cushioned the nativity with our clothes in the luggage and were pleased that the whole set safety arrived without a crack, all the way from Anchorage to St. Louis.

Fast away the old year passes,

Fa la la la la, la la la la,

Hail the new, ya lads and lasses,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

My husband said we would be looking like Santa and Mrs. Clause in our golden years with our snow white hair and still holding hands. We were in Williamsburg, Virginia last summer and saw a store that carry Christmas items all year around. As mentioned before that my husband loves knick knack, especially Christmas items. CMP was like a kid in the candy store (just like I was at the Hockey Hall of Fame) as he spent more than an hour walking around, looking at every items on the first floor and also the second floor of the store. I patiently waited for CMP to finish his viewing. Lately, CMP loves to get Christmas ornaments that also serve as picture frames. I took a photo of our Christmas tree but could not post in this blog as there are too many ornaments showing my chubby face!

ALASKA - WISH I WAS THERE!

All week, the temperature has been in the high 90 and reached over 100 midday. For several days, the extreme heat soared into the triple digits, bringing dangerous level of the hottest stretch thru the region, prompted warnings of excessive heat and heat-related illness. I saw in the newspapers records of the heat index on August 6, 1947 was 104; August 8, 1934 - 108; and August 9, 1934 - 110. The four-day forecast again calls for dangerous heat, isolated shower, hot and muggy temperature.

After almost 13 years of living in St. Louis, I am still not used to the hot and humid weather. In addition to following all the advice such as drinking lot of water, staying indoor (duh), and no unnecessary heavy activities (like jogging or running - ha), I thought looking at these photos taken during our Alaska cruise in 2002 would help.

We saw these sea otters at the Aquarium in Seatle, Washington. They were very active and playful. The zoo staff explained that sea otters love to float at the water's surface, and often sleep lying on their backs. In this photo, they looked so relaxing. I found another reason to love the sea otters not only because they are so cute, but also because they are meticulously clean. Using their bodies as serving tables, after finished eating, they wash themselves and clean their coat with their teeth and paws. Taking good care of their coats helps them to remain waterproof and insulated against the cold.

This would be a very nice "cooling centers" to be. Saturday, July 6, 2002, we were in Glacier Bay, I was wearing a fur hat, heavy coat with layers of clothing and gloves, trying to stand still for a photo, later I learned that it was over 100 degrees in St. Louis that day. We saw the massive glaciers but only saw a few brown bears, harbor seals and plenty of sea otters. Other people told me they saw whales and dolphins swimming along the ship, but I did not see either.

While at Glacier Bay, we heard the thunder-like loud noise, seconds later we witnessed the collapse of ice falling from the glacier (calving). I was a bit nervous but my husband explained that the Park Service would not permit ships to be close to the glaciers and particularly with passenger cruise ships must be at a safe distance.

This photo captured a beautiful waterfalls was taken at one of the stops along the way by motorcoach into Canada's Yukon. We passed thru Skagway, Alaska (known as the Gateway to the Gold Rush), boarded the White Pass train, enjoyed a BBQ lunch at a Trading Post and spent time in Skagway's downtown historical district where local residents maintained false-front buildings and boardwalks from the 1898 Gold Rush era.

My husband teases me about coming from a tropical country such as Viet Nam that I should have no problem with the heat in St. Louis. I reminded him that he once told me that I could no longer claim that I am Vietnamese as I live in America longer than all the years living in Viet Nam. In a perfect world, I would be in Alaska in August, then in Boston when football season started, alternate between Detroit and Canada for hockey and travel around the world the rest of the time.

LUXURIES OR NECESSITIES

"Stuff. Do you really need it or just want it?", the article in USA Today (Friday, December 15, 2006) started with the question I have used as a guideline before I make purchases.

Very often we purchase a new cool item because other people have it. We convince ourselves that we really need the item and that the item is a necessity as we could not live without it. Another reason is to prove that we have achieved the level of wealth by becoming an owner of certain item, i.e. the Cadillac, the designer handbag or a cruise on the Freedom of the Seas.

Here is a comparison of what I consider necessities or luxuries compared to information according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted last month.

91% of the people in the survey think that a car is necessity. I agree with this response because living in St. Louis, I must have a car. If I lived in New York, I would be among the 8% of the people who consider a car is a luxury or would not want to have a car because of insurance and crimes.

Clothes washer and dryer are a must for me and these items are necessities (90%). I was surprised to read that 63% considered dishwasher a luxury. One of these people must be my mother because she uses the dishwasher as storage while I could not live without mine.

Living in St. Louis with its humid weather in the summer, every house must have central air conditioner. Late July and August and early September, the temperature could reach 95 degrees. No one would purchase a car without air conditioning. I am sure it is different if I lived in Alaska or Montana.

68% considered microwave a necessity. My mother would never agree with this. It would be a crime if she found out her delicious eggrolls are warmed up in the microwave. The only correct way to warm food is to use the oven toaster according to my mother.

51% consider home computer a necessity while 67% consider high speed internet a luxury item. Prior to September 2006, I would agree with this statement. Now, I could not live without my laptop, wireless keyboard and mouse and I refuse to go back to the dark day of modem.

Pauline Wallin, a clinical psychologist, pointed to the cellphones as the perfect example of a gadget infiltrates our culture. 49% of the people consider cell phone a necessity while exactly the other 49% consider a luxury; yet 74% of the people responded to the survey have cell phones. Whenever I forgot my cell phone at home, I felt so vulnerable and almost paranoid that something bad could happen to me and I would have no way to get help without my cell phone.

In 1995, I obtained the first cell phone for emergency protection while attending evening classes at Saint Louis University. After that the phone became communication tool to let my husband know when I have business meetings in the evening or running late for an appointment. Later to check what else was needed for the house while I was in the grocery store. Now we use the phone to find each other in crowded shopping malls or to decide on what's for dinner.

There are two items on the list that I still have not become a slave to, Flat screen or plasma TV and iPod. I am trying to cut back even though I don't spend a lot of time watching television. I usually watch hockey games, Sunday football and educational programs such as Discovery Channel, History and the Food Channel, especially The Secrete Life of ... with Jim O'Connor.

It is ironic that the items I currently consider necessities (computer, cell phone, television) were meaningless when I was living in the refugee camp. Back then, we only need food and shelter to survive. I wonder with the wealth he already obtained, what items would someone like Mr. Bill Gates consider luxuries.

THE WANDERLUST

The headline "Drifter's dream sinks with homemade boat" caught my attention. The story was about a 32-year man who left home at 18, worked at odd jobs and drifted around the country. The man grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, left his home town after high school, took part in animal rights protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two years later, he found his way to Maui, Hawaii.

For most of his adult life, the man taking trips to Europe, Mexico and North Africa by riding freight trains, hitchhiking and depending on the kindness of strangers who offered food, shelter and working at odd jobs.

In July of this year, he decided to built a boat from scrapwood, 55-gallon plastic barrels, a pair of French doors and a couple of outboard motors. The first 700 miles was a pleasant float down the Mississippi River. Somewhere along Illinois, a towboat got too close to the drifter's pontoon and caused it to capsize. The man escaped unharmed but his boat was somewhere in the murky water.

The man's brother who has a stable real job as a food broker, commented that everyone wishes they did not have to work and just travel whenever they wanted to. I too wish I did not have to work. I would like to be able to travel around the world, to have a lot of free time to read books, to do volunteer work and definitely not worry about a paying job.

My youngest brother, L, a talented cartoonist, works as network administrator. I am sure L would love to work at a place where he would be able to combine his drawing talents, passion for learning and knowledge of computer.

My sister, V would love to get paid to travel the world then write or report about the places she visited. In a perfect world, we would all getting paid for doing what we love. In a perfect world, I would be a university professor with tenure, giving lectures at conferences, signing my books to the adoring fans and living in a house with a wrap-around porch overlook the Mississippi River. Every morning, I would sit in an enclosed upper desk, drinking coffee and watching the eagles flying towards the horizon.

In a perfect world, I would live in Alaska in July & August because it is humid and 95 degrees in St. Louis. From September thru the end of November, I would travel around the world. I would come back to visit family during December (I'll be home for Christmas). I would live in Detroit to watch my favorite hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings and all the hockey games on Canadian television. I also make time for my football games, between Notre Dame (college football) and New England Patriots (pro football). Late June, after the Stanley Cup playoffs, I would continue my travel in between baseball games and golf.

This week I received my Social Security Statement provided free-of-charge from Social Security Administration. I don't know how I started receiving the statements yearly. Perhaps I made the request or statements are sent automatically to all taxpayers. Or it could be the government is trying to show that my tax dollars are at work by providing this service. The statement shows the amount I would receive if I work until 62 years old. I would receive more if I work until full retirement age of 67 (a few years ago it was 65). There are also estimate benefits paying to the surviving family members. The good news is that I have earned enough credits to qualify for Medicare when I am 65.

Actually, there are people who live in a perfect world, celebrities and professional sports. All these people doing what they love and getting a lot of money. Since I am not beautiful and have a good agent to compete against Ms. Nicole Kidman. Since I am not tall to even getting a tryout with the Chicago Bulls, not strong and fast to be a receiver for the New England Patriots, not talented to be a right-wing for the Detroit Red Wings, I guess I should count my blessings that I have a decent paying job, a good home and a brand new laptop with wireless connection capability.