memfree's Journal: repost of older journal entries

I wrote these 2 posts on banjo, and am reposting on the new system just because.

My Vacation? I'm testing ./ !!!
Sat 04 Aug 01:42AM

So here I am on my Alaska Vacation. I could be fishing for salmon, panning for gold, hiking, fossil hunting, bunny hunting or any number of wholesome outdoor activities. The weather is almost perfect here in the Fairbanks region (I'm closer to North Pole as I type this -- but I don't expect anyone outside the state to know where North Pole, AK is). It was a balmy 53F today, but it was marred by a light rain. The rain would not normally bother me, but it led
to my father constantly asking if I wanted a hat or rain gear. Other than that, the weather is great.

So what do I do? I ignore the beautiful, long summer days, and the raspberries going unpicked in the yard, and instead turn my attention to my father's PC. It is a Compaq, and he's foolishly left their proprietary crap on it. Since the machine is old and full, I give up trying to convince him that we could make it better, stronger, and faster with a few uninstalls, and head over to /.

What's this? A beta-something? Beta are my life!!! The best job I ever had was getting paid to beta-test CAD software. Heck, I'm good at bitching, and while most people want me to cork it, they were PAYING me for that skill. I still work for the same company now, but they've moved me to a better paying position. I long for the beta testing. I'm happy to beta test.

Still, I do think I want to spend more of my vacation away from keyboards than in front of them. If anyone wants details on what a psuedo-techie female does on Alaskan vacations, let me know.

Vacation: Day2
Sat. Aug. 4th, 10pm : Fairbanks, AK.

Sun is still a little bit up, but is setting in the NW. As always, it will look dusk for most the night. At 1AM last night, it was still fairly bright out. If I could tell toursits one thing, it would be to come to Fairbanks in the winter so they can see Auroras. That's the thing I miss most about living here: gazing up into a glow of green dancing overhead.

The rain finally cleared out for the afternoon, and we packed the Ranger for our rafting trip. This will not be a Colorado river sort of event. We will have a float plane drop us off on a small lake, and then take the raft down a river made of glaical run off to a main river for a total of about 70 miles -- then we reach a town (Talkeetna). We're driving down to Talketna tomorrow, spending the night there, then flying out Monday.

That means I'll be computerless for about 5 days. I will not miss it at all :-).

10:05 - this Henry Wienhard's Blackberry Wheat beer is pretty silly. Not as bad as, say Bud Light, but NOTHING compared to a good stout. If this is the trip that kills me, blame the beer.

-- mina