Whimsical Weather.

Pure, unadulterated happiness right here.

I'm just going to come out and say it.
Last week I launched a giant weather balloon miles into the sky and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life.  There.  Now that I have it off my chest,  I can begin to go into a little more detail about the weather adventure us volunteers had last week.

When a friend at the National Weather Service called the station last week during my Late Afternoon Show, we volunteers were invited to come out and launch a weather balloon sometime in the future.  At the risk of sounding way too eager, I called him back the very next morning and made us an appointment to come out that very day for a launch.  I mean, when you are given the chance to fill up a balloon the size of elephant's head, you should just go for it.   Not only will this experience be one of the few times you get to maneuver enough helium to make you feel like you're going to lift right up into the air a 'la some Banksy art piece, it's also the chance to snag a peek at just how weather information is received.   Afterall, weather is a big part of KNOM's programming.  No one wants to be out kayaking during a small craft advisory, and a sudden winter storm could put more than an uncomfortable damper on a hike.  Western Alaska depends on accurate weather forecasts and current conditions to live safely and productively in this very unique part of the world.
Before heading out with the Weather Service guys, I wasn't exactly sure what a weather balloon was.  I figured that thinking it was a giant balloon that acted as a conveyance for gathering weather information seemed way to simple.  I was expecting some kind of only slight balloon-esque contraption complete with propellers, antennae, and possibly some kind of futuristic looking doppler radar.  Wrong.  It's just a balloon with what looks like a take-out box of sesame chicken attached by a string.  Okay, I'm probably under emphasizing the technology behind all of this, nonetheless, the launch was a simple process free of the propeller and doppler gadgetry I was expecting.
At the end of the day, I was just excited to be holding a giant balloon.  I love it when whimsy meets practicality.

Liftoff!

 

 

 

 

*Thanks to Margaret for being a wonderful photographer!

Outsiders In Nome.

It was a strange feeling being in the shoes of the person who acts as a tour guide of Nome.  After all, it wasn’t that long ago that former volunteer, Matt, was walking me down the streets of Nome showing me the Subway, post office, and Nome’s unofficial mascot, Velvet Eyes the pet reindeer.    However, when some friends from my days in AmeriCorps NCCC came to visit last week, I found myself in the position of certified “Nomeite” over “small town newbie”.

See? Look how lost Eva and I are.  I’m a terrible tour guide.

Luckily however, I don’t think my friends Andrea and Nicole saw through the facade that I actually know where I’m going in this town.  You’d think that I’d know where I was going seeing as how this is a small town and there’s plenty of time to explore.  As my mother says however, “that boy couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag”.  It’s true.  I’ve been known to avoid carrying homemade lunches for this very reason.
We can talk about my lunchtime habits during some other blog post though.  All in all I feel like I did a good job of showing my friends around.  Not only was it great getting the chance to introduce my friends to the voyage I’ve embarked on here in Nome, visiting places like Anvil Mountain, the White Alice Site, and the icy shoreline was also a much needed reminded for myself of how much adventure awaits just outside of the Volunteer House.
The best part of having visitors in Nome is surprising them with facts about day-to-day life here in Town.  Some of my favorites to name a few include:
“Here’s the post office.  It’s also the Chiropractor’s.”
“What kind of restaurant is that?  Well it serves sushi, pizza, Korean, Barbeque, Japanese, and burgers.”
“Here’s our only chain restaurant, Subway.  It’s also the movie theater.”

I am looking forward to more Volunteer House guests as my time here progresses.  Until then, I’m going to studying up on how to get from all the point A’s to point B’s in this town before more company arrives.

Andrea and Nicole on Anvil Mountain.

Andrea and I.

Andrea at sunrise.

Touching the sea.

Getting ready for a hike!

Welcome to Nome!

When a friend arrives, you steal their talent.

Nicole recording an educational spot.

Anvil Mountain Sunset.

Outsiders!

See? Look how lost I am.

Dinner time.

Everybody!

Inside the studio.

Andrea and I on Anvil.

Always Wear Sunscreen.

You step outside with your layers of warm cotton, rain resistant nylon, and cozy wool to breathe in a clean, crisp, breath of ocean air.  Welcome to your morning in Nome.

For my first few weeks here, the smell of ocean air paired with the chilly atmosphere totally baffled my senses.  I would step out for a walk, take in my fair share of oxygen and immediately my mind would flood with thoughts of sunscreen and hot sand.  It only takes on frigid gust of wind to dispel those thoughts and bring you back into the reality of being in Nome, Alaska over, say, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  The cold air and lack of conventional seaside frolicking hasn't kept Nome's shores from becoming my favorite haunt in town.

Maybe it's the fact that no matter where I am in the world, the beach reminds me a bit of homespun vacation memories tucked back in the 'North Carolina' box of my mind, or perhaps it's just the fact that the feel of yielding sand beneath your feet paired with the sound of crashing waves is always a recipe for a zen moment, but I find myself walking the same seaside paths week to week.  When you're off having an adventure far from home like we volunteers are, it is important to take time and space to reflect and continue to develop the connection between where you are, where you've been, and where you're going.  I know, I know, I'm getting a little sentimental and deep here.  That's probably because as I am writing this I am occasionally taking glances out toward the sea.  You see?  It just brings out the inner-peace in me.  It is magic.

Going to the beach doesn't always mean being alone with your thoughts.  You can always find a friend to take a walk with at the Volunteer House.  This especially is a fun time of year to hang out at the beach as you can take turns chucking ice into the water, acting as lookouts for marine mammals, and climbing the rock wall.  Watching the ocean freeze over is such a surreal experience.  The closest experience I have with bodies of water freezing in my presence is when I load the freezer with a freshly refilled ice cube tray.  I can't wait to have the opportunity to walk on the ocean.  Hello whimsy.  Until then I'll just keep track of the progress it is making from my window view.

(You'll have to excuse me for all of the slight altered photos.  I enjoy editing all of my photos to look like they came out of Lana Del Rey music videos.)

Gourd Times.

This is my favorite time of year.

Fall means donning warm sweaters, listening to the rustling of dry, colorful leaves on your front lawn, and enjoying the last few weeks of greenery and sunshine filled days.

Unless you live in Nome.

Look at those beautiful Fall colors!

I'm not quite sure, but I think autumn came at about about 2pm on a Thursday afternoon of September and left us by 3:30 pm the same day.  Now if you were to go out to your front lawn and try to listen to rustling leaves in just a sweater, you may get more than a few strange looks and passing car honks.  Maybe it's the lack of trees to provide said leaves, or maybe it's the fact that the temperature is known to drop well below what I would deem 'sweater' weather, but one is forced to rethink what October festivities mean to them when dwelling in Western Alaska.

Luckily, us volunteers have a plethora of wonderful friends and contacts here in the Nome community who are more than willing to indulge our occasional homesick inspired whims with the Nome equivalents of Lower 48 practices.  This was the case just the other week when I was feeling more than a touch nostalgic for Autumn evening spent with my parents decorating for our favorite family holiday, Halloween.  You see, my mother always makes this time of year feel so special.  While our family usually isn't the type to go all out for holidays, Mom usually ramps up the excitement of late October with whimsical decor, mornings paired with pumpkin spice pancakes, and of course, jack-o-lanterns. Here's where the Nome whimsy kicks in.

Our good friend Jenn whisked away our feelings that we may have missed the brief period of time that was Autumn here in Nome by inviting us over for some October themed celebrations.  Namely, pumpkin carving.  I'm happy to say that none of us were injured in our gourd based festivities, however some of the pumpkins are in critical care at the Volunteer House.

Daynee may look scary but...well, she is.

...and we rode off into the sunset.

Margaret made fun time look so professional.

We obviously enjoy this kind of thing.

A Day With Headphones

Ever wonder what the Music Director does at KNOM?  Here's a look into my typical Monday:

Eva always looks this busy.  I like to bug her anyways.

At 10am I roll into an already hopping studio.  Lucus and Daynee are rocking the end of ahilarious morning show that I had the chance listen to while I was at the gym.  They were their usual hilarious selves talking about everything from existentialism to pancakes.  I stroll by Studio C which is occupied with its usual morning guest, Margaret, who is getting her news stories ready for the day.  I stick my head and to confirm a meeting with her later today about her KNOM Crew Picks.  On my way to complete my most important morning task, grabbing a cup of coffee,  I pop into the batcave (the loving name given to Eva’s black-clad recording studio/office) to let Eva know how much I loved her recent profile on a non-profit doing some much needed good in the area.
I make my way upstairs to find three packages on my desk, all sent from both big and small record labels.  It’s a good sight as it means I have brand spankin’ new music to screen later.  It’s like a miniature musical birthday present moment.  To add to the birthday moment, I also find a new music magazine on my desk detailing Alanis Morrisette’s newest album.  For once I have a job that warrants reading about music during work hours.

We get in everything from digital downloads, to CDs, and even a vinyl now and again

I log into my e-mail to find new music downloads from small labels who have switched from sending tangible recordings my way to doing everything digitally.  I start a hefty download of several new singles and albums from various artists and let these kind music promoters know what I thought of last week’s selections provided to me.  Nine times out of ten I say something along the lines of “That was great!  Send me more!”.  You never know what you’re going to get in the mail from week to week.  It’s all pretty exciting for a music buff like myself.

Double headphones (like a boss).

 I open up an audio file that I’ve been working on the past week or so for one of my pre-produced Music Detour shows.  This episode has been a lot of fun to piece together as it is about one of my favorite topics – space.  While I must admit my reservoir of songs about space hadn’t been completely tapped, Lucus sent me a link to an excellent song to add to the mix.  It’s great to be able to blend multiple kinds of music into one show and it helps the amalgamation process to get outside recommendations from others.

It’s lunchtime.  I ate a turkey sandwich with spinach, swiss cheese, and spicy mustard.  But you probably didn’t need to know that.

I return to work and switch a couple of my Music Detour songs out and edit any mistakes in the script I wrote and recorded for the show.  I decide it’s time to drop it until tomorrow – I don’t want to over-edit.  In my striving to be ever hip and with-it, I check out what the Billboard charts have to say for the day.  I take note that some of the singles I’ve recently added are climbing ever higher on the Billboard Hot 100.  That’s good news.  I also make a mental note to move some of our song selections that are losing their momentum to a less regular rotation.
As promised, I meet with Margaret to talk about her KNOM Crew picks.  Everyone already has a grasp on what their doing here work-wise, but I enjoy it when I’m asked my opinions on music selections.  All of my fellow volunteers have an excellent grasp on music knowledge so they can always be tapped for inspiration.  They also help me keep in check that I am keeping our system up to date with music that I wouldn’t normally be a fan of.
Margaret tags me on my way back up from the batcave to give me some interview leads for my upcoming Sounding Board show.  I’m not a newsie at heart, so I take to heart any advice that the news department has to give.  I take one last moment to look at some of the smaller music charts.

Then it’s time for the really fun part of my workday, The Late Afternoon show.  Here’s where I get to put all of my musical taste and trivial knowledge to use as I get to hang out with Western Alaska for the remainder of the day.

At the end of the day I leave feeling pretty awesome that my job has me doing something I’ve always love – sharing great music with others and doing my small part to make the world a more groovy place.

Anything Could Happen.

Wind, Earth, Water, Fire, Heart.

 

At the end of the workday when you’ve had your share of listening to music and talking, nothing feels better than coming home to your radio companions and friends for a nice get-together of…listening to music and talking. I feel so blessed to have been placed among the four awesome individuals I share the Volunteer House with. Everyone brings something to the table that makes me look forward to our coming adventures together with each new experience that passes by us.

Life at the Volunteer House goes from manic to incredibly zen. Many hours are spent indulging in good conversation, KNOM playing quietly in the background, sipping whatever delicious tea that Eva’s oh-so-generous grandmother has shipped to us. Many hours are also spent participating in what we call our Nome Dance Party. It’s just like any dance party, except we bust moves in our bulky Bunny Boots. It isn’t easy, but it’s a whole lot of fun as well as a great strength training routine for our legs. At this rate we ought have the shapeliest legs this side of Nome come winter.

Eva and Margaret tell me my boots don't fit them.  I don't think they're trying hard enough.

 

 

Eva: My grandma sent us tea!
Josh: Gee Golly!

 

Fun hasn’t been all about calorie burning however. The calories I have consumed in this past month living in our community housing have been some of the most adventurous and delicious I’ve encountered in a very long time. Lucs makes pita bread that is so good it’ll make you cry. Daynee’s culinary creations range from the exotic to the whimsical with her most recent creation being something called Unicorn Poop Cookies. They’re more delicious than they sound – trust me. Yet has anyone at the Volunteer House taken their turn at the stove without producing items have fallen short of tasty.

Daynee making Unicorn Poop.

 

The most exciting part about all of this fellowship we are experiencing is that there is so much more to come just lingering on the horizon. Anything could happen. I wholeheartedly plan to keep eating well, laughing lots, and dancing the night away with the spattering of wonderful, talented people this experience has gifted me.

Lucas, some guy, Eva, Daynee, and Margaret.

*As seen on the KNOM Volunteer Blog

It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Pulpiest of Times.

I’ve had a torrid love affair with berry picking all of my life. Like any good story of a torrid nature, it starts in my early childhood.

My parents still tell stories dating back to my early 90’s childhood concerning my love for berries. Once my mother demonstrated that these colorful objects could be picked from something leafy and green and placed right in one’s mouth, I was completely engaged – which is saying a lot for a child of single digit years. On family camping trips I would ravenously consume blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strange bitter purple berries, awful red berries, gritty grey berries…and the list goes on. In fact my love for berry picking was so intense that I developed no discerning eye for a particular berry, shoving in whatever I could scavenge at such a rate that I would come close to consuming twigs and leaves along with my valued berry prize.

At some point in my berry history, I’m guessing around my moody years of adolescence, my love of picking able to pick something right out of nature and consume it faded. Berry picking was no longer a loved pastime associated with family vacations and gluttony. Instead all it meant to me was baking in the 108-degree sun in a dusty field for the equivalent of a palm full of pulpy, stain creating juice. Remind you however, I was young and moody, so I found most things as enthralling as I found pulp and berry stains.

Berry picking in this region however seems to be a big part of life in the summertime. For the past three weeks I’ve heard of folks going out to pick blueberries and salmon berries (a berry I was ignorant of until recent) and then heard tales of their uses from jam, to scones, to pancakes. While delicious creations such as those do entice me, I must admit that when I was asked to go berry picking on the tundra the other day, I felt the urge to channel my inner berry disdaining adolescent.

I’m happy to tell you that this story has a happy ending. As simple as it may seem, blueberry picking with members of the KNOM staff and fellow volunteers has been the most Alaskan experience I’ve had in my short tenure here. Everything about the hour and a half spent kneeled down amongst the miniature sized jungle that is tundra vegetation was immensely zen and soul-easing. The rolling hills, the sound of wind making its way across the tundra, and the occasional call of a raven or seagull paired with the company of new friends made for a wonderful time. To put it gently, the berry lover in my got his groove back.

It is the small wonders in life that truly add flavor…and Nome is a city ripe with small wonders. Small wonders and sweet, sweet berries.

The tundra is a miniature jungle!

Laura's dogs can sniff out all of the best berry patches.

Eva shows off her harvest.

Daynee didn't have many berries.

Maybe this is why.

A great day for man and berrykind alike.

*As seen on the KNOM Volunteer Blog



Procurement.

Since there is no such thing as Craigslist for Nome, the townsfolk use something called Nome Announce which sends every single want/for sale/announcement ad straight to your inbox. Of the 2000+ emails I've gotten so far, this is certainly one of my favorites.

Berry Dredge.

At our weekly staff meeting each of us gets spotlighted for any updates we have about work.  I always start mine off by saying "Things are super great".  Then that sentiment is usually followed by "That's all".  As the whirlwind of training has come to an end (more or less - I supposed you never really stop training altogether) I find myself really diving into my work and finding a lot of enjoyment in it.  Not only are all the people I work with wonderful, but the work itself provides a lot of satisfaction. 

As a kid I used to make mixtapes to play to the invisible audience in my room.  It seems now that such a practice was less childhood folly, and moreso off site job training.  The fact that my day consists of producing music shows, screening brand new albums, and, to put it simply, say words on the radio is thrilling.  It was hard to grasp how I could possibly ever work with music as a kid seeing as how I knew I likely wouldn't go to college for it plus I lacked any background in the subject.  Somehow here I am.  I can't say that I plan to make music shows for the rest of my life, but it feels great to live out this dream even if it is just for a little while.

Of course there is more to my day-to-day than wearing headphones.  Nome life thusfar has been an adventure.  With the arrival of fellow KNOM service members I've found myself taking hikes up Anvil Mountain, blueberry picking on the tundra until my hands are numb from cold, and exploring abandoned gold dredges.  I had planned on doing a post for each of these experiences but am experiencing the second month blog slump that I usually do.  Maybe September will be better.  Until then, enjoy these photos!

The abandoned dredge.  You see the flume in the far left?  We climbed all the way to the top of it!

Not OSHA approved.

Climbing up the tower...for just a little ways.

Eva at the controls.

Laura's dogs can smell out the best berry patches!

The yield.

Daynee and Eva.

The tundra is a miniature jungle!