Thursday, 4:00 p.m. - Enter The Vodka Toting Crazed Gunman

First, I will say that the title for this post accurately describes the situation I found myself in today at work. It sums it up nicely and yet it doesn't accurately capture what really happened. If you want you can read on and discover the horrible truth, or just skip over this entry and think about how crazy things at work have to be for this sort of things to be possible.

Hiking The Angel Rocks Trail

So my first week in Alaska is wrapping up and I've managed to place myself in harm's way via a multitude of methods. Wondering around in the wild without bear spray (a real thing, I swear), marching out onto thinly frozen creeks, climbing rocks without hesitation or thought, and the list could go on and on. As with the other trails and hikes we'll just go through things in order of occurance. Here's a cliff that doesn't really have anything with the route other than it's vacinity to Angel Rocks (I later found out it is the trail head for Granite Tors). I'm about 6' 2'' if you want something to provide a sense of scale.

Alaska From 13,000 Feet

Here are some pictures I took from the plane as we flew to Fairbanks yesterday. This portion of the trip only took about 45 minutes. I would have taken better photos but I forgot to take my camera out of my backpack before putting it in storage. As a result I had to use my cell phone instead. They turned out fairly nicely anyway though.

So I'm in Alaska Right Now...

I'll keep this one short (I promise). Last Monday I showed up to work and was setting up my laptop when my boss walks over to me with a cell phone to his ear. He really qucikly asks me about my weekend and then about whether I've ever been to Alaska before. I hadn't, and told him as much. He didn't say anything for the longest time. I kind of already knew what to expect, but asked anyway, "Should I be preparing for a trip to Alaska?" He responded with a simple "Maybe." and left it at that. He told me if it I did end up going that it would be a short trip. Probably just a week or two tops, and then back out to Hawaii to telework my time away. That is not how things turned out.

Update: The Day That Wouldn't Quit It

I have just had one of the worst days of my entire life. I can't really blame it all on the events of today, as the previous day’s activities have all played key roles in helping to make this such a colossal disaster. I'll try and be concise and come back in a week or two to provide a retrospective commentary on how certain things worked out, but as of writing this, it is not looking good at all. Come, share in my grief. Update: Some of the problems resolved themselves.

Hiking The Muddy Maunawili Falls Trail

I took a break from unpacking and doing work today to try hiking up the Maunawili Falls trail. Unlike Diamond Head, this isn't close to where I am living, so I got a chance to see some of Oahu's mountainous regions. The drive was really pleasent and only took about 30 minutes. A majority of the trip was without houses or other signs of civilization and several places offered spectacular views.

Running And Hiking Diamond Head Crater

So I've been living here offically over a month now and only got around to exploring the island this past weekend (I did try surfing the week before, but that doesn't count). I had been feeling a bit stir crazy after work this week and came up with a terrible idea to get out and experience my surroundings.I'd go on a run up to Diamond Head State Monument, hike up to the crest, look around, hike down the trail, and then run all the way back to my apartment. I also decided that I would do it carrying a camera, no water, my cell phone (w/ low battery), and sporting minimal sun screen. It already sounds like a bad idea, doesn't it? Well, while I'm still sore two days later, it was a blast and I'd easily do it again. Be for warned, there are quite a few pictures of my journey.

Somebody Order A McLady Of The Night?

I just got back from Micky D's where I'd been pouring about 2-1/2 hours into getting my relocation expense reports put together. I got there around 9:10 p.m. and had been downing soda like nobody's business while setting up paperwork, filing receipts, and all the other lame/boring stuff that one has to do in order to get through the accounting department's barberic rituals. Anyway, about 9:45 p.m. this chick walks in, orders her food, and sits down by the window. That's when things started to happen.