in slow motion today..

 getting a few things checked off the list though.  still many more to go. plan is to load car and head out for some fall splendor tomorrow. me and the dogs.  doubt rio will be thrilled. not sure she really enjoys car rides, but she prefers it to being left behind.  weather pattern not looking optimal but sometimes rain brings cool clouds and rainbows.  what the hell i guess.

 these are from various walks as usual. mostly kincaid to the beach (the moose) and mushrooms in girdwood (though not exclusively).  mushrooms are everywhere and i can't stop myself from stopping and getting down on my hands and knees to look for new angles.  these hairy ones with the fresh rain were so fun.

 there are so many types, but often you have to be willing to crawl around a bit to see these tiny guys.  it's worth the crawl though.  if there is a god, that god was a fan of details.  those people who are religious and not environmental will have god to answer to i believe.  for a god to put so much time and attention to all these details i can't imagine that same god being happy with how little people care how they treat this earth.

 why not just one edible mushroom.  of course, there is the other theories of evolution.  macro evolution is more theory, microevolution more proven.  it is happening.  watched a ted talk not long ago and the topic of human evolution came up.  not distant evolution, current.  the speaker mentioned how arrogant we humans are to believe that we are "done" as it were.  we could evolve better or worse.  i happen to think that we are devolving and will thus die out as a species over time.  i often tell people that in industrialized societies with advanced medicine we are becoming survival of the least fit.

 of course, that puts me in a sticky situation with all those who are sunshine and light and every human has the right to live.  i'm not saying i want some mass killing of those who are least fit, but we do have to understand that there will be consequences for the society as a whole.  what impact will it have when a greater percentage of our society is in the less fit category and the more fit will be required to use a great deal of time, energy and money and resources to care for the growing numbers of least fits.

 all of those articles predicting people will live longer and longer.   i work in medicine.  we like to call all these tales of survival miracles and they often are, but the cold hard truth is that many of these miracles and successes will never be able to be productive members of society again or ever.  it's just a fact of percentages.

 i have no answers.  i always have some opinions and my observations.  when the world ends i highly doubt anyone from some other galaxy will be looking at all the refuge and see my little blog and say, wow that one had it right and nobody listened.  haha.

 on most issues in life i find myself not black or white, but grey.  i straddle the fence so much i've got a sore spot on my arse.  there are always two sides and i see points to both of them.

 syria.  overall, i would say i'm against military strikes.  i would like to think there are other ways to send a message to this corrupt regime of societies lack of patience with chemical warfare, but then again...should it just be when they use chemicals that we should object to their horrible treatment of their own people?  do we only protect the other people of the earth if they happen to live on a piece of land that we find useful.  somalia is a mess, rwanda was a killing zone...where were these supreme ethics and morals then? there are so many examples of mass killings where we didn't react or reacted very slowly.  they weren't in a region of interest.    i'm okay with this idea of helping others, but i don't like that we are so selective in whom we should send in the troops for.

 the middle east is just one big bomb waiting to implode.  there is no decision that will result in peace in the middle east.  opinion time again...the other leaders in that region need to stand up and say no more.  there are so many corrupt governments though with other corrupt people waiting to take over if that first corrupt government fails or is ousted.

 watched this dateline tonight. not sure when it first aired, but the story had occurred in somalia, they said it's not had a functional government for over 20 years.  that is just crazy.  the story was on a woman who was kidnapped there when she was trying to do freelance reporting.  she was held captive for over 1 1/2 years, raped, beaten, threatened.  her mother up in canada worked tirelessly trying to negotiate a release.  the amazing thing is that the woman has returned to somalia as an aid worker this time. she wants to help the women.  i think partly because when she and her partner managed to escape briefly a somali woman tried to protect her from being captured and held on to her while the kidnappers dragged her back.

 people can survive the unsurvivable. we are all stronger than we know.

 on that note a man given over a thousand years for his crimes in kidnapping 3 young women and holding them captive for years has killed himself in prison. the women held strong through their terrible captivity.  he was weak and scared and couldn't cope with what he, himself, had done to others.  well, only part of what he'd done.  his captivity was no doubt much more humane and civil than what he did to those poor women.

 my first two nights of work were in the adult icu and i had fairly busy assignments both nights, different assignments, but busy.  my last night i was put on call.  since i'm on call for the entire hospital at that point really, i doubted i would be home long.  i wasn't.  i was called in to be a sitter for a patient.

 i was at least more prepared this time than the last time i was a sitter so it was more pleasant.  still quite a lot of money to be paid to sit in a room as i was on overtime.  it is strange though, when the primary nurse finds out you are a nurse, they just abdicate their role as nurse to you.  i never get report on these patients and i also don't give report on them.  i've had nurses as sitters for my patients in the past and i never just handed that patient over.  i was grateful to have help as i think a few times i was giving tons of blood products so it was helpful to have a nurse to check blood with.  i did my own assessments and charting though.  so it's just odd to me.  it was a totally easy/stable patient, but still.

 was nice to be home a bit and to get paid overtime wages for my regular shift.  no complaints really.  got caught up on my nat geo reading and played some games. a favorite game, ski safari, had added a panda run. sadly, i was unable all night to hear the sounds that go with it.  they have such fun details so i just had to wake up and play it with the volume back on.  they have a panda, a red panda and llama i think it is and a crane instead of a bald eagle. too funny.  i do find these silly games and apps have made waiting for things a snap. if i find myself in a line now i just pull out the phone and play a few games...soon i'm at the front of the line.

 it's all mentally stimulating and great for hand/eye coordination.  good to keep your brain active in a variety of  ways.

 a few from potters marsh. actually saw a pair of swans.  the reverse migration is begining.

 not much comfort to read that japan will attempt to contain the nuclear contamination by building an ice wall down 100 feet.  nuclear electricity is great except for all the nuclear mess and waste.  disasters that can't be contained make me even less of a fan.  this ice wall is going to cost at least 470 million dollars...crazy.  the stuff we spend our money on in this world.

 talkeetna's mayor, stubbs the cat, is slowly recovering.  he's been busy using up his 9 lives.  i do love an orange cat though.

 another bit of news...i love these tiny blips of news that nobody really ever really hears about.  over 8000 women in india were killed over dowry issues/crimes.  8000....but no chemical weapons were used...well acid is a chemical and it's used on women across the globe.

 in cold states people often have plugs coming out of the front of their cars and not because the car is electric.  a friend was telling me they'd moved to the southwest and one day they were pulled over by a police officer.  the guy was very suspicious of that plug.  wasn't buying her block heater story.  haha.  soon we will be plugging in again here.  we are supposed to plug in when it gets below 20.  that or just take the time to warm the car or drive slowly for the first bit you are out there.

 love when the rich and famous claim their marriages are just fine despite being seperated.  how far we are all willing to lie to protect our tale of perfect lives.

 my phone started acting up the other day.  it's always a bit stressful trying to sort out the technology and get it fixed.  it's more daunting for some of us than others.  in the end, i just had to simply turn the dang thing off and back on.  all fixed.  not sure if that makes me a pessimist that i assume the worst anytime anything stops working right.

 a house across the street has been on the market for some time.  the sign is still out front but it appears someone is there.  i noticed a harley repair shop sign out front.  at first i thought they were actually opening a harley repair shop and just renting the place.  now i suspect that they sell those harley signs at harley stores and that the person just likes motorcycles.  there have been several out there.  immediately, i hoped that this would not mean that i would be hearing the roar of harley engines all day while i attempted to sleep.  ran into another neighbor and he seemed suspicious of the new one. i didn't have the heart to tell him i'd been a bit suspicious of him when he first came to the hood. the little old lady that had lived there was sweet and had tended her garden meticulously.  he pulled out the plants that she'd put in. i think they are more into edible than flowers.

 the old homeowners had put in a tree out front across the street and protected it carefully from the moose each year.  that got ripped out the other day.  i'm sure the people that lived in my place before me were better with their garden and that people were suspicious of me when i first moved in as well.  that is the nature of it all.  eventually, we all settle in to the new folks.  well, unless they turn out to be really creepy.  in this neighborhood it seems to be the men that are all chatty with each other.  engines and home repair kind of conversations i think.  i do know that we all live pretty close and if there was the big earthquake, everyone seems like they'd be helping out everyone else.

 big 7.0 quake hit the aleutians last week.  no damage or injuries and no big tsunami warnings.  they've had some good rockers since then though as well.

 these are still from potters marsh and then potter to mchugh which i walked a small portion of the same day i hit girdwood for mushroom shots.

 as i drove back and forth for walks and the wedding party i did see beluga's out there.  never close enough  to get off a good photo, but that is a beluga.  their numbers haven't been good for years in the area, but you do see them out there some days.  i kept seeing them as i drove along.  the water was a bit choppy too so you are wondering if you are seeing whales or just whitecaps.  clearly they were whales though.  always fun to spy them

 and of course, i never tire of seeing these big guys out there.  they will soon be congregating for the rut.

 and back to mushrooms, these in kincaid park.

 i've nearly run out of words.

 good looking moose.  guess i'll pack tomorrow for my roadie.  want to call and see if i can find a dog room or two to crash in.  hmmm.....i'm terrible at these trips as it's good to leave some sort of itinerary with someone but i can't even decide on what trail i'm walking often until i'm driving around town.  let alone selecting a road and destination.  if i can get a room at the hostel for me and the dogs i'll maybe head that way. hit denali, come back sleep in the hostel and then take off sunday to drive the denali highway.  or i could drive the other way.  go down to valdez, camp there and then cross over and see if i can stay in the hostel sunday night.  or i'll drive until i'm too tired and just set up the tent or sleep crammed in the element with the dogs. either way i'll go prepared to tent it and camp out.

 i think i'm finally tiring of mushrooms for the season.  whew...til next year, right?

 each year, each season has it's own character.  even winter which one would think is just cold and dark has it's own personality.  last year we got early snow, then cold weather which made for great ice photo's. other years there is ice fog that drops in often.  or another year we may be loaded down with snow.

 these are in the bog, which is where i went again today.

 no moose sightings out there today.  saw a few blue jays, that was as exotic as it got. i was so slow getting my day started.

 those 3 nights are tiring.  no doubt more so than they were when i was younger.  i just need a bit more catch up sleep.

 i'll crash soon and then try to make myself get moving so i can go play.  always love the fall colours and i do love a drive.

 these greens won't last long. every day i walk it's all changed.

 go pay a few bills and then off to bed. started to watch a netflix last night before the phone rang and it was work.  boo hoo. i'd just decided to go lay down and try to nap.  oh well.  that is how it goes.  i am building up my vacation and sick time a bit faster.

i've no more opinions for the night...well i always have them but i've shared enough.  have a good one.