mostly the ice "museum"/Bar

 it's 2pm and i really should be out and about.  was up sick all night though and still feeling the effects. nothing screams, "you are alone" more than when you are sick.  most of the time i have zero complaints about being the singleton, but when you are sick it  bites...no way around it.

 the "museum" was packed the day we went.  tons of tourists there.  probably a lot of folks came up for the Iditarod restart like we did and made the Chena Hot Springs trek.

 doubtful i would pay money to go a second time, but it's one of those novel things you do once, if you are there i guess.

 mostly feeling weak and the usual cold symptoms now, through night my fever was up to 101.4.  couldn't get warm no matter what i tried.  can't stand having a fever...i'm a wimp when i have a fever.  then the nausea and vomiting started.  mostly just dry heaves, which pisses me off. if you are going to puke...just puke already.  finally at about 6am the heaves got to the level of actually finding something to puke up way down in there.  oh joy!

 i blame it on a patient i had the other night.  she was super dramatic and hacking all over me.  i knew i was going to get whatever bug ailed her.

 i may be a wimp when i'm sick but some of these people i see in the ER who are sick are totally over the top with the drama.  when i compare myself to their histrionics i am pretty mellow.

 all week  in the ER with a break of like 6-7 hours where i was shipped up to PCU to be a sitter.  it was an easy sitting job around nice staff so i got the good end of the deal.  lots of crazies in the ER this week.

 there is this one float travel nurse who drives me nuts.  i would worry it's just me she drives nuts but others have commented on her as well.  she is just loud and yaks and yaks on and on, like she is the only one who has anything to say.  sometimes i think i am just more sensitive to the loud obnoxious person as i live alone but, as i said, she annoys others.  for sure a topper.  always gotta tell her bigger/better story. i find the toppers of the world annoying.  anyway, she was floated down there all week as well.

 thankfully, i was in a different area each time.  it was busy there, but we all got through it. my partner and i had a pregnancy run.  the night before we ended up moving a few patients over to OB triage.

 feeling hungry...that is a good sign.  never quite sure what to eat after a vomiting session.  did i say how much i hate puking? don't get the bulimics of the world.  gotta be pretty desperate to puke on purpose.

 i remember as a young teen feeling quite fat.  first day of gym one year a girl was talking to me.  she pointed out another girl in the class who used to be fat but had apparently lost a bunch of weight.  the technique was described to me.  the girl ate whatever she wanted and then she either threw it back up or she took laxatives and pooped it out.

 i did purchase laxatives at the local store after than conversation. in the end though i tucked them away in a dresser drawer.  it occurred to me that with all that loose stool i may have an embarrassing accident.  i decided shitting my pants would be far worse than just being a bit fat.  the mind of an adolescent, right?

 so thankfully, i avoided that anorexic/bulimic path.  mostly because i was chicken.  i still don't like being overweight.  right now i have a gut on me, which i have actually never had in my life.  when i'm walking i'm trying to at least be more aware and suck in my gut.

 many of this younger generation are overweight and have been overweight their whole lives almost.  usually you have those younger years of having a body worthy of a swimming suit. they don't seem to have many qualms about being overweight, which i guess is a good thing considering how much pressure was on previous generations of girls.

 i do worry about the obesity rates of these kids as they get older.  it was easy for me to maintain over the years until i hit 40 and now 50.  what will happen to these kids when their hormones change?

 me, chunky for me but not as bad as others.  i try not to be too hard on myself about the extra pounds that creep up on me.  that in no way means that i plan on sitting back and doing nothing.  working towards my goals, more for fitness and health reasons now though.  in my earlier years i wanted to lose weight for what was looking back wrong reasons...for other people.

 my mom was overweight and she put a lot of pressure on me to not be overweight.  i think she forgot that she was overweight because she'd had 7 kids in 10 years...that takes a toll on a body.

 doubtful i'll get much exercise in today...still way too weak.  hoping to get my shower and then get the dogs out for a walk though.  it's good to keep walking.  it's a gauge for me.  i will be weak and i may be a bit short of breath but it's still good to get out there.

 a working xylophone...pretty cool to see one made of ice.

 this is the workshop.  they make hundreds of glasses there.  for extra money you can have an apple martini out of an ice martini glass.  my friends had a drink at the bar.  i put their glasses in my yakima for the ride home. with temps of -20 i felt pretty good they would survive the trip. there was some mild meltage but i think they will be able to enjoy a little fun toast this summer in their ice glasses. haha.  

 freshly made glasses

 body is still achy....mostly tired and the usual cold symptoms.  with my bronchitis history, these symptoms can last for weeks.

 have my tickets to Barrow.  not sure what i'm doing over Memorial Day weekend.  have time off but no real plans.  may just cruise with dogs to Homer and some other fun places...just get away.

 didn't plan very well for that i guess.  probably too late to get a cabin anywhere. MW says hello to a sea horse.

 some glasses were made while we were there.

 pretty cool to watch actually.  fast.

 just chiseled out of a chunk of ice.

 what to eat....?  maybe some rice or soup.  those sound pretty tame.  then off to the dog park perhaps.  Blossom really could use some tennis ball time.

 these strange things were all over up north.  something to do with winter temperatures and keeping pipes underground from freezing up i think.

 MW and her Beau in the springs.  it was really relaxing in there.

 a few from the drive back to Anchorage.

 stopped in Nenana for a few minutes.

 bridges and boats

 and of course, it's a train depot

 tomorrow is the last day to buy tickets for the ice classic. you guess when the ice will break up on the river.  i'm guessing it may be earlier this year than later.  i've never bought tickets...perhaps i should this year and start a tradition. if i win i could re roof and re model.  :-)

 that is the tripod that the trigger is on. when this moves is the time that wins.

 the Nenana Ice Classic has gone on for many, many years.

 a marker for the iditarod dogs to follow.  these can be found all the way to Nome.

 cool to have the checkpoint in Nenana!!

 i suspect i'm a bit dehydrated..will have to try and make up for last night.

 hit the bog a few times between shifts, that was the extent of my work week walking.  no moose sightings out there but the trail is basically clear...muddy but clear.

 finding decent trails this time of year is a challenge.

 maybe i'll feel  better after my shower.  we can always do some deck time as it's a beautiful day.  the dogs always love sitting out there.  grab a book and relax...after the walk that may be perfect.

 always good to stop in at the park.

 on the road again.

 sunset right before i got home.

thankful for: A.  hopefully the worst of this bug is behind me.  B.  summer fun in Alaska...no matter what gets planned or not, it's beautiful where ever you roam.  C.  super cool co- workers...