May 8th
Yesterday afternoon while waiting in the coffee shop next to the docks for skippers and phone calls, I ran into a man from Colorado, who is up here in Alaska working as a deck hand. We had a great conversation about life, girls, fishing, travel and everything else. Although much of Alaska is open space where people can get as far away from each other as possible in today’s overpopulated world, there is still a need for human connection and interaction, a very real need to share the lived experience. Human nature seeks validation – “happiness is only real when shared” – as were the famous last written words of the now popular Christopher McCandless. Isn’t that what the Internet is all about – a constant connection between people, even if it is only perceived and not real? We at least feel connected, always able to get in touch with someone, anyone. Maybe that’s what this blog is for me.
I slept in my car last night. Next to the docks I found a 12-hour parking lot and a 30-day parking lot. The car wasn’t very comfortable… I felt like a circus clown. Even if the car was completely gutted it would still be too small for me to completely stretch out, but I was warm.
Today I received a call from a skipper named Dave. One of the deck hands he was going to use this year didn’t work out for a number of reasons. He found my phone number on one of the thousand posters I put all over town and called me to see if I was interested in talking a bit. I’m sure he wants to make sure I’m not a crack-head before he lets me on his boat. I’m going to check out his offer, but trust my gut, and if I don’t think everything is alright I’m going to be out of there quicker than a cockroach when the lights turn on.
Today is my birthday.
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