Susan Orlean coming to AK!

ADDITION TO POST (Jan. 17): I had to add this. Reading "The Orchid Thief," I decided to YouTube a couple things including, Chief Jim Billie. He was Chief of the Seminole tribe at the time Orlean was investigating the story. She mentioned he played in a band. YES, he did and this video is captivating! Ha!

CHIEF JIM BILLIE


ORIGINAL POST: Author and staff writer for The New Yorker, Susan Orlean will be in Alaska to speak at the Alaska Press Club Conference March 31 to April 2.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from her book, "The Orchid Thief."

‎"I was starting to believe that the reason it matters to care passionately about something is that it whittles the world down to a more manageable size."

"I would argue that it might be easier to endure loneliness than to endure the idea that you might disappear." - Susan Orlean

Listen 'til the end.

ANDREW NORSWORTHY

Insure this man!

When I woke up this morning and read Julia O'Malley's "Alfredo's last drive" in the Anchorage Daily News, I got a little spritz of inspiration. I need to write more!

This story is one your mom would want to smack you for writing if Alfredo was your neighbor. Probably because you should mind your own business or some nonsense.

I've fallen in love with Alfredo in the last ten minutes. No wonder his lady, Pacita, has been with him for 52 years.

Julia, thank you for this honest story.

Scratch that back!

TEACH ME HOW TO PANDA

Check out my new blade!

SCRIMSHAW POCKET KNIFE
Linda Layden of Maine has been creating Scrimshaw in the traditional manner for over 3o years. I bought this knife from her collection on etsy. It is made of bone and nickel silver.

I've got this crazy love for scrimshaw ever since I talked with some kids in Tatitlek, Alaska about it at Cultural Heritage Week.

Alaska Glacial Mud Co.

SLIDESHOW

Alaska Glacial Mud Co. from Rosey Robards on Vimeo.

I sat down with Lauren at Orca Bookstore in Cordova, AK and she told me about her lil' mud company. Inspiring!

Definition of the week: Discombobulate

As in: Karen just returned to work from a two-week vacation and she is all discombobulated.

Discombobulate
From m-w.org

Main Entry: dis·com·bob·u·late
Pronunciation: \ˌdis-kəm-ˈbä-b(y)ə-ˌlāt\
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): dis·com·bob·u·lat·ed; dis·com·bob·u·lat·ing
Etymology: probably alteration of discompose
Date: circa 1916

: upset, confuse

— dis·com·bob·u·la·tion \-ˌbä-b(y)ə-ˈlā-shən\ noun