I'm Here!

I arrived in Anchorage one week ago and began settling into my new home. It is a very small studio but is full of light and the view is as wonderful as I remember. My place is perfect for one person...I'm so glad I found it! Right now the tide in the inlet is going out at a fair clip, carrying with it large amounts of ice, there are low clouds over the Alaska Range and there is activity at the rail yard.

My commute time to work varies, depending on whether I go swimming in the morning or not. If I don't, it takes me less than 10 minutes to get to the gate at Elmendorf AFB and 10 more to my building. If I decide to go swimming I have to add 10 minutes to the commute because I have to enter the base through a 24-hour gate.

I'm having a lot of new experiences, primarily due to working at a military base. First of all, I've never been called ma'am so much in my life! Also, every morning at 7:00 a.m. (0700, for those using military time-speak) revelry is played over base loudspeakers and people are supposed to stop what they're doing and "take a moment". People are even supposed to pull over to the side of the road and stop driving! I experienced one day when I was on base at 7:00 and at 5:00 p.m. (wink...1700)when the National Anthem was played. It's actually kind of a cool tradition.

I'm learning the lay of the Anchorage and am look forward to heading out of town next weekend. This weekend, though, after all the activity in my life over the last several months, I'm staying home to catch up on sleeping, reading and cooking.