Burying the Needle in Tok Alaska

Yesterday…

Me: How cold is it this morning?

Husband: I think it is 60 below.

Me: Think? Did you check?

Husband: I did but the needle is buried.

Me: Under snow?

Husband: No. Haven’t you ever heard the expression “Bury the needle?”

Me: Err…no.

Husband: Oh, you must not have been a teenage boy in Montana.

Me: Not that I know of.

Husband: You know, racing your dad’s Pontiac and getting up past 120 miles per hour. It only went up to 120. If you went past that, you were burying the needle.

Me: Is it colder than 60 below?

Husband: Could be. It buried the needle.

Oh, My Aching Gigabytes

In only 6 days I’m already at nearly 3 Gigs into my bandwidth allowance.

At $30 per gig over my 10 Gig limit, I’m already seeing that I will have to change my evil bandwidth hogging ways if I’m going to keep my Internet access bill under control.

Any tips? Advice? Can I get someone’s unused bandwidth allowances like carbon offsets?

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What To Do in Tok When It is Nearing 50 Below Zero

Here is an example of what kids do in Tok when it is too cold to go outside…

Here’s an example of what grownups should NOT do when it is nearing 50 below…

…that is, don’t leave your wine stash in the pickup truck outside in the winter in Tok…

Twitter Talk: Weather in Tok Alaska

That should read “plugs” in at office. No pugs involved.

Big Breakfasts at Fast Eddy’s

The buzz around town is that the only place to eat is Fast Eddy’s. Of course, it isn’t the ONLY place to eat. There is one other place – The Grumpy Griz Cafe. But supposedly they allow smoking. And you get more for your money at Fast Eddy’s. That’s just the word on the street. I’ll check it out for myself at some point. But until then, I have to agree you get a lot of food for your money at Fast Eddy’s!

Tok Alaska on Facebook!

Gearing up to become the Social Media Capital of the World, Tok Alaska is now on Facebook. Become a fan!

Wining in Tok, Alaska

Listen to the Utterli

As the temperatures dip, I’m trying not to whine. Stocking up on some wine & other beverages so we don’t have to go out in the cold in search of a drink.

Post Office Talk: The Weather

“It’s going to get pretty cold this weekend.”

“Really? How much?”

“About 50 below.”

“Yeah, that’s cold.”

“We’ve been lucky. It’s been pretty warm at 20 below.”

Tok General Store

Stopped into the Tok General Store for the first time – after picking up two days worth of mail from the Post Office. Note to self: Postman doesn’t bring the mail to your home anymore!

I love the Tok General Store! Francine, the proprietor, is a vegetarian (yes, in rural Alaska!) and has a thoughtfully selected array of veggie and healthy foods, condiments, and cooking products. I felt right at home seeing all the brand names I know and recognize. And her prices seemed incredibly reasonable, especially after seeing the heavily marked up prices on Costco-purchased goods at the grocery store.

Francine’s daughter is an artist. I’ll be sure to profile her on this blog soon. She makes lovely ceramics, and I was coveting one of her huge moose head paintings ($399). I’m determined to buy more art from Alaska artists and have a substantial collection in the next few years.

I’ll also see if Francine would like to be profiled. She was telling me about coming to Tok in ‘91 as a nurse at the clinic and then one day having the idea of opening a general store. She says she had no business experience but told her husband about the idea and he ran with it. The next thing she knew, she had a store. She has seen her ups and downs – the more recent down was an attempt to add a deli to her shop – but she just keeps going at it.

Now all she needs is a little espresso drink stand and some free wifi, and I’ll be hanging out there every day!

First Day in Tok

It says 40 below

Busy first day in Tok. Woke up to 40 degrees below. Moving van had a frozen engine so the movers were late getting to the house (ended up getting a heater and warming up the oil pan to get it started).

Fast Eddy's, Tok, Alaska

Went for breakfast at Fast Eddy’s but it was 11:30am and the kitchen had switched over to lunch. So had to get out of my “breakfast state of mind” and go for something else – salad bar. Then we headed to the grocery store – Three Bears Grocery – for eggs, milk, and such. All the cars and trucks were left running outside the store.

Three Bears, Tok, Alaska

We recently met the manager of the Costco on Dimond in Anchorage who said that Three Bears, by far, is their very best customer. We recognized many of the items on the shelves but not the prices. This isn’t your urban Costco, baby. Welcome to rural Alaska! Then it was to the Post Office to confirm our PO Box, get some change of address postcards (yes, I procrastinated on that one), and purchase some postcard stamps. Felt like we met half the town at the post office but that is pretty typical in a small town – everyone sees everyone at the post office.

Post Office, Tok, Alaska

And everyone sees everyone driving around town when they do get out of their houses and drive around. In fact, my husband’s friend who has lived in Tok for several years saw our truck at the post office and stopped in to say hello. Next we headed to the AP&T (Alaska Power and Telephone) offices to pick up my wireless modem for my DSL connection. Finally, we headed back to the house and it was already starting to get darker, and it wasn’t even 3pm.