October 15th!

Why is today kind of cool to think about? If you are a "Deadliest Catch" die hard fan like me, you may want to know, the Alaskan King Crab season started today. All our favorite guys left Dutch Harbor today and are on their way out to sea.

What has been a cool thing, a good friend of mine has become friends with the guys on the Time Bandit. She took the picture shown above last summer when the Time Bandit was in Seattle for some major overhaul repairs. I have a picture of her in the captain's chair, and it's kind of weird to look at, I must say. I have pictures of her with all the guys from the Time Bandit as well as the guys from the Cornelia Marie and the Northwestern. But the Time Bandit guys are the ones she has kept in touch with and they have been incredibly nice and gentlemanly to her. Freaky to see her cheek to cheek with Johnathan (of course, with a cigarette in one of his hands)!

I know, none of us will be able to see what is going on now until like February or so when the Discover Channel releases this season's episodes they are filming right now. But I do wish all the crabbers an excellent and safe season!

Thanks AK for the great pictures!

I Played Hooky Today

Tracy and her husband were in town today! Her blog is listed as one of the ones I read. I got to meet her at my favorite coffee hang out in the Albina district (look under "seasonal" for "Van Port?" where I give a brief history of North Portland).

First, Tracy and her hubbie came over to our home to check out our chicken situation. They are considering putting together a little chicken set up and wanted to see ours. Of course, Tracy needed to try on BH's helmet. To her surprise it fit!



Although BH, was definitely not happy that she did that. He had just woken up and hadn't shaken off the grumpies yet.



What a treat! Plus a long time acquaintance joined us. Her name is AR. I know she will read this. I am big on not putting out full names without permission. For anyone who knows me personally, it's kind of fun--AR and I have the same name. Kind of unusual! We don't have a common name.

Anyway, AR and I go way back but truly on a very limited acquaintance level. What a treat to sit and have a light lunch and coffee with her, Tracy and Tracy's husband!

We talked about our national health care crisis, Enron, adoption. Black History month, racial issues, eHarmony.com, church, movies seen recently, playing Pack Rat on facebook.com, jobs, Discovery Channel shows, diet, etc. It was the coolest! Thank you all of you! I had such a wonderful morning, and I will just enjoy the warm fuzzies from it for days to come.

Plus, I am very much hoping that AR and I can ignite our relationship to more than acquaintances. What a treat to meet her and have quality time with her.

I learned more about African American issues. Thank you AR. She grew up in Brooklyn and has stories to tell. She also opened my eyes up more that the racial tension in this country is still pretty tight. Our work in racial equality, safety, and perceptions is not over. Again, what a treat to sit and listen and learn.

Here is the group photo! We had fun. Let's do it again sometime ladies and gentleman!

April 15th....

You have a huge deadline coming and yet, you can wait--yet you can't.

You're so excited!

What is it? Tax day? Schmax day!

The season premiere of "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel!

What is even cooler? The Discovery Channel is putting on marathons of past season's shows. Honestly, if you have never watched this show, I recommend it. King Crab fishing in the Bering Sea of Alaska is the deadliest job on this planet. There is a 100% injury rate. During crab season, an average of one fisherman per week will perish. I know, that is horrible--it's the deadliest job on earth for a reason. Watching these guys work in the most incredible conditions is amazing. They are the toughest breed around.

One of my favorite ships highlighted is the "Northwestern". The brothers who own and operate that ship are the funniest guys. Plus, they come from a long family line of Norwegian fishermen. It's in their blood, and you can see it while they work. It's fascinating.

Last season we got to see one of the highlighted fishing vessels rescue a man who had fallen off of a boat. We also got to see the Coast Guard rescue a man as well. Keep in mind, if you end up in the frigid waters of the Bering Sea, you have moments to live.

Plus, there is levity. The humor of fishermen is right up there with truckers and biker chicks. It's pretty funny. Click here for Discovery Channel's official website. You can also see mini clips from last seasons as well.

So, if you want to see why I am so hooked on it, take a gander at some of past season's shows. It will prime your pump for the fast approaching day.....April 15th.


Can you feel the excitement in the air?

UPDATE: Click here for an article regarding a ship that sank during crab season in the Bering Sea. This is an incredible tragedy and my heart goes out to the men who tried to rescue this man, his family and fellow crew members. This ship was not a part of Discovery Channel's ships they follow.

I want to clarify, I don't watch this show so I can watch tragedy. I watch it to see how amazingly hard these men work, the incredible power of nature in the Bering Sea, and the guts of the men who do this kind of work. It is the most dangerous job on earth and tragedy does happen.

I do hope that from the tragedy above, there are improvements done for the men's "safety suits". They are a type of thermal suit that they can slip on if they realize the boat is sinking. Survival rates increase dramatically if they can be in the water with one of those on. Men have been rescued 24+ hours after falling in the water with those on.