Squarebanks

I don't know why Fairbanks is sometimes referred to as Squarebanks - maybe it's one of those nicknames that a person uses without any clue as to it's real meaning or origin. Anyway, I use it (maybe I am the only one that does...) and in a loving way.

Fairbanks is a great place, a little cold in the winter, but, nonetheless a grand place to live. Now, there are certainly people that would care not to live in Fairbanks and that's fine. Many people who live in Fairbanks would probably not care to live where those other people would.

To those brave souls who would desire to live in Fairbanks I have a few thoughts to pass on based on my recent experiences there. Fairbanks is cold and dark in the winter and hot and bright in the summer - its akin to a town with a bi-polar seasonal disorder. It had already begun dipping to twenty below zero at night last week while I was visiting - not to far out of whack from the historical perspective - but maybe just a tad. In any case I think the secret to coping with living in Fairbanks is dealing with the winter - that's been my experience anyway.

1) It's gonna be dark in the winter months. Get outside in the sunshine whenever possible. No, get outside period - dark or light. Just do it. (The northern lights can be pretty spectacular during those dark hours.) And, if you can afford it and/or need it, purchase a quality "sun" lamp and use it daily - it makes a difference.

2) It's gonna get COLD. Prepare for it. Purchase a down jacket with a ruff and use it. Spend the little extra money to get the quality cold weather gear and get a warm hat! If possible, use a garage for the vehicle and outfit the vehicle with extra warm clothes, survival gear, engine warming accessories, and an auto start if you can afford it.

3) Be social. Get involved with activities outside of work (and don't work all hours of the winter day!). There are many activities through churches, clubs, organizations, etc., for which to become active. Or, if you have kids, get them involved in something. Don't sit around at night and watch TV - just killing brain cells doing that!

4) Get out of the house. By this I mean be outdoorsy, get involved with activities, get together with friends for card games, or simply go out to eat and to a movie with friends, family, or your spouse. Don't let the cold and dark limit your thinking about getting out of the house - just prepare for it.

5) Plan to do things on the weekends or your days off that involve something other than cleaning the house or catching up on bills. Get something in your schedule to look forward to.

6) Get outside. Yeah, so I mentioned this a couple times already. I think it is important enough to mention again. Just get outside - I don't care if it is thirty degrees below zero - just do it. Go hop on a snowmachine (okay, maybe not at thirty below), take a walk, or just a drive on a sunny day, get and stay active.

So, those are thoughts off the top of my head on how to make it through the Fairbanks winter. Summer is awesome. If you have a problem with the Fairbanks summer (besides the mosquitoes and wildfire smoke) then it really is time to consider moving. I don't know of a better place to be in the summer than in the Interior of Alaska. Yeah, I know Fairbanks is lacking mountains, but Denali Park is only two short hours south and there are the White Mountains only an hour northeast or so.

In any case I had been thinking such thoughts for the past year - you know, if ever I found myself living again in Fairbanks, what would I do differently or not do differently. Well, those points were some of my thoughts on the subject I suppose.

So, if you haven't gathered presently that I spent this past week in Fairbanks, well, then, that's where I was. The main thrust of the trip was to check in with work and then to follow up visiting a number of friends including my younger brother.

The week went very well and all points accomplished that were intended at the onset of the trip. The most important point being that I informed by boss and former coworkers that I would not be returning to work following this leave-with-out-pay period that is set to end shortly. Thus, this was simply an "official" resignation.

There are no second thoughts about this decision. I believe it to be the right decision and have a peace about this decision and the future it will bring. And so, with this decision and the recent PE test behind me, I now set off for an undetermined future...