Happy Birthday Jake!!

Days Walking - 106

And I thought Anneli was the only weird pill-taker. Shows what I know. Oh, and annoying food habits, don't get me started.

Today is Jake's birthday! He's 24 now, and well on his way to being Over The Hill. He reports that he doesn't feel any older, and that every birthday after the 21st is just a cruel joke.

I have no way to confirm this personally, I'll let you know in a couple of years. There aren't really any benefits to growing older that I can see - though don't you need to be 25 to rent a car? Hmn.

And maybe people take you more seriously. A 20 year old with a dream probably seems ever so twee, where a 30 year old has drive and motivation? Yes, No, I dunno.

We're bad friends - we don't really have any gifts to give or cakes to bake. We really did not plan ahead for celebrations, that's something to consider before we leave Fairbanks. Calculate who's birthday is when and plan for a little cake or stale Twinkie or some such. And some cute little giftee items.

In lieu of cakes and beer and suchlike, we sang to him and cheered and have excluded him from chore rotation for a week. So he doesn't have to cook or carry the damn-ned generator or etc.

Of all the holidays there are, I think birthdays are the best. They celebrate one person, and you can devote proper attention to them. Christmas is such a vague commercial thang. I think a really good birthday present is something thoughtful that furthers a hobby or interest that a person has.

This is a question I should have asked the entomologists we met a while back - why oh why are bugs so attracted to a person's eyes? I'm sure it has nothing to do with people, they're attracted to eyes, be they caribou or human. Adrian suggested that it's the salt in the eye-juices. Mebbe. Anybody know?

To deter the bugs, I've taken to wearing my sunglasses even when I don't need to, which has led to a few spills (aka falling on my ass) because there are times I can't quite see where I'm placing my feet. Maybe I should go back to the ski-goggles of the snowy days. They get really stuffy though, and I get sweaty and irritated.

Mebbe the bugs could be lessened by having a baseball cap with a sticky fly-papery bill. Then when I see A SWARM coming to devour my sultry salty eye juices, I can just bob my head in a 'you die now' nod, and the little pests would get trapped on the bill.

Hmn. But then what do you do with your bug-infested hat at the end of the day? I guess the sticky bill layer could be disposable (peel off with the little plastic tweezers - included in a little pocket) or the whole hat could be like a paper throw-away thing. The latter method is wasteful though.

I've come to notice that every equipment-based decision I make lately takes into account the idea that I will be carrying any and all items both before and after its use, at least until we reach a civilized disposal site. It really plays a role in how we're choosing our gear. "Yeah it's great, but who wants to carry it?" is now a big factor.

I hope to apply this outlook to my life, and the emotional baggage I'll be collecting from each decision. Am I willing to carry it, during and after the moment has passed? There's no sanctioned garbage pail for bad decisions and their repercussions.

Litany Webb, signing off

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