Teens are the same everywhere

So I was walking back home last night after being at one of our 2 local stores and I started contemplating something as a 4-wheeler roared past me with one of my high school students driving.  Teen drivers are all the same no matter where you are.  Little back information.  I am living in a rural Alaska village with no streets.  Not even dirt roads.  We live on a system of boardwalks.  It is nice here, and the kids are cool.  But teens will be teens.  And all the teens here ride like maniacs.  This is not me saying that this is isolated to here.  My last village had dirt roads and the teens there drove like maniacs too.  be fore that I was in Minnesota in the suburbs and the teens drove like maniacs as well.  Basically what I am saying is that American teens are American teens no matter where they live.  They can be a huge pain in the butt and make us anxious because of some of their behavior, but they are teens none the less and we need to remember that at one point in our lives, we were maniacs too.

Smelly Day

I work with teenagers, and teenage boys are a pretty dirty bunch.  I don't mean in their minds I mean physically they are smellier than the girls.  Part of growing up right?  So the place I am working and living had to shut off the water so they could make repairs to the water line or something and we have no water for showers, for the day at least.  And needless to say I am not really looking forward to the added funk that the adults are going to bring into work.  I have a feeling that today is going to be a day when I can see the body odor in the air.  In my mind, with an over active imagination for a 43 year old man, it is going to be a green/brown cloud that just lingers near the ceilings in the halls only to descend momentarily to catch those who have their mouth open unawares.  I can taste the foul smell now and it is gross.  So please, think of me today as you take a nice warm shower (take that how you want ), or wash your hands or do anything where you don't have to smell the overwhelming odor of unwashed teenagers and adults.

It has been a long time

So it has been years since I have tried this blogging thing, and a lot has changed.  I no longer live in Minnesota. My family and I moved to Alaska, and we love it.  I work away from my family and only really see them 3 months out of the year.  right now where I am it is rainy and grey and a little depressing, but not a bad life I live.  I get to hunt and be outside.  I can concentrate on my work, which thankfully is no longer retail.  And I can sit back and contemplate life.  And a lot has happened since leaving Minnesota.  My wife and I struggled with our relationship, but we worked a lot out and are happy.  We both found God, and he was not hiding behind a couch.  I was at one pint over 340 pounds and am down to 230ish.  I work with kids, I coach wrestling and I try to make a difference.  I miss my wife and kids quite a bit and I want to write a book, but for the life of me I cannot come up with any good ideas.  I am hoping that by writing here again that something in my brain will finally come together and I can make this happen.  So here I am sitting at work on a Sunday so I can use the interwebs.  I don't have access at home and I'm okay with that for the most part.  I get to walk outside for a moment and take in the fresh air and I get to connect with old friends, and some new ones.  I hope that I can continue to write and use my life to come up with amusing and informative stories.

Since this is the Book According to Dad, let me give you an update.  The 15 year old is in High School.  She likes it so I am happy.  The 11 year old is in 6th grade.  She is happy so I am happy.  The 9 year old is home schooled because there are some mean little girls out there who took great pleasure in her pain.  She is happy now and for that I am happy and thankful.  I try to impart my knowledge of random things on them, but being 700 miles away it is sometimes difficult.  Right no the 9 year old is the only one who will talk with me on a regular basis, and I get that.  My wife seems happy, but being a single mom can't be easy and someday I hope we can all live as a family.  In the meantime I live and work in the bush and they live on the road system.  Only 2.5 months until I see them.  it is hard but I know we can do it.