It's been a while since I've written a blog post. One of the downsides to being a janitor is that I don't get a chance to get online during the day.
My body feels quite a bit different down here. Because of the cold, my muscles are a lot stiffer than they normally are, even when I've been inside for several hours. We have a fifteen-minute stretch break every morning as part of our work schedule specifically to avoid muscle injuries. Some of the more common types of injuries come from muscles being pulled because people are used to being able to move in certain ways that they can no longer do down here.
Also, I'm finding that my energy level for being social has dropped. It's not that I don't want to see people at all, but hanging out with others seems to take a lot more energy out of me here. It's as if my body has gone into a sort of semi-hibernation mode, and it's unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I'm hoping that I'll feel a bit more energized as it warms up (relatively speaking). We had a high of nine degrees Fahrenheit yesterday. That's the warmest it's been since I got here and boy did it feel good. :) Never thought nine degrees would feel so fantastic.
The sun is staying up longer and longer each day. By the time I'm in bed by 10pm, twilight is still visible and the suns already up when I get up at 6:30am. In less than a month, the sun will be up permanently. I'm excited about it since I love sunlight, but the folks who've been here before say that it can be a bit disruptive to one's sleep schedule and that it's really strange to leave the bar at midnight and step into full sunlight. It'll be interesting, that's for sure.
So, I promised more photos and then my external hard drive went bonkers on me. I managed to have one of the IT guys fix it and he recovered all my files, but they're completely out of order and I haven't found the photos yet, so I promise photos as soon as I find them. I've ordered another hard drive to back things up just in case this one fails. It appears that electronics have difficulty adapting to the cold weather here just as much as people do.
Wow! You're havin' a heat wave! Nine degrees, imagine that! You could send some of that cold air up here if you want. It's supposed to be 90 here tomorrow - in Colorado and it's almost October. That's just _wrong_. Hope you get to feeling better soon.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Bev in Boulder
I'll never forget the trip I went on to Alaska in the summer during high school. It was dark for about 2 hours a night, IIRC. What I do remember is all of us coming in from playing outside to discover that it was almost midnight, and we had no idea it had gotten that late. It was definitely weird, and our sense of time was *definitely* off.
ReplyDeleteHi Guys!!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting - about the muscles and stretching, etc. ... what temperature is your indoor living environment? Is it going outside from work to home that has its affect on you .... or can you just sense the outside temp all the time? Or is it air pressure...
Did my package arrive safely?? I was hoping it would be on the September 23rd flight.... I'm back in Wisconsin now......
Be safe and have fun with the added sunshine!
Big hugs to you both.............. Bette
Oh, I can imagine the hibernation mode you are describing. I was in Fairbanks, Alaska for only 1 week during the winter solstice and all I wanted to do was sleep or lie around. It was surprising how huge the impact of the light and temperature changes were. If you don't have them available to you up there, you should have someone in your family mail you "Full Spectrum" lightbulbs to put in your light fixtures in your dorm & if possible where you are working. They really make a difference! Janine
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