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So. I got shot in the head with a paintball today. Someone shot one through my car window while I was driving– it just missed my head and splattered on the inside of the opposite window. Should I report it to the police, do you think? I didn't get hurt (though I did feel it whoosh just over my head) and I don't have a description of the person who did it, but it was still sort of scary. In Albuquerque you'd get hit by a stray bullet before you'd get hit with a paintball, so Fairbanks is still a safer place to live. You know, except for the rampant moose and bears and all that.

Remember the apartment we were looking at? We got it. Yay! We will move this weekend. I am nowhere near ready. I have lots and lots of packing and cleaning to do. But the apartment is fantastic. It has…a heated garage. A washer and dryer. A dishwasher. A yard. A big walk-in closet. And……a really big sunken tub. It's awesome, really. We are all set for furniture except for a couch. Beanbag chairs, anyone? I can probably make us some big floor pillows in the meantime, since I do work at a fabric store.

Maybe this is too much news for one post, but I also got offered the camp director position for the Girl Scout camp I've worked at for the last two summers. I was a little hesitant about taking it, since it means, you know, being in charge. I think I can do it, though. I get officially hired on Wednesday. The former director is going to help me though the paperwork like hiring and registrations, and I think (foolishly, maybe) that the camp will run itself OK as long as it's staffed well. The other aide in my classroom is going to be my program director. She's really cretive and lots of fun, and I'm going to leave all of the special events planning up to her. I'll just have to take care of staff issues and dealing with parents and difficult kids and scheduling and everything else. Piece of cake.

Things show no time of slowing down anytime soon. We're trying to plan a road trip for August, but it's looking like pure insanity until then. It's good insanity, though. I think. It's almost May and 60 degrees out, how could I be anything but happy? Happy Monday!

I just worked the crap shift at the fabric store, redraping and organizing hundreds of bolts of fabric by color. Lucky me, I got to reorganize the hideous, sparkly "prom" fabric, and now I have glitter all over me. Eww. I have to admit that the sections I worked on do look better. I will cry when I see them completely disorganized and messy on Wednesday, I'm sure.

As luck would have it, I'm working on Wednesday when we have our visit from the corporate regional manager. Apparently I'll be asked about our silly corporate BS. And, if I provide a good answer I get a little pin shaped like scissors. I am so out of there at the end of May. (But it has been nice being able to actually pay my bills, so no more complaining.) Also, last night the closing manager had a big crusty hanging out of her nose and I didn't tell her.

We (ooh, did I say we?) are looking for an apartment. It is so hard to find decent apartments here. Nice one bedrooms run around $800 or $900 a month, assuming you want amenities like, I don't know, plumbing? I guess that is pretty reasonable by like, Manhattan standards, but you'd think life in the frozen boonies would be a little less costly. We found a really nice one and will find out tomorrow if we get it. I won't write any more about it, though, since I don't want to jinx it. Cross your fingers for us, anyway.

The snow is almost gone, except in shady places and really big snowbanks. I need to go get my snow tires taken off, which means fishing my regular tires out from under my house. It's muddy down there. The road to my house is no longer a slushy nightmare. Now it's just muddy and full of potholes, but really not too bad. On good days I can go maybe 20 mph. Must sleep now.

Whew. I just spent the last hour and a half filing my taxes online. Last year I owed like $700, so I put it off until the very last minute– using the ostrich strategy because I was worried I would owe a bunch of money again. This year I am getting $161.00 back- hoorah. Turbo tax is great. I'm a total moron with money and I can use it. I declared all of my moving expenses and classroom expenses, and I'm certain that's why I didn't owe more. Hey, at least that's over for another year.

The road to my house is an absolute abomination to all roads everywhere (and I drove the Alaska Highway). It is so soggy and slushy and icy I couldn't turn out of a skid without getting into another one. It's been in the 50's (! people are wearing shorts! it feels hot!) and all of the ice is melting. That would be 6 months worth of ice and snow. Our playground is a slushy wet mess, and the kids come inside with dripping mittens and pants that get soggy through their snow gear. Time to bust out the rain boots! There is no spring in Alaska– we call this "breakup."

Ironically, since I didn't get around to posting them earlier, here are the pictures from the ice park.

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