WWTBAM Bored

My third son and his wife have been living with us since they had problems at the apartment that they had been renting (you may recall I mentioned that she had been mugged twice in one week). Well, they may be moving out shortly, heading for Alaska. Evidently they applied for jobs with one of the cruise lines online and without so much as an interview, they were told that they were "in the pool" for jobs. They received word yesterday that if they are selected, they'll be going to Tok, AK to work in housekeeping (DIL) or food service (son). Of course there is the possibility that one might be chosen and the other not - unlike the situation with elwing and me, I don't think it would be good for them to be separated for five months.

The office is amazingly empty this morning - but that's because there are several "delivery teams" meeting to deal with various issues. One group of four is working on issues relating to an upcoming inspection (in June), another is working on closing out old contract actions. Now if the reporting system that I use can be brought up and working (there have been "performance issues" ever since the last upgrade two weeks ago) then I can get caught up on my work.

What's up with all the elves suddenly wanting to move to Alaska?

And is this really the career paths they want to take? I had to check Google Maps to see where Tok is. (The answer: in the middle of nowhere on the Alaska Highway.) Being isolated like that, and involved in jobs that aren't as sociable as the tour guide one elwing was interested it...it makes me go "Hmmmm."

And zooming in on the satellite image of Tok is interesting. For being in the middle of nowhere, it's a major intersection, with the highway to Anchorage meeting the Alaska Highway (which continues on to Fairbanks) there. And they seem to have an impressive grid of local streets, but those blocks are very sparsely populated with buildings. Hmmmm, again.

MarleysGh0st wrote:What's up with all the elves suddenly wanting to move to Alaska?

Not all - I'm quite content to remain in Rivendell.

MarleysGh0st wrote:And is this really the career paths they want to take? I had to check Google Maps to see where Tok is. (The answer: in the middle of nowhere on the Alaska Highway.) Being isolated like that, and involved in jobs that aren't as sociable as the tour guide one elwing was interested it...it makes me go "Hmmmm."

I've been to Tok - it was one of the stops on our last cruse/tour and I know how much "out of the way" it is even though it's at the intersection of two major Alaskan highways. And no, this isn't the career path they would choose but it's a chance for them to get away, see a new part of the country, and it's only temporary anyway (May through September).

MarleysGh0st wrote:And zooming in on the satellite image of Tok is interesting. For being in the middle of nowhere, it's a major intersection, with the highway to Anchorage meeting the Alaska Highway (which continues on to Fairbanks) there. And they seen to have an impressive grid of local streets, but those blocks are very sparsely populated with buildings. Hmmmm, again.

Not to mention that there are five different explanations for the town's name's origin.

earendel wrote:And no, this isn't the career path they would choose but it's a chance for them to get away, see a new part of the country, and it's only temporary anyway (May through September).

OK. I still think there'd be more interesting places in Alaska to find a summer job like that, though.

Are they big on camping, fishing, etc?

MarleysGh0st wrote:

earendel wrote:And no, this isn't the career path they would choose but it's a chance for them to get away, see a new part of the country, and it's only temporary anyway (May through September).

OK. I still think there'd be more interesting places in Alaska to find a summer job like that, though.

Are they big on camping, fishing, etc?

Maybe they want to check out the state bird.......the mosquito.

MarleysGh0st wrote:

earendel wrote:And no, this isn't the career path they would choose but it's a chance for them to get away, see a new part of the country, and it's only temporary anyway (May through September).

OK. I still think there'd be more interesting places in Alaska to find a summer job like that, though.

Are they big on camping, fishing, etc?

Not the least little bit.

earendel wrote:

MarleysGh0st wrote:

earendel wrote:And no, this isn't the career path they would choose but it's a chance for them to get away, see a new part of the country, and it's only temporary anyway (May through September).

OK. I still think there'd be more interesting places in Alaska to find a summer job like that, though.

Are they big on camping, fishing, etc?

Not the least little bit.

Then what are they planning to do with their time off in Tok?

MarleysGh0st wrote:

earendel wrote:

MarleysGh0st wrote: OK. I still think there'd be more interesting places in Alaska to find a summer job like that, though.

Are they big on camping, fishing, etc?

Not the least little bit.

Then what are they planning to do with their time off in Tok?

They are a young married couple who will be working 10 hour days during the cruise season, and if it is like most crew accommodations, they will barely have enough room to turn around in the cabin. What do YOU think they will do with their time off

a1mamacat wrote:
They are a young married couple who will be working 10 hour days during the cruise season, and if it is like most crew accommodations, they will barely have enough room to turn around in the cabin. What do YOU think they will do with their time off

Knit?

silvercamaro wrote:

a1mamacat wrote:
They are a young married couple who will be working 10 hour days during the cruise season, and if it is like most crew accommodations, they will barely have enough room to turn around in the cabin. What do YOU think they will do with their time off

Knit?

Is that what the kids call it these days.

silvercamaro wrote:

a1mamacat wrote:
They are a young married couple who will be working 10 hour days during the cruise season, and if it is like most crew accommodations, they will barely have enough room to turn around in the cabin. What do YOU think they will do with their time off

Knit?

Celebrian (the DIL) is into crocheing, not knitting. I'm not sure they've given any thought to the free time issue - both of them are big into World of Warcraft, but they won't have a computer up there to be able to play. They have talked about buying a cheap car and driving to Tok, so they'd have transportation on their days off, but that's just talk at this point.

ulysses5019 wrote:

silvercamaro wrote:

a1mamacat wrote:
They are a young married couple who will be working 10 hour days during the cruise season, and if it is like most crew accommodations, they will barely have enough room to turn around in the cabin. What do YOU think they will do with their time off

Knit?

Is that what the kids call it these days.

I thought that was called Sploofusing?

And while they may, indeed, have a cabin in Tok, I think it's far enough away from the ocean that it won't be a ship cabin, Saucy!

earendel wrote:

silvercamaro wrote:

a1mamacat wrote:
They are a young married couple who will be working 10 hour days during the cruise season, and if it is like most crew accommodations, they will barely have enough room to turn around in the cabin. What do YOU think they will do with their time off

Knit?

Celebrian (the DIL) is into crocheing, not knitting. I'm not sure they've given any thought to the free time issue - both of them are big into World of Warcraft, but they won't have a computer up there to be able to play. They have talked about buying a cheap car and driving to Tok, so they'd have transportation on their days off, but that's just talk at this point.

I think the question was not what you thought the question was.

MarleysGh0st wrote:. . .

And they seem to have an impressive grid of local streets, but those blocks are very sparsely populated with buildings. Hmmmm, again.

That's how the earliest photos of Podunkville look. The house I grew up in would sell for about 25 times what Mom and Dad paid for it. Son and DIL should sink every spare penny into real estate while they're there, then be patient.