Misanthropy Abroad: Alaska

Wow, well that was fun. Well not so much, but it was different. Having done a whirlwind tour of Alaska I have a couple of things to say.

• The whole midnight sun thing, kind of weird. You get a predawn light at about 2am but that's as good as it gets for night.
• The lack of sales tax means that things are incredibly expensive. Over three hundred dollars for a two day car rental (a Ford Focus for Christ's sake).
• Brides really can do just about whatever they want. This includes coming into your room at 3am, falling on top of you while you sleep saying how much she loves you (thankfully the woman sharing my bed is the understanding type).
• Also a very important lesson. Get your wedding commissioner to sign the marriage certificate before you feed him copious amounts of Budweiser. Failure to do so will result in:
• 1. Signing his name in the wrong spot (though to be fair he did ask the Bride where to sign).
• 2. Writing his title in the wrong spot (see excuse number one).
• 3. Signing his title alternately as "marriage commissar", "marriage commissionar" and finally "marriage commissioner".
• 4. Spilling a whole bottle of Budweiser on two out of the three marriage forms, including the legal one.
• If you think about refraining from taking camouflaged hunting clothing for fear of being seen as white trash, don't. You will be the only person without it on.
• If you are ever stuck at the Seattle airport from 3-6am don't try to sleep near a water fountain as they think it is cute to have loud drinking noises play over a speaker every time some one takes a drink.

That's about it. The two books I read on the way up and back gave me some interesting material which struck me as I listened to the Strawb's "The Hangman and the Papist". But that will have to wait until later this week.