Palmer

September 20, 2010: Earthquake rocks Anchorage, Alaska.

Wow, I haven't felt an earthquake in a while, but we just had a nice one come ripple through. First, a familiar sound that makes you think "Oh crap, we're about to have an 'adjustment'", followed within ten seconds by the apartment building shaking, and me standing under a doorway. Here's an early image from the USGS earthquake website:

I was just thumbing through a local newspaper, and saw a notice about a Zen meditation meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, and it got me curious about whether there are any Zen centers up here or not. After some poking around, here's what I've been able to find out about "Zen in Alaska".

In a major reversal of course in the last twenty four hours, I decided not to take the rental property after it was offered to me today.

A woman from the rental office called just after lunch to tell me my application had been approved (I beat out the other rental applicants, thank you very much) and I could come in and sign the paperwork, but when I told her I changed my mind and didn't want the property, she seemed shocked:

"No ma'am, I've changed my mind, and I don't want to rent it."

Trying to find a good rental unit in Wasilla, Alaska is one of the more difficult things I've ever attempted. I suppose if you're willing to pay $1,500 or more per month things are a little easier, but the under-$1,000/month rental market is an extremely competitive battle.

Just a quick note that the Alaska State Fair is now under way. It's running from August 26th to September 6th. You might even see me there, as (a) I want to go there and check it out, and (b) I'm driving into Palmer, Alaska on a daily basis, trying to find a new place to live, and the Alaska State Fair is right there in Palmer.

While I'm posting information about Alaska businesses, I might as well include a link to my "Anchorage, Alaska Business Analyst and Computer Programmer resume" on my devdaily.com website. While I have plenty of work for the time being, it never hurts to have information like this out there, especially when a particularly interesting new project comes along that I just can't resist. :)

Just a quick note about one of my very nice neighbors ... if you happen to live in the Mat-Su Valley in Alaska, and are in need of a "dog pooper scooper" service, my neighbor owns her own company, and I can personally vouch that she is a very nice person. Here's a link to her Mat Su Valley dog poop cleanup service.

Also coming very soon is the Alaska State Fair. It starts August 26, 2010, and runs until September 6th. The State Fair is located in Palmer, Alaska, a quaint little town where I'm currently trying to find a place to live. If you're at the fair and you see a little red RAV4 driving around town, it might just be me.

I hope to see you at the fair. This will be my visit, and I'm told some of the veggies that are grown are enormous. I don't think of Alaska as a place to grow veggies, as the summer is so short, but with 20 hours of sunlight a day, plants sure can grow fast.

I've officially begun looking for a new place to live. My lease here at the Wasilla apartment complex (which I fondly refer to as the "ghetto" or "slums") runs out at the end of September, and while I could sign a new lease, or stay here on a month-to-month basis, I'd like to move to a quieter area, and a smaller town.

I just updated a couple of articles on the devdaily website, and I thought I'd note them here.

These updates were inspired by a story from one of my neighbors yesterday. We were talking outside, enjoying the cool weather, and he told me that he used to live in an apartment complex in Palmer, Alaska. One night, just as he went to bed, there was a pounding on his door, and people yelling everywhere. His apartment complex was on fire.