alvin alexander

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The Girl Who Loved to Dance

By Alvin Alexander. Last updated: October 21 2018

Some day I might write a book called, Random Conversations with Strangers While Aimlessly Wandering Around, and it will include stories like this:

Many years ago I walked into a favorite bakery in Alaska. Nobody was there, no customers or employees, so I took a few minutes to look over the cookies and donuts to decide what I wanted.

Finally a young woman came out of the back room. I knew from previous donut/cookie runs that she was born in Ohio, moved here about five years ago, was nineteen years old, and would be twenty in a few months. As she brought out a tray of something new, she said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”

I replied it was no problem, it gave me a chance to think about what I wanted. We chatted for another minute or two and then she looked around and said, “Can I be honest with you?”

Yawn ... another 5.5 earthquake alvin September 25, 2018 - 7:34am

September 26, 2010: I went down to Seward, Alaska for a short vacation this week, and woke up to a 5.5 magnitude earthquake one morning. True story: I was in the middle of a dream when I suddenly heard the song "Rock The Boat" playing as someone grabbed my left wrist. I then woke up to hear something rattling in the hotel room, and before I could think of who I was, where I was, or what to do, the earthquake stopped.

Alaska earthquake - September 25, 2010 - Talkeetna, Cantwell, Wasilla, Seward

Got a flush letter from a local hospital alvin August 15, 2018 - 9:45pm

August 15, 2011, Palmer, Alaska: I just got a flush letter from a local hospital. I guess I shouldn’t have put “You have my gallbladder” and “Your nurses seem really nice” as my top reasons for wanting to work there.

Enjoyed Cowboys & Aliens in Wasilla, Alaska

By Alvin Alexander. Last updated: August 9 2018

Enjoyed Cowboys & Aliens at Wasilla’s fancy new stadium seating movie theater. How strange to walk out of a theater and into a valley of fireweed surrounded by misty mountains.

(A Facebook post from Wasilla, Alaska, August 9, 2011.)

Cold November rain in July (Wasilla, Alaska)

By Alvin Alexander. Last updated: July 28 2018

July 28, 2010, Wasilla, Alaska: Bundled up in a semi-rainproof jacket and hat, I just returned from a walk in the cold November rain. Most neighbor's fireplaces were in full use, while one man in a jacket and shorts and smoking a cigarette was mowing his weeds with his lawnmower. Hard to believe, Denali National Park closes for the winter in just six or seven weeks.

Good hamburgers in Anchorage, Alaska alvin July 21, 2018 - 12:51pm

When you go to Alaska to get away from the heat and then need a break from eating fresh seafood all the time, ADN.com lists a few places where you can find a good burger in Anchorage.

The most important lesson I learned from aimlessly wandering around

By Alvin Alexander. Last updated: July 19 2018

Probably the most important lesson I learned from aimlessly wandering around Alaska and the Lower 48 for five years is that if you treat complete strangers as long-lost brothers and sisters that you’re meeting for the first time, the world magically becomes a better place.

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