My Little Sistor Kitty Cat

Don't let her good looks fool you. She's a killer. In her younger days it looked like a battle zone in here when we'd get home. She's slowed down a lot or there are not a lot of shrews left around here.

Okay. I got Photoshop! The wonderful IT guy was able to pick it up in time. Went to class tonight and got a homework assignment due before class next week. This is so cool that I can work on Photoshop at home. I'm learning a few tricks and liking the program a lot. One trick is to name your layers and get rid of layers your not using. We made 2 posters tonight in class. One in portrait and one in landscape. We had about an hour to do it. This teacher likes it done fast and gives us assignments that are like real work orders. Half the class have had some version of Photoshop experience. Its fun to see everybodys work on the smart board when we are done.

So I'm all set. Got my new computer, new digital camera and Photoshop CS2 (it also has a free Total Training Video Workshop included).

Can't forget to let you know the UAF Nanooks are in a 3 way tie for 8th place with Notre Dame and Ferris State. One more weekend for regular season hockey when the Nanooks travel to Indiana and face Notre Dame. UAF win means home ice and the Fishtaxi crew travel to the Carlson Center in beautiful downtown Fairbanks for the playoffs!

GO NANOOKS

Valdez Snowpile

Don't tell these girls there ain't nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon. Climb up that snowpile and slide down with no sled!

Funday

After sleeping 12 hours last night I woke up asking Mr. Fishtaxi what day it was? "Sunday!" he answered with a laugh. "All day!" said my friend Yukon Patty on msn messenger from sunny California. She's getting ready for a cross-country road trip in a Winebago with a new toilet. ANd a new laptop so she can keep in touch with her snowbound friends in Alaska.

Looking over my blog it appears I was in rare form Friday night. Paid for it yesterday and did most of my chores so today I can have fun!

So now I'm off and running to see what kind of mischief I can get into today or at the least take some pictures. I'll check back in later. Have a great Funday!

its almost time

FishTaxi's horror scope

Putt Putt

Yeah! Its Friday night! Its payday! It's SNOWING a little bit of snow. After beautiful weather all week today the blue skies opened up & are dropping pennies from heaven. Yeah! It's the weekend!

Sent $300 cash with the IT guy, who went to Anchortown, to pick up Photoshop CS 9.0 at the UAA bookstore. Theres a chance that he didn't make it by 6pm when they close for the weekend. Thats okay. I'm a grown up and I can take anything.

I am way behind in the class but once I get Photoshop on my home computer I'll catch up. My instructor understands so thats not a problem. Who wants to go to where they work 40hrs a week to do their homework?

GCI cable played the Nanook hockey game on statewide television everywhere but here. Valdez cable guys are asleep at the wheel.

Listened in when I could at work tonight on internet radio. The two teams tied and went into overtime and tied! Right now the UAF Nanooks are in 10th place but not out of home ice range. We are getting down to the wire.

Took this pic down at the harbor the other day. This guy rides all winter long!

Fish Central

This fish business does it all...in the summer. Today this is what it looked like. Been having clear blue skies for days now. If I wasn't working I'd be snow tanning. Its been that warm & nice. Anything above freezing is warm to us by now.

We're upstaging "old movie" night Friday night at the college for statewide televised UAF HOCKEY!!!! UAF is playing Western Michigan in Frbks, the second to last bout, of the regular season. Then its on to playoffs. We (UAF) need to win the last 4 games to gain home ice advantage. Otherwise its Detroit or somewhere like that. As of today the UAF Nanooks are in ninth place in a big tie. (you know hockey and thier ties) The top 4 get a by and the next 4 get home ice.

My hope is for home ice and travel to Frbks the first weekend in March for the playoffs! I don't see myself going to Notre Dame for a game.

They still have the movie "DOA" scheduled but if not enough people show up for that we are switching to UAF Hockey live from Fairbanks.

The puck drops at 7pm Friday night.

GO NANOOKS!

Snow Hoarding

Don't be taking my snow away.

Winter Oympics in Valdez. 2016

This is cool

Rash makes pro bowling historyFIRST WIN: Dimond grad is first nonexempt bowler to win a PBA tourney title.
Rash (Photo courtesy of Professional Bowling Association)
Rookie Sean Rash of Anchorage racked up his first victory Sunday by winning the PBA's West Virginia Championship at Emerson Lanes in Parkersburg, W.Va. Rash, 23, defeated Mike DeVaney 194-178 to earn $40,000 and an exemption for the 2006-07 season. (Photo by ED THOMAS /The Associated Press)
By MATT NEVALAAnchorage Daily News(Published: February 13, 2006)
On a sleepy Sunday morning in Anchorage, Sean Rash realized his dream thousands of miles away from his hometown.
He also made Professional Bowlers Association history.
Rash, 23 and a 2000 Dimond High graduate, won the PBA Tour's West Virginia Championship to become the first nonexempt PBA member to win a tour event.
He had to bowl his way through qualifying rounds just to make the 64-person tournament field (exempt bowlers are spared this), so he was considered a long shot. But he defeated legendary bowler Walter Ray Williams Jr. and many others on his way to the title.
Now, besides pocketing $40,000 for the win, he also earned a PBA exemption for the 2006-07 season. His total bowling earnings before Sunday were $28,000.
"The biggest thing to sink in is that I've got a job next year," Rash said by cell phone. "It's been a successful week for me. Things went right.
"Dreams are meant to come true, and I've worked hard. Small goals lead to bigger goals, and I'm on my way."
Performing for the cameras and ESPN's national television audience, Rash used timely spare shooting and two clutch strikes to defeat Mike DeVaney in the title match. Rash won 194-178 before a packed house at Emerson Lanes in Parkersburg, W. Va.
Rash stayed on top in the match by picking up the difficult 2-10 split in the eighth frame before knocking down back-to-back strikes to open the 10th frame. DeVaney left the 10-pin standing on his first shot in the 10th to clinch the win for Rash in his first televised finals appearance.
As DeVaney lined up to bowl in the 10th frame, Rash sat in his chair near the lane with his face planted firmly in his towel-covered hands.
"At that point, I had done everything physically possible I could to win," Rash said. "It was up to (DeVaney) to determine his fate -- and mine."
When the 10-pin didn't fall for DeVaney, Rash jumped out of his seat and hoisted his arms in the air in victory. He immediately ran over to father, Gene Rash, who was sitting in the front row, and shared a tight embrace. Sean hugged other friends and former Wichita State University teammates as the camera followed his every move.
ESPN broadcaster Dave Ryan said it was "Super" Sean Rash's day as Rash played to the crowd, waving and pointing to himself. He shouted "right here, right here" with a big smile on face.
"One of the (television) producers said they wanted you to win, but they were also looking for entertainment," Rash said. "They wanted you to put on a show and enjoy it."
Rash left Parkersburg later Sunday and was in the process of making a 500-mile drive through a snow storm to North Brunswick, N.J., site of this week's 63rd U.S. Open, one of the PBA Tour's four major tournaments. Competition begins Tuesday and ends Sunday morning on ESPN.
"I'm sure there will be some eyes on me," Rash said. "I just need to concentrate on learning and getting better."
Rash's success sent a small shock wave through parts of Anchorage.
Diana Rash, Sean's mother, said she received about 200 phone calls, both locally and internationally, at the family home near Dimond High. A league at Jewel Lake Bowling Center -- where Rash grew up firing strikes -- postponed play until the title match was over.
"It's just awesome," Diana Rash said. "Just because you're from Alaska doesn't mean you can't be a star. The opportunities are there for you to go for your dreams."
Rash's friends and former friends from Dimond burned up phone lines to make sure everyone watched the title match.
Myrtle McLaughlin was one of them. A former security officer, McLaughlin retired recently after 28 years at the school. She spoke to Rash by telephone just last week as they offered each other encouragement.
"What Sean is doing is not an easy thing," McLaughlin said. "He gave up a lot to take bowling all the way. We should be proud of him in Anchorage, not only as a bowler but as young man. I'm proud to know him."
Rash said the same of his hometown friends and family. He said he'll be back in Anchorage sometime this summer.
"It's my hometown, Jewel Lake, all the centers, I grew up in them," Rash said. "It means a lot to me that all those people took the time to watch a show from some 5,000 miles away.
"The support means a lot to me."
Daily News reporter Matt Nevala can be reached at mnevala@adn.com or 257-4335.

Golf of Alaska

Spent the day getting my house spruced up for the week and watching the Winter Olympics this evening.

Got my teeth cleaned yesterday and a small cavity filled. So I was numbed up most of the afternoon. I'm glad thats done and over with.

Going to bed early tonight and no beer drinking today so I can make it through my long work/school day Monday.

Have a great week everybody. My horoscope says to buy a lottery ticket every day this week. Too bad Alaska doesn't have a lottery!

First PhotoShop Project

Project
Bergman Bookstore
We'd like you to create 2 ads for our store using only one of the photos below.
One should be a black-and-white newspaper ad with 150 dpi resolution. The dimensions should be 4 by 4 inches and they want it as a PDF.
The other ad is for the chamber of commerce website. This one can be full color and the dimensions should be 100 by 350 pixels. They want it as a JGP.
We want both ads to be as similar as possible. The only text we want is the name of our store with the words BACK TO SCHOOL SALE
We're excited to see what you come up with.

I'll be back with it. Have to work on it at the college since I don't have photoshop on my home computer, YET!!

Coldfoot Bar 1994

The northern most bar in the U.S.

I've been tagged by Heidi!

My first time! Now I feel I have arrived in the blogging world. When I first started reading blogs I googled Alaska Blogs and found Bossco's. She's from a big Alaskan family and reading her blog I got to know them. Her husband PrudhoeMan takes awesome pictures of the North Slope. Princess Sarah just moved to Houston, Alaska and Klondike Kate to Texas. Heidi is a Girl Scout leader and I just figured out JD Plumber is her husband.

My family doesn't blog, yet. When I saw them in Frbks last fall for the wedding I mentioned a family blog to them. We are all spread out and that would be a great way to keep up with everybody. I need to get on it!

Okay here goes. I'm going to do it the way it was sent to Valatte by Hydrogen Guy.

Four jobs I've had:

1. Boxgirl at Safeway then went on to Checker. I was the second boxgirl Safeway ever hired. This was in 1970. They wanted me to wear a skirt and I refused. They said okay but no jeans. After working there all through high school, I turned 18, and they sent me to Checkers School. I quit on a busy Saturday and they told me "I could never work for Safeway again!"

2. Fiberglass Fabricator for the Boeing Company. The only men in the dept were supervisors. They said "men itch from fiberglass." And women don't? Then I did an unheard of transfer from A3450 to R6575 which was maintenance plumber. Instant raise. After a few years I had an "I quit Boeing Sale" and moved to Alaska.

3. King Crab line at the Star of Kodiak.

4. Parks & Recreation in Anchorage. What a fun, good paying job that was. You got your birthday off paid! I was permanent seasonal and my birthday is in the summer. That was Local 71 when Al Baffone was the head of Local 71. He made the city pay benefits to part-time/seasonal employees.

Four movies I can watch repeatedly:

1. Fried Green Tomatoes

2. South Pacific

3. Overboard

4. Outlaw Josey Wales

Four TV shows I love:

1. China Beach

2. Ted or Alive

3. The Carol Burnet Show

4. David Letterman

Four places I've vacationed:

1. Garmish, Germany

2. Reno, Nevada (my 21st birthday)

3. Winnamucca, Nevada

4. 4 months on Maui


Four of my favorite foods:

1. Red Ripe Tomatoes

2. Cod Fish

3. Beer

4. Sandwiches

Four places I'd rather be:

1. Moose camp.

2. Lake Louise

3. Fishing in Hawaii

4. On top of spagetti covered with cheese

Four groups or albums I usually can't be without:

1. Hoyt Axton

2. Herman Hermits

3. 4 non blondes

4. Old Dogs

Four vehicles I've owned:

1. 1966 Plymouth Valiant 2 door slant six with a 3 speed on the column. Shag carpet with a AM radio. Took my first drivers test in that thing. Figured after that I could drive anything.

2. 1971 Volkswagon convertabal. It was VW red which could look orange or red depending on the eyes of the beholder.

3. 1971 Volkswagon Camper. Sold the ragtop and bought the bus and drove it to Alaska.

4. 1990 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 White with a Brahma canopy & a modified 6" lift. 6 banger/5 speed tranny. 140,000 miles. And I can't forget the anti-spray devices.

I also have a 1969 bug in my backyard that I hold the title to and have the key.

Four sites I visit daily:

1. Alaska State Trooper Report

2. Anchorage Craigslist

3. Whole Wheat Radio

4. My Horoscope

Where will the children playay...

Snapped this pic in a parking lot in town. I know the guy and he doesn't mean no harm to children or animals. It was dark under a light pole and I was happy with the picture.

I got my assignment for the first project in Photoshop. The instructor set up a web page. All I can do is read it in my book before class on Monday as I don't have the software loaded on my computer at home. I was going to try and sneak in there at work and no...too busy working. With the sun shining you could see all the dust I was ignoring.

Funny thing: I've been cleaning mouses, keyboards and phones at work. I ask them, when collecting their trash, if they want it done and some people prefer to do it themselves. Fine with me. But, office people, your desk needs to be cleaned by a professional once in a while.

Last night I dusted the top dog's office and cleaned his phone. I hate dusting and especially knick-knacks. Not too bad if you use those swiffer mitts. For cleaning the phone I use a toothbrush damppened with a disinfectant. The phone is the push button office type phone and it quit working. I thought, well, maybe it will fix itself by morning. Turned out the next morning when the top dog's office lady came in the clean phone was ringing and ringing and ringing. She couldn't stop it from ringing!

By 10am they'd called the IT guy (Employee of the Month!) and he came in and in 2-seconds it was fixed. It wasn't the freshly cleaned phone. It was a system failer.

The View from the top

Just in case you didn't check out citydata.com. The dentist took this picture of Mineral Creek Canyon on that heli-copter ride.

Speaking of the dentist I get to go see him Sat for a teeth cleaning. I love getting my cleaned. This dentist does it all. Lives in his dentist building and is a one man show. No receptionist, no overhead. He does good deals for people with no insurance and is a great guy. And a damn good dentist. We are really lucky to have him here. He doesn't do oral surgery or inplants. Have to go elsewhere for that.

Now, an optometrist in this town, is an optical illusion.

Let there be light

The sun has officially risen over Sugarloaf Mountain! Its the mountain smack dab in the middle of this picture. See its shadow!

Still got most of Feb left and March but I can see the light.

Then theres that stupid daylight savings day crap. Messes with me twice a year. I like this time best. Forget saving time in your mind. Its not worth it.

The only time I never had to switch times was when I was in the great state of Hawaii. Never been to Arizona which is the other state that doesn't save the light for another time.

Lets all not do the time warp again.

Drop Dead Gorgeous Day

Today was one of those days that answers the question of why I live here beautifully.

My mantra for the day was:

"If I was a skier I'd be skipping school."

I was outside with no jacket and it felt good. It was snowing this morning when I was sleeping. By noon the weather cleared up and it looked neat, tidy, white and clean outside everywhere.

Totem Pole was happy today, too!

Birds Eye View

My dentist took this picture of Valdez on a beautiful summer day riding in a heli-coptor. He posted it on CityData.com if you want go there and see the BIG picture.

Super Sunday Burger

bathroom with a view

Name that mountain, ranger

My current desktop photo. The narrow peak to the left is Sugarloaf. The rest do not have an official name besides part of the Chugach Mountain Range.

Nanooks best #1 ranked Ohio Redhawks

What a game tonight! Final score was 4-3. Here's an excerpt of the last minutes of the game:

Facing only its second home-loss of the season in front of a sold-out Goggin crowd, the RedHawks gave it all they had to catch the Nanooks for a second time. Miami pulled Effinger with 59 seconds to go in the contest in favor of the extra attacker and earned a two-man advantage 12 seconds later when defenseman Jordan Hendry (Nokomis, SK/Battlefords-SJHL) was penalized for cross-checking. The seconds couldn’t dwindle fast enough for UAF as Miami continued to move the puck trying to find an opening. Jones finally got a clear shot off with 3.8 seconds on the clock, but Rogers came up big with a glove-save to force one more faceoff, and preserve the win.Rogers had a season-high 41-saves performance as the Nanooks got their third victory of the season over a nationally ranked #1 team.

WOW!

Game started at 3:35pm Alaska time while I was at work. We have GCI cable and the big screen set-up. I really was hoping this game would be televised on GCI cable statewide. Turned out they showed the UAA - St. Cloud hockey game instead. So I set the IT guy up to listen to it on KSUA Fairbanks on the internet and he gave me updates. 3-0 (Nanooks lead), 3-1, 3-2, and by the time I left for lunch at 5 it was a new game at 3-3 in the middle of the third period. Tuned it at home and told myself I might be taking a longer lunch. I was glued to the radio and got to hear NANOOKS WIN!

Wylie Scores!

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Rogers leads in shutouts
By DANNY MARTIN
Staff Writer

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Put University of Alaska Fairbanks goaltender Wylie Rogers in the seat of airplane and he's asleep like an infant in a hospital nursery.

"It's not that I don't get enough sleep," the sophomore said after Tuesday's hockey practice at the Carlson Center. "It's just that I'd rather be sleeping than sitting on a plane and listening to people talk around me, or having that uncomfortable, awkward silence between you and a passenger. I'd rather just sleep."

For the two seasons he's taken road trips with the Nanooks of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, Rogers falls asleep on a plane right after he sits down and fastens his seat belt. "It's a skill like anything else," Rogers said. "It's something that takes practice ... practices makes perfect."

Practice also led Rogers to a perfect night of goaltending last Saturday and a precedent in UAF history. Rogers stopped 31 shots in a 3-0 victory over Ohio State, securing a split of the weekend series at the Carlson Center and making the Rogers the Nanooks' all-time career shutouts leader with five. "He was sharp the entire game and he made the saves when we absolutely needed him to," said UAF head coach Tavis MacMillan. "You didn't see him with overmovements Saturday night. You saw him compact and you saw him playing with a lot more control than he has recently." Rogers had previously shared the UAF career shutout mark of four with Todd Henderson (1990-93) and Preston McKay (2000-04). Rogers saw the Nanooks fall 5-1 Friday night to the Buckeyes, and he remembered last season's road trip to Columbus, Ohio. He was in the net each night at the Value City Arena, where the Nanooks fell 2-1 and 5-2, respectively, to the Buckeyes on Dec. 3-4, 2004. "It did cross my mind, the frustrating feeling after Ohio State last year," he said. "But I think these are two new teams--we're not the same team as last year and neither is Ohio State. I had to take it like a new game; but, of course, if I'm 0-2 against a team, I want to get some redemption."

Rogers is often modest in his 5-foot-10, 178-pound frame, as he cares more about a Nanooks victory than he does a personal achievement. It was easy, though, to savor Saturday's milestone. "It's like a feather in my cap, and now that I've reached it, it's something I want to defend, obviously," he said. "If that gets me to play my best every single game, then that's great. "But it's a team accomplishment, too. I wouldn't have had five shutouts if it wasn't for the guys on the team." Rogers is grateful for his teammates' defensive efforts, whether they're blocking shots, clearing rebounds or clearing traffic out from in front of the crease to give him a clear view of oncoming shots. "That's just more motivation for me, that's more fuel for my fire," Rogers said. "It's just a landslide effect when someone does something great and everyone on the team feels it. It impacts every player on the team in a positive way, whether it's me making a big save or (sophomore defenseman) T.J. Campbell taking a slap shot off the chest or (junior defenseman and tri-captain) Jordan Hendry getting the puck on a must-out. "Everything like that has a positive effect on the team. I think it's not so much what they do to help me, but it's what every single guy on the team does to help each other."

Though UAF sits in 11th place (6-10-2 conference, 10-11-3 overall) in the 12-team CCHA, the Nanooks sport the second-best penalty killing in the league at 87.3 percent (151 denials out of 173 power plays). The Nanooks denied 15 of 16 Buckeyes power plays, including all nine Saturday night. "It's all determination," Rogers said. "We're determined to not get scored on and it's something we take pride in as a team. That gives a lot of chances for guys to shine." Rogers, who is scheduled to start in Friday night's series opener against ninth-place Nebraska-Omaha (7-9-2, 13-11-2) at the Carlson Center, ranks seventh among CCHA netminders with a 6-6-0 record, 2.46 goals against average and .920 saves percentage. His saves percentage also ranks 20th nationally in NCAA Division I.

The emergence of 6-foot-2 freshman Chad Johnson (4-5-3, 2.81 GAA and .914 saves percentage) and the steady development of 6-5 fellow rookie Brandon Cross has made Rogers work for playing time this season, following a standout freshman season.

Rogers played in 32 games last season, compiling a 15-12-4 record with a 2.88 GAA and .906 saves percentage. He earned a first-team All-CCHA Rookie Team honor and an All-CCHA Super Six Tournament Team selection after backstopping the Nanooks to third place in the postseason tournament in Detroit.

"All three of us push each other in practice," Rogers said. "Day in and day out, you know your job is up for grabs every day. I've got to approach every game like it's my last game, and I'm not one guy who wants to sit and watch the game from the bench."

Staff writer Danny Martin can be reached at dmartin@newsminer.com or 459-7586.

Back to the 50s

I was born during the 1955 August heat wave at St. Marys Hospital in Mad City, Wisconsin. According to my Grandma Cripps, the first 3 weeks of my life were spent in a baby buggy, in the shade.

My Great-Grandfather was the Chief of Police of Waunakee at the time. He was the only full-time policeman for the whole town. The other cop, Hank, was part-time policeman/part-time garbage man. (What a concept that city council had back in the fifties.) I spent the next five years of my life in Wisconson (still have the accent) before my dad went into the Army and never looked back at the farm.

With a wife and five kids in tow off we went and my formative years were spent in Colorado, Germany and Washington State. Us kids wanted California and sang "California Here I Come" all across the United States but you go where your dads Army tells you to go.

My dads mom, Grandma Lil, ran "Lil's Cafe" in Madison, near the University of Wisconsin campus, around the 50s. It burned down a couple of times but she kept rebuilding it. It was a hot spot. My running a restaurant dream comes from my Grandma Lil.

Heres to the 50's!

Fudge It! Its February!!!

Sorry about the F word in the title of my first post in Feb. February might be the shortest month of the year but its the longest month in Alaska.

Three more months until the first of May! Hooray! Hooray!

In the meantime buried in snow, leaning up against the box truck, is the FishTaxi's paddleboat.

Its not all mine. I have partners.
We got another partner last summer because she has a trailer thats perfect for hauling our paddleboat. She has the trailer leaned up at her place. This year we will make it a "legal" trailer with license & lights. The trailer is nice because its small enough that you don't have to back it in anywhere. Just unhitch and move the trailer on human power. All you need is a vehicle with a hitch to pull it. I need a dropdown hitch to pull it with my truck.

Whats cool about the paddleboat is you don't need gas, know about engines and 2 people can lift it.

Last summer two of us planned to paddle out to Gold Creek. Launched at the small boat harbor and I clocked our speed on my Garmin GPSr. A mile and a half an hour at tops. 4 miles to Gold Creek. We get to the breakwater and were forced to go port instead of starboard to Gold Creek by the waves. Turned the corner, got out on land and went back and did it again and again and again...

I love seeing kids captaining the boat. Thinking for themselves, working together and getting exercise at the same time. No smelly fumes. No noise. No costly mechanical failures. No slip or drydock fee. No men needed. No title. No registration. No seatbelts. No insurance. No shit.

Pulled Over Tonight

By Valdez Finest.

Get this. The reason I was stopped was for no "anti-spray devices" on my lifted truck.

Was on my way home from work, stopped at the store, and realized I didn't have my wallet with my bank card in it. I had some cash and picked up a few things anyway. Didn't even cross my mind that I also didn't have my Drivers License on me.

I see the cop on one of the side roads coming from the opposite side of town. He turns and follows me and a few minutes later I see the lights. By this time its 11:15 pm after a hard days night and I wonder what the hell. Do I have a tailight out or something.

I roll down the window and the cop shines his flashlight in my face. This is where I like my lifted truck being up high. He says "Didn't I just see you somewhere?" Small town. I answered "Were you at the college?" He said "No, I saw you at the store." I said "yah, thats where I realized I'd left my Drivers License at home." Then he asked for my truck insurance and luckily I keep that in the glove compartment. I hand that to him and he goes and comes back and says they are going to do two things. And since it was cold I could stay in my truck.

1. Give me a citation (fix-it ticket) for no mud flaps. I have a week to have them put on and take down to the cop shop and show them. Otherwise its a $70.00 fine.

#2. They were doing routine checks with the dope dog.

He sniffs around the outside of my vehicle twice with the window rolled down and the second time around the cop clicked his fingers in my face and I looked down at the dog and he kept on going. It was a Lab and I always thought cop dogs were German Shepards. (Rin Tin Tin)

Then the cop asked me if I smoked marijuana. I answered "not today." Then he questions me if I had any marijuana in the vehicle and I said "no, I don't think so." He said "well, you should know. Its your vehicle."

Got home late and Mr. FishTaxi was waiting up worried about me. I hadn't called and he thought the truck broke down or something until I handed him the ticket.

He's my Chevy man and he'll put flaps on and take it down and show those cops for me.

I'd rather not see them again!

Feed A Cold

Chicken Soup

Opened a large can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle and doctored it up with leftovers and whatever else I had on hand. Fresh cut green beans, roasted onions, can of sliced mushrooms, can of green chilis, little wasabi powder, diced shallots, fresh chopped garlic, grated ginger, a couple chicken bouillon cubes and a fork whisked egg dropped in at the end.

The coleslaw was leftover from Saturdays dinner of Pulled Pork Sammies & French Frys.

Got lots of rest this weekend. Drank water & orange juice (no beer! you know I'm sick). Sneezed over a hundred times then quit counting. Washed my sheets, blankets AND pillows with bleach. Only went as far as the end of my driveway for 10 minutes to take some pictures today and ran back in the house with my runny nose. Argh

Back to work tomorrow and Photoshop class tomorrow night. Look out world!

Fish Mobile

Handmade in Alaska by Russ Flanagan. This one is not for sale as it was made for us special as a wedding gift. But, if you want one because its beautiful and one of a kind, I might be able to hook you up.

Picture of P.S. Hunt Photos

The walls of the hallways, classrooms and offices at PWSCC are adorned with late 1800 - early 1900 photos of the Valdez area by P.S. Hunt. This group is a favorite of mine. Especially the upper left corner snapshot of a couple standing in front of their shack. Staunch & proud, I can't help but think that woman could have been me, had I lived in Valdez at the turn of the 20th century. The lower left picture of the women with the dog shows the importance of dog ownership back then. The dog team on the lower right could have been photographer P.S. Hunts as he traveled by dog team with his equipment.

One comment I heard in the hallway was "How did they keep so clean back then? I'm having a hard time today!" The most often heard comment is "Wouldn't P.S. Hunt be amazed with todays digital photography."

More P.S. Hunt photo's here http://vilda.alaska.edu/index.html

4:20 in peril

January 26, 2006
Marijuana Bill Passes Senate on Reconsideration Vote Associated Press

Alaska Sunshine

Stop by and check out my friends new blog at http://doxsunshine.blogspot.com/

She's a talented digital photographer. Gets up early to take pictures of the sunrises from her roof. She's also into 35mm and taking a Photography class and will be developing her own black & white film. I'm looking forward to seeing her B & W project along with photos of beautiful Alaska on her very own blog.

Alaska Sunshine is the friend who picked up my new Nikon Coolpix 5600 at Best Buy in Anchortown last weekend. I've been reading the manual, taking pictures and getting to know the bells & whistles. It even takes short videos!

This week has been brutal. Hovering above zero with a wind chill factor making it minus zero. I'm on the north Gulf Coast but the Interior of Alaska has been down to -50 and below. Then somebody ripped off my sled at work Wed. nite. I usually leave it outside with a couple bags of trash on it waiting for the last bag to come out of the Wellness Center (gym) but that night it was out there empty and it walked off. The reason it was empty was it was so cold outside I put the trash bags in the shop because I thought "why go out side?" I was in the other end of the building washing chalkboards and got a premonition about my sled. Sure enough when I went to take the trash it was gone! It was weird. Then I had to take two trips to the dumpster carrying the trash, in the freezing ass cold, instead of one trip pulling. Luckily, the store still had more and the college reimbursed me the $17.99.

My new, new sled has PWSCC stenciled on it and I won't be leaving it unattended. I took a picture of it tonight loaded down, and once I dl the picture program I'll post it, in all its glory.

Stay warm everybody and thanks for the kudos on my 100th post.

FishTaxi's 100th Post!

Took me 6 months.

No, I didn't take this picture but I've been snapping pictures with my new camera all day. Just haven't downloaded any yet. Grabbed this picture a while back from a client of Valdez Heli-camp . He took the picture from the helicoptor he was flying up the mountain in so he could ski down.

By the 26th or 27th of January the sun will rise over the mountains and Valdez will be seeing longer days. It was pretty close to the top today. At 5pm it was still light out though dusk came quick.

Heres to another 100 posts!

Eyes in the back of my head

Tonight was my first PhotoShop class. Its filled up with 15 people and I got there a few minutes late so I got the last computer. It faces with my back to the teacher and sideways to the Big Screen. Why I didn't go earlier and grab a good seat I do not know. Oh yah, I was working. Had my usual 2 sled loads of trash to take to the dumpster. Took me a little longer than I thought and I was only a couple minutes late. Next week I'll get the trash out to the dumpster before lunch. I was starving after 6 hrs work with no food since breakfast and was looking forward to leftover London Broil, french frys and fresh green beans.

In class I kept having to turn around and put my glasses on to see the board then taking them off to see my screen. So I missed a lot of stuff! There are some advanced students in there and they went fast. Luckily, the little college gal next to me helped me when I got behind. Very frustrating.

We did Lesson 1 & 2. Its a really neat program. PhotoShop is all about looking at colors mathematicly. And having a knack for graphic art and what pleases the eye. We'll be making flyers, postcards, brochures and posters. Our final will be either a group, partner or individual project. No plaguerism is allowed and will be brought to the Dean of Students attention if we can't say how we did it in Photoshop.

I'm a copycat and always have been. I don't have an artistic bone in my body. My retention level is below average. Glad I don't need the credits and just want to learn the program.

I snapped a few pics on my new digital camera. This is not one of them.

Dishwasher Wanted

Its Saturday night and I'm listening to UAF Nanook hockey on the internet while doing a weeks worth of dishes. Can't seem to get them done during the week.

We've got 3 feet of snow so far and they are calling for 4 more feet by Sunday night. My friend is stuck in Anchortown, with my new digital camera, at least til Monday as the plane ain't flying in this. Thompson Pass has a blizzard advisory out and could close so driving back is out of the question.

UAF Nanooks 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 0 at the end of the second period.

This is not a Photoshopped picture. Its my friends real hair flipped over her nieces head!

That was my 200 watt speaker on my stoop. The cops clipped my wings when they told me "somebody was going to jail if they had to come back one more time for a loud music complaint." I only have one 200 watt speaker and no 200 watt amp now. One neighbor was complaining. He called the cops to report a porcupine was in the neighborhood. What could I do but get headphones.

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS DEFEATS OHIO STATE BUCKEYES 3 - zip

update - my friend got a ride and made it back to town with my new digital camera and is on her way over here with it!

Its Friday. Its Payday. Its SNOWING!

We've got about a foot so far and its going to snow all week-end!

The Boat House

This is my neighbor's house down the street. Isn't it cute? She only lives there in the summer. It sits on floats and was one of the first dwellings out here across the Bridge to No Where.

I'm in the process of getting a new digital camera. I can't wait! A friend is flying to Anchorage Friday and is going to pick one up for me at Best Buy.

She'll be a devil with my cash on the barrel!

Then I can take random photos again and on Monday I'll start learning how to photoshop pictures. First thing I'm going to take a picture of is a $100 bill. Then print more. No! I'm not.

Karman Gia

College classes started today. I don't start Photoshop til next Monday night which is good. They've got me on a new schedule working 2-11pm. Part of my job is security. We've been broke into and vandalized 3 times in the last nine months. The last time being at the beginning of Christmas break. On my watch. They caught the kids by following their footprints in the snow. Luckily they didn't vandalize too bad. Broke the glass door into the Bookshop and stole pop & candy.

The whole town is asleep when I get off work now.

Waiting on my W-2s to get our taxes done. We think we could get back about 5 grand and want it as soon as we can. We need another vehicle and are looking for a Chevy S-10.

Wish I had my 1971 VW Convertable back! waaaaaah

The Night of January 16th

I'm innocent!

Siberian Tomatoes,

Strawflowers,
my good friend Della,
and her Dad. Holding ripe tomatoes
he grew from seeds
collected from a
seed exchange with
the former USSR.

A beautiful August day near the Funny River in Alaska 1994.

Rockett Dog - I miss you

Rockett was my junkyard dog. He spent the first part of his life on a chain in the towing company's yard. I remember seeing him there and feeling sorry for him. When they left town I got Rockett before he went to the pound. His name was Patches then. I didn't like that name so with his new life he got a new name. He could pull my arm out of its socket when walking him on a leash. Plus, he loved to chase bottle rockets.

The first picture is of Rocket in his hole. He loved that hole and its still there. The second picture is of him under my bed where he slept every night. If you look close there is a bonus picture of Little Sistor in it. She liked hanging under the bed with Rockett Dog. When I snapped the picture, I didn't know she would be in it, too. The third picture was taken right before he shook the snow off.

Rockett was full of personality. He liked to lay in the middle of the street. Luckily, we live on a dead-end street and were the last place on the road at the time. He would herd the cars into the driveway. He hated the cops and loved to pee on their tires. Some surveyors sprayed him with orange paint one time and he had orange stripes for quite a while. He was allowed in all the bars because he was good and could handle his drinking very well.

He would get embarrassed when we would have him shaved the beginning of summer and hide under my bed for a week. He always shared his food with the birds who hung around him constantly. He liked stealing rich dog's chewing bones. Once, he stole the neighbors dog's fancy food/water dishes right off their porch. After that incident anything that went missing over there they would call and ask if Rockett had their hammer etc.

I sure loved that dog and miss him. I'm patiently waiting for another dog like Rockett to find me.

Faster than lightening

When I had no sign of the telephone man by 1:15pm I called the phone company. Sure enough he couldn't find my house and they were calling the wrong number. Thats right. My telephone company was calling the wrong number because they have it listed in the phone book wrong and have for 4 years!

When I went dial-up 4 years ago, on my "had for years number" we got another line put in with a new number. Every year since, the telephone book has my new number listed as the modem line below my old number which was the line a phone wasn't even plugged into. Even if I wasn't on-line that phone could ring and I wouldn't know it.

I missed a lot of phone calls. Every year I would let the phone company know the numbers were listed wrong and they never fixed it. Because of this I was a little leary of going DSL with them. So when the telephone man didn't show up I knew they were calling the wrong number. Glad I didn't sit around and wait. They thought I wasn't home.

Everythings cool now. Took 10 minutes and I was back on-line. Faster than Lightening!

I'm getting DSL in the morning!

Well, at 1pm. Morning to me. Decided to forgo the package deal and went straight DSL for $50 and still keep the 2 land lines. Total $109 a month.

Took Friday the 13th off as a day of annual leave. Found out Monday is a paid holiday off so I got another 4 day week-end. 2 paid!

Next time I post I will be faster.

January 13th is also my 3 month anniversary at my latest job. That place is clean if I do say so myself. Everybody is happy. I give a job 3 months and if things don't go my way by then my attitude goes out the window.

Next Tuesday the Spring Semester starts and my working hours change to 2-11pm. Fridays (no school) I'll go in a couple hours earlier. Who wants to stay there til 11pm on Friday night? Other than that I can handle it. I'll miss most of David Letterman, all of American Idol and my cats. But, I'll have DSL.

It's official: I'm a college student

Yah! Registered today. I'm taking one class. Adobe Photoshop! 3 credits - 3hrs - Monday nights. I work Monday nights so we worked my working hours around class. Not only that my tuition is waivered. $282 smackaroos! I also get an 80% discount on Adobe Photoshop 7.0! Had to pay for the book (bought it used) and registration/lab fees. $95.00 Wow!

I might be switching my internet provider on Friday the 13th at 1pm (taking the day off annual leave) to local Copper Valley. They have a special going on.

Get 1 Mbps DSL High Speed Internet & 100 minutes of Long Distance for $47 a month.

FREE DSL modem
FREE Digital cell phone

heres where they get yah: CV Wireless rate plan required as part of this promotion. Which the cheapest costs $30 so this deal will cost me $77.00 a month PLUS the cell phone & land line charges. Its a 2 year contract. I haven't signed it yet. Depends on if they want the $200 deposit from me or not. I've been a customer for almost 20 years. You get it back after a year but still. I don't have a major credit card or they would take that just in case I skip town on the bill.

In the morning, I'll check out what GCI cable has to offer.

Going High Speed

Got a letter from my dial-up ISP provider informing me this:

Dec 27th, 2005

Dear FishTaxi,

This letter is to inform you that we've recently updated our dial-up access numbers and several numbers will be discontinued, including the local dial-up access in your area.

Please log on to www.acsalaska.com to see the list of dial-up access numbers are available. There's a possibility that you may no longer hav access to a dial-up number that will not incur long distance charges. If you do not wish to pay LD charges when accessing the internet and wish to switch from ACS to another internet provider you are free to do so with no financial penalty from ACS.

We apoligise for any inconvience this change to our service offering may cause you.

Sincerely,

Alaska Communications Systems

Saturday Night Deep Fry

First time using new Delonghi Electric Deep Fryer
Menu

Sweet Potatoe Frys
Venison Strips
Egg Rolls

Moose Stir Fry
with veggies & secrets
(rice)

Veggie Stir Fry
with noodles

Dipping Sauces

Plum
Soy Ginger
Kung Pao
Wasabi
Hot Mustard
Sweet & Sour

Hot Mulled Apple Juice
Earl Grey Tea

Hamms beer

Great company

To go plates

Leftovers

& Cheers

WHO SAYS YOU CAN"T GO HOME

THIS IS MY STORY- WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T GO HOME (TO PLAY HOCKEY)

Alaska Fairbanks goalie Wylie Rogers tells his first-person story.

	Printer-Friendly Format E-mail this article Sophomore goalie Wylie Rogers is 5-4-0 with a 2.60 GAA this season for the Nanooks

Jan. 4, 2006

Who says you can't go home

There's only one place that call me one of their own

Just a hometown boy, born a rolling-stone, who says you can't go home

Who says you can't go back, been around all around the world and that's a matter of fact

There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home

-- Bon Jovi - Who Says You Can't Go Home

While Wylie Rogers is no rock star, the sophomore goalie did make it back home to do what he loves. He started playing in the Great White North but took a detour to Michigan before returning back to Fairbanks. The sophomore forward tells of his travels for the game and what made him return to play for the Nanooks in his own words "You Can Go Home Again."

"You Can Go Home Again"

By Wylie Rogers

I never imagined when I was young and sitting in the crowd at the Carlson Center watching players like Tavis MacMillan, Dallas Ferguson, and Wade Klippenstein play for the UAF Nanooks, that I would someday wear the blue and gold jersey myself. And better yet, that those three players would be the coaching staff while I was playing. Kids growing up in Ann Arbor want to play for the Wolverines, Lansing is the Spartans, and what young Minnesota hockey player doesn't dream of playing for the Golden Gophers? It was different for me growing up around Nanook hockey. Don't get me wrong, I loved the atmosphere and the team, but UAF wasn't a big name school that kids would get excited about playing for. I think that those days have been over for some time now due to so many aspects of the Fairbanks community.

In my freshman year of high school, Fairbanks didn't offer the opportunity for me to excel in my hockey career at the time. Being from Fairbanks, I did the one thing that no kid will ever hear the end of (from childhood teammates). I went to Anchorage to play, the rival town of Fairbanks in more than just hockey. I would go to high school in Fairbanks for the day on a Wednesday and right after classes I would board a plane and fly 45 minutes to Anchorage for practice that night, and fly home and be in class back in Fairbanks the next day. Fridays after school I would fly down for games on the weekends and come home again for Monday classes. It was a grueling year of hockey for my family and me but it was a sacrifice that we had to make.

I left Fairbanks after my sophomore year to go play hockey in Michigan for the Metro Jets in the Central States Junior B Hockey League. This was my first year away from home and I had to experience a lot without my family close by. Just like every hockey player that had left home to go play outside it can be very exciting but challenging at the same time. After winning a National Championship with the Metro Jets, I signed on with the United States National Team Development Program's Under-18 team for my final year of school.

That was the year that I grew more as a hockey player than anything. The training program and hockey schedule was a task of its own, not to mention the school that was being missed for overseas trips. I was able to fly to Europe to play in tournaments and experience places and cultures new to me in Prague, Czech Republic, and Stockholm, Sweden. It had always been a dream of mine to wear the USA logo and play for my country in international tournaments and it is an experience I will never forget.

As a freshman, Rogers was named to the 2005 CCHA All-Tournament team.

I still had no idea what college I wanted to attend or even who was interested in me at the time. Every player on my team except for two had committed to a Division I school. Growing up in Fairbanks I had an idea of what the team used to be like but I hadn't really kept up with the progress of the program for a while. I flew for an official visit back home and it didn't take any time at all to realize that I wanted to be back in my hometown playing for the college that I grew up watching. For those of you who haven't been to Fairbanks, it's a town that is regularly in the 70-degree range in the summer and is known to hit minus 50 below in the winter. If there was anything holding me back from making my decision it was the weather! I committed to UAF before their Saturday night game during a meeting with the head coach at the time (Guy Gadowsky - who is now with Princeton) in the locker room.

After playing the following year in the BCHL for the Victoria Salsa, I began my college career at UAF. Like I said, growing up in a town like Fairbanks for me as a kid I didn't have dreams of playing for the local college. The program over the years has changed due to the coaching staffs, past players, and the fans of Fairbanks. If there is one thing that I will never forget until the day I die, it is the feeling that I get when I put on the jersey and get called out for the starting lineup in my hometown, in front of my closest family and friends, and thousands of the most loyal hockey fans I have ever met. I have gotten to know over these last two years that kids in this town are now growing up saying "I want to play for the UAF Nanooks someday."

We are proud of you, Wylie! Love, Aunt Kathy & Uncle Mike

The floors are shining & my futures so bright...

Deep cleaned all the carpets with an extractor, stripped and waxed, all the hard floors in the building. I had help from the maintenance guys and one kid doing community service. Which was greatly appreciated by me. When I got to work today at 10am I heard this: The Maintenance Crew were voted "Employees of the Month"! har har har, yes folks, the Maintenance Crew includes yours truly. The guys were so happy that they basically sat around the whole afternoon. Not me. I got the last two bathrooms stripped and cleaned. I was ready to get it done and over with and worked through my lunch to "get 'er done". Tomorrow I go back to 1-10pm and that makes me happy along with the floors shining and being part of the crew voted "Employees of the Month".

Classes start the 17th.

Almost knocked my eye out

last night!

I was playing with my little sistor kitty cat. She loves boxes and we had a big box so I cut holes in it. My cat was batting her paws out of the holes, not wanting to get scratched, I had a piece of golden stretchy string with a bunched up piece of wrapping papper attached to the end. Little sistor got a hold of it and I kept pulling on the string til it broke and snapped back into my left eye LID! Just missing my eyeball. It felt like my eye got knocked out. Or sliced. Big ouch!

Once I saw that my eye was intact we immediately put ice on it. Opened the front door and got some clean chunks from outside. That kept the swelling down.

Instead of being blind, with one glass eye, the FishTaxi is sporting a black eye.

My Latest Top 5 Trooper Dispatch Picks

From the PIO.

#5 - What was Ehrich thinking?

-------------------------------------------------

Location: Wasilla

Case number: 05-106682

Type: DWLS

Text: On 12/28/05 at approximately 1953 hours, Alaska State
Troopers

stopped a 2004 Dodge Stratus bearing Alaska license plate
THINK, near

the intersection of Palmer Wasilla Highway and Snider Drive
in Wasilla

for speeding.  Investigation revealed, Ehrich Schmidt was
driving with a

suspended license.  Ehrich was arrested and remanded to
MSPT on $500.00

bail.

Author: RAN0 

Received and posted Thursday, December 29, 2005 3:44 AM

# 4 - Get your story straight before you leave the house!

-------------------------------------------------

Location: Wasilla

Case number: 05-106727

Type:  Warrant Arrest, Hindering Prosecution,
Resisting Arrest, False 

Information, MICS Fourth Degree

Text: On  12-28-05 at approximately  2242 hours, the
AST DUI Enforcement 

Team stopped a Jeep Wrangler at the intersection of
Bogard Road and Main 

Street for a moving violation.  The driver was
identified as Stephen 

Spikes, age 18, of Wasilla.  Spikes provided a
false name for the 

passenger, who Spikes knew had a warrant for his arrest.
The passenger 

provided a different false name.  Investigation
revealed that the 

passenger a 17 year old male, of Wasilla.  The juvenile
male had multiple
warrants for his arrest.  When Troopers attempted
to arrest the juvenile
male he resisted and attempted to flee.  The male
juvenile was arrested
and found to be in possession of Methadone, a controlled
substance.  
The male juvenile was remanded into the Mat-Su Youth
Facility, where he
was held without bail.  Spikes was arrested
for Hindering Prosecution and
was remanded into MSPT, where bail was set at $500.

Author: SMC1 

Received and posted Thursday, December 29, 2005 6:03 AM

#3 - Anti-spray device? Is that mud flaps?

-------------------------------------------------

Location: Wasilla

Case number: 05-106722

Type: DUI

Text: On 12-28-05 at approximately 1020 hours, Alaska
State Troopers 

conducted a traffic stop on a 1996, Toyota pickup truck
in the Shoprite 

parking lot located near mile 42 of the Parks Highway
for having no anti- 

spray device and no rear license plate light.
Investigation revealed 

that the driver Edward Mathieson, age 45 of Wasilla
was operating the 

Toyota pickup while under the influence of alcohol.
Mathieson was 

arrested for DUI and transported to Mat-Su Pretrial
Facility where he 

 was allowed to be released to a sober adult.

Author: KRB0 

Received and posted Thursday, December 29, 2005 6:41 AM

#2 - Caribou vrs. Bears

-------------------------------------------------

Location:  Mile 53 Tok Cut-off

Case number:   05-106763

Type:  MVC-D

Text:  On 12/29/05 at approximately 0630 hours, a 2004 Ford
F150 bearing

Alaska License EPS422 operated by Paula S. Bears
47 y.o.a. of Northway,

was traveling Northbound  on  the Tok Cut-Off
when she struck a Caribou

in the middle of the roadway.  No injuries were
reported and the driver

was wearing a seat belt.  Damage to the vehicle
is estimated at

approximately $8,000.00 U.S. Dollars.

Author:  WPC9 

Received and posted Thursday, December 29, 2005 2:50 PM

#1 - Rude Terrorist Action Verb

-------------------------------------------------

Location: Fairbanks  

Case number: 05-106993

Type: Terroristic Threatening

Text: On December 29, 2005, at 2039 hours, Alaska State
Troopers 

responded to Fairbanks Correctional Center (FCC)
after receiving a 

report of an unruly inmate.  Investigation revealed
that inmate Sean 

Judd, 32 years of age of Fairbanks, broke a telephone
belonging to FCC 

and after being written up for disciplinary action,
Judd spat upon a 

Correctional Officer.  Charges for Terroristic Threatening
will be 

forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

Author: ERN0 

Received and posted Thursday, December 29, 2005 11:22 PM

Oh, to be blonde again & again

From J-Walks blog:

This blond joke had me laughing.

Permalink | Posted in Humor @12:05pm | Comments (22)

Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup stays in Fairbanks!

FAIRBANKS -- As 2006 opens, Alaska's college hockey equation is right back where it was in 2005.

And 2004. And 2003. And 2002.

Namely, the players in the state's premier pucks program wear blue and gold, and their fingerprints are all over the Governor's Cup.

UAF took the measure of UAA for the fifth consecutive season, snuffing the Seawolves 3-0 before 4,336 fans on Saturday night to retain the Governor's Cup with a 3-1 advantage in the annual four-game season series.

"We got the Cup! We got the Cup! We got the Cup!'' the Nanooks chanted as they huddled on the Carlson Center ice to celebrate their superiority and have team pictures snapped.

The Nanooks gathered around the Cup as still photographers clicked off shots and television cameras rolled. Each player, coach and support staffer extended a hand, with four fingers and thumb extended.

The Drive For Five was complete.

That it was successful was largely courtesy of a baby-faced, blond, 20-year-old sophomore goaltender from Fairbanks. Wylie Rogers may look like a kid, but he's The Man when he faces the boys in green and gold.

Rogers stopped 33 shots to record his second career shutout of UAA and his school record-tying fourth career shutout.

Seawolves, who's your daddy? Wylie Rogers.

In seven career games against UAA, Rogers' numbers are numbing. He is 5-1-1 with a 1.27 goals-against average and .953 save percentage. The only time the Seawolves have beaten him came earlier this season, and even that was a 2-1 squeaker.

Rogers, who as a freshman in high school flew to Anchorage twice a week to practice with the Alaska All Stars competition team, makes no secret of his love of beating the Seawolves.

He grew up in Fairbanks, so he understands this rivalry that dates back to 1979 and has included a Governor's Cup competition for the last 13 seasons.

"I don't think it actually hit me until between the second and third periods,'' Rogers said. "We were getting ready for the third period and I said, "I not only want to beat these guys, I don't even want to give them a chance.''

The Nanooks owned a 3-0 lead, and Rogers made it stand, stopping 13 third-period shots.

Earlier, Rogers kept the Seawolves humble by stopping Matt Jolly's breakaway backhander in the second period, when the game still was scoreless. Later in the period, with UAF leading 1-0, he squeezed his pads to stop a redirected shot that was bound for his five-hole. And in the last five seconds, he rebuffed power-play shots by Chris Tarkir and Justin Johnson.

"If I can not let any of their players hold the Governor's Cup, the Fairbanks Nanooks have done their job,'' Rogers said.

Rogers, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's All-Rookie goalie last season, has struggled at times this season and surrendered playing time to freshman Chad Johnson. But UAF head coach Tavis MacMillan, the former Nanook skater and assistant coach, knows Rogers' regard for the rivalry.

So he started Rogers in both games here. Rogers backstopped the Nanooks to a 4-2 win Friday.

"I think the Cup inspires a lot of people, and it probably inspires him more than anyone,'' MacMillan said. "He shows up in big games. Chad and he have both played well.

"This was more of a hunch, (with Rogers) being a Fairbanks kid and understanding this rivalry and how much it means to him.''

Granted, the Seawolves gave Rogers some help. They went scoreless on 10 power plays Saturday -- and scoreless in 17 power plays on the weekend. They looked indecisive and devoid of confidence with the man advantage.

"If you can't score on the power play, you're not going to win, bottom line,'' said UAA coach Dave Shyiak.

Just as they did Friday, the Nanooks on Saturday scored two of their goals during 5-on-3 advantages. The first one, by defenseman Darcy Campbell, came when UAA, already down a man, lost another man when Shyiak barked at referee Craig Lisko and received a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct.

"I hold myself accountable,'' Shyiak said.

The loss was the Seawolves' season-worst fourth straight and left them frustrated, forlorn and searching for answers.

"We're fragile right now, and confidence is low,'' Shyiak said.

That was the case for the Nanooks entering this series. They had concluded the first half of their season on a 0-4-1 skid.

But two wins over their intrastate rival buoyed the Nanooks' confidence heading into a four-game conference road trip to Michigan.

"We got the Cup! We got the Cup! We got the Cup!'' they chanted.

When it comes to playing the Seawolves, they easily could have chanted, "We got Wylie! We got Wylie! We got Wylie!''

This column is the opinion of Daily News reporter Doyle Woody. He can be reached at dwoody@and.com.