M Off the Cut? Self-Imposed Exile in Alaska i*; ■' *n Alaska on account of a xnan. Even lo this day, the thought of last summer is a burning reminder that love is blind, and there is a price to be paid for amorous naivete. Well, what the hell, so I got dumped for her former beau Despite my better judgment. I flew to Anchorage l.ovc isn't stupid though, it took me four days to figure that out After my enlightenment, I had to leave, but home wasn't the answer — just get me out of Anchorage At the Kcnai Peninsula in Alaska, it was survival of the fit test, with literally hundreds of lower 48 state “cannery rats” prowling at the doors of the fish processing plants in search of a job I quickly made that observa tion living in my new abode, a tent (purchased three days prior), in the gravel pit above the bank of Kenai River I owe my life to my long underwear I should have known better 1. spoiled with cooked food and a roof to live under, was in no condition to adjust to the rigorous Alaskan weather, from the wind that chaffs your skin by day to the cold that freezes you by night I came to live in Lim bo. population 14 All that time spent on the bench outside Salamatof Seafoods endless hours of nothinglcss How long could K go on? Al first the lack of mental activity and nightly drunken stupors came as a welcome relief from the strains of school, hut as time crawled to a standstill, there was the Kenai Public Library for entertainment ‘ The Picture of Dorian Grey” came as a welcome friend to me. poisoning my mind with the degradation and loss of faith in relationships, which con firmed my earlier suspicions that there is no such thing as ideal love “Romance begins by deceiv ing oneself. Romance ends by deceiving another " — Oscar Wilde I had been deceived, an illu sion shattered, frozen forever in my mind The legend of Alaska as the land of summer fortunes began to look like a deception too. especially after two weeks without a permanent job and dwindling personal resources My God, the thought of ''dumpster diving in search of the nine minute burger" became more of a reality by the day Talk of the pit had it that Arby's hamburgers had a shelf-life of nine minutes We looked We found We ate. Anything to pass the time and A Delta Zeta sweatshirt provided some warmth, but nothing like what the warmth of another body drawn near could have done. When the zipper on my sleeping bag broke, it was the beginning of the end of my battle with the cold. I thought I was going to die. satisfy the hunger Alaska brought out the worst in me “Power shopping bulk food.” a grocery store counter part to restaurant “dine and dashing.” was always an option when the pangs of hunger became too severe. The food in Alaska is expen sive. and no one could afford vine ripened tomatoes at $2 49 a pound, let alone most fresh food I ate salmon, canned foods and peanut butter and jelly sand wichcs. Dairy Queen 49ers. which have more onions and relish than actual meat, were the staple diet of the starving Forty nine cents doesn't buy much hamburger. The good Samaritan who serv ed hot soup and bread at Shoshana's Oven for the Homer "spit rats" proves there are still good people left in this world. “Jesus never fails" hung above the door of the modified hangar, which was open 5-7 p.m daily. However, the one day I went to f ' • V’ ^* It.* ,l'f ’' 1 , { v ’ ‘ • ! *♦*!] • j'» , » ’Vi* .v'*-'''u A*N rf**** V,' * iV,’, i' Z • ’ »•' ’ j' \ • c *« ' *»• V* , *, • ’■ • ! Ii>*' .i'kJ a'. !fvT *.■ TfC ’ ‘■'xm P*t1, * t* **»j*r,'> h!‘ .lie j’rjs 1 s|r^KJth i’lCi i^/>* *vO ' -1 «*3u liQT'.a ,P'.'»‘A Cj'.fO Aj’n-ss. *n> >*’ Ser. ■■:. » A ; .*• , INf* »’V'A i*Ogt* ,irH? ;'<*■»[**! * .t* 1! s * tfC i',n ' ^etja'r i'<3 f'Ai 1' t'« money back guarantee »Vnite no one c an guarantee >a ,t specific e«am score GAPS does guarantee comptefe satisfaction a tn all cause materials It you are not satisfied return your Course witnm i'KM'UI uv >s tO Jays tor a toil refund HOME STUDY ENTRANCE EXAM PREPARATION... FROM CAPS. ■ VES. I'm intarestad. p*ea»e lend rna the compile * preparation comae checked beta* | GRE □ $149 00 I*»U* !*• '* » • tl \U1 i I4prt I • JV (MQn st mil*' ■***».# I GMAT □ si 79 00 I V*M y*gr\ 4 m*>r» ■'W* | LSAT □ *15900 I. m ***\ • 4 Vu l 4 *K»« lip** | *110 tug** oi ■n#***^ MCAT □ S3 SO 00 *v«ct ;*•"%**, feme* u’i»iww•**«*■ *nm0«r> • M iwj at KM '«n • 3» ■*•'**' **0*1* DAT □ $280 00 Civ*** feKVt *JT SfcM ►*»n* -* uoti tew* iwaaliiaa{iaaii>lu4aaDaai laMCAiia t/i Aaax WUlit4»'iar>i 2611 Shoshana's to cat. the oven wax closed Don't fail me Jesus. Please, not in a God-forsaken place like Alaska The Samaritan and his wife fed Kenai cannery workers too, pro viding the means for both physical and spiritual strength The pair saved lost souls in a way a traditional church service could not. By night, we fended for ourselves from locals who would play grand prix racing in the gravel pit while we slept. When the madmen's car axle broke one night, the gravel pit community flipped the driver's car on its hood for the added touch Extremist (or those who came the closest to being run over in the night) would have proceeded to bum the car, but the police came and put an end to any such thoughts. The police came back again when a fight erupted over the disputed ownership of some firewood Tempers flared, and one guy drew a knife, only to be clubbed in the temple with a walking stick by the other guy. The police took them both in. Besides roving, gravel throwing motor vehicles and knife-wielding men. being found frozen dead in a tent was an ad ditional fear that crept into dispirited minds by night. A Delta Zeta sweatshirt provided some warmth, but nothing like what the warmth of another body drawn near could have done. When the zipper on my sleeping hag broke, it was the beginning of the end of my battle with the cold. I thought I was going to die. One 19-year-old guy living in the gravel pit did die. but it hap pened at work and at a different plant Asthma and 100-plus hour weeks are a lethal combina tion. Fish mist, ever present in the air, slowly accumulated in the lungs of the cannery workers, so it was like having a smoker's hack minus the habit By July most everyone is working: the butcher crew, shivering in blood-splattered rain gear working on a good case of tendomtus; the egg packing crew, always under the watchful eye of a Japanese foreman; the beach crew, brav ing the elements and working day and night to unload the fishing boats; the packing crew, incessantly bending over to pick up frozen salmon from deep. 1,000-pound cages; and the freezer crew, bundled like a postal worker on a brisk January morning. Just as the mail must be delivered, so must the salmon be cleaned. And as the bins of salmon piled up, so would the sickly, vile smell of rotten fish fill the air. There was no rest until the . plant filled its order. Sleep? Who needs sleep? Tables turned as the foremen at Salamatof. who prior to the onslaught of the salmon had the advantage at work, were sud denly your friends. Don’t quit on us, they pleaded very non chalantly. Oh, but where was the classic music to soothe my nerves? Phil, Billy, Michael McDonald and virtuous music that pleads, “Honey, I was wrong and I'm sorry, but I’m coming back'' made me quit. I'm sorry. I’d have stayed had I heard virtuous music part two, with something like, “You won't take me back? It's your choice to bear. Yeah, I'm sad but what can I say, there are other women out there." It’s a fallacy to think relationships are as simple as, “Take me. I’m back.” Fleetwood Mac says it right. Alaska makes you believe it. Did she make you cry. make you break down, shatter yinir il lusion of love? Is it over now—do you know how to pick up the pieces and go home?" Gold Dust Woman I made it home all right, but 1 know I will never be the same. - STAN NELSON Spectrum_ A publication of the Oregon Daily Emerald Editor.Curtis Condon Assistant Editor . Stephen Maher Contributors: Elizabeth Asher, Sherlyn Bjorkgren, Michelle Brence, Marta Corvallis, Lucinda Dillon, Stan Nelson, Alyson Simmons, Colin Stanton, Michael Wilhelm Cover photo by Michael W'llhelm The editors will not be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork. Submissions must include a stamped, self addressed envelope