November in Review

As I mentioned in my October in Review post, I got on my second and final boat of the season on Halloween for one 5-day fishing trip in a new (to me) fishery. When I asked my friend for any pointers, she told me about how gross her boat was and not to expect much. My boat, however, was the complete opposite: extremely clean and I had my own room, which is a nice change from my previous boat. I didn’t have much to enjoy the amenities as my work schedule was really rigorous: they would bring up smaller catches more frequently and I had to do more in this particular fishery than my previous one, so I was working about ten to twelve hours a day. Luckily, the trip was only five days and before I knew it, we were back in Kodiak.

I was stuck in Kodiak for almost a week waiting for a flight out, I think it was because of the fog. But it didn’t make a difference to me because I was still getting paid per diem, being put up in a nice hotel and my good friend from training was in town, too.

As of the end of this contract, here are some stats of my work so y’all can keep track:

Number of boats: 4

Average length: ~110 feet

Days at sea: ~90

Ports visited: Dutch Harbor, Akutan, Sand Point, King Cove, Kodiak

I was able to escape on the 6th and spent the night in Anchorage (unfortunately no time to really explore as we had a flight the next morning at 0700, but we went to a really good restaurant/brewery) before finally arriving in Seattle. I joined the ranks in waiting to be debriefed but did some fun things in the meantime such as Emo Nite (alternative music club night), pub quizzes, Hump! short film festival (DIY creative porn fest where the audience votes for their favorites. The best part? Created by people of all shapes, sizes, colors and orientations never to leave the room, cell phone use of any kind is strictly prohibited) and taking in the beautiful fall colors of Washington.

I was debriefed, where they review what I did wrong, any discrepancies in my data, safety issues, etc. It all went really well, only a few hiccups. Then, I also took an annual briefing class, where they review common mistakes or misunderstands observers had over the last year. Even though I just trained in July, this briefing is every calendar year, so I was required to complete one nonetheless. In the three business days, we reviewed saftey drills, law enforcement regulation, sampling errors and more. It was just about as exciting as it sounds, but the best part is I pre-packed my gear so it can be sent straight to Alaska and I don’t have to worry about coming to Seattle before my boat assignment, I can fly straight from Los Angeles to Dutch Harbor.

I got back to Los Angeles just in time for my grandma’s birthday celebration. It was so good to see my family and celebrate her birthday, but also enjoy our alone time (we really enjoyed binging a few episodes of The Act).

I drove back to my hometown of Tucson, Arizona for Thanksgiving. I’ve never been big on the holiday, you know, given the whole genocide and meat-eating aspect of it all, but I haven’t seen my family since before I left in July and I missed my puppy! Okay, maybe the humans, too. I got a bow to shoot with my dad, there’s a great range and trail walking distance from my house we’ve been enjoying.

As for December? On my way back to Los Angeles early next week, I hope to visit Joshua Tree National Park and the Salton Sea area. I will spend a week or so in Tucson for Christmas before driving back to Los Angeles for an extended family Christmas celebration. Then I will spend New Year’s in Mexico! I will first be in Cancun for four dives then Cozumel for eight dives, I can’t wait!

November in Review 2018 || November in Review 2017 || November in Review 2016

What I’ve been listening to: Sink or Swim by The Gaslight Anthem, Silent Alarm by Bloc Party, From the Fires by Greta Ven Fleet, La Roux by La Roux, Collxtion by Allie X, Club Nites by Dumb, Girl in Red by Girl in Red

What I’ve been watching: RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (season 1), Impractical Jokers (season 8)

What I’ve been reading: Check out my single reading wrap-up post from this month. Fret not, I only posted one because I’m reading a series and want to post them all together!