Departure (maybe) to Anchorage in Roundtrip Ticket to Paradise 2

This is the second half of a letter I just composed to the family, plus my sis KS’s BFF… the first half was Departure from Moonraiser Airport.

~

In other news, the Anchorage Daily News / Alaska Dispatch News estimated, using the AK Department of Revenue’s own formulae, that this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend will be around $1800-$1900. Direct deposits will drop October 2. If I can keep things together for the rest of September, and if the hot streak I’ve been on the past few days continues for a bit, I’ll be in position to board the southbound train on Sunday October 5, and the following morning begin the paper chase for my Anchorage chauffeur license. I’ve been eating at the Stone Soup Café to save food costs: pretty good food even though slightly out of date, it’s calories on board, and one of the volunteer cooks is a luminary chef in the local foodie scene (she remembered me, even though she and I never had the chance to work together).

For me, my dividend will be $100 less than published as I have elected to donate $25 each to Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis, Standing Together Against Rape, Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living [local battered-women’s shelter], and Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest. Yeah, some male guilt there, although I myself have never battered a woman… such is life. I so wanted to be the suited instructor here:

but after two wipeouts on the ice resulting in broken bones such a physically impactful job (play on words intended wry sad smile) is likely in my rearview mirror. Suggestions for something else?

Hopefully, I’ll get myself squared away in Anchorage quickly… not sure if they have a 30-day wait for the chauffeur license like they do here in Fairbanks. That’s one reason to have that big cash cushion on board. As it stands, I may be eating at Bean’s Café there until everything comes on line, but with the cash available I should be able to avoid having to sleep at Brother Francis or camp out, plus I might be able to find either a Lodge member or a Fetlife acquaintance who would like some help with rent or mortgage. Having a spotless criminal record will likely help a lot there! Having lots of Lodge activities there (Members’ breakfast every Saturday, movie nights or games nights every so often at a Member’s home, etc) will be excellent too. And hopefully I will be able to land a job driving a tour bus next year… I’ve had several such drivers in my cab, and to a person they say that I’d work like a dog during the summer, but could just take the winters completely off. Of course, that won’t happen, as I’ll keep both chauffeur licenses active and like my Dad I’ll likely go out with my boots on grin.

Still trying to figure out how to turn the liabilities of Asperger into assets. Self-diagnosed as such last year based on the results from a 150-question diagnostic test I discovered. Took the test one day, then several days later took the same test again. Laid the second set of results right over the first, despite the probability that the test shuffled its questions between the two sessions. A little digging around, and I found that such does explain a lot of the weirdnesses I’ve found in life, and which I’ve observed in myself compared to others. In addition, one son of an acquaintance is a professionally-diagnosed Aspie, and being around him was like looking in a mirror. The answers to the liabilities-to-assets question seem tantalizingly close yet still over the horizon. I’m seeing a non-obvious connection that I can’t articulate between my piloting skills, and having tracked down a missing airline package express shipment to the hospital and ensuring its delivery to the right person in the right department a few weeks back… observing non-obvious connections (which I’ve touched on a few times in my previous 1600+ entry diary, including the very second entry back in June 2002) is one of a number of Aspie traits.

So… back in the hack. Stopped into this gaming salon to wait out a slump: 11 cars sitting, but with it being the first weekend of the month plus Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act regional corporation) having dropped a big dividend to its shareholders a couple days back, folks have been feeling flush, and I’m there to help them spend their money.

Love, WP