Also, I really miss blogging, so I’ll probably make a new one as to not taint my beautiful Arctic theme with posts dissecting Northwestern males (oh, wait). Stay tuned!

September 3rd, 2004

Thirteen random things you like:
01) My “Jump the Shark” book. I never watch TV, but I can sound like I know what I’m talking about!
02) Hot chocolate with a little puff of whipped cream
03) Cookies straight from the oven
04) Finishing an uber long run
05) My new green shorts. They’re not just green, they’re LIME green
06) Laying in the grass and talking about love with Beanie and Eliza
07) Air guitar
08) My perfectly-molded-to-my-feet flipflops
09) Hammocks
10) Slow dancing (oh yes, I’m quite the romantic)
11) Reading other people’s LJ’s, especially the really angsty ones
12) Marching Band (no duh)
13) My sister’s friend Jeff- he randomly showed up at our door one day asking if he could take a shower, and he’s held a special place in my heart ever since

Twelve movies you like:
01) Some little movie called Newsies…
02) Beauty and the Beast
03) Zoolander (because I, too, know how hard it is to be really really good-looking)
04) Amadeus (Mozart was quite the hottie!)
05) Matilda- it just makes me smile
06) Donnie Darko
07) Shrek (both)
08) Toy Story 2
09) Titanic. Shut up.
10) Harry Potter. I just saw it on IMAX- Draco Malfoy’s face times 9.…swoon
11) Brady Bunch Movie. You gotta love it.
12) The Shining.

Eleven good bands/artists:
01) BEATLES!!
02) Who
03) Doors
04) Jethro Tull
05) Simple Plan
06) Weezer
07) Billy Joel
08) Alanis Morisette
09) Michelle Branch
10) Mozart (shhhh)
11) Aretha Franklin

Ten things about you … physically:
01) I may have the poofiest hair known to mankind.
02) During elementary school, I had lice for five years. I’m itching just thinking of it!
03) I used to be uber tall, but now I’m just kinda short and stout
04) My favorite feature(s?) are my feet. No hair, no warts, and at size 8, they can pretty much fit into everything
05) I hate my legs. The end.
06) I try (really!) not to get tanned or burned, but red skin is the inevitable conclusion
07) My 10 year old babysitting charge applies makeup with more ease than I do
08) I love deodorant. Man deodorant
09) My nose is cute.
10) I am not.

Nine people who are awesome, in no particular order

No hard feelings if I didn’t mention you- there are many more awesome people in the world than this list will allow
01) Ron Howard- he successfully morphed from child actor to teenage heartthrob to Hollywood director without any major mishaps along the way
02) Max, because he’s just so darn perfect
03) Mr. Gagnon, my marching band director. He’s as dictatorial as he needs to be without going all Hitler
04) Laura, because her long hair is insanely perfect
05) Eliza and Beanie. We have had many a philosophical talk on life, love, and everything in between
06) .Grandma Rose
07) Nicole Ajamian. She is the sweetest person ever, and her obsession with Joey is just too darn cute!
08) Tito McMuffin. So hip, and quite the computer genius as well
09) Corinne. Yes, sweetie, you’re a ditz, but a lovable one

Eight favorite foods/drinks:
01) Cheddar Cheese Quakes
02) Smartfood Popcorn
03) Watermelon anything
04) Pirate’s Booty
05) Raspberry ginger ale
06) French fries
07) Croutons
08) Chocolate covered strawberries. Heaven right there

Seven things that annoy you:
01) The word “whatever.” It makes me feel like such an idiot, like “yeah, what you said was so stupid I won’t even grace it with a response.” DON’T SAY WHATEVER!! (Reader: whatever)
02) People who crack their knuckles. My lord, get a freakin room
03) People who say, “Oh, so-and-so was talking about you…” Now I’m not only mad at so-and-so, but at the person who just stood by and let them talk. Ignorance is bliss, eh?
04) Fingernails on the chalkboard. Cliché, but eeeeek!
05) Religion taken to the extreme
06) People who are like, “Oh, what a poser.” “She can’t wear converse sneakers! She’s trying to act so punk.” “She listens to the Ramones? Eww.” Stop with the poser-punk shticks already. It’s so five minutes ago
07) Ungroomed eyebrows

Six things you wore today:
01) My *NEW* blue tank top
02) My *OLD* blue tank top
03) My *REALLY OLD* gym shorts
04) My *RELATIVELY ANCIENT* flipflops
05) Various bras and underwear (nudge nudge)
06) Yeah, that’s about it…

Five things you touch everyday:
01) What do you think? hmm, this laptop mostly
02) Clarinet (well, almost every day….or week)
03) Contact lens case
04) Molded flipflops
05) My ambitions, hopes and dreams….sigh

Four shows you watch:
01) Full House, of course

02) Phil of the Future!! But he’s dating Lalaine…grrrr
03) Whose Line is it Anyway?
04) Happy Days (came out on DVD this summer….)

Three celebrities that are cool:
01) Don’t you mean WHO are cool? Ron Howard
02) Jojo, that 13 year old musical genius
03) Jon Stewart

Two people on lj that you have kissed:
01) On LJ? Well, Muffin of course, even though he only wrote one entry about 5 months ago
02) Some other people I choose to keep secret…

One person you could spend the rest of your life with:
01) My brother- we’d just have to stay out of each other’s way

-My WOO HOO COLLEGE experiences of marching band, Sex Week, and eating the world’s best french fries at Al’s Italian Beef, while wonderful for my well being, don’t really hold a candle to Deadhorse. I mean, I could upload pictures of my mellophone upon request…boring my audience is not my goal, however.

-On my end, nothing really seems worthy to write about, save that time I waved to David Schwimmer on the shore of Lake Michigan and he gave a little head nod back.

What I need is a revolution. An event the size of the Arctic Circle to plop down in my pithy life of writing gender studies papers. Here it is…

Northwestern Dance Marathon requires each wannabe 30-hour dancer to raise $400 for StandUp for Kids, a wonderful organization helping homeless and at-risk Chicago teenagers. I’ve danced the past two years, but I always feel terrible asking people for money, so I’ve kept ignoring the fundraising aspect until today, where DM looms before me in less than a week.

So yes, I’m still asking for money, but I’m giving something in return. My blog. A new challenge. Something a little more cliched than an Arctic jaunt, but still pretty cool to read about. I’ll run the Chicago Marathon.

“Wow, aren’t you original? What are you going to do after that- climb Mount Everest and eat thirty hot dogs?” Okay, running a marathon isn’t quite an US Weekly cover. Still, it’s pretty unique for me. Check it out:

-The last time I ran any sort of distance was my timed eighth grade mile.

-I despise running more than I despise frizzy hair, my brother’s politics and stale Girl Scout cookies combined.

-Summation: I am immobile. Me running a marathon is akin to Perez Hilton starting up an existential secular humanist blog. It’ll make for a kicking life experience, but also for some good reading.

I’m asking for $800, but I really only need $400. You can donate $400. You can donate twenty-five cents. Anything you can offer will earn a thank-you card from me and a promise of chiseled thighs and endless iPod playlists.

Donate! Let’s do this!

-Nicole “Usain Bolt” Collins

At least this time, I’m already security-ready, so I have access to the exclusive padded chairs reserved for paying American Airline passengers. I set up camp next to a sleeping Asian couple, the male half of whom jerks awake and glares at me every time I shift in my seat.

WINDFALL! After wandering through the airport starved and crazed, I happened upon a 24/7 Qdoba AND one of those Hudson News stores. I have my chicken breakfast quesadilla, Dasani, and more than enough Netflix “instant watch” videos to last me through the morning. Huzzah!

Next stop- Chicago! Well, St. Louis…but then…Chicago!

FIVE REASONS WHY TODAY IS AN EXCELLENT DAY

1. I finally found the perfect souvineer shirt for myself. Only $14, says “Deadhorse, Alaska” in obnoxiously bolded, red font so passersby can stare in wonder at my world traveling self, and features a picture of, yes, a dead horse.

2. Basking in glow of firm Northwestern throttling of Towson (who?).

3. I’ve started pre-ordering my textbooks through the NU library, kicking off my dream of paying exactly $0 on textbooks this year.

4. 24 hours from now, I’ll be curled up next to the Horizon Air ticket counter, hating the Department of National Security for requiring that stupid “Please report any unclaimed baggage” message to repeat ever 15 minutes.

5. 48 hours from now, I’ll be curled up in Sargent Hall, hating my sore calves and loving the marching that made them that way.

FIVE THINGS I CERTAINLY WILL NOT MISS ABOUT DEADHORSE

1. That moment before cleaning a shower that had been occupied previously by someone who thought the best way to lose weight was by scrubbing off pubic hair.

2. Walking that three feet from the main building to my bedroom in pitch black with the plot from “30 Days of Night” on endless repeat in my head.

3. Having to travel 240 miles to hang out with people outside of the intimate Deadhorse social circle.

4. Being made fun of constantly for maintaining a diet based around microwave popcorn and buffalo chicken.

5. The sobering realization that the closest Papa John’s is a four day road trip away.

FIVE THINGS I WILL ABSOLUTELY MISS ABOUT ALASKA

1. The beauty. Standing at Atigun Pass is possibly the closest that an athiest could ever come to seeing God, and some of the oil workers were really, really hot.

2. The opportunities that Sukakpak company gave me to fly directly over melting glaciers, fly over the northernmost point of North America, fly through an obscure national park…I’ve given up on totaling the amount that these trips would cost the average Joe, but it’s probably above $10,000 by now.

3. The people I’ve met. Outside of the Deadhorse staff, I loved meeting people in the same place in life as me- college students who took one look at the faltering economy and unpaid internships and hopped on a plane to Alaska. It was also pretty inspiring meeting people who live on seasonal employment, and inspired me to look into it as a wonderfully cheap, pure way to see the world. By the way, check out www.whileinalaska.com – a Coldfoot employee who’s a sophomore at Wheaton in Massacusetts (woot! represent!) kept an eerily similar blog to mine, except that his has way better pictures and anaylsis. Hi, Ted!

4. My three months in a  freezing desert that will hopefully impress Antarctica companies when I apply come graduation (I think my parents just fainted).

5. The delicious chicken curry that Chef Tom makes each week, and cooked for my last night here.

FIVE HUGE LIFE LESSONS I’M WALKING AWAY WITH:

1. In order for my “happiness is better shared” post to ring true, I had to be happy with myself and by myself. And hey, now I am.  I love the fact that I found this job by myself and flew here on a whim without any financial support from my parents, I loved staying in a hostel and kayaking by myself, I loved hitchhiking (although not necessarily the company), and I love, love, love the realization that I’m a pretty good date for myself- no relationship involved.

2. Life goes on. Remember that legless man in “Forrest Gump” who thought that it was his destiny to die in Vietnam, but ended up finding fulfillment with the shrimp boat and found a wife at the end? I watched the movie yesterday and sobbed for the first time all summer, because honest to god, I did think my life was over last April because I was way too narrow-minded to realize that about a million networks exist in the world, and if you fail in one aspect, learning from mistakes and picking up a new life path is quite easy, unless one committed a major crime. But hey, even then, happiness can be found in the weirdest places, even a jail cell.  As Winston Churchill (and my sister) said, “If you’re going through hell, keep on going”.

3. On a similar note, do what is least expected of you. If any Northwestern students are reading this, I beg you: turn down that summer finance internship and throw away that five-year plan and do something, anything, that would look absolutely terrible on a professional resume. I always felt inferior to my peers who had their next ten years planned out down to the last distribution course in their second semester of grad school, but now, I feel, dare I say it, superior? Or at least comfortable with the fact that I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing after graduation and absolutely love it.

4. If you’re going to do Alaska, do Alaska. Don’t do a guided tour that stops at each photo op for exactly 13 minutes and would probably cost me about 5 weeks of scrubbing dishes. Same goes for the rest of the world. So much of the tourism world is just putting on a little theatrical performance to give consumers their money’s worth (one guide told me that his company forced him to dress up like a caribou and “graze” the fields, since guests were complaining about seeing no wildlife), so escape from “The Truman Show” and again, do something a little crazy.

5. Facebook is my favorite website. Never before in history has a person been able to feel so close to her family from 5000 miles away, and staying in touch with people I met here will be ridiculously easy. The bigger a social network I have, the happier I am.

FIVE PEOPLE TO THANK AND WHY

1. Eliza, for introducing me to www.coolworks.com and being an incredible friend. Same goes for Beanie and Eliza and anybody who was thoughtful anough to send a letter or care package. This is especially touching because I am absolutely horrible at corresponding via old-fashioned methods.

2. JOMdaddy for going far and above the “father’s blog buddy” call of duty with that incredible package and insightful, fascinating blog comments. I would love to hear more about your piloting adventures, especially since that’s always been an elusive dream of mine. On that note, absolutely anybody who’s visited this blog, even if it was just to snipe that picture of Mr. Darcy. My love for you swells with each digit that my hit counter increases by.

3. The wonderful people of Sukakpak company for responding to my every traveling whim, whether it’s finding the cheapest possible Fairbanks hostel or cleaning a Coldfoot room on the fly so I can sleep in it. Many, many props to CEO Brett Carlson, who is possibly the kindest, most unlikely CEO ever- his secret for success, rather than shady corporate dealings, is a huge bowl of Cheerios each morning and an average of 3 hours of sleep each night.

4. My parents for commenting on, I believe, every single blog post, and willing to support me in any way that doesn’t involve dropping a few hunded dollars. That delicious combination of love and frugality is something that I hope to enrich my own children with someday. In the same categor, my siblings, for the same season.

5. That elderly couple I mentioned a few months ago who were celebrating their 50th anniversary by driving to Alaska from Nebraska, and whose love for each other was so passionate and obvious that I’m actually tearing up a little thinking about them. Even if I never find that love, I sure hope that as many people as possible do.

FIVE THINGS I WILL DO IMMEDIATELY AFTER RETURNING TO CIVILIZATION:

1. Change into 100% Wildcat attire.

2. Buy eyeliner and actually look like a female for the first time in three months.

3. Cheesy. Bread.

4. Change my contacts, which are now two months old and possibly giving me several eye infections.

5. Charge my new(ish) phone! Woot!

FIVE GOALS UNTIL MY NEXT NOMADIC ADVENTURE

1. Peace of mind

2. An incredibly successful Sex Week

3. The Rose Bowl

4. Actual passion for classes, and maybe even writing a few essays before that “oh crap, deadline’s in 5 hours” window that I’m well acquainted with

5. Never, ever letting the haterz get me down.

Until my campout in the Seattle airport,

Nicole

What’s happening to this blog come September 7th?- from me

I’m keeping it up. I might lose a few readers with  daily “OMG WILDCAT FOOTBALL” orgasms, but I’ve really missed blogging ever since I gave up on Livejournal. The title’s still appropriate, too- there will always be a little bit of Nicole in Alaska, and a lot of Alaska in Nicole.

Cue that “Full House” ending scene music. But hey, I definitely am coming back to Alaska.