if it's not ten things...

After my enormous, slightly morose posting on Saturday, things did liven up a bit. I went for coffee with a new friend, Will, and then we headed out to the farm so I could give him a tour. While we were there butchering was taking place; chickens and pigs, to be precise. Hmong and other Asian groups are getting ready for their New Year's festivities and so they come out to the farm to buy the meat for both ceremonial and dinner usage. It was my first slaughter experience and while I can't say it was pleasant, it was interesting to say the least. The best part about it is knowing where your meat came from; when meatpacking companies allow for so much pus or fecal matter to be included in the chicken breasts you just purchased, there is a problem in our food system.

During the farm hike we went up through the gardens, visited the chickens and ducks, and took a nice trail back to the main part of the farm. The goats were all out and about in their pen, and it was so fun to see the little babies traipsing about behind their moms. More females are expecting, which will be infinitely cute in the months to come. One of the farmers out here, Brian, had a surprise for us when we left the goat pen; they'd butchered a pig for their family and grilled it, and so we got to try 'oinking this morning' pork and a new beer, the Alaskan Amber. He also told us about the baby piggies hidden in the barn, so we had to run and almost cry at their cuteness. So it did end up being a pretty good day.

Sunday was its own barrel of giggles, however. Upon opening the hood of my truck to check the oil, I noticed that there was a damp, oily stain beneath the air filter. Curtis walked me through opening the case, and to my delight (ha) there was a thick coating of oil EVERYWHERE in my air filter, and the breather filter for the PCV unit (an emissions thing, it takes out the hydrocarbons from the blow-by) was completely gunked up and useless. We took everything out and cleaned out the filter case, and then ran to the auto parts store to get a new air filter, breather filter, PCV valve and valve grommet. When we got back Curtis stood at my side and instructed me in replacing everything myself, which made me feel immensely proud. Today on my way into Anchorage to get my refund check, the beast bucked a bit and had a little trouble accelerating, which I think could be related to the oil pressure. I am taking it in for an oil change and a radiator servicing tomorrow, so we'll have to see what the experts say. I'm also losing a little radiator fluid per each trip I make, so I will have them check it out. All in all I didn't expect to have a perfect ride and it's about what I would expect for the money I paid for it. Plus, the concept of going to the parts store and installing them in my own truck is new and exciting. The plus side of having a monster truck is that there's a lot of room to work in there, and my hotness level dramatically increases the further I'm bent over my engine. (sorry parents!! that's for the boyfriend.) : )

and yes, I did get my refund check, which makes me more relaxed and content. I still look forward to getting a job. It will be so incredibly nice to be able to give back to the people who have helped me out so much in my transition up here.

Ima scooting off to class...times changed when we switched from the block schedule to the session. love!