Ryan McFarland

Petersburg had a record year for the amount of snowfall.  The snow in front of the house is higher than the porch railing where it has slid off the roof.  The pile behind the house is seven feet tall.

High school baseball is supposed to have a home game in less than two weeks and we have $30,000 worth of sand stacked on the senior field to surface the other fields.  Everything is buried under snow though.  We need rain and warm temperatures to melt the snow so that work can resume on the fields.  Looks like we’re going to get some sun finally though.

A patron recently was concerned about the pool chlorine level because they had been swimming and had a yeast infection. It is important for everyone to know that you can not get a yeast infection from pool water and that if you have a yeast infection that swimming is completely safe for you and all other swimmers. When you think about public swimming pools you can start to get squeamish if you think about the body fluids and other substances that are likely present. Snot seems to flow from many noses, people spit, and there is no such thing as a chemical that is added to pools that turns red when someone pees in the pool. But a properly chlorinated (or - “disinfected” since chlorine is not the only sanitizer used in the pool and spa industry) pool will kill most bacteria within just hundredths of a second. The sand filters we use filter to just a few microns.

The city allows employees to “sell” their vacation time. According to yesterday’s pay stub i have enough vacation accrued to cash it out at $4,875. Definitely not what i want to do but nice to know that i have that little “savings account” to draw from when things get really tight. I would much rather spend a few weeks in Central America, a week with my parents when they come up, and have a few days here and there to get things done around the house. Maybe if i just sold off the vacation that accrued between January 1st and April 16th. That has a value of $1,200 and wouldn’t leave my vacation time exhausted.

It’s quite public knowledge that Cena plans on buying Pangea. But there are a few other businesses on the table right now. Just for Kids is also for sale along with the Alaskan Gourmet annex. Northern Lights Restaurant also became available. Joan Mei restaurant has been for sale forever. I just heard that the bike shop is for sale also. Even a part ownership of Kito’s is changing hands. All of this may make it seem like there is a depressed economy in Petersburg. But sales tax revenue to the city was up for this last year. The generation that would operate a business for 30 years has long since retired and people move around and experiment. In a few years when i start to consider my next career move i wonder if i’ll even stay in parks & recreation - or even the public sector. I’ve been dreaming of buying and renovating old homes and buildings.

With winter’s flu season comes a crop of instant hand sanitizers on desktops and counters of businesses. I have one on my desk that i use during almost every phone call. I got to thinking about the things in my office that don’t get cleaned often that would be conduits for bacteria and viruses.

Keyboard - Naturally our contact with computer keyboards will spread germs. Food, hair, skin pieces, and other goodies in there make a nice festering layer just below your hands. What a pain in the butt to clean though. Between compressed air, some sanitizing wipes and a vacuum it seems to clean up pretty well though. Don’t forget the area that your wrists rest.

Mouse - Certainly you’ve seen the sweat and dirt line outlining a finger on someone’s mouse. That can’t be healthy. Clean the area around your mouse too. If you have a cloth covered mouse pad think of finding a replacement that is easier to clean.

Telephone - Clean that handset really well. Get in those crevices of the pieces of plastic that are snapped together. Clean the area where the buttons are and if your phone has one don’t forget about the cord - it’s right in line with your mouth.

Cell phone - Recent research has found cell phones tote more bacteria than a toilet seat or even the bottom of a shoe. I don’t know the best way to clean a phone short of taking it apart as far as possible and disinfecting the pieces.

Chair armrests - Another surface with dozens or even hundreds of contacts a day.

Door knob - Hopefully the person that cleans your building hits the doorknobs of the restrooms and the entry door hardware. If you have an office that doorknob is probably not in the cleaning contract.

Water bottle or coffee cup - I’ve seen some disgusting coffee cups and i’ve let my water bottles get bad enough that i have thrown them out. Wash those things!

Today i got a call from the person that donated a valuable piece of waterfront property to the city for an extension of Eagle’s Roost Park. He sat me down in his dining room with a signed blank check and told me to write it for $100,000 to the city. I love building stuff!

I got along fabulously with Don. We told stories and BSed and talked a little politics. Some time that day Don spoke out against the resolution that was being debated in the House and Senate. Do a search for “Don Young Lincoln” and watch a video of his remarks. He’s wearing the same shirt and tie. Someone on his staff needs to research quotes better.

Senators

Originally uploaded by zieak.

I just finished meeting with each of Alaska’s Senators. In Young’s office they took a photo when I arrived and before leaving I had a signed print in my hands. At my next stop Senator Stevens insisted that Kevin be in the photograph. My camera was used for a picture with Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Sleet

Originally uploaded by zieak.

The airport is closed. Schools and government offices are closed. My dress shoes don’t handle the icy slush covering the sidewalks well. Session presenters are not making it in so we’re getting stand-in speakers with limited knowledge.