Taxes, Time Zones and Euphoria, All Wrapped Up in One Post from UNalaska

This picture is Unalaska.

Today, I spent the morning configuring Spanish taxes, on a ship destined for Rome (don’t ask), via satellite communication from a ship in Unalaska, which, just so you know, is in…. Alaska.

This was after a global meeting of the minds including a London mind, lawyers from all over the EU and we are still waiting for final authorization from an Austrian in California.

As I get ready to go to bed, the thing I am most grateful for is NOT changing time zones tomorrow. After having changed time zones something like seven times in the last nine days, traveling from Japan to Alaska, I am THRILLED to be waking up in the same time zone tomorrow. No need to reset my clock tonight, no need to think of the hour less sleep I will be getting! (No need to think about which systems will handle the time change, which won't, whether Daylight Savings Time is observed or not, or for that matter where the International Dateline is compared to my current location.)

Yield to aircraft, seems a good idea.

I kind of feel like I got gypped this month in salary. My April, having crossed the international date line, will have 31 days and several of my days will have 23 hours, which means the same number of work hours, but less rest hours.  Just sayin’.

The apparent highlight of the day was the Safeway (a grocery store), in “downtown” Dutch Harbor, Alaska.  Honestly, they should have just called the town Safeway, cause if there was no Safeway, there would be no town. (That is not entirely true, but it makes a better story.)

I did yield.

Surprise of the story is, today was GLORIOUS. I suddenly understand Alaska. The light here is magical. I walked two miles into “town,” ie to Safeway, along a dirt path. It was amazing. Bald eagles everywhere, snow-capped mountains in every direction, clear, crisp, pure cold air and a northern light which induced euphoria.

Cool: Alaska and its godly, ethereal, northern light.

Stupid: Trying to apply European Union tax laws to a ship traveling from Spain to Rome, from a ship in Alaska, and missing the first chance in months to speak to my sister.

Sports utility vehicle, Alaska style.

Super Super Stupid: Trying to post this, realizing I can't because the internet is not working properly, and then being the one that has to fix it. And trying to layout pictures pretty on a slow internet connection; I ultimately gave up. And anyway, more than a day later.. POSTED.

There are two eagles on the hill in the background. I liked the "fit."