Alaskan Living

Ari Accepts Major Product Endorsement Contract

(Jump Straight To Ari's TV Commercial)

Hardly a day goes by that Ari doesn’t get pitched by some baby products company to endorse their products. Gerber, Graco, Baby Bunk, Eco Baby, Kidbean…the list goes on and on. They all want a piece of Ari’s huge media reach. The problem is, Ari just can’t get his arms around the idea of promoting products he can’t personally vouch for. As he told me while burping up in his crib last night, “Do they think I was born yesterday? I’m just not willing to prostitute myself at such a young age.”

First-Ever Bar Mitzvah In Bethel, Alaska (Courtesy eBay)

I’ve never been to Bethel, Alaska, but I hear it’s a flat, wet place in one of the poorest regions of Alaska. Bethel’s a Bush town of 5000 situated 90 miles from the mouth of the Kuskokwim River and 500 air miles from the state’s road system. Today’s paper ran a touching story of how a Jewish family living in this heavily-native village with no rabbi or synagogue scraped together enough money ($3100) to purchase a Torah from Israel on eBay and hold Bethel’s first-ever bar mitzvah. The Horesh’s keep the Torah at home, keep kosher by flying in their meats from Seattle, and hold Havdalah service every Friday.  It’s a classic story not just of Jewish life in Alaska but also of the bizarre mix of technology and tradition in Alaska’s villages. The Internet really has turned the world into a global village. If I were eBay, I’d tout this story!

It Goes By So Quickly...

That’s the constant refrain we hear from friends whose kids are now in their teens. It seemed a bit exaggerated, until…

...We discovered this week that Ari’s already outgrown his newborn clothes. He’s moved up to a size one diaper…getting heavier to carry…drinking 6 ounces of milk at a time… Maybe the saddest moment was realizing last night that Ari was wearing for the last time the

Nick Jans' "Alaska Thanks You"

Nick Jans may be my favorite Alaskan writer. His books about his experiences in the Alaskan Bush inspire me to load up my raft and float through wilderness for a week. Every few years, he publishes a bombshell opinion piece in some national publication. Wednesday, it was a story in USA Today about massive road building projects in Alaska, courtesy of the US taxpayer.

If you didn’t read the article, you may want to. Jans excoriated Senator Stevens and Congressman Young for Alaskan road-building boondoggles. I'm sure it angered

Ari Sets New Stroller Speed Record

Harvey Carp wrote a whole book on how to stop your baby from crying. It’s called “Happiest Kid on the Block,” and his whole secret is the 5 S’s: Swaddle, Swing, Shush, put him on his Side or Stomach, and give him something to Suck. Well, I tried them all this Sunday, but Ari kept on crying.

And that’s when it hit me.

Yael's First Mother's Day Gift

Last year at Mother’s Day, Yael and I went to Corsair for a romantic dinner. She seemed to grow more pensive as the meal progressed, and I didn’t know what was up. So I asked, “What’s the matter, Sweetie?” She answered, “Next year at Mother’s Day, do you think I’ll be a Mom?”

I was floored—I had no idea it was weighing so on her mind. We’d talked about having kids, but I hadn’t felt quite

Clark Mishler Does It Again!

Anchorage's Clark Mishler is one serious photographer. We were plenty impressed a few months ago when we swooped into his studio en route to a party and he made our favorite pregancy portrait in under 10 minutes.  Last Sunday evening, we stopped by for round two.

Springtime In Alaska

They say Alaska has four seasons: Winter, June, July, and August. The part about the long winters is true. But it’s also misleading. In reality, except for the dead of winter, the seasons change noticeably in Alaska every few weeks. In mid-February, you start to notice longer days. By early March, the days feel warmer. By late March, the snow starts to melt until we have full-blown breakup by the middle of April.

3-Week Old Alaskan Rallies Fellow Citizens To Protect Arctic Refuge By Joining www.ArcticRibbon.org

Congress moved a step closer last week to opening the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling. This saddened my son Ari and many other young Alaskans. So Ari's decided it's finally time to take action by joining www.ArcticRibbon.org. While lying in his crib and watching his mobile, Ari reflected, “When I grow up, I want to be able to see the same animals and wild places that my Mommy and Daddy got to see.”

This comes on the heels of Ari's radio interview last week in which the then-17-day old spoke out against opening ANWR. In case you missed it, here’s a 1-minute excerpt or the full 2-minute interview, both mp3 files.

Well, in this case, Ari’s Mommy and Daddy agree. Despite