Mary Bellamy

Welcome home, Jacob.
Spanakopita in fridge.
Reheat wisely, sir.

...think there's nothing wrong with going skiing when it's 55 degrees F. Tom, evidently, has lived in Alaska a bit too long.

Although I secretly hoped he'd fall down on the hill (and his screams from the cold snow would echo across the valley), he managed to stay upright. As he flew down the trail, he called over his shoulder, "The snow really sucks. I'll probably be back soon."

A few days ago we were running, yesterday I was enjoying a pleasant bike ride, and today Tom is skiing. Ah, Alaska....

One month to go until the Gold Nugget Triathlon. So far, 921 women have signed up to run, which means in all likelihood I won't finish last. Especially if I can arrange to have someone take out one of the 80-year-olds, Tonya Harding-style. So, where am I with training?

• Swimming: Ugh, I haven't been swimming lately. I'm getting back in the pool next week to work on my stamina.
• Running: My ankle has healed and I've been working my way up in distance. I have been running 3-4 times a week, though I'm still not going the full distance. I know that this will be the toughest leg for me. Even if it were first, it would be tough, but coming last will make it a killer.
• Bike: I got my new bike last week: a shiny Giant Cypress DX (with a girly frame, since I lack a penis). I rode it to work yesterday for National Ride Your Bike To Work Day, which helped me get a few kinks out of it (which means I adjusted the seat so that the hils were not so painful.

So, lots of work left to do in this month. I need to get back in the pool, and I need to do a bike-run brick. It's also worth noting that this is a sprint-distance triathlon, and my goal is just to finish it. Next year I can go back and kick some ass.

I always bemoan the lack of Indian food in Fairbanks. Sure, you could see if Pizza 4 Less is cooking some up on any given day, but they have a very limited menu and the cook is rarely there. Whenever I go to Anchorage, I make sure to visit Bombay Deluxe, and I usually stuff myself with as much food as possible, hoarding up the flavors like a squirrel stashing nuts for the winter.

So I was very pleased to hear last week that Sunil Sethi, owner of Bombay Deluxe, is considering opening an Indian restaurant in Fairbanks. But he needs some convincing that the good people of Fairbanks will turn out for his food, so I'm putting the pressure on you: Send Sunil Sethi an e-mail telling him you want Indian food in Fairbanks!

Send Sunil an e-mail

The Alaska Press Club awards are out (well, most of them anyway), and naturally I scrolled down the list to see who won what. Those of you otuside Alaska or who don't care about journalism may feel free to stop reading at any time.

Best use of a story and photo by a journalist:
First place: R.A. Dillon, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Second place: Margaret Friedenauer, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (Margaret, a former roommate, wrote a series of stories from Iraq. The paper didn't offer to send her, she offered to go, and spent several weeks reporting on local troops.)

Best long feature:
First place: Lynne Snifka, Anchorage Press

Best business reporting:
Third place: Diana Campbell, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Best education reporting:
Second place: Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News (Kyle is a former editor and writer for the News-Miner. He left for the Anchorage Press, then made the jump to the big leagues over at the ADN. OK, he started out in the Mat-Su beat, but he got out of there fast!)

Best crime or courts reporting:
First place: Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Press

Best health or science reporting:
First place: Lynne Snifka, Anchorage Press (Lynne won this for a great piece about emergency contraception. I may not need the stuff, but it was really well written.)

Best editorial cartoon:
Third place: Jamie Smith, The Ester Republic

Best page layout and design:
Third place: Jill Homer, The Homer Tribune (Not bad for someone who moved here recently. Plus, she's kind of crazy. No, really. Check out her blog. She does insane things like bike 24 hours straight.)

Best photography:
Many categories, but Sam Harrel of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner had another excellent showing, including Best News Photo (first and third place) and Best Scenic Photo (first place). Eric Engman and John Hagen of the News-Miner also won awards for Best Portrait (first and second, respectively)

Clearly, I care most about newspapers, particularly newspapers that I write for (The Ester Republic, Anchorage Press) or used to work for. However, on the televisin side of things, Rebecca Palsha, Kyle's lovely wife, also brought home some awards, netting a second place in Best TV-Crime of Courts and Best TV Business.

So, there I was, painting a fake apple gold, as most people are wont to do on a Monday night. And since simple gold paint wasn't enough, I was gently tap-tap-tapping a shaker of gold glitter over the wet paint. But it seems the shaker top was not secure, as suddenly I found myelf with a counter and floor full of glitter. Of course, glitter is not easy to clean up, and will remain in the grout indefinitely, leading me to wonder: