SHOSTAKOVICH AND SNOWFLAKES. Uummannaq, Greenland. Before going out to play, when it was only through the window that it was snowing, and the activation energy was still an impossibly high price, it was Shostakovich- Preludes and Fugues, #10 in C sharp minor. (Keith Jarrett at the helm). And snowflakes as big you like. The visibility was limited, but at least it was light. A storm like this rolled in very quickly two days ago, and caught my roommate, Ben, and another teacher by surprise as they were out in a boat, seal hunting. In a few minutes, they had lost visual contact with Uummannaq, and as it became dark, word got around town that they were "missing". As it turns out, they took their compass and turned the nose of the boat toward Nugssuaq, a huge peninsula just south and west of here. When they hit land, they did it RIGHT at one of the myriad hunter's huts along the coast of the peninsula, which, while not fancy, are shelters. With telephones. They were home by dinnertime. But it can be swift and decisive. Today was more just delicate and only a little windy. Maybe less scary because no one was nuts enough to go out in their boats. Most of the Greenlandic people took this opportunity to catch up on their staying home. But Torben and Tina, two of the young Danish teachers here, were taking some of their dogs and a sled out on one of the small (frozen) lakes in town, so Ben took one of his sled dogs (the only one that DOESN'T just try to run home), I took the halibut snacks, and we went out to go sledding.

After clambering down over a bunch of evil and perilous rocks, very deceptively coated in an even, fluffy, powdery snow, (and after smashing my shins only a few times), we were down on the ice, which is mercifully shielded from the wind by a wall of rock in all directions, making it quite pleasant to play on. Still, today was the first day that I wore my balaclava (a close but substantially warmer relative of the famed russian string instrument), and I was really glad to have it.

I only took a quick spin of the lake on the sled, but what an amazing trip! The dogs, loping in unison, are strong and quite beautiful, and you can feel all of the goosebumps on the ice under the cut of the sled. And the movement of the sled, like the dogs, seems barely domesticated, and only just controlled... But even at a leisurely pace, it is pretty exhilirating. I can only imagine what the extended, week or 10-day long treks are like!

Coming back in from the cold, it was Outkast- The Love Below from the speakers, and it's time to make dinner. When it is such harsh weather outside, and it takes so much energy just to suit up and go outside, even an hour in the fresh air feels like several hours of moderate exertion, and you really feel like you've accomplished something. Even if it was only playing. I guess Playing is Something, too. In any case, I am definitely going to have to come back here sometime, when the sea ice has arrived, and try the real deal. And gosh darn it, next time on the lake, I'm going to shoot a short movie, too. Wooooo Hooooo!