By: Melissa Griffiths on September 11, 2012 - 1:06pm - Add new comment
I have been pretty lucky in terms of health. I mean, I'm not exactly a vision of olympic fitness and I certainly lack good vision, but I am not often sick and now I am convinced that I have super-human healing powers. Kind of like Wolverine from the Marvel Comics.
By: Melissa Griffiths on January 14, 2013 - 3:23pm - Add new comment
When I read the list of pre-filed bills for the 28th legislature, I was pretty disgusted to see Rep. Bob Lynn was at it again with a voter ID law. For one thing, Alaska already has rules about voter identification. It requires one piece of ID, or a poll worker to know with certainty you are who you say you are, or you can vote a questioned ballot. Voter Fraud isn't an issue around here, or in the U.S. as a whole. So why is there a bill on the table to fix this non-existent problem?
By: Melissa Griffiths on August 28, 2012 - 6:09pm - Add new comment
Almost every week I have the pleasure of handling engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements. The photos are often of two people looking lovingly at one another, almost with giant sparkles in their eyes, or a couple with arms wrapped around one another like they want to never let go, or sometimes it is of two people with laughing smiles and eyes squinting because, obviously, they find joy in each other's company.
By: Melissa Griffiths on February 7, 2013 - 5:12pm - Add new comment
I think my mom is always waiting for me to develop the nurturing and maternal qualities and skills she possesses. Nobody knew I could cook until I lived on my own, even then, my parents may have been disappointed in how these traits manifest. Once, I came home for a visit and offered to make dinner for the family, cooking the meat separately in case of vegetarians — there are no vegetarians in my family.
By: Melissa Griffiths on August 2, 2012 - 8:42pm - Add new comment
If you went to bed Monday night without your ears ringing, you missed out.
It is often in Juneau that I hear people lament that "there are never any good concerts here," and after seeing Coolio perform live at Marlintini's Lounge, I was inclined to agree.
But The Alaskan Bar hosted a free show Monday night, a band called Larry and His Flask. And it was the show to see for the year.
By: Melissa Griffiths on October 3, 2012 - 11:21am - Add new comment
By the time Alaska's votes are counted in the presidential elections, it's been called. We aren't a swing state; with our population we aren't even a state people think about. In 2008, I was watching polls in the Mendenhall Valley to be sure they stayed open late enough, that people weren't turned away — the televisions were already announcing Barrack Obama the winner.
It's easy to feel like our voices don't count in a race like that, but yesterday's election was only about our voices. So why did only 25-26 percent of people actually vote?
By: Melissa Griffiths on October 23, 2012 - 4:03pm - Add new comment
"The most wonderful time of the year" refers to Christmas for most people, but I choose Halloween.
By: Melissa Griffiths on December 3, 2012 - 1:07pm - Add new comment
Hi Juneau,
It's been a rough couple weeks for many of us. If the crowd at the Newman boys' memorial was any indicator, I might estimate there are thousands of us in pain right now. More now that we've heard news of Jimmy's passing as well. For some, it's the pain of seeing someone die before their time. For some of us, it's the pain of losing a friend. And it's a really bad kind of pain.
For the week after I found out about the boat accident, I wrote letters in my head to Casey, eventually writing some on paper.
By: Melissa Griffiths on May 7, 2013 - 10:18am - Add new comment
You know those movies in which the whole premise is an underdog sports team overcoming the odds and the challenges to take home a win and everything is so heartfelt and you are supposed to feel inspired and motivated and overjoyed? Least. Favorite. Genre. Inspirational sports films? No thank you.
But it goes further than that. Inspirational dance movies? Nope. Inspirational films about teachers reaching inner-city students? Cringe. There is something about the saccharine and cliches that makes me want to barf.
By: Melissa Griffiths on June 27, 2012 - 8:29pm - Add new comment
In recent years, everyone has been talking about defining a stage between adolescence and adulthood. It used to be that we'd go from being teenagers to being adults, before that, it was straight up childhood to adulthood. Adults with major jobs or responsibilities, lots of babies, etc. There is talk of a developmental stage called "emerging adulthood" that brings forth awful imagery of larvae for me. As it turns out, I'm on the cusp of being a real adult, both in age and in behavior.
