Static

I forgot about the static in Alaska. When I was in college I used to have to rub dryer sheets on my clothes in order to kill some of the static that would cause everything to cling while hopefully stopping me from getting shocked anytime I touch anything. It was terrible. And it hurt. These shocks were not the gentle shocks that I would get visiting my dad's office when I was a kid. They're the kind that made my finger hurt for several minutes afterward. I could actually feel the electricity race up my arm. I figured that my issues with static stemmed from living in an arctic dessert with less than a dozen inches of precipitation a year - including snow. But the static is alive and well in Anchorage. I find myself touching everything with tentative jabs; I never grab a doorknob anymore.

It is worst with the cats. Every time I touch them we both get shocked. Last week I was up in the middle of the night with all of the lights off and picked up Kribi. He loves to be held like a baby and have his chest and stomach rubbed while he looks into my eyes. We were in the midst sharing a moment (or I assume we were - I couldn't really see in the dark) and I was taken aback by the fireworks exploding on his stomach. Blue and white sparks everywhere. I could only imagine what it must feel like for him "ooh. ow! yes, please. no! right there. shit!" Poor thing. It's a wonder they even want to be petted anymore. I am certainly more tentative because of all the pain it causes me.

I need to go get a humidifier, but those puppies are expensive and I keep on thinking if I just hold out...I don't know. I'll toughen up?