peskypippi.comBecause I have a lot to say…

I am becoming a global traveler—making connections with the locals—all through Twitter. Oh and if you are visiting Alaska from any other part of the United States, passports are not required, Silly. If you do visit, check out Erin’s blog at www.AKontheGo.com/, the resource for all things family travel in Alaska, or follow her on Twitter @akonthego. She is a witty one, I tell ya.

Oh, and if you’re really traveling to Alaska (not virtually like me): the six months of snow has already begun. So pack a jumbo parka and some boots. But not the furry mukluks because those scream “tourist.” Erin says so.

So, here we go, continuing with Pesky Pippi’s highly popular interview series. I asked Erin to tell us a little bit about her favorite state.

Pippi: Is that a totem pole or are you happy to see me?

Erin: Totem poles tell an incredible history of southeast Alaska Native tribes. Sitka National Historical Park is excellent.

Pippi: Do all Alaskans wear mukluks?

Erin: Mukluks are big, clumsy, but they work in the Arctic. If you wore them here in Anchorage, people would talk. And stare. And laugh.

Pippi: (Note to self: must return mukluks. Pronto.)

Pippi: Do you own a Husky dog?

Erin: I used to own a Husky/Golden Retriever. Mushers race hybrid dogs now, hardly anyone uses Huskies. Sled dogs are scrawny running machines.

Pippi: Do you live in an igloo?

Erin: No igloos. Not even among the Eskimos. They have dug into the hills of their homeland and lived fine that way, thank you very much.

Pippi: (Disappointed.)

Pippi: Do moose walk through your neighborhood?

Erin: Moose are everywhere. They were outside last week eating my leftover Jack-O-Lanterns. They all prefer expensive shrubbery.

Pippi: Do all Alaskans work on the pipeline?

Erin: Tons of folks work for BP, ConocoPhillips, Alyeska pipeline. Dark, cold, isolated work; good pay though.

Pippi: Do you drink Alaskan Amber Ale? I do.

Erin: Alaskan Amber, Midnight Sun, Panty Peeler, Sockeye Red. Yep. Beer snobs, we are. Oh, and I make a mean crowberry cosmo.

Pippi: (Note to self: must Google “crowberry.”)

Pippi: Does everyone in Alaska go to the Iditarod?

Erin: Most Alaskans stay away from the Iditarod, at least, the start of it in Anchorage. Too crowded, too full of out-of-town volunteers. I go to the ReStart in Willow, all-business. Mushers are kick-ass ready for 1,100 miles of Alaska wilderness.

Pippi: Final question, for today at least. Can you really walk to Russia from Alaska?

Erin: Not unless you are Jesus or Sarah Palin. But sometimes the folks on Little Diomede Island can see Russia from their houses.

Pippi: Thanks so mush (I mean much) for participating, you, Snarky Alaska Girl, you.

Oh, Demi Moore. I liked you with chubbier cheeks. You are now a skeleton and did you know that Halloween is over?

Here’s one word for ya: EAT.

The media targets women with headlines that scream “she’s too fat,” with Kirstie Alley and Jessica Simpson getting the majority of these grocery store-line headlines. Kirstie has been the butt of a lot of jokes; as in check-out-her-big-butt. And while I secretly utter a mean little “ha ha,” I actually feel bad for these women. They are getting singled out for their size. Yo-yo dieting sucks. Thickening around the middle sucks. And to have your cellulite photographed in the most unflattering way? Or to have yourself photographed shoveling down Costco cake? I imagine that that also sucks. (More on Costco cake soon. I have an addiction.)

But the media also hits with the “wasting away: too skinny” headlines. I even saw one about “pin-thin Kate Middleton.” Pin-thin? I have never been described as a pin, nor would ever want to. These too-skinny Hollywood actresses have made this list in recent months: Katie Holmes, Kate Bosworth, LeAnn Rimes, Kate Middleton (OK, not from Hollywood, but she steals headlines), Nicole Richie.

Seems to me–or it is my experience anyway–that men do not want non-eating skeletons as girlfriends or wives. That most men prefer a partner who can partake in a heaping pile of nachos and throw back some beers. Instead of “no thanks, I’m on the cotton ball diet.” Have you heard of that one? Scary. See here for crazy-ass fad diets. But please don’t try them at home.

In Hollywood, as a woman, you’re screwed if you’re too fat. Or if you’re too skinny.

Women and mothers: Don’t wither away. Nourish yourselves. Eat.

My kids–who have a pretty good sense of healthy eating and exercise, but who also have been exposed to ideal body image in our American culture–say that I’m just right. And that’s OK for me.

Nachos and beer anyone?