I’ve been a little under the weather over the weekend, not to mention the workout I had Friday was killer, and it hasn’t stopped raining (or feels like it hasn’t stopped raining) for forever.  But a subject came up in a funny way that I thought maybe good to clear up.  That’s the PFD, or better known as the dividends the state pays Alaskan Residents just to live in Alaska.  It’s topical because checks arrived in the mail this week (so i heard) and I am getting a kick out of the reaction.

PFD stands for Permanent Fund Dividend.  Officially, it is a cash dividend disbursement based on 5-year income earned by the Alaskan Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC).  APFC is actually a private company, but is wholly state owned.  It takes funds gained from a percentage of state income (not completely, but dang near almost, from the licensing and taxing of oil fields), invests them like any other financial holding company would do, then writes a check annually to the citizens of Alaska.

Alaska first tried to do this on its own in the 1970s when Prudhoe Bay (the big oil fields that pay my paychecks) but struggled with separating politics from business.  The whole purpose of the fund is tied back to that “P” word … Permanent.  From day one, politicians realized that the oil is going to run out – not right away, but someday.  They didn’t want to tap the land of its resources and leave generations in the future unsupported.  So the fund was created to establish a means to continue to pay back to the citizens of Alaska as long as there is an Alaska.  Proof of this as well is in the “D” … its a Dividend, not a random paycheck.  Citizens are paid an amount that is based on how much income the fund made, so as long as the fund makes money people get money … but the fund has to make money.  I guess the other proof in this is that the fund currently sits at 42 Trillion dollars too.

As it turns out, I didn’t get a check, and I won’t next year either.  You have to be a resident for a full calendar year.  By that rule, I won’t have lived here for a year until January 1st, 2014.  Sucks a little, but the rule is the rule.  The actual payout isn’t that bad either; its based on an accumulated income over the last 5 years, so with the booms of 08 and 09 dropping off, the dividend is as long as its been in a long while — just over $800 — and it has been as high as over $2000 not too long ago.  They don’t post the amount until just prior to writing the checks, but folks can pretty much depend on a good number on or around the beginning of October.

Because let’s face it, you don’t have to be from Alaska to know what happens when everyone has a whole bunch of money in their pocket all of a sudden.  That’s right … they spend it!

For one thing, I am probably going to take advantage of the “PFD sales”.  Many electronic stores are quoting lower prices, and I am likely to find a good deal on tires.  Car Dealerships are flooding the commercials (though I am happy with the RAV4 for now), and people are pushing PFDs for Christmas layaways.

But for this outsider trying to find a way to overcome the wet weather blues, I have to admit it was the reaction in the bar on Friday.  The place was packed and folks were having a great time.  As I was nudging a fairly cute girl who was three sheets to the wind (plus a few more for safekeeping) what the occasion was, her response in a whooping, drink spilling, high tone screech was a simple “F*ing PFDs, Baby!!! I LOVE THIS STATE.”

Today, another big page got turned in this great transition.  My house at 529 N Crestway Street (Wichita, Kansas … 67208) officially was listed as “for sale”.

The day I accepted the position to move to Alaska, one of the first bits of panic in my head was “how the heck am I going to get the house ready for sale.”  Over the five weeks from when I accepted the offer until I got on the plane for Anchorage, I busted my tail doing whatever I could.  Nearly every room got a new coat of paint, I de-forested the backyard, I gutted the basement, and I panicked, panicked, panicked.

Truth is, the house was not in good shape.  It’s an old house (84 years old to be exact) and it fought alot of the old house problems Wichita   fights.  The basement was cracked, the garage was less of a garage and more of a shed, and modern technology was an after thought (modern technology like … electricity).  I didn’t take great care of it either, as proven by the nearly 10 cubic feet of trash, drywall, furniture I got hauled off.

When I finally left town, there was still loads to do — Basement guys were still weeks away and had some exterior work coming from a different contractor.  Not to mention there was a two page list of little things to be done as well as carpets and floors to be transformed.  Little things … if you didn’t live 3500 miles away.

Enter Pam Peterson … realtor Pam Peterson.

Pam and her husband sold me the house back in 2001.  During the early days of the relocation in July, she just happened to be brought in for a sales estimate for the relocation firm.  The relocation firm made the decision to leave me to sell the house on my own – I asked Pam to sell the house.  Pam (a realtor for Coldwell Banker) took over helping me manage the repairs from the day I left town.  She brought in a handyman, refereed me to good basement people, and took care of the little things that happen that needed to be taken care of.  I basically made her work for every penny of commission she will get out of this sale.

So if you are looking to sell a house in Kansas, contact Pam … she’s a good’un.

If you are looking to buy a house in Kansas, contact Pam … then buy mine, damn it.

**Special Blog Announcement — The Blog will be moving in the coming days.  I already have the site and just need to get it set up before I give up on this one.  But check out the bare bones blog to be already at:

http://www.bearfeed.net

And if you have a Word Press account, you can start following it immediately.