I was dining on the Clarion Suites continental breakfast at 7:30 (10:30 Central) this morning. ESPN was on the TV, and naturally, I paid no attention. Until I glanced up and saw the Superdome. I felt a jolt for a split second. The last time I saw the Superdome and New Orleans on TV in Alaska, it was under considerably worse circumstances than the Titans/Saints game.

I’m sitting in the Sassafras Coffeehouse in the mall in downtown Anchorage. Paul Simon’s “Under African Skies” is playing. Minutes ago, I dropped off four rolls of film at Kits Camera and bought a couple cards at Hallmark. The cashier at Hallmark, upon seeing my Minnesota ID, asked how things were going down there now and if it was okay, “with the bridge stuff.”

Exactly two years ago, I was in Alaska answering cashiers’ Katrina questions after they’d seen my Louisiana ID. “How is it down there?” Of course, no one has asked me yet why anyone would want to live in Minnesota or told me that God smote the bridge to punish us.

I must have looked tense leaving the Hallmark (though I wasn’t), because an Asian man asked me through an intensely strong accent if I would like a massage, gesturing at the chair massage kiosk. When he first spoke, I assumed he was a shopper asking me for directions or something, but when I figured out what he was saying, I realized he was an employee of the kiosk. He gently put a hand on my shoulder and said what I’m pretty sure was, “give full body massage.” I emphatically declined and went on my way.

The school this morning was a well-behaved Catholic school named Holy Rosary. Our first show in Alaska was a good one, though a portion of our audience coming from another school didn’t make it.

Right now, Mike is back in the hotel room on a conference call with his writing partner and a producer they’re courting. I helped him write the end of a script treatment in the car yesterday, and we’re pretty proud of it. His movie is getting closer to getting made every day.

One more show today, then the tourism fun resumes!

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Okay, now it’s late at night. I’ve been playing phone tag with Kat for two days. Aargh. Kat, I apologize if you read this blog before we get to talk in person. Awk. Ward.Anyway, our second show was at Goldenview Middle School, which was cleary a rich school. The building looked brand spanking new and had abstract sculptures everywhere and a stunning view of the water.The show had some of our best improv, though I doubt the kids wrapped their heads around some of it. Oh, well. Mike and I entertained ourselves immensely, and the kids loved the show. The best part was probably the final sketch.The volunteer refused to tell us a singer he liked. He would only say, “I don’t know.” Eventually, Mike just declared that “The I Don’t Knows” were the kid’s favorite musical group, and we ran with that. Mike later came out as “Know,” the lead singer. “I” and “Don’t” were waiting outside. Their last album was “Ambiguity,” and they were preparing for their global tour of their new album “Untitled.” He asked my character if I’d like to tour with him, and rather than my affirmative response as scripted, I told him maybe, but I’d have to think about it. We laughed at this much harder than the kids.

During both shows, kids had written “Alaska” as a suggestion on the slips we hand out before the show. Are kids in Alaska so intensely aware at all times that they’re in Alaska? It would never have occurred to me to write down “Louisiana.”

After the show, we drove down the Seward Highway again, this time in much better weather. We toured a wildlife conservation center, where I saw my first moose, caribou, and grizzly bears (which walked up to the fence right in front of us — kind of freaked us out). We also drove up to Portage Glacier, which was incredible, of course. We got a lot of pictures, which will hopefully be developed soon. On the drive, we rounded a corner to see a rainbow right in front of us. The entire arc of the rainbow was visible over the mountains and glaciers in the background.

This is getting ridiculous.

Pictures to come.

Tomorrow: Three shows in a row in Palmer, then back to Anchorage.