A midwinter’s tale. (Okay, a digest.)

thThe snow is clean and new, the temperature is 18 degrees, daylight is increasing (we get 9 hours, 43 minutes today) and the annual winter carnival known as “Rondy” (short for the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous) is underway. When I lived here before, February was always the month when winter turned around. Still is, even though it’ll be months before we can garden.

The carnival includes a three-day dogsled race that starts and ends downtown. As I’ve noted before, Anchorage is the only city I know of that puts snow on the streets. And they’ll do it again on March 1, when the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has its ceremonial start downtown.

Yep, it’s a weird place.

I haven’t posted anything particularly deep lately due to having first a virus and then a head cold (still got it, yay), and also having accepted a magazine assignment and been in negotiations with another magazine editor. The latter involved a long phone conversation and then sending a fairly lengthy outline on a very personal subject, only to be told this wasn’t specific enough: What did it feel like?

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Of caramels and sidewalks.

thIt was 7 below zero and 12:45 a.m. when I left Anchorage for Phoenix, a city where I don’t think it’s ever been below zero. My layover in Seattle was marked by several startling holiday visions:

  • An electric cart driven by Mrs. Santa; beside her, Santa played the guitar and sang “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.”
  • A life-sized plush snowman and a holiday princess walking through saying “Merry Christmas!”
  • An old time Father Christmas giving coloring books to kids and asking adults to applaud in appreciation of several embarrassed-looking Navy dudes.
  • A quartet of strolling carolers wearing Dickensian garb.
  • Someone dressed as a reindeer and what I think was a one-man band (but since the music was far away, it could also have been a one-woman band).

But you know what seems stranger than that now? The fact that I took a walk in shirtsleeves, on sidewalks I could actually see.

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A pair of Swag Code Extravaganzas, starting Friday.

card129The Swagbucks rewards program plans extra earning opportunities, starting at 5 a.m. PST on Black Friday. On that day you’ll see seven codes for a total of 50 Swagbucks.

I’ll be posting any that I can catch on the Surviving and Thriving Facebook page. (Hint: I won’t be up at 4 a.m. Alaska Time.)

Since I can’t promise to get them all, I suggest you also check the Swagbucks Facebook page from time to time during the day.

The second code party takes place on Cyber Monday. The start time hasn’t yet been announced, but the reward has: codes worth 60 SBs.

Note to those using the Shop & Earn portion of the Swagbucks site: Watch for double and even triple SBs for some retailers. Specifically, triple points happen from 5 to 9 a.m. PST on Black Friday and from 6 to 9 a.m. PST on Cyber Monday.

And if you’re not yet a member? Join in the next few weeks and you might win a bonus of 500 SBs. Here’s how:

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The winner weighs in, and other news.

thToday I got a pleasant e-mail from a reader named Britt, who was chosen to win last month’s Swagbucks-sponsored contest. Here’s her communiqué:

“Hi, I wanted to say that I was the winner of the $50 gift card from this drawing, and I wanted to say, THANK YOU so much. I really enjoy your blog, and your past posts on MSN Money and have learned so much. I’m also really grateful that I learned about Swagbucks through your blog.

“Honestly, winning that $50 gift card came at the perfect time, and you have no idea how much it cheered me up. I am one of those people who NEVER win anything. The day before, I was having such a horrible workday, just one of those nasty days where everything seems to go wrong, and stress was incredibly high. The next morning (which happened to be 11/12/13, a “lucky” day, LOL), Swagbucks contacted me via and told me the good news.

“So again, thank you for your part in spreading some good cheer. It’s very much appreciated!

“Also, just want to say to any other readers out there- if you haven’t yet joined Swagbucks, it is so worth it. Not just for the possibility of winning drawings or prizes, either. There are just SO many ways on Swagbucks to earn points and save money. Have a great day!”

I love it when things happen at just the right time.

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Last call for a chance at a $50 gift card.

thJust a reminder: My favorite rewards program, Swagbucks, has offered a special signup code for new referrals (see below) plus a chance for both new and old referrals to win a $50 gift card.If you want in, keep in mind the rapidly approaching deadline: Oct. 30.

This contest is pretty easy to enter; in fact, it’s automatic. Anyone I’ve ever referred to Swagbucks will be entered into a drawing for a $50 card if they earn at least 50 Swagbucks before the deadline. (For a glimpse of the card offerings, click here.)

That’s 50 SBs from any combination of the Shop, Search, Watch, Play, Answer or Discover categories. Keep an eye on the Swagbucks Facebook page for Swag Code announcements, too.

Extra points for newbies

If you’re not already a member, you can get a better-than-usual bonus for signing up. Here’s how:

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Want a $50 gift card? Swagbucks is giving one away.

th-1I’m doing almost all of my holiday shopping with free gift cards from MyPoints, Swagbucks and a couple of rewards credit cards.

That’s not due to my recent personal economic downturn, however: I always shop this way. If I can get promissory scrip by using a particular site, search engine or credit card, why wouldn’t I?

If you’re starting to wonder how much you can afford to spend for the holidays, this might interest you: My favorite rewards program, Swagbucks, has offered me a special signup code for new referrals (more on that in a minute), and a chance for both new and old referralss to win a $50 gift card.

Interested? I thought so.

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Swagcode alert! The end of “Five for Five.”

card129It’s the final day of the “Five for Five” Swagbucks promotion. You’ve got until 2 p.m. Pacific to head over to Swagbucks and enter the code PunnyAnimal.

The case-sensitive code is available in all countries where Swagbucks is played.

Not sure exactly what I’m talking about? All will be revealed if you read “Swagcode alert! (And four more to come.)” Feel free to click on the link in that article to join the program.

(Note: If you do, I will receive a referral bonus. If you don’t want to do it that way, then just go to www.swagbucks.com and sign up for a new account.)

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Swagcode alert! (Three-fifths of the way done.)

Good morning, everyone. (It’s way too early to be a great morning, i.e., it’s still 5 a.m. in Alaska.) You’ve got just under an hour to snare five Swagbucks. From now until 7 a.m. Pacific, go to the Swagbucks site and enter the code Shop4School. This case-sensitive code is good in all Swagbucks-playin’ countries except … Read more