"He Googled me," said Mishler. "I got the e-mail from him on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon he'd arrived."
"I'm trying to find a career field that's somehow representative of each state," said Seddiqui, who said he plans to produce a book from his experience and has a movie deal in the works as well.
So far his jobs have included being a bouncer (Louisiana), social worker (Utah), baseball scout (Massachusetts) and insurance agent (Connecticut, of course).
His grueling week as a lobster fisherman in Maine last week dissuaded him from angling for a spot on an Alaska crab boat, he said. "So I looked for something else that fit with Alaska and came up with wildlife photographer."
His photos may be more urban than wild, however. On Monday, Mishler worked with him taking stock pictures around Anchorage. He also plans to have Seddiqui help out with a long-term project involving Bean's Cafe.
"We might be at the Alaska State Fair on Wednesday," Mishler said earlier this week, "when the kids bring in their vegetables."
Seddiqui will speak about his adventures tonight at UAA. Visitors to his Web site, livingthemap.com, can check his progress state by state and read his reflections on each experience, like this from his stint as a weatherman at a television station in Cleveland:
"I knew I chose the right career for Ohio when I heard the sirens for a tornado. ... I think being a Meteorologist is going to be fun this week ...I mean I love maps."
There'll be two spots on the map left when Seddiqui winds up his brief Alaska career behind the camera on Friday. He still has to go to Hawaii and his home state, California.
Find Mike Dunham online at adn.com/contact/mdunham or call 257-4332.
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.