Just Read: Lasso the Wind by Tim Egan

This book is a great read for Westerners or anyone who loves the West. There are fourteen chapters, each a different place, including Catron County, New Mexico; Las Vegas, Nevada; Havasupai, Arizona. Possibly all 11 states are represented. This is creative nonfiction at its best. It made me remember why I wanted to be a writer in the first place. Loved it. Couldn't put it down.*

*Same results not guaranteed unless you are a nature freak like me.

Halloween Activities

Last Saturday night, we went out to McCall's Pumpkin Patch in Moriarty for some scary fun. Our friends, typically, were slow so we got there about 2 minutes until 10. The lines for the haunted attractions were 2 hours long, so the dude would only let us go into the daytime corn maze, which had no line. So we went in with flashlights (see picture) and got lost and tried not to get too much dust in our eyes from the horrible wind. It was pretty fun. But we still don't have pumpkins.

I love fall. The leaves are turning yellow and red, the temperatures are dropping, and it even snowed at the party I was catering last Sunday (where I also got a $60 tip). So it's like fall and winter all at once. Stupid high desert. And there's farms with corn mazes (or maize mazes) and pumpkin patches and hay rides. Yay!

Respect the Meat

Okay I tried to embed a youtube video but apparently I am technologically hopeless and it didn't work. But here is the link to the video on the NBC site which probably makes you watch an ad first.

This is a little music video from this week's My Name is Earl and it is hee-larious. Maybe it's funnier if you have seen the show and know the characters, but I think it will be funny even if you don't. It involves singing to and about a crab that is about to be cooked for dinner. Sad but funny.

Thursday night from 7-9 or 10 is my official TV watching evening. The Office isn't doing so well this season, but Earl and 30 Rock seem to be getting funnier. Of course, I really think everyone should kill their television. But I'm still addicted.

My Last Day of Weekday Freedom

Starting Monday I will be gainfully employed. No more Wacky Wednesday's at the Putt Putt, no more sleeping till 7 or 8 or 9. No more staying up until midnight. No more taking off for Phoenix at the last minute. No more inventing necklace holders. (Isn't it cute? This is a piece of a wire shelf system we are not using. I was never able to find a necklace holder that was tall enough.)


But we will have money, so that's good. No more watching my bank accounts deplete.

In the 2.5 days left before I start work, I have to write a book review, go out to a local farm and take pictures and write a feature, work a catering shift, and do laundry. Hmm, maybe I should be working on one of those things instead of blogging.

While working, I plan to keep catering and writing for the paper as well as volunteer for Albuquerque Open Space and participate in the New Mexico Riparian Council. I think I will be busy. Oh, I'm also planning to join the gym with a corporate membership. So I can get in shape for Ecuador.

In other news, Brownback dropped out of the Presidential race and Hastert will be resigning before his term is up. What is it about Larry Craig that he doesn't quit too. He is a national laughingstock. I almost feel sorry for the Republicans. Almost.

Blog Action Day

Today is a day scheduled to blog about the environment. I often blog about the environment, but I don't really know what to say today. I was going to just talk about houses, so I will head in that direction.

Yesterday Matt learned that our eco-friendly little adobe house is cracking because the wall between the bedroom and the office does not have a foundation and since we have a bookshelf on that wall, maybe it's pulling the wall or the floor down too much. Or something. That is seriously her excuse. So she thinks we should move our bookshelf. To where I'm not sure since our little house is filled. Also she put a closet on the other side of the wall where all my clothes hang, so I'm sure that's not causing any of the problem. Here's a thought - lay a foundation under all adobe walls next time. They're kind of heavy.

I am currently in Phoenix because my sister came to town to purchase a house that will be built and ready for them to move into when they return to the US. I thought I would come visit. She bought a house in an infill area of South Tempe, so that is eco-friendly. Not destroying pristine desert. Also, she upgraded to programmable thermostats and extra insulation in the ceiling. Both ecofriendly. Her front yard will be desert landscaped. Also ecofriendly. And the home is an SRP Power Wise Home. Not sure what that means, but it sounds good. I do normally encourage resale homes, but you know, you've got to start somewhere.

So maybe something to blog about today is how you are helping the environment in some small way. I have nothing to say for myself right now since I got on a plane and flew here. The same as I did last weekend. And we drove the weekend before. So I am way not eco-friendly right now. Don't follow my example. But do enjoy the environment today!

Al Gore and the IPCC

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded jointly to Al Gore and the IPCC for their efforts related to creating awareness of man-made climate change and potential solutions. Great news! Will the former VP use this to launch a presidential campaign? I have no idea. I'm not sure he would win, but maybe he would enhance the discussion.

On another note, Sarah blogged about this website where you can lend money to start-up businesses in third world countries. She just got paid back from her first loan and is going to reinvest. It sounds pretty cool.

Hotel Rwanda

I bought this movie at Target for $5. We watched it on Netflix and I thought it was fantastic, but I didn't think it was the sort of movie I would ever want to watch again. But I bought it. And I watched it yesterday. And it was like watching it for the first time. It made me cry. And there is this one line where the photographer says something like, "I think that people will see this, say, oh my gosh, that is horrible, and go back to eating dinner." He was talking about the genocide footage and dispelling the hotel manager's hope that things would change when people saw it on the news.

And that is exactly what I do. I watch the news or read the news or hear about it and think about how awful it is, but I don't do anything. I gave some money to SaveDarfur.org. What does that do? What should I be doing? I don't want to be one of those people. What is the best course of action?

Balloons!

I should've taken pictures with my phone, but I don't know how to get them onto my computer. I started work at 4:30 and was at Balloon Fiesta Park before 5am. It was frickin freezin. But it was pretty cool. I mostly watched balloons instead of working. And instead of paying $6 for a ticket, I got paid $9 per hour. Yay.

First is dawn patrol, where 10 or so balloons launch before sunrise with lights on to test the weather. Then is the Mass Ascension. Today was special shapes, so there were all sorts of cool things like witches, Smokey the Bear, turtles, Noah's Ark, a castle, a pink house, Pooh, the Energizer Bunny, two bees that kissed midflight, Darth Vader, and so much more. (Oh yeah, and the European crew for Darth Vader flew into the Sunport in full storm trooper regalia.) After they all launched, the regular balloons that were relegated to off-field because of the special shapes got to launch to play a game. They had to come down to the field and try to pick up flags off posts or drop streamers near posts in an effort to win prizes, but they couldn't touch the field. Then they would go back up. The box was working, so most of them could come back around for a second try.

If you are not familiar with balloon workings as I was not, balloons do not steer. They just increase or decrease the gas to go up or down. At different elevations the air takes them different directions. Albuquerque hosts the Balloon Fiesta because of the box. At a lower elevation, winds take you one direction, and then you can go up higher to come back. In theory you could land in the same place, although this hardly ever works. The box does not function all the time, but it was in full force for awhile today. It was so cool! Everybody should come visit for this event next year. I am going back on Saturday, but the weather might not be good enough for flight so that won't be fun.

I definitely came home and slept for about 3 hours in the middle of the day. I didn't want to sleep so long, but someone was supposed to call and wake me up and failed to do so. Men. I swear. Anyway, balloons! Yay!

$1000 per plate

That's right folks. Welcome to money. Last night I served a certain non-retiring US Senator from New Mexico, a freshman senator from Montana, the Mayor of the largest town in New Mexico, three super nice Secret Service personnel, and about 100 rich Democrats at an event that raised over $200,000, the most ever in New Mexico. Apparently catering is how you can hang with the rich crowd even when you're not rich. It's so interesting to see who is nice and who ignores you like you are invisible and aren't carrying a tray of tasty food. The senators were so-so. Could be better, could be worse. It was one of the easiest events I have worked. At least they weren't Republicans! Rumor has it Republican parties are not so nice. They are afraid people will see them drink so they drink half a glass of wine and leave glasses all over the place. And they aren't friendly. This is what I hear. I am not being partisan...

Aren't these cute?

http://robotcandy.com/coasters.html

My Christmas list is officially started. And it includes half the items at Bass Pro Shops. Go check this out in Mesa. It's amazing. And they have fudge.

I Shall Return...

...to Arizona. My sister is coming in for a last minute home-viewing trip, so I will drive over to see her this Saturday through Tuesday or Wednesday (13th-16th/17th). This will make 3 weekends in a row I have been to Arizona - this is getting quite ridiculous. After that, I won't be back until probably Thanksgiving, as I will be starting my new job on the 22nd. Yay! Hopefully I can see everyone this time. Sadly enough, Matt will be in Tucson from today until Saturday, so we will miss each other in AZ completely. While he is gone I will be getting up ass-early in the morning to cater breakfasts at the oh-so-famous Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. (You may think my definition of ass-early is around 7, but it is actually prior to 4. So there.) I am hoping I will have worked off the cost of my uniforms by the end of this week.

What Would You Do?

If you sent a rent check to your landlord and she was out of town and her roommate told you your check didn't show up and that it was probably stolen and you should cancel your bank account and instead you canceled your check and wrote another one out of another bank account and you paid $25 to cancel the first one and then your landlord came home and told you her roommate had been wrong and the first check was there all along, would you deduct that $25 from your next month's rent or would you just suck it up?

If your landlord tried to tell you that she was going to charge you for the heater man to come over and get the furnace ready for the winter, would you just accept it, or would you tell her you thought that was the landlord's responsibility (which for the record it is according to New Mexico law)?

If your landlord told you she didn't "like your attitude" and that you were "hassling her" because of the aforementioned heater question and she kept bringing up the $25 you deducted from your check that she agreed to in writing, would you just give her the $25 to make her stop holding it against you?

If your landlord would not come over to inspect the large cracks inside the house that keep getting bigger, would you worry that the house might fall down?

If your toilet bowl was draining when a lot of water went down the shower drain, indicating a plugged vent, would you agree that switching your type of toilet paper would solve the problem and not insist upon having a plumber come over?

If your landlord did not believe that it was the vent that was clogged and told you to go outside and unscrew the caps to the sewer line to see if the line was clogged, would you do it, or would you suggest that was not your responsibility either?

If your landlord made your life miserable for at least an hour once a week, would you try to figure out a way to terminate the lease early?

LifeChanging

By the end of this week, I will have been unemployed for 2 entire months. That is not entirely true since I am employed by a catering company, but you get it. This is my longest stint of unintentional unemployment ever. In a job market with only 3.9% unemployment.

Well, I finally have a job offer. I think I am going to take it. It involves advertising market research, and I would be doing data analysis and report compilation to start. The pay would be half of what I was making last year. But I was ridiculously overpaid last year. And there seems to be a lot of room to grow in this company. So, LifeChanging. This job will not involve water. At all. Unless I somehow get to work on an ad involving water resources. But most likely it will be bottled spring water. And then I will have to feel bad about myself.

Someone suggested I keep my hand in water by volunteering my time. I will have to think about what I could do. I would also like to freelance a bit on the side, but it will be hard with a 9 to 5.

Maybe I will like advertising? Maybe someday I could apply it to sustainable businesses or to marketing water resource conservation and education. Maybe I can justify it that way. I would like to explore and expand my creative side. And this company is not afraid of me being a hydrologist, which seems to be common among other companies. Except for the consulting companies. They are afraid of me not being an engineer or a chemist. Catch-22. Double Jeopardy. Do I understand the meaning of jeopardy? Not really. But this is how I landed at an advertising research firm in Albuquerque. I will tell them later today or tomorrow. I may push a start date back two weeks to allow a few more interviews in the water sector. I may take a small vacation since my time off will be reduced to 2 weeks. So, LifeChanging.

But this means I don't have to go to work at the coop, which I was supposed to start tomorrow. I get to make more than $9 an hour although I will miss out on the 18% discount. That guy is not pleased with me. Matt will have to do all the coop shopping from now on. As he already does. But I will have more than one day off for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we will actually be able to go home.

LifeChanging.

Happy Anniversary (to my blog)

This past Saturday was the first anniversary of my blog! Can you believe it? To celebrate, Natalie, Liz and I got some balloons and had a party...



Just kidding! Well it was the anniversary, and there was a party, but it was a baby shower! One more month to go! There was posole and tostadas and nachos and veggies and beer and lots of presents and games and men watching boxing and watching the kids in the driveway. And it was cold! Good times were had by all. Except for we partied so late we missed Oktoberfest. (Sorry EEE.) Of course we are old so I was home around 11pm. But anyway, congratulations Liz and Glenn! I can't wait to meet Olivia. And thanks everyone for reading! We'll see how many more years I have in me.

A Night of Beer (Just not for Me)

So yesterday I completed a 15 hour shift with my catering company. I got there at 6:10 in the morning and stayed until 9:10 at night. I could have stayed later last night but after I spilled a glass of water I decided maybe I should leave. The day involved two events and a bit of prep work. Then I went back at 6:10 this morning but I left 2.5 hours later.

But the big story is who I served. An elite party of Albuquerque VIPs (some of whom I had seen at a previous engagement, leading me to believe that there aren't many people in the Albuquerque elite) was gathered for a 6 course dinner with paired beers in honor of a certain founder of a Boston-based beer company. I'm pretty sure I signed a confidentiality statement, but I'm not naming any names here. He was sort of nice. About the 10th time I brought appetizers around he took one and actually said thank you. I only served 3 of the courses, but I don't think I'm into the whole fine dining experience. I would rather stick to buffets and cocktail parties. The hosts' backyard was absolutely gorgeous though. It was again over by the river, had a pool without any concrete surrounding it, an in-ground fire-pit, immaculate landscaping, and Italian fountain and so much more. This is how I get to see how the other half lives. The daughter of the hosts' was miraculously well-adjusted and helped out in the kitchen all night.

Now I have heard that the hostess tips extremely well (I think what this means is that she throws a lot of parties), but I left early so I don't know what that means for me. I wanted to stay to make sure but in the end I decided my future was more important than a big tip as I have two job interviews today and I didn't want to be a sleepwalker at them.

Whatever Happened to Isiah Thomas?

When I was young, I remember my parents fighting behind closed doors. Just once. I am pretty sure the fight revolved around Isiah Thomas and his gambling problems. To understand why this would be a fight in my family, you would have to understand my father's obsession with basketball. But I am not going to delve into this subject now.

Isiah Thomas led the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. He had a huge smile on his face and seemed charming. But he apparently also has problems.

Thomas is now the head coach and president of basketball operations for the New York Knicks. A jury just ordered the Knicks to pay 11.6 million dollars to a former organization executive who accused Thomas of sexual harrassment and the organization of firing her after she made the claim. Looks like she won. No word on what will happen to Thomas. One would hope that after a legal decision such as that, he would be removed from the organization. It only seems fair.

But then he was a basketball super star and the executive was just a female ball player.

On a side note, isn't it crazy that wikipedia is already up-to-date on this subject?

Networking

I am beginning to realize the importance of networking. My job at Sandia was handed to me through no effort of my own, simply because a guy in my research center liked my work and knew me. A friend from grad school just stopped by his office and he asked about me and she mentioned that I am having trouble finding a job and now he is probably concocting schemes to find me work, along with a previous supervisor at the research center. Unfortunately no one seems to have good contacts in New Mexico. And my husband's advisor just told him to tell me that a bunch of hydrologists got laid off the Nevada Test Site, with the implication being that I will never find a hydrology job in the general region.

At any rate, in an effort to boost my networking, I have added a link to my LinkedIn profile on the sidebar. LinkedIn is sort of like a social networking site, except the primary purpose is for business networking. Link In friends! I need your contacts.

The Funny Thing About Socorro

Things happen in Socorro that, as far as I've noticed, don't really happen anywhere else. This is part of the charm of the place. And also its downfall.

Last Friday we were driving down to Tucson to go to a wedding, and we stopped for lunch in Socorro. I chose the Pizza Hut Lunch Buffet. (Mmmm, dessert pizza and breadsticks.) While we were eating, a couple came in and got salads. The waitress handed them plastic-wrapped packages of plastic utensils. The people looked confused. The waitress explained that they only had 15 sets of regular utensils and they were all out.

First of all, what kind of restaurant only has 15 sets of utensils? Probably only one in Socorro.

Next, I saw the lady glancing over at the utensils on our table. I kindly offered that I was not going to use mine. The lady was thrilled and came over to get mine, and Matt gave up his too. Apparently they were worried that a plastic knife was not going to cut it for their salad. Now keep in mind that we had already unwrapped our utensils from our napkins. We could have touched the utensils everywhere. But it is Socorro. You trust and you ignore. And you offer your utensils at the Pizza Hut because there aren't enough to go around and you don't want any iceberg lettuce. That is Socorro. And that is why sometimes I love it.