"you're stealing our river!"

I borrowed the title from the subject of an email sent by CR back in the old AZ. Big Bill held a press conference today regarding the designation of the Gila as one of the most endangered river in the US. Covered by the water writer, Shaun McKinnon, in the Arizona Republic. Yeah, back in 2004 the Arizona Water Settlement Act resulting in New Mexico getting a little extra water from the Gila because some people in Arizona were getting to use CAP water. Big, long, complicated story. However, the Act came with funding under stipulation that New Mexico had to use this water by 2014 (I think) or they would get no money. Consequently, a collaborative group in the Gila, along with the ISC, has been meeting to decide how to use the water. One of the many options brought up, and listed in the regional water plan, is to build a dam to divert water out of the river for use in a nearby area.

Today at Big Bill's press conference, it was reported that he said basically, no dams, no how, no way, under my administration. This is up for debate; many people think his words saying that we need to protect the river were misconstrued into meaning that means no dams. And somehow the New Mexico "state water agency" came off looking like the bad guy. I mean, they want to build a dam, and they won't even listen to their governor? 1) No such dam proposal has been made. 2) The Governor has not informed the agency of any such thing and did not even invite the agency to the press conference. Consequently, the office was in crisis mode today.

And all the people in Arizona think we are stealing their river, I'm sure. Oh well. Having worked in the media and done my best to get my stories straight, and knowing that this author at least (there are many other articles out there) is well-versed in water, it does surprise me that all this could be a mistake. Maybe the Governor really did say no dams. Who knows. He won't deny it now, because so many people are so pleased about it. And I won't say anything bad.

But seriously, can't people just talk to each other ever? It's a wonder anyone knows what's going on in the water world when it's always so darn confusing, even to those of us in the industry.

What month is it?

Yesterday morning, I was leaving KGS's house in Santa Fe at 7:30 in the morning, when things started falling out of the sky. It wasn't rain, it wasn't snow, it wasn't hail, although it looked kind of like it. Matt has confirmed my suspicion that it was graupel (sp?), some over 1/4 inch in diameter. I then got in my car and started on my 1 1/2 hour journey southeast to Estancia. While driving it started to snow, and while listening to the radio I discovered that not only was it snowing in Santa Fe, but also farther south in Albuquerque and Moriarty. Great. And I kid you not, I drove through a snow storm the whole way. Snow was still falling as I walked from my car into the Torrance County Courthouse.

I can't remember when the last time I drove through snow like that was. Sure I've done it driving home from work in the foothills, but then it only lasted a few minutes. Not 90. I drove through low-visibility, through snow sticking to the roads, to farmland covered in snow with plants or grass just peaking out. It really was like being back in Michigan again, driving through farms in endlessly falling snow. It was kind of cool. I can think that now because the snow eventually stopped and I did not get stuck in Estancia with my little Echo. However, I did drive through a bit of snow again on I40 between Moriarty and Albuquerque. In the second half of April. That was yesterday. Today it is supposed to be nearly 80 degrees. What in the world is wrong with this state?

The Side of the Road

I was pulled over by a cop recently, for the first time in my life (other than the time I was a passenger in Dad's car). I had no idea why.

The given reason:

going 61 in a 55 zone.

6 mph too fast. This is generally in the range of my speed at any given time on road trips due to my lack of cruise control. I would say there is a good chance that at any given time I am driving the speed limit +/- 6 mph. In fact, the next time I passed the same copy (since he had turned around), I was driving 60 mph up a hill in a 65 mph zone. I am such a speed threat.

I almost laughed. And then I was confused because at the time he pulled me over the speed limit was 65. He claimed he clocked me in a 55 zone. I am convinced he must have clocked me while I could see the 65 mph sign and was speeding up towards it. Either way. Don't they have better things to do in Gila County? Like maybe bust meth labs? At any rate, he didn't give me a ticket - just warned me to watch my speed. I didn't even beg or cry. I was just confused. But for the remainder of my drive through Gila County, I was sure to drive the speed limit so I wouldn't actually get a ticket. Unfortunately this stretch of road includes the beautiful Salt River Canyon, with speed limits decreasing to 35 mph. Yup. That's how fast I drove. For multiple miles. I'm glad I didn't get run off the road into the canyon. Although there are worse places to be.

Women in America

I have been reading some recent Newsweek articles, and I felt I needed to speak to the status of women in (The United States of) America. The first article was actually a series of essays by women about gender, class, and Hillary Clinton. (http://www.newsweek.com/id/120064 and the what women want sidebar links) Many of these essays, written by older women, spoke of feeling solidarity with Hillary, of understanding the obstacles she had to overcome as a woman and the invisibility of many women her age. Many mentioned how unfair it was that it was socially acceptable to make fun of her pantsuits (do women have to wear skirts), her “cankles,” the ironing shirt jokes, and other sexist comments. This behavior was also tolerated at work. Anna Quindlen then wrote a great Last Word called “Still Stuck in Second” (http://www.newsweek.com/id/120049) that agreed with many of those essays. Racist comments are a big no-no, but sexist comments are often still tolerated. Somehow sexism is still acceptable while racism is not (although both are much more rampant than they should be in the 21^st century. Or any century really. And I am not advocating for anyone to base their vote on gender or race.). I totally agree with these essays.

What bothered me was the essays was a couple by some young women who stated that they didn’t have an affinity for Hillary, perhaps because they hadn’t experienced the same struggles as females that older women had. They cited high GPAs, high college attendance and graduation, good jobs. That’s great for them, and I am to some extent glad that women fresh out of college see this country as an equal place for men and women.

I have been out of college for nearly 5 years now, so I am probably a fairly similar age as these women writing the essays. But I have had a far different experience and a far different outlook on life. Maybe this is part of the reason I voted for Hillary. Statistically speaking, I am under 30, highly educated, and a fairly high earner, so I should be a de facto Obama supporter. But I am jaded, and I don’t react to the message of hope. And I suspect I am not alone. Here’s why:

1) I spent my first two years of college in engineering classes, often being one of few women in my classes. Female professors in this area were virtually nonexistent

2) After I transferred to the recreation department, much more full of women, a professor read a job announcement for a student to help with visitor surveys in the regional parks. The position was open to men only. No joke. This was in 2002. I promptly raised my hand to ask how this was okay, and the professor quickly said, “I’m just the messenger. Don’t get mad at me.” Okay so maybe he didn’t write the announcement, but couldn’t he have questioned it?

3) Shortly after class I stormed into the office of the professor who made this announcement. (The same one, by the way, who taught the class on management including sections on gender discrimination. Apparently he didn’t learn anything.) I don’t remember exactly what happened, but I let him know that it was completely unfair. He claimed to be doing it for my safety. I told him I didn’t need his protection. I really don’t remember how it went, but I did eventually get the job.

4) Out of three on-site surveyors on the job at the time, I had the highest survey response rate – about 98%. The two men had rates down around 90%. One day on the way back from class with the professor and a fellow surveyor, they started joking that I must have the highest response rate because I showed cleavage. Seriously. They said this in front of me. In 2003.

5) I was accepted into a graduate hydrology program at a highly regarded school for the subject. My entering class consisted of 16 women and 4 men. This sounds good at first glance. Before my class, however, the program was highly weighted toward men. So instead of assuming that we were accepted for our personal merits, many of the women started joking, half seriously, that the department was trying to fill a quota. We still don’t know what the truth is, but it is sad either way – sad if they accepted us to fill a quota, and sad that if we were accepted on our merits we didn’t even believe that highly in ourselves as women

6) My first job out of graduate school was at a National Lab. I was routinely in meetings with all men and no other women. Many of the state employees are dealt with acted like a good old boys’ club, and the university economist basically disregarded anything I had to say until my boss backed me up. He routinely left me out as an author on posters and papers. The environment was not welcoming.

7) I just started a new job with the state, and the sexual harassment video they showed included footage of a man grabbing his crotch. I found this offensive. The video was almost propagating the very thing it was designed to prevent. It reminded me of an office episode…

Now don’t get me wrong; I have worked with many men who treated me as an equal, and I have had bosses who obviously judged me on my merits, not my gender. And I will admit that I am suspicious of men. Maybe I don’t give them the benefit of the doubt. But in a work situation, I often feel as though I am being judged.

I don’t think I am alone here. Back me up girls.

Premonitions

So a few blogs ago I discussed a "scare" that our landlady had put our house up for sale but we decided it was not true. It turns out that was based on a false assumption, but today the landlady did in fact show up at our house with a For Sale sign. Weird coincidence. She is selling it herself, apparently because she cannot afford a real estate agent. She apparently also got trapped in a sub-prime mortgage. Way to go. So if anyone wants to buy a 736 square foot house in the up and coming part of Albuquerque (soon to match Santa Fe's Canyon Road!), all you have to do is part with $182,500. Personally I think it's way over priced, but it is in line with the other stuff on the market on Mountain Road. It is unclear whether she is selling both lots with it or only the back one. So anyway, I guess tenants are allowed to stay until the end of their lease even if there is a sale, but I'm thinking we need to start looking anyway.

I also finally got a formal offer from the State, and now I too will have to commute to my job. So Matt will be going an hour south while I go an hour north. So maybe we need to be closer to the van/bus/train stops anyway.

Well that's my life. What are you all up to?

It's Been a Long Time, I Shouldn't Have Left You

...without a dope beat to step to.

Name the song and the artist. Winner gets... the opportunity to visit me in Albuquerque (airfare not included). Sorry, I don't have much to offer.

Also I just wrote a whole blog and my stupid crappy internet disappeared it and I don't feel like writing it again. Maybe later. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe two weeks from now. It involved the fact that I have been writing for other purposes and therefore not writing on here.

And how I might have a new job.

And how I am considering attempting the write one page a day, in a year you'll have a book feat. What do you think?

Miscellany

Have you folks been wondering where I've been? Me too. Part of my absence stems from the fact that my less-than-one-year-old-laptop is a piece of crap. Expensive crap. Matt's 5 year old computer can run the internet faster than this thing. So at certain points in the last two weeks I've sat down to write a blog and never had the time. I'm not sure whether to blame Vista or Dell or Qwest, but it sucks. Big waste of money.

So anyway, how's it going? Still no winner in the Democratic race. I'm kind of ambivalent about it, because even though I'm on Hillary's side, I do think she'll have a hard time in the general election. People hate her. It is silly. Yes she voted for the war, but she's done a lot of other good things. And who didn't vote for the war (who was in national office at the time and isn't Dennis Kucinich). Anyway. I didn't really mean to blog about politics today.

Did everybody hear that Fidel Castro stepped down? Of course Raul might be more of the same and the US doesn't seem to interested in smoothing over relations.

Oh what else. I found a neat blog about this guy who rides the bus in Albuquerque everyday and tells stories about it. I haven't gotten through all his back blogs, but I still think my story about holding that lady's baby in LA is up there at the top.

Also Matt and my New Texico blog is still forthcoming. It will be good, so don't get impatient.

Also I finally got paid for an article I wrote in November. The guy wrote me a check for $93.13. Couldn't he have just rounded it up? I mean seriously. Incidently, I have now been paid twice for taking pictures. Does this make me a professional photographer? Haha.

There was also a scare last week that our landlady had put our house on the market without telling us. We're pretty sure it's not true, but there were surveyors here on Friday. Why does one survey their property at random times? In relation to this incident, Matt and I started thinking about buying a house. Prices are rock bottom right now! So much cheaper than when we were looking last May. So we'll see how it goes. (It would help if either of us had a stable future.)

That's all I can think of right now. Oh except for my other secret future endeavor which apparently has a 50% chance of happening. Which is good because there was a big fiasco at work today that involved people downstairs not liking my sense of humor. Or something. Not sure. And my supervisor telling me that she thought I was fantastic and that the churchy people downstairs can be a little touchy. Weird. And then I left the office for 3 hours. For a doctor's appointment. Bastards. I'll show them! Maybe.

I should just stop writing now.