twa 260

So, I have a bit of a morbid streak. Most people who know me have no idea (and would be totally shocked if they knew), but if there is some really weird, freaky thing related to dead people, I’m on it. Saints’ relics? Yes, please. Oh, you have the actual saint on display in your chapel? Oooh, cool! It’s not because I’m weird or crazy (no, seriously), but because I find the lives and their respective legacies to be super interesting. My dad was and still is an avid genealogist, and I think I get this tendency from him. Whenever I’m in any historic place, I think about what people were thinking when they were here, even if it was millenia ago (psychologist that I am). My spouse finds it a bit unnerving that I want to look at “dead people stuff,” but I can’t help my fascination.

There’s a really great hike in the mountains above Albuquerque where a plane crashed into the Sandia Mountains almost 60 years ago. The flight was going to Santa Fe, and somehow didn’t get high enough to clear the mountains. Apparently, it took days for crews to even reach the site. It’s actually a pretty sad story, as aviation accidents go. The initial report on the cause of the crash blamed the pilots, saying that they were in some kind of bizarre suicide pact. (No, I don’t find those interesting. They creep me the hell out!) The pilot’s poor widow got all kinds of hate mail and threatening phone calls, as she herself was grieving over the loss of her husband. Terrible stuff. They eventually determined that the crash was due to instrument error, thereby clearing the name of the pilots.

The wreckage of the plane remains up there, with a plaque listing the victims’ names and hometowns. It’s a sobering reminder that even though technology has improved dramatically since then, life can be utterly fragile. We’ll be hiking up there this weekend, and I look forward to seeing this iconic and odd place.

home is wherever i’m with you

And we are now officially homeowners. This weekend and during the week, contractors will be in and out making repairs, installing flooring, etc. I did some minor projects (take down a tacky door, remove shelving from bathroom, install new deadbolt) on Saturday, in addition to bringing in and unpacking boxes. We move officially on the 10th, and I hope to have things in order very quickly.

Work has been good, but quasi-stressful. That is really a post of its own.

Also, mulberry bushes are welcome to die in a fire. My allergies are in rare form. Between the dust in the current house and in our new house, I am seriously considering wearing a mask. I feel like absolute crap, and even left work early because my asthma was flaring up. And to think we moved here in hopes that my allergies would be better…

balloon fiesta

Here are a few choice shots from this morning’s Mass Ascension at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. I am crewing for a balloonist from Virginia, and had a blast despite my utter sleep deprivation. I crew again tomorrow, and may even get to ride in the basket!

Dawn Patrol ready to launch to check the winds before the Mass Ascension

Sunrise over the Sandia Mountains. It warmed up substantially after that!

Mass Ascension

welp

Breaking Bad has come to an end. A sad as it is, I think the ending was supremely perfect. I’m also glad it didn’t drag on until long after its prime (The Office, I’m lookin’ at YOU). Although I was still a bit under the weather, we took my cousin-in-law on an epic tour of BB sites around Albuquerque. We capped off the day by coming home and watching the last episode with some beers and chips w/ green chile dip. I may or may not have had that for dinner. May have.

In other news, I have a job interview later this week for a pretty good gig at the local university. I try not to get my hopes up anymore, given my track record, but I am staying optimistic that it could work out. It would be nice to know that at least one of us has a job that is for certain relatively permanent. We love it so much here and it would break my heart if we had to leave.

argghh!

Of course I get sick right before we have a weekend packed full of social obligations. I’m not sure if it’s some kind of respiratory virus or just a wallop of allergies, but I felt like absolute death last night. Yesterday, I went out for happy hour drinks with some friends, and felt really hammered after drinking two margaritas over the course of 3 hours. That should have been a sign that something was not right with me, because I normally hold my alcohol far better than that!

I was up from 3 until about 4:30 this morning feeling terrible: congested, nauseated, couldn’t stay out of the bathroom, achy, and feverish. I took a bunch of drugs this morning, did two sinus rinses (more like exorcisms…geez), and drank about a gallon’s worth of hot water with lemon and tea. Admittedly, I am feeling better, but I hope to be able to rest and recoup tonight and tomorrow morning so that the rest of our weekend goes smoothly. Tonight, we have a party to attend in honor of some friends who are getting married this weekend. We’re going up to Kactus Brewing in Bernalillo tomorrow afternoon, having dinner w/ Scott’s colleagues tomorrow night, and hosting Scott’s cousin for a full day of Breaking Bad-related fun before watching the series finale. (Pause to wipe tears.) I seriously can’t be sick this weekend! 

Please don’t let this be a portent of things to come. I thought that having sinus surgery would more or less eliminate these problems, but that hasn’t really been the case so far. 

otoño

It’s clear and sunny during the day, cool and crisp at night. Fall in Albuquerque, I think I love you. 

My mom’s visit was short but fun. We took a day trip to Chimayo and Taos, tooled around Albuquerque, and enjoyed some of the best bites and brews the city has to offer. It was a bit odd sitting in a bar with my mom while we drank a beer called “Witch’s Tit,” but it was so delicious. Pumpkin spice beers are definitely one of my favorite things about this time of year. She got to meet some of our friends, so she could be at least somewhat reassured that I was getting out of the house and spending time with decent people on occasion. Overall, it was a good weekend. It’s far more fun to host guests when you actually have places and things with which to entertain them. 

Today yielded a bounty of adorable clothes from Buffalo Exchange, a nice afternoon snack and beer with a friend, and an invite for a phone interview for a job. Things are good, and I am increasingly glad that we took the plunge and followed our hearts. 

like the deserts miss the rain

Not much to report here. We’ve had a humdinger of a monsoon this summer, with a lot of the rain coming over the past week. At its worst during the drought, the Rio Grande by our house was running at less than 100 cfs (an unprecedented low). Last night, it was running at nearly 5000 cfs. Unbelievable! Every day has been mostly cool, cloudy, and rainy. In other words, pretty much nothing like one would imagine in New Mexico. I stayed in a lot because there was road flooding, and the lack of sun really killed my motivation to do anything other than watch hours of Law and Order: SVU and drink hot chocolate. Not that I’m complaining. The poor people in Colorado got devastated by insane floods and landslides, and we are so lucky here. Can’t say no to some weather-induced sloth, even if I often did not put on “human clothes” until nearly 5:00 some days.

The job search churns on, with few answers and much frustration. I’m doing a lot of networking and taking on small projects in hopes of finding something more. Having a spouse whose job includes health benefits allows me this luxury, and I am grateful for this despite my moments of discouragement. We are already formulating a backup plan should the worst case scenario come to pass, and I feel like it’s a viable option for me.

It’s not yet Fall here, but the cool night air heralds its impending arrival. I’m really excited to see the aspens turn and hundreds of hot air balloons fill the skies. One could be unemployed in much worse places!

albuquerque’s best

This past weekend, we hosted my aunt and uncle from Tucson. One of the many factors that played into our decision to move out here was that we were somewhat close to them. Needless to say, I was excited for their visit.

On our first day, we got burritos at El Modelo, toured Old Town, and had a healthy dinner at Vinaigrette. Saturday morning went at a leisurely pace, and we didn’t leave the house until nearly 10. We visited the downtown growers’ market, had lunch at El Pinto, and then drove to the top of Sandia Crest. We had a nice hike at the top of the mountain, shaded by the trees and cooled by the high elevation.

That night, I made a Spanish feast of shrimp paella, gazpacho, tortilla de patatas, pimientos de padrón, and flan. It’s always a treat to have people over so that I can go all out. My aunt had no idea that I could even cook, so it was a nice surprise.

Sunday, we visited the Nuclear Science Museum. My uncle is an astronomer and physicist, so it seemed a natural destination. To be honest, I don’t feel like I learned much. I am really fascinated by all things scientific, and so I constantly read science books and watch documentaries on scientific events. None of this stuff seemed new, and there was an unsettling emphasis on and celebration of the military applications of nuclear energy.

We lunched at Budai (highly recommend!) and then visited the Pueblo Cultural Center. We had the pleasure of watching some dancers from the Zuni Pueblo, and the collection of Pueblo art and relics is truly magnificent. I look forward to many return visits here. Our evening meal was Italian, where I made spaghetti all’amatriciana, a roasted pepper salad, and Ligurian olive balls. We watched Breaking Bad together, even though my relatives don’t watch the show. They managed to enjoy it, and we thought it was one of the best episodes of the season. Four more episodes…

Monday morning, we had a lovely breakfast at Java Joe’s and then bid them farewell. My mom is visiting in a few weeks, so it was nice to get an idea of what out-of-towners like to do here in Albuquerque. We moved so far from everyone we knew, so it’s nice to have familiar faces visit.

la vida buena

It’s been quite the lovely weekend. Saturday morning, I biked to the Growers’ Market for some local produce (zucchini, green bell peppers, padrón peppers, and swiss chard) and a baguette.

Then we went out for some authentic Neapolitan pizza (Holy God, am I addicted to this place…)

Then, I met none other than the actor Giancarlo Esposito (a.k.a. Gus Fring from Breaking Bad) at a filming of a local access TV show on the arts. Hopefully I will get the photo of us soon! It was super-exciting to talk to him about his career. A really remarkable person.

This morning we went out for bagels, pulled weeds in our front yard (ooh, scintillating), and then hiked the Sandia Crest trail, with a stop for lunch at the top of the Sandia Tramway. The morning was mostly cloudy and chilly at the crest (51 degrees or so), but warmed to 60 or so by the end of our hike. It was glorious, and a welcome escape from the heat down below (low 80s).

Here is a simple stone cabin built by the CCC in 1936 that still stands on the edge of a cliff after all these years.

When you hike at that elevation, even in the desert, the plant life is much more alpine than desert. These sweet little wildflowers were everywhere among the cedar, pinon, and aspen.

We stopped for a bit to watch the tram finish its journey up the mountain. I am still amazed that something so cool exists right at my doorstep!

Tonight, we watch the first of the remaining 8 episodes of Breaking Bad. I am beside myself with anticipation!

breaking bad

Breaking Bad, as some of you may know, is filmed right here in the Duke City and in fact takes place here. I have been a fan since I started watching it last summer on a whim, and was lucky enough to see the major filming locations during my visit in March. Since moving here, I have seen many more. In fact, I live close to a good number of spots, and it always blows my mind to walk past them.

Here are a few of my favorite places:

The Crossroads Motel, where many scenes early in the series were shot. They really show the dark side of the drug trade here.

The Dog House, which is a mere .3 miles from my house!

“Pollos Hermanos” a.k.a. Twisters, a local burrito chain. This particular franchise has really capitalized on its connection to BB. They even left up some of the signage.

The DeAnza Motor Lodge, where Walt brings the product to close a huge deal as something else very significant is happening. They depict this place as being in the middle of nowhere, but it’s actually on bustling Central Avenue just minutes from UNM. Currently closed, but perhaps someone will invest the money to restore this classic Route 66 motor hotel.