Archive for Uncategorized
The State Of The… Er…
by John Weckerle
Interstate.
Specifically, we refer to state of the local Interstate (and more specifically, I-40 in the Sedillo Hill area) and associated roads yesterday morning. Your editor awoke early, looked out the window and noted that no lights could be seen to the east (indicating heavy snow), looked at the few inches on the ground, and decided to make a run for it. This would have been a bad move absent the travel cup of coffee that made the run along yours truly. The “local” roads were passable primarily because few others had been on them. Unfortunately, the climate conspired to create an impromtu parking lot very early this morning on Route 66 just west of Mountain Valley Road. After waiting patiently and then noting the relatively free flow of traffic on I-40, it seemed logical to drive east to Edgewood and gain entrance to the highway there. Traffic moved along very well until just after the Sedillo exit, at which point everyone’s automobiles decided that their riders could use a few (okay, a lot of) minutes to reflect upon their lives.
By the time we got through the congestion, there was no indication as to what the nature of the pause might have been. However, we would like to suggest to our readers that it would be best to be vigilant as regards our speeds during inclement weather. It’s better to get there late than never…
Press Release: Doing Business With Bernalillo County and Securing Social Service Agency/Neighborhood Association Grants
by Franchesca Stevens, Bernalillo County Public Information Department
Bernalillo County News Conference Promotes Upcoming Workshop on How to Do Business with County and Secure Grants for Social Service Agencies and Neighborhood Associations
WHO: Bernalillo County
WHEN: Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, 3 p.m.
WHERE: One Civic Plaza NW, 10th floor, Conference Room B
Contact: Franchesca Stevens | fstevens@bernco.gov |O. 505.468.1272| C. 505.259-0384
Oops, UPS…
by John Weckerle
When Friday morning dawned, your editor was looking forward to a weekend that would involve a certain amount of photography – because a new camera was due to arrive that day. Having paid extra for two day delivery, we anticipated the weekend with a certain excitement. The UPS tracking indicated that the package was “out for delivery” at 6:16 a.m., so it seemed that delivery was a certainty. The package, however, never showed up, and at 7:36 p.m. somebody entered an exception: “emergency conditions beyond UPS’ control.” A new delivery date was “unavailable.”
Now, as it turns out, your editor had Friday off and, with errands and appointments in both Edgewood and Albuquerque, managed to traverse nearly every possible road that the UPS truck could have taken to get to our location (including the one it usually takes). The Albuquerque errands actually took us right past the UPS distribution center on the way home. The sun was shining all day, and the roads were clear. So we called UPS and, on the first round, got a very unhelpful person named “Mike” who indicated that no information regarding the nature of the “emergency conditions” was available, nor was a revised delivery date, but it would be at least Monday before delivery because we had not paid for weekend delivery. I offered to pick the package up Saturday, but apparently UPS in Albuquerque is closed Saturdays. Before I could offer to pick it up Monday, “Mike” hung up on me, or we were disconnected. I then tried the e-mail support, and at least got an apology on that one, but they again could not give me a new delivery date and stated that they didn’t have to refund the two-day shipping charge because “emergency conditions beyond UPS’ control” apparently exempts them from doing so.
I called again yesterday and got a more helpful person, “Susan,” who guaranteed that the package would absolutely, positively be delivered Monday. With a potentially substantial winter storm barreling toward us, we have our doubts, but we’ll take them at their word for now – and hold them to it. But that’s not really the purpose of this article…
Whatever Happened To New Mexico Central?
by John Weckerle
Well, we’re not sure.
It’s been well over a month since our last article, during which we’ve encountered some life changes that should prove to be both significant and positive – but which have taken away from the time we’ve had to put into New Mexico Central. During this hiatus, we’ve been reflecting on the original purpose of the site and how it’s evolved. The original intent was to provide a centralized venue in which local folks without access to web authoring capabilities could provide news and express reasonably-supported commentary on Estancia Valley and East Mountain issues. People seemed very enthusiastic about the concept initially, but except for a very small number of notable exceptions, that enthusiasm did not extend to actually providing articles – especially after we decided that we were not interested in having NM-Central.com become a soapbox for neoconservative politics. As venues such as Facebook surged, and blog hosting became readily available, the likelihood of receiving contributions appeared to diminish, and for some time now we have relied heavily on a) press releases, b) original articles written primarily by one person, and c) taking the local Tea Party chapters to task for consistently publishing false information and a certain tendency toward intolerance.
Let’s take a look at some of this. From a purely selfish standpoint, cutting and pasting press releases gets tedious – and since we don’t have time to post every single day and the releases tend to come out a relatively short time before the events in question, they’re often out of date by the time we get to them. Writing original articles can be fun for us and informative for the reader, but doing it right and properly researching the topics in question represents a time-consuming effort that is difficult to perform frequently when one is employed full-time. When the person doing the writing also spends a lot of time researching and writing at work, it’s that much tougher to crank the articles out on a regular basis. Perhaps most importantly, the original concept was not for one person to put out articles for others to read, and even the comments have been fewer than we expected.
Rapping the Tea Party’s knuckles (and those of their sources) occasionally has probably been worth doing and, at least to some, worth reading. However, we have to think that it’s getting tedious to read because it’s getting tedious to write. There is a limit to the number of times one needs to point out that this blog or that blithely publishes false or misleading information, or that it makes what appear to be prejudiced statements, before readers have enough information to come to their own conclusions on whether the progenitors of said content retain any credibility, moral standing or, for that matter, sanity. We’re not saying that we’re going to leave them alone forever – these are, after all, our most commented-on articles – but to be blunt what we see when we check in on their web sites is essentially “more of the same” and there seems limited value in continuing to comment, frequently, on the same thing over and over. It’s been well over a month since our last Tea Party article, and even though our reaction to the content on their sites is the same, we find ourselves disinclined to start tapping the keys just yet.
We’re going to continue the reflection, and with that in mind, we could use a little input from our readers. What, in the past, have you most enjoyed? On what types of topics would you be most inclined to comment? Is there something you’d like to see more of, or something new you’d like to see added? Let us know, and we’ll keep your thoughts in mind as we decide what path to take.
Dish Network Outage
by John Weckerle
Dish Network is currently experiencing an outage on their Satellite 129. Subscribers can still watch non-HD channels by going to their guide, setting it to All Channels, and selecting channels without the “HD” next to them.
On The Road Again
A pause for thought - Mandrill at the Phoenix Zoo
by John Weckerle
Last weekend the entire population of New Mexico Central headquarters took a road trip to see relatives in Apache Junction, Arizona, which is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Surprisingly, only one day of our stay was very hot, with the other two days topping out at 90 degrees or below. Senior Travel Correspondent Wilson was very excited about the sights, sounds, and smells of the suburban setting we visited, and made plenty of new friends during his numerous walks. Highlights of the trip included a stop at The Great Indoors, seeing the movie “Thor” (good fare for fans of the comic book movie genre), and dinner at Chevy’s Mexican restaurant. Chevy’s makes a very good shrimp and crab enchilada, and most of their other food is above average as well. The margaritas were very good, and the fresh guacamole (made at the table) disappeared very rapidly into our cast of appreciative diners.
The trip also included a bit of time for photography, including a stop at the Phoenix Zoo. We were not able to tour the entire zoo, but did manage to see between a third and a half of it. What we saw indicated that a return visit to see the rest is in order. Most enclosures are large, and a number of them provided good opportunity for pictures – something that is not necessarily the standard at all zoos. There is ample shade, and water fountains were available as needed. Several options are available for food. The Zoo’s summer hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., an obvious concession to the high temperatures typical of Phoenix at this time of year, and we wish we’d known they were open so early when we got up that day – in a classic vacation oversight, we forgot to check the night before. Since it was part of the party’s reaction to heat that drove us off, we’d have been better off getting there earlier than our 9-ish arrival. Still, we got the chance to see a number of animals and snap a few photos.
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- A pause for thought – Mandrill at the Phoenix Zoo
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- Siesta!
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- That’s right, the sign says “nocturnal.”
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- Oryx at the Phoenix Zoo
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- Go ahead, put your head right in here…
And I Feel Fine…
by John Weckerle
Well, the entire population of New Mexico Central headquarters, including Senior Theological Correspondent Wilson, were greatly surprised to wake up yesterday morning and find that, based on the lack of earthquakes and pitchfork-wielding revenuers, we had apparently been taken up in the Rapture. Apparently, both computers and Internet connections are operative in Paradise, and so we are able to report to you live from the hereafter (to the extent that the phrase makes even the least bit of sense) that things up here are not too much different from what those of you down there are likely experiencing – except, of course, for the aforementioned geologic disturbances and demonic government officials.
Now, for those of our readers who are s avoiding (for the time being) the unpleasent experience of dismemberment by goat-headed mutants, we’d like to let you know that Heaven is in many ways similar to what we were all used to in the pre-Apocalyptic age. For one thing, there’s still wind up here – a good bit of it in fact. Today, it was enough to eventually drive us out of the chairs on the Divine Deck. We’re figuring there’s a reason for this, but since the welcoming committee has not yet made it by, we don’t know what it is. ? A Prairie Home Companion plays on Saturday afternoon on KANW just like at “ex-home.” Senior Ecclesiastic Personage Wilson (elevated to a loftier title due to his elevation in – well – metaphysical status) did find himself with extra stamina for chasing The Ball, which also apparently made the salvationary cut. So also, did the various purchased and home-sprouted vegetables, and Thine Editor didst verily plant them in the hallowed soil of Eden, which is unexplainedly pretty darned similar to that back on the home planet.
We are also happy to report that the roads we’re used to using are still in order. There’s at least one Costco operating in Heaven, complete with a full complement of shoppers, and we will note that the lines here are relatively short. We’re pretty sure that there’s at least one driver who got in on a technicality, though.
For Our Out-Of-State Readers
by John Weckerle
Unfortunately, they don’t have a New Mexico operation, but for our readers in other states who may not have thought of everything in preparing for tomorrow:
http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/
Grow Your Own – Continuing To Start
Leaves forming in crotch (above); this year's first tomatoes (below). The second tomato is below and to the left of the larger one.
by John Weckerle
A happy Easter and belated happy Earth Day to our readers! We’re continuing to get ready for the planting season which, for some crops, will come any day now. In addition to the tomatoes, lettuce, kale, chard, etc. that we bought at Parker’s a couple of weeks ago, and a red cabbage from Home Depot, we’ve sprouted zucchini, yellow squash, more lettuce, spinach, bush beans (Blue Lake), kale (flowering and regular), chard, and snow peas. We use the tray and lid from an old sprouting kit that came with little peat pellets for starting seeds, but now use 4-inch pots instead of the pellets, as this helps eliminate a step between sprouting and planting. Some of our sprouted plants are already spending their days outside and being brought in at night.
The tomatoes we have so far are destined for life in pots, eventually on the deck. We’ve picked up a couple of tips on tomatoes that we’ll pass along. First, when planting: nip off the lowest couple of sets of leaves, and bury the plant up to the next set. Roots will grow out of the buried stem and help establish a stronger and more extensive root system faster. Second, while growing: nip off branches that start in crotches on the plant as soon as they form (see photo). This helps the plant direct more of its energy toward fruit production rather than foliage growth.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that one of our tomato plants has already begun producing, with two tomatoes already started (see photo). We hope this is a harbinger of good things to come!
Are You There, Matt?
by John Weckerle
This morning, our Qwest DSL service was out for a few hours. After a brief chat with technical support, we were informed that there was an outage in the area and Qwest’s engineers were working on the problem. They were unable to project the duration of the outage, but said that we’d get a call letting us know when it was over.
After a while, the service came back on, and some time later we received a phone message from Qwest. The message began with “Hi, this is Matt with Qwest…” and proceeded to tell us that the service was back up. The only thing was, it seemed pretty likely to us that this was a computer generated message. Now, we’ll apologize in advance to Matt if we’re wrong, but the little breaks and stops seemed pretty symptomatic of the standard electronic notification method – suggesting that, at best, “Matt” is just somebody whose voice is used as the basis for the e-speaker. If that’s the case, then we’d advise Qwest that most of us don’t need to pretend that the digital voice at the other end of the line is actually a person, and we’re impressed enough that the system is sophisticated enough to call us up and keep us posted on its own.
Of course, there might have been a Matt that actually called – and if there is, we’d just like to say: Matt, you sound a bit like a computer. Throw in a joke or something next time!
Grow Your Own – Time To Start Digging!
by John Weckerle
Well, it’s past time to start digging, at least for some of us, and digging we have done – largely sponge pits for new and existing trees and shrubs, but we’ve also taken some time to start prepping the beds for this year’s crop. With luck and time, we’ll be adding new beds this year, and maybe even experimenting with some new varieties and soil mixtures.
As we approach the season, we thought we’d share a few resources that might be useful to our readers in getting (and keeping) the ball rolling:
- Home Vegetable Gardening in New Mexico – Circular 457 by George Dickerson, Extension Horticulture Specialist, NMSU College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. This publication has good information on general New Mexico vegetable gardening topics as well as hints on planting, growing, watering, and harvesting.
- Growing Zones, Recommended Crop Varieties, and Planting and Harvesting Information for Home Vegetable Gardens in New Mexico – Circular 457-B. This has some good, detailed information on varieties and planting times for the three areas recognized by the Cooperative Extension Service. New Mexico Central headquarters, located in the dreaded Area 3, is faced with challenges associated with short growing seasons, and no doubt so are some of our readers. Others may be located in the slightly more forgiving Area 2.
- The Mother Earth News Vegetable Garden Planner – Walking past a magazine rack, we noticed a copy of Mother Earth News with the title “40 Tips To Maximize Garden Harvests” in big letters on the cover, as well as the moniker “Giant Gardening Issue!” Well, there was no way we were just walking past that. There’s some good information in there, including an announcement associated with their online garden planner. It’s free for 30 days, and $25 for a year or $40 for two years after the first 30 days. We haven’t done much with it yet, but it looks as if some of our readers may find it useful; it has tools for layout, plant spacing, and much more.
Happy tilling!
Correction: East Mountain Fire Information meeting
We received word this morning that the original Bernco press release had an incorrect date. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 24 and not Friday, March 25 as previously reported.
Susana Martinez: First Controversy Resolved
by John Weckerle
Newly sworn-in New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez is widely described as the State’s first female Governor and the nation’s first Hispanic female governor. But is she either?
A review of literature raises a potentially different perspective: the role of New Mexico Governor was held by Soledad Chávez Chacón for two weeks in 1924. Ms. Chávez Chacón, New Mexico’s Secretary of State, served as Governor for two weeks while then-Governor James Hinkle attended the Democratic Convention.
For our party, we’re calling this one for Governor Martinez. While Ms. Chávez Chacón occupied the office of the Governor and technically acted as such in the absence of Mr. Hinkle, she was there in an acting capacity, and the elected Governor returned and resumed his duties. One might as well say that Alexander Haig was President of the United States because he was briefly in that role when an attempt was made on the life of President Ronald Reagan (while Mr. Haig was subjected to a great deal of ridicule at the time, his statements to that effect were more or less correct given that the two people between him and the Presidency had not resigned their positions as required to become Acting President).
That having been said, we congratulate Ms. Martinez on gaining the distinction of being New Mexico’s first female Governor and the first Hispanic female governor in the history of the United States.
Happy New Year
by John Weckerle
We wish all our readers a happy, healthy, prosperous, and joy-filled year, all 365 days of it. Happy New Year!