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31 December New Addition To The FamilyJust bought this really neat bear. A guy in Riudoso carves them with a chain saw and his brother brings them to our area to sell. Jan has always wanted one and I think the one we picked out is the best. As always, click on the pictures for a larger view.
WordsI just learned an interesting word for one of my pet peeves: Muffintop. It refers to the fat that burbles over the top of lowrider jeans. As I have stated elsewhere, another thing that I dislike about them is what happens when women bend over. Buttcrack is no more sexy on a woman than on a man.
I love words, especially those that are powerful or sound like what they mean. I have a lot of favorite words in English but the one I like the most in my limited Spanish vocabulary is verdad. It means "truth" but it is much more forceful and has a solid impact when spoken. It is such powerful word that the great Latin musician Eddie Palmieri used it to title a Grammy winning album.
There are some words that I dislike as well. I won't use "hate" very often as it refers to one of the most destructive of emotions. I don't hate anyone or anything. I may dislike them but not hate.
I also will not use derogatory words that describe a person's ethnicity. To do so is just flat ignorant. I also will not use the word "race" to describe people. DNA testing has proved that be invalid. 30 December About MeI was born a poor black child...Oh, wait, that's a Steve Martin movie...
Actually, I was born on the day Joe Louis defeated Max Schmelling which was a blow to Hitler's Aryan theory. I was raised in Albany, New York but lived in Flushing, Long Island during WWII. My father was an alcoholic so the family was somewhat dysfunctional. That probably contributed to my poor grades but it was still my fault that I didn't finish high school there. I couldn't wait to get away from it all and the Air Force gave me that opportunity. I made a 20 year career of it and during that time I finished high school through the GED program. I wasn't satisfied with that and, while I was in Italy, I got a genuine high school diploma through a progam sponsored by a University in Washington State.
I'm now a retiree from both the Air Force and the State of Iowa. We learn a lot of things on this road of life and I probably have some college equivalency but, being retired, it hardly matters. I read a lot both in books and on the internet so my education is ongoing. I think that when we stop learning we are as good as dead.
I will be 68 this year and that is incredible to me. I just don't feel like I am pushing 70.
The only way I can feel the years is to look back on where I have been. Even then, it sometimes feels like I am remembering things that happened to someone else.
Now I live in this fascinating state of New Mexico and it is like I have a whole new life ahead of me. I don't think a lot about how much time I have left because no one knows that. John Spencer died at 58 and here I am still rolling along writing this stuff on my blog as if people want to read it. It seems to me that, if you worry a lot about dying, you will be wasting time that could be better spent having fun and learning new things. 29 December Funny Man With GlassesMy wife gave me a wonderful gift for Christmas, The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection. Lloyd was one of the three great silent film comedians. He was even more popular than Chaplin and Keaton and certainly a better businessman. He owned the rights to all of his films and his refusal to sell them to television caused him to be forgotten by a whole generation. This collection should do much to rectify that.
After trying Chaplinesque schtick that didn't work, he created his persona by the simple expedient of putting on a pair of lenseless, dark rimmed glasses. He was a very handsome man and the glasses, being owlish, gave him a boyish and innocent look that worked beautifully for his films.
He invented many techniques that are used in film today. His movies are hilarious, tempered with pathos and filled with warmth, a formula which many have tried since and failed.
I hope that this entry will make you go out and buy the collection. I have often thought about how we don't have to look for the sad things in life, they come to us automatically. What we do have to search out are the things that make us laugh, as much as possible. That is the antidote to life's miseries and Harold Lloyd's films are a strong dose.
27 December Music, Music, Music...A week ago Friday night, Rudy blew the roof off of Smokehouse BBQ.
He did it with an electric guitar that he put together from old guitar parts. Sort of a Frankenguitar, if you will. It howled, roared, swooped, screamed and moaned. Altogether a thrilling performance.
I can't overemphasize the importance of music in my life. Good music makes sense when nothing else in the world does. It changes my mood as no drug could. It makes me feel full of life.
I like all kinds of music but Blues and Afro-Cuban Jazz are my favorites. Years ago I was fortunate to see Tito Puente perform in a renovated burlesque house in Kansas City. Recently Jan and I saw Poncho Sanchez, probably the best conguero in Latin Jazz.
Have you ever watched a performance and gone into a light trance, actually becoming part of the music? I have. It doesn't get much better than that.
26 December Busy, Busy, BusyI really like Christmas, I really do but sometimes I wish things would slow down a little. On Christmas Eve we went to Albuquerque's Old Town to see the lights and luminarias. We took about 60 pictures, some of which will appear on here as soon as I get time to look through and improve them.
Yesterday was filled with opening presents and long phone calls to relatives who are far away. Today we are going to climb an 11,000 foot mountain. Well, the car is going to do most of the work. I love mountain driving. Tricky as it is, it is a lot of fun.
I hope everyone who reads this is having a very happy and joyful Christmas holiday. 24 December FearThere is always something to fear in this world. The politicians and the media make sure of that. When I was in my 'teens (yeah, kids, prehistoric times) we had THE BOMB. We had so many scare stories about possibility of nuclear disaster that I used to have a recurring dream where I would see the bright flash from my window and I would be waiting to be fried to cinders. Well, it didn't happen so all those hours spent shivering in my bed were wasted.
The one thing I don't fear is death. In fact I feel rather sorry for the old Reaper. When he comes for me, instead of going quietly, I will probably scream at him, "NO, I HAVEN'T FINISHED READING MY BOOK YET!" And there he stands, tapping his foot, mumbling under his breath, checking his celestial watch, as I slowly finish the chapters that are left. 23 December A Curious IncidentWe took our guest to the mall yesterday. He is follically challenged so he wears a colorful bandana wherever he goes. While we were eating lunch in the Food Court, a security guard told him that he couldn't wear the bandana in the mall and asked him to take it off. I asked the guard why and he said that the police department had identified bandanas as being gang wear.
I couldn't help but wonder if a real gangbanger was told to take off his bandana, would he still be a gang member or would he magically change to an upstanding citizen. What if gangsters were to start identifying themselves with certain kinds of trousers? Would they be required to take them off before entering the mall?
Funny old world, ain't it? 22 December An AnecdoteOk, so I changed the name of my blog. I hope this one is better but, if not, well it is my blog and...you know.
When we first moved here we went to a book signing by Tony Hillerman at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Before the signing he gave a talk, telling stories about the area and the Navajo. His books have done a great service to the indians, helping to bring their traditions back to the young people.
At one time he was asked to ride in a parade and was told that they had a fine horse for him. He said that, even though he was origiinally a Missouri farm boy, he had never learned to ride a horse. They reluctantly found an old convertable for him and he rode in the parade in that.
When the time came to honor him by giving him a Navajo name, they had no trouble coming up with the perfect one:
"Afraid of His Horse." 21 December SunshineAnother gorgeous day here in New Mexico. Temps in the 50's and lots of sunshine. We have a visitor from back East who left 10 inches of snow behind. We are going to take him out to see the sights, especially the mountains. A lot of people think that it is all desert, nothing but sand and scrub. A gross misconception. There is a lot of that and I think it is beautiful but there are many forested areas with pine trees. Turn a corner and you will think that you are in a different state. Below are pictures taken from Sandia Crest and the road leading up to the Crest. Click on them for a larger view. 18 December Feast DayIn New Mexico there are 19 Indian Pueblos populated by people whose ancestors go back thousands of years and who traded with the Aztecs. In November we went to the Jemez Pueblo's Feast (Fiesta) Day. There were hundreds of people doing the Corn Dance from sunup to sundown. They would break occasionally and then go right back to it. The colorful traditional garments, the beating of the big drum and shaking of the rattles were all quite beautiful and enthralling.
There were vendors from many of the Pueblos selling jewelry, pottery and other hand made items. I bought a coffee cup with a hummingbird design etched into it. We were not allowed to take pictures in the Pueblo but here are several pictures of the cup. It was made by someone from the Acoma Pueblo also known as Sky City. Click on the photos for a larger view.
16 December WelcomeWelcome to my personal blog. I know that The Wilder West is probably a tacky title but it is my blog and I can call it anything I want to. So there.
I will try to keep this blog free of any prurient content. Of course, if I comment on things that are going on in our country, a lot of that is pretty obscene in itself.
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