Saturday, July 18, 2020

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Tale of a Witch Hunt

Just hope everyone’s OK:
Riley: I’d returned home on a vacation high. But when I’d walked in the door, instead of saying hello, my roommates were yelling at me to take off my clothes and shower. Everyone who didn’t go on the trip had been watching the news all week. They were scared of us.

CNN, March 25: The U.S. experienced its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday...The dramatic spike brought the number of novel coronavirus deaths…to at least 928….More than 65,000 people in the United States have now had a positive test.

Suzanne, UT senior: There was some gossip going around in my Zoom classes about students who went on spring break and may be sick.

Riley: My friend told me one of the seniors on our trip had a fever. He told me not to tell anyone. She ended up testing positive.

Looking for Comet Neowise

Don’t see it yet.

What happened to the good comets? We had better comets when I was young. Ikeya-Seki came close when I was nine, and it was the best ever!

Cone of Shame

Squirrel in distress at the McDonald’s drive through. Stuck his head into a McFlurry cup, and now wears a ‘cone of shame.’

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Sugar Bowl Lanes Burns Down!

No! This is a substantial part of Belen's film heritage!:
Fire officials are still trying to determine what caused a historic building in Belen to burn down Sunday morning.

The abandoned building was once home to Sugar Bowl Lanes.

"My husband could smell smoke, and he came in the bedroom and said, 'Frances, the bowling alley is on fire,'" said Sugar Bowl Lanes owner Frances Romero. "I looked out the window and it was orange from the front to the back. "

Romero's parents were the original owners of the bowling alley.

"We just came out. I can't believe it. I cannot....I cannot believe it," she said.

Navajos Getting The Upper Hand

By imposing the most stringent rules in the country, the Navajos are succeeding in taming the Covid beast. The trick now will be to somehow limit contact with all the other infectious people in Arizona:
The state of Arizona reports nearly 120,000 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate around 27%. This comes as the Navajo Nation, which occupies northeastern parts of the state, flattened its curve through regular weekend lockdowns and nightly curfews. CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro spoke with President Jonathan Nez about their successful rebound.

A Few Personal Notes

I should take a trip.  Getting a little claustrophobic around here.  Basically marking time this Covid summer.

I'm well - still haven't got Covid yet.  My sisters Michelle and Marra, and nephew Aaron are OK too, as far as I know. Aaron lost his job as a fitness instructor due to Covid, and so has decided to join the Air Force.  He's a bit on the older side at age 29, but he had long been leaning to join the military at some point anyway.

I've signed up to be a Census Enumerator.  The long-delayed Training Class is supposed to start July 27th.  I've been doing bits of Air Quality Modeling work as an Independent Contractor.  The work pays well, but it's sparse and highly-irregular.  I also do occasional dog-sitting for friends.

I've been doing a lot of clearing furniture and moving a longtime housemate out of my house.  Maybe thinking of selling the house fairly soon - it's nice to get some floor space.

I stopped going to the gym (where I take Zumba and Jamaican Dancehall) and stopped taking ballet back in March due to Covid, and instantly gained 5 pounds.  As of mid-June I've started taking ballet again due to the small class sizes, but have hesitated going back to the gym with its larger classes.  So, I'm beginning to increase ballet class frequency to 3 times a week.  It's a little aggressive, but it helps with the dancing.  The more you do it, the better you do.

I'm continuing to write my book updates for the TV series "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul."  I had an argument with the theater folks, so I'm not doing anything with them right now, but they aren't doing much anyway due to Covid. Theater is seen as a high-risk activity.

Follow Me To The Lab

Early 70s Memories

Quiet Fourth of July This Year

Watched these people set off fireworks. Confederate flag; no masks. You get the idea.

5150 Mall Cop - Ending and Credits

I thought "5150 Mall Cop," a punkish 2005 movie, was among the very best of the Albuquerque-based movies I've been watching over the last two years.

The End Scene here is so romantic! In an inarticulate act of fidelity, she (Kathleen Robertson) kept his (Derek Cecil) severed arm on ice.

This scene is filmed in the lobby of Bank of the West (the tall building at San Mateo and Central in Albuquerque).




Friend Gabe notes that The Simpsons LOVE Albuquerque!



'Back to School' Section at Target

Mystified Why the Dalai Lama is on the Back of This Truck

A Bold Jumping Spider Has Started Hanging Around

A Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax) has started living around my dog's pooper scooper. It's a logical place to find them - poop attracts flies, which attract jumping spiders. It's the biggest jumping spider I've ever seen - about 15 mm long. Apparently they are pretty intelligent, despite having an 'exploding brain'. My spider seems to recognize me. I hope we become friends.