The road less taken (to Dallas)

Less taken probably is not the right way of putting it. Not taken is more to the point. I have been to and from Roswell only 3 times now, but each time I get on that one way highway (380), I am shocked that nobody is on the road. I guess it is in the wrong direction from anything really good when you consider that Ruidoso, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos are all the other way and closer than anything in the Dallas direction.

Anywho...I probably won't post again till Tuesday since I will be on the road and in Dallas for the weekend, but rest assured, there is no rest for the wicked. I just collected 80 papers that need to be graded and I will be taking them with me to get done. I do feel bad though leaving town on the big opening weekend of the Fare, but oh well....it will be here Tuesday. There is a parade on Monday that I will miss, but I have been assured that it is not much to see.

Dallasites, give me a call. I hope to see you all this weekend. Peace out.

I know that some of you have probably been wondering when I would get to a post about the Kinks. Actually, I have thought about it on rainy days, especially those days that there seems to be nothing going on in the Roswell world. But, I have been trying not to make this site just about things I like and more about how I see what's going on around me.

That being said, I ran across some interesting Kinks stuff yeasterday and thought I would share. For those of you who don't know, the Kinks are probably the greatest band...of all time. I'm not looking for an argument here; I know its my opinion, but it happens to be true. But...it's been a tough year for both Ray and Dave Davies (brotherly singer/songwriter, lead guitar respectfully).

Dave had a stroke earlier this year (or late last year) and has had to recover for a while. I can't imagine how it must feel to lose the ability to do what you love the most. Luckily, he has been recovering and plans to start playing again. He also hopes to reunite the band and do a tour. Of course it is up to Ray, and the odds of the two of them coming to an agreement about anything is long at best.

But what has really interested me lately has been the saga of Ray. Last year, whilst on vacation in New Orleanes with his girlfriend, they were robbed at gunpoint on the street. In true rock and roll god fashion, our hero dashed after the crook and ended up being shot for his efforts (I think it must be tough for rock and roll gods to get old and mortal). He ended spending his whole recovory in New Orleanes learning about the city. He started a program out there to get kids instruments so they could take up music in school and hopefully stay off the streets.

Flash forward to present. Ray is back in London, getting ready to release a solo album and tour his country. A few days ago, in the London Times, there was an article written by Ray where he gave his take on the Katrina tragedy and specifically on Sin City. I just thought it was an interesting perspective that he had. He did admonish the US for not being prepared and really laid it on about how it seemed the media in our country was surprised that there were poor people in New Orleanes. But, he also makes a plea that the world should help us. He is obviously not a Bush fan, but he comes right out and makes a good point: In four years, Bush will be gone, but the Katrina survivors won't be.

Anyway...I was wondering what any of you might think about this...especially when entertainment people start getting on their soapbox. I am so typically against it, but maybe its because my heroes seldom do it.

Taking out the cheese to place it in cheesy

Yes, this weekend was the big Chile Cheese Festival, right here in downtown Roswell, USA. I had heard there was a festival of this type, but I have to be honest, if someone didn't call and let me know it was this weekend, it would have gone right by the wayside. But, there I was; Saturday afternoon; Outside the Civic Center and Art Museum; salivating over the prospect of spicy peppers and soothing cheese. I know many of you are thinking this sounds like a great thing. I know my family and friends pretty well and most of yuo are chile and cheese lovers.

Well...don't mark this one on your calander for next year. The whole thing was a joke...a sad joke. I was so excitied, only to be crushed once again by the Roswellian powers that be. You see, I was there for a couple of hours, and while I did see some peppers being roasted, I saw no cheese. None. What I did see were a bunch of vendors selling their cheap useless wares. Ok, maybe some people like that kind of thing, but where I come from we call it a flea market; though this one was about one tenth the typical flea market size.

There was live music though and that was nice even though the women lead of the band couldn't hit any high notes and kept trying. I was assured that there were better bands at different times of the day. But I watched and listened to the sounds of Mexican-American music which seems like a great mix of folk, salsa and polka (all three I can get into if done well).

Another attraction that was offered was a wine tasting. There is a local winery that I believe is called Pecos Valley Vineyards (I'm sure you are all gonna run right out there to get some). I did do a tasting, but they had it set up like a drinking more then a tasting: Nowhere to spit; Which wouldn't be a problem so much is the wine was good, but unfortunitely, Pecos missed the mark.

All that being said, it is nice that there are so many things that go on in this town,. As small and rinkydink as they might be, at least there is an effort. I think I counted 15 different festivals of one kind or another that take place here during the year. Next week is the Eastern New Mexico State Fair. More on that to follow.

All the little things....

are crawling around outside my apartment at night. Okay, I'll admit it...I am a bit squeemish when I go out and have a cigarette in front my place at night. It just seems that everythime I open my door at night, something is lurking around. For instance, I think there is at least one Wolf Spider creeping around my door everynight! I think it is more scared of me than I am of it, but it is pretty creepy.

Also, I saw my first Pseudo-Scorpion last night. It was very small, maybe the size of a quarter...half dollar at best. I think they are completly harmless. I know they don't have a stinger. It was strange though because it reminded me somehow of nanotechnology. It looked like a small machine and not an insect. I imagined millions of them running amuck and not just the one (anyone watch stargate and know the nanites?).

Other fun insects are big black waterbugs (which I think is a nice New Mexican term for cockroaches...not the real scarey ones associated with filth, but the natural ones). I don't much fancy them. They seem to be attracted to the opening of my door and I kick them back to whence they came.

Also, I have noticed another kind of pest...they cigarette bummer. I have talked to some people here who have warned me of this comman household New Mexican pest. It seems the bummer likes to hang around apartments and is attracted by smoke. When they detect smoke they run to you and ask for a smoke before you can jump inside your house. I also hear that once they see where you live they are known to knock on your door or window at all times of day and night.

BTW...The answer to the first tick quiz will be in todays comment section. I will postr another next week!

Things to do in Roswell when you're not looking up.

I wanted to share with you all today a little bit of what's going on here in Roswell for me in the upcoming weeks. I know I do a fair bit of complaining about having nothing to do out here (which will slowly get better I am sure), but I do have many things on the table for the near future and all of them should be fun.

In Mid-October I will be making my Auctioneering debut at a benefit for the Katrina survivors. This is a cool project that our Art department came up with that involves many of the local artists in the community (for those of you familiar with New Mexico, I am not sure how far that extends. If our artistic community extends all the way to Taos, then there could be lots of good stuff. But even the ultra-local art seems cool) who will donate some of their works for auction. Don't ask me why I was asked to do the talking at the event, but I am glad to do it. Anything to get me in the public eye here and make some contacts!!

Another neat-o event is that I will be giving a poetry reading at the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art here in Roswell. Now before you all go wacky on me and ask sarcastic questions about the museum, let me just say I haven't been there to know if it is worth while or not. The reading will be part of a poetry night sponsered by the New Mexico Humanities Council and will be the grand finale of the New Mexico Council of Teachers of English (NMCTE) Annual Conference, which I also will attend.

Also in October, my parents will be making the trek to New Mexico! We have started our plan of expidition and their trip will be highlighted by such places as: The Grand Canyon, The VLA (very large array), White Sands Desert (and missile testing ground), Sante Fe, Taos, and of course Roswell, home of the whopper.

Last, for you Dallasites...I will be coming to visit at the end of September. I am leaving Roswell on the 30th and leaving Dallas on the 3rd of October. I hope to see y'all.

The Tick Test 1

Ok folks. Here it is. The first installment of The Tick quiz. For those of you who have followed the Tick on his quest for justice over the years, this might be an easy task. For those who do not know of the Tick's heroic ways, just read and enjoy. You can now find the Tick on TV at 11:00 Est on one of those cartoon channels...

The test is easy. I will give a quote from the series and all you have to do is tell me who said it. I'll give you a hint: quiz one is all taken from season one's episodes.

Good luck and....SPOON!!!!

1. You stuck your thumb into the Christmas pie of my brain and pulled out the plum of my innermost dreams!

2. I hate the humans! They really get my goat! I'm not so fond of goats, either

3. Don't hurt him! He's definitely our ride home!

4. You'll never prove a thing, copper, I'm just a part time electrician…bad is good, baby! Down with government!

5. I don't know the meaning of the word surrender! I mean, I know it, I'm not dumb just not in this context...

6. Cloning is a precise science that's why I use the clonerizer it costs more, but you get what you pay for.

7. How do you tell if a shark likes you? He takes another bite!

8. The Light! Our Eyes! The Light is too much for our huge overdeveloped subterranean eyes!

9. See, he's eating your head, and I can still talk!

10. Not in the face! Not in the face!

Please put your answers in the comment section. Since everyone can see the comment section, please don't cheat and look there first or I might have to roll up that newspaper of justice and say, 'bad doggie'!

Artificial Intelevision

Since not much exciting things are going on these days, I wanted to bring up something that has bothered me for the last few days. I got Directv, which I absolutley love. NFL Ticket, lots of channels, Hockey and all the rest. I think its a good deal. And, I also love having the dual-tuner dvr (Tivo) that they gave me along with it. One day, I will have a social life here and will record all my shows.

The thing that gets me about Mr. Tivo is that at times it seems there must be a better way of interacting with it. I am no genius, but I can usually work a vcr and the cable dvr was much simpler. Tivo has too many layers you have to get through to get to anything of importance.

But the thing that gets me the most is that it seems to think it is smart. The Tivo, I mean. It records things without me telling it too. I came home last night to find that it recorded like 5 movies while I was at work! Somebody told me it does that to record you shows that Tivo thinks you might be interested in. How does it do that? And more importantly, how does it do that so badly? And maybe most importantly of all, how do I make Tivo stop!?!? You should see the things Tivo thinks I like! I am ashamed to think what Tivo must think of me. Now I find myself recording things like the history channel and Bravo, just to show Tivo that I am not just some dumb brute that watches sports and action movies. Tivo has to know that I am more than that! Maybe if I record C-Span or Meet the Press, Tivo will understand me better? Then again, maybe I should watch some shows Tivo would like to watch. Am I being selfish???

Crazy New Mexican critters, part 2

This not so little guy is what the natives out in Roswell like to call a Vinegarroon, scientifically known as the Mastigoproctus giganteus. Shouldn't Godzilla be taking out these things? Well, it might look like a scorpion, but in fact it is not. I hear they are rather harmless to humans (unless you count the utter shock of actually seeing one of these things creeping around your house, or getting hit by a car when running scared), but will kill scorpions with their mighty claws. I have personally never seen one, but they are around, Again, I have been told they like the nightlife, hanging under rocks and tree bark. The reason people call the vinegarrons is that they spray some kind of mist that smells like vinegar. So, I guess they are kind of like the skunk of the southwestern world?

In the land of two legged tables...

The three legged table is king! Yes, I finally received my furniture last night at about 8:30. I received a call from the drivers at about 7:30 saying they were in a gas station in Roswell and needed directions. When I started telling them where to go (oh I wish) they stopped me and told me they needed the address first. Needed the address?? What kind of moving company does not have the address of where they are delivering?? Also, their English was not so good, so they had to put the girl at the gas station on the phone to even get the directions!!!

What you see pictured is not my place, but I do own that table. The web site called it a "lift cocktail table". I am not so sure I would go that far. To me it seems more like a "sit my lazy a$$ on the couch to watch a game and eat a pizza" table. Does Guinness count as a cocktail?

Regarding the things...I have yet to go through the stuff to make sure it is all there because it was late and dark when they left (I need the light to find the lightbulbs), but I did notice some things amiss. I had a bookcase that had been torn apart, a table with three legs a few scratched picture frames, and I am praying my stereo receiver is in a box somewhere.

Another funny thing was that as some of the stuff was being brought in, I didn't recognize it as mine! Honestly, it had been so long since I had seen it that I didn't recognize it. And the worst thing for the movers? How bout carrying all 50 boxes of book upstairs to my office. They couldn't believe all the books! But all in all, whatever the condition of all the stuff, it's nice to have it. My couch is comfy and it looks like home. I'll spend the rest of the weekend unpacking and setting up and then I will post some actual pictures of the place and the surroundings (if my camera is there).

Constitution Day

Here at lovely ENMU-R today it is Constitution Day. All of the employees and students are encouraged to take part in a myraid of events planned on campus including flag folding competitions, quiz shows and other sorts of contests. There is a big band setting up to play what I can only assume will be some patriotic music and everyone is asked to wear some red, white and blue.

It seems like it will be a fun day if the students don't wimp out and just go home. I have seen some people dressed up in various costumes around campus (mostly faculty). Personally, I don't own any red, white and blue combos so I am wearing my usual attire and a Phillies hat. I'll probably be told sonner or later to take it off though, because we are not allowed to wear hats.

What gets me is that we are also not allowed to wear blue jeans (or any color jeans for that matter). I understand the whole professionalism thing, but I think jeans should be okay. What kind of English Lit teacher am I if I can't wear blue jeans with a shirt and tie and put on my Tan courduroy jacket with the elbow pads. Isn't that what English profs wear!?!? What kind of message am I sending these kids in dress clothes? It's the humanities dang it!

Cryin wit the Aliens

Okay, so this is two football posts in a row. So What. Maybe if my dang furniture would show up and I could get settled in I would have more interesting things to report. And sorry for no pics for a while. I want to put up some shots from around here, but the quality from the camera in my phone is not that great and I believe my camera is in transit.

So...Eagles. How bad does it hurt. I almost couldn't watch. It reminded me too much of the Super Bowl. You know, the way it looked like there was still a chance all second half, but they just couldn't get it done. So frustrating.

But I don't think there is any real cause for alarm though. The Falcons stink. That game was an Eagles loss not a Falcons win, and they know it. When and if they have to come to Philly in the playoffs, we'll see who the tougher bird is!

But what do I know, my fantasy team sucks and I only picked 6 with the spread this week!!! Ciao.

Are you ready for some football!?!?!

Well...here's the quick update. I still don't have my stuff. They said last Tuesday, then they said last Thursday, then they said Saturday, then they said Monday. Well...it's Monday and I haven't heard a peep. But let's not talk about that bit of aggrevation.

FOOTBALL. TGIF(ootball)

I had my Directv set up on Saturday so I could watch me some football on the NFL package. A colleague of mine is a huge Pittsburgh fan, so he came by and we mostly watched the Steelers take apart the Titans. It was just nice to have regular season games. I also watched the Cowboys beat the Chargers and I have to say...I am unimpressed. The Chargers should have beaten them without too much trouble, but a few bad penalties did them in and the Cowboys won. Oh well. I also flipped back and forth so I could see that lousy, good for nothing, sham of a quarterback Bret Favre lose to Detroit. Oh what fun to see the Packers lose! Until that pill-popping joke of a quarterback finally realizes he has outlived his usefullness in football, I think I would have to say the Packers are my least favorite team, just barely edging out Dallas and closley followed by every other NFL team that isn't the Eagles.

On that note, p-p-p-p-please let the Eagles win tonight!!!!

And they're off...

Well...another weekend went by and still no stuff. They say today is the day, but I have not heard from the movers since last week, so I am kind of doubting it. This weekend was cool though. I actually did some stuff.

On Saturday night, one of my colleagues had a Labor Day/start of the semester shin-dig. It was great for me to get out of the hotel and have people to hang out with. We had great food and a lot of fun. I played some guitar and sang some songs. The people I work with have been super cool to me and are friendly and very supportive at work.

On Sunday I mostly prepped for classes, but I did get a chance (with Bob'S help) to build a table that I had ordered on-line. It's a lift-top table, which is a fantastic invention for anyone who does some eating in their living room while watching a game. Now all I need is a place to sit and I am set.

Monday was very cool. Bob and I went up to Ruiodoso Downs to the racetrack and wathced (and bet) on the horses. Labor Day is the last day of their season for live racing and they had a big race schedule that included a 2 million dollar quarter futurity race (they said the biggest of its kind in the world). It wasn't as crowded as I would have expected and it certainly is no Philly Park or even Lone Star Park, but it was a good time. It did start to rain heavily though which cut our day short, but it was still cool. And, it's only about an hour away. Hobbs (a little bit more than an hour from here) also has racing and their live racing begins the end of this month, so I'll have to check that out too. And no...I didn't win.

And oh yeah...football...lots of football.

Horario

More of the same here from lovely New Mexico. Yesterday I waited around for a table to be delivered that I purchased a while back. They called and said it was in Roswell and would be delivered sometime during the day. After work, I went to the townhouse to wait it out (Thursday is my short day). After a while, I called them to see what was up and I was assured that it was in transit, in Roswell, and would be there in less then an hour. Well...about 4 hours later I got tired of sitting on the floor and went back to the hotel (yes...still no movers!!!). What's up with these people!?!?