Appreciating Where You Are

My family and I recently moved from Dallas, TX, to Albuquerque, NM, so I could take a job I'd been offered and had campaigned for for over a year.  I'm not complaining; it's the job I wanted with the boss I wanted, so it was worth the wait and effort.

So here we are in a city where neither of us has lived and where we know no one.  My first impression was crap, I made a big mistake.  My kid has to start at a new school, we have to find a house, my wife will be lonely, blah, blah, blah.

It turns out, I needn't have worried.

Albuquerque is a very, very underrated place to be, especially by those who live here.  It has an amazing climate (not dusty-dry desert like other parts of the Southwest), a vibrant cultural scene, easy to live with traffic, and lower cost of living.  Plus, everyone I've met is very friendly, once you meet them.  Maybe not so outgoing to complete strangers like in Texas, but sure nice enough once you acknowledge each other.

We just bought a house in a carefully selected neighborhood because, like any other city, where you live is everything.  Schools in APS are hit and miss; a little research goes a long way.  Some are dreadful and others are excellent.  Property values vary greatly too.  The south and west sides have some pretty bad schools but housing is cheap.  The northeast has great schools but houses are pricier.  If you're single, you should probably live near Nob Hill, an older but hipper area close to UNM and known for getting dicier as the sun gets lower.  Married with kids calls for either the Far Northeast Heights or out of Albuquerque altogether, in Rio Rancho.  Home prices there are bargain-basement because of the unknown future of Intel's plant, a major employer to the area.  Plus, getting from RR to ABQ is nightmarish during rush hour.  But if the commute doesn't bug you, I'd strongly recommend looking there.

So we bought a place in the Far Northeast Heights.  Lovely home, not too expensive, mainly because it was so out of date.  It needs everything.  So we're doing some things now and more when we again have money.  The views are great and the neighbors friendly and long-term; most have been there at least 20 years.  Says something for the area.

Anyway, as I was saying, Albuquerque-ians (sp?) under-rate their hometown.  I think it's because most have only lived here.  I'm not dog-cussing DFW (although traffic there ruins the whole experience); I'm just saying they should get out more.  This place is fantastic!

Mountains!  Right over there!  Can't miss 'em.  The Sandias and the Manzanos lie at the eastern edge of Albuquerque and are beautiful.  Dormant volcanoes lie to the west.  A river runs through it: the Rio Grande provides fishing and fun most of the year.  Any trip to ABQ must include a ride up the tramway to the crest.  Breathtaking and far more reminiscent of Colorado than stereotypes of New Mexico.  Bring your camera and appetite.  There's a fine restaurant up there.  Don't like trams?   Well, you can drive to the peak from the other side of the mountain.  It takes you to a spot a little to the north of the tram station but there's a little diner there as well as souvenirs and a great observation point and amazing trails

Corrales Winery looking east to the Sandias.

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There's kayaking on the river, hiking almost everywhere and hey, Santa Fe's only an hour away.  Heck, take the RailRunner!  For $9, you can ride the rails to Santa Fe and not worry about traffic or parking.

Don't miss Albuquerque.  It's an almost undiscovered gem.  And I think I love it.

We're Doomed.

   Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic.  "Doomed" means we're all gonna die.  Which we will, but not all at once.  I hope.  No, what I meant was, in the current political environment, there is no winner.  Either way, we've picked a disastrous person to run the country.  Stay with me here....

   Let's look at the current front-runner (by some polls), Hillary Clinton.  She's a former Secretary of State and junior Senator from New York.  Sounds pretty strong, and it should be.  But I believe she's made some serious errors in judgment and then lied about them...and continues to do so.  Because of that, she's not a good candidate IMHO.  If she'd just 'fess up and tell the truth, maybe I could trust her.  But she won't and so I can't.  Well, that and all the dead people who knew stuff about her.  But I digress.

   Now, let's take a gander at the the other candidate, Donald Trump.  Where do I begin?  For most of my adult life, this guy's been a clown.  Sure, he made (and lost) a ton of money in real estate.  That's admirable...I guess.  But his political experience is zilch.  This is no job for an amateur and boy, is he an amateur.  He says one dumb thing after another and never apologizes (it shows weakness) and never "clarifies."  He shows an alarming ignorance of world events and has garnered scorn from the four corners of the world.  Of course, it's no one's business but ours who we elect, but you can understand their alarm.

   Speaking of which: now we're getting advice from the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.  I'm sorry, I don't care if you're the King of Siam, I don't care what your opinion is of our politics and I damn-sure don't want you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong.  There was plenty of (rightful) indignation when Barak Obama went to England and tried to influence the Brexit decision, so they should expect the same from us.  We might have an opinion, but it's not our business to interfere.  Nor is it Khan's to do so.  Besides, given the current state of things across the pond, should we listen to him anyway?  I'd say the UK's more screwed up than we are, and that's saying something.

   All of this is to say: we're (politically) doomed.  The US has already changed in so many ways since the far left took over in 2008.  We're much weaker politically, economically and militarily.  Hardly a day goes by without another story about the Russians or Iranians or whoever taunting us with no response.  If Hillary Clinton is elected, which I predict she will be, this policy will continue, and at a faster rate.  Momentum will be on her side.  Further downsizing of the military will continue and the policy of appeasement will accelerate.  She's already said about terrorism that it's a thing we all need to accept.  Not me, brother!

   Trump, on the other hand, says he'd reverse everything Obama has accomplished.  Well, that sounds good, except he'll need a LOT of help from Congress.  I don't see that forthcoming.  I think that Trump has alienated so many mainstream Republicans that they'll go out of their way to stop him, even if it means destroying the country.  After all, this is their careers we're talking about.

   I guess we'll know how things turn out soon enough.  I just want you to be ready for more bumps in the road and for that road to turn hard left very soon.  It was nice when we had two parties, wasn't it?  I miss those days when one party would win the White House and the other would run Congress.  Okay, little got done, but at least they had to work with each other.  Now, Repubs in Congress are in full Go-Along-To-Get-Along mode and plenty is getting done, none of it good.  I don't see that changing.  And don't get me started on Gary Johnson!

Looking forward to your comments!  Good luck, America!