Everybody knows it’s cooler in the mountains, so get out and explore them already. You don't need climbing gear or a Sherpa to scale tall peaks—just a thirst for adventure and, perhaps, a beer or two. Here are a few of my picks for an elevated summer.

digitizedchaos / CC BY-SA 2.0

Oh lordy, I finally snuck away for a few sweet moments of quiet. I do not exaggerate when I say my sister has given birth to a litter of hyenas. They run wild literally SCREECHING at us, at each other, at the sky, at the water, at their cereal. They get their sticky fingers stuck in my hair. All of my clothes are ruined from red and blue smears of candy spit and I could KILL. I've been hiding in some dark corner of the beach house trying to read my book, or keeping one eye out so the hellions don't dump a cold bucket of seawater on my back while I'm laying out hoping to goddamn relax. My dad is lucky—he can escape to the old bum bar down the beach. (My mom said he met his first wife there. NASTY.) I hope summer school hasn’t murdered you yet because I think I actually am dying to see you ... If your mom is reading this, tell her I say hi.

You may not be aware of this, but 2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the Weekly Alibi newspaper. You know what else is 20 years old this year? Castle Wolfenstein 3D! Over the years, Alibi employees have wasted a lot of man-hours playing video games at work: Rogue Squadron, Quake, Unreal Tournament. But Castle Wolfenstein was the game that first sucked us in. To celebrate the release of this groundbreaking first-person shooter, Bethesda Softworks has placed the entire original game of Castle Wolfenstein online for free! What are you waiting for? Go kill Hitler!

Medical records say George Zimmerman was treated for a broken nose and injuries to the back of his head the day after he shot and killed Trayvon Martin.

It’s been decades since New Mexico has suffered such severe drought; the governor made it a federal declaration yesterday.

With her eye on state legislative races, Governor Susana Martinez’ PAC rakes in thousands of oil and gas industry dollars.

Developments in the Michael Paul Astorga trial in Santa Fe could set the stage for a death penalty debate.

A former Los Lunas prison inmate files suit against a now-retired guard captain, alleging repeated rape and investigation cover-ups.

Investigators try different tactics in search of West Mesa serial killing leads.

The U.S. border patrol shifts security strategy from fence-building to intelligence-gathering.

The new French president’s airplane was struck by lightning.

Convicted Liberian war criminal Charles Taylor lashes out at his prosecution.

Serbian military commander on trial for war crimes is belligerent in court, makes threatening gesture at massacre survivor.

A seemingly “deranged” man set himself on fire outside the trial of accused Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Breivik.

Renewed search in the case of an Italian girl missing since 1983 leads investigators to a Vatican crypt where a mobster’s bones were exhumed.

Portly celeb chef Mario Batali will be subsisting on food stamps.

Japan is known for its compact living spaces, yet behold: the world’s biggest outdoor toilet.

Eric Williams ericwphoto.com

The logical answer to “Would you like something to drink?”

As restaurant critic Ari LeVaux explains in this week’s Food section, IVB Canteen isn’t situated in some cutesy walkable community. “The only reason you’d be in the neighborhood is if you were lost or perhaps having some custom plastics manufactured nearby.” But a glass of Slow Down Brown and a brie-filled Frenchy sandwich are enticing reasons to slip out of work a few minutes early and onto Il Vicino Brewery Canteen’s lively patio.

• ivb canteen
• il vicino
• brewery
• sandwiches
• alpine sausage kitchen
• lusty monk
• beer
• ipa