Sometimes life hands you lemons, and when that happens, you’re stuck squeezing the shit out of those lemons onto fried fish in hopes of extracting some flavor and thanking sweet baby Jesus you ordered the regular peas, not the mushy peas. Am I right? Or are you all wondering just how drunk I am, or if I’ve lost my mind and, in either case, what in God’s name I’m babbling about?Well, I suck at saying goodbyes, so I’m avoiding doing just that. But here’s the thing: A long, long time ago I applied to graduate school in England. Nothing came of it until recently, when the planets aligned and moving across an ocean seemed viable. So that’s what I’m doing. It’s going to be a super-nerdy good time as I embark on research into the history of Islam and Hinduism in Kashmir.My time here was short, though it was still longer than the amount of time Lindsay Lohan had to spend in jail/rehab for her shenanigans. So thanks Burque. You’re pretty cool. I mean, I’ve lived in Santa Fe for a while and came down for shows and stuff; but the more often I hung out here the more I realized you have buildings that have multiple stories and are made out of materials other than fauxdobe. I like that. The street art is cool here too. We don’t really have that in Santa Fe, where art is pretty much confined to pieces that cost more than I make in a year.Oh, and Central Avenue is sweet. Not just because of the whole Route 66 thing, but because I’ve had strangers try to sell me drugs and friends park their cars just to come over and say hi. Albuquerque people are really friendly, and not just to hock weed; at gallery openings I’ve made and connected with friends. You people are so not snobby, thank you.Anywho. I just wanted to say thanks for letting me spend a hot-ass summer with ya. Former Lobo Culture Editor and longtime cops reporter John Bear will be taking over in culture land. Behave, he’s watching. Hahaha. Just kidding. He’s good people and will do a great job informing you of all the extraordinary stuffs going down.
Culture Shock: Take A Stand Take A Stand
Oh, while I’m gushing here, let me just add that one of my favorite things about New Mexico has always been people’s willingness to stand up for what they believe in. Perhaps the small population makes it easier to make a difference. Now two (unrelated) people have decided to stand up for the rights of two (unrelated) pieces of art to exist. First up, there’s a petition at Silver Skate Shop (120 Yale SE) and CheBA Hut (115 Harvard SE) asking the owners of the buildings that have been tagged with rainbows to keep them up. Organizers of the petition are also working on an online version, which we’ll tell you how to sign when they get it up and running. One last note on this, to the people who started the “Rainbow Warrior” Facebook group: Seriously, you wanna invite a sister or what?Heading up the road a bit, Santa Fe architect Conrad Skinner has started an online petition to save the Paolo Soleri Amphitheater. That petition is directed at Chairman Joe Garcia and the Governors of the All Indian Pueblo Council, Superintendent of the Santa Fe Indian School Everett Chavez and Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall. The Paolo Soleri is due to be demolished, with the Pueblo Council and Indian School officials citing high maintenance costs. Skinner’s petition can be found at ipetitions.com/petition/savepaolosoleriamphitheater.
