Purpose

While spending time with loved ones in Albuquerque (New Mexico, USA), I exercise the option for protracted surfing.

Pepper, whose blog has disappeared, often changed the quote at its top. The day I visited, December 15, 2015, the link from the quote went to here.

A little later I came across this.

Global Community

The wonders of the internet!


Scroll down to #4

http://automobili.dnevnik.hr/novosti/top-10/top-10-najcudnijih-off-road-vozila



Blogger, the platform for this blog, lists some of the visiting URLs in a technical section called stats. This morning I noticed, as might you, the .hr in the link above. Thanks to Wikipedia I learned it is for citizens of Croatia. Mr. Mirosavljevic, who lists Eggbert as #4, lives in Slavonski Brod.

Mild Weather

It was December 7, a time when the mountains of central New Mexico are often blanketed in white. But on this balmy Monday afternoon, the crags stood bare against the azure.....when the phone rang.

I made it into the main drainage below and to the left of the dike. (Click on image to largen)

It was Stephen, a young Toyota salesman I'd talked to a couple of weeks earlier. We'd been engrossed  (or, at least I was) in a side-by-side comparison of a two-door Yaris and a Prius when an older salesman came over. Noting his three-day growth -- the contemporary version of the '70s gold chain -- I tried to ignore him, but when he asked what I was looking for I said a 4-door. We, Stephen and I, then watched, instantly fascinated, as he reared back on his haunches and with the vehemence of a fundamentalist preacher whose first "sinner" is blubbering toward the stage said, "You don't need a 4-door!!" So, I left.

In the 20 minutes prior to my departure Stephen'd disclosed he'd come from a Walmartz electronics department. And in the two months since he'd started he'd sold nine cars. I wasn't surprised, his low-key demeanor and easy-going helpfulness was refreshing. It would have been easy to close the deal. A couple of days later I'd made up my mind, called and asked him to call me if he found a 4-door. 

So, after he identified himself, I,  of course, expected to hear he'd found Eggbert's replacement. But it turns out part of his training includes calling people to see if maybe they've changed their minds about what they want...or something.  After explaining I'd been to college where they teach rational thinking (I got a C) and hadn't changed my mind (in two weeks) about what I wanted -- -- he admitted they make him call people.

I wish I needed a Ph.D.; it'd make a great anthro dissertation: A Longitudinal Study of Lost Sales Due to the Negative Effects of Phone Followup.

Blackout B-Day CAke

It's a neurosis...when in town I never get full. It took a while for Susan to "walk on" and while she was ambling I embraced my increasing dimensionality as a "measure" of my commitment. 

MDC's birthday came soon after and always warrants a grand celebration. And there's nothing better to celebrate with (besides ice cream) than cake!!

  

Dat boy gotz hisse'f a bad case o' de dunlops. He dun lopped ove' de belt.

The Price of Indoor Plumbing

People often ask, "What do you do out there?" I have a number of glib responses but my main one is about enjoying the quiet. 

There's a lot between the lines in what follows. If you peruse this year's posts you'll see I took several "breaks." And although I need to be here through the grieving, now that Susan has walked on I can look forward to returning to the nomadic lifestyle...where barking dogs aren't usually an issue; and if they are it's a simple matter to move.   



Thursday, December 3, 2015 (emailed at 6:29 p.m.)

Dear Councilors:

On January 17, annoyed by the barking of a neighbor's dog, I emailed each of you regarding the history of the city noise ordnance. I had been the target of vindictive behavior for previous complaints and anticipating having to file another was interested in learning the history of why the law provided for the disclosure of the complainer's name and address to the person complained about. 

I am retired and travel much of the time. I did my best to ignore the dog when I was in town. However, in January my mother-in-law's health began seriously deteriorating and I needed to stay in Albuquerque to supervise her care. 

After hearing the dog all summer, I finally filed a complaint on November 2nd. As per procedure, the City sent a letter alerting the dog's owners. It was quiet for a few days but soon the dog was again barking all day.

My mother-in-law died on November 12. Since then her 59 year-old daughter, 60 year old son and I (age 63) have been dealing with tremendous grief and the myriad responsibilities associated with settling her estate. Through it all the dog has barked nearly all day long each and every day. 

THEN

I filed a second complaint on November 25. This evening I called and spoke with Carlotta at Animal Control about what was happening with the case. She is doing all she can to help but the spectre of retribution, along with everything else we are dealing with, looms large.

I'm writing to let you know how this is evolving. It's my experience that people who allow their dogs to bark incessantly do not care about their neighbors. Animal Control's protocol requires complainers to agree to mediation. It seems disingenuous to suggest that someone like my neighbor is going to be interested in discussing the problem with me. And quite frankly, given their demonstration of disregard, I have little optimism for a positive outcome via mediation.

All the above is simply FYI. I hope that as you give thought to improving the ambiance of Albuquerque you'll continue to look for solutions to this problem that many of us face. 

Sincerely,

MFH

NOW