The Land of Enchantment: Part 1

I wouldn’t say I’m “enchanted” by New Mexico… It’s more of an internal smile, one that grows like silent wintered tree branches anticipating Spring;
;grows, as I confront the daily life of a small, poorish American town. A third of the buildings are vacant and a good deal of the vehicles are trucks with no bumper. Any “hello” is met with a “g’morning, Ladies,” usually flavored with a Spanish, Southwestern, or Native American accent (each sentence’s intonation split in half, the second slab falling evenly like a mesa in reverse). A bowl of green chili is 2 bucks and spicy. Everything is dry and dusty, frosty sagebrush futilely trying to hold the peach-colored earth from evaporating into air. The sun feels harsh and thin. The sky is vivid and fat.

I love it here.

* * *

With that bias and poetic introduction, I’m following it with some bias and streamlined reviews and anecdotes. Here goes:

FLIGHT: ExpressJet Good prices; small cabin; big meal for such a small flight; but don’t expect it to be healthy (vegetarian option: 350-calorie pre-packaged PB&J sandwich with side of carrots… and Milano cookies); not-so-clean bathrooms; friendly staff; be prepared to not be compensated if you are moved to accomodate the seeing eye dog that needs your seat.

Story anecdote: The plane ride over was joyously uneventful, except for the flight attendant reading over my shoulder in an attempt to decifer what I was writing. When I explained that I was a namer and worked in branding, he enthusiastically told me how the company’s online presence naming architecture was askew (my words) and I confidently slipped him a hand-scrawled note on binder paper fixing the problem, with a business card attached. I told him to please hand it to his CEO.

* * *

CAR RENTAL: Hertz Albuquerque 

Don’t get the insurance (likely you already have it through your own, or your VISA); do get the extra tank of gas if you’re driving long distances (30c cheaper a gallon); do shoot for the free upgrade if you happen to be wearing a low-cut top; don’t if there is a long line, or your cashier’s supervisor  is standing nearby.

* * *

HOTEL: El Fidel Hotel (map)

Las Vegas, New Mexico

Location is just fine — it’s not *right* near the central plaza, but it is near a bitchin’ breakfast burrito joint (Marianne’s), delish Mexican pastry shop (Talita’s), fantasmic coffee and an even better used bookstore (to the right of the auto body shop). The oldish building and spacious, couched lobby with fireplace (complete with smooth jazz) is worth the stay alone. Free wi-fi; be patient with the hot water.

 

continued…

 

 

Dearest NKS Readers and The Occasional Surfer Who Stumbles onto My Site by Googling  ”Oddwall,”  ”Cragslist dates,”  or  ”How Much Does a Transvestite Cost?”   (top searches that turn up this blog):

I apologize that Project Muu-Muu was put on hold after only two days — but what with the rising cost in gas, I couldn’t make it over to Goodwill for a muu-muu restocking… that, and this week I’ve been attending the Butter & Eggs Day Parade, readying my garden for May flowers, and packing for New Mexico — plane takes off in 10 hours! –will write soon!

–Your Ever-Dedicated Author

I know we’re in the middle of a fashion experiment, but I have to interrupt the Project Muu-Muu and switch gears to a post for Unthinkable Loss — an account of my experience with the sudden loss of my brother.

Throughout this process I am perpetually amazed at the mercurial nature of emotion, and how much turbulence simmers just below our surfaces.

It has been 5 months since my brother passed away, and I have been feeling pretty solid — I’m making progress on my writing, keeping up with a good flow of freelance work, getting consistent sleep and exercise; I laugh, I socialize — heck, I wear muu-muus around town for the fun of it. 

It’s not that I don’t think of my brother — I do, everyday. I put fresh flowers around his urn every few days and talk with my mom about him all the time. So it’s not like this loss is ever far from my mind. It is, however, increasingly far from my heart – that is, I conceive of his death but am less willing to feel it. 

I can say the words “my brother is gone” but to feel this missing, and all that it implies, is such an exhausting feat I unconsciously choose not to acknowledge what this means.

For the first few months I was swimming underwater: my vision askew and every movement stung. The overwhelming Truth stared at me, nauseous-making, not only in the lonely pauses upon waking or before sleep, but even when I ate a banana smoothie (“Chris hated bananas”); took a walk with the doggies (“these damn dogs wouldn’t be here if Chris were still alive”); or read a magazine (“an article on how to plan for your parents getting older? I’ll be doing it alone.”)

But lately, life has returned to a kind of “normal,” and I’ve gotten rather used to feeling, well,  good. I go to the beach with friends every weekend like a giddy teenager in a Pepsi commercial. I’ve forgotten (or tried to forget) being sad.

…except that I am. Coming back to this loss and acknowledging what’s still there is a continual, life-long process. And I keep forgetting that.

*     *     *

Last night I had a dream that unraveled in typical dream-fashion: time wasn’t linear and everything felt fluid, illogical. You know — where kittens are crawling on the ceiling… something like that.

The long and the short of it is that in my dream I could not function for anything. I was overrun with longing for my brother, and every action I tried to take was interrupted with tears.

I woke up in the middle of my crying, dream dissolving into reality, and laid in bed inhaling wet breaths, achingly missing my brother. Just missing.

He’s not coming back, is he? I said out loud.

I fell back asleep, and what followed was nothing but calm, uneventful sleep.

I woke up in the morning having forgotten the dream, the waking, the sentiment of sorrow.

And that’s what is so fascinating to me, still — all that can live inside us of which we are not even aware: I’d not remember anything, if it weren’t for the tissue still in my hand.

 

Project Muu-Muu has gone off without a hitch. In the last two days I have learned two lessons regarding the wearing of muu-muus:
1. Despite ample ventilation, the polyester ones are not condusive to auto-cooling;
2. Against all reason, muu-muus can be worn fashionably (somewhat). Observe:

The first day of my week-long muu-muu-wearing escapade, I was – as might be expected – a little insecure to be wandering around Sonoma County in nothing but a polyester tent — I do have some dignity, you know.

So I wore it over a pair of 7 jeans (for contrast) and spruced it up with some geek-chic glasses, a red bra and red shoes. Voilà!

                                  

                                   Before: Fashion Flop                                                      After: Fashion Forward!

The next day I was even more inspired to see just what things these muu-muus could do-do. There’s nothing like a black belt and patent leather ass-kicking heels to make an outfit kick-ass:

                           

                                                          Before: Plane Jane                                                       After: Hot to Trot

Okay. So I’m not Cosmo Magazine nor a fortune teller, but I’m p r e e e t t y  s u r e muu-muus are going to start cropping up on Paris runways this fall… or, at least, covering them.

Pretty straightforward:

I bought several muu-muus from Goodwill (it was Half-Off Friday). I am going to wear them for a week. Pictures included.

I would love to tell you that it’s a statement against global warming, or to raise awareness of obesity rates among young people, or as a way to comment on the globalization of small-town fashion — but it ain’t. It’s just a fun experiment.

Thanks to W.B. for this project suggestion.

Nice little reminder about complaining on kottke.org [thanks for the head's up, J.N.!] Confirms my Perspective Fund is on the right track.

…Speaking of, there have been a few noted incidents of senseless complaining, but I’m not charging myself the five bucks… for good behavior (can she do that?!)

She can. But only because she is launching a project of equally profound and boundary-exploring magnitude. Stay tuned for:

PROJECT MUU MUU

 

NKS is being updated, upgraded, redesigned- please pardon the state of things while I tidy up