Scrapbooking the Old-Fashioned Way

I have been doing a little scrapbooking lately, and wanted to share my most recent pages with you. As you can tell, the actual pictures aren't all that recent. I have been very strict about scrapbooking chronologically, and I took a long break from scrapbooking during law school, so that means that I am over five years behind! That's okay though, because it is fun taking a trip down memory lane, and I am catching up . . . slowly.

Because these pictures are so old, they were all taken with a film camera. I have now exhausted all of my printed pictures, and I just ordered over four hundred prints (yes, I have not printed ANY of the pictures I took with my digital camera).

So depending on how long you have known me, these pages may be nostalgic or a new glimpse into my past. Enjoy!

A European Retrospective

I know that this blog is supposed to be about our life here in NM, but I also realize that we have never shown anyone our pictures from our trip to Europe that we took SIX MONTHS AGO! So, here are a few select, and very belated, snapshots to highlight our Venetian and Parisian travels.

Balloon Fiesta!

It's time for Albuquerque's most famous event, the Balloon Fiesta! Hundreds of hot air balloons, from all over the world, converge on Albuquerque to make a mess of traffic on the ground and in the air. Floating aimlessly is never a good recipe for orderliness, but it does make for spectacular views against the backdrop of the endless desert. The fiesta lasts about one week. Some days, depending on the wind, the balloons float off towards Colorado. Other days they muck up business in downtown Albuquerque. Krystle and I went the opening weekend, enjoyed ourselves immensely, and snapped way too many pictures. An edited set is below, enjoy!

Does anyone else think it would be awesome to see ASIMO fight the blue dragon Godzilla style?

Box Count

23 down, 76 to go.  This is why there are few pictures here:  we haven't unpacked our camera cord yet.  More pics should be coming soon.

What I miss in Ann Arbor #2: Decent Radio

I don't know why, but Albuquerque radio stations are terrible.  I like "alternative rock", and the only station playing this leans toward thrashing, metal rock with double kick drums.  (I now instinctively turn the station with I hear that signature "thu-thump thu-thump.")  

I also enjoy some mindless pop music once in awhile, if only to dull my senses after work.  The best pop music station in Albuquerque, by far, is a Christian station.  I'm all about Christian outreach being excellent and am happy that the station is so good.  But it says something that a station restricting itself to such a small part of the available music easily trounces its competition.  And what it says is bad.  Perhaps if I spoke Spanish I would feel differently.  There are at least half a dozen Spanish language stations, playing mariachi to latin pop.  Still not quite my style, but I imagine Spanish speakers are quite pleased.  

Finally (and this is the kicker) I have yet to find NPR.  No Car Talk (at least over the airwaves), no Prairie Home Companion, no All Things Considered, no BBC news service at night.  A city without a decent NPR station isn't really a city in my book.  Albuquerque my be five times the size of Ann Arbor, but its radio has a long way to go before it measures up.

What I miss in Ann Arbor #1: Friends and Family

We miss our friends and family, of course.  Albuquerque is such that you can constantly see the desert stretching out from the city, reminding you that there is NOWHERE to go and NO ONE to go see.  On the bright side, this desolate land sure is pretty.

3 days later...

...the water leak is fixed, the wall dried out, and the room painted!  Yes, it took us 3 days to paint one room.  Painting isn't one of our life skills.

Congratulations to all who correctly guessed which color we chose.  

Scripture for Today

Lowborn men are but a breath,

the highborn are but a lie;...

Psalm 62:9

The Joys of Home Ownership, #57: Water Damage

We're painting!

Two virtual gold stars for anyone who can guess which color we chose.