OSLO, NORWAY — A 1969 romantic comedy with almost the same title as this headline (should be Tuesday instead of Wednesday), humorously depicts the whirlwind nature of European travel itineraries.

Never having been this far north, we opted to tack on an Atlantic coast week of travel to our customary two weeks in Denmark, where we visit our son Stanley Adam and his family, in July.

We wanted to see Norway, to view the fjords, to take in the majestic mountains and waterfalls and, especially to visit the Olso Opera House and other cultural sites, where names like playwright Henrik Ibsen, composer Edvard Grieg and artist Edvard Munch (The Scream) became famous. True, we knew the itinerary ahead of time, but we didn’t snap that a mere six hours in this magnificent city just doesn’t cut it. Continue reading →

THE NORTH ATLANTIC — On one of our across-the-Atlantic flights to visit our son Stan, his wife and children, we noticed several passengers who had positioned themselves in the middle seat of the middle row. My wife and I had been content with our seat assignment, a window seat and the one next to it.

The motives of these middle-of-the-roaders soon became clear: As soon as we were airborne, they’d simply raise the armrest between the seats, stretch out and snooze all the way to Copenhagen. On a later, less crowded flight, I claimed one such arrangement, told Bonnie about it, agreed to let her use it, “just for a half hour,” and ended up in my cramped single seat, next to a large man who had claimed Bonnie’s seat, and who apparently had been eating garlic-and-onion sandwiches. Continue reading →

Remember a few years back that a pair of human spell-checkers made the news for traipsing around the country making corrections to signs they believed contained errors? For their efforts, the language-fixers, Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson, got banned from certain national parks.

I wrote about this team who would arm themselves with Sharpies, erasers, adhesive tape and righteous indignation. They’ve faded from the news, but if they wanted an assistant, I’d try to join them.

Besides, what business do people have displaying typos in public places? And on that subject, has anyone ever seen an obscenity or scatological message, emblazoned on a building or underpass, that contained a typo? Why is it that the army of spray-paint vandals always manages to spell correctly? Continue reading →

“And I want all of you to vote the strraaiigghht ticket when you go to the polls in November.” How many times have we heard this, and from how many politicians?

Too many times and from too many politicians.

And that’s why I say New Mexico Secretary of State Dianna Duran did something very clever just a couple of weeks ago when she got rid of the straight-party option, effective in the general election in November. I applaud the move. Remember, a slew of straight-party voters made it possible for Jerome Block to get elected to the Public Regulation Commission, even if other circumstances forced him to vacate that position. Continue reading →

Super Slo-Mo (that’s a term I believe I’ve just made up), instant replay, zoom lenses, extra-sensitive mikes: they’ve spoiled it for all of us.

Let me explain:

It was exactly this time 100 years ago that Las Vegas became transformed from a sleepy little town to an active little town, with the hosting of a world heavyweight championship bout. Those of you who read our Page 1 Looking Back feature may be aware that the Fourth of July festivities that year included a fight between Jack Johnson and Jim Flynn.

Hardly a man is now alive who saw the fight. An article written about 20 years ago mentioned my dad, J.D. Trujillo, as one of the spectators. Continue reading →

For weeks I’ve searched for a concise way of articulating my feelings on how the electronic era has changed our lives. Then it hit me.

In Sunday’s Parade Magazine, there’s a cartoon that shows a man at the computer, asking his wife, “What’s the point of having an opinion if you don’t email it to everyone you know?”

Now that was perfect: We must share, but if there’s no one to receive the message, what’s the point?

It’s like the age-old question: If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? A slightly modernized feminist version of that asks, “If a man says something and there’s no woman around to hear it, is the man still wrong?” Continue reading →

It really seemed easy. I watched as three grandchildren tried the ridiculously easy task of kicking a sponge ball through a space of about two feet square. What’s the big deal?

Carly, Celina and Arthur Roland, my grandchildren, couldn’t knock the ball through; in fact, most of the time they missed the ball completely. The catch? Jennifer Ballen, of the San Miguel County DWI task force, had them wear goggles that simulate how an intoxicated person would see things.

“Let me show you how it’s done, grandkids,” I said. I put on the special goggles, carefully checked the location of the ball on the floor and let fly a kick that would have made Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders envious. Continue reading →

When does a celebration become “excessive”? All of us who watch football have seen a number of flags tossed to penalize players or teams whose jubilation becomes disruptive.

Defining “excessive” becomes a problem. Many dislike the look-at-me attitude of some players who, while on their way to a touchdown, begin their strut, an in-your-face gesture that fans and — especially — opposing teams loathe.

We’ve all seen players, live or on TV, draw a flag for too much hoopla in the end zone. Where do we draw the line between genuine excitement and hot-dogging?

Well, have I got news for you: Apparently some places have much less tolerance than others for unrestrained joy. We’re discussing commencement exercises now, not football anymore, although crowds in the respective stands often are indistinguishable. Continue reading →

Girls are smarter than boys, aren’t they? It depends on who’s asking and who’s being asked. My experience is that the first person to ask is considered “right.”

Let me explain:

Back in my childhood, I believed that girls were smarter. Why? Well, because they raised their hands faster when Sister Mary Muy Catolica of Immaculate Conception School would ask, for example, “Who knows the first commandment?”

Up went 16 hands, corresponding to the number of females in our fifth grade class; the boys, on the other hand, didn’t always raise a hand. We were too busy contemplating the deeper meanings of things like catechism and commandments. Continue reading →

We’re booked. In late July it’ll be our turn to fly across the Atlantic to visit our son, Stanley Adam, wife Lizbeth, and daughters Ellen, 3, and June, 5 months old.

It’s our exchange for their having flown here; they’re in Washington, D.C, visiting one of my nephews, and they were due in Albuquerque on Tuesday night, a few hours after the deadline for this column.

They’ve flown here; we’ll travel to their new home in Copenhagen, Denmark, in July, and after a week there, my wife and I will take an ocean cruise to Norway, clear up to the Arctic Circle, where we’ve never been. Continue reading →