“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 →

Two medieval beings chatted about the science of astronomy in the late 15th century.

One marvelled, “The Renaissance is just barely beginning, and soon we’re supposed to become great painters, poets, scientists and philosophers, and already, scientists know the names of most of the planets. Without having traveled into outer space, how could anyone know these things?”

Using the primitive instruments of past centuries, astronomers really must have worked hard. In this day, we marvel at the precision with which experts can predict things like the just-passed Annular Eclipse. They had it down to the minute. Continue reading →

An article in the New Yorker once told of competition among purveyors of steaks along the tollways.

My first experience with tollways — long before the Interstate network developed — was getting on the Turner Turnpike in Oklahoma, which in those days, the ‘60s, was the only way to drive across the state in less than a week.

The article stressed that wherever privately owned tollways exist, that gives states an excuse to neglect the free highways. But what impressed me the most was the number of billboards advertising quickie steaks. The first billboard promised a sizzling sirloin steak on your plate in a mere 10 minutes. Farther along, some restaurateur peddled an 8-minute, 8-ounce steak. Continue reading →

The rate of exchange didn’t fluctuate much for people like your resident doorman who doubles as a columnist.

The few quarters I carry in my pocket remain there, even after an exchange of pleasantries and cash as my entry fee to local businesses.

We’re referring to two things here: My habit of asking for a quarter tip when I hold the door open for someone; and the ceaseless greetings by some mendicants who ask for “spare change” of customers when they enter — and leave — restaurants.

Last week’s column covered some of the interesting people one meets by the mere act of holding the door open for them. As you may recall, I reported on a tense confrontation in Santa Fe, when I asked for a quarter and got a not-too-subtle refusal. Continue reading →