"WARNING TO THE PEOPLE OF SANTA FE"

Really, I'm not going out of my way to find this stuff. There were a bunch of these lying in a big stack on top of a newspaper rack near Ohori's. I hope you find it as amusing as I did:

Support Your Local Businesses!

On a recent trip to the Great Republic, I mean. . . uh. . State, that is, of Texas I was very sorry not to have a camera handy when I saw the following business establishments:

The Yahweh Beauty Salon
That one was in my lovely hometown of Killeen, right across from my old high school.

Chupacabras Ice Cream Parlor
In Dallas, one of the quaint, "ethnic" neighborhoods.

That's all I know, folks. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to patronize either of these fine, local, family-run (presumably) establishments. I don't know what kind of ice cream flavors they had at Chupacabras (I'm open to suggestions) and Yahweh Beauty Salon (or maybe it was Beauty School, or Academy), well, I just have no idea. There's material there for a short story, but it might not be believable.

New Mexico is Odd


I know it's a shock to everyone, but New Mexico is a strange place in more ways than one. But here are the things that make me make that statement today.

State Seal:

Okay, I know most normal people don't pay much attention to state seals. And I don't blame them. But working in the legal profession I deal with various state agencies often, and from time to time I find myself studying the seal (or other such things) on the walls of various state buildings while I'm waiting for someone to do something. But this Seal must be the most (well, one of the most) amusingly politically incorrect official symbols out there. Look at it. It's got the Mexican Eagle with a snake, perched on a cactus, as in the Mexican flag. But then there's this large, American Bald Eagle perched benevolently over the Mexican Eagle, protecting it with its strong, encompassing wings. Don't worry, cute little Mexican Eagle, we'll protect you.

Then there's the State Motto, which is on the Seal, but you can't really see it. It's Crescit Eundo, which officially translates as, "It grows as it goes."

Stop sniggering. It's the Official Motto.

No, that's not funny, not funny at all. You should be ashamed of yourself.

There was some talk a few years ago about changing the motto, with its more-than-slightly-ambiguous implications, but nothing ever came of it. According to the omniscient Wikipedia it's a quote from Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, of all things, describing a thunderbolt. It was thought that the quote would suggest "dynamic growth."

Stop it.

But both of these things really are good symbols of New Mexico: odd, quirky, kind of clueless in an amusing sort of way, with not-so-subtle sordid undertones.

In another odd New Mexican story, I just saw that the mayor of Santa Fe has invited the King of Spain to come out for a visit. Spain still has a King, who knew? Anyway, that would be amusing. I wonder if all the scary Spaniards of Northern New Mexico would turn out en masse to sing the Spanish equivalent of God Save the King. I'll keep you posted.

Unlikely Operas Part II



This seems to be turning into a theme. Here's something else I have never thought of as an opera, but, hey, why not? I mean, if you've already got gay cowboys, doesn't an opera logically follow? I haven't read the story yet, or seen the movie, so maybe it's not as odd as it seems at first. What do you think? You can hear some of the composer's music here. It's not my favorite style on first listen, but I only listened to a few pieces out of many.