Crazy is sitting on my shoulder....

Got laid off from a professional job I had for over 12 years about 2 months ago. This afternoon the moving truck left with all my wife's stuff. Our second anniversary is less than a month away. They say bad things happen in three's. Whats next ?

MZr7

:hi:

to the chase...that's what has to happen. ;-)

Things are as they are. Your right. Just a little shaky waiting for the next proverbial shoe to drop.

Thanks. I'm sure this will look different in a few days.

MZr7

nothing but good things

:pals:

lost

It's done. They've dropped.

Now follow that dream and get to the mountains of NM...

No better time than now.

RL

The aspens and the cottonwoods were GLOWING against the cedars and pines. Today I've just been slumming around the house.

Sure wish I was there camping about now.

MZr7

The best part is that there aren't loads of people running around on the trails with IPODS and nylon shorts (think central to northern Colorado).

This is the first year in a really long time I have not made my annual "camping" trip. I generally target the last week of Sept / first week of Oct for that pilgrimage.
I like that time since there are not a lot of people or crazed hunters running around...

Maybe in the spring I'll be in a position to "make-up" the trip I just missed. Maybe I could find a job there. Now that would be awesome.

MZr7

I hope the pic cheers you up. Where do you go camping? I've only been here for a couple of years and am still discovering trails (with my trusty Sandia Mountain hiking guide and a good friend who has lived here for almost 30 years).

One of the things I love dearly about NM is the smell when it rains. There's something about the smell of the rain in the high desert; it's like nothing I've smelled before.

In the Pecos wilderness or Natl Forrest between Santa Fe and Las Vegas. And north of Taos in Valle Vidal. I would have a hard time picking a favorite between those two.

Yes, I know that smell. And yes, that does cheer me up. Only got snowed in once while up about 9000 ft. The forest road (and I use that term loosely) was completely shut down since it was for 4WD vehicles only. So we ended up "camping" a couple of extra days until everything thawed a bit. Lucky for me I have this bad habit of always buying too much food. It was butt cold, but a trip I will never forget.

MZr7

Have you fished the Pecos River? That's next for me. I found a little "lake" (more like a pond) in the Pecos area where I caught a little rainbow trout, and I will be going back there. It takes only a little over an hour to get there from my house in ABQ.

I haven't been to Valle Vidal yet, though I've been to Taos a couple of times before moving here from CO.

So you got snowed in in early Oct.?

I've got the skinny on roads and camp sites all in that area. Just started exploring Valle Vidal in the past couple of years. But I'll bet I've camped in that area well over a dozen times in the past years.

I have fished the Pecos. There are several NF campgrounds north of Tererro that are right on the Pecos. You can drive down from your camp site (I would not recommend camping in those really public NF campgrounds) pull in and spend a day fishing. I generally take off up the NF roads east of the road that goes North from Tererro up to the Pecos Wilderness.

Yeah, it was like the 2nd week of October. Must have been in the late 90's, but I don't remember the exact year. Started out as rain, then sleet, so we crawled in the tent for a mid-day nap in the bags. Woke up a couple of hours later because it was "too" quiet. Opened the fly and WHITE.... everywhere you looked. The dogs were kind of freaked as was I.

edit: keep in mind we were much higher than most folks normally camp. Around 9000ft. Hence the "early" snow.

So we made the best of. Got the fire going again, kept warm, and waited it out.

MZr7

or so from ABQ, let me know. (This is not a "come on"; I'm pushing 50!) The economy isn't too bad here (I say as I search for a second job), and the cost of living is not insane in ABQ, although the prices are going up. Most of ABQ has not been affected by the recent real estate/lending problems. I've been very lucky.

Santa Fe, on the other hand, is something akin to Boulder or even Aspen, CO...but you probably know about that.

And BTW, I'm pushing 50 also. But I'm sure you don't look a day over 39. ;)

No I would not live in Santa Fe. I like the place for a visit, but I think north of Taos might be more my cup of tea. For the kind of work I do, all I need is a satallite up-link to the net and a reliable power source. I'm also open to the high desert. There is something beautiful and striking about a harsh and stark vista.

MZr7

is some of the most beautiful country in the US. I have a son in Alaska; during one of his visits last winter, he fell in love with NM, and he's not the only "Alaskan" to do so. We were on a ski lift in the Sandias (he talked me into going farther up the mountain than I should have gone), and he was wild, pointing out the view behind us. The landscape was covered with deep snow, but we could still see the magnificent colors of the Land of Enchantment--the snow accentuated them! And the topography--the mountains, the mesas--was astounding. He just couldn't believe it: "Mom! Mom! You have to see this! I've never seen anything like this!"

It was a moment I'll never forget. I'll never forget my trip down the mountain either, but that's another story. ;-)

The raw earth and rocks around here are truly striking. The colors of the place are unbelievable, and the peace and quiet in the mountains is so comforting. Yesterday, my friend and I (she being 11 years older than I am and having had hip replacements recently) noticed some interesting scat on the trail. Somebody (cat or bear) had been eating cactus fruits and littering the trail with those. How do I put this delicately? The purple cactus fruits pass through the digestive system fairly fast; they aren't intact on the trail, but darn near. :rofl: So it looked like slightly dropping-shaped, smashed cactus fruits, seeds very visible, underneath our feet every so often.

...

That is also the generic "unix" battle-cry. It is that very slogan that brought you what is today know as "Linux".

MZr7

good luck!

and land in one of the rooms that still actually has "stuff" in them...

MZr7

but let's not go down that road. All roads are surmountable anyway...

Only advice I got is to remember that you are in control of your life, and that tomorrow and the future is yours to plan.

The pain never really goes away, but don't let the embers from it flare up and consume you in flames (as I have done at times).

Fuck em all, and be a rockstar :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJEdtcTB7g4

Didn't really want to whine in GD, but glad some of my friends from there (like you) noticed I was having a bit of a rough time these days...

mZr7

Things could change tomorrow: your attitude, circumstances, your wife, etc.

BUT if you resume your trek to NM, send me a PM. You are not alone.
Peace.

After both of those experiences you need some good stuff.

Be well.

Seriously though, sorry for the shite you're going through. Here's hoping you can begin to pick yourself up and experience some good things. :hi:

But then, I'm parrot crazy to a tee. All old broads are!

He suckered me!!!

But now that I see what the issue is, geez, I was sorry! Crazy sitting on the shoulder indeed.

:(

There's gotta be some good stuff happening soon. That "bad thing happens in threes"
is just a myth. p