tuesday hells

So very disconcerting come back to work on a Tuesday, deadline day.
So, the weekend. The reason there are no photos here of Thirsty Ear, because when I arrived there was a big sign that said no cameras. I gather I could have gotten a press pass in advance (seeing as how SFR was a cosponsor) or probably tracked down the organizer and gotten permission at the time, but I didn't have the forbearance. Particularly given that under "no cameras" it also said "no smoking." Really, I mean, it was outside. Saw Patty Griffin, who was fab, but in general the old TE was kind of crowded for my particular mood on Sunday night and, I hate to say it, a lot of the people there seemed awfully cranky in a "this is my blanket. I have staked out this spot of land for myself. Don't walk near my blanket" kind of way.
Anyhoo, the rest of the weekend was quiet. Saw Brick, which I loved so much, more than almost any movie I've seen in a while (except Dave Chappelle's Block Party, of course). It was the shiznit!
And the new Roots album, Game Theory, is really good. I've been playing it over and over again. Favorite tracks so far are: "Baby" and "Here I Come," but the whole thing is pretty damn impressive.
Less impressive is the whole fiasco with Jeff Armijo. The whole situation is very depressing. One thing worth noting is that even before the sexual misconduct allegations, Armijo wasn't a great candidate. In his primary against Tom Buckner, he was clearly the less experienced and less knowledgeable. He received not one endorsement (I think) and yet won by a landslide. He hadn't planned to drop out and implied, in an interview with the new mex, that he didn't think the allegations would matter to the voters. I think he's right. I think even with not much of a campaign, in terms of substance, and with these allegations, he would have won. Except that the gov talked him into dropping out (oh to be a fly on the wall for that conversation, described by insiders as civil, but I'm thinking Big Bill put the fear of Big Bill in him). So now the Dems will pick a replacement candidate for the voters to choose. None of it feels very democratic, and yet it's preferable to not have a candidate like Armijo in the race. The baggage isn't pretty, but even before the baggage, he had the name and the looks and the personality, I guess (he actually didn't make a great impression in our endorsement interviews; came in late, talking on the phone, kept talking on the phone, couldn't answer a question) but not the substance. Should people charged with overseeing things like finances and utilities and criminal justice be elected like this? Between Vigil and Armijo and Gallegos, oh my, the system looks seriously broke. And it's clear, from cases such as Armijo's, that even when a candidate clearly is inferior to his opponent, and every newspaper in the state says so, people still vote according to different criteria.
I guess it also shows how little difference newspaper endorsements can make.