Here's a good interview from Truthout with David Iglesias.

impeach gonzales blog

Here's a pretty compelling video calling for the impeachment of Gonzales with a heavy emphasis on David Iglesias.

I'm hot

and not the good kind. We think the AC isn't working, but it's always difficult to provide definitive diagnostics to the temperature in the office here. The AC is on, but at last check the thermostat had edged toward 80 degrees. There is air coming out of the vents and it is definitely not hot air, but it's not entirely clear if it's cold air or just air air. Also, the comfort zone for everyone here really varies. Some of us are always cold and thus cover our vents. Some of us are always hot and are convinced the people covering their vents are causing the AC to break. Office culture, I've found, has five main tenets. They are:

1. Arguing over the office temperature
2. Celebrating employee birthdays (officewide card signing, cake and singing)
3. Discussing how much the refrigerator needs to be cleaned out
4. Looking for someone with a plastic fork.
5. Checking to see if the email is working.

I guess I'm having a good day because, so far, only #1 has been in play today.

back to work

Sometimes these holiday weekends backfire for me. Like, by the time they come I'm so beat that I manage to get sick and spend the whole time off feeling sorry for myself. But not this Memorial weekend. I was the picture of health, slept like a normal person (as in, did not wake up at 5 am), was outside a lot, grilled lots of food (OK, watched by the boy grill the food) and did several things I always think I should do but never get around to (like clean the shower curtain). In between, I spent time reading every article on David Iglesias. (Yes, that's former SFR staff writer Dan Frosch's byline on the story. And speaking of Dan: Happy Birthday Dan)
I'm going to be interviewing Iglesias in front of several hundred journalists at the AAN convention so, ya know, no pressure or anything.
Overall, the weekend was pleasant, except for an extremely unpleasant encounter with an SF County Sheriff's Deputy who was very (insert expletive) rude when I came upon him having blocked off Jemez Road on my way home. A few thoughts for law enforcement? I know you have a tough job, but there's no reason to be rude to citizens when they aren't doing anything wrong. Tensions are high enough around here with all the crime, there's no particular reason the police can't be civil.
The holiday did wreak some havoc with our deadlines. They were all pretty early, which means we are just wrapping things up now. I had to close the letters' deadline early and outtakes had to be pretty much wrapped up starting friday. Holidays & journalism really don't mix very well.

the regular mail on the other hand

is equally insane. Just received a box of these.

now i'm afraid

this was just sent to me, via email, as a potential story idea (I officially hate email. My spam situation is completely out of control). Is it just me, or is this one of the most terrifying inventions you've ever seen? I think I may have nightmares about it tonight.

more radio craziness

The Journal followed our story about KBAC today, although they did have the scoop that Honey Harris is, in fact, staying. She had told us, on Monday, she was leaving to go to Indie, but she told me this morning, during our on-air craziness, that Hutton had made her a great offer. What an insane business radio is.
Meanwhile, a new web site asks Indie listeners to contact the FCC regarding Indie's sale to Hutton. We plan to follow up on Indie's efforts to stop the sale in the coming weeks.

new mex site bizareness

So if you go to freenewmexican.com, you end up with a link that sends you to this bizarre posting. If you type in www.sfnewmexican.com, you end up at their temporary livejournal. Have they been hacked?

SFR scoop of the day

Hutton will buy KBAC.

if only I could blog while driving

this blog would be considerably more robust, as I feel like I think a lot while driving about what I'm going to write, so much so that by the time I'm at the computer I've lost my will to actually write it. Blogger's block? Severe mental fatigue? Traffic-induced PTSD? It really is a bit hellish out there; all the construction (just heard the Railyard Paseo construction has been extended) tends to make me, and others, impatient and my sense is that there's a decent amount of road rage growing.
Wednesday night I went to see John Legend at the Sandia Ampitheater; it was a great show. A very fancy hotel, too. The ampitheater is a bit like Paolo, great seats, great sounds, really pretty. Legend was very Barry White/Al Greenish, super sexy sultry, women sort of flinging themselves as close to him as they could and hyperventilating, reminding me (sort of) of seeing Michael Jackson as a teenager at JFK Stadium (I think it was the last show before they tore JFK down). Well, women were FAINTING at Michael J; at John Legend they were more just, um, breathing heavy. Jonanna, our former music writer (and now music editor for The Dallas Observer upon hearing this, told me John Legend is gay. And when I told her he pulled a beautiful woman in a gold lamé top from the audience to dance with him, she told me the woman was a plant (by which I mean, not an actual audience member; not, like, a geranium). It reminded me of a long time ago, telling an old friend how cool I thought dolphins were only to hear, "yeah, you know they gang rape each other." Not that I care if John Legend is gay, but it kind of bothered me to think the woman he danced with was a plant (I think I might have to appropriate plant as a new insult word. Dude, he's a total plant.); she seemed so genuinely about to burst into happy tears (the lamé-wearing slow-dancing woman, not Jonanna). Oh well, apparently I am the most naive cynical person around.
Tonight I'm going to my friend Samia's graduation from SFCC. If I'm properly motivated (i.e. still conscious) after, the boy and I will trek to ABQ for the Hyperactive Music Festival, of which we (SFR, I'm too beat to link; I suck) are a sponsor. I want to go, but I hate driving back from ABQ at 2 a.m. Way too soporific yo. Tomorrow I'm attending a. Sylvie's going away thing, b. Samia's graduation party c. Jen's birthday party, d. all of the above. If you guessed d you guessed right. Sunday, the aforementioned Jonanna will be in town and we are supposed to have brunch and then, of course, there will be the Sunday work hours and then the Sunday Soprano's watching (so freaking dark these final episodes, it's kind of a mind trip) and then back here to work. I mean, it's gone by so fast just writing about it, I feel like the weekend is over already and it's only 2:30 pm on Friday. (Or 2:37 according to blogger or 2:27 according to my computer or 2:40 according to the clock in the office or 2:37 according to my phone. My reality is very Heraclitean right now).
Went to Collected Works today and bought Orwell's 1984.
Ate Whole Foods Sushi for lunch and bought Samia some flowers (Checker, upon seeing me holding bouquet: "Julia, you look like Miss America." Me: "Yeah, I get that a lot." Also, is it a bad sign that all the checkers know my name? Do I really shop at Whole Foods that much?)
News: All bad, so much mayhem. We reposted our story on the growing crime wave from last year on the Reporter web site.
OK, am giving myself wrist pain. Have lost squishy wrist rest thing. Is probably under desk along with:
1. Old Blanket
2. File on last city election
3. US Postal Service tub filled with trash.
I wish someone would clean my office for me. At least make enough room under my desk for me to take a nap.
Have a great weekend y'all.

Was somewhat shocked to read that the man arrested on conjunction with several rapes/attacks had killed himself in jail.

radio madness

Not only is Hutton trying to buy Indie (got the inside scoop on that craziness, but I'm saving it for the paper, but check out their message on their web site!), but now it looks like they're buying blu too. I'm really sad about Indie.
Here's the press release:

Hutton Broadcasting, LLC to acquire
KLBU FM 102.9 from Blu Media, LLC
Santa Fe, May 15, 2007….. Hutton Broadcasting announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Blu Media, LLC to acquire KLBU FM 102.9 operating in Santa Fe and Pecos, NM. The agreement is subject to customary conditions and regulatory approval.
Scott Hutton, General Manager of Hutton Broadcasting, said, “KLBU also known as BLU 102 has an excellent reputation in the Santa Fe market, and we intend to build on this base and enhance its ‘chill’ music format. In addition, with our existing KQBA FM 107.5 and KVSF AM 1400 stations and the just-announced agreement to acquire KWRP FM 101.5, we are now in a position to bring together a team of first-rate radio people to serve the Santa Fe market”.
Edward Hutton, President of Hutton Broadcasting added, “It is very exciting to have the opportunity to assemble a variety of stations and create a strong radio group dedicated to Santa Fe. We recognize the responsibility that comes with that, and we intend to exercise it wisely”.
Hutton Broadcasting, LLC is a radio broadcaster focused on building radio stations in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Company currently owns KQBA FM 107.5 and KVSF 1400 AM in Santa Fe and recently announced an agreement to acquire KWRP 101.5 (subject to regulatory approval).

No! No! Say it ain't so

This news about Indie 101.5 sucks. I really like the station, especially Rocque's show and Brian's show. And I like the format. I listen to it all the time. Word on the street (so to speak) is that the guys running the station had no idea this was happening. Well, hopefully we'll have more to report soon. Hopefully it won't happen.

monday monday

I am having one of those days where the only way I can motivate myself is to read the personnel listings on the state job bank web site to remind myself that, indeed, a job you basically love that makes you feel like throwing yourself into moving traffic is probably an improvement over a hypothetically easier job in which your soul dies a little bit each day.
Good morning Santa Fe!
I had a fun weekend. Friday night I went to El Paseo to see Hollis Wake and they were really freaking great. And there were a bunch of people there I liked (as well as a random number of fraternityish guys I did not like. I mean, seriously, trying to make a glass stick via suction to your ass and then laughing uproariously when it falls off and a waitress has to clean it up? This is fun?) After, we swung by the new "punk" bar, El Matador, which made the boy very happy, as a former Pittsburgh punk rocker. He ordered his $5 PBR and, about 1:30 am, we went home. Saturday, for the first time in years, I had the urge to plant something (I actually don't really like plants very much and, sensing this, they usually die). Now it's Monday AGAIN, but so far, things seem to be going smoothly (and, anyone who knows anything knows I just jinxed myself in a big way). Wednesday night I'm going to see John Legend at the Sandia Amphitheater (which I've never been to before). Oh, and I'm getting a haircut, a long-overdue (pun only slightly intended) task. The other day at the gym, when I took my hair down to try to readjust it, the guy working out next to me said, "Girl, your hair is long!" And it didn't sound like a compliment. Nor did this exchange from the Whole Foods Parking lot, circa Sunday morning.

ME: Putting overpriced groceries into car
TEENAGE BOY ON BICYCLE: Hey, was there a college graduation last night?
ME: Yes, I think CSF and some other schools.
BOY: Are you in college?
ME: Um, no.
BOY: I'm kidding. But you look great.
ME: Awesome.

Love the "but" part of it. I seem to have invisibly passed into "looking good for her age" territory. And also become a magnet for odd young men in parking lots.

I've decided winter is over

And there's a sunburn to go along with the freshly potted plants.

quiet, but not forgotten

In between monitoring and fixing the SFR Best of contest (and writing and recording the BOSF radio ad), I've been working on our new SFR Bill Richardson blog (filed under the "if you can't ignore it, blog on it" ideal). Well, we've been planning to do this for a while, so we figured, if not this week, when. Granted, we are just adding to the local din, but it's a way for us to chime in here and there. And there's links to the other press' Richardson blogs; if you know of others we should add, just give me a shout out.

June 20 postscript: It has come to my attention that the use of the word "fixing" may not have been the wisest in this older post. Here's what I meant. For the first week or so that the Best of Santa Fe survey is up, lots of people call or email me to say their name is spelled wrong, or their business isn't one of the choices and should be, or that a choice is up twice or some such mistake. So I "fix" i.e. correct any errors in the survey. Neither I, nor anyone, manipulates the results of the survey, which is entirely reader-driven and then computer-calculated.

I'm with you brother

I'm at the gym on the ellipses machine (can't possibly be the way that's
spelled) watching christopher hitchens denounce god and religion to
anderson cooper in favor of einstein and thomas jefferson. He's calling
for secularists to band together and fight against the dominion of
religion extremists whom, he points out, may in fact cause the end of
the world.
Why does this seem so radical? Aren't we supposed to have a separation
between church and state? And yet, I am grinning madly and blogging from
an exersize machine. And people, I am really not very coordinated, so I
better stop.

sorry for the silence

It's been a weirdly busy week as we segued from Annual Manual hell (publishes tomorrow) to Best of voting (starts tomorrow). So be sure to log on here tomorrow (not now or you won't get the survey). Since you're all so loyal, I'll give you some insider info and tell you we added "best blog" to the mix, so if you're a real blogger (as opposed to a dilettante...sp? one like me), be sure to vote for yourself. The list of bloggers may be sort of small, but you can write in any blog you want and, unlike other elections, write-ins can, indeed, win in Best Of.
OK, more later... pages landing on desk.

trying to keep energetic

failing miserably. Did have a Valerie Plame spotting next door, which provided some fodder and excitement for the day.

crime wave

Nate and David are at the schools right now, although it sounds like the "bomb threat" is done for now. Still, between that, the shooting last night, the stabbing, not to mention the rapes and the burglaries.
I can't help but flash back to our story about the growing and ignored crime problems in Santa Fe, six months ago or so.