"about a black Moor..."

...5/5/03: the smell of burnt popcorn drifted through the afternoon air...an air freshener did not work...all the doors to the kitchen were opened; time & patience were the only answers!...


...5/9/03: First Lady Laura Bush went to Kayenta in the Navajo Nation to speak about education...after a brief visit to ASU, she flew to Santa Fe...


...President Bush will be visiting NM during Mother's Day weekend, staying at a private residence outside of Santa Fe...this was a laidback weekend, in which the President rested, hiked & played golf...the owner of the property is a political fundraiser & college buddy who helped George W. in 2000...the First Lady attended a performance of the NATL Dance Institute on 5/9/03...also attending the event was GOV Richardson...but not the President, and children wanted to know why...so far, no answer (and there never was!)...the President will meet with ABQ small business owners on 5/12/03 in Bernalillo...he will be pushing his tax cut plan...the Secret Service will mainly be in charge of the security during his stay...the Santa Fe police will be on stand-by...


...George Bush has visited NM 4 times since his election...he hiked & enjoyed a game of golf on 5/10/03...per the White House staff, he was on vavation...there were peaceful presidential protests in Santa Fe...but they called the visit a farce, including that of Laura Bush's appearance at the Dance performance...an empty chair contained a list of questions that people wanted to ask the President...I wonder if supporters, as well as protestors, had questions that should be addressed by George W.!, and were those were included on the list?...


...this event may bring tourists & their money to Santa Fe...the city needs a boost to its charm & amenities...the capital is also known for its liberal views...


...5/6/03: Captain enjoys laying near the glass door while he sleeps in the studio...but @4 AM, Captain was asleep on my side of the bed...is this the era of sequels?...Grease 3 may be next!...GOV Richardson, who may be meeting with the President (see past), has created the phrase Moving New Mexico Forward...met Scoot, a young guy who has a T-cell count of 5...he is being treated for pneumonia, but the medications make him sick...doctors say he has 6 months to live...Scott says he is ready to be near his parents...he will be cremated, with his ashes spread on the graves of his mother & father...he is from CT, with a stop-off in western NC...Scott has been in ABQ for 1 month, and has been helped by NMAS, Truman Clinic & Dr. Williams...


...5/6/03: I spilled an entire cup of coffee which flowed through my work area...that did it!...I brought in a more stable "tankard"...5/7/03: it passed the Day 1 test...Rosanne E-mailed us to install an encryption program...this would be used when sending mail...she said Roxanne had completed that task...but; how long did it take her (or both of them), and how new (or old) was Roxanne's PC...I had no problems, but Cassandra could not created the certificate console...she E-mailed Rosanne, who opened the the mail...no response by the end of the day...Rosanne thinks with the new audit system that we have nothing to do...she should walk to our area & observe that nothing has really changed for us...5/6/03: Dr. Lattimore switched with Dr. Cordova, who then switched with Dr. Lattimore on 5/7/03; and on 5/8/03, Dr. Lattimore continued her tour of duty in GPU & 3-E...


"We are not 'in the mix'!"


...5/6/03: Brad's straw hat flew off his head onto Coors, and was crushed by several vehicles...while running for the Central bus which arrived earlier than expected, my luggage tag with the US flag fell off...I couldn't stop or I would have missed my bus...talk about lousy luck!...


...5/7/03: Sir Elton John may write a Broadway play based on Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat...there has been an increase in bank robberies around the country...Cassandra & her family are learning how to roller blade...slowly!...Lesson 2 took place on 5/8/03 in her garage...I placed a wrapped piece of chocolate in my pants pocket which melted as I did the Rounds...I had to clean the in- & outside of the pocket plus my pens plus my keys...I inserted a folded sheet of paper to test the results of my washing...the inside was clean...Brad's printer died...


...the chance of SARS being fatal increases with age...20% of SARS cases in Hong Kong end in death...with 5 more deaths in China, SARS has killed over 500 people across the globe...federal agents could detain people who they suspect may be cvarrying the virus...some think pets would have to also be quarantined or put to sleep...5/11/03: scientists now believe the SARS virus behaves like the HIV virus...this may provides the means to control it...and maybe do the same for AIDS?...violent weather struck IL, as well as those states previously hit...5/8/03: tornadoes damaged OK City...warnings were issued in both CO & VA at the same time!...this is a very powerful storm system, which will last until the end of the weekend...rivers in the South reach their highest levels in recorded history...


...5/9-11/03: 16 twisters struck KS, many near Lawrence...Tinker AFB in OK has been severely damaged...5/10/03: tornadoes struck N of OK City...these may have been an F4 or F5 category storms, complete with wind shear...5/11/03: more tornadoes in IA, IL, IN & KY...time trials for the Indy 500 postponed...a dual tornado was sighted in Lima, IL...the storm also contained a rotating thundercloud...there have been over 380 tornado sightings in 1 week, when the yearly average is usually 1000!...


...Cassandra's sister who got her GED & has not worked in her 23 years of life and tried to have the airline tickets paid by someone else but her and who lives close to Tulsa wants to return home by plane on Mother's Day with her daughter Cheyenne and her boyfriend Sean who is wanted by NM police...


...the country could be headed for deflation, and a new bull market (no bull!)...another new state flag for GA, the second in 2 years...the US GOVT approved NM's plan to handle homeland security & terrorism...the state was awarded $6.4 million, mainly to be used for hi-tech detection equipment...NM leads the country in seat belt usage...


...Captain still enjoys to have his belly rubbed!..I can no longer access AOL E-mail or print articles at work...that function ceased to work on my PC...at this time are people worried more about SARS or terrorism?...a high wind & fire danger warning is again issued for most of the state...the Pollo Bueno restauarnt (structure) is up for sale agai...that is not a good location for a business...5/8/03: call from Rosanne @8:45 telling us about an 11:45 PEDS meeting...which she didn't say was that she would not be there (neither was John or Dr. Cordova)...so we waited...finally Doris & others arrived...many people are not aware of the changes for sending all charges directly to Data Entry...and Ted has left the Clinic for a job in another area of UNM...


...5/9-11/03: there is the Pinos fire, that burned 10 acres in SW NM, the Boiler fire near T or C, which has consumed 19,000 acres since 4/19/03, and the Walker fire burning near Alamogordo & Cloudcroft in the Lincoln NATL Forest area of the Mescalero Apache RESV, which has charred 3,000 acres...the blaze was contained by digging a fire wall, but it has moved into the 16 Spring Valley...some structures have been destroyed, but no lives have been lost...the humditiy was only 7% on 5/9/03...there have been wind advisories for blowing dust...gusts reached 50 mph, calming down by 5/11/03...the forecast is for more dry conditions, with temps in the 80s'...winds will be calm...


"Planning may be hazardous to my health!"


...5/9/03: gas has dropped to $1.41/gal...both the number of outlet centers & malls have decreased due to the economy...but outlets are doing better due to more sales & bargains to attract customers, if they know where to look...Coding staff meeting @9:30, then left @noon...people are concerned that the changes to coding & the onset of compliance may cost jobs...the powers above tell us "Not true", in a vague sort of way...we did find a printer...refurbished...


...Ford motors is 100 years old; the ABC network, half a century...


"5/9 & 5/10/03: Days of Defeat!"


...5/9-10/03: World War 3 began in ABQ between Mike & Brad...the Owl Cafe's slogan for us should be Good Food with Good Fights!...the clashes started on 5/9/03 when I was asked if I wanted to go to the mall on 5/10/03 to buy a white dress shirt...I am usually not in a good mood by Fri. PM...then I was asked if I wanted to watch some of the shows we taped, for I had mentionad that earlier in the week...I did so reluctantly, which caused ill will between us...then I was asked if I wanted to continue working on my web page after see Charmed...but at that point I was too tired, and annoyed...I guess even medication has its limits when keeping a person calm...so we clashed twice on 5/10/03, during which I cried a lot & Brad yelled at me...now I am tired & quiet...


...Captain heaved a hairball...more brushing for him!...we survived a visit to Coronado Mall!...the kitchen porch door could not open from the inside, so we had to walk down to the studio, then up the outside stairs...the problem still exists...a hummingbird flew into our kitchen...Brad carefully captured him & set him free outside...per reviews, the X-men second movie is better than the first...it was number 1 in the box office for the second weekend, making over $41 million, and a 10 day total of $140+ million!...there is a commercial in which people play geriatric Village People with the slogan Not as good as the original!...did the jockey of Funny Cide (the Kentucky Derby winner) carry an illegal electronic shocking device?...there is a picture showing that he has something else in his hand!...the verdict is No!, so on to the Preakness...a 12' x 8' sinkhole @4th & Bridge SW swallowed a truck...that is an area with many underground sewer pipes...the American Red Cross is running out of money...the number of disasters is increasing, but the donations are not...blame it on the economy!...


...5/11/03: a winning feast for eyes & appetite!...Brad made a pan fried leg of lamb marinated in garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary & thyme; finished with a reduction sauce of pan juices, white wine, lemon juice, butter & salt...then a salad with jicama, olives, onions, fennel bulb & fronds with vinegarette of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, ground thyme, minced onions & garlic...last, but not least, baked sweet potato...to drink, champagne...


...5/12/03: still hungry?...how about hot & sour Thai shrimp soup w/Fennel, jicama, onions & red jalapeno peppers...very, very good!...


...5/12/03: a New York Times reporter found guilty of fraud & plagarism...that newspaper's reputation is now very tarnished!...the Donna Summer song Hot Stuff is used in a Capital One ad...Laura Bush returned to the White House on 5/11/03...President Bush drove from Santa Fe to Bernalillo, and spoke at MCT Industries to a crowd of 3,000+ people...he left SunPort @noon, flew to Omaha, gave a speech there, then continued to Indianapolis, IN, where he will speak on 5/13/03...