Red alert!! First alarm!!

...mid-May: the end of Hollywood Speedway, due to poor track conditions & bad management...mid-June: it's reopened...

...5/22/02: a fire burns near the Four Corners area, it is almost under complete control...there is another blaze in the Pecos National Forest...a third wildfire is east of Chimayo & northeast of the tiny community of Cundiyo...the Borrego Mesa fire in the Santa Fe National Forest has grown to 150 acres...by the end of the week it had burnt 4,300 acres...the town of Truchas was evacuated; Cordova & Chimayo were put on alert...SR 76 & CR 80 were closed as well as SR 503 & 306 plus FR 440...it is a low level fire, whose smell could be detected in Santa Fe...so far no injuries, no property damage...by the weekend 10,000 acres had burned, and only 15% contained...there is the problem with windy conditions & very dense forests in that area...fire lines are being built and 10 air tankers are soaking it with fire retardent chemicals...ash is settling on cities in Mora County...the fire can be seen from space...over 600 firefighters are battling the blaze, some from CA & OR...it is nearing the Carson Natl. Forest...fire grew to 11,000 acres, only 15% contained, could take weeks to be fully under control...5/28/02: 35% contained, helped by higher humidity...12,000 acres burned, the fire is located ESE of Truchas...5/29/02: 65% contained...5/30/02: 70% contained, with 100% expected by 6/2/02...only 90% under control by early June, and 13,000 acres burnt...the smoke & ash will linger for several months...and the humidity drops to a low of 9%...

...there has been a train wreck in Africa, a plane crash near Taiwan (a China Air jet made in the USA), a rockslide near Denver, an apartment house fire in Encino...the fire was caused by a man who lit a cigaret after disconnecting the gas line...he suffered burns over 60% of his body, and died within a day...a tour bus accident in Mexico, another in TX & a bus fire in one of the tunnels under Boston...a plane makes an emrgency landing at SunPort (and so will another in the next week)...teens murdered teens in New Orleans & Los Angeles...an EMINEM concert stampede at RFK Stadium in DC, 1 person suffered cardiac arrest...a shark attack in the waters near San Fran...twisters near Johnstown, NY...hail in Ansonia, CT...lightning strikes near Fresno, sparking wild fires...2,500 acres burned in Arrowhead Spring, CA...700 acres burned near Ojai in Ventura County, CA; it grew to 2,400 acres, and continued getting bigger, exceeding 23,000 acres...in NM, 1,700 acres of grass lands burnt near Capulin, NM; 300 in the Sierra fire near Mora....both are 100% contained...1,000 acre fire burned in NJ, 50 miles from Atlantic City, under control; but the Garden State Parkway was closed due to the heavy smoke...2,000 acres of Canadian wilderness burn in Ontario province...the water level is too low for fish to survive in Sumner Lake...winds over 50 mph tear a roof in a W Miflin, PA amusement park structure; 1 person dies...a 3-year old girl dies when a car chase in Los Angeles proves deadly...the victim was struck by a falling light post when the theives hit a van which in turn, collided with the post...a girl fell off an amusement park ride at Six Flags near in CA...a whale watching boat is struck by a wave off the coast of P'town, MA...some of the passengers were thrown into the water...a sinkhole near Orlando swallowed 2 trees and undermined the foundation of an apartment complex...sex scandals, past & present, surface in the Catholic Church, resulting in a national meeting in TX...X-rated material is found in boxes of cereal...in Henrico Cnty, VA someone drove through the front window of a car dealership...

...5/26/02: in OK, a barge hits a bridge carrying I-40 traffic over the Arkansas River...over a dozen cars & trucks into the water; the second span is then closed for inspection...severe storms are blamed for this disaster...another span further up the river was also struck, shook but did not collapse; it was later closed so authorities could examine its condition...4 survivors found, 14 deaths were reported...OK will attempt to rebuild the structure in less than 3 months...pilot of barge tests negative for drugs or alcohol...blames fatigue...6/3/02: demolition of the bridge begins...

...Spider-Man weaves Star Wars into a web of tangles...the clone episode is trying to reach $300 million, while the amazing arthropod has exceeded $350 million, and is closing in on $400 million...but, Scooby-Doo took in $56+ million, making it the highest grossing movie with a June premier...

...during this time period, the powers of the FBI have been broadened...now its main goal is to fight terrorists by monitoring public broadcasts & gathering areas, both inside & out...a list of flaws made by both the FBI & CIA has resulted in a truce between the two agencies...6/6/02: the President addresses the nation to announce the creation of the Dept. of Homeland Security...under it will be the Coast Guard, Customs & Secret Service...it will have a $31.5 billion budget...we are advised that terrorists are ready to attack this nation...Iraq is at the top of the list...

...Memorial Day weekend, two beams from the WTC arrived in ABQ in order to restore a church's bell tower...the total weight is 18,000 tons...they were on display at the Natl. Spanish Historic Center...it should be completly restored by 2003...this is the only place in the country which was allowed to have anything from the WTC structure...5/30/02 will be the last day to search for bodies in the WTC rubble...the last 30-foot girder was removed at 10:25 AM, the time when the last tower fell, followed by a moment of silence for the victims...there was 2 million tons of rubble...and 2823 dead...

...Brad has created pork loin braised in milk, topped with the juices from the remains...salmon with butter, shallots & rosemary...potato salad (soon to be added with eggs)...bacon & cheese omelet...

...6/8/02: New Mexico Pride Diversity Parade in ABQ, which marched down Central AVE...the festivities continued at the NM State Fairgounds...

...hard times for Brad & Mike...6/3/02: could not locate the Cheat Sheet diskette, containing lots of coding training tips...at the very end of the day, it was found in the back of a tray...but the constant stress is getting unbearable...6/4/02: I am quite ill after worrying for an entire day...my muscles tense in the back of my neck and I feel dizzy...I have got to stop spending so much time escaping into my PC world both at home and work...that may help provide relief for my headaches...6/10/02: rent check returned due to not enough money in our account...Brad spoke with the bank & Nancy...the problem was solved, as even Nancy had experienced the check that would not cash...this is close to the final straw we can handle in life's downhill spiral...we are buckling under the stress...I don't know where we keep finding threads of sanity to help us survive...

...code of the land...Find 'em, Feel 'em, F**k 'em...Forget 'em!...

...6/20/02: man comes to repair the carpet that had rust spots due to the A/C problems last summer...then he cut a hole in the rug by mistake...he fixed the original problem, and returned on 7/3/02 to complete the repairs...

...I never thought I would say that the threat exists for a nuclear war between two countries...the nations are India & Pakistan, ready to do battle at the Line of Control...the prize will be the contaminated remains of Kashmir...the other Asian nations want talks to begin to settle this matter, but both countries refuse...all tourists & diplomats are being urged by their governments to leave both nations before military action begins...at this point, nuclear was is unthinkable...there also appears to be a 2-week window or grace period before anything serious may occur (this was a comment by the United States)...but each day the tension mounts as both countries play the dangerous game of cat & mouse...they do not fully comprehend the after effects of a nuclear war, no matter how small (which is not an appropriate word to use) or no matter who wins...by mid-June, tensions ease somewhat; no peace talks in the near future...each country removes their ships from enemy waters...India removes mines from the Pakistan border...war worries are going up; stock market is heading way down...6/26/02: DOW drops below 9000...at WORLDCOM, another corporate scandal: $3.8 billion in expenses hidden from investors, other business may follow in their dirty footsteps...the CA courts decide that it is unconstitutional to say the Pledge of Allegience at schools, stating there is a need for separation of church & state...6/29/02: North Korea sinks a South Korean military ship...

...6/6/02: the 50th anniversary of D-Day...both candidates in the runoff for NM governor are Hispaniac...the highest chance for hail storms is in CO, WY & NM...grafitti on the Beach sign...7-car pile-up at Montgomery & I-25...7 miles of the Rio Grande dried out this week...is something wrong? seeing street people with cell phones...one of the main features that tourists want to experience is the Sandia Peak Tramway...6/8/02: hand glider slams into the mountain, breaking both legs...driver falls asleep, truck strikes bridge, goes over the embankment and causes a brush fire near MM 264 on I-25, just south of Santa Fe...plus a very long back-up (up to 6 miles)...6/18/02: the country is on AMBER Alert...6/19/02: the White House was evacuated after a lost pilot flew into restricted air space, he was escorted to the airport at Richmond, VA...

...6/22/02: President Bush runs a 3-mile race at Ft. McNair, in DC...First Lady Laura Bush is part of the 1 mile walking event...they are the fittest First Couple in years...on a sad note, Ann Landers (Dear Abby), dies at the age of 83...June, 2002 news: Bush says Arafat must go!...AMtrak is rescued from going off its track!...there are fares less than $10 to travel between selected cities...Frank Augustosky returns to PBP to do Al & Ernie's work...will wonders never cease...this is better than soap operas...but he has told them this is temporary, he is looking for a better job, and will be gone when he finds one...such loyalty...on 7/12/02, Mike Sprague will no longer work, there....Steve Foster finally circled the world in a hot air balloon, on his sixth attempt...the Murder Mystery Holiday party...

...6/19/02: a mild earthquake hit NM; its epicenter was near Raton; no injuries or damage reported...there are on-line prescription scams, and telephone scams to raise money for firefighters...while only one-third of the public owns DVD players, both Circuit City & Border will no longer sell VHS movies...

...and...Now, (first name); it is OK for me to call you (first name)...plus: So & so said you did or said such & such; I didn't say I belived them, but...

...sign in front of a house of prostitution; No holes barred!...

...this web site became less a history of my life, and more about what has happened around the world...I guess that tells you how exciting my life has been, and how it will probably be in the coming months... soon, there will also be a brand new web page, with a new style...

...6/14/02: and then it finally happened...the air got very muggy...the sky got very dark...the wind picked up speed...then it rained!!!...it poured, with lightning & hail, lots of hail...streets became rivers, cars stalled, arroyos quickly filled, carrying water & debris at a fast pace...leaves and branches covered everything...then it ended, the sun came out, but the puddles remained...the monsoon season is expected to start earlier & last longer this year...in eastern NM, winds reached 76 mph...a tornado was spotted near Raton...there was golf ball size hail, and up to 2 inches fell throughout the state...the higher rain totals were in the fire areas, but one-third of an inch fell in ABQ...there were many flooded interiors of convertibles...small power losses were reported, the problem was 99% corrected by 11 PM...then it rained again on 6/20, 21 & 22/02...totals range from .01" at SunPort, the highest recorded since 4/7/02; to 2 inches in the Taos & Angel Fire area, with some mountain snow reported...many areas received about .5" of rain, such as Espanola & Santa Fe...there is one more chance for rain on 6/23/02...more rain (lots more) fell in Taos on 7/4/02...

...6/30/02: a lease is signed with the Beach for another year...the rent will not change...but the rent for new tenants will increase $10 as of August, 2002...which means in 2003 our rent will go up...6/28/02: the gym equipment collapsed, with Mike on it...