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What New Energy Economy is Saying About AVANGRID in Maine Isn’t True, and We Know, Because We Lived It. We live and work in Maine. We’ve interacted with AVANGRID since 2008, since they took over Central Maine Power (CMP). We know the truth. Mariel Nanasi and New Energy Economy are weaving a tale. Don’t fall for it. Here are the facts from people who know: In Maine, AVANGRID is the best, not the worst operator. A standard form of service quality measurement focuses on average interruptions – both in terms of frequency and duration. Using these common utility metrics – SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index), CAIDI (Consumer Average Interruption Duration Index) and SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index) – AVANGRID dramatically outperforms all of its peer utilities in Maine. AVANGRID team members walk their talk. In Maine, AVANGRID has not only addressed and met all of the service quality measures imposed by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, AVANGRID has also invested in the State of Maine, providing a boost to Maine’s economy when we needed it most. AVANGRID is vested in making CMP the best utility it can be. They continually invest in the transmission and distribution network. An example is the $1 billion MPRP project, to enhance reliability across their service territory. The MPRP project was safely constructed ahead of schedule and under budget. Over the past 13 years CMP has reinvested 99% of its earnings into reliability of the grid. CMP has been a reliable and forward-thinking partner in making needed electrical system upgrades. AVANGRID’S vision, leadership and financial strength has made CMP better, not worse as New Energy Economy claims. Because AVANGRID is known for its world-class renewable energy strategies and successes, (recently called the Exxon/Mobil of renewables by the New York Times) the company is a threat to the fossil fuel industry’s (and many electric utilities) dangerous refusal to deal effectively with the climate crisis. That means there are people and organizations that have got it in for AVANGRID including New Mexico’s New Energy Economy.
Take it from the people who know. AVANGRID will be a great partner in New Mexico, just as they are here in Maine. Respectfully, Anthony Buxton, Executive Director, The Maine Industrial Energy Consumers’ Group; Chair, Energy Group | Co-Chair, Climate Strategy Group, Preti Flaherty Lincoln Jeffers, Economic & Community Development Director, City of Lewiston, Maine Kimberly Lindlof, CEO, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce Andi Vigue, CEO, Cianbro
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DECEMBER 1-7, 2021
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SFREPORTER.COM
DECEMBER 1-7, 2021 | Volume 48, Issue 48
NEWS
BANKING BUILT FOR
OUR COMMUNITY.
OPINION 5 NEWS 7 DAYS, CLAYTOONZ AND THIS MODERN WORLD 6 SEASONABLY WARM 9 Hotter winters—a symptom of climate change— take a toll on New Mexico’s skiing industry; bleak forecast ahead COVER STORY 11 SFR WRITING CONTEST: NONFICTION Part II of the annual writing contest features winners who responded to the theme “What We Owe.” Special thanks to this category’s guest judge Dede Feldman
WE’RE HERE FOR YOU The journalists at the Santa Fe Reporter are in overdrive to help our community stay connected. We plan to continue publishing a print edition and daily web updates. Can you help support our journalism mission? Learn more at sfreporter.com/friends
MAX MYERS, PRESIDENT/CEO
Century Bank is about more than just banking. Twitter: @santafereporter
CULTURE
To me, it’s about community. I want to help our EDITOR AND PUBLISHER JULIE ANN GRIMM
SFR PICKS 15 Plays and plays, honky-tonks and Christmas jamz
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER AND AD DIRECTOR ANNA MAGGIORE
CULTURE EDITOR ALEX DE VORE
3 QUESTIONS 21
NEWS EDITOR JEFF PROCTOR
and impactful for them and the community.
MyCenturyBank.com | 505.995.1200
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT JULIA GOLDBERG
WITH SANTA FE IMPROV ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ADRIAN WALLEN
STAFF WRITERS BELLA DAVIS WILLIAM MELHADO
A&C 21 IT’S SLOBBERIN’ TIME Bryan “Peabe” Odiamar’s Thud captures—and dunks on—’90s comics bliss
CULTURE WRITER RILEY GARDNER CONTRIBUTING WRITER MOLLY BOYLE DIGITAL SERVICES MANAGER BRIANNA KIRKLAND
FOOD 23 SMALL BITES A trio of mini-reviews from some of our favorite Santa Fe eateries
DISPLAY/CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE ROBYN DESJARDINS CIRCULATION MANAGER ANDY BRAMBLE
MOVIES 24
OWNERSHIP CITY OF ROSES NEWSPAPER CO.
THE POWER OF THE DOG REVIEW Benedict’s back and being brusque
PRINTER THE NEW MEXICAN
Cover design by Anson Stevens-Bollen artdirector@sfreporter.com
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financial lives in a way that’s both positive
ART DIRECTOR ANSON STEVENS-BOLLEN
THE CALENDAR 16
Phone: (505) 988-5541 Mail: PO BOX 4910 SANTA FE, NM 87502
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FIND LOVE & YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND!
AT THESE ESPAÑOLA HUMANE ADOPTION EVENTS Saturday, 12/18 Violet Crown Cinema 1606 Alcaldesa St, Santa Fe 9am–noon Railyard District Saturday, 1/8 PetSmart 11am–2pm 3561 Zafarano Drive, Santa Fe Saturday, 1/15 Petco 11am–2pm 2006 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe Saturday, 1/29 PetSmart 11am–2pm 3561 Zafarano Drive, Santa Fe
Browse available pets and fill out an application at: www.espanolahumane.org
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6PM DEC. 29 AT THE CCA CCASANTAFE.ORG
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S F R E P ORT ER.COM / NEWS / LET T ERSTOT H E E DITOR
LETTERS
JOB FAIR CHRISTUS St. Vincent is hosting a
Mail letters to PO Box 4910, Santa Fe, NM 87502; or email them to editor@sfreporter.com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. Letters will be edited for space and clarity.
ANNA RONDON, DIRECTOR OF THE NEW MEXICO SOCIAL JUSTICE & EQUITY INITIATIVE
NEWS, OCT. 20: “IN THE DARK”
MORNING WORD, NOV. 24: “LEGISLATURE REQUIRES VACCINATION FOR GUESTS”
BETTER SAFE THAN... We are writing to express our deep gratitude to the Legislature for requiring proof of vaccination of any visitor to the Roundhouse. Requiring vaccination of all visitors to the Roundhouse is a commonsense COVID-19 preventive measure that protects our communities. Allowing for remote participation ensures that all interested parties—including those who choose to remain unvaccinated—can safely access appropriate official public business of the Legislature, which strengthens the fairness and responsiveness of our state government. We are appalled by the unscientific backlash to the Legislature’s data-informed precautions. In the Roundhouse, nearly everyone is a “close contact” to everyone else. Without a vaccination requirement, many of the thousands of people visiting the capitol during the legislative session would carry the disease home and infect family, friends, and community members...We applaud the Legislature for implementing data-informed measures to save lives—including the lives of those in opposition to these measures—during this serious COVID-19 Delta variant-fueled surge.
SHELLEY MANN-LEV, PRESIDENT; NAI WALTER, CO-PRESIDENT ELECT; AND LEAH SANCHEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NM PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION
SOUTH MEADOWS FLOP This and other articles point out the dysfunction at City Hall. The 2018 non-compliance of the City with the District Court-Ordered Settlement Annexation Agreement (SAA) of 2012, was discussed at the September 28th, 2021 BCC meeting. The various City departments refuse to provide services over the phone when someone in an annexed area calls; they simply say call the county. Customer service is bad. City police refuse to respond to calls because they don’t believe the property is annexed. The city’s cancellation of the new fire station and police substation on the N.M. 599 Frontage Road, will not help these issues. There are annexed areas land-locked from roads/utilities without title insurance. This affects over 40,000 people. Forgotten promises by City officials and SAA provisions, are: the Open Space at Meadows/Rufina and improvement of West Alameda. There are dozens of these instances...A complete breakdown in city-county communications and the inability to produce results for citizens. Reinstatement of the SAA would force the city back to the table.
WILLIAM MEE VILLAGE OF AGUA FRIA
FOR NURSES, CNAs, NAs, LPNs and MAs Thursday, December 9 • 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Vernick Conference Room 455 St. Michaels Drive Santa Fe, NM 87505 Drawings and Giveaways Don’t miss the opportunity to soar with CHRISTUS St. Vincent! Connect face-to-face with managers and explore available positions for nurses, CNAs, NAs, LPNs, and MAs. • Competitive Pay – starting pay $15.25/hr • Sign-on bonuses – $500.00 - $10,000.00 • Retirement Plan • Employer Assisted Housing Program • Shift Differentials • Tuition Reimbursement • Paid Time Off • Paid Personal Holidays • Paid National Holidays
On-Site Interviews! Bring Your Resume! For more information, visit stvin.org/job-fair or call (505) 913-5730.
SFR will correct factual errors online and in print. Please let us know if we make a mistake: editor@sfreporter.com or 988-7530.
SANTA FE EAVESDROPPER “I need to talk to her about how many cats is too many cats but I don’t know how to bring it up.” —Overheard at John Griego Vietnam Veterans Park
CHRISTUS St. Vincent is compliant with Public Health Orders
Send your Overheard in Santa Fe tidbits to: eavesdropper@sfreporter.com SFREPORTER.COM SFREPORTER.COM • • DECEMBER DECEMBER1-7, 1-7,2021 2021
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S FREP ORTER.COM / FUN
OMICRON VARIANT REARS ITS UGLY HEAD And it sounds like some ’50s sci-fi novel, too.
SKY RAILWAY FROM GEORGE RR MARTIN, VIOLET CROWN OWNERS TO OPEN THIS WEEK Eating and drinking in a motionless horizontal building is for suckers.
ELECTRIC BIKES STOLEN FROM ELDORADO HOME They won’t get far without extension cords.
JOEY CHAVEZ LEAVES THEATER HEAD JOB AT NEW MEXICO SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS We’d make Chorus Line jokes, but would anyone get them?
BLACK FRIDAY REPORTEDLY DRAWS SMALLER NUMBERS Trampling people to death over some cheapo TV just seems pointless now, given the pandemic.
HOTEL ADJACENT TO LORETTO CHAPEL IN THE WORKS It’s already booked for Indian Market, though.
WHITE HOUSE GINGERBREAD DISPLAY BOASTS FIRE, POLICE AND GAS STATIONS PLUS HOSPITAL So hold your heads up high, people who get paid like shit at the gas station—Biden’s got you.
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W E A R E WAY M O R E TH A N W E D N E S DAY H E R E A R E A CO UP LE O F O N LI N E E XC LUS I V E S :
WISE HOMES
UNION WOES
Nonprofit Homewise alters its plan for South Meadows open space.
UNM continues its fight against grad students’ attempts to unionize.
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ers for high-school events, menus for local restaurants and a small flyer for the area Elks Club. They were all small A Letter from projects but enough to know that design and printing Jason Walker When SFR invited me to would always be a part of my write about why my compalife. ny, Monsoon Design helps Now, years later as support local journalism, I Monsoon Design produces jumped at the opportunity. print ads, billboards, posters Monsoon Design is a local and business collateral for advertising, design and digiour clients, the love and pastal marketing company that sion for all things printed still has been supporting Friends remains. And, so does the supof the Reporter for years. We port to our local news and culbelieve that only local journalture outlet. From Best of Santa ism can best represent and support Fe banners to weekly production the views and ideas that mean the most support, Monsoon Design is dedicated to to those who live here. If we lose our local the weekly publication and the responsibilmedia outlets and journalists, we lose our ity it has to inform, entertain and support local voice that makes us unique, creative the Santa Fe community. We truly love our and the world class destination that we all friends at the Reporter. love. While thinking about the concept of As times inevitably change, and techlosing such an incredible resource, our local nologies continue to make our life more efjournalists and the Santa Fe Reporter, I also ficient, we can’t lose the foundation of how realized that my personal love for the printthe information and content are gathered, ing process also drives me to support the lofact-checked and shared. We need our local cal publication that I so eagerly grab every journalists to do just that and they need our Wednesday morning on my way to work. support. For as long as I can remember, I have had As Wendall Philips, a lawyer in the 1800s a love for printed things. As a child, I would once said, “What gunpowder did for war collect comic books and spend hours going the printing press has done for the mind.” through each frame, not just for the story He was referring to how much the printing or to admire the incredible drawing styles process helps us learn and share informaof some of the classic comic artists of the tion. This concept still holds true, perhaps late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but to also try and more now than ever before. As the Santa Fe figure out how each frame was printed. This Reporter continues to bring local interests fascination with the printing process was and concerns to light, we need to support fueled even more in high school when the those who ask the tough questions, share the opportunity to help run the school’s offset information and keep the local voice local. printing press became available. The vinAs a local business owner and Santa Fean tage, two-color printing press that was dosince 2006, I ask you to please help supnated to the school years before I attended port our local journalists and publications. had never been used since the donation. My Become a Friend of the Reporter today and teacher, who was a retired creative direchelp keep this valuable Santa Fe institution tor from New York City, and a small group alive and thriving. of students in my class got the press operaJason Walker tional and we would produce monthly postMonsoon Design
This letter from Jason Walker is part of a series we are publishing about Friends of the Reporter, a new model for supporting our journalism mission. Visit sfreporter.com/friends, to make a onetime or recurring donation or via check at PO Box 4910, Santa Fe, NM 87502. The New Mexico Local News Fund will match up to $3,000 in donations received through the end of 2021. Our website and weekly print edition each Wednesday remain free to all readers.
Support us at sfreporter.com/friends SFREPORTER.COM SFREPORTER.COM • • DECEMBER DECEMBER1-7, 1-7,2021 2021
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WE’RE ALL IN
FOR NEW MEXICO. PNM and AVANGRID are putting New Mexico first. Because at PNM, we are New Mexicans first. We are addressing the PRC hearing examiner’s merger concerns and we take the input seriously. PNM will remain locally managed by and for New Mexicans. That’s why we’re working to make sure our merger is as beneficial as possible for our customers, the communities we serve, and the environment. We’re making a good merger agreement even better for the state we call our home.
23 OUT OF 24 intervenors fully support or don’t oppose the agreement PNM and AVANGRID are committed to what’s best for New Mexico. Cleaner energy. Improved infrastructure. More economic investment. The numerous benefits of the merger include:
AN ESTIMATED $300 MILLION in economic impact 67 MILLION in customer bill credits over three years
$
10 MILLION for residential customer bill help
$
2 MILLION for apprenticeships and STEM
$
Continued commitment to New Mexico nonprofits Additional standards for reliability and customer service Enhanced corporate governance and financial protections for customers
Learn more at PNM.com/future
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WILLIAM MELHADO
S F R E P O RT E R .CO M / N E WS
Skiers head up for a final run on Monday at Ski Santa Fe, its third day open this season.
Seasonably Warm Hotter winters—a symptom of climate change—take a toll on New Mexico’s skiing industry; bleak forecast ahead BY WILLIAM MELHADO w i l l i a m @ s f r e p o r t e r. c o m
I
t’s almost a crime to complain about the long parade of cloudless, sunny, 55-degree days as Santa Fe rolls into December, but the inconvenient culprit behind the idyllic weather is well known. While the souring of Earth’s atmosphere fueled wildfires to the west and hurricanes to the east this summer, part of New Mexico’s reckoning with climate change comes in the form of warmer winters—and with them a cascade of issues for an industry that relies on snow. A stretch of get-me-outside-right-now days in the early winter aren’t prima facie evidence of climate change but, for Tommy Long, Ski Santa Fe’s operations manager, hotter winters mean the beginning of the season often relies on man-made snow. “Mother Nature provides, kind of, what she can provide, and we do our best to sup-
plement it with the snowmaking,” Long tells SFR. Thankfully for Ski Santa Fe, the weather cooperated this year, staying below freezing long enough to produce enough snow for the opening day of the 2021-22 season on Nov. 25, with five runs on the mountain suitable for shredding. The ski area installed a $2.2 million water tank in 2015 to store some of the millions of gallons of water the state engineer allows the resort to divert. Some years, the resort uses more or less of that water to make snow. Long tells SFR the expenses for making snow—such as labor and fuel—have increased, which in turn has contributed to higher lift ticket prices in recent years. Over in Los Alamos, another Long, with almost six decades of experience in New Mexico’s ski industry, says there’s been a shift in how resorts manage snow since he first started working at Sandia Peak Ski Area in 1966. Tom Long, Tommy’s father and general manager of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area, says warmer winters are reflected in how many New Mexico ski areas rely on snow making. That’d be all of them, the elder Long says. We “spend a lot of time craning our neck at the heavens and you try to look at weather
patterns, and what’s going on, and if it’s an El Niño or La Niña [year],” he says. And ultimately “we can do our part to help mitigate issues with the weather, but the weather is what it is.” Both Longs explain that some winters are better than others, and they’re keeping their fingers crossed for colder months ahead. But one especially cold, or warm, winter shouldn’t distract from the larger picture of warming seasons the ski industry faces. New Mexico State Climatologist David DuBois says the trend isn’t new and doesn’t show any signs of reversing. “Since right around 1970 we’ve seen an upward trend, in pretty much all the areas in New Mexico, of warming temperatures,” DuBois tells SFR. He adds that the average increase in temperature ranges from 0.5 to 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit per decade. According to data compiled by Climate Center, an environmental research organization, the average winter temperature in the Albuquerque and Santa Fe region increased by three degrees in the last 50 years. This warming, tied to the billions of metric tons of energy capturing carbon dioxide and methane released into the atmosphere each year, reflects just a portion of the consequences climate change brings to New Mexico, explains DuBois. As the atmosphere warms, precipitation falls more often as rain, instead of snow, says DuBois—an effect observed both in early winter and the spring. One implication, he explains, is an earlier “melt out,” when water flows out of the mountains prematurely.
NEWS
Also with the higher temperatures, additional evaporation moves the water into the atmosphere, DuBois says. That’s not what New Mexico needs. “We want it to stay in the ground and travel down the streams so that we can use it in acequias and store it in reservoirs and eventually for agriculture, for ecosystems,” DuBois says. Another indicator of New Mexico’s shifting climate is the number of winter days above “normal” temperatures. Albuquerque and Santa Fe’s last winter season had 12 more days when weather was warmer than that average, based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Centers for Environmental Information. DuBois explains that total precipitation for the region isn’t changing significantly, but the increases in temperature have the biggest impact on snowpack and surface water supplies. A winter sports enthusiast, DuBois says the impact of climate change on Northern New Mexico’s winters will force industries like ski resorts to adapt. “How do we still maintain, you know, our lifestyle and cultures and all the great stuff that we have in New Mexico with a changing...scenario for the winters?” DuBois says. The challenge is also an opportunity to “figure out new things and change the way we have done things in the past.” The elder Long says one adaptation he’s observed in the ski industry is snow farming. “Because snow is the lifeblood of a ski area,” Long says, “ski areas all over have a pretty aggressive program to take care of it: move it, to farm it, to fluff it up and to condition it.” In New Mexico, Long explains, everyone is a good snow farmer. When he started in the ski industry, before the warming trend noted by DuBois, there was some grooming and moving of snow to take care of it, “but man, it’s gotten way more sophisticated with the type of equipment we use now to groom the snow,” says Long. Using snow fencing and snowcats, Long says, resorts solidify their snowpack, taking the air out to reduce how much melting occurs. The younger Long adds that ski areas model the practices of agriculturalists in another way: “Like farmers keep an eye on the rain, we keep an eye on the weather very closely.” His team at Ski Santa Fe uses weather stations on site that gather data to look ahead to best predict the weather. “As of right now it looks like this trend is kind of holding,” he says. “It continues to look like it’s gonna be fairly warm and dry.”
SFREPORTER.COM SFREPORTER.COM • • DECEMBER DECEMBER1-7, 1-7,2021 2021
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2021
NONFICTION / THEME: WHAT WE OWE The theme for SFR’s 2021 Writing Contest nonfiction category came from one staffer’s recent reading of What We Owe to Each Other, by philosopher T M Scanlon. We envisioned entries that might opine on how to rebuild the fractured society in which we find ourselves, and though the responses struck our guest judge as unconventional, she also found them “deep.” “They were just totally different approaches than I would have thought of,” says former state senator Dede Feldman, whose memoir, Ten More Doors: Politics and the Path to Change published this fall. “My response was far more mundane. Wear a mask...something tangible. These essays were so much more than that.” Indeed, first-place winner Janna Lopez rejected the theme altogether but did so in a way that leaves readers pondering significant questions. Second place Joe Cooke presents the questions of Japanese Naikan, and sentences ending in question marks are even pervasive as Jackson Buckley deconstructs selfhood. “Be patient,” writes Ranier Marie Rilke, “toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue.” Later the poet admonished readers to “live the questions.” We’re down with that. (Julie Ann Grimm)
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DECEMBER DECEMBER 1-7, 1-7, 2021 2021 •• SFREPORTER.COM SFREPORTER.COM
1st “What We Don’t Owe” BY JANNA LOPEZ
What We Owe. What a peculiar prompt. First proper ode to the notion of owing. I read the literal definitions of ‘owe’ and my chest hurts. Although I’m aware of what the word means, the implications—the weight of what’s behind the word—suffocates. Most don’t aspire for a reality of debt. The overwhelm of expectation closes in walls, closer and closer, until there’s no room to breathe. Wherever debt derives from, requirement’s swallow is stifling. I get the initial implication of the prompt; as stated, this prompt could be interpreted as the collective owing. What we owe society? What we, as humans, owe one another? More closely contemplated, aside from standard bills and responsibilities required of daily life, or the IRS, whom or what might we owe? God Religion Community Children The past our ancestors historical grievances The present The future The afterlife Environment Our body Our Mind Our Soul Our Selves… Do you feel you owe anything, or of your Self, to any of the above? To all of the above? I wonder about obligation’s burden that presses
upon us throughout our lives. We spend so much of our precious time striving to pay or repay debts of various kinds, including social, moral, religious, and cultural debts. Do we wake up alive, gifted into our being, birthed into debt? That’s a depressing thought. If I look back on childhood, experiences that shaped me, like many of you, I recall the people who helped me connect, explore, learn, discover, or uncover invaluable insights that became embedded into who I am. Many names I can’t remember, yet I feel indebted to them, nonetheless. But not in the owing sphere of the word. The indebtedness I speak of relates more to gratitude than obligation. The kind teacher who taught me how to read and write. The doctor who gave me stitches when I was stabbed in the chest with scissors when I was in first grade. The school bus driver with a missing front tooth who warmly greeted me as I got on the bus, and widely smiled as if he had a full set of teeth. The uncle who slipped me dollar bills at family parties. Boyfriends who taught me the true meaning of how to love myself through their rejection. Friends who extended their shoulders for tears, their wisdom, their encouragement. Records whose music became magic for the soundtrack of my life as I played them over and over again. Moments in which gestures were seen as currency of connection, not as favors of condition. I don’t believe the purpose of life is to fulfill obligation—as in we owe. That would mean servitude, and servitude disparages the realm of service. To give. Because the heart can’t help itself from expressing love. Because it can. Not because it has to. What about those who don’t feel this way? Does a requirement of servitude make up for a gap caused from the less altruistic? Is there some karmic balance in our order of existence? When I imagine who gives, who serves, who shares, who contributes, I witness how people do as they can. In ways that they can. I don’t get the sense that they give or serve, share or contribute, because they’re doing so out of owing. It’s not to say they may not hold a moral, religious, or social consciousness about helping fellow humans, but the origin from which they give comes from a place of wanting to give, not having to give. Not everyone is capable. It is from the wellspring of our humanness that we provide. How can we pay something owed, if we ourselves have empty pockets? Socially, we’re inept. Have you considered how flawed, afraid, and fractured the source—i.e. our humanness—is? Expecting a complete clearing of a psychic, spiritual, or cultural contract, is a willful set up for failure. Reckless at worst. Selfish at best. How might we love one another? How might we extend compassion? Might we be kind? Might we extend thoughtfulness? Seems the division of our times stems from false indignation. Entitlement. The very indoctrination of owing and being owed. People feel they’re owed some form of social bounty; a bounty that fulfills selfish ideals—ideals that mirror their own skewed righteousness. The shouting among us is palpable.
The hatred is sharp. These divisions we experience, in 2021, stem from the perspective poison of being owed. Worse than a child screaming in tantrum’s wake for a toy merely because they can’t have it. Once they get the toy they lose interest and want the next thing they can’t have, yet feel they are owed. You owe me nothing. You don’t owe me understanding. You don’t owe me equality. You don’t owe me justice. You don’t owe me compassion. You don’t owe me your attention of reading my words. If you paid some form of understanding, would it be sincere? If you paid some form of equity, would it have a veil of superiority, since it was you who granted it? If you paid some form of justice, would you feel relief? Or regret? If you paid some form of compassion, would your pity spill into unspoken debt’s messiness? If you paid some form of attention to my words, would they guide or offer a heart shift, or merely temporarily simmer in your frontal cortex until they dissolved? Would temporary mind absorption count as full payment? Owing comes with expectation. Comparatively, to offer a revised concept, hope comes with intention. I hope for understanding. Here we can go beyond mere toleration, and into a realm of deeper connection. I hope for equality. That ensures judgement is a non sequitur when we enter a shared space. I hope for justice. Because justice is one of the hardest to measure or qualify. Humility comes with this hope. What is just? If we intend for justice, then love willing, we might have more room to place all definitions of justice on our social table to survey and sample.
I hope for compassion because we’re all so fu*ked up, and flawed, and seek our place inside belonging. This recognition dwells deep in the well of compassion. Acknowledgement of this reality is so profound I’ll say it again: I hope for compassion because we’re all so fu*ked up and flawed, and seek our place inside belonging. But what of owing to one’s Self? What, if anything, do we owe to our Self? To be realized? Fulfilled? Successful? Accomplished? For many, these are tall unreachable debts. For too many. Some feel lucky just to wake up or make it through another day. Some struggle to feed children, fight cancer, stave addiction. Some feel invisible, ignored, angry, dismissed. Are they owed something? Think about things we once felt we were owed that 2020 into 2021 took away: Our confidence in forever. Our invincibility. Our cockiness that, without thought, we’re able to hop on a plane to vacation in Hawaii. Or go to a concert. Or hug a friend. Or eat in a restaurant without worry that we might get sick. Maybe even die. The ignorance we once basked in covering a truth of people we thought we knew who revealed vastly different values than yours. Or mine. That we can send our kids to school to learn, socialize, or fulfill a socially-trauma-free childhood. Rationality. Civility. Discourse. Science. Facts. Governance. At one time we may have negligently thought we were owed these things. Do we still feel this way? I reject the notion of owing anything to anyone for any reason. I consider the source of who is the debtor, and who is the creditor: Humankind. We are capable of everything. We are capable of nothing. We are cosmic. We are hapless. We are fragile.
We are resilient. We are trapped. We are free. We are afraid. We are courageous. We are obligation-destitute. We are experiential-wealthy. We are limitless within human confines of limitation. Little to no inspiration exists in the realm of obligation. What if the shift of obligation moved to intention? How can we make room for, or allow imagination, if shackled by debts we don’t understand? Who knows what we can create, or discover, if we were somehow able to wipe away the inherent debt of what we owe, and instead provided a clean slate of silence? Or stillness? What if we were encouraged to explore that expectation-free, obligation-empty, liminal place where potential is most fertile and alive? Could we pay homage towards life’s nuanced experiential-coffers instead? *** Janna Lopez is an intuitive book coach, creative writing teacher with a MFA, and published author of Me, My Selfie & Eye. She’s completing her second and third books: one, a collection of poetry, and the other, The Art & Invitation of Self-Conversation - Writing That Moves You Beyond Fear to Freedom based on her work with hundreds of clients. She leads creative writing retreats in Santa Fe, New Mexico, through Land of Enchantment Writing. www.landofenchantmentwriting.com.
2nd “Ask Me”
BY JOE COOKE My father simply spills out of my mouth from time to time, causing me great embarrassment. I hadn’t seen Dan in twenty years, and he had barely changed in all that time, while I have gone from a robust forty-something to a bald old version of Joe Sr., who, in fact, died just a few years ago with a full head of wavy white hair. I said to Dan, “You haven’t changed a bit!” And then the ghost of my father piped in, “Because you were an old guy when I met you!” I could have crawled under the table and died. Dan was speaking to us about this idea he’s been researching called Naikan, which is a Japanese form of guided introspection based on pondering three questions about the effects a person has had on your life: What did I receive from this person? What did I return to this person? What troubles, worries, unhappiness did I cause this person? And purposefully avoiding any consideration of the troubles and difficulties that person caused to you. It’s CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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much like the twelve-step program and many others that take this even one step further to making amends. Dan graciously avoided my blurt. As a leadership coach, even after twenty years, he still knows me and the demons I struggle with. He has walked with me and guided me in the dark recesses of my psyche, and even though it was only for a few days, they were revealing days. I owe Dan a debt of gratitude I can never repay. His work with me changed my life, and it wasn’t overnight change, or hyped-up-Tony-Robbins superficial change, it was deep, lasting, slow, sometimes tedious transition that began with awareness and has never ended. Asking questions about what I believe and how I might be a better person has become ingrained into my soul. As for my father, he was my world when I was younger, despite the physical and verbal abuse. I had nothing to compare that to. I got my college degrees, three of them, to please him, mostly. I sacrificed my own dreams and aspirations to please my mom and to assuage her fears, to provide for my family and to not take visible risks, to be respectable and ordinary. When she died, I felt a great sense of relief for both of us. She suffered in her last years, more than she did being married to my misogynistic, overbearing, disrespectful father, and I can hardly compare my mental anguish with the physical abuse that many children experience, but still, my upbringing did not engender me with a success mindset. My family was poor and first-generation college graduates. My uncle used to say to me, “Hey there, Joey, I see you’re still taking those ugly pills, ha ha ha!” He passed away recently and his widow posted something about how she would miss his witty comments. I have only recently begun to see myself as a handsome man, a competent man, and a loving, empathetic partner. I felt no sense of relief when my father died. A year before COVID, he came down with a respiratory virus that was going around the assisted living facility. He was 89 years old. I was recovering from a bone marrow transplant and should never have gone into that hospital, but it was my last chance to see him. He didn’t even know I was there. I came down with pneumonia and was not able to attend the memorial service or funeral. I was one of the four siblings that recommended he be placed in a care facility. He wanted to stay in the farmhouse he built with his own hands. He wrote me out of his will before he died.
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What did I return to this person? What troubles, worries, unhappiness did I cause this person? I am not yet ready to answer these. I know from past experience though, that I must in order to move on and to receive the gift that has been presented to me. I still hold it here, in my hands, unopened. Naikan. Introspection. And a few lines from William Stafford: Some time when the river is ice ask me… *** I write fiction and non-fiction, but what they have in common is my desire to inspire and entertain, in order to make your life better. My non-fiction is based on a lifetime of studying the fundamentals of meaningful personal accomplishment and my fiction is just pure fun.
3rd “What We Owe One Another: a Spiritual Perspective” BY JACKSON BUCKLEY
I miss the idea of a father more than I do the old man. When I was younger, we would golf together, sometimes fish, less often hunt. He bragged to his golfing buddies about my law degree and my CPA, but shut up as soon as someone asked him what kind of law I practiced. Mom was a teacher. I am a college professor. I built a charter school in rural Washington. He opposed that. Opposed my lifestyle. Opposed my divorce, even though he had cheated on mom many times, and she knew it. Children of the depression, they did not discuss such things. Ever. With anyone. So, today my father bubbled out of me, and I am ashamed. Like a small child hiding behind the couch, cowering, and Dan asks us three questions: What did I receive from this person?
I believe that happiness—and not just happiness but profound, unabating bliss—is our birthright. Let me explain. When we are born, I believe that we are born into a singular, undivided consciousness which simultaneously contains all beings. This is spoken of in spiritual traditions as oneness, Christ consciousness, Nirvana, and various other names. You can see this sometimes in infants and small children, who seem so bedazzlingly open as to puzzle the adult. When the child laughs, they do not laugh with the reserve which dampens the laughter of their elders; they laugh as though the world itself is delightful, the laugh emitting from some source within the earth and passing through them. Similarly, when young children cry, they cry as though the pain is overwhelming; there is no self-consciousness about the pain, no guardedness against experience. So what happens to this undifferentiated, and therefore interconnected, consciousness?
In your own life, you can probably remember primary experiences of trauma, experiences in which you were palpably separated from those around you. Perhaps this separation came in the form of racialized trauma, the teaching that you looked different from your community and, concomitantly, that there was something wrong with you; perhaps it was other forms of exclusion, such as your gender, your intellect, your self-expression, or any other of infinite dimensions along which we can be individualized. Necessarily, this exclusion also came with some form of judgement, the feeling that there was something “bad” or “wrong” with you, the reason for your pain. In response to these foundational experiences, you formed a self. The self is a construct which seeks to regain the boundless pleasure of undifferentiated consciousness, precisely by denying the “truths” which have been used to exclude us. For instance, if an environment has told us that we are not intelligent enough to belong, then a self arises which seeks to prove itself intelligent; doing this, the subconscious hope is that the comfort and peace which pre-existed the judgement will return. To use a different example, if the self-forming message is that one is overweight, then a self emerges whose goal is to lose weight, to fit a predefined cultural image, in order that the self itself can disappear—in other words, in order that one can remerge with the collective, the site of peace children know so well. It is not that the self is problematic—in fact, all of the literature and other art we humans have created recounts and explores the travails of the self, a canon of both great beauty and incredible diversity. However, it is important to note that the project of selfhood itself is doomed. Never in your life will you become “intelligent” enough that all self-doubt is removed; similarly, never in your life will the “perfect” body be attained, such that all worries about appearance vanish. There will be no perfect racial community in which to house your interiorized inferiority, no perfect relationship to quell your fears that you cannot adequately fulfill the role of partner. And so on and so forth. This being the case, peace is found through relinquishing the project of selfhood as a whole, which is to say recognizing that that project lives within the unending equanimity to which we are inheritors. Just as the child laughing with the glory of existence, just as
that same child crying when existence hurts, we ourselves are products of this undifferentiated, inarguable peace and love—regardless of whether we feel it in all moments, no matter how far we may stray from this awareness in any given behavior. What I have described in this paragraph can double as a description of faith itself. And so what do we “owe” one another? Knowing that we are products of an unassailable bliss, but knowing simultaneously that the embodied experience is one of straying from that bliss, how can we help one another not only to enjoy, but to celebrate existence? First off, we need to remember that all selfhood is conditional and, in that respect, that every circum-
stance bears gratitude. If we have been fortunate enough to attain the kind of awareness I describe in this essay, then that awareness itself is the consequence of our life’s circumstances; as such, we can no more take responsibility for it than we can take responsibility for being born. This being the case, we recognize simultaneously that everyone else’s awareness is a product of their circumstances, too; as such, it becomes obvious that our duty is to help liberate everyone else from suffering, rather than judge them for wherever they may meet us along their path. Political considerations arise from this simple observation that trauma and awareness are unevenly distributed. Second, and perhaps paradoxically, we need to recognize that the self’s journey is as beautiful and revelatory as it is troublesome. For instance, suppose someone has been born into a body that is frail and that lifelong illness is a portion of this person’s lot. Well, from the perspective of singular consciousness, doesn’t this lifelong illness generate another experience which that consciousness then gets to explore? This being the case, doesn’t the person’s existence add to the whole in a way that no other life could accomplish? Once we see that the purpose of every experience is for divine consciousness to understand itself, we see also that there are in fact no “problems” in life, that even the origin of the self in trauma is something to be revered, something to be wished for. Without that separation through trauma, there could be no experience at all. Holding these two teachings simultaneously—on the one hand wanting to help others, but on the other knowing that help is not necessary—we teach, as it were, with a light hand, offering our services as a gift, but more out of reverence and humility than out of ego. What we offer, we offer through our very gaze, our very being, and if others are not yet ready for nor interested in this offer… then that is fine. In this way, we embrace both our role as individualized beings with our own minute struggles, dreams, and personalities; and the divine consciousness which made that individuality possible in the first place. What we owe one another, is precisely the awareness of what we are. *** A Santa Fe native, Jackson Buckley currently teaches English at Santa Fe Prep. He enjoys hiking, meditating, reading, writing, and yoga.
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BUILDING TRADES UNION ENDORSES PNM/AVANGRID MERGER The New Mexico Building & Construction Trades Council consisting of 15 construction craft unions representing more than 11,000 people, has unanimously endorsed the proposed PNM/Avangrid merger. There is more at stake in the Public Regulation Commission’s decision on the merger than was stated in the recommendation decision. Approval means New Mexico’s workforce will continue to be gainfully employed well into the future as we aggressively and boldly transition to clean and reliable energy resources. It is our view that our state’s economy, our workforce, and our livelihoods should have been given significantly more consideration. Instead, the unfortunate recommendation focused on thinly founded supposition aimed at the globally acclaimed utility, Avangrid. Little, if anything was even mentioned or considered regarding the actual performance, safety record, or the opportunities that our communities or our workforce will have to thrive and grow with this new collaboration. This merger, in addition to jobs, means partnership with local communities, training and career paths that keep New Mexicans employed and in New Mexico. When you look at Avangrid’s history in the Northeast, it’s evident that customer service and reliability are their number one commitment. Our members are the people who will provide that reliability. Avangrid invests in a safe, well-trained and dependable workforce. When powerlines go down, a severe storm hits or another incident happens that causes electrical outages, it’s our members that are on the front line ensuring New Mexicans have the critical power sources available, usually without a second thought. New Mexico’s and our members’ futures are now in the Public Regulation Commission’s hands. We encourage you to think of our state’s workforce, who, with our new partners, are ready, willing and able to improve on delivering the reliable, efficient service New Mexico deserves. Please vote yes, and let’s move forward into a brighter future for all New Mexicans.
Courtenay Eichhorst is President of the New Mexico Building Trades Council.
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HALF-BROKE, ALL RICH Fingers crossed your out-of-town buds are still hanging around post-Thanksgiving, because this is one of those magical Santa Fe weeks wherein going out (fully vaccinated and fully masked) means seeing friends, drinking heartily and trying to forget just how much you scarfed down the other day. For a certain set, this could—and should—mean a sojourn to Tiny’s, where the honky-tonk-meets-Americana stylings of Half-Broke Horses means a melange of acoustic guitars, danceable beats and Tecate cans served up on the cheap. Think about how lucky we are to still have neighborhood watering holes around here, then think about how your two-step could be the envy of all the other dancers should you nail it just right. (Alex De Vore) Half-Broke Horses: 7 pm Thursday, Dec. 2. Free Tiny’s Restaurant & Lounge, 1005 S St. Francis Drive (505) 983-9817
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PERFORMANCE MULITPLE DAYS CONNECTION TROUBLES Yes, we as a society have moved past “phone bad” analyses, but surely there’s still something to be said about how the distractions of modern life, including social media and alcohol, can interfere with genuine human connection. #UnderTheInfluence is a dark comedy opening at the Santa Fe Playhouse that follows two sisters—an influencer and an unemployed alcoholic who are the daughters of the first mommy blogger—who star in a reality TV show anchored to their tragic childhood. “It’s really about relationships and how individual people are wading through this new reality that’s only going to get more and more amplified,” playwright Kristin Goodman tells SFR. (Bella Davis) #UnderTheInfluence: 7:30 pm Thursday, Dec. 2-Saturday, Dec. 4 2 pm Sunday, Dec. 5. $15-$25 Santa Fe Playhouse, 142 E De Vargas St. (505) 988-4262
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MUSIC MON/6 HOME IS WHERE THE YOU IS Feels like only a pick-of-the-week-ago we were talking about being home for the holidays, and now you can feel all the...whatever you feel when it comes to that with a special performance from the Santa Fe Symphony. Huzzah! Pop by the Club at Las Campanas for the aptly titled Home for the Holidays event, part of the org’s 38th season and a bit of the ol’ Christmas jamz (probably sans-Mariah Carey) replete with sparkling wine, a gourmet dinner, special gift certificate drawings and host David Felberg. We don’t know the guy, but we hear he’s magic. Thus, even if you’re one of those humbug types, you can surely pull it together for one night in the name of the warm feeling in your belly. Pricy? You bet, but Santa Fe deserves a symphony, dammit, and it’s up to the richies to keep it alive. (ADV) Santa Fe Symphony: Home for the Holidays: 6 pm Monday, Dec. 6. $200. The Club at Las Campanas 132 Clubhouse Drive, (505) 995-3500
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Water. Earth. Fire. Air.
Everything changed when Just Say It brought nature to the stage. Those ensconced in the Santa Fe community theater scene are surely familiar with Just Say It’s nonlinear, existentialist-themed shows. Here experimental theater fans will find a home, and it’s likely you’ll find yourself reacting like that Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme every time you identify another of the company’s interwoven themes. Helmed by co-artistic directors Dale Dunn and Lynn Goodwin, Just Say It is back with a double-billing titled Forces of Nature opening through the New Mexico Actor’s Lab (1213 Parkway Drive, (505) 395-6576), and if the troupe has anything to say about it, you can bet on these forces of nature resulting in major monologuing. Avalanche!, written by Leslie Dillen and directed by consummate local theater champ Kent Kirkpatrick, follows a former ski champion trapped in post-avalanche air pocket with minutes to live. A mysterious presence joins her, asking her to re-examine the past. As the clock ticks down and the air runs out, our heroine perhaps discovers a spirituality previously untapped. “Some plays take a lot longer to get where they’re going than you think they will,” Dillen says. “[A few years] ago, I... discovered that my life and spiritual experiences could bring new focus to the play—a theatricalization of a spiritual experience.”
Whereas Avalanche! focuses on a deeply personal (but, thankfully, fictional) experience, Sworn to Water, written by co-founder Dunn, and which she co-directed with Goodwin, leans more into biography. Dunn’s play steps into poet Lorine Niedecker’s world, who proved to have a major creative career despite the the rural Midwest’s isolation and probably a strong case of the winter blues (sorry Niedecker, no SAD lamps yet). The real Niedecker often wrote about waterscapes, hence the title. “I was in a bit of a panic at first [when writing]. A play about a poet?” Dunn explains. “But as I did my research, I found Niedecker’s story heartbreaking. I was struck by how Niedecker turns to her surroundings to see her through rough times.” Look, you could just sit at home this weekend or you can return to work on Monday with the superior reminder you’ve seen kick-ass one-act experimental plays. Take that, uncultured coworkers. (Riley Gardner) FORCES OF NATURE: AN EVENING OF TWO ONE-ACT PLAYS
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7 pm Thursday, Dec. 2. $15-$25. New Mexico Actor’s Lab 1213 Parkway Drive justsayittheater.com •
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THE CALENDAR Want to see your event listed here? We’d love to hear from you. Send notices via email to calendar@sfreporter.com. Make sure you include all the pertinent details such as location, time, price and so forth. It helps us out greatly. Submission doesn’t guarantee inclusion.
ONGOING ART 2021 ABSTRACT INTERNATIONAL Nuart Gallery 670 Canyon Road (505) 988-3888 Featuring abstract works by Beverly Kedzoir, Emilio Lobato, Joseph Ostraff, Willy Bo Richardson and Judy Woods. All day, free ANIMAL PORTRAITS: THE OTHER WORLD photo-eye Gallery 1300 Rufina Circle, Ste. A3 (505) 988-5152 x202 Images from represented artist and photographer Brad Wilson, celebrating his newly released book of the same name. All day, free EXPOSURE: NATIVE ART AND POLITICAL ECOLOGY IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts 108 Cathedral Place (505) 983-8900 Works showcasing how nuclear weapons affect Natives. 10 am-4 pm, $5-$10 BULLSEYE GLASS: FUSED GLASS Bullseye Glass 805 Early St. (505) 467-8951 There’s something about fancy glass that gets us going, isn’t there? Check out Bullseye’s first holiday sale for in-house crafted fused glassworks. Shiny stuff, sparkly stuff—it’s all there, folks. All day, Tues-Sun, free
“Eclipse 1” by Marietta Patricia part of Sense Memories, opening Friday, Dec 3 at the Center For Contemporary Arts.
GO WEST SAID A SMALL VOICE New Mexico Museum of Art 107 W Palace Ave. (505) 476-5072 Ever thought “wow I’m loving landscape paintings today, this would be great if I could top it off with not-scary marionettes?” Dearest reader, your dreams have come true. 10 am-5 pm, $0-$12
HELEN PASHGIAN: PRESENCES SITE Santa Fe 1606 Paseo de Peralta (505) 989-1199 An exhibition celebrating Pashgian’s contributions to the Light and Space art movement of the 1960s and her technical prowess as an innovator in her medium of industrial plastic. All day, free
ILONA PACHLER: UNRAVELED 5. Gallery 2351 Fox Road, Ste. 700 (505) 257-8417 An ephemeral installation expressing a female interpretation of classical Greek mythologies and monsters. Sculptures using string, twine, thread and rope lead the way through the labyrinth. Noon-5 pm, Thurs-Sat, free
MIND THE GAP Strata Gallery 418 Cerrillos Road, Ste. 1C (505) 780-5403 A two-person exhibition by New Mexico-based artists David Olivant and Jennifer Van. Olivant’s Retrogylphs reinvent characters and imagery from earlier sculptures, while Van’s photography centers on emotional expression. All day, free
MOUNTAINS & SKY TAI Modern 1601 Paseo de Peralta (505) 984-1387 A homage to the high desert landscape via Japanese and American vessel makers, painters and sculptors that remind the viewers of the rugged and natural elements. All day, free MUSEUM OF ENCAUSTIC ART EXHIBITION Museum of Encaustic Art 18 County Road 55A, Cerrillos (505) 424-6487 A selection of over 100 featured artist’s work from the past decade of Encaustic Arts’ magazine publication. Artists span America, Canada and parts of Europe. All day, $10 NATIVE AMERICAN NACIMIENTOS Adobe Gallery 221 Canyon Road (505) 955-0550 Nativity scenes (or crèches) have been popular in Europe since the 15th century. This spread to Native communities in New Mexico, and by the ‘70s new varieties and styles were emerging. Check out this collection from various pueblos and eras. All day, free LAND CRAFT THEATRE SITE Santa Fe 1606 Paseo de Peralta (505) 989-1199 Joanna Keane Lopez is a multidisciplinary artist whose work brings together contemporary sculpture, adobe architecture and land sourced practices as a reimagining of landscape and place. All day, free SMALL WORKS Susan Eddings Pérez Galley 717 Canyon Road (505) 477-4ART Artist Susan Eddings Perez has been working on artworks to nestle into the smaller intimate spaces of a room, resulting in plaster-like applications mixed with a variety of elements including gold leaf. All day, free THE BEDROOM PICTURES | THE SOURCE Keep Contemporary 142 Lincoln Ave. (505) 557-9574 Danish-American painter Zienna Brunsted Stewart and Bulgarianborn painter Simona Ruscheva. All day, free
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THREE ON THE TREE | PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES Smoke the Moon 101 Marcy St., Ste. 23 Solo show by sculptor and painter Matthew Rosenquist and a group show celebrating all the cool things about transportation. Local and international artists featured. All day, free WE WENT WILD IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts 108 Cathedral Place (505) 983-8900 An exhibition of emerging students in the Institute of American Indian Arts’ (IAIA) BFA programs. All day, $5-$10 WINTER SCENE Kay Contemporary Art 600 Canyon Road (505) 365-3992 Artwork inspired by the coldbut-sorta-pretty season. Rick Stevens is a Santa Fe artist who draws his inspiration from the beautiful New Mexico winter landscape. All day, free SEASONS OF CEREMONIES: RITES AND RITUALS IN GUATEMALA AND MEXICO Peyton Wright Gallery 237 E Palace Ave. (505) 989-9888 A photography series featuring Mesoamerican villages and their rituals. All day, free
EVENTS IAIA 2021 HOLIDAY ART MARKET Online bit.ly/31fcWeR Virtual participating artists include Ishkoten Dougi (Navajo/Jicarilla Apache), Lorraine Lewis (Laguna Pueblo/Taos/Hopi), Adrian Wall (Jemez Pueblo), Jennifer Powless (Oneida/Navajo) and many more talented folks. All day, free
WED/1 EVENTS WORLD AIDS DAY COMMEMORATION Railyard Park 740 Cerrillos Road (505) 316-3596 A gathering to commemorating people who have passed on, supporting those living with HIV today and celebrating victories in treatment. 5:30-7 pm, free HOTLINE BINGO Desert Dogs Brewery and Cidery 112 W San Francisco St., Ste. 307 (505) 983-0134 Joy to the world, Hotline Bingo is now every week! $2 per round, A5 yourself to neverending victory or sulk in defeat. The choice is yours. 7 pm, $2-$10
PEOPLE AND PLANTS: INTRODUCTORY ETHNOBOTANY Santa Fe Botanical Garden 715 Lejo St. (505) 471-9103 Join knowledgeable and enthusiastic Garden docents to learn all about the local botany and the people's relations to them. Free with admission. 1 pm, $7-$10 WALDORF SCHOOL HOLIDAY AUCTION Online bit.ly/315HRur Bid on vacation homes (uh, wow, okay), jewelry, art and the rest of the world’s offerings. All day, free
FILM LFG Lensic Performing Arts Center 211 W. San Francisco St. (505) 988-1234 A documentary screening profiling the Women's US Soccer Team and their fight for equal pay. Followed by a panel discussion on gender equity. 7 pm, free
MUSIC DOUG MONTGOMERY Fenix at Vanessie 427 W Water St. (505) 982-9966 Montgomery is a master of piano keys. Hear him roar. 6:30 pm, free JOHN FRANCIS & THE POOR CLARES La Reina at El Rey Court 1862 Cerrillos Road (505) 982-1931 Old favorites, clever rhythms and new lovable storytelling songs. 8 pm, free
WORKSHOP ART OF DECORATIVE KNOT TYING Make Santa Fe 2879 All Trades Road (505) 819-3502 An introduction to sailor’s decorative knot-tying. Learn to identify lanyards, plaits, chains, sinnits, turk’s heads, mats and hitching—that's right, just like in your Scouting days, without the constant fear of bear attacks. 5-7:30 pm, $45
THU/2 BOOKS/LECTURES BOOK SIGNING: PEGGY VAN HULSTEYN Las Soleras 5011 Las Soleras Drive (575) 592-4838 Meet and greet van Hulsteyn, author of The Art of Murder, which is filled with Santa Fe characters, evil scientists and politicians, not all of whom live to the end. Go off Peggy. 2-4 pm, free
THE CALENDAR EVENTS HOLIDAY JEOPARDY Online bit.ly/2ZBtn4H Watch Santa Fe personalities go for gold in this Jeopardy-style competition. 5:30 pm, free
MUSIC HALF BROKE HORSES Tiny's Restaurant & Lounge 1005 S St. Francis Drive (505) 983-9817 Honky-tonk and Americana play at Tiny's but come with a big sound. (see SFR picks, page 15) 7-10 pm, free NOSOTROS Fenix at Vanessie 427 W Water St. (505) 982-9966 Local favorite Latin band Nosotros takes over Fenix. 6:30 pm, free
SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA Salsa Navidad tuesday, december 7 I 7:30 pm Lensic Performing Arts Center Presented through the generosity of Ann Murphy Daily and William W. Daily
THEATER FORCES OF NATURE: AN EVENING OF ONE-ACT PLAYS The Lab Theater 1213 Parkway Drive justsayittheater.com Two one-act plays: Avalanche! by Leslie Dillen and Sworn to Water by Dale Dunn, both exploring the ways nature affects us and how we think. (see SFR picks, page 15). 7 pm, $15-$25 #UNDERTHEINFLUENCE Santa Fe Playhouse 142 E De Vargas St. (505) 988-4262 Premiere of Kristin Goodman's #UnderTheInfluence, a dark comedy exploring the modern digital culture of social media and the search for meaning. Sounds like our lives. 7:30-9 pm, $15-$25
WORKSHOP THE HEALING CIRCLE SANTA FE Unitarian Universalist Congregation 107 W Barcelona Road bit.ly/3I1PB15 Get reconnected to your spirutal center. Join a vibrant community where you can come and talk about what’s hard in life. 6-8 pm, free
There’s no easing you in with Spanish Harlem Orchestra —they come at you full force from start to finish. Led by pianist Oscar Hernández, this three-time Grammy Award-winning Latin jazz band sets the gold standard for excellence in authentic, New York-style, hard-core salsa.
tickets start at $35 performancesantafe.org I 505 984 8759
FRI/3 ART MARIETTA PATRICIA LEIS: SENSE MEMORIES Center For Contemporary Arts 1050 Old Pecos Trail (505) 982-1338 Informed by her journeys and imbued with a sense of place, Leis’ work is situated in the vortex of light, color, minimalism and expression. All day, free
bringing the world to a stage near you The Lensic Performing Arts Center will require that all persons attending events at the theater provide proof of full vaccination or the results of a negative Covid test taken within the previous 72 hours to gain admittance.
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CHRISTOPHER WALSH
With Santa Fe Improv Artistic Director Adrian Wallen
WORLD AIDS DAY
COMMEMORATION
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 5:30 pm SANTA FE RAILYARD PARK
The public is invited to a Candlelight Commemoration honoring the 33rd Annual World AIDS Day Join us as people around the world unite to show support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
Warm cider, cookies and candles will be provided. more info: southwestcare.org
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Improv is one of those comedy forms that rides a particularly precarious line. When it’s good, it can be transcendent, but with no plan or script to adhere to, the chance to descend into the disastrously unfunny looms at every turn. For a guy like Santa Fe Improv Artistic Director Adrian Wallen, though, improv can be a high stakes art form. Wallen’s got more than two decades under his belt, including training at the famed Second City, experience with Albuquerque’s Box Theater and a stint with New Mexico’s first-ever improv theater Gorilla Tango. As Santa Fe Improv gears up for a string of upcoming Friday shows (like Santa Fe Improv Presents: An Improv Comedy Show: 7:30 pm Friday, Dec. 3. $15. Santa Fe Improv, 1202 Parkway Drive, santafeimprov.com)—and continues offering classes in differing styles for adults and kids of all experience levels—we caught up with Wallen to learn why we should say ‘yes, and...’ (Alex De Vore) Improv can be one of those things that divides comedy fans. How would you convince a n00b to take a chance in seeing a show? I think that what you’re really watching when you see an improv show is people accepting each other’s ideas unconditionally. It might not even be the humor you’re going for, it’s just this atmosphere of love and acceptance. If somebody comes out onstage and decides to be a dinosaur, immediately the other person is going to be a character in Jurassic Park. It’s the support of ideas that can be exciting to see, especially with a lot of what we go through in society. Everybody is there, and they’re all there together. I would also say that spontaneous creative energy you’re witnessing onstage is really infectious. You feel closer to it than you would as an audience member at a standup show. People aren’t just telling jokes to you, they’re crafting a show based on your suggestions. There’s kind of this experience of, ‘We’re all watching this together. We’re all watching this come together in the moment.’
There’s that old improv axiom about always saying ‘yes, and…’ What do you think draws comedy lovers to improv performance themselves and why should we say ‘yes, and…?’ I think it’s because you’re opening up creative possibilities you might not discover yourself. By just openly accepting these ideas and by ‘yes, and-ing’ those ideas, what you’re doing is moving the scene and the creativity forward one step at a time. There’s a theory in improv called discovery. ‘Yes’ is to watch the discovery happen, to watch where the scene goes and what’s created out of that. It’s pretty magical watching that be assembled. Have you ever seen those speed painters where they’re going to do a whole thing in two minutes, but the first minute and a half you don’t know what it is? It’s only right at the end when you say, ‘Oh my God, that’s a portrait of JFK, and I only recognize it now!’ There’s that moment at the end where it all comes together, and the totality of what’s created is really impressive. It’s kind of that reveal of the scene that’s created, which is really satisfying—watching that discovery unfold. What’s satisfying with the audience is watching the actors struggle with these choices and making those decisions in real time. If I’m doing a scene with somebody, and I learn throughout the course of the scene that maybe I’m an escaped convict and I’m running from the law, I didn’t know that when the scene started, but the audience gets to watch me develop into that character. It’s kind of observing that transformation, which is really fun. You get a suggestion from the audience and they give you something like ‘bakery’ or ‘fire department,’ you see how people take that and run with it. What’s something you’ve learned through improv that you carry with you and implement in your daily life? As chaotic as scenes can be with all this information being added—and especially being up onstage in front of other people literally making things up as you go along—there can be a tendency to panic. Improv really is an exercise in staying calm, listening to what your partner is saying and ‘yes, and-ing…’ the last thing that was said. I take this into my life because life can be really overwhelming. When we have a lot of things to do and we’re going through transitions, I take that improv lesson to stay calm, listen to people and just try and do one thing at a time. But I also want to just give a simpler answer: It’s truly listening to people and being present in the moment, and that has been so true for me. I’ve got shows booked coming up the next three Fridays...I’m trying not to panic. It can sound cliché, but improv has a lot in common with jazz. When you’re watching something being created in front of you, when those moments go well; when everything aligns, there’s nothing like it.
EN T ER EV ENTS AT SFREPORTER.COM/CAL
MIND THE GAP: OPENING RECEPTION Strata Gallery 418 Cerrillos Road, Ste. 1C (505) 780-5403 Sometimes hearing from the artist themselves the art that much sweeter. 5-7 pm, free OPEN HOUSE Liquid Light Glass Gallery and Studio 926 Baca St., Ste. 3 (505) 820-2222 Creations by 9 glass artists, including Elodie Holmes, Mitch Berg and Cia Thorne. Pieces from Jerry Silverstein collection on sale to benefit New Mexico Glass Alliance. 4-7:30 pm, free PORTRAITS OF PALAWAN New Mexico Military Museum 1050 Old Pecos Trail (505) 476-1479 Featuring artwork by the late Don Thomas Schloat, a Bataan prisoner-of-war. T.S. Botkin, a local filmmaker, discusses their upcoming documentary A Long March. 5:30-7:30 pm, free (please donate) WINTER SCENE: OPENING RECEPTION Kay Contemporary Art 600 Canyon Road (505) 365-3992 Winter would be a perfect season if it meant we could watch the snow from inside and the days didn’t feel like 17 minutes. Thankfully we have winter art and artists. 4-7 pm, free RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW: IMAGES AND WORDS IN REAL TIME El Zaguán 545 Canyon Road (505) 982-0016 A combination of Jack Stark Dudzik's bold landscapes and Sarah Stark’s simple line drawings and narrative verse. All day, free
BOOKS/LECTURES REFLECTIONS ACROSS AN HISTORIC TRAIL Online bit.ly/31cd1ja Historic Santa Fe Foundation hosts this lecture by Dr. Frances Levine, focusing on that long long long trail that began in Missouri and ended in the place where we all drink a little too much now—downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. 2 pm, $10 AUTHOR TALK: TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS AND FAZAL SHEIKH Online bit.ly/3leZKh9 Join Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse virtually for a talk with authors Williams and Sheikh about their new book The Moon Is Behind Us, which details the correspondence between these two activists during the COVID-19 pandemic. 6 pm, free
EVENTS CANYON ROAD FIRESIDE CHAT: ARTIST SERIES Canyon Road Contemporary Art 622 Canyon Road (505) 983-0433 Walk Canyon Road and enjoy farolitos, bonfires, music and refreshments while chatting with renown artists. 4-7 pm, free FIRST FRIDAY Lena Street Lofts 1600 Lena St. (505) 984-1921 Artists and designers, shopkeepers and gallery owners offer an open house afternoon to the public at the Lena Street Lofts. 3-6 pm, free WINTERFEST WEEKEND Los Alamos bit.ly/3p8g4S1 Curious about the community of Los Alamos beyond the obvious? Check out their weekend fest for various activities to see the creative cool stuff going on in the little town up there. Check the link above for the full schedule of the many activities. All day, free
FILM SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER (1492–NOW) AND SAY HER NAME IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts 108 Cathedral Place (505) 983-8900 Screenings and filmmaker Q&A's. Both films address the critical issues of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. 3-6 pm, $5-$10
FOOD NATIVE COMMUNITY FOOD DISTRIBUTION Santa Fe Indigenous Center 1420 Cerrillos Road (505) 660-4210 Free food, clothing and other items for Indigenous folks in need. 11 am, free
MUSIC BLUE RHAPSODY Fenix at Vanessie 427 W Water St. (505) 982-9966 No, this isn't the best flavor of Jolly Rancher but perhaps is the best flavor of piano duos in town. Double the tunes, double the fun, maybe double the wine? That’s up to you. 6:30 pm, free SONGS OF SOLACE AND JOY First Presbyterian Church 208 Grant Ave. (505) 982-8544 From Santa Fe's Balkan ensemble, the Sevda Choir. Enter by donation at the door. Cash, Venmo or check only. 7:30 pm, $15-$20
THE CALENDAR TGIF CONCERT First Presbyterian Church 208 Grant Ave. (505) 982-8544 Chancel Bells: music for Christmas. 5:30 pm, free
THEATER FORCES OF NATURE: AN EVENING OF ONE-ACT PLAYS The Lab Theater 1213 Parkway Drive justsayittheater.com More forces, more nature, more wow for the theater crowd. 7 pm, $15-$25 AN IMPROV COMEDY SHOW Santa Fe Improv 1202 Parkway Drive, Ste. A santafeimprov.com See the house team Sibling Rivalry, plus special guests. 7:30 pm, $15 #UNDERTHEINFLUENCE Santa Fe Playhouse 142 E De Vargas St. (505) 988-4262 Modern digital culture, theatrical-style. 7:30-9 pm, $15-$25
WORKSHOP MEDITATION AND MODERN BUDDHISM: LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST Santa Fe Community Yoga Center 826 Camino de Monte Rey (505) 282-5293 Contemplate Buddha’s teachings and overcome discontent. Meditate to deeply understand the value of your life and appreciate the meaning of each moment. 10-11:15 am, $10
SAT/4 ART ELDORADO ARTS AND CRAFTS ASSOCIATION WINTER SHOW Eldorado Community Center 1 Hacienda Loop, Eldorado (505) 466-4248 A wide variety of items for you, yes you, reader! Ceramics, jewelry, paintings, textiles and more. Shop small, shop local. 10 am-4 pm, free OPEN HOUSE Liquid Light Glass Gallery 926 Baca St., Ste. 3 (505) 820-2222 Glass, never brass. Maybe a little brass, we don’t know. But mostly glass. 4-7:30 pm, free MADRID ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARADE Town of Madrid NM-14 and Back Road visitmadridnm.com The holiday season is kicking off down in our favorite little hippy town. See the December sights and sounds and stay for the festive lights. 4 pm, free
CONSUMPTION
Visit one of the first onsite THC consumption bars in America. Our bar features the most incredible edibles and THC infused drinks in the nation to boot! Please come and join us at the Canna Cafe´ in Santa Fe´for a one of a kind experience.
scan
to be cool
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EVENTS ART GLASS: HOLIDAY POP-UP SALE Aldea Community Center 58-A Avenida Aldea (505) 473-2877 Uh, no, we don’t know why there’s so much glass-related stuff going on. But it’s cool, right? Handmade kiln fused decorative glass and serving pieces here! 10 am-4 pm, free ARTWALK SANTA FE Santa Fe Brewing Company 35 Fire Place (505) 424-3333 Featuring 20 New Mexico artists, ornament decorating, live music and food. Noon-6 pm, free HOLIDAY ARTISAN MARKET Currents 826 826 Canyon Road (505) 772-0953 Shop local this holiday season! Check out Currents 826 for this indoor holiday market—expect jewelry, vintage, apparel, pottery, glass, art prints, skincare, rugs, food, drink and more. 11 am-5 pm, free PLACITAS HOLIDAY MARKET Placitas Winery 26 Camino de los Pueblitos Experience a German-style Christkindlmarkt. You—yes you, the person at Iconik reading this now—are invited. Shop and stroll through a mock German town with lavish holiday decorations, arts and crafts vendors, authentic German and European tasty treats and wine. 10 am-5 pm, free SANTA FE ARTISTS MARKET The West Casitas 1612 Alcaldesa St. (505) 310-8766 Living in an artist town means we’re just living from one market to another. It’s how we gain energy and survive. 9 am-2 pm, free SANTA FE FARMERS MARKET Farmers Market Pavilion 1607 Paseo de Peralta (505) 983-7726 Buy some stuff, eat some stuff, tip your buskers and baristas. 8 am-1 pm, free SCIENCE EXPLORATION EVENT Southside Public Library 6599 Jaguar Drive (505) 955-2820 Receive a free science kit with fun activities for students in grades Pre-K to 2nd (while supplies last). On-site activity stations too, plus professionals the kiddos can learn from. (see SFR picks, page 15) 10 am-noon, free SOIL HEALTH CHAMPIONS TOWN HALL Online bit.ly/3p5RZv0 This virtual gathering will be an opportunity to share with peers about the state of the soil here in New Mexico—you know, that think that gives us all our food and keeps us alive. Some people might consider that important. 11:30 am-1 pm, free
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TASTES AND MEMORIES OF THE PAST IN PLACITAS Placitas Community Library 453 Hwy. 165, Placitas (505) 867-3355 Join Mrs. Ora Correa, the oldest living heir of the original 21 families of the San Antonio de las Huertas Land GrantMerced. Plus tastes and smells of Christmas past. Biscochitos, empanaditas and pan dulces! 2 pm, free VINTAGE & VINYL POP UP Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery 32 Bisbee Ct. (505) 393-5135 Vintage vendors galore! Vinyl collectors, bring your old unwanted records to swap records while listening to vinyl DJ’s spinning live sets. Cocktails with an old world twist, too. 3 pm-7 pm, free (minus the stuff you pay for, mind you)
MUSIC A WINTER DAY St. Bede's Episcopal Church 550 W. San Mateo (505) 982-1133 The premiere of American composer Katie Kring’s The End and the Beginning. 4 pm, $25 AL ROGERS Fenix at Vanessie 427 W Water St. (505) 982-9966 Piano tunes with our pal Al. 6:30 pm, free
THEATER CONSIDER THIS... Santa Fe Improv 1202 Parkway Drive, Ste. A santafeimprov.com A solo 45-minute romp through the pre-history of American theater, from Greek Tragedy to Commedia dell’Arte, clown, buffoon, masks and more. 7 pm, $10-$15 FORCES OF NATURE: AN EVENING OF ONE-ACT PLAYS The Lab Theater 1213 Parkway Drive justsayittheater.com Experimental theater is the new thing, haven’t you heard? Check out two one-act plays where the forces of nature bring out all that introspective stuff. (see SFR picks, page 15) 7 pm, $15-$25 #UNDERTHEINFLUENCE Santa Fe Playhouse 142 E De Vargas St. (505) 988-4262 Get your head out of screens and see a stage show about screens. 7:30-9 pm, $15-$25
WORKSHOP GRAND REVEAL: LIFE DRAWING AT CCA Center For Contemporary Arts 1050 Old Pecos Trail (505) 982-1338 Life drawing class—all skill levels welcome. Please bring your own supplies dry art supplies. 10 am-1 pm, $10
DECEMBER DECEMBER 1-7, 1-7, 2021 2021 •• SFREPORTER.COM SFREPORTER.COM
MEISNER TECHNIQUE WORKSHOP Teatro Paraguas 3205 Calle Marie (505) 424-1601 Open to students at all levels. Learn about Meisner's approach to acting by working on and being thoroughly introduced to some of his core acting tools. Noon-4 pm, free
SUN/5
MON/6 DANCE SANTA FE SWING Odd Fellows Hall 1125 Cerrillos Road Classes start at 7 pm, open dance at 8 pm. Vaccinated folks only, please. Bring proof of vaccination on your first visit, then swing the night away. 7 pm, $3-$8
MUSIC SANTA FE SYMPHONY: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS The Club at Las Campanas 132 Clubhouse Drive symphony@santafesymphony A festive evening of food, music and the potential for holiday joy. (see SFR picks, page 15) 6 pm, $200
TUE/7
DANCE
EVENTS
ART
SHIM-SHAM CLASS AND OPEN SWING DANCING Dance Station at Solana Center 947-B W Alameda St. (505) 989-9788 Learn (or brush up) swing's most well known line dance, the Frankie Manning way! Stick around post-class to practice your newly-acquired dance powers. Vax proof required! 5:30-7:30 pm, $10
QUEER NIGHT La Reina at El Rey Court 1862 Cerrillos Road (505) 982-1931 A night to celebrate Santa Fe queer communities and all their allies, with drinks from the bar, of course. Meet new peoples and learn just how diverse our community is. Pride is perfect here. 5-11 pm, free
CELEBRATION OF COLOR FANTASY Placitas Community Library 453 Hwy. 165, Placitas (505) 867-3355 Presented by Bead Society of New Mexico (which is real thing). Come for bead embroidery, Japanese braiding techniques, gem stone necklaces and beyond. These beads will be sending you. All day, free
WE WENT WILD: PANEL DISCUSSION Online bit.ly/3ptVdZF Panel discussion with We Went Wild artists. 4-5 pm, free
MUSIC FREE SAMPLES Online bit.ly/3o0hpe9 Electronic music and media performances by Santa Fe Community College students. 7 pm, free SALSA NAVIDAD Lensic Performing Arts Center 211 W. San Francisco St. (505) 988-1234 There’s no easing you in with Spanish Harlem Orchestra— they come at you full force. Led by pianist Oscar Hernández, this three-time Grammy Awardwinning Latin jazz band sets the gold standard for excellence in authentic hard-core salsa. 7:30 pm, $35
EVENTS EARTH ECONOMY ART MERCADO Wise Fool New Mexico 1131 Siler Road, Ste. B (505) 992-2588 Give buying, trading and bartering with BIPOC And LGBTQIA+ artists a try. 11 am-2 pm, free
MUSEUMS ADDISON DOTY
THE CALENDAR
MUSIC DOUG MONTGOMERY Fenix at Vanessie 427 W Water St., (505) 982-9966 Piano tunes. When he plays, we're snug as a Doug in a rug. 6:30 pm, free
THEATER CONSIDER THIS... Santa Fe Improv 1202 Parkway Drive, Unit A santafeimprov.com Experience a romp and learn about the history of the buffoon through this solo show. Jesters, clowns and all the strange things about weird entertainment throughout history. 2 pm, $10-$15 FORCES OF NATURE: AN EVENING OF ONE-ACT PLAYS The Lab Theater 1213 Parkway Drive justsayittheater.com Clap for local theater, but also give them money to continue on. (see SFR picks, page 15) 2 pm, $15-$25 #UNDERTHEINFLUENCE Santa Fe Playhouse 142 E De Vargas St. (505) 988-4262 We’ve all used social media as a cheap way to find meaning, importance and community without ever leaving the house. The world is a little complex as a result, and you can see all these feelings on stage without the public humilation via online posts. Isn’t that nice? 2-3:30 pm, $15-$25
Yōkai: Ghosts & Demons of Japan, Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan; ca. 1960
ART VAULT 231 Delgado St. (505) 995-0231 Networked Nature: pioneering approaches to artificial intelligence. 10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sat, free EL MUSEO CULTURAL DE SANTA FE 555 Camino de la Familia (505) 992-0591 Permanent collection. 3-6 pm, Mon, Wed and Fri, free GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM 217 Johnson St. (505) 946-1000 Abstract Nature. 10 am-5 pm, Thurs-Mon $20 MUSEUM OF INDIAN ARTS AND CULTURE 706 Camino Lejo (505) 476-1200 Curator H.P. Mera’s Trip to Navajo Country in 1932; A Place in Clay. 10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sun, $3-$9
MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART 706 Camino Lejo (505) 476-1200 Yokai: Ghosts and Demons of Japan. #mask: Creative Responses to the Global Pandemic. Música Buena: Hispano Folk Music of New Mexico. Multiple Visions: A Common Bond. 10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sun, $3-$12 NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF ART 107 W Palace Ave. (505) 476-5052 Storytellers: Narrative Art and the West. 10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sun, $7-$12 MUSEUM OF SPANISH COLONIAL ART 750 Camino Lejo (505) 982-2226 Trails, Rails and Highways: How Trade Transformed the Art of Spanish New Mexico. 1-4 pm, Wed-Fri, $6
NEW MEXICO MILITARY MUSEUM 1050 Old Pecos Trail (505) 474-1670 New Mexico’s Civil War. 10 am-3 pm, Mon-Fri, free (but donations requested) POEH CULTURAL CENTER 78 Cities of Gold Road (505) 455-5041 Di Wae Powa: A Partnership With the Smithsonian. 9 am-5 pm, Tues-Sun, $7-$10 SANTA FE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 1050 Old Pecos Trail (505) 989-8359 Backyard: Nature Playground. 10 am-6 pm, Tues-Sat, $5-$10 WHEELWRIGHT MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 704 Camino Lejo (505) 982-4636 Shonto Begay: Eyes of the World. 10 am-4 pm, Tues-Sat, $8
S FR E P O RTE R .CO M / ARTS
It’s Slobberin’ Time! BY ALEX DE VORE a l e x @ s f r e p o r t e r. c o m
I
n the opening pages of newly-released comic Thud from artist Bryan Odiamar, a semi-autobiographical and intensely relatable tale (to late-stage millennials, anyway) unfolds: Our main character spends his youth drawing comic book characters and worlds, excited about the things that sprout from his brain. Meanwhile, the authoritative figures in his life point out such an activity’s inherent financial flaws. In other words, the big, bad world crushes a young lad’s dreams of artistic stardom and freedom. But so it goes, and life goes on after the jump. As an adult, our hero still sketches, but sporadically. Then the accident happens. After he’s hit by a city bus, our hero awakens in the city of Oakcago. There, he’s Thud, a super-rad mashup and amalgamation of Odiamar’s favorite comics as a kid with a bit of himself thrown in. There he has the power to grow into a massively musclebound crime-fighting, paleta-purchasing machine— there, every nerdy fantasy comic fans of a certain age ever had comes true. You’ll find hints of the Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles from Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, a dash of character design a la Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, a nod to Marvel’s golden years and a little bit of Todd McFarlane’s Spawn meets Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass for good measure. You’ll find whispers of video game culture and a distinct note of The Maxx, plus nods to
catchphrases, hidden easter eggs, in-jokes for nerds and...well, there’s just a whole lot going on with Odiamar’s first published work from Florida’s Scout Comics, and it is excellent. “I was trying to figure out how to translate how I feel,” Odiamar tells SFR. “A lot of it comes out of when I was small, when I used to draw a ton. As I grew, I still created, but less because of life’s distractions. What happens in Thud isn’t necessarily what happened to me, but it’s a similar thing that a lot of creative folks go through—choosing between creating and eating.” The son of Filipino immigrants, Odiamar (who goes by Peabe, pronounced “pea-bee”) grew up in Chicago where, he says, he attended Columbia College as one of the last classes to graduate with undeclared degrees. He picked up design skills while in school, though, and today works for internet music streaming giant Pandora. When COVID-19 first struck, he tells SFR, the itch to draw more often reappeared. That was also when he and his wife and daughter took a look around Oakland, where he’d lived for over a decade, and decided it was time to move on. Last September, Odiamar and family wound up in Santa Fe following a nationwide road trip that he describes as “looking for home.” They’ve been here since. “It all started clicking,” he says of the move and of finally publishing Thud. The first chapter dropped a mere couple weeks COU RTE SY BRYA N “PEA BE” ODI AMA R
Bryan “Peabe” Odiamar’s Thud captures—and dunks on—’90s comics bliss
ago, and there are seven more waiting in the wings with an ultimate trade publication (or, in non-comics parlance, a collection of all the single issues) to come. “I was confident in my own style of drawing, but otherwise I can’t think of anything other than the pandemic that got me to finally do it.” It’s a good time, too, in the comics world. In seeming parallel to the rise of Christopher Nolan-esque grit in superhero film and comics (h/t to Alan Moore, though), darker stories became weirdly ubiquitous. Thud, however, is light and breezy while maintaining a ma-
Thud is available at Big Adventure Comics (328 S Guadalupe St., (505) 992-8783)
A&C
ture level of humor based in good-natured satire of the comic book canon. “It’s slobberin’ time!” Thud growls as he leaps into action against a cadre of ski-masked villains, lampooning Marvel’s The Thing without mocking the beloved Fantastic Four enforcer. And then, later, in a short page-long one-off printed toward the back of the book, Thud grapples with a too-small pizza and the errant pepperoni that plops onto his superhero duds. It’s a testament to Odiamar’s illustration and humor skills that such a small moment feels so funny and so real; he wrote and drew and digital-inked the entirety of Thud. “I wanted to put in these moments, because, when I was a kid, I thought it would be funny if random things happened,” Odiamar explains. “When I was a kid, I’d think ‘Is Batman really hopping from action thing to action thing with nothing in-between?’ I like to fill in the moments in-between. Like, maybe he was really into pizza? I find the humor in the regular.” In the end, Odiamar says, he thinks of it almost like a high-five to his younger self. Twelve-year-old Peabe, he points out, “probably thinks I’m super-cool.” It’s also a testament to his role as a father and his evolving and maturing abilities. Crafting subtle humor in the bombastic world of comics isn’t so easily done. “I remember being that kid who was so serious,” Odiamar concludes, “and now, looking back, this stuff, comics, they’re ridiculous, but in a great way. I’m very excited for [Thud] to be out, and I’m hoping I can continue the story.”
DECEMBER 2ND — DECEMBER 19TH A dark comedy which explores the modern digital culture of social media, reality TV, and our innate search for meaning. Tickets @ www.santafeplayhouse.org
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Featured Tenants in Wellness & Beauty Pilates & GT Studio
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Paper Dosa Five years ago, Paper Dosa Chef Paulraj Karuppasamy and his wife and business partner Nellie Tischler opened the doors of their South Indian cuisine restaurant, having first tested locals’ appetites with a year of pop-up events. Those appetites have yet to wane; expect a busy restaurant and a possible wait when you go, especially for as long as limited capacity rules endure. Don’t let that stop you, though: Paper Dosa’s staff is both friendly and efficient, and they will have you seated and happy in no time. In winter, Karuppasamy’s curries will fortify and warm every cold spot in your body and soul. A particular favorite, the Prawn Moilee—flash-fried shrimp in a savory yellow coconut curry ($18-$20)—is garlicky, gingery and very filling. Best to plan on taking some home and splurge on appetizers. Favorites include the Bhel Puri ($9), a mystifying, tongue-tantalizing mélange of puffed rice, blended with mango, onion, cilantro and tomato tossed in tamarind and mint chutney. Paper Dosa riffs on its salad ($12) depending on available fresh ingredients, but some variation of artisanal greens and watermelon radishes always pops up, a fresh and delicious palette cleanser. But whatever you order, start working your way through the dosas ($4.50-$15). These thin South Indian crepes come with generous portions of sambar and coconut and tomato chutneys, redolent with spices, cheeses, meats and vegetables. It’s easy to get stuck on personal favorites on this part of the menu (hello, paneer and peas), but the variation of spices, ingredients and innovation (hello, green chile cheese) shouldn’t be missed. And now you know why it’s always crowded at Paper Dosa. (Julia Goldberg)
Puerto Peñasco In Sonora, Mexico, Puerto Peñasco is a seaside town on the Gulf of California—and in Santa Fe, it’s the anchor restaurant to a busy strip mall on Airport Road. In both places, you can expect to find an abundance of seafood, and at this Southside standby, large Spanish-speaking families (kids, cousins, great-uncles) sit at long tables or comfy, well-worn booths. The enormous menu includes fish, shrimp and steak plates, enchiladas, tacos, fajitas, kids’ plates and some real showstoppers: market price lobster drenched in butter and garlic; piña carnaval (half a grilled pineapple stuffed with shrimp and octopus); various whole fish and surf and turf combinations. Puerto Peñasco serves beer, wine and agave wine margaritas but no liquor, and a michelada with Bohemia ($5.75), liberally spiced with a chile-salt rim and Clamato, was roughly the size of my noggin. Tortilla chips, a chunky red salsa and a smooth palegreen avocado dip come gratis to every table. A small coctel de camarón ($9.95) contained so many pink, well-cooked shrimps that I lost count, distracted by the spicy-salty cocktail sauce—though I longed for more diced avocado. Like my butter-splattered red snapper tacos de pescado ($11.25), most plates come with a mountain of rice scattered with corn kernels and a heap of French fries alongside a lettuce-tomato garnish. Airport Road may give off the opposite of a coastal breeze, and the fish is undeniably fresher in Mexico. But the kind service, huge portions and welcoming prices at Puerto Peñasco make you feel at home in Santa Fe. (Molly Boyle) JOY GODFREY
4681 Airport Road, (505) 438-6622 Lunch and dinner daily
551 W Cordova Road, (505) 930-5521 Dinner Tuesday-Sunday paper-dosa.com
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SMALL BITES
Market Steer Steakhouse If you’ve already finished your dinner at Market Steer Steakhouse in the Hotel St. Francis, you might not be surprised if you get a look at chef Kathleen Crook’s tattoos. After all, by the time you’ve consumed a Crook-cooked 100% USDA Prime steak, you’ve already tasted the pride she takes in her work. But she also wears it on her sleeve: three animals that represent the cuts for pork, poultry and beef. That’s the careful ethos Crook, who comes from a long line of farmers and ranchers in Artesia, brings to the menu at Market Steer, the decadent restaurant she opened in 2018 with partner and general manager Kristina Goode. The dinner menu is heavy on high-end appetizers with a slightly South-by-Southwestern twist, like mussels steamed with Shiner Bock and green chile ($18). Entreés include five cuts of steak, rounded out by options like crab, lobster, duck, chicken, a smoky bouillabaisse and one vegetarian entreé; the ample side dishes are ordered family-style. Sundays through Thursdays, a more affordable prix fixe menu ($55 per person) offers a few other choices. A knife-and-fork Caesar salad with a head of baby romaine, sharp white anchovies and bitter shaved Parmesan led off one recent meal. A flawlessly crusted flat-iron steak followed, topped by a melting pool of blue cheese butter. By the time the chilled Nutella pot de crème arrived, I could barely roll out the door. And yet I was still fantasizing about what over-the-top item to try next time. Raclette potatoes? Lobster mac? When you can afford it, Market Steer keeps you coming back. (MB) 210 Don Gaspar Ave., (505) 992-6354 Dinner Tuesday-Sunday marketsteersteakhouse.com These restaurants also appear in SFR’s recent 2019/20 Restaurant Guide
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RATINGS BEST MOVIE EVER
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MOVIES The Power of the Dog Review Minimal dogs, much discomfort
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6 5 4 3 2 1 WORST MOVIE EVER
TICK, TICK... BOOM! + WE DON’T DESERVE ANDREW GARFIELD; LARSON’S MUSIC
- ESOTERIC; GENERIC ARTIST WOES
If you’ve ever sat at a table with musical theater nerds and not had a clue what they were talking about, you’ve met the target audience for tick, tick.... BOOM!’s. It’ll be a film with legs in the years to come, particularly with the drama kids, but chances are it will struggle in its initial release, even with someone like Lin-Manual Miranda (who created a little show called Hamilton) in his directorial debut. In this biopic-lite/musical, we meet a pre-Rent Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) who hasn’t yet crafted the 1994 Broadway smash hit. Larson is living in Manhattan squalor trying to put together a rock-opera retelling of 1984, and his inner-circle consists of 1980s NYC underground communities rather than posh Broadway elites. By the time we catch up with him, Larson’s determination to reinvent musical theater has become a dangerous obsession. At its best, Miranda finds a touching tribute to the late playwright; at its worst, tick, tick...BOOM! becomes an insufferable tribute to the archetypical starving artist that seems aimed solely at white boy coastal types. The romanticization of suffering is tiresome, and the celebratory manner in which the film showcases Larson’s very real obsessive behaviors feels wrong. We don’t—or shouldn’t—want to be like him, but the film wants us to admire his dedication even as it ruins lives. But hey, the music is banging, and Miranda’s directorial style translates well to film, even if his inspirations are familiar. The frenetic energy is fantastic and he knows what to capture within the frame; the rough edges reflect a rough world, and anyone familiar with movie musicals—looking at you, drama geeks—will note the repetitive staging decisions and numbers 24
+ SO GOOD;
One viewing of The Power of the Dog and you’ll know you have to see it a second time to catch everything—if you can stomach it. Rose (Kirsten Dunst) is a struggling widow living in rural Montana’s isolation with her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). He isn’t like the other boys, though, and often faces mockery for his more feminine characteristics. When Rose suddenly elopes with George (played by Dunst’s real-life beau Jesse Plemons of Breaking Bad), she and Peter move onto her new husband’s ranch, where they soon find themselves tormented by George’s stone-hearted brother Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch). Phil, it turns out, has plenty of his own secrets to hide, but still— he takes Peter under his wing for grooming. Director Jane Campion’s newest is all about sexual repression, and it is not subtle in that regard, nor is it trying to be. The number of phallic symbols alone are enough to make the ancient Greeks blush, and everything from fence posts to saddles to blades
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MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES AND IMAGERY - ITS PAYOFFS MIGHT BE UNSATISFACTORY FOR SOME
of grass let you know what’s happening in Phil’s head. Campion’s first film in 12 years is a slow burn, too, and it expertly stokes the embers of tension. As such, it’s a hard film to watch for the character humiliations alone, let alone for the psychotic messes Cumberbatch’s Phil continually unleashes on Peter and the others. Campion is a master director and knows exactly what she wants and how to get it (check out her 1993 knockout The Piano as another example) while making every frame useful to character psychology and development. When stacked against the modern Western of the last few decades, wherein grittiness seems to have become the de facto stand-in for old Ford romanti-
lifted from big hitters like Chicago and Hedwig and the Angry Itch. tick tick… BOOM!’s anchor is Garfield, who is here at the height of his prowess and an actor who can take on the most obscure, bizarre projects and bring such life to them that it’s hard not to recall the likes of Marlon Brando or Montgomery Clift. Even so, the general public will likely find the film a little too insider baseball. Those who’ve not been lulled by Broadway and musical culture will find Larson’s short life fascinating if frustrating. (RG) Netflix, PG-13, 121 min
BELFAST
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+ PERSONAL AND OFTEN MOVING - MID-POINT SAG; MISGUIDED CREATIVE CHOICES
We can call it now that a good chunk of the audience won’t go for Belfast. Kenneth Branagh’s newest is far too wholesome for those who like their cinema dark, an insufferably long monologue about universal life truths. For those very reasons, however, it will surely be adored in other circles. As The Troubles take off in Northern Ireland in 1969, young Buddy (Jude Hill) is far more interested in his school crush than he is in the increasinglyfrequent riots which, from the film’s get-go, go down in his neighborhood. The religious lines are drawn, and Buddy’s parents (a powerful Caitríona Balfe and a strong Jamie Dornan) debate whether to travel abroad to protect their family from the chaos, or to keep them in the world they know. Belfast comes with a number of irks. Its visual language isn’t coherent, there’s entirely too much reliance on late-1960s tunes to set the mood and the melodrama feels bloated. It scores in the deeper questions it raises, though, namely, how to raise a morally upright
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cism and wherein violence for its own sake is meant to be enough, Campion doesn’t shy from the realities of rural life. Instead, Power of the Dog harkens back to a cornerstone of Western film theory: How does isolation affect the soul? Mix in pent-up desire and questions of masculinity and you’ve got a classic cinematic formula, only this is a little more gay. It doesn’t sparkle with energy, but why should it? This is Montana, by God. THE POWER OF THE DOG Directed by Campion With Cumberbatch, Dunst, Smit-McPhee and Plemons CCA, Violet Crown, Netflix. R, 126 min
family when everyone else is willing to blow someone’s head off—or at least considering that. Seeing civil unrest from a child’s perspective brings a different kind of richness to the experience, especially as Buddy relates to the violence through his only known source of the stuff—American Westerns. Sadly, that also means certain complexities get lost in the shuffle. For those who respond to more philosophic styles, Belfast will likely seem a deeply moving remembrance from one who was there. Even so, it is too limited in scope to be considered an epic, and far more a memoir from Branagh’s own childhood experiences as a Belfast native. This can make the storytelling feel a bit too dependent on Branagh’s recollections to fully dedicate itself to deeper concepts, thus Belfast lingers in a confused and confusing state between the sweet romanticism of the past and the realities of the historic epoch in which it’s embedded. No, Branagh’s opus might not rank amongst the cinema greats or contempo-classics, but it’s a shoo-in as the year’s tearjerking awards-contender and the kind of film that could unfurl more meaning upon further viewings. Still, the imperfect introduction gets the job done. (RG) Violet Crown, NR, 97 min
PASSING
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+ TIGHTLY CRAFTED; NEGGA SOARS - -SUBTLETIES WON’T REACH EVERYONE
Director Rebecca Hall’s first feature film is one told primarily through glances: Ruth Negga’s (Loving) quivering face and Tessa Thompson’s (Westworld) inability to keep her eyes steady. It would be hard to note anything lacking purpose here, honestly, which highlights the rarity of a first-time filmmaker entering the industry with plenty of confidence—and rightly so.
Based on Nella Larson’s 1929 novel of the same name, Irene (Thompson) and her husband Brian (André Holland) are content in the Black upper-middle class of Harlem. They pretend to be, anyway, and Irene goes “passing” every now again, a phenomenon whereby a Black person’s skin is perceived as white and they briefly glimpse a life without discrimination. During one such experience, Irene stumbles across an old friend, Clare (Negga), who’s passing full-time. But Clare misses her old world, and as she returns and infiltrates her family, Irene grows paranoid. In its more unique aspects, Passing contrasts escapism with a desire for inclusion. Negga’s Clare leans on the uncertainty of her choices, her total disdain for—and yet dependence on—her secret identity. Irene, the psychological counterpoint to Clare, is more conventional in her choices, reflecting the unspecial middle-class life and a longing for something more; Thompson’s firm delivery questions whether one should hide from the world or embrace its pains. Who are we to tell her she’s wrong? Here, crisp black and white cinematography feels purposeful, and Passing represents its most effective use in recent memory. Shot in high contrast with only a slight exposure, a sharp yet murky picture emerges, both intoxicating and clear in its old world charms yet repulsive and fake in its sterility. If we saw the story in color, we’d lose the point entirely. At Passing’s heart are tough questions about human agency. Much of it feels overt, but the film’s true heart beats just beneath the surface. Hall’s film requires focus as well as knowledge on race and identity—but it’s up to the viewer to do the homework beforehand if they want the most out of the film. Passing wasn’t crafted to educate. It was crafted so we don’t forget. (RG) Netflix, NR, 99 min
SFR CLASSIFIEDS JONESIN’ CROSSWORD
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11 Words before “our mobile app”, for delivery services 1 ___-Magnon (early human) 14 IKEA storage box series that 4 Soda can meas. sounds destined to jam up? 16 “Beyond the Sea” singer Bobby 7 ‘70s music genre 18 Tiny buzzer 12 Muscle near a lat 22 Gives a snotty look 13 Certain Greek consonants 24 “Hamilton” highlight 15 “Let’s keep moving!” 28 Nothing antithesis 17 Student financial assistance 30 Neighbor of Syr. that makes you groan? 33 Bond preference? 19 Brazilian Carnival city that’s a 34 Quarterback Book of the New World Heritage Site Orleans Saints 20 GPS instruction 36 NetZero, once 37 Candy from a character? 21 Burden on a German opera composer? 38 Yale alums 39 Structure of three stones, like 23 Tale with the Trojan Horse some parts of Stonehenge 25 “I just thought of somethin’” 40 Reveal to a customs inspector 26 “Either that wallpaper goes ___ 42 Italian ice cream with multiple do” (Oscar Wilde’s last words) flavors 27 “Romeo and Juliet” locale 43 Really hard snack to eat? 29 Delta follower 44 Distributes, as tasks DOWN 45 Stage accessories 31 Relative of a joule 1 Processing speed measured in 46 “Things Fall Apart” novelist 32 “Eighth Grade” star Fisher some desktops Chinua ___ 35 One of a deadly seven 2 Mundane 47 Ladders’ partners 36 American publishing pioneer 3 Tinting reddish-yellow, as with 49 It may have a shallow end who’s not feeling so well? earth tones 52 Eight-sided message at a four 4 Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby 39 6-point plays, for short way intersection 41 Elgort of the upcoming “West 5 “Eternals” director Chloe 53 Ninja Turtles setting 6 “I Got You Babe” singer Side Story” remake 56 Bela Lugosi’s role in “Son of 7 ‘50s music genre Frankenstein” (spelled differ 42 Org. that holds Renaissance 8 Post-wedding relatives ently from other appearances Fairs 9 Hefty swallow of this character!) 45 Get ready early? 10 Dessert mentioned in “The 57 Gain in status 48 Long-lasting lighters Godfather” 61 365 billion days © COPYRIGHT 2021 JONESIN’ CROSSWORDS (EDITOR@JONESINCROSSWORDS.COM)
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SFR CLASSIFIEDS MIND BODY SPIRIT PSCYHICS Rob Brezsny
Week of December 1st
ARIES (March 21-April 19): It’s a favorable time to get excited about your long-range future—and to entertain possibilities that have previously been on the edges of your awareness. I’d love to see you open your heart to the sweet dark feelings you’ve been sensing, and open your mind to the disruptive but nourishing ideas you need, and open your gut to the rumbling hunches that are available. Be brave, Aries! Strike up conversations with the unexpected, the unknown, and the undiscovered.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “The problem with putting two and two together is that sometimes you get four, and sometimes you get 22.” Author Dashiell Hammett said that, and now I’m passing it on to you—just in time for a phase of your cycle when putting two and two together will probably not bring four, but rather 22 or some other irregularity. I’m hoping that since I’ve given you a heads-up, it won’t be a problem. On the contrary. You will be prepared and will adjust faster than anyone else—thereby generating a dose of exotic good fortune.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A Tumblr blogger named Evan (lotad.tumblr.com) addressed a potential love interest. “Do you like sleeping, because so do I,” he wrote. “We should do it together sometime.” You might want to extend a similar invitation, Taurus. Now is a ripe time for you to interweave your subconscious mind with the subconscious mind of an ally you trust. The two of you could generate extraordinary healing energy for each other as you lie together, dozing in the darkness. Other recommended activities: meditating together; fantasizing together; singing together; making spiritual love together. (PS: If you have no such human ally, sleep and meditate with a beloved animal or imaginary friend.) GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Chuck Klosterman writes, “It’s far easier to write why something is terrible than why it’s good.” That seems to be true for many writers. However, my life’s work is in part a rebellion against doing what’s easy. I don’t want to chronically focus on what’s bad and sick and desolate. Instead, I aspire to devote more of my energy to doing what Klosterman implies is hard, which is to write sincerely (but not naively) about the many things that are good and redemptive and uplifting. In light of your current astrological omens, Gemini, I urge you to adopt my perspective for your own use in the next three weeks. Keep in mind what philosopher Robert Anton Wilson said: “An optimistic mindset finds dozens of possible solutions for every problem that the pessimist regards as incurable.”
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In her poem “Is/Not,” Scorpio poet Margaret Atwood tells a lover, “You are not my doctor, you are not my cure, nobody has that power, you are merely a fellow traveler.” I applaud her for stating an axiom I’m fond of, which is that no one, not even the person who loves you best, can ever be totally responsible for fixing everything wrong in your life. However, I do think Atwood goes too far. On some occasions, certain people can indeed provide us with a measure of healing. And we must be receptive to that possibility. We shouldn’t be so pathologically self-sufficient that we close ourselves off from tender help. One more thing: Just because that help may be imperfect doesn’t mean it’s useless and should be rejected. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “All my days I have longed equally to travel the right road and to take my own errant path,” wrote Norwegian-Danish novelist Sigrid Undset. I think she succeeded in doing both. She won a Nobel Prize for Literature. Her trilogy about a 14th-century Norwegian woman was translated into 80 languages. I conclude that for her—as well as for you in the coming weeks and months—traveling the right road and taking your own errant path will be the same thing.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn author Susan Sontag unleashed a bizarre boast, writing, “One of the healthiest things about me—my capacity to survive, to bounce back, to prosper—is intimately connected with my biggest neurotic liability: my facility in disconnecting from my feelings.” Everything about her statement CANCER (June 21-July 22): An organization in Turkey decided to construct a new building to house its workers. makes me scream NO! I mean, I believe this coping mechanism worked for her; I don’t begrudge her that. The Saruhanbey Knowledge, Culture, and Education But as a student of psychology and spirituality, I know Foundation chose a plot in the city of Manisa. But there was a problem. A three-centuries-old pine tree stood on that disconnecting from feelings is, for most of us, the worst possible strategy if we want to be healthy and the land. Local authorities would not permit it to be cut down. So architects designed a building with spaces and sane. And I will advise you to do the opposite of Sontag in the coming weeks. December is Stay Intimately holes that fully accommodated the tree. I recommend you regard this marvel as a source of personal inspiration Connected with Your Feelings Month. in the coming weeks and months. How could you work AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In some small towns in gracefully with nature as you craft your future masterpiece or labor of love? How might you work around lim- the Philippines, people can be punished and fined for gossiping. Some locals have become reluctant to itations to create useful, unusual beauty? exchange tales about the sneaky, sexy, highly entertainLEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Author Melissa Broder wrote a ing things their neighbors are doing. They complain that preposterous essay in which she ruminated, “Is fake love their freedom of speech has been curtailed. If you lived better than real love? Real love is responsibility, compro- in one of those towns, I’d advise you to break the law in mise, selflessness, being present, and all that shit. Fake the coming weeks. In my astrological opinion, dynamic love is magic, excitement, false hope, infatuation, and gossip should be one of your assets. Staying well-ingetting high off the potential that another person is going formed about the human comedy will be key for your to save you from yourself.” I will propose, Leo, that you ability to thrive. bypass such ridiculous thinking about love in the coming weeks and months. Here’s why: There’s a strong chance PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Originality consists in that the real love at play in your life will feature magic thinking for yourself, and not in thinking unlike other peoand excitement, even as it requires responsibility, comple,” wrote Piscean author James Fitzjames Stephen promise, selflessness, and being present. (1829–1894). Another way to say it: Being rebellious is not inherently creative. If you primarily define yourself by VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo author Andre Dubus rejecting and reacting against someone’s ideas, you are III describes times when “I feel stupid, insensitive, mediobeing controlled by those ideas. Please keep this in mind, cre, talentless and vulnerable—like I’m about to cry any dear Pisces. I want you to take full advantage of your second—and wrong.” That sounds dreadful, right? But it’s astrological potential during the next 12 months, which is not dreadful for him. Just the opposite. “I’ve found that to be absolutely original. Your perceptions and insights when that happens,” he concludes, “it usually means I’m will be unusually lucid if you protect yourself from both writing pretty well, pretty deeply, pretty rawly.” I trust you groupthink and a compulsive repudiation of groupthink. will entertain a comparable state sometime soon, Virgo. Homework: I invite you to send me your holiday wish Even if you’re not a writer, the bounty and fertility that emerge from this immersion in vulnerability will invigolist. What do you want? What do you need? https:// Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com rate you beyond what you can imagine.
Go to RealAstrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s Expanded Weekly Audio Horoscopes and Daily Text Message Horoscopes. The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700. © CO P Y R I G H T 2 0 2 1 R O B B R E Z S N Y 26
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CRADLE THERAPY
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Michelle Renee Intuitive Bodywork 28 years LMT www.centerforpsychichealing.com 707-849-7793 First session $65 Currently taking new clients at the Medicine Shop, Midtown SFe.
-Being HeldAre you grieving, anxious or lonely? Are you in process of awakening and young parts are coming up? I can help you with Cradle Therapy and Embodiment Sessions. First session half price www.duijaros.com
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FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT COUNTY OF SANTA FE STATE OF NEW MEXICO No. D-101-PB-2021-00209 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF HORACIO ENRIQUEZ BURCIAGA, Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed personal representative of this estate. All persons having claims against this estate are required to present their claims within four months after the date of the first publication of this Notice or the claims will be forever barred. Claims must be presented either to the undersigned personal representative at 9 Camino Torcido Loop, Santa Fe, NM 87507, or filed with the First Judicial District Court Clerk, P.O. Box 2268, Santa Fe, NM 87504-2268 or 225 Montezuma Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87501. DATED: November 18, 2021. /S/ Irasema Iturralde IRASEMA ITURRALDE 9 Camino Torcido Loop Santa Fe, NM 87507 Submitted by: ROBERT D. GORMAN, P.A. By: /s/ Robert D. Gorman ROBERT D. GORMAN Attorney for the Personal Representative P.O. Box 25164 Albuquerque, NM 87125 (505) 243-5442 rdgorman@rdgormanlaw.com
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EMPLOYMENT ART THE CHIMNEY SWEEP 17 years serving Northern New Mexico. Full service Chimney Sweep/Dryer Vents. We will beat any price! 505-982-9308
Part-time Animal Caregiver for Animal End-of-Life Care & Hospice This position offers an opportunity for individuals to develop the skills to support elder & hospice animal care. A commitment to ongoing learning is a requirement for this job. Check the website at www.kindredspiritsnm.org/ work-at-the-sanctuary for the full job description. Kindred Spirits Animal Sanctuary 505-471-5366
STATE OF NEW MEXICO COUNTY OF SANTA FE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT Part-Time Administrative COURT Assistant IN THE MATTER OF A SAFETY, VALUE, 20-30 hour weekly position. PETITION FOR CHANGE OF PROFESSIONALISM Will work directly for the NAME OF MABEL ROYBAL, Kindred Spirits Animal We’re hiring! Make a great AKA MABEL SANDOVAL, Sanctuary Director. The living saving lives. We keep AKA MABEL ARAGON work schedule is flexible people warm and safe in their Case 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 No.: 11 D-10112 upon need or emergency. homes and provide good CV-2021-02483 Some weekends are required. jobs for good people. Health NOTICE OF CHANGE OF 13 14 the website at www. 15 16 Check care, retirement, and PTO NAME kindredspiritsnm.org/work-atbenefits. Starts at $16/hr TAKE NOTICE that in 17 18 19 with quick raises. Apprentices the-sanctuary for the full accordance with the job description. who become certified techs provisions of Sec. 40-8-1 20 21 Kindred Spirits Animal 22 can make over 80k per year. through Sec. 40-8-3 NMSA Sanctuary 505-471-5366 Our mission: raise the level 1978, et26seq. The Petitioner 25 23 24 of chimney service in New Mabel Roybal, AKA Mabel Mexico to the current standard Sandoval, AKA Mable Aragon HAVE YOU 29 30 31 32 27 28 of care. Do you have grit, a will apply to the Honorable SEEN THE SFR clean driving record, and want Kathleen McGarry, District 33 34 CROSSWORD? 35 Judge of the First Judicial to be a good provider for your District39at the Santa Fe family? Can you lift 80 lbs 37 38 40 41 36 IT’S BIGGER THAN Judicial Complex, 225 repeatedly? If so, we can teach Montezuma Ave., in Santa Fe, you a valuable skill. Send 42 your 43THE NEW YORK 44 New Mexico, at 9:00 a.m on resume to: TIMES the 4th day of January, 2022 office@baileyschimney.com. 45
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SFR CLASSIFIEDS for an ORDER FOR CHANGE OF NAME from Mabel Roybal, AKA Mabel Sandoval, AKA Mable Aragon to Mabel Aragon. KATHLEEN VIGIL, District Court Clerk By: Faith A Griego Deputy Court Clerk Submitted by: Mabel Roybal, AKA Mabel Sandoval, AKA Mable Aragon Petitioner, Pro Se STATE OF NEW MEXICO IN THE PROBATE COURT SANTA FE COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF Joseph Edward Ortiz, DECEASED. No. 2021-0230 NOTICE OF CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed personal representative of the estate of the decedent. All persons having claims against the estate of the decedent are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the first publication of any published notice to creditors or sixty (60) days after the date of mailing or other delivery of this notice, whichever is later, or the claims will be forever barred. Claims must be presented either to the undersigned personal representative at the address listed below, or filed with the Probate Court of Santa Fe County, New Mexico, located at the following address: P.O. Box 1985 Santa Fe, NM 87504 Dated: November 1, 2021. /s/ Pauline Laumbach Pauline Laumbach PO Box 17 Rainsville, NM 87736
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