Let me just say something about dentists as this is our Top Dentists issue. I get along great with dentists. Why? Because I do what they say. They say brush twice a day and I do. They say floss and I do. They say to get a cleaning twice a year and I do. I don’t cancel appointments, I buy whatever toothpaste they say to buy and I have, so far, been pretty lucky because a tooth problem is one problem I can do without. I’m not saying this is the wisest thing I’ve ever heard an elder tell me when I was young, but these are words that haunt me into action every day—“If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of my teeth.”
While we are on the subject of teeth, I’ll direct your attention to this month’s Passenger Window column where I spend a few moments considering a toothy mainstay here in Albuquerque, the great Alberta the Albertosaurus sculpture just outside the doors of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. If you’ve had a five-year-old, odds are you stood by Alberta and his pal Spike taking photos before. Years ago I volunteered as a preparator in the museum’s fossil lab which took me through the entrance weekly. I don’t think I’ve walked passed those sculptures once without seeing someone taking a photo.
In this issue, I also had the chance to sit down with two historians, one of soccer and one of fashion. In both instances, we spoke about shoes. I’m partial to my roper boots, but a compelling case can be made for a good pair of Sambas. I’ll spare you those conversations about footwear, but I will encourage you to check out what these folks have to say about their own corners of history in our Storytellers section.
I had a good time talking with Neil Cooperman for this month’s Personality section. Neil has been bringing music to Albuquerque for decades. Looking through old photos from house concerts he put on in the 90s the scene looked familiar. I guess I must have been in Neil’s living room back in the day. Small town.
I also got a chance to play adventure journalist in this issue. I dug out my old underwater Pentax and splashed around with the dogs in the pool for the Paws Button story. I’m not sure who had more fun the dogs or the people. I’m just glad I had a waterproof camera.
Until the next issue, here’s hoping you find an Albuquerque adventure of your own.
