Don’t read the newspaper, what you see on the streets is bad enough

The local newspaper delivery service has been mistakingly delivering a daily paper to our house. I called to explain the error, but the paper is still arriving. So I’ve been taking a look at it, because hey, we have it, but it’s been very discouraging. And I don’t mean the national news (we all know how terrifying that is). I mean the local news.

Every day there’s stories about women and children being murdered in various kinds of domestic disputes and abuse. Today’s headline was about a sex trafficking operation within 5 miles from my house.

One one hand, I feel like I shouldn’t be ignorant of this. On the other hand, I can’t hardly stand reading about it. Maybe once I’m settled I can think of some way to help the community a little. This state struggles in so many ways.

Meanwhile, the latest headline – 27% fewer cars stolen than the year before! But Albuquerque is still “the number one hot spot for stolen vehicles per capita in the country.” Good to be number 1 in something. Stolen cars isn’t as tragic as the domestic abuse and trafficking, but it all adds up to a bleak picture.

Speaking of cars, here is a somewhat more lighthearted image of the crazy life in New Mexico. I took this photo of a car stalled in the left hand turn lane at a large intersection. Before abandoning their stalled car right in the middle of the road, they took the time to put up their front windshield sunshade. It is summer in the desert after all. And you wouldn’t want an uncomfortably hot abandoned car blocking the intersection now would you?