Hey yeah, it’s all about “disrupt”, right? I was reading about this rich techie who, fearful his kid wouldn’t make the cut for the premiere preschool, originated and implemented an entire ‘disruptive’ philosophy of education [iphones for infants graduating to ipads in kindergarten and laptops from then on, all under ever constant video surveillance] just to bypass the impasse…well, as Scoop Nisker used to say “If you don’t like the news go out and make some of your own” but somehow this feels a little different. Like the way the guy, having studied and mastered several languages himself, was going to eliminate languages because the kids could just translate right off the internet in this new “disrupted” model.  Oh…kay; uh, Siri, how’s your idiomatic gutter Polynesian these days? Your Scottish?  Etc.

Disruption for us old folks becomes more like taking the weekend off for a birthday party in Albuquerque, smoothly orchestrated by L. and all occurring in ‘real’ time.  And space.  But definitely disruptive to our staid little grinding schedules…

It all began Thursday midday, foraging for food and observing signage in the Oakland Airport…

…then a quick ride to L.A. and east to the West…

…reaching Albuquerque in time for massive quantities of Mediterranean takeout [not shown] at John and Roberta’s house on Hacienda in anticipation of her Celebration.

The next day was Santa Fe for Trixie’s idiosyncratic nearly impossible-to-photograph interior decor,

Trench Art, VERY good fish tacos at La Choza [always order “spicey”]

…and Meow Wolf’s absolutely mind-boggling extravaganza “The House of Eternal Return”,

utterly exceeding any expectations one might have had for a homegrown collaborative artists’ collective, however ambitious, multidisciplinary or [and!] stoned, no matter what. This was some solid stuff, on many levels.  Pictures [particularly mine] completely fail to do it justice;

A trip definitely worth the trip, and a trip back. We returned, eternally, to the hacienda on Hacienda to a dinner of Tajine [a Berber stew of sorts] for a dozen [including select out of town guests] and considerable merriment. Then Saturday ventured out again to witness Albuquerque composer Raven Chacon’s noises and collaborations at the UNM Art Museum…the image below being from a video of performative graffiti on sea ice in Nova Scotia; spectacularly risky stuff. There were also some masterful pots from Mata Ortiz.

Subsequently, on John’s insistent recommendation, driving far

far out Central

…to the National Nuclear Museum’s back lot for a look at assorted rocket scientists’ detritus;

Returning we stopped to acquire seemingly ample product from a popup dumpling shop in the International Market

which proved woefully insufficient when in mid-afternoon eight humans insistent none needed lunch descended on our peaceable kingdom.  Fortunately the remaining Tajine quieted them unto sunset…

Come sunset Cuban jazz, cocktails and Roberta’s birthday dinner co-opted Los Poblanos’ Saturday night with toasts, friendships, re-connections and wonderful food.  Next morning a dozen or so of the thirty from the party blearily reconvened for breakfast in the exact same space…

Then followed a spacey lazy day of waitings punctuated by comings, goings and a giant mid-afternoon salad until L. and I finally departed for the airport, a bit prematurely as not only were we early…

but our plane was late.

Nonetheless it had miraculously made up the difference by the time we reached Oakland

…putting us in the car at nine; home to happy puppies and back into the whatever and wherever, disrupted but not derailed come Monday morning

What it is, it was.

M