Quick Trek To Albuquerque

Above, the Great American Diner at Dancing Eagle Casino. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

About 45 minutes ago, I got back home from a quick trip to Albuquerque to go to Supercuts.

I was "slightly" overdue to get a haircut. I was going to go there next week, but my haircutter, Michelle, will be on vacation next week. So it was either yesterday or today for me to go.

Well, since we had winter weather coming through New Mexico yesterday, which would make driving hazardous, today was the day. So I went.

I left the house around 6:00 this morning and after a stop for fuel at the Flying J ($2.449/gallon), I got on the road. Daybreak would come within the hour, but while it was still dark, Interstate 40 was icy in spots and winds were blowing snow across the highway. It wasn't exactly ideal driving conditions.

Above, a view of I-40 from the Great American Diner. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I made it to Dancing Eagle Casino near Acoma and decided to have breakfast there. I enjoyed my time at the Great American Diner in the casino as they were playing some classic Santana and The Doors music. Besides me, there was only one other diner in the restaurant. Must be due to the weather.

I ordered their huevos rancheros.

While sitting in the restaurant, I noticed the sky was getting brighter and the clouds were very much broken up. I was hoping that the road conditions were be better for driving since the sun was out. Sure enough, the sun melted the ice and the Interstate 40 was relatively dry.

Above, the huevos rancheros at the Great American Diner. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I got to Supercuts about 10 minutes after they opened and only had to wait about 10 more minutes before Michelle was ready for me.

After I was done there, I decided to head back home as I wanted to reach the post office before they close at 1:00 at the Flying J.

Along the way, about 30 miles west of Albuquerque, I spotted a black Nissan Altima with California plates and, most importantly, an E Clampus Vitus license plate frame. Unfortunately, the driver was going over 80 mph (the state maximum speed limit is 75) and trucks and other cars got in the way, so I couldn't catch up and give him the "secret sign" of ECV.

There was snow on the ground all the way to Albuquerque, but I noticed that the most snow on the ground was at Jamestown. Aren't we lucky?

I managed to reach the Flying J shortly after noon, so I was able to get my mail. So, I'll just relax at home for the rest of the day as my trek was "mission accomplished".

Albuquerque Today

Above, while waiting for Supercuts to open, I took this shot of a
hot-air balloon passing by the morning sun. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This morning, I took a little (if you want to call a 240 mile round trip "little") jaunt to Albuquerque.

One of the things I went there to do is to get at haircut with my usual haircutter Michelle. As always, she did a great job and fixed up the mess that the barber in Gallup did a couple of months ago.

Above, a view of the balloons from the front of Cracker Barrel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Normally, I would take The Beast and spend the night at the Route 66 Casino RV Resort. But, this time, I decided to take the Mustang instead. It performed well. It ran great and handled equally great with its new tires and alignment. But, the seat is not as comfortable as the driver's seat in The Beast. I am a bit tired from the trek and have a few aches and pains. I felt my age today once I got home.

But after a few hours relaxing, I feel okay again.

As I came over a hill into the outskirts of Albuquerque, my attention was immediately drawn to four hot-air balloons in the morning haze over the city.

Above, I was seated near the fireplace at Cracker Barrel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After getting into Albuquerque, I treated myself to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel restaurant on Coors Blvd. After getting out of the car, I took a photo of the balloons in the distance. I was given a good table near the fireplace.

After breakfast, I went over to Supercuts. I got there about five minutes before they opened and spent the time waiting for them to open by watching the balloons.

Above, this balloon was heading in my direction as I waited for Supercuts to open. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After getting the haircut, I headed over to the nearby Walmart and did some shopping. When I finished that, I headed to I-40 and drove on home, with one pit stop at the Sky City Casino Travel Center.

In future forays to Albuquerque, I'll take The Beast and just stay overnight like had been doing. 

The King At Supercuts

One the things I had to do this morning was to stop at Supercuts to get a haircut.

While there, I spotted some hair products that I had never seen before. They were Elvis Presley Pomade, Forming Cream and Fiber by American Crew.

Above, although on the top shelf, these were eye-catching. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Kickback Day

August has finally arrived in the San Fernando Valley. It is hot and somewhat humid out. It is 89 degrees in the shade here. Except for a few days, it has been a milder-than-usual summer.

Today began with going out for an overdue haircut. Luckily for me, the local Supercuts had nobody ahead of me and they immediately got me in a chair.



The rest of the day was watching two Godzilla movies. Both of them dealt with alien invasions and had lots of monsters in them. I started with Destroy All Monsters and finished off with Godzilla Final Wars. I hadn't watched either for a while. The DAM version was with the AIP dub. I can't stand the Toho "international dub" version.

I enjoyed Godzilla Final Wars back when it premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater (has it really been almost six years?) and still enjoy it.



A welcome piece of mail came in. It was a check for three claim assignments I did last week.

I was going to attend a job fair today in Woodland Hills, but I discovered that I'm out of printer ink to print off some resumes (plus it's too darn hot to go out), so I didn't bother.

Amber stopped by to pick up her mail while en route to work. Her grandmother is still in the hospital and is doing as well as can be expected.

I may just pop open a bottle of California chardonnay and take a dip in the pool this evening after a steak dinner.

Rolling Back The Years: Part Deux

I got a better (slightly) photo of my, uh, "new look."

First, is a photo from the front page of the Los Angeles Daily News from July 2001:



Next, is a recent shot (from March):



And today:

Rolling Back The Years...

Went to Supercuts today and was talked into coloring my hair and mustache. I think the mustache is too dark. When I looked into the mirror, I thought I saw Saddam Hussein's ghost. At least the girl said, "We've rolled back your age from 45 to 40!" That sounded great!

Maybe I'll have my "significant other" take a picture of my "new look" to replace the cell phone one above. She noticed that I looked different but couldn't quite figure out why. I told her I got a haircut. But even then she knew something else was different.

The stylist/cutter at Supercuts said, "Your girlfriend will like it!" I replied, "Either that or she'll ask, "What the hell did you do now?!""

Thankfully, she liked it.