Ajax here; most of the world waits in alcohol-injected anticipation of yet another false milestone; the dropping of a ball, the launching of a "free" fireworks display, anything that gives them a feeling of being part of something larger than what will follow the next day. The media also does their best to cash in as well, whipping the crowds into a frenzy in a conscious effort to divide their respective audiences into the "haves", those…

One of dad's strongly held beliefs is that you never have to worry about entering your second childhood if you absolutely refuse to leave your first. This may explain why fart jokes and scare pranks are essentially the Balm of Gilead around the Casa del Whackos; this is NOT the place to visit if you're expecting polite conversation and sophisticated humor. But sometimes even dad's approaching senility begins to rear its ugly head, an example:…

...to the extended family of inmates that encompasses the globe, and beyond. When I say beyond, I mean to include those that may have gone on before, but remain here as well, for as long as you are remembered, you are immortal. (I'm talking about you, Darling Nikki) Who knew that the act of adding one inmate to the Casa back in 2015 would have the effect of essentially adding 25,000? And I'm thankful for…

The highway from Tres Piedras to Taos is as straight as a string, both sides of the road densely populated by sagebrush and little else. The only sign of habitation, human or otherwise(after all, this IS New Mexico), is the occasional "Earth Ship" set way back in the scrub. Earthships are structures that resemble alien spacecraft, hobbit dwellings, or something you might envision in a Mad Max movie. Some use stacks of discarded tires in…

Dad here; Oba(mom's mom from North Carolina, flew in last week for Kats graduation, and will be staying at the Casa for the next couple of weeks. As an 82 year old Okinawan and a pack of rowdy dogs don't always coexist well, I have set up shop in Zach's old room, with Zach's old twin bed. The inmates see no reason to change sleeping companions, so I now am sharing my even more meager…