The City of Santa Fe has such a broadly publicized penchant for social justice that it can apparently afford to occasionally turn in the opposite direction without anyone really noticing. We officially oppose the war in Iraq, don’t allow our cops to roust illegal aliens and will be a bright blue spot on the electoral map until the end of time. So what if we’re touchy about skateboarding on the Plaza and we dole out refunds to short-term rental property overlords?

Last spring my wife Lala somehow fancied herself a gardener and started planting like Johnny Appleseed—if Johnny were a Janey and had taken liberal doses of speed.

So what if sunshine is free--that's not going to stop Public Service Company of New Mexico form selling it to us in the form of electricity. Even if it has to use our own property to generate it in the first place.

In Santa Fe, one has to wonder if there is a Sisyphean curse that demands perpetually grappling with the same tired issues at the expense of true progress. We’d like to dive into alternative energy, public transit and solving affordable housing for real, but we just can’t figure out what to do about vacation rentals and fantasy developments.

There have been points during the last year when Santa Fe was poised to factionalize into parking wars. Especially as paid parking became a reality in the Railyard, it looked like violence was unavoidable. It sounds extreme, but I have it on good authority that a Santa Fe Reporter distribution box was hurled into the street after this column defended paid parking.

After nearly two years of uncertainty about the College of Santa Fe, we woke up on the morning of Thursday, July 30 to a full class schedule and open registration on the CSF website. We also woke up with a 26-year lease deal with Laureate Education, Inc. She’s cute and she’s got some nice assets, but she’s still a stranger. Oh my god, what happened last night? Did I buy you a $30 million drink?

When my wife Lala proposed purchasing a trampoline, I couldn’t help but think like my old man: When she said fresh air, I pictured fresh bone breaks; when she said exercise, I envisioned lacerated exoepidermis. Instead of scoffing at the idea and truly morphing into my dad, I did extensive research, pouring over injury statistics, case studies and hospital records.

All in attendance at the Casiotone for the Painfully Alone show were hard-pressed to make out what he was saying as he abused the whisper-quiet indie-rock trend voice to cover up for not being able to sing for shit.

Why are some city councilors still sitting on their thumbs regarding a deal to purchase and lease out the College of Santa Fe property? Maybe what some folks say around here is really true: the future just isn't as important as the past.

It's time for a serious, ground-up rewrite of New Mexico's outdated Liquor Control Act. The 1981 legislations lines the pockets of a few, while crippling economic development in general. Meanwhile, the big profits that come from transferring liquor licences don't do anything to help with alcohol abuse treatment or law enforcement.