The Albuquerque Area and New Mexico Like/Dislike Thread (South Valley: find a job, neighborhood)

[desert sun]

Originally Posted by catrinac

I am not really happy here at all. All of what is said about "land of entrapment" and low standards of Albuquerque are 100% true. I've been back for 9 months after nearly 4 years of fairly active & engaged life in Salt Lake City. Albuquerque is a deep, endless disappointment. There is a lack of good jobs, people are cold and strange, and the shopping and overall feel of the town is low class.

I am not a troll by the way and have not come to post on this thread to be an annoyance to those who like and are happy in Albuquerque. I have a right to express my opinion however obnoxious or upsetting it may seem.
Not sure where I will go. Maybe back to Texas or Utah or to Arizona.

although I dont mind living in a low class area or city at all which I dont really think ABQ is but maybe compared to other parts of the country, anyways you mentioned the people are cold and I would partly agree with this, at the department store I work at the managers have decided to go against the company policy and not bug the customers as much because they say that ABQ people dont wanna be bothered, and its true, I can greet people and they wont even look at you, most dont know how to say excuse me either. I dont think they are strange though they just keep to themselves.

I was in the South last week and the people were very nice,it was nice to deal with people who had manners. Now Im not trying to talk bad about ABQ people at all its just that I like people to have manners and be friendly. I've been wanting to go down South now for a couple years though.

[desert sun]

Originally Posted by rybert

Has someone hijacked Desert Sun's handle again? Come on man, I expect more form your posts.

no one had hijacked my handle, I just get bugged by some of these people here, I guess Im just too much of a small town guy, but sometimes I just gotta keep it real. I do think ABQ is perfect in alot of ways though.

[rybert]

You're my boy, Blue!

[Nedely]

Originally Posted by bradly

Lets just say, Albuquerque doesnt really have fashionable shops, thats why the hispanics settle for tap-out, they think its still in style, but not really. That crap is wack. But then again, you have the west-side who is turning hollister haha. Albuquerque also has some of the worst drivers.. then again it is those californians who race threw here and make matters worse.

As a Californian, I was quite surprised when I moved here and saw people speeding through parking lots. It started annoying me a lot. Why do people think it's OK to barrel through a parking lot of a shopping center at 20 plus mile per hour? I called 242-COPS and was told there is no law concerning speed limits in parking lots here in NM.

BINGO! That's the reason why so many native ABQ drivers have such little common sense when it comes to driving in a parking lot.

I wouldn't say I raced through here. I've been here for almost 5 years. When I moved here, I had no job. But I knew I was going to get one. All I had to do was go down to my local Durham School Services and get back behind the wheel of a school bus again. Basically, I transfered. Slowly, I made my way up in terms of employment, and got a better job.

I didn't race through ABQ and I'm grateful for that. But once I secure something somewhere else when the time is right, I will race on outta here. Promise.

[manquaman]

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

Land of Enchantment soon becomes Land of Entrapment: Beautiful skies, mountains are all great but after a while it is almost as if the beauty of the state fades away when you are poor and cannot find a good job.

It is always a good idea to live within your means, regardless of where you are at. I have been on your side of the argument when I lived in Michigan. My ten-year-old son is living there again and I won't go there because of my place in the economy - I was poor there too. It may not seem like it but my son is incredibly important to me. Living in Albuquerque makes it possible for me to do what I need to do for many reasons. You have to decide what is important to you and have faith in that.

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

"Land of manana" attitude to life: "No problem, we will get it done" type of attitude, but in reality nothing gets done also known as chronic incompetence

It is never a good idea to live where you do not like living. I have lived in seven different states for at least a year, so I know what I am talking about. If you don't like the pervasive attitude you get from being here, don't come here. Of course you have to realize that the pervasive attitude really comes from you and the people you associate with.

However, and this is something else I have suffered from in the past, you might want to look in the mirror and see who is really lazy and not meeting their potential. A place does not hold you back, you do.

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

Low standards/Low expectations culture: Very prevalent in Albuquerque and the Land of Enchantment.

Having lived in San Francisco and Washington, DC for thirteen years combined I know what it is like to be around people who seem to be involved in life more than others - the so-called Movers and Shakers. That is just an illusion. There are all types of people everywhere.

The thing that I noticed most when I came back to Albuquerque after being gone for so long is that people are much more relaxed here. Relaxed to me means that people live at their own pace here and do not necessarily 'keep up with the Jones' as much. That can either be a blessing or not. The great thing about life is that you get to decide.

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

Anyways, how do you deal with these things? Are you happy in Albuquerque? Ever thought about leaving, if so WHY?

I deal with the outside world better now by realizing that I don't have a damn thing to do with it. The outside world is an illusion. It can be depicted by the world of television, the world of scholarship, the world of sport, etc. There are as many worlds out there as there are people. I deal with my world on the scale that I can deal with, me.

Take some time to figure out who you are. Can you sit in a room for three hours without turning something on? Do you like yourself? Do you know yourself? If not, the first step to your happiness (which is not a destination, by the way - it's only a state of mind that people can visit) is to get to know yourself. If you are not happy with yourself then do something to make yourself happy.

It sounds like you are underemployed like I was when I was in Michigan. Underemployed meant for me that I couldn't get a job that paid well unless I went to where my industry thrived. Better education was not an option for me because what I want to do (what makes me fulfilled and whole as the person that I know myself to be) comes from inside of me, not from more or better diplomas. I had to learn that about myself and accept my limitations. I don't focus on my limitations anymore, but on the things I can control and do to make my particular life better.

Now I work toward my larger goal by accomplishing smaller goals that are on the right path. Time is going to march on whether you like it or not. You can take small steps every day or you can **** and moan until years have passed and you are less resilient. Believe me, it is much harder to get somewhere when you are older than when you are younger. If you have to give up all your friends to find yourself, do it. After all, your "friends" don't do a damn thing to make you feel fulfilled. They go home to their lives and don't think about you until it pleases them.

[Billygoat the Kid]

Originally Posted by catrinac

I am not really happy here at all. All of what is said about "land of entrapment" and low standards of Albuquerque are 100% true. I've been back for 9 months after nearly 4 years of fairly active & engaged life in Salt Lake City. Albuquerque is a deep, endless disappointment. There is a lack of good jobs, people are cold and strange, and the shopping and overall feel of the town is low class.

Ditto here. Most cities that I have been to have some sort of 'pulse' to them. You can feel it when you walk around L.A., Vegas, Miami, et. al. They have a 'vibe' to them, and it makes going out, meeting people, and doing things fun and exciting.

Albuquerque does not have a pulse. And that is unfortunate, because we have perfect weather, have a big university, and a great community. However, I cannot even get excited enough about Burque to even go to a Lobo football/basketball game anymore. It's lame. The town is just one big, small city. I think a poster around here some years ago referred that Albuquerque/NM has a mentality of "fatalism". That is, the mentality of people out here can be summed up as, "why should I achieve anything when I know I am going to get fired / lose my job / get cheated / etc?" I would go one step further and state that Albuquerque, and indeed, most of NM, suffer from what I would call 'defeatism'.

In other words, the mentality is: "why should I go to school and get a degree when I know that there are no jobs in NM?" It is as though Albuquerque/NM is the only known place in the entire world and that one cannot achieve anything because, 'that's just the way it is'. They don't realize that it is a HUGE world out there full of opportunity, where hard work and good education can have nearly endless rewards.

I can understand why someone would think that way. When you surround yourself with like-minded people, it tends to rub off on you. If your dad, mom, grandpa, grandma, brothers, sisters, cousins, friends and politicians all think like this, how does that not affect you? They are floating on by and don't encourage anyone, why should I not be the same way. That's just the way it is.

Also, take a look at the pay for jobs in Albuquerque. Who the hell can live on such a low scale of pay? There are about 4 major places to have a good job here: APS, Intel, UNM, and the Base. If you do not have at least a Bachelor's Degree, forget getting a job at any of these places. Kinda hard to earn a degree with a bad mentality. It takes up to 5 years to earn one. So it comes down to what low paying, dead end job do you want? Bartender, waiter, cocktail server, dealer (cards, not drugs), call center, secretary, etc. This grinds at eats at you after a while.

And I speak from experience. I was born and raised here, and in my family and circle of friends, higher education was not encouraged - in fact, it wasn't even an option. Do you know how difficult it was for me to get a degree when even my own damn family didn't have the decency to encourage me to get a higher education? It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Finally getting my Masters will be one of the greatest accomplishments I have ever done. And I did it out of my own initiative, without the help of friends or family. So I know how pervasive the attitude out here is.

For those who think like a fatalist or defeatist, life begins and ends here in Burque. So, they drop out of high school (we have a 50% dropout rate), don't get a good career or good paying job, go from job to job to job, and don't care for their kids or their kids' future. Wash, rinse, repeat - it is a vicious and depressing cycle.

This, I believe, is a major flaw of the people here in Albuquerque. And it is one of the few things that I despise about this place.

I am not a troll by the way and have not come to post on this thread to be an annoyance to those who like and are happy in Albuquerque. I have a right to express my opinion however obnoxious or upsetting it may seem.
Not sure where I will go. Maybe back to Texas or Utah or to Arizona.

If you are not happy here in NM, then by all means, move to where you will be happy. I was unhappy when I moved back here from So. Cal. in 2003. I had planned to move back to So. Cal., but I landed a very, very good job out here. That alone is making things a bit easier on me. The fact that I have a great job, and my family roots here, and that I am going back to UNM next week to get my Masters, are the only 3 reasons why I stay here. Otherwise, I'd be on I-40 yesterday, heading out to Santa Monica or Pacific Beach, enjoying my very short life here on Earth.

As a matter of fact, I just may put in a transfer to somewhere in So. Cal. once I get out of school (or sooner).

Basically, you have to follow your heart and do what makes you happy. Life is too darn short to be miserable.


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[Billygoat the Kid]

Originally Posted by desert sun

I like ABQ and New Mexico but I want a change of pace and scenery, I want to be in the South someday in a smaller town or city.

The thing I hate most about ABQ is the large amount of D-Bags there are here (the Tap-Out,fighter type guys) its like every other hispanic guy has to dress and look alike and get the same haircut. I have never seen another city where there are so many followers, its not really a big deal but it still bugs me. Plus some of these people here act like they live in NYC and are in such a big hurry all the time.

I don't know what it is about your posts, but you are so right on.

What the heck is wrong with some of the people out here? It can be d-bag central sometimes. I call it the 'd-bag factor'. It all goes back to my theory of defeatism in Albuquerque. Every city and race has it's d-bag factor, but it is so prevalent out here it's hard to escape it. Although, I do find that the 'Tapout Gang' tends to be a bunch of white, roided up meatheads from the NE Heights that never broke away from their high school clique. A Black friend of mine from NYC noticed the same things. He and I tend to laugh at them.

And the funny thing is... I can go away from Burque for, let's say, a decade, come back and still see the same Tapout d-bags hanging in the same circles in the same bars. Too funny.

What really ticks me off are these multi-generation cholo gangbangers out here who are quick to start fights and could care less about shooting you dead. This city has an over abundance of them. And more and more of these types of d-bags from every race and creed are coming here to NM to set up shop. Just take a look at what happened to that poor girl who worked at Denny's here. Shot up by d-bag gangbanging scum, who were here illegally. That happened only about 2 - 3 miles from my home.


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[rybert]

I'm the happiest I've been in a long time.

[Billygoat the Kid]

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

I thought about moving back to Albuquerque but I am bit hesitant because of the following reasons:

Land of Enchantment soon becomes Land of Entrapment: Beautiful skies, mountains are all great but after a while it is almost as if the beauty of the state fades away when you are poor and cannot find a good job.

Gosh, you hit that one out of the park! Until I landed my job here in Burque, I was in a miserable hell. The job market is just horrible and the pay sucks.

I will say that the skies, mountains, geography, and weather here are second to none. You cannot find a place with more perfect weather, even in So. Cal., because over there you do not have all four seasons. Here you do. But none of that makes any difference if you don't have a good job. Living in misery is living in misery, no matter how pretty the place is where you live.

The person who said money isn't everything obviously never had any money or never had to spend a year with a 'welfare Christmas'. Ever had government cheese? Tastes like hell and plugs you up for months. No wonder why people are so miserable.

"Land of manana" attitude to life: "No problem, we will get it done" type of attitude, but in reality nothing gets done also known as chronic incompetence

I was reading somewhere about a very tall skyscraper that was going to be built somewhere here in Burque. I think it was linked somewhere on one of the skyscraper websites. The article stated how great it was going to be for our city and how it was going to be cutting edge and bring and urban feel to our city.

That article was in the 1970's.

I have yet to see the skyscraper.

We lost Bill Gates / Microsoft, NASCAR, Tesla Motors, Eclipse (yeah, we got 'em back, but they will leave again... guaranteed), and are in a battle to keep the film industry, which some in the Roundhouse want to kill.

Plainly put, nothing gets done here. Period.

Low standards/Low expectations culture: Very prevalent in Albuquerque and the Land of Enchantment.

Very much so. Just look at our dropout rate and the high rate of crime. And I know I am not the only one who says this. A friend of my lives in Scottsdale. He is from here. He owns his own nursery out there and makes an absolute fortune. He says the best thing he ever did was move out of Albuquerque.

I tend to believe him.

Anyways, how do you deal with these things? Are you happy in Albuquerque? Ever thought about leaving, if so WHY?

I deal with them by looking at all the pluses I have here:

• A great, big, beautiful home on a big lot plus a paid off car. Very affordable housing compared to anywhere in CA or NY.

• Great weather, beautiful skies, and gorgeous geography.

• Easy place to live - IOW, I can still go from one end of town to the other in about 30 minutes; exceptional food at a very reasonable price; no outrageous taxes and ridiculous fees; no natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards, typhoons, tsunamis, tornados, and major flooding; clean air; reasonably priced goods and services; decent university and community college; and I can still own guns.

• Family roots - The great majority of my family is here.

Am I happy here? Well, most of the time I am. By nature, I am a natural leader & entrepreneur, and one who doesn't much settle for things unless I am heading something or moving and shaking. I find that to be a joke around here. Keeping up with the Jones' isn't necessarily a bad thing. I consider having the opportunity to improve myself financially to be a privilege that we are blessed with here in the USA. I love trying to make money and improve my quality of life. It is almost damn near impossible to do that with the people out here.

For example, at one time I had a non-profit organization out here. It was a GREAT concept and I took the idea to various people in the government and business. I had spoken with state reps, city councelors, and a plethora of businesses, both big and small. Some of those in government were really interested, and I even got a call from one of the Mayor's reps, who was very enthusiastic about my plan.

Unfortunately, getting others excited about the idea proved too much to handle. By "others", I mean the other people that I ran the company with who gave me promise after promise, which quickly turned into excuse after excuse. And the businesses that were supposed to back the idea never stepped up to the plate. After realizing that the majority of this project's money was coming out of my pocket, and it was draining me financially, I decided to pull the plug.

It is unfortunate, because I think the project would have been something that the entire city would have been proud of. It was so disappointing for this to fall apart. That is only one of a few projects that I have started and could not get support for. Without the backing of others, ideas tend to remain ideas and cannot be realized without team work.

As for leaving Burque, I think about it all the time. I know I would love to go back to So. Cal. and may certainly do so some day. I doubt that I could have a house as big as I do now for the same price I paid here, but so what? The fact that there is so much to do in L.A. and San Diego is enough to offset having a big house. I could do just fine living in a decent apartment and would enjoy all of the things that So. Cal. offers in its stead. The pricing of homes there is outrageous anyway, even in these times.

I love CA and miss all of the great things about it, but I have almost no family there. If I can come out ahead of the game, believe me, I'd leave this place in a New York minute. There are things I love about Burque, but I don't think I want to spend my prime years here. Retiring here may be great. But that is at least 20 or so years away. As someone who is still young and single, I find the 'scene' out here (entertainment, dating, jobs, social, etc.) to be pretty lame.

As I have written in another post on this thread, there is no 'pulse' here. It's all the same humdrum all the time. Excitement seems to evade this city - which is great for some, but not for myself... at least, not right now. It may suit me just fine when I am older. But for now, I tend to get pretty bored here sometimes.


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[lalahartma]

So if ABQ is a town of slackers, count me in!