Ruminatorial

Albuquerque and the Mouse

The first thing about Albuquerque is its funny name. Is that Arabic?

Quote:
There are two theories: The first it that the name is derived from Abu al-Qurq ("The place with cork [oak groves]"). The presence of the second 'r' supports this. This is what many Spanish sites on that town say. The other is that it is derived from al-Barquq ("The Prunes"). The presence of the first 'r' supports this. There are also claims that the name is Latin, from Alba Querqus, meaning 'white oak'. The presence of a first 'r' supports this. Afonso de Albuquerque (d. 1515 C.E.) the Portuguese admiral, imperialist and statesman is named after this town. In the USA, the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico was named in 1706 by Francisco Cuervo y Valdés after the viceroy of New Spain, Fernandez de la Cueva, Duque de Alburquerque. In the 1800s, the first 'r' was dropped from the name.

(Thanks to http://baheyeldin.com for that.)

The second thing is that it's dry. Very very dry.

The third thing, when you open your container of hand lotion, is that the altitude is a bit high -- splurt! -- 5000 ft above sea level.

The work was typically hard, and typically unrewarding. There was plenty of unwinding after each long day, most of which I'm sure I can't remember.

The Mouse:

Still at large. I didn't have time to buy traps before departing, but now two are set in strategic locations. Result of the first night: Nothing. Durn, but mice are crafty. I even bought some peanut butter just for 'em.

posted by Jeff @ 11:29 AM