Illustration by Chris Philpot.
TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
PAUL CRAWFORD of Rio Rancho pointed us to the May 13 issue of The New Yorker, in which John McPhee rails against copyediting failures. The famed writer explains that when his son-in-law Mark Svenvold’s new book on tornadoes debuted in hardcover, a sentence in the opening paragraph mentioned “the Gulf of New Mexico.” “Where did that mutinous ‘New’ come from?” McPhee pondered. He instructed Svenvold to reread the original manuscript, which indeed included the typo. “Remarkable, yes, but think where that paragraph had been,” McPhee writes incredulously. “It had been read by a literary agent, an acquisitions editor, an editorial assistant, a copy editor, a professional proofreader, at least one publicity editor—and not one of these people had noticed the goddam Gulf of New Mexico.”
NEW MEXICO? IT’S GREEK TO ME
Recently, Santa Fe resident JANE ABBOTT and several friends visited Greece. During a lovely Mediterranean lunch on one of the islands, their waiter inquired where the group was from. “America,” Abbott replied. “Which state?” he pressed. “We are mostly from Western states,” Abbott explained. “I’m from New Mexico.” Surprised, the server responded, “Are there people in New Mexico?!” Abbott attested that there are at least a few.
HOT TAKE
In early June, Albuquerque’s WANDA DOW read a concerning weather report on CNN.com that left her with the impression New Mexico isn’t newsworthy. A “brutal heat dome” was spiking temperatures across the West, the article warned, impacting “19 million people in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and South Texas.” According to the accompanying map, New Mexico was not spared—the news outlet simply failed to mention it. Perhaps they thought our chile consumption left us uniquely prepared to beat the heat?
PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN
While at a store on a recent trip to Alabama, a saleswoman asked STAN R.’s friend where he was from. “Taos, New Mexico,” he replied. “How do you like our country?” she asked with a smile. “I like it very much,” he deadpanned.
have a “missing” moment?
Send it to fifty@nmmagazine.com, or Fifty, New Mexico Magazine, 495 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Include your name, hometown, and state. ¡Gracias!