Above: Illustration by Chris Philpot.
DOCTOR WHO, MEET DOCTOR WHERE
When Gallup native Jeff Farrow graduated from the UNM School of Medicine, he chose to interview for residency programs in other states. A Norfolk, Virginia, opening led him to meet with an academic physician who expressed concern about his “foreign medical graduate credentials.” Farrow responded that New Mexico is the nation’s fifth-largest state in landmass, and that his hometown has made it into the lyrics of the famous “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” song. After that, the doc allowed as how, maybe, he could have possibly heard something of New Mexico after all.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOW
Erika Martinez, of San Rafael, California, happily clicked on a newsletter link about traveling to Santa Fe. The headline on the Cleveland Jewish News site was promising enough: “Santa Fe, New Mexico: High Culture and History.” But it soon went downhill: “Mountains, hot springs, nature galore abound in Colorado community.”
DON'T CALL US
When Don Lenk and his wife moved back to Albuquerque from Virginia, they kept their cell phone numbers, which had a 703 area code. They soon discovered that in Albuquerque’s outskirts, the phones warned them about international roaming charges. “Even automated systems don’t know that New Mexico is in the United States,” Lenk said.
CHECK YOUR COVERAGE
Nancy Leski called up Verizon customer service only to be told they provided no service to New Mexico. Leski was calling from Edgewood.
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!