Get the Scoop on a New Art Project Downtown

Albuquerque’s art scene is still thriving, and the city certainly sees the value in investing in its local art community. Meanwhile, Albuquerque’s downtown is also seeing a rennaisance, with more and more businesses opening up catering to the city’s young, artistically minded population.

If you’re interested in our local art community, you’re probably interested in 516 ARTS.

516 ARTS is an independent, nonprofit arts and education organization, with a museum-style gallery in the center of Downtown Albuquerque. And on February 13 at 7pm, organized by the fine folks at 516 ARTS, the 2014 Heart of the City Forum will be held at 516’s headquarters at 516 Central Ave. SW.

Here’s some more info on the event, courtesy of Albuquerque Business First:

Each participant will present a short talk about their vision for a project relating to the arts in Downtown.

The panelists will include: Hakim Bellamy,Katya Crawford, Sheri Crider, David Cudney, Petra Morris, Wade Patterson, Rick Rennie, Gabrielle Uballez and April Freeman.

Heart of the City, organized by 516 ARTS, is an arts collaboration meant to discuss what the condition of the city’s urban core says about the city.

The project centers around an exhibition at 516 ARTS that features a series of installations created by lead artists with student apprentices or collaborators from 13 organizations representing arts, education and small business.

The exhibition opens from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 1 at 516 ARTS.

How to Exercise During the Winter

Let’s be honest, it’s pretty easy to pack on a few extra pounds this time of year. While Albuquerque weather usually doesn’t get too cold during the winter, sometimes the chill can be just enough to keep you inside, away from the gym or your jogging route.

Although it might be difficult to motivate yourself to get out and exercise during the winter, there are some ways to skirt around it and create a reliable habit of activity that’ll take you straight into spring and beyond!

Lifehacker.com posed this question last week: “How Can I Keep My Exercise Routine In the Winter?” One of their tips simply involves dressing the part:

Dress the Part and Go Outside Anyway

Depending on where you are, the winter months might mean cold weather, wet weather, or both. Either way, you probably can't hit the streets in your neon short shorts and tank top like you could in the summer. If you've got the gusto to keep exercising outside in the winter you really only need a slight change of clothes to do so comfortably.

We've covered the basics of staying safe when exercising outdoors before, and in the winter that generally means wearing bright colors, dressing in layers, remembering to keep hydrated, and staying visible.

Or, consider other winter friendly activities:

Find Winter-Friendly Alternate Activities

Exercising outside in the winter isn't always an option for everyone regardless of what clothes they wear. In that case, it means finding exercising you can do indoors or finding winter activities that count as exercise.

If you're a runner, that might be a treadmill. If you're a cyclist, spin classes might be up your alley, or if you're a climber, the climbing gym should do the trick. Gym memberships aren't cheap, but you can usually save money on a membership by getting off-peak memberships or showing little interest. Many gyms also have a la carte deals where you pay by visit or by month so you don't have to get a yearly contract. Those prices are usually a lot higher than a yearly contract, but if you only have to use the gym for a month or two they're not that bad. If the price is too much, your local community center likely has a small gym that'll get you through the winter months.

Click here to read the entire Lifehacker article.

How to Return Things without a Receipt

We sure hope that you got everything on your holiday wish list this year. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the reality. God bless ‘em, but sometimes friends and family don’t quite hit the mark with their gifts, whether you have the item already or it isn’t exactly what you were hoping for.

If you’re looking to exchange a holiday gift without a receipt, many retailers will tell you that there’s nothing that can be done. We beg to differ. On Lifehacker.com, Whitson Gordon laid out some techniques for getting that return to go through, even if you don’t have the receipt handy.

Among some of the tips are:

Check That Store's Policy

Before doing anything else, check up on that store's return policy, so you know what you're going to face. Many stores don't actually care about having a receipt—Wal-Mart, for example, will let you get cash back for anything under $25, and store credit for anything above that—no receipt necessary. Target, on the other hand, can look up any purchase using your credit card or gift card. If you shop at stores like Costco, that require a membership, they can easily track your account's purchases. Amazon even has a policy for gift returns, which is great when you don't have the receipt yourself. Basically, don't waste time building up a case if you don't need it—check your store's policy, see if you can wrangle up whatever you need to get your money back, and head on in.

Be Nice and Stay Calm

This is super important. No matter how frustrated you are with the company, it's rarely the customer service rep's fault that you had to wait in line, or that your product was defective, or that you don't have a receipt. In most cases, they want to be there as little as you do, and you're going to make them want to help you a lot less if you're rude—and since, in many cases, you're the one trying to go against store policy, you want them to be on your side as much as possible. Being honest is also great, but be careful it doesn't hurt your chances of returning the item—if you knew the item was non-refundable and say so, you're probably going to have a harder time convincing them.

Realize That Store Credit Is Often As Good As It Gets

Pick your battles. If you can get the store to offer you store credit, you've probably won that battle. You won't be able to make every store give you cash back, or refund your credit card, but a willingness to compromise can get you pretty far. Whether it's store credit, exchanging the item right then and there, or (if it's defective) getting a repair or replacement, you'll be getting more of your money's worth with a compromise than you would just keeping the unwanted item.

To read the whole article from Lifehacker, click here!

Warming Up Those Windows

It tends to not get too cold here in Albuquerque during the winter months, but on cooler days, drafts coming in through cracks in your windows can be a real bummer. Fortunately, there are lots of ways that you can make your apartment warmer by giving some TLC to your windows - and you don’t need to be a handyman or millionaire to get it done.

On ApartmentTherapy.com, their “Reader Intelligence Report” feature gathered a number of suggestions for their readers for insulating and modifying their home windows to create a warm, energy efficient environment during the winter months. And since we’re not exactly dealing with sub-zero conditions, chances are these tricks will do a great job:

“I took some cheap burlap fabric, stained it with tea, and made rice-filled thin, sealed bags to go on all of my apartment window ledges and at the bottom of my front door. This doesn't keep the cold from the glass but in my 1920s drafty apartment it works well.”

“I’ve also used foam drawer liners, rolled up and stuffed into crevices. The self-sticking kind might be nice to line small crevices in windows and doors.”

“You'd be amazing what you can do with cotton balls and some tweezers. I went around and shoved as much cotton as I couldn't into all of the cracks where I could feel air coming in, and it's worked amazingly (not to mention super cheap)!”

“Put bubble wrap and plastic over all of your windows. No, it's not pretty but it's the best thing I've found (aside from getting new windows) to control heat loss via your windows. Dampen your windows with water from a spray bottle, and then cover the glass with cut to size pieces of bubble wrap. Then, cover the entire window (frame and all) with some clear plastic and seal it with removable weather stripping.”

“What I did was go to a Walmart and buy space blankets at the sporting goods dept. Then I got a couple of packages of thin quilt batting ( W doesn't sell them anymore, damn, they were cheap there) and finally cheap but pretty curtain material. Layered all three, material/batting/space blanket, after measuring my windows and sewed them together, hung them and damn all they worked like a charm BUT it made things a bit gloomy as they kept out all the light as well as keeping out the cold.”

To read even more tips for making your windows warmer, click here.

A Bright Future for Downtown Albuquerque

Just a short 10-minute drive from The Arbors, downtown Albuquerque has been a great place to work for decades. But soon, it could be home to a lot more, thanks to a new initiative to bring new amenities to downtown Albuquerque.

This Bernalillo County Commission has unanimously voted to consider a $11.3 million industrial revenue bond project. The proposal will include a grocery store, the development of 22,000 mixed use commercial space, and more.

If it moves forward the downtown development project is great news for our community - it is estimated that the project will create 62 full-time jobs and 150 temporary construction jobs.

Perhaps the best news (at least short-term) out of all this is that the project would be funded by private investors rather than taxpayers. Construction is currently slated to begin towards the end of 2014.

The County Commission aren’t the only ones trying to encourage the economic growth of downtown Albuquerque - of course there’s also the Downtown Action team, who work year-round to lobby on behalf of small and local businesses in the downtown area:

• Serve as the management committee for the Business Improvement District (BID) to provide enhanced services to the businesses and properties within the BID
• Provide Clean & Hospitality services to the Business Improvement District
• Attract quality growth and investment in Downtown that benefits greater Albuquerque
• Understand the market and pro-actively collaborate with key players in the community to develop and implement strategies to reach our desired outcomes
• Develop an environment for vibrant Downtown neighborhoods, and enhance the image of Downtown
• Manage the Downtown Growers’ Market, which takes place for 25 weeks of the year and attracts over 40,000 people annually 

To read additional coverage of the new downtown development project, click here.

Science Camps for Winter Break

If you’re looking to keep the kids busy over their winter break, you’re in luck. Don’t scramble to hire a sitter for every day in late December - there are lots of other options for kids in Albuquerque.

One of the coolest things we found at the Winter Day Camps over the the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. There are a bunch of different camps and dates, depending on your child’s preference - these camps are intended for kids ages 6 to 12.

The camps include:

Air Academy

Monday, December 23

Come learn about the Dynamics of Flight. Practice your piloting skills on the Museum’s Flight Simulator. Become a paper airplane expert and build your very own glider.

Grossology

Friday, December 27

Totally disgusting, but so much fun! We don’t talk about  body functions in polite company, but the questions persist. Do you have questions that no one wants to discuss? Where does snot come from, anyway? Learn more about our anatomy and lots of other gross stuff.

Let’s Move, Science of Sports

Friday, December 27

How does centripetal force affect your skateboard? How fast is a fastball, anyway? What is the best design for a bicycle? Be able to teach your parents the science behind the upcoming Winter Olympics. Science really IS everywhere!

CSI: Camp Scene Investigation

Thursday, January 2

Forensic science takes on a new twist. Search for evidence, gather clues, and discover how science is used to help solve real mysteries. Learn to think like a detective and join the investigation!

Click here to read the full catalog of Winter Camps at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History!

May the Forecemas be With You

We may be dealing with less daylight this time of year, but don’t let seasonal depression get you down. Laughing is one of the best ways to keep yourself in good spirits throughout the winter months (or any time of year for that matter).

So consider taking a trip over to The Box, one of Albuquerque’s premier comedy theaters. You can take improv classes, and see stand-up or improv shows. For the kids, you can also see youth shows at their Youth Playhouse and send them to comedy Summer Camp.

Starting on December 13, you can take the whole family out for a good laugh that the kids and parents will both enjoy: “A Very Star Wars Christmas,” presented by the Cardboard Playhouse Theater Company.

Here’s the show’s synopsis, courtesy of the Cardboard Playhouse’s website:

When Darth Vader complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees amongst everyone during the Forcemas season, Queen Amadela suggests that he become director of the school Forcemas pageant. Darth Vader accepts, but it proves to be a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little Endorean Forcemas tree fails, he needs Yoda's help to learn what the real meaning of Forcemas is.

How will it turn out? We don't even know. This show will be half improvised and half scripted so the show will be different every time. Appropriate for kids of all ages!

Click here to reserve your tickets today!