Chinese Healing Massage, yes, it's legitimate

First it was sushi, taking over San Diego, then rolling to Albuquerque. Next, Frozen Yogurt, pull the handle and add your toppings, a pandemic of dead bacteria and sugar disguised as a healthy dessert. And now, Chinese Massage, for $25 an hour.

I first heard of Chinese Massage when my friend Alegra visited from San Diego, saying, "Everywhere I go, I get Chinese Massage, San Diego, Seattle, Houston, and it's very consistent, fully-clothed, in a public room, stretching style massage."

When I lived in San Diego, we all thought Asian massage meant "a happy ending", and as a member of the fairer sex, I didn't see how that'd apply to me. But where Alegra's concerned, I'm game for anything. We found several Asian massage centers in town, and luckily happened upon Chinese Healing Massage, on San Mateo and Osuna. The massage was neither clothed nor public. And, the massage therapists are not licensed. You undress to your bottom undergarments, and sit on a footrest with your feet in hot water, with a towel in front for modesty. A small Asian person rubs your back, with hands and elbows. He or she then dries your feet, and you lie facedown on a massage chair (complete with hole and face shield, and she scoots the footrest so that it is now essentially a massage table, with a groove for your hand to gracefully drape over. She massages you, with hands, elbows, and on top of a towel, with knees. You get some head reflexology and stretches too.

I've had three Chinese massages, and they were all relaxing, but the last one I had was the best massage I've ever had ever, totally top notch, with a very intuitive therapist named Helen. So try it, Chinese Healing Massage, with two locations to serve Albuquerque, on San Mateo by Osuna (505) 884-0830, and on San Mateo by Candelaria (505) 884-1155. Don't be put off by the blackened windows (there is a sign stating the therapeutic and platonic nature of the massage). The interior of the location by Candelaria is spa standard, clean, with soft coloring and Asian style spa music. Refresh yourself with tea or water while you wait.
With all the traffic they receive, call to make an appointment before going. I tip $8-$12 depending on the effort placed. Both male and female therapists are available.

A photon's Life, in Antarctica

When I was an undergrad, I was gung ho crazy about IceCube, a high energy physics project which uses the ice of Antarctica as scintillating material to track muons.

Muons are a type of sub-atomic particle called a lepton, which is the family electrons belong to, that decay in 2.2 microseconds in their own time frame. They travel close to the speed of light, however, and because of time dilation due to special relatifvity, they travel a long ways in our time frame.

An undergraduate physics professor of mine, Howard Byrant, once remarked, in the time frame of a photon, the photon lives its entire life in a single instant.  What a beautiful thought.