Dave Shabaz

It’s hard to believe that I moved to Eddy County four weeks ago today. I had all of my things packed up by a moving company and spent my first night here on July 16, 2024. I spent two and a half weeks living in a hotel, waiting for my things to arrive. I will never use a moving company ever again. The only reason I did this time was because on March 19 of this year, I had my right hip replaced, so I wasn’t going to lift anything myself, at least not yet.

Once I arrived here, I felt one thing that made me know that I picked the right spot to live. Well, I guess it was what I didn’t feel, humidity! I spent the past five years living in Texas, first in Northeast Texas and then the last year living in South Texas. Even after five years there, I never got acclimated to the humidity. I was born in Chicago but moved to Central California when I was 10-years old. I thought I knew what humidity was, but then I moved to the South and it changed my mind forever.

My 35+ year newspaper career has taken me all over this great land of ours. After living in Southern California for about seven years, I moved to North Carolina and it was there I felt true humidity. When my family back in California would complain about the heat, I would tell them, “You need to shut up right now.” They obviously know that I’m very sarcastic and that I was kidding, but I definitely didn’t want to hear about their “heat” problem when I was experiencing what I considered to be hell on earth. I would joke that during my first summer in North Carolina, I wanted to jump off an overpass to escape the humidity. Then I moved to Texas and it really didn’t get much better, especially in South Texas.

Here in New Mexico, when it’s 102 outside, I’m walking around with a smile on my face. It’s absolutely pleasant because of where I’ve been recently. You see, it’s all about perspective. For those who know me well, they laughed out loud when I told them that I moved to the city where “all the bats live.” You see, I’ve never been a big fan of bats. I’ve been known to refer to them as, “flying rats with rabies,” which is why those who know me, are really enjoying this.

So, what I’ve decided to do is to get educated on bats, which I’ve been slowly doing. I’ve learned that they have vital purposes that they serve, for both agriculture and the environment, which I did not know. I’m also scheduling a trip to the Carlsbad Caverns, which is a huge step for me. I’ll be writing all about my experiences there, which should be entertaining for our readers. I don’t know if this is a gift or a curse, but I’ve always been able to find humor in literally any situation, and you’ll see that when you read my columns.

I’ll be turning 62 next week, so I think it’s time for me to face my fears head on and I love new experiences. You’ll read about how much I loved the Caverns or you’ll read about how a chubby, grown man was seen running out of the caverns screaming like a 12-year old girl at a One Direction concert…J. Like I said, either way, it will be entertaining for everyone.

Dave Shabaz is publisher of the Carlsbad Current-Argus and Artesia Daily Press.