Columns

We all live with a lot of noise. All the noise of our machines, like trucks, automobiles, motorcycles etc. Then there’s the noise that we constantly choose to listen to, since most of us are almost always connected to something. YouTube videos, streaming music, radio, TV. You name it, it’s there twenty-four hours a day, constantly pumping noise into our …

When do you stand firm and when do you compromise? Always a tough decision and during this election season it’s front and center in our lives. People love to criticize politicians for never taking a unpopular stand, but how many of us can distinguish between what’s really important and what’s trivial in our lives? Consider this quote: “Compromise where you …

Believe it or not this month’s column is deliberately late. Its lateness has even been approved by the editor. How cool is that? I, the guy who hates being late and almost always early, am now officially late! The reason it’s late is because I wanted to write about what I did on my Fall vacation. When I was a …

2nd UPDATE, April 2017: Changing to a 5-day workweek has now had its day in front of the Board of Supervisors and failed 2-1. See the update HERE for more. Now what about the rest of us? 😉 — UPDATE, March 2017: I’m completely perplexed that this issue is coming up now that the County is widely regarded as being …

Last month I went to the annual Marine Raider Reunion (my father was a Raider in WW2, check out his site here) in Wilmington North Carolina. Needless to say the climate and culture is quite different back there when compared to good old Parker, AZ. When I’m in different places I like to learn new things if I can, and …

I’m just going to admit right up front here that this month’s column is going to be a bit of a rant. A well-deserved one to be sure. But I’ll do my best to keep myself more or less in control and try to actually have a good point to all this. What am I peeved about? If you are …

UPDATED to add Monday’s temps. The number is kind of legendary around here. ‘A hundred and twenty degrees’ is one of those numbers that people throw around when they talk about life in the desert. People in the Parker area act like they own it, but the truth is that people talk about 120 degrees in the same reverent tones in …

We all know him. ‘That Guy’ is the one who ruins the Tube Float for everybody else around him while convinced of his own coolness. Don’t want to be him? Follow these 10 guidelines from Parker Live and you’ll have a great time this Saturday! (1) Put a self-imposed limit on the use of your props. Super Soakers, nerf projectiles, …

This month I’m doing the opposite of what we usually do. Normally if there’s a big holiday coming up we talk about it before it happens to prepare for it, or on that day so we can be timely and relevant. This month I’m neither timely or relevant because I’m going to talk about the Memorial Day holiday that we …

It’s officially the beginning of summer on the Parker Strip! Here are 10 things you may need. 1. Cooler What better place to start? You’ll need a cooler packed with ice so there’s always a cold one nearby. With temps reaching the upper 90s this weekend, it won’t take long before you’ll be reaching for one. 2. Sunglasses For obvious …