I remember my first couple of years living here on the River. Now that was a long time ago and a lot has changed since then. Like the internet, for example, and cell phones for another. See, I told you it was a long time ago. But two things haven’t changed. One is that it gets really hot here and …

Quite a few years ago I remember hearing someone talk about how they trained sales people and using the expression “ABC – Always Be Closing.” Thanks to the internet I just found out this expression was used in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, a movie I haven’t seen. Well this month I want to share something a bit different with …

Okay so I had this idea for the May column but then I had to pay my taxes on April 15th and everything changed. This isn’t going to be a rant about too much taxation – I have opinions about that of course. Who doesn’t? But that’s not what this column is about. Besides, if you want read the various …

Last month I wrote a little bit about how important freedom is to us as a nation and as individuals. It’s critical, fragile and easily lost, as history shows us over and over again. I know a lot of people who choose to live here because of the freedom this area provides and that’s something many of us truly cherish. …

I suppose I ought to save this for July 4th or some other patriotic holiday, but it’s been on my mind a lot lately, so I wanted to share it with you now. As a first for this column I’m going to make this the first of two parts since I have a lot to say on this subject. I’ve …

The other day I heard someone quote from Thomas Paine’s famous pamphlet The Crisis, published on December 23rd, 1776. You know, the one that starts, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” That’s the part we always hear quoted and usually that’s about all we hear from it, other than the line about “summer soldiers.” But it turns out …

Well it’s January which means another year is beginning. Another year? Sheesh – I was just getting used to the last one! I hate to sound so clichéd but where on earth does the time go? I know as you age, your experience of time changes. I’ve experienced that myself and have plenty of testimony from friends to back that …

We are neck deep in the holiday season and for a lot of people the stress is starting to take its toll. Isn’t it ironic (to quote another song) how human beings can somehow take a season designated as joyful, uplifting and meaningful and turn it into a debt-inducing, commercialized, stress-riddled, over-indulgent, month-long marathon? It says a lot about human …

When you stop to think about it, we celebrate a lot of holidays in America. Just like everywhere else I guess. It seems that people have a deep-seated desire to stop and mark important dates or times and significant or meaningful events. As we enter November and December we are entering what most people call “the holiday season.” Not that …

One of the things I like to do to amuse myself is to listen carefully to how people talk. I enjoying hearing new catchphrases come into use and then watch them as they fade away. Some phrases are short-lived, like the long lost “tubular” of the 1980’s, but others seem to take on a life of their own. Occasionally, just …