United States
I have written for the Los Angeles Times, the LA Downtown News and the Source Weekly in Bend, Oregon. I also spent over 20 years writing, editing and producing television promos for local stations in both Los Angeles and New York City.
Arts • Culture • Food • Sports • Theater
Like word problems? Try this one. Question: Alli Parker’s sizzling fastball zips to home plate at a speed of approximately 55 miles per hour. Assuming she’s pitching from about 45 feet away, how long does it take before the batter gives up all hope of hitting it, and instead thinks about joining the swim team? Answer: About three-quarters of a second. Or less. Analysis Forget the hitting part. I’m just trying to catch it. Alli’s dad (and Central Oregon Fastpitch Coach), Dan Parker,...
My couples therapist has grass between his teeth. Not surprising. He grazes most of the day, this majestic creature, and yet still finds the time to provide clients with much-needed emotional support. Did I mention he's stunningly handsome? Long legs, two giant brown eyes, a flowing mane and the innate ability to figure out exactly what's going on in your head...sort of like Tony Robbins with a tail and a penchant for hay.
We're singing—no, screaming—the iconic Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody" into a pair of microphones inside a crowded Bend bar featuring cheap beer, pool and, well, karaoke. There are four of us now, down from a high of seven earlier in the evening. Outsiders might think they're looking at a bunch of longtime friends partying away the latest in an endless string of nights on the town. The truth? I just met these people.
Two sisters. One boyfriend. And a harrowing family dysfunction. Throw in a loaded .357 and you have more than enough ingredients for a darkly comedic trip through LA's Hollywood Hills – where dreams go to die on all those dimly lit roads. That's because the entertainment "industry," as it's known, can chew through the emotional switchboards of even the most mentally stable, well-balanced individuals.
"Nut Crusher Peanut Butter Porter." This I'm reading off the chalkboard beer menu at Downtown Redmond's popular garage-themed Wild Ride Brew. It's a phrase I've never actually considered before. Fascinating. "One Nut Crusher, please," I say to the 6-foot-tall bartender who could pass for Uma Thurman's little sister. She begins pouring while I try to pretend the whole peanut butter beer thing's no big deal. As if I'm an expert. With any luck, she'll not realize I wouldn't know...
How much credit does Apple deserve for this?
Pet owners will do just about anything to ensure the health and comfort of their animals. Sometimes that means considering alternative treatments when illness strikes.
Take a good look at your beer bottle. I mean, really get up in there. Now then, what do you see? Yes, we all know about the refreshing goodness inside. So positively rewarding, in fact, that beer has become virtual religion in these parts. We love our ales, pales, wheats, lagers, stouts, bitters, darks, lights, creams, blondes, browns, ambers, pilsners and porters. Just to name 14 or so. Yet there's something else vying for our attention on that bottle (or can), something a...
Forty-seven miles east of Bend, alongside a stream with the storybook name of Little Bear Creek, America's mythical wild horses have come to heal. Mustangs. They're the lucky ones—safe here, and no longer running scared. Once, there were two million spread across America. Only a small percentage remain. That's because today these horses spark controversy, especially on public lands where they compete for forage with vastly more profitable livestock. Cows outnumber mustangs by at...