DarinLand: Unexpectedly, 9/11

by Darin Lowery

On that awful day in 2001, when the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center collapsed in a furious mass of deadly smoke and debris, the keening at my office was out of control. No one understood what was happening, despite the nonstop news coverage gleaned from an antiquated, rolled-in Motorola. The state of shock was palpable, a numbness shared with the rest of the country. A heavy smoker then, I found my lighter and headed out the side door but was stopped by a tear stained, anxious young woman in a too-bright print dress. Oh my God, she said, why do they hate us so much? Why do they hate us so much?  I shrugged and ignored her. The Pentagon was in flames, a tight lipped reporter droned; another plane had crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside. The 1993 Trade Center bombing was reviewed in depth- it had been a matter of when, not if, another attack would transpire. … Continue Reading

DarinLand: Growing Globe

Why the big rush to grow Globe? Really- what is so God-awful about living in a small town? I like the fact that we’re not Chandler or Gilbert, with their pollution, congestion and proliferation of cosmetic surgery clinics, and I absolutely love the simple act of driving 1.3 miles to work every day. Some mornings I only hear half a song on the radio. … Continue Reading

Mr. Mayor, It’s Not a Game

Dear Mr. Mayor:

This is an open letter to Globe’s Mayor which was recently published in the SilverBelt, Copper Country News and – here.

The purpose of this letter is to set the record straight about your statements quoted in the June 15,
2011 issue of Copper Country News. You stated, “I think it is sufficient to say that Mr. Moss was notified
that his initiatives as written pose several concerns and he was advised to review them with his legal
counsel.”

Your remarks to CCN validate why I do not have confidence in your credibility. Now, here is the truth of
the matter. … Continue Reading

Local EDC Stone Deaf and Dead Wrong

Dear Editor:

This letter was recently published in the SilverBelt, Copper Country News – and here.

In last weeks’ letters to the editor, Jerry McCreary once again showed how stone deaf and disingenuous he can be when it comes to presenting the facts as he would like you to believe them.

He says in his letter,  “…we have not with held any facts about the project.” Did he forget? Or intentionally mis-represent the facts? He conveniently avoids The Fact that at the very  beginning of this whole debate,  Ted Lake, who writes for the SilverBelt, did an excellent piece on how the EDC held a closed door meeting in which the press was not invited and Councilman Terry Wheeler was told he “wasn’t welcome.” (That piece is posted here EDC under Fire. … Continue Reading

Hunter-Gatherer: Collectible Cereal Boxes

by Darin Lowery

So the question is- who knew? Who knew when we sat down for breakfast in the mid-Sixties and poured milk over our Cheerios that one day someone would actually covet the cereal box? To add insult to injury, some of those very boxes- the ones we threw in the trash because no one even thought of recycling in those days- may sell for up to $1400 on eBay. I suppose the larger question for most people would be how did any of these even survive? … Continue Reading

DarinLand: I Hate to Get Up in the Morning

by Darin Lowery

In the dream, I stepped onstage to accept the check for my winning lottery numbers- the largest amount ever to be awarded- of four hundred trillion dollars. Payable all to me and me alone. Sweat ran down my face and the makeup people began to fuss- this was, after all, being televised ‘live’ around the world- but I brushed them aside and bounded up to the presenter. Grinning like a madman, glazed eyes rolling back into my head, I reached out my right hand to grasp the check being proffered by the lovely blonde in a fire engine red sheath and then- WOOOFWOOOFWOO- … Continue Reading

DarinLand: Up in Smoke

by Darin Lowery

The Prelude:

In 1987, my Administrative Assistant- let’s call her ‘Debi’ because her real name was unpronounceable- slammed the door to my office as she left, snarling over her shoulder. “Now I have to wash my hair tonight. Again. This happens every time I have a date.” Her voice rose in exasperation. “It’s like a house fire in his office! I can’t take it anymore- HE SMOKES LIKE A BROKEDOWN CHEVY VAN!”

Sadly, ‘Debi’ left our employ for health reasons. She wanted to keep breathing. … Continue Reading

DarinLand: Postage and Flowers

by Darin Lowery

Spring is right around the corner- I can feel it. We’re sure to have a few more weeks of cold weather, with those few odd, uplifting days of promising sunshine and tepid breezes, but I can wait. Spring means soft tee shirts and planting stuff in the ground and sitting outside drinking iced tea while waving back at folks in pickup trucks who honk a howdy. Even my dogs know it’s in the air, this promise of change, the reminder that we really do have ‘seasons’ in Southeastern Arizona. … Continue Reading

DarinLand: Bracing for the Crash

by Darin Lowery

I’ve spent my whole life bracing for the crash- sometimes it happens; most times not, but I am always ready for the unexpected, for that big scary fatal moment. Perhaps this has contributed to my thorough enjoyment, most days, of each day. Life is a transient thing, a passage, the road from birth to death. Now is the time to stop and sniff the Cyclamen because they could be vaporized at any moment. While some have called me morose or melancholy- and those who don’t know me have thought me crazy, it is who I am- an amalgam of life experience and overall expectations. … Continue Reading

Darinland: The Devil Inside Me

by Darin Lowery

Believe me, this isn’t an Ode to Oprah; there will be no vocal spasm, no verbal vomit in confessing ribald tales of family abuse, drug addiction or credit problems. My double-wide is firmly grounded and my kids turned out just fine. Actually, I live in a drafty old cottage with my dogs, having ‘forgotten’ to have children because I was having too much fun carousing- but you get my drift. Even if I did push Grandma down the stairs or let my father shoot me up with heroin, I wouldn’t go on national television and weep over it. It’s just too common. … Continue Reading