I put my feet up on the desk and stared mindlessly through our little front window. I’ve been looking at this same scene damn-near every day for the past 18 months. What ever possessed me to think that I could cope with the boredom of being Deming, New Mexico’s first and only deputy sheriff? This…

“Start Listening … Open WordPad … It’s hot comma my tee shirt is wringing wet comma my left arm throbs comma my pajama bottoms are wadded up in my crotch comma my mouth is painfully dry and I have to take a leak period,” I spoke into my new microphone. The text — It’s hot,…

There are 6,793,188,178 people in the world or at least there were at 1515 GMT on October 27, 2009. Have you ever wondered how some people differentiate themselves from the other 6 billion or so with a dinky, little name? If I do an internet search for a Bob or Robert Rockwell I find hundreds…

The last set ended a little before eleven at my favorite club, Blues Alley in Georgetown. Anxious to un-stick my butt from their vinyl bar stool, I wondered out into the sweltering summer night intending to drive straight home, but for some reason I felt compelled to swing around the national mall on my way.…

On a windy day in October 2006, I drove to Pony Hills about ten miles north of Deming at the far end of Starvation Draw. I don’t usually hike alone but I wanted to get some air and be alone for a while. I hadn’t been to Pony Hills with its ancient Mimbres petroglyphs in…

It’s hot, my tee shirt is wringing wet, my left arm throbs, my pajama bottoms are wadded up in my crotch, my mouth is painfully dry and I have to take a leak. The clock glows an eerie green 2:06 AM. Damn it all, I’d better get to the bathroom. Is this what getting old…

How does the wind make the desert seem even lonelier? Is it the eerie howling or is it because the desert’s vastness and beauty is hidden by the blowing dust? It’s been blowing constantly for weeks and I’ve had it up to here. I’m tired of being cooped up inside of my truck watching the…

The Chez Robert is known for its classical French cuisine and intimate dining. I called and made a mid-afternoon appointment with the manager to see what he might do to equal the wonderful dinner our new trading partners had recently hosted in Tokyo. Robert Cheval is far more than the manager; he’s the owner and…

your ballpoint pen runs out of ink in the middle of signing your name you have to pay 25¢ for air at a service station you get a splotch of spaghetti sauce on your new white sweater the guy ahead of you goes 10 miles and hour under the speed limit you find your morning…

Introduction This ranting thing is addictive. Once you start you can find an endless number of things to bitch about. Here’s some more stuff getting under my sun burnt skin. An I for an I Is it just me or have you noticed that everyone you talk to is only capable of talking about themselves.…