[chopper]

We have seasonal changes here in the Valley, too. There's the spring shade of brown, interspersed with wildflowers. There's the summer shade of brown, complemented by the brown dust in the dust storms. There's the fall shade of brown, complemented by the wilted palm fronds from the summer heat. And then there's the winter shade of brown, which as near as I can tell is just left over brown from the other three seasons.

Seriously, though, we all admit that summer here is kind of a bear. When you walk outside at 6:30 AM to go to work and it's already 93 degrees, you know that you need to take it kind of easy because it's gonna be witchy. But most folks around here adjust their schedules to do most of there summertime activities in the early morning or after dark, and we all get by OK. Afternoons are usually spent inside or in the pool. The "It's a dry heat" statement does in fact have a lot of validity. 105 degrees and 10% humidity is far more comfortable than 90 degrees and 95% humidity, which I saw regularly during the summer while living around Philadelphia. You just gotta remember to consume enough water to stay hydrated. I drive my Snake around during the summer days (at least, now that I've gotten the overheat problem under control) and I just wear a baseball cap and SPF 10,000 sunscreen to prevent the sunburn on the "follically challenged" areas. Soon as the sun starts going down, the temps drop significantly and then it's a real pleasure. But it's the rest of the year that makes the summer months bearable. Things are improving on the road situation around Phoenix, also, as they work to complete some of the big bypasses and widen major roads. Cost of living is lower and housing is a lot more affordable. Of course, each area has its good and bad points. Our politicians are probably on par with those in PA; you have Arlen "Single Bullet Theory" "Not Proved" Specter and we have John "Closet Democrat" McCain, so it's probably a wash on that front. All in all, however, AZ gets my vote; my $0.02 anyway.