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PORTLAND SUMMER CHEER FROM HERE

How far is a carefree summer walk in the park from the pressure packed navigation through the urban sprawl for Portland summer cheer?
One moment you’re walking a forest trail along the mighty Tualatin River counting birds and snakes and turkey vultures.
Look, two snakes.
Take the bridge for a good look at the river recreation action.
It’s an Oregon dream, an American dream, played out in every corner of the country.
Most important, it’s our shared dream.

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BEST LAID PLANS OFTEN GO AWRY

This is what I like to tell people: the best laid plans often to awry.
At least that’s what I’d tell them if they asked.
No one has really asked, but I’ve heard talk that sounded like complaining, which deserves a solid answer.
You had plans? Well, now you know, the best laid plans often to awry.
Robert Burns said it differently in 1785:

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FOR THE LAST TIME: A LIST

You come to the last time after too many bad burgers, bad drinks, and bad decisions.
Enough is finally enough.
This post was inspired by a short visit to a local tap house, the last such visit.
What happened?
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MATTRESS SHOPPING + BABY BOOMER = MARRIAGE COUNSELING

Go mattress shopping and expect to find more than a mattress.
Like what?
The outstanding feature to me is meeting people who quote $20,000 for a new bed.
Sound normal to you? Not to me, and here’s why:
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THE GREEN BOOK MOVIE REVIEW

I saw The Green Book after watching documentaries on Bill Russell and Quincy Jones.
The sequence matters because real people in the docs had already explained in pretty stark terms how it was to be black.
The harsh reality they told showed up in scene after scene in a different context.
How different?
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toughen up

P16 THROAT CANCER MAKES TONGUES WAG AROUND THE WORLD

It’s taboo, too personal, off limits. I heard about P16 Cancer the hard way: I got it. How does it get you? It’s taboo, too personal, off limits.

GYM MEMORIAL FOR BOOMERS

  The first thing you notice in a new gym is the pecking order. Strong guys group together. Old guys over there. Young men pumping out the reps. Ladies all over the place on every piece of equipment.   Women have the gym all figured out. Guys not so much.   Over time a few […]

BABY BOOMER DEATH MARCH

What Happens When That Music Starts? From the Washington Post: “In January, the CDC reported that an average of six people die every day because of alcohol poisoning and that 76 percent are ages 35 to 64. Three-quarters are men.” That party bus of life shifted gears when we weren’t looking. The baby boomer mantra […]

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boomer years

YOU QUALIFY FOR ONE LAST BEER IF…

  If you haven’t seen it yet, you will. Someone you know gives up the chase for the perfect beer, telling the world about One. Last. Beer. But it’ll never be you. Never. Whether it’s medical, legal, or family pressure, if you see a fellow beer lover after a year, and they say they quit […]

THE DAY DRUGS STOPPED WORKING? NEVER

  The last place you want to go after the drugs stopped. The drugs stopped working at a mom and pop funeral parlor where the owners lived upstairs. A shiny metal coffin sat in the chapel with a beautiful young woman inside. She wore a conservative suit, the sort of clothes that get people hired […]

Oregon BrewFest 2018 Featuring Famous Mandy Hat

  In a tradition unlike any other, the Oregon brewfest is more than tossing beers down on a hot day. It’s civic involvement. I’d like to think every big beer event carries similar goals.   If it’s only about drinking beer you can do that in your garage, or living room, or backyard. But it’s […]

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buckle up

OREGON REST STOP GEORGE

Oregon Rest Stop Is The Best On The West Coast. No one stops at an Oregon rest stop just for the toilet. There’s so much more to do. Walk the dog in the dog yard, picnic tables, and a break from the people you’ve been cooped up with for hours is more important than the […]

PORTLAND’S FARM TRIP

How Far Away Is Portland’s Farm, Portland’s Midwest? Not Far At All. Do you ever imagine golden waves of grain while sweating it out in your hotbox apartment? You wait for a breeze to blow through the crops in your mind while heat mirages rise off the asphalt beach parking lot. Or you’re standing in […]

THE OREGON SECRET, part 1

Finally Exposed: Portland Street Car Suspicions… Read the transportation editorial on the Oregonian’s Opinion front page, the sort of benchmark work a newspaper of record addresses online and hard copy. In other words, try and stay awake. No thwarted world terror plans to reflect on. No national shootings of note. Just an honest request to […]

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