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EVIL HISTORY IS TOO PAINFUL FOR STUDENT READING?

Evil history includes a list of everything you wish you’d never heard of. It’s the story of man’s injustice to his fellow man, and woman, and non-binary person. If you’ve lived long enough, you’ve heard some evil history; add a few more years and you’ve lived some of it, and the aftermath. Everyone has a […]

WINERY REMINDER: KNOW YOUR TASTING GLASS

This is a winery reminder for Oregon wine country: If you buy a flight of wine to taste test, keep track of your glass. A seven-wine flight doesn’t mean seven glasses. But you probably know this. Since I live within shouting distance from one winery after another, now I know.

SURPRISING CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT PAYING ATTENTION?

Brace yourself for surprising consequences for not paying attention. More important, dial up your empathy when you hear someone telling about the consequences for their poor behavior. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I mean, I know how it looks, but what’s the problem? It could have been anyone.” If you’re listening, maintain eye contact, nod […]

EVERY DAY IS A NEW CHANCE FOR SMALL CHANGES

Every day has promises to keep with miles to go before we sleep. Sound familiar? It was a poem written by an old man named Robert Frost. When I first read ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ I chalked it up to a reflection on mortality. Reading it now, instead of a high school […]

WORKOUT SWEAT IN THREE DRIPS AND DROPS

You know you’ve got it going when workout sweat starts bubbling up. Not flop sweat, nervous sweat, or anxiety sweat, but the sort of sweat you want and need to prove something to yourself. Workout sweat connects you to every athlete, every champion, every strong person you’ve ever heard of. They got there with sweat. […]

BLOG ANNIVERSARY WITH 2500TH POST TODAY

Like any anniversary, from birthday to wedding to funeral, a blog anniversary marks time. From gym reviews to book reviews, restaurant reviews to David review, I’ve laid it down. On good days and bad days, I’ve laid it down. From joy to heartbreak, I’ve laid it down. And not once, not one sentence in one […]

PARTY PEOPLE WHO BRING THE EXTRA EXCITEMENT

Party people come to life at the right time. They also make things come to life. Pictures of food and dessert are one thing, but seeing it put together in real time is a whole ‘nother thing. Wherever the flag idea came from, it looked good yesterday. A lot of things looked good yesterday.

AMERICAN WAY FINDS NEW TRADITIONS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT

The American way used go be different. Not that we’re living in a new world, but it’s just different. Instead of “do your work, keep your mouth shut, treats others fairly” we get “find a gig, live out loud, tell others how to do it.” That’s a change from the lock-step life celebrated by those […]

AMERICAN WRITERS FROM THERE TO HERE AND BACK AGAIN

Why do American writers, or any writer for that matter, bother putting words down? The easy answer is, “Because they have something to say.” Which brings up another question: What if no one is listening, or reading, or shows even the slightest interest? Is that the writer’s problem? They’re doing the work and it shows. […]

AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE UPDATE: NOW WHAT?

We all understand American Independence from a historical point of view. “Freedom from the tyranny of taxation without representation.” And other tyrannies? What about independence from other tyrannies? Can we get freedom from self-imposed tyrannies? Personal tyranny? If so, how? That’s the question, how? You could read an essay for starters. It’s an Oregon-born essay […]