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ARMY BRAND DD214 WON’T WASH OFF

March 21, 2019 by

    Not sure when it begins, but a lot of men feel remorse about not having an Honorable Discharge and a DD214. What did they miss? Listen to guys in their late 30’s and early 40’s reflect on the sort of soldier they would have been, or their opinion on what makes a good […]

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BEST GIRL, BEST DAY, BEST BEER STOP: TAPPHORIA

March 20, 2019 by

The first ‘best life/best day’ of the year to hit seventy degrees feels like being a tourist in a familiar town. The leaves on the trees are greener, I noticed little flowers of many colors. Even the plants my wife bought and left in the garage darkness look like they want to come back to […]

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WHO LIES ABOUT ABANDONING NYC

March 19, 2019 by

I spoke to a woman recently who moved to Portland Oregon from Brooklyn New York, just casual conversation in a Safeway line. We had something in common since I moved here from the same place, though she didn’t start in North Bend Oregon. She was big city all the way with no perspective on the […]

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WHY WRITING? WHY WRITE A CANCER BOOK?

March 17, 2019 by

This is gonna be short because I’m writing a cancer book. See what I did there? Didn’t say writing ‘my cancer’ book. Cancer book is more than enough. The whole ‘my cancer’ talk is a bad track. Who really wants to claim it like that. Instead, I’m giving it a good thrashing, plowing the cancer […]

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WHAT I LEARNED BY STARTING A RANGE FIRE

March 15, 2019 by

Like how to put it out. During a high school sports trip a team in two vans drove through Wyoming. If memory serves, Wyoming was the closest state to Oregon selling fun fireworks like bottle rockets and firecrackers after a lifetime of sparklers and Piccolo Petes. Since we were high school guys in both vans, […]

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TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS LOVE

March 13, 2019 by

The best thing art offers us is revelation. Last night at Tiny Beautiful Things (TBT) was no exception. The worst thing art offers us is truth after the revelation. TBT showed I lack the same empathy gene as Cheryl Strayed. And I was shocked. I love the idea of reaching out in love, of putting […]

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TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN PORTLAND OREGON

March 12, 2019 by

Today’s the day, Tiny Beautiful Things day, at Portland Center Stage at the Armory. Truth is it could be any play and I’d still go. PCS used to be the go-to stage in Portland for my mother in law and my wife. After she shuffled off this mortal coil, I picked up the slack. Now […]

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MOURNING PERIOD: WHO SETS THE CLOCK

March 11, 2019 by

Loss affects everyone; response to loss varies. A death in the family can be a devastating event, and it can be a release. Sudden death is the stunner. One moment the lights are on, the next it’s all dark. No good bye, no so long, no nothing, just an empty place where someone used to […]

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MUSIC PLAYS YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU PLAY MUSIC

March 8, 2019 by

Music asks this question: Can you count to four? One. Two. Three. Four. Like that. Over and over the count goes on like a mantra. One Two Three Four Is there anything more?

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PORTLAND JAZZ FAN? WHO KNEW

March 6, 2019 by

Last night I saw Mel Brown at The Vault and it was stellar. Portland jazz has a new fan. Make that three new fans. Jazz is easy, right? No it’s not. It’s key changes, tempo, and timing. And practice. Mel Brown has been a Portland jazz anchor; his group has a regular gig at the […]

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