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BETTER LISTENING SKILLS FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING

If practicing better listening skills isn’t a life goal, it should be.
How hard is it to pay attention?
You did it in the classroom with the encouragement of a teacher.
I still remember Mr. Kraus singing ‘Toot toot tootsie goodbye’ when he tossed little tootsie rolls to students with the right answer in algebra.
Maybe we need more of that? Instead we get more of this:

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RETURNING REVERENCE TO IT’S RIGHTFUL PLACE

There’s a scent of reverence in the air, of returning reverence after a long pause.
It started in my doctor’s office where I’d been called to sit on a panel with others.
One of the others was Roy Pittman, one of my personal heroes.
The next time I saw the doctor he told me he was surprised at the way I acted, that I showed reverence to Coach Pittman.
If I did, I didn’t know it. What I remember is feeling awe-struck. Maybe it’s the same thing?
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NBA CHAMPION CROWNED, AGAIN

Becoming an NBA champion is a lifelong goal for every basketball player in the world.
The best want to play the best, beat the best, to tell themselves they’re good enough.
It’s that along with contracts and money and fame.
All of that goes along the wayside when you stop playing in ninth grade like me, or in high school.
Do I blame the coaches that I didn’t become a star, a substitute, or even a benchwarmer?
Noooooo, but . . .
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CLEAN LIVING FOR A QUIET LIFE

Clean living is an art form, and like all art it takes practice.
Yes, we’re talking about practice.
It takes practice to talk without a particular tone, without too much edge.
Do that and you may have a productive conversation.
Go ahead and save the tone and edge for people you don’t know, who don’t know you.
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I READ THE NEWS TODAY OH BOY

The news today is all about world events.
News organizations deliver it every day with the same hype and urgency.
News hounds consume every detail and load it onto the pile they carry in case someone asks them ‘what’s up?’
That’s when you brace yourself for the headlines as if they’re coming from an anchorman. Or woman.
That’s the big news story you NEED to know.
The small news, the stories that make us step back, come out another way.
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toughen up

AR15 PURCHASE QUESTIONS THAT NEED ASKING

    The Washington Post ran an nice piece about a guy buying his first AR15. He’d wanted one for years and finally the day came.   Money, motivation, and gun show all came together for him.   The WaPo research seems pretty good, even with a tag of fake news thrown around.   The […]

HPV16 VACCINE IN CONSUMER REPORTS

The HPV16 vaccine article in Consumer Reports pushes hot buttons across the board. It’s easy to understand why.   I’m a father of two, but it’s more than that. Too many parents are overwhelmed with the joy of their own reproductive skills and the bundle of joy as a result. I know I was.   […]

DR MOLE MOVES FROM HILLSDALE BUT STAYS ON CAPITOL HWY

  One of the best parts of being married long term is sharing the other person’s ups and downs. Over time you get to see how they make their way in the world, to see the face they present to each new challenge.   My wife, Elaine, aka Dr Mole of drmolepdx.com online, arrived at […]

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boomer years

WHY BATMAN MATTERS MORE TO BOOMERS

Why Ben Affleck Matters More To Batman. Baby boomers met Batman up close and personal. He wasn’t the first super hero, but he seemed the most like us. His powers didn’t come from space, or a science accident, but from his own devices. Bruce Wayne had more than a little Iron Man, though Batman’s birthday […]

How Older Men Express Themselves When No One Is Around To Call BS

  I knew older men who’d been everywhere, done everything, and could drive any car ever invented.   They’d had every job from sales executive to mailman, to factory worker, to fighter pilot in three wars. Sometimes it was true.   One of them said he was shot down and imprisoned on a Japanese held […]

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN BOOMER

I hear you asking, “What’s a ‘proven’ boomer?” You know what a ‘made man’ is in the Mafia? They’ve taken an assignment from the boss and done good with it. Usually the assignment that makes you a Made Man also makes you a Button Man. You push the button, pull the trigger, you’re a made […]

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buckle up

BOOMER FUTURE, WITH BELLS

Paolo Soleri Sets The Stage With A Desert Vision Of Boomer Future. It might be a Star Wars set, a home on a distant planet, but it’s not. Instead you see the cement/earthen buildings of Cosanti in Arizona. Some of you might mistake Arizona for a distant planet, and you wouldn’t be far off. With […]

Pride Parade NW Boomer Style

You Know You’ve Arrived When:   A string of parades hit town recently. The big three were the Starlight, the Rose, and the Pride Parade. Each one has it’s Portland vibe.

MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S SUSHI

When a birthday dinner turns to Shakespeare and Midsummer Night’s sushi. Imagine if you will a birthday dinner, but not just a regular birthday dinner for a regular birthday. Instead, it’s a milestone birthday dinner, a biggie, so you plan and time and schedule and connect. Because it is an older birthday, one idea is […]

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