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BASIC APPRECIATION OF COMMON THINGS

A basic appreciation is important for context.
Things are usually more complicated than they seem.
A brick is a brick, just some fired up mud, until you see them working together.
In the hands of a skilled craftsman, a brick is a jewel.
What else deserves a second look? A towel rack.
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TALKING DOWN TO SOMEONE? WHY

How can you tell when someone is talking down to you?
It might be the clarification questions you ask that gets them annoyed to the point of explaining everything a few times, very slowly.
Or it might their regular way of communicating.
Which leads to more questions, like, “Why be a jerk?
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FALLING LEAVES OF AUTUMN

Falling leaves are the rule of the season.
The only place without a carpet of leaves is a parking garage.
But that’s Oregon, famous for trees.
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toughen up

TO MEN, FOR MEN, FROM MEN

  I’m posting this to men in the Toughen Up section because all the groping news seems like a medical issue, or mental health dilemma.   What goes through a man’s head in the heat of the moment, when the secret button locks the door, when you finally ask, “How much do want this part?” […]

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT OSCAR GOES TO?

Who deserves the Oscar for the Affordable Care Act? Health insurance used to be simple when I was young. At least it seemed simple. Mom and Dad took me to the doctor when things looked funky, like my collarbone. Things break on kids, like bones when they fly through the air and land awkwardly. Have […]

HELPING THE EMERGENCY RESCUE

Or, How To Tell The Difference Between Yoga And A Case For Emergency Rescue. The gym I belong to is full of classes. Usually they happen in a dance studio with window walls on one side and mirrors on the other. It’s the usual schedule of jumping around with a wired up instructor, lifting Styrofoam […]

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boomer years

BLACK FRIDAY OR BLACK OPS

Who Really Needs The Dick Gun Doorbuster? The Sunday paper shows up on Thursday every Thanksgiving, loaded with consumer bait known as ads. During a short break in the three day cooking ordeal every devout member of the Greatest Generation uses to prepare a proper meal, my MIL and I looked at the ads. What […]

SOCIOPATH GENERATION GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION?

    Does an entire sociopath generation give a hoot about being called a sociopath generation?   Not when it comes from some GenX hack selling his new book.   I mean that in the nicest way, but sometimes it gets tiring hearing outsiders rag the home team, even if it fits the program of […]

The Car, The War

What’s the difference between a mobile society and a mobile war? You find out when the warriors hang up their guns. It’s how they drive down their familiar town road after trailing an IED blast in Iraq. Drive faster? Slower? Don’t drive?

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buckle up

DEADSPIN’S ‘WHY YOUR TEAM SUCKS’ IS NO WAY TO LEARN ABOUT ARIZONA

  Arizona is a lovely place. A little warmer than most, but still worth a visit. Deadspin’s annual take down of every team in the NFL paints a different picture. It’s supposed to be funny and sports related, something the rest of the world finds confusing. Football isn’t a world sport like soccer, like basketball. […]

PORTLAND CHRISTMAS SEIZURE

Nothing says Portland Christmas louder than the Pioneer Square Christmas tree. And it’s better to catch up on the view sooner than later. Once December 1 hits it feels like a race to the 25th to get everything in. Make sure you have a big Portland Christmas by seeing the biggest tree all lit up. […]

NEW YORK CITY 1980: HOW TO QUIT A GREAT TOWN

    New York City is easy to quit. Get on a bus, train, or plane and leave. Go ahead and be a quitter.   Except moving on isn’t the same as quitting. You got promoted and the new job wasn’t in New York City? You’re significant other got promoted and their new job wasn’t […]

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