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ARMY ENLISTMENT? HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Me: Today is my Army enlistment anniversary. Did you remember.
Wife: It’s also the day my Mom died.
Me: It is? I mean, yes, it is, and also my anniversary.
Wife: I’m glad you remember it.
Me: And there’s another thing to celebrate on the same date.
Wife: What?
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BOOMER BLOGGERS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. TOO CLOSE?

As a cohort of boomer bloggers, I read all about them.
From posts and opinions, to ABOUT pages, we’re all about challenges and adventures, the places we’ve been, places we’re going.
Take this picture for example. It’s from the Portland Art Museum page.
Does that big golden ring look like an adventure, some kind of portal? Yes?
What do you do when you see a portal? Jump in.

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WANTED MAN vs NEEDED. THERE’S A DIFFERENCE?

If you’re waiting for a wanted man to make life better, you’ll be waiting a minute.
This man was a one-float parade around Silverton during my last visit.
You could hear him from blocks away with his booming sound system blasting AC/DC.
When I left, he followed my car out of town, then turned back at the city limits.
He was either a one float parade or a motor escort service.
Either way, I asked myself: Are there town characters everywhere?
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ONE PORTLAND JOURNEY: MINE

I got off the bus at the end of my Portland journey, only to begin the real deal.
This is where I lived after breaking up.
My usual move after a break up was moving to bigger and better.
For instance, I broke up in Delaware and moved to Brooklyn, NY.
Here, I broke up in far SE and moved downtown Portland.
This building had a lot of break up apartments, so I was in good company.
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CLASSIC PORTLAND RIVALRY

Social media Portland isn’t for the weak of heart.
It’s either heaven on earth, or a hell hole from the underworld sticky goo.
If you showed up recently, things are looking better; if you’ve been here a minute you’ve seen the ups and downs.
Lastly, if you’ve lived here your whole life? Uh oh.
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toughen up

NIKE CANCER TEAM TRAINING CAMP REVIEW

  After a diagnosis for hpv throat cancer I found a cancer team. An Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist, a radiation oncologist, and a chemo-therapy oncologist, all gathered data for my best outcome.   That was the shared goal. I had a couple of others I shared with them, like avoiding opioid addiction and secondary […]

Neck Cancer … What Is It Good For … Absolutely Nothing

A reader left a comment recently that moved me to respond in a universal way.   Hey Patrick,   Thanks for coming over to boomerpdx. A quick question: How did you find me and this topic. I write about it a lot, but not too many show up in comments like you. I’m glad you’ll […]

THERAPEUTIC SWEARING, MEDICAL MARIJUANA, CANCER

      Swearing, done in the right spirit, communicates so much more than long, drawn out, explanations. Besides, how often do you need the long version? I’ve investigated both swearing and medical marijuana and come to a few helpful conclusions for cancer patients. Instead of getting all macho and shocker, I’ve amended my profanity […]

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boomer years

YOUNG EAGLES FLYING HIGH

Baby boomer life has a soundtrack. We’ve heard it all from Elvis, The Beatles, Big Hair rock, punk, grunge, and Adele. Then there’s The Eagles. Not quite country, not quite rock, but able to nail either style with what? Country Rock. They weren’t the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, or Poco. You didn’t need some insider vibe […]

SEX, DRUGS, AND ROCK AND ROLL. OR JUST DRUGS

How To Live Next To A Heroin House. A move to the suburbs in most cities means a move away from drugs and crime. Not Portland, Oregon. My inner eastside apartment was too dangerous for a young family. Houses had metal barred windows and bad yards. The juice was never changing. It was a bad […]

BOOMER DENIABILITY: WE DIDN’T LIGHT THE FIRE

We Know Where The Matches Are Though. Believable generational research relies on strong academic studies, insurance statistics, and the federal census. This triumvirate of detailed minutia creates a colorless picture of the past. Instead of men in grey flannel suits, it looks like grey men in flannel, lines of them. Baby Boomer research is the […]

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buckle up

A GHOST ON THE TRAIL

The Last Reunion. Baby boomers understand how fast time passes. One moment they’re eating breakfast before school and mom reminds them to wear a coat. The next moment they’re in their dorm room reading James Joyce. A blink later and they’re on a date with their future mate. The clock hands don’t spin like a […]

THE FIGHTING FOO FIGHTERS

It’s Not Easy But You Will Win. Foo Fighters Fight For You. What’s the usual concert experience? Buy a ticket, show up, sit down, go home. Maybe raise a smart phone, flick a bic. Then there’s the concert up the Columbia at The Gorge in George, Washington. It’s a road trip no matter where you […]

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.

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