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MESA ARIZONA, CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE

Where are you right now? Do you wish you were somewhere else? Instead of working on the wish list of where you’d rather be, take a good look around. You may be in the center of the universe, like Mesa Arizona.

MEXICO TRAVEL: PUERTO VALLARTA PERFECTION, pt3

    The top down view from the seventh floor in Old Vallarta, or Viejo Vallarta, to the square.   Is it Frida Kahlo’s turquoise house? It’s the right color.   If it part of the Kahlo catalogue, she’s got octopus on her self portrait.   But it’s not Frida. Not enough eyebrow.  

MEXICO TRAVEL: PUERTO VALLARTA PERFECTION, pt1

    Where the heck is Puerto Vallarta? Find a good map book.   Look about two thousand miles south of Portland and you’re close.   West coast of Mexico below the Gulf of California.

FIVE DIAMOND ATTITUDE: WORK IN PROGRESS

    Ultimate luxury, like crack, coke, meth, heroin, oxy, opioids in general, and cigarettes, is a hard habit to kick.   I’ve worn this wristband for three weeks as a reminder of ultimate luxury, and clever marketing. It reminds me to put things back where I found them in their original luxury, and find […]

MAKE NEW NORMAL BETTER THAN OLD NORMAL? THAT’S THE NEW JOB

    I’ll never to get used to hearing about the ‘new normal,’ which is a pretty common topic after cancer treatment. “How is your new normal?” I’ve heard. “Do you miss the things you can’t do anymore?” I’ve heard. What’s the right answer? There is no right answer, but the questions ought to serve […]

SHOW UP LATE? APOLOGIZE AND PROMISE TO JUMP

      I’m sorry I’m late.  

SELF MYTHOLOGY: DEATH, DYING, PAT CONROY’S DAD

  What are the best stories told but the ones we tell about ourselves. From Greek gods to Steinbeck sharecroppers we can be whoever we like when we tell our own stories.   Of course the best self mythology comes from the biggest liars and you can’t believe a word they say, still we need […]

DOWNSIZING DOWNER: I’VE BEEN LIVING IN TRASH AND DIDN’T KNOW IT. ARE YOU?

  Downsizing Downer Part One:   Storage closet. Hardwood. 3 hinged doors. 5 shelf interior. Curved top. Three-dimensional painted front. Large storage capacity interior in a stylish format. European designed import probably, 1940s 1950s.   In other words, a converted armoire barely hanging together by sub-standard euro-fasteners that evolved into an ‘entertainment center’ then a […]

COMFORT ZONE AND BIG SNAKES? GET. OUT.

      If you’ve ever seen a snake wrangler in their comfort zone, they probably don’t look like this. There I was in a lovely Santa Monica apartment with nice people in Los Angeles.   They seemed like nice people, then I saw the snake in a cage.   “Do you like snakes?” someone […]

AUTUMN LEAVES, AUTUMN DOGS, BEST TIME OF YEAR

    How often do dogs change my day? Every day.   And it’s not always my dog.   A walk on a trail, a lady with two frisky hounds, and it’s a lively moment.   Just two middle aged people on a hillside in the wilderness. Sharing the wonder of it all.   Autumn […]