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WALK THAT LONESOME VALLEY, OR BABY SHARK, PICK ONE

You know you’ve got to walk that lonesome valley. That’s just how it is. The part about walking it by yourself? I’m not so sure about that. I tried walking it by myself and got pretty far, even though I wasn’t alone. Technically.

BEING USEFUL LIKE ROBERT FULGHUM

This isn’t Robert Fulghum, it’s me being useful in my Robert Fulghum beard which has gone the way of every beard that dared show itself on my face. He is probably a better beard steward than me. My enthusiasm for grooming an extra pet in the house lasts about six months. The last dog lived […]

A SECOND LOOK AT “THAT AIN’T RIGHT”

What’s a second look at this garage arrangement tell you? What’s missing: a fitness area with a treadmill, squat rack, work bench, maybe a couple of cars stacked on a lift, and a designated music area with guitars, drums, and amps all ready to go. Not to say this garage is lacking anything, but it […]

AUDIENCE RECOGNITION: KNOW THE ROOM

Albert Einstein had audience recognition with his letter in 1939. His audience? Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States. He knew the room. It was one person.

PREDICTION BETTING FOR THE CLAIRVOYANTS IN THE CROWD

If you listened to a clairvoyant’s advice watching the 4th game of the NBA Finals last night you would have cleaned up on prediction betting.   Clair: Sure they’re twenty-nine points down, but just wait. You: Yeah, okay swami, I’m turning it off. I can’t take it. Clair: Don’t do that. You’ll be sorry. What […]

END PRODUCT IS WHAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT, NOT PRACTICE

‘End Product’ is another way of saying, “What have you done lately?” We pay to go to concerts, games, and races. We don’t pay to go to practice rooms, weight rooms, or interval track training, the stuff done before the end product. Buy a ticket for an event and you expect a competent performance? Sounds […]

MAKING THE CANCER CALL 2026

Ten years ago I got the cancer call. Me: Hello. Doc: Are you sitting down? Me: Yes. (I was in the bathroom.) Doc: The tests came back. You have cancer. Me: That’s not good.

STARTING OVER ONE MORE TIME

Calling it a day and starting over after forty five years? Not me, my wife’s business. After five moves beginning in NW Portland and ending in Lake Oswego, delivering hundreds of babies, treating thousands of patients, the timing couldn’t be better. We met at the start, teamed up for her business, and now it will […]

GOOD PARKS FOR A BETTER LIFE

I didn’t move to the suburbs for good parks, but I would have if I knew how important they are for living a better life. The first time I took my tiny kids they weren’t impressed. I was. It was Cook Park in Tigard, Oregon and it was beautiful with paths and forests alongside the […]

DRINKING ACTIVITIES LIST FROM FIRST TO LAST

Drinking activities differ based on where you are in the world and what’s available. Wine seems like a worldwide drink, so let’s go with wine instead of craft beer, or curated cocktails. Alcohol can open doors to different cultures and different times in history. Take the Monkey Gland for example: