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HOPEFUL CITY, URBAN DUMP, OR BOTH

February 18, 2023 by

What makes a ‘hopeful city?’ Take Portland for example, a place other states once yearned for in their signature city. “We love Portland; we want to be Portland,” said Asheville, North Carolina. Except there are a few problems to overcome.

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MAD ABOUT YOU? WHY YOU?

February 15, 2023 by

If you think the world is mad about you, you’re probably right. But what is it about you that gets people worked up? Is it your car? Your hair? Your shoes? Your beard? No, nope, huh uh. It’s your sense of humor.

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ENCOURAGING WRITERS TO WRITE?

February 12, 2023 by

Who is encouraging writers to write? If you answer with teachers, instructors, or professors, keep looking. Famous writers give encouragement? It sounds nice. Do you know a famous writer you want to emulate? Me neither. Now what? Paint?

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MUSICAL ENDURANCE CLASS FOR THE NON-MUSICAL

February 11, 2023 by

Musical endurance means hitting the same note over and over the rest of your life. Sounds easy, right? Because it is. If you were one of the gifted, the lucky, the special, you started early and have been doing it your whole life. However, if that’s not you, play the blues in E. That’s your […]

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ONE PORTLAND BABY BOOMER DECADE

February 9, 2023 by

My Portland baby boomer decade began in 1980. It began when I stepped off the bus after a three day ride from Manhattan. (Hey, B.) For twenty-six year old me it was a life changer. By 1990 I was heading out.

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CALM SURRENDER LIFESTYLE, AND DOG TRAINING

January 25, 2023 by

The first I’d heard of ‘calm surrender’ came from a chemo clinic nurse. I asked her what someone like me was supposed to do during cancer treatment. She said surrender calmly. I told her Gillaspie isn’t a French name. Nurse Michel was not amused, but she was right.

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DIALECT STORIES TOLD IN TONGUES

January 24, 2023 by

Based on a particular vocabulary, all stories are dialect stories. From Mark Twain to Forrest Gump, and every stop in between. But what happens when language jumps off the page with directions, or recipes, or, wait for it: Feelings?

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COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN MORE THAN A BURGER

January 22, 2023 by

A communication breakdown is a problem. It’s also a burger, which isn’t a problem. The problem comes when a ‘failure to communicate’ gets your ticket punched like Cool Hand Luke. But, instead of food and prison execution, let’s talk about online communication breakdown. For example, take this blog. Please.

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ATTENTION ECONOMY SPENDING CAP

January 19, 2023 by

Google’s response to ‘Attention Economy’ is “About 569,000,000 results (0.47 seconds).” I didn’t read them all, but the first few referred to the ‘so-called’ attention economy. ‘So-called’ because no one wants to be shamed for thinking there’s such a thing as an attention economy? Look at that top picture. What’s it say? More than you want […]

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LOVE LIFE HISTORY OF THE BABY BOOMER

January 14, 2023 by

For a successful love life you need to make the decision all English majors make: Do you throw yourself into the fire, or coast along for the ride? Do the required reading? Or go to Cliff Notes? Checking in on an old Baby Boomer favorite from Facebook.

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