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BASHING CIVIL DISCOURSE TO NEW HEIGHTS

May 13, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

How often do you catch yourself in civil discourse and regret what you’ve said? It usually goes something like, ‘this would have been better if I had just stayed on topic.’ That’s the polite self-talk. The other? Not so polite.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, civil discourse, facebook, journalist, muckraker, next time, ON TOPIC, polite, public figure, public life, reporter, self-talk, Social media, stupid, under educated, writer, writing, young people, youtube

RECLAIMING MY TIME ON SOUTHERN OREGON COLLEGE SIXTY-FIVE YEARS LATER

April 30, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Southern Oregon College Graduating Class of 1960: My dad. He transferred after two years at Central Oregon Community College in Bend. It was a well used path to the first college degree in his family. He was thirty years old, an old 30. Back then thirty was older, fifty was a grandparent. Hit sixty and […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: advanced degree, ashland oregon, baby boomer, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, davidpdx, education, GI Bill, higher education, historical recreation, learning, Love, Oregon, Oregon shakespeare festival, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Shakespeare, southern oregon college, southern oregon university, travel, wife, writer, writers, writing

MUSIC MUSCLE: USE IT OR LOSE IT

April 26, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Where is the music muscle? In your fingertips? In your ear? In your voice? No wrong answer here. It’s all three, but there’s still something missing. Whether it’s ambient noise, sounds, notes, or whether it’s so important you buy tickets and make travel plans, there’s something about music I still don’t get. On one hand […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, education, engaged, engaging, learning, lose it, lost it, muscle, music, music muscle, musician, PAINTER, painting, travel, use it, writer, writers, writing

TO MY DEAR READER, FROM A BLOG

April 18, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Dear reader is plural, but writers are told to focus on just one person, and since I’m the writer around here . . . Hopefully it’s a focus on the right reader? The last thing I need is learning how my posts led a reader astray. From me to you: DO NOT GO ASTRAY. DON’T […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blog posts, blogger, boomerpdx, control, davidpdx, dear reader, education, family, good life, let them, let them theory, medicinal, permission, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, read, reader, reading, reflection, right stuff, sports, story, under control, writer, writing, wrong stuff

PICK A SIDE AND STAY THERE, OR NOT

April 13, 2026 by David Gillaspie

What’s the problem when you pick a side? You’re stuck. You talked the talk, walked the walk, then something changed. But you’re stuck. Either stay on the bus as it goes off the bridge, or hit your eject button.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, blog, bloggers, boomerpdx, davidpdx, education, favorite people, greater good, history, Love, MARRIAGE, married, Oregon, pick a side, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, readers, subscribe, travel, wife, writer, writers, writing

DAVIDPDX @ boomerpdx, A REGAL OREGON BLOG REVIEW

April 12, 2026 by David Gillaspie

When I look for an Oregon blog I google ‘oregon blogs.’ Does that sound right to you? Good, it should. What isn’t right is the first listing, an unfriendly welcome to sign in and ‘keep up with the topics, feeds, and trends that matter to you.’ In a search for ‘oregon blogs’ the topic is […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: author, blog, Bluehost, boomerpdx, davidpdx, dear oregon, demonize, education, essentially oregon, family, history, learning, old blog, Oregon, oregon historical society, Oregon History, Portland, Portland Oregon, theme, topic, wife

RETIREMENT TIME OPENS DOOR FOR THINGS AND STUFF

March 29, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Everyone’s’ retirement time is unique, no one matches any other. For some it’s a big party at work with a grand send-off, followed by more parties to celebrate that new freedom. There’s that giant card where everyone you worked over the decades signs with the glee of a high school year book. Or maybe you […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: art paint, artist, Baby Boomer blogger, baby dingo, blog, blogger, bloggers, BOOMER, boomerpdx, cloth, daddy dingo, dewing machine, dingo, hobby, material, PAINTER, story, textile, textile artist, ue, wife, writer, writing

BORING, TRIVIAL, POINTLESS LIFE? GOOD JOB

March 17, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Doing a good job means what? Following orders and delivering a finished product according to the highest standards of the industry? Let’s not get carried away. How about finishing on time with something that works the way it’s supposed to work? You can do that and your masterpiece at the same time. If you don’t […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: American Dream, american novels, american system, Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boring, civil rights, due process, enthusiasm, finish, good job, legal rookies, losing, masterpiece, moral tone, pointless, project, story, travel, trivial, vote, voters, voting, winning, work, writer, writers, writing

HIDDEN SONGS OF THE OREGON COAST

March 15, 2026 by David Gillaspie

People play their guitar in the basement alone looking for hidden songs. Hidden songs? There you are moving around the fretboard and something sounds different. You play it again. Nice. While you play you remember the old times you had when you were younger. Like yesterday.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blogger, BOOMER, boomer blogger, devils punchbowl, family, food, GUITAR, hidden song, MARRIAGE, millennials, newport, newport oregon, Oregon, people, seafood, seafood tower, song, Thor's well, wife, writer, writers, writing

BIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY YOU SAY?

March 12, 2026 by David Gillaspie

I just finished reading about one man’s dedication and defense of the biographical essay and thought, ‘blog post?’ Like most writers, he lost me in the digressions. Like most online readers, I scrolled on. But here’s what you need to know:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: autobiographer, autobiography, Baby Boomer blogger, biographical blogger, biographical essay, blog, blogger, English, English teacher, essay, focused, piece of writing, poem, screenplay, short story, story, structured, wife, writer, writing, writing surface