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WRITING CLASSES? THE WRONG WRITING CLASS

Who has taken writing classes? Everyone who went to high school, went to college, or joined a writers’ group. It starts early and keeps going. By that standard, everyone is a writer? Yes, you are. Here’s why:

WRITERS’ BUNDLE: WHAT TO LEAVE OUT

A writers’ bundle joins other bundles in saving time and money. Time and money is what you spend writing, so why not bundle. Here’s a pencil, some paper, and a desk. All set? What else do you need?

PACIFIC WAR STORY SCRIPT

The Pacific War, or War In The Pacific, started before Pearl Harbor. Japan warmed up ahead of time in China, Singapore, the Philippines. They already had an awful record of War Crimes before launching against Hawaii. My story begins with the Tizard Mission in 1940.

RECOVERY ROAD POT HOLES AND HUMPS

Recovery road is paved with promise and hope. Most of all, it’s paved with compasses to stay on track. Whether recovery involves substance or emotions, staying on track is vital. How does that work?

RED FLAG, OR JUST BEING AN ADULT?

Who is quick to pull a red flag as often as possible? The same people who whine the loudest when they get flagged. If that’s you, let’s talk about flagmanship, red flagmanship.

ALTERNATIVE FACTS FROM B TO Y

What is the first face you see when you hear Alternative Facts? Colonel Jessup in cover-up mode? Probably not. That’s Jack Nicholson acting up a storm, a furious storm, right before he found himself handled by guards and escorted to jail for his cover-up role. So where did alternative facts come from?

DUCK BREATH FROM HURRICANE TO PAC12 SIGH

Duck breath is the same as Husky breath. If the Huskies had lost. Duck breath is a long exhale of joyful expectations and maybe a little spit. That’s what happens when a big one gets away, and the final PAC12, PAC10, PAC8 game was a big one.

SPORTS FAN REVIEW: IN THE BEGINNING

Sports fan knows one thing: Rivalry. Without rivalry, sporting events resemble theater without the curtains. With rivalry we feel something deeper, way deeper, way down there. If you come from a certain time and place the only rivals that mattered were the Marshfield High School Pirates. But, everyone grows up. Right?

VOTING AGE FIRST PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER

I came of voting age just in time to vote for President Carter. Why not have a naval academy graduate in the White House? I was eighteen in 1974, not an election year. That was the year Gerald Ford pardoned former president Nixon.  

GOOD PITCH, BAD DELIVERY, LESSON LEARNED?

When you hear a good pitch from someone you’re considering hiring, it matters. You’ll hire a hype man instead of the quiet craftsman with a good record. How does that usually work out? This is a picture of a call for a plumbing bid?