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PERSONAL ENDURANCE, THE SECRET SUPER POWER

Personal endurance for Thanksgiving, 2022? Give me more of that. At least I’m not going to the store . . . yet. And I haven’t had stuffing for breakfast . . . yet. But I still have chopping to do, chopping with a cut finger, so I’m playing hurt. In fact it hurts to write […]

THANKSGIVING GIVERS GIVE MORE THAN THEY KNOW

Thanksgiving givers showed up after I moved to Portland, Oregon in 1980. I was gone a short time to learn how people get engaged and unengaged. The lesson I learned sunk in while I trolled Brooklyn, NY. Then it was time to come back.

AMATEUR CRIME LIFE WITH PEER PRESSURE

My life in amateur crime began in 5th grade. If you were going to hang with the cool kids, you had to show you belonged. One test was shoplifting at the local Payless. It was an anchor store at Pony Village, the biggest shopping mall on the west coast between Seattle and San Francisco right […]

BEST TOMB WITH A VIEW

Even the best tomb has something in common with every other tomb: Death and remembrance. This is Napoleon’s Tomb. It’s a tomb with something for everyone. Overhead view, ground level view under the curve. It’s got it all. And family in the house. The surroundings are gorgeous. The Alexander Bridge is across the street.

LIVING LIFE TO DIE? THANKS RILKE

This is the guy living life past my bathroom window in Cannon Beach, Oregon. A man playing slide guitar in a slick suit felt like a Coen brothers break from reality. Since I like listening to slide guitar, I also saw him as an omen for good things in the future. That’s how that works. […]

GIVING ORDERS? LEARN TO TAKE ORDERS FIRST

If you’re giving orders, congratulations Kingpin. But it works better if you know how to take orders first. Taking orders is a lifestyle, giving them is a privilege. So, where’s the disconnect?

NEW LIFESTYLE, NEW DAY, SAME YOU

A new lifestyle happens fast. It starts with the glow of a new idea. Something changes, then you change. It’s a new you. Or is it?

BLOGGER RULES: COMPLAIN, A LOT

Blogger rules depend on the personality of the writer, but complaining endlessly is a common thread. I’m not a complainer, so it’s more difficult. Where is the starting line?

PORTLAND HATERS EXPLAIN THEMSELVES

Portland haters on twitter get to the point in roundabout ways: Real time, not the other time? That’s not a good start.

LIFETIME LEARNING MEANS HOMEWORK FOREVER?

Lifetime learning means not quitting until you figure things out. It also means knowing what you don’t know and when to call an expert. This is when it gets dicey. You know what you don’t know, but still wonder if the experts know more. These are the lessons of when to listen and learn.