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COMMUNITY STORYTELLING: U.S. ARMY 1974-1976

September 30, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The definition of community for Community Storytelling from Oregon Humanities: When we say “community,” we mean any group of people who share a common experience thanks to where they live, the language they speak, their race, their religion, their age, or some other attribute. When we say “storytelling,” we mean nonfiction stories conveyed through […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: admirals, Army, Authority, baby boomer, blogger, boomerpdx, chain of command, community, community storytelling, cultural, culture, education, family, generals, history, leadership, millennials, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, revival, soldiers, story, storytelling, travel, veteran, vietnam era, Vietnam War, Vietnam-Era Veteran, writer

THE EASY WAY, OR THATAWAY

August 10, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The idea of the ‘easy way’ is a problem. To those who know how to do everything, it’s all easy. For them, not you. Anyone else who tries doing what they do would screw up. For example:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: annals of history, Army, army shirt, belligerent, community, community march, conductor, daughters, decisions, dishonest, easy way, emotional, emotional meltdown, first class, first class story, good story, history, honest, kind, kindness, Kurt Vonnegut, march, meltdown, nice, protest, secret mission, that way, thataway, ticket to ride, turbulent times, undisclosed location, user instructions

HOW TO SURPRISE YOURSELF

July 18, 2025 by David Gillaspie

How often do you surprise yourself? A: More often? B: Less often? This isn’t a survey or a poll so relax. However . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomers, beauty, boomers, bulldog beauties, community, Coos Bay, coos bay beauties, coos river beauties, culture, dignity, experience, familiarity, golden ticket, grace, hometown, how to, Joel Mansfield, manners, married, material culture, need, small town, surprise, surprise yourself

EMBRACING CHANGE, BUT NOT TOO TIGHT

May 18, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Embracing change is all there is to do when something new pops up. Either that or get miserable and bitter. Go with the flow or drown fighting the current. If you think this sounds like being a quitter, well . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: athletes, big difference, cancer, change, cigarettes, coaches, community, difference, embracing change, fitness, fitness guys, game, hero, high school, lung cancer, money, parents, quitter, smoking, sports, teachers, team, weight lifting

BETTER MEN? BETTER THAN WHAT?

October 11, 2024 by David Gillaspie

The idea of better men is different than Best Man. If you’ve ever been selected as a Best Man, you know what better feels like. Somehow, someone valued your friendship, in spite of how you might value yourself. Can anyone be a better man? Let’s not get carried away.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: accountable, allen ginsberg, American President, athletes, author, best man, better, better man, better men, blog, blogger, Blogging, boomerpdx, community, current author, dependable men, failure, fence, good, good man, inspired children, JFK, Kurt Vonnegut, old men, Patrick DeWitt, plan, public, public good, public service, responsible, sports, value, vote, voter, voting, writer, writers, young men

FANCY PEOPLE, BUT NOT TOO FANCY

September 2, 2024 by David Gillaspie

My wife and I are not fancy people, but one of us is more than the other. As it should be, as long as it’s not me. I’ve seen fancy and come away with the same feelings each time: No Thanks.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Broadway, college girls, community, dating, fancy, fancy people, girls, good manners, good will, jean jacket, kindness, main line, manners, Nordstrom's, overwhelmed, overwhelming, people, philadelphia, sex, sexual, sexual tension, thoughtfulness, wife

TAPPHORIA TAP HOUSE AT TEN YEARS

July 16, 2024 by David Gillaspie

There’s good news and bad news: The good news: Tapphoria Tap House is a mile away from my house. The bad news: A mile away and I’ve walked it. They couldn’t be any closer. The best news? Ten years in, baby.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: beer, beer blogger, beer drinking, big mike, blogger, boomerpdx, cheers, community, craft beer, creative vibe, drink beer, drinking, growler, longevity, PERSEVERANCE, small batch beer, tap house, tapphoria, tapphoria tap house, twitter, writer, X, Yelp

LAST ROOM AT THE END OF THE LINE

June 3, 2024 by David Gillaspie

The last room of a six stop roadie through England is the most expensive per square foot. It’s an impressive number due to the square feet. The smallest of the six, it’s on Bayswater, a half a block from the Notting Hill Gate into Hyde Park. Queen-sized bed in a queen-size bed slot tight enough […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bath, blog, blog network, community, England, English day, last room, london, online, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, resort, rooms, swindon, time worn, travel, website

VOTE DAY WITH BALLOT ENCLOSED

May 14, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Vote day is finished with the ballot in the signature required envelope. It took about five minutes. Using a black ink pen I darkened the horizontal ovals for my people. You’re doing the same for your people? Let’s be clear who ‘our people’ are.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: 2024 ballots, ballot, blog, blog post, blogger, boomerpdx, car crash, community, David Gillaspie, emergency, family, government services, heartbroken family, higher prices, local funding, love letter, my people, rescue party, sending links, stand up, vote, voting day, write, writer

PREMIUMIZATION BLAZERS DEBUT

July 8, 2023 by David Gillaspie

Premiumization Blazers are who we see play after the Lillard Era ends. Has it ended? After last night’s Summer League game it sure looks done. And now?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: community, Damian Lillard, NBA, Oregon, oregon life, ownership, Paul Allen, Phil Knight, Portland Oregon, Portland Trail Blazers, premiumization blazers, summer league