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EVERY DAY IS A NEW CHANCE FOR SMALL CHANGES

July 8, 2021 by

Every day has promises to keep with miles to go before we sleep. Sound familiar? It was a poem written by an old man named Robert Frost. When I first read ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ I chalked it up to a reflection on mortality. Reading it now, instead of a high school […]

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AMERICAN IGNORANCE YOU CAN COUNT ON IN A PINCH

July 1, 2021 by

American ignorance is a special kind of stupid. Start with the smart people who screw up, like the man who leans into your face to explain how wrong you are about wearing a mask. Or the men and women who possess a special knowledge that goes beyond science when they make fun of mask wearing […]

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TRAVEL GOALS FOR ASPIRATIONAL ADVENTURERS

June 10, 2021 by

Travel goals are more than just getting out of town. Let’s start there. More than changing surroundings, travel goals are so much more. Like what, then? Some are bigger than others, but they are all goals.

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MUSIC LESSONS, LIFE LESSONS, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE

May 25, 2021 by

‘Music lessons’ always sound ominous. Like ‘continuing education’ and its friend ‘life long learning’, music lessons sound like work. Although the idea is to ‘play’ music, getting to the play part takes time. Then the question becomes ‘how much time, Big D?’ I found the answer in an unusual place: a guitar. But first, about […]

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PERSEVERANCE TEST: HOW NOT TO GIVE UP

April 25, 2021 by

A perseverance test happens every day we face the impossible. Some of us take it in stride, make it look easy, like getting the toast just right. Others have greater challenges, life changing challenges, life fulfilling challenges. Did I say life saving challenges? That, too. For example:

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HORSE SENSE AND LEARNING TO RIDE LIKE A HUNGARIAN

March 20, 2021 by

Horse sense is common sense. Says as much right off in the dictionary. What it doesn’t say is what people learn riding a horse. To me that’s a better definition of horse sense. Instead of some blow-hard mansplaining how something simple is done in a most condescending tone, the horse teaches by example. That’s me […]

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ASIAN AMERICANS ARE AS AMERICAN AS IT GETS

March 12, 2021 by

Asian Americans are as American as it gets. I’ve said it twice. Fight me. Hate crimes against elderly Asian Americans is not a sport, not a statement, but an act of cowardice and ignorance committed by the sort of people we’ve seen too much of. Who are they? Who might be joining them? It’s people […]

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OREGON PIONEER, GOLD MAN, GOLDEN LOGGER, THAT GUY

March 5, 2021 by

The Oregon Pioneer atop the Salem capitol dome is every boy who grew up in the golden era of Oregon logging when you could drop out of high school, get a job in the woods, then buy a house, a truck, and a boat. All you had to do was show up early and do […]

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RELATIONSHIP TRAINING FROM ONE BAD DATE TO THE NEXT

February 16, 2021 by

Relationship training should happen before any long term relationships to avoid the question, “What is wrong with you?” This goes out to the guys in the audience: You will eventually run out of prospects for a Saturday night out if you don’t learn the ropes. Even married people get shut down if they don’t know […]

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SPORTS EDUCATION STARTS WITH KNOWING YOUR TEAM

January 26, 2021 by

Sports education with Raider Coach Tom Fores started in middle school at a parent teacher conference. I was the parent, the teacher was Miss Flores, my kid’s teacher. She was whip smart and knew how to reach her students in ways other teachers couldn’t. As a science teacher, she had an advantage. The night of […]

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