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LIVING CONDITIONS WITH MORE LIFE

May 4, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Living conditions are never permanent. That’s the good news. Things may seem like they’ll last forever, and they might, but we don’t. We’re here until we’re not.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: accountable, believable, biological mandate, blog post, education, friends, history, life, living, living conditions, living together, monk life, more life, permanent, population, reproduce, retreat, soul searching retreat, story, strangers, time, time together, wife, writer, writers, writing, writing pace

CHANGING TIMES, LIKE LAST TIME

April 29, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Changing times can break you. “You can only pull out of the times what the times will give you. “You create out of your experience. “If your experiences are the same as the guys’ next door and he ain’t doin’ nothin’, then you aren’t going to be doing much either.” Bob Dylan

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: 1974, blog, blogger, Bob Dylan, celebrity, celebrity watcher, change, changing times, codes, drink, experience, experiences, family, friends, haircut, joy, last time, learning, modern world, nature, nurture, passwords, Patty Hearst, research, smoke, time, trying times, writer, writing

SPONSORSHIP BADGE, AND HOW TO WEAR IT

March 16, 2025 by David Gillaspie

A sponsorship badge is a symbol, not an endorsement of everything the sponsor has done, is doing, or will do. Someone wants to give someone else money to wear a t-shirt showing their name, their product, their service? Sign me up. Just don’t expect a 24/7 effort. As a married writer, that time slot is […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: armed forces, badge, be friendly, creative writing, family, friend, friends, husband, married, married writer, sponsor, sponsorship, sponsorship badge, symbol, wife, writer

HOUSE CLEANING: WHAT GOES, WHAT STAYS

March 3, 2025 by David Gillaspie

House cleaning is basic: start at the top, dust down, vacuum up, done. Or, dust down, vacuum up, scrub sinks and toilets, then done. Or, look at your stuff with dust around it and make a decision of stay or go, then vacuum and scrub, and you’re done. What am I missing? I’ll tell you […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bookshelf, friends, hoarder, house cleaning, keep, memory, reading, roman bath, throw away, usual le Guin, what goes, what stays, what to keep, writing, writing books

WHITE LOTUS BEACH CAMP: LIFE IMITATES ART

February 17, 2025 by David Gillaspie

My wife and I found White Lotus this week, which is about right for us. This time we’re only five years behind. The family scenes make me laugh, not so much her, but one struck me hard: The kid sleeps on the beach at low tide in the first season. What was so funny? The […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: alone, art, bad decision, beach camp, buddy plan, camping, car, decision, drive, family, friends, funny, home, imitates, life, read, tide book, white lotus

KEEN INSIGHTS, OR CULTURAL VOID

January 31, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Keen insights are what I’m looking for. I want to know what I don’t know in a useful way. A new way to pull a nail, thread a needle, boil water. If it’s new and insightful, sign me up. What I’m not looking for?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: base 3, basketball, binary, college, Coos Bay, cultural void, culture, education, friends, generalization, google, KEEN INSIGHTS, logging town, nice, North Bend, paying attention, reddit, ten people, toughness, wrestling

ACCEPTABLE LOSSES WITH EXCEPTIONS

January 23, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Acceptable losses come with a line. Whether losses are acceptable or not usually depends on which side of the line you’re on. If friends and family are on one side, and you’re not? Either they’re on the loss side, or it’s you. Then what? Since I’ve been around a while, here’s a few ideas:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: acceptable losses, Afghanistan, dignity, draft, drafted, family, friends, honor, Iran, Iraq, Korea, Kuwait, reality, science, self respect, star trek, television, twin towers, Vietnam, WWII

MAJESTIC OREGON COAST REVIEW

December 30, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Majestic Oregon shows up in the mountains, the valleys, and the coast. When you call Oregon majestic, and you’ve been to the mountains and valleys, go to the coast. It’s called majestic for a reason: You can’t call it warm and welcoming, at least not in the winter.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blog, friends, gift, looks pretty, majestic, majestic oregon, missing, nice people, Oregon, oregon friends, writer, writing

SOVING PROBLEMS, THEN FINDING MORE

December 28, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Solving problems is a process. One of the first steps, if not ‘the’ first step, is identifying the problem. The important part is not solving every problem at the same time. Pick one. (Not that one.)

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, better person, bigger picture, BOOMER, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, committed relationship, Dad, Death, dying, education, friend line, friends, good friend, granddad, haunted, in-laws, last words, millennials, parents, problem solved, problems, solving problems, the end, value, wife, writer

MORE ‘WANT TO?’ BUT WHERE IS IT

December 26, 2024 by David Gillaspie

‘Want to’ is what you need starting out. More ‘want to’ is what it takes to keep going. Some folks use it all in the start-up phase, others in the keep going phase. Then there’s the closer who never runs out.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: advice, anger, bitterness, class structure, closer, education, failure, family, friends, hidden motivation, keep going, learning, message, motivation, neighbors, ocean, ohio, Portland Oregon, regrets, school, self fulfillment, society, sorrow, start up, want to, want to want to, wanted