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CUTTING WOOD WITH A CREW

February 22, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Like most kids growing up on the Oregon coast, like most people with a fireplace, I’ve spent time cutting wood. My brother and I hauled and chopped rounds my dad sawed from the logs washed up on the causeway connecting Hwy101 to the sand dunes. The old man was the boss. He said we could […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, bad boss, big picture, blame, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, boss, cast aspersions, cast shame, committed, cutting, cutting wood, failures, Gerald Ford, good boss, good citizen, good president, good soldier, incompetence, interested, job, lie, president, shame, wood, work, writer, writing

TRAVELING MAN ON THE LOOSE

August 17, 2025 by David Gillaspie

One traveling man says he wouldn’t cross the street if he didn’t have to. Another says crossing the street is no problem, but he’s not going far after that. That’s enough travel for them. It’s enough for me, too. I understand the reluctant traveler. Growing up in North Bend, Oregon, Hwy 101 was hyperspace compared […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: australia, blog, boomerpdx, china, click bait, conviction, Czechia, harsh realities, hwy 101, hyperspace, I-5, Iraq, israel, job, married, memories, my opinion, my work, North Bend, opinion, Oregon, party, readers, reluctant traveler, responsibilities, Russia, serious page, space, space travel, Spain, the world, travel, travel warning, traveler, traveling man, work, world blog

NO PROMOTION, AND WHY THAT’S GOOD

July 29, 2025 by David Gillaspie

You get no promotion if you compare yourself to the wrong thing. If you feel the need, aim your comps higher than a jumpy sheep. I’ve got a dog who does the same thing and I know how happy she is. Remember the last time you tried to be happy? Chances are you tried too […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: boomerpdx, break schedule, common sense, drug availability, focused, good thing, good things, hardships, help, job, know better, library museum, museum, my promotion, neighbor, Nicholas Kristof, no promotion, no promotions, non profit, organized, pain, promotion, promotions, revelations, second opinion, social conditions, training, work, your promotion

AGREEING TO AGREE? WHEN DOES THAT EVER HAPPEN

April 11, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Agreeing to agree doesn’t seem like much to the uninitiated. It gets tricky when you agree with people you’ve never thought much of; you know, disagreeable people. Tricky and stunning when the role call of those to agree with brings a cast of characters together. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like an unusual […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: agree, agree to agree, agreeable, agreement, all good, allies, Baby Boomers, backstabbers, BOOMER, boomers, brigadier generals, careers, chain of command, education, experience, feelings, fuck ups, hard chargers, hippie, job, learning, rest assured, rising, role call, sources, striving

WALK AWAY PEOPLE? KEEP WALKING

April 4, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The problem with walk away people is what they leave behind: their mess. Someone will do the clean-up, just not them. They’re too busy. Not too busy walking, too busy making their next mess. There’s always something funny about them:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: boomer blogger, boomers, connections, Coos Bay, cut and run, decision maker, department head, downward spiral, education, family, health insurance, heart and soul, investments, job, keep walking, Love, low level, networking, older people, Oregon, retirement, team leader, walk away, walk away people, work

BAD THERAPY ON BOOK TV

September 7, 2024 by David Gillaspie

A book called Bad Therapy on c-span? I’m watching. When is the best time to watch Book TV? Trick question: Any time is the best time. Extra points for tuning in while lifting weights in the garage. You’ll be lucky to find this episode:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Abigail Shrier, bad therapy, book tv, c-span, dad parenting, dad time, family, feelings, good therapy, job, kids, parent, parenting, public figure, sports dad, suicide, teach, therapy, wrestler, wrestling

REWRITING HISTORY: HOW HARD CAN IT BE

April 15, 2024 by David Gillaspie

People are rewriting history all of the time and don’t know it. If you repeat what you’ve heard to one person, and it turns out to be not accurate, what’s the big deal? Not so big for one person, but what if you repeat what you know to be false to millions of people? Do […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomers, blue dress, BOOMER, boomers, c-span, cancer, conservatives, Coos Bay, graduate, high school, hippie, history, job, legal weed, lessons, MARRIAGE, millennials, money, normal people, North Bend, poverty, premarital sex, profession, rewriting history, sex, stories, story, wife, writer, writing

GOOD ADVICE FROM ‘THE EXPERTS’

July 6, 2023 by David Gillaspie

Good advice comes just in time, right when you need it. First you’ve got a problem that stumps you, then you discover the solution. You read about it online or overheard a conversation in line. And you acted on that good advice that came from . . . ?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: advice, alcohol, Baby Boomers, bad advice, blogger, boomerpdx, Children, day drinking, experts, family, family problems, good advice, good blogger, husband, job, kid problems, kids, wife, wife problems, work

ANTICIPATION ANXIETY, OR “HOW BAD CAN THIS BE?”

April 2, 2022 by David Gillaspie

New beginnings around here start with anticipation anxiety, sleepless nights, and carefully moving forward. Does that sound like your standard operating procedure, your SOP? It’s one thing when it’s on the job, another when it’s just you and you’re got an idea you want to figure out. Instead of the trusted steps of 1, 2, […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: anticipation, anticipation anxiety, anxiety, awfulizing, catastrophizing, Divorce, job, life stage, married people, new beginnings, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, standard operating procedure, work, writer, writers' anxiety, writing

REVENGE: HOW TO GET EVEN WITHOUT FEELING BAD ABOUT IT

November 28, 2021 by David Gillaspie

Getting revenge for the wrong reason is no way to live. Why? Because getting even for the wrong reason sets up the next round. The right reason brings the same result, but it doesn’t matter. For people who see revenge as a way of life it’s business as usual either way. Who are these people?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: getting even, high school, job, living well, loved ones, partner, revenge, role model, scout law