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YOU WANT ME TO WANT TO?

In Patrick DeWitt’s novel French Exit, the mom asks her thirty-two year old son to get something for her. “Please bring me my cup.” “I will if you want me to.” “I want you to want to.” And he obeys. So I ask . . .

SHIFT TALKERS WORK OVERTIME

Shift talkers like to mix it up, change things. Some do it for the better, some for the worse. They all have one thing in common: Not knowing how and when to shut up. For that we should be thankful?

ROAD TRIPS WITH THE BOYS, PART ONE

Road trips with kids sounds like a duty, a hassle, a task to do and be done with. It starts with a plan, then a phone call. How you answer gives the kids an idea on how to respond when their turn comes around: “Dad, can we borrow your car and drive to a concert […]

HOMETOWN WRITERS MISS THE BOAT?

Hometown writers miss the boat when they think everything’s been said about where they grew up. Then, to save their careers the turn their focus to their hometown. More like they use a sense of home to lure readers in. Like Thomas Wolfe.

BEACH MUSIC BY PAT CONROY, A REVIEW

Beach Music sat in my TBR pile for years while I passed by. At over 700 pages it intimidated me. I like novels around 200-250 pages. The Great Gatsby clocks in at 208 paged; Catcher In The Rye runs 234 pages, more or less. Beach Music at 800 pages? I got a Harry Potter vibe […]

STEPPING OUT BOOMERPDX STYLE

Stepping out of a comfort zone isn’t the same as throwing yourself away. Let’s get that straight. One has an air of optimism, the other not so much. How can you tell the difference before it’s too late, you ask? Let’s go.

WRITING ADVICE FOR A BROKEN HEART HOSPITAL CAMPOUT

Writing advice from writers usually comes with a warning, or should: This is what works for them. It might work for you or another writer, but it definitely works for them. After a single night campout in a hospital bed, their advice carried more weight for better or worse. A week out from the event […]

ESSENTIAL READING TO IGNORE . . . AT YOUR OWN RISK

One blogger’s essential reading is another’s fire-starter; that’s just how it is. Except the book in Ken Kesey’s hand won’t start any fires today, not the way it started fires in his younger days.

BICYCLE DAY FOLLOWED BY 420? CALL A DOCTOR, STAT

    Call a doctor and ask about the medical qualities of acid and weed. Maybe your doc has some non-medical experience to share, but probably won’t.   If your medical provider isn’t in the loop, boomerpdx will shine some light. No, not crack the sky light from the heavens above with a big voice […]