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GUITAR NIGHT STARTER PACK

August 21, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Guitar night always starts the same: With a plan. Plan to sound musical, nothing more, nothing less. The plan is successful when two people play together the first time and agree they sounded good. For at least ten seconds. Why ten seconds?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, bad childhood, band practice, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, dna, dreams, dropout, fender, fender telecaster, Get better, GUITAR, guitar night, guitar practice, hopes, improve, learning, music, musical dna, new guitar, open mic, parents, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, practice, repeating, sing, singer, telecaster, travel, twitter, writer, writers

LIFE BEFORE SOCIAL MEDIA

August 18, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

As a seasoned blogger I’ve grown immune to social media. Is someone who discovers boomerpdx on their own any different than someone who lands here based on algorithms and exposure? With subscription numbers I can present to sponsors as a metric, they are not. People, people like you, me, them, subscribe to blogs on a […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: attention, Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blogger, book, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, college, daddy, facebook, global platforms, instagram, interest, learning, miracle, music, poem, poetry, reading, Social media, story, sylvia plath, tiktok, twitter, wechat, whatsapp, wife, writer, writers, writing, youtube

PORTLAND SUMMER CHEER FROM HERE

August 17, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

How far is a carefree summer walk in the park from the pressure packed navigation through the urban sprawl for Portland summer cheer? One moment you’re walking a forest trail along the mighty Tualatin River counting birds and snakes and turkey vultures. Look, two snakes. Take the bridge for a good look at the river […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: American Dream, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, commerce, dream, education, historical, history, kids, learning, millennials, music, Oregon dream, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, portland dream, Portland Oregon, portland summer, shared dream, Social media, story, travel, twitter, writer, writers, writing

FOR THE LAST TIME: A LIST

August 15, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

You come to the last time after too many bad burgers, bad drinks, and bad decisions. Enough is finally enough. This post was inspired by a short visit to a local tap house, the last such visit. What happened?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: atomic bombs, beer, better jobs, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, civilization, commander, drink, education, enthusiasm, facebook, happy hour, higher education, hiroshima, history, hotelier, japan, last time, learning, more money, nagasaki, rising generations, rude, Social media, suburbs, the last time, travel, twitter, vote, wife, wine, winery, writer, writers, writing, WWII

MATTRESS SHOPPING + BABY BOOMER = MARRIAGE COUNSELING

August 14, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

Go mattress shopping and expect to find more than a mattress. Like what? The outstanding feature to me is meeting people who quote $20,000 for a new bed. Sound normal to you? Not to me, and here’s why:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bed frame, bed shopping, boomer blogger, deep sleep, education, facebook, family, head board, history, kids, kill you, learning, MARRIAGE, marriage counseling, married, mattress shopping, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, Social media, story, travel, twitter, wife, writer, writers, writing

THE GREEN BOOK MOVIE REVIEW

August 13, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

I saw The Green Book after watching documentaries on Bill Russell and Quincy Jones. The sequence matters because real people in the docs had already explained in pretty stark terms how it was to be black. The harsh reality they told showed up in scene after scene in a different context. How different?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, blogger, boomer blogger, brooklyn, deep south, education, facebook, family, friend, friends, friendship, gay, green book, learning, life lessons, movie review, music, new york, race relations, racial strife, Social media, the army, the green book, travel, writer, writers, writing

DESCRIPTIVE TITLES ARE NOT ADMISSIONS OF GUILT

August 11, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

If some well known celebrity shows up on a screen, any screen, talking about drug addiction, mental health, and suicide, they’re not talking about themselves. Instead, they’re using their recognition, their acclaim, and their name-fame, to get a message across to a broader audience. Why do they bother with adding their feelings? Because they […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, Ben Affleck, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, celebrity, commie, communist, describe, descriptive, descriptive titles, education, facebook, family, fitness, history, kids, learning, Nike, Oregon, Phil Knight, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, smoker, smokers, smoking, Social media, story, title, travel, twitter, urban growth boundary, vote, wife, writer, writers, writing

SOCIAL MEDIA FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

August 7, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

To use social media to any satisfaction you need to be strong, at least strong enough to carry your feelings. One bucket for your feelings, another for social media. Which one is heavier? Which one ought to be heavier?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: age question, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, content creator, education, entrepreneurs, facebook, fair question, gun violence, john rossi podcast, learning, new project, Social media, twitter, writer, writers, writing

WHEN YOU NEED A FATHER FIGURE

August 5, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

This is my latest new mug, the Father Figure, and it’s my favorite of all time. The handle is right. The size is right. It holds so much ice water I don’t need to refill it during my workout routine and lose focus. But there’s so much more.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, bag of weed, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, classrooms, competition, dysfunction, dysfunctional, education, family feel, father figure, father figures, learning, lose focus, Love, mentors, millennials, new mug, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Social media, SPORT, story, travel, twitter, weed, wife, workout, workout routine, writer, writers, writing

WHEN THE AMERICAN DREAM CHANGES? KEEP UP

August 2, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

If you wonder how you’ll keep up when the American Dream changes, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Different people, different dogs, different places? Still keeping up? Start in the easiest place: know your place. Does that sound too rigorous? Too condescending? Here, I’ll help you adjust:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: alone, American Dream, Baby Boomer blogger, behave, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, Children, daddy, day dream, education, estranged, father, game changes, greatest generation, history, keep up, learning, Love, married, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, Social media, story, travel, twitter, wife, writer, writers, writing