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FIRE STARTER FOR YOUR FACE: MATCHBOOKS

If you smoke cigarettes you need a fire starter. It won’t light itself. A few decades ago, quite a few, it seemed like everyone smoked. I worked in an office in the early 80’s that allowed smoking at your desk. Some people did it with a smoke filter, others just let it rip when they […]

MY JOURNEY? WHERE ARE WE GOING

How many times have you seen a title beginning with, ‘My Journey?’ The answer is, “A lot.” I googled it to make sure. Everything is journey, an adventure, a trip? No, no it’s not, and understanding why is a great cause of disappointment. But, if everything was a journey, how many have you had?

THE OTHER PORTLAND, NOT THAT ONE

The other Portland is not an event, a gathering, or a cause. It could have been anywhere, but Portland just so happens to be where I started my career, met my wife, had kids. It is where my kids got married. I’ve had the city on my mind all my life, from driving past as […]

BIG OREGON QUESTIONS, ONE ANSWER

Oregon questions don’t come one at a time. Like the mountain that blew all over our northern neighbor, things tend to percolate. When they do go, they go big. Whether it’s heartfelt outrage over farmland sold off for developers to rape and pillage with grocery stores, restaurants, and super efficient mixed-use housing, or the joy […]

RESTFUL SLEEP FOR BETTER DAYS

For those who wonder about the benefit of restful sleep, stay up a little longer and keep reading. If you’re not on schedule for a solid eight hours of sleep, with power naps mixed in, keep reading. There is something keeping you up, something you can’t put your finger on, or step on, but what? […]

PARIS OREGON IF YOU SQUINT HARD ENOUGH

Paris, Oregon is located on SW Ankeny Alley in Portland. All it needs are three times as many outdoor tables and chairs and wait staff with the navigational skills to swing trays of food and drinks between them without dumping on anyone’s head. It would work better with a wider road and more foot traffic, […]

MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS

The new boss comes in to change things, to do what the old boss couldn’t do. Whether it’s changing the order of operations, the culture, or cutting expenses, it’s a job someone has to do. If you’ve worked in a place during the transition from the old ways to new, you know what happens: People […]

THE PAPER CEILING FIRE

You’ve heard of the ‘paper ceiling?’ No? Now you have. “Millions of workers with in-demand skills and experience, overlooked for higher-wage jobs because they don’t have a bachelor’s degree.” They don’t have a bachelor’s degree? Like that’s the ticket for a good life?

ONE PROGRESSIVE STEP, THE NEXT, AND REPEAT

One progressive step is all it takes. Give it a try as long as you’re not near a cliff edge with your toes over the side. If that’s where you are, turn around, then take that step. We all hear the same thing when we fall? Get Up. It’s good advice, but then what?