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AGING FEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME

February 18, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Aging fear kicks in when you start wondering about tomorrow. Will you be there for it? Why wouldn’t you? Oh, that’s why.

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CHILDHOOD ENDING LEADS TO BLURRED LINES

February 17, 2026 by David Gillaspie

A childhood ending comes in several varieties. The people you meet in early childhood often signal the end later. It might be a parent, a teacher, or the latest bully on the block. All of them are the problem, beginning with parents.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: aging, amnesia, angry old men, answers, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blogger, blurred line, blurred lines, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, childhood, childhood ending, dreams die, education, first time, learning, normalcy, old man, old men, roofied, spanish, story, writer, writing

BAD PERSONALITY, OR JUST A BAD DAY

February 12, 2026 by David Gillaspie

The last time you had an exchange with someone that didn’t go well and left you wondering, ‘do they have a bad personality, or was it a bad moment in a bad day?’ It’s a fair question, but only if you never see them again. If you see them regularly, you know. So do they. […]

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BE INSPIRED BY SEEKING INSPIRATION

February 11, 2026 by David Gillaspie

To be inspired you have to seek it? What about seeing something accidentally, or unexpected, that hits just right? For some it’s a sunset, a beautiful sunset, the most incredible sunset since the night before. Call it inspirational, and you like it because it makes you feel inspired. Then what? Drinks? Take me for example:

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PLAY ACTING STOPPAGE

February 10, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Acting? Play acting? Playing? What’s the difference when an actor is playing a part? I’ve seen the difference from my third row center season tickets at The Armory. For years my wife and mother in-law were theater buddies, two outgoing ladies of a certain age parking underground, riding up in elevators, and walking the cement sidewalks […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: act, acting, acting bug, actors, America, american pie, american roots, authentic, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, comfort zone, education, emotional gamut, facebook, family, high school reunion, history, learning, masculine, meaningful life, northwest, northwest portland, roots, social, Social media, story, twitter, writer, writers, writing

RISK AVOIDANCE FOR WASHINGTON POST IN BEZOS’ WORLD? WRITER PLEASE

February 8, 2026 by David Gillaspie

The only risk avoidance for the Washington Post firings, layoffs, retirements? Avoid holding their place at the top of the print media pyramid. No matter the metric, The Washington Post was among the top five, if not top three with The NY Times and Wall Street Journal. Maybe it will stay up there, but not […]

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FIGURE THINGS OUT BY WRITING THEM DOWN? OKAY BOOMER

February 6, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Is it true you can figure things out by writing them down, or is there more to it? Who said, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down?” Who? Don’t panic, it was Joan Didion. I know questions make some people nervous. (Me) From National Public Radio:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, challenge, current trend, digital platform, education, facebook, figure things out, fitness, grade school, historical context, Joni Mitchell, learning, life, married, merry go round, national public radio, NPR, ok boomer, Oregon, pacific northwest, personal blog, poison, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, questions, story, travel, twitter, wife, writer, writers, writing

HONOR CODE FOR WHEN YOU ‘KNOW BETTER’

February 2, 2026 by David Gillaspie

An ‘honor code’ has always sounded like a ‘pinky promise.’ That’s when someone tells a secret and you hook pinkies to never tell. Ever. Is a pinky promise bigger and more important than an honor code? Hmmmmm?

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REAL PEOPLE FROM HISTORY

February 1, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Real history gets more realistic when granddaughters tell about their family. I’ve got grandkids. Maybe you’ve got grandkids, too? Imagine them in the future, telling your story. What would it sound like? This comes from a comment on Stumbling Stones Of Harsh History:

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STUMBLING STONES OF HARSH HISTORY

January 30, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Last night I learned about Stumbling Stones, or Stolpersteine. They are memorial bricks laid for Holocaust victims at the last place they voluntarily lived before being deported for execution. Our friends told the story of the journey to their family’s former home in Germany, once known as East Prussia. They found the Stolpersteines outside the […]

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