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NORTH BEND IN THE OREGON HISTORY CENTER

This is North Bend in 1940. Something is missing, though. I-5 is missing, but there’s something else. These baby boomers and their memory, you never know what you’re getting.

ON REMEMBERING ANNIVERSARIES

My wife is great for remembering anniversaries and birthdays. It’s an encyclopedic memory of family, friends, and pretty much anyone who has ever been born. At least that’s what it feels like in comparison to her husband, who is more selective. I remember plenty, I’m not saying I don’t, but ask me the birthday of […]

MUSCLE MEMORY? REMEMBER THEM

Muscle memory is a warning of what you didn’t do today. Nothing is sore, nothing feels stretched, and you’ve got an inner-thigh cramp you rubbed out. That the cramp hit the evening of a big family dinner downtown Portland with a belly-dancer working the room shouldn’t matter. It just looks suspicious, as you were reminded […]

HUMAN PROJECT OF YOU

A human project is easy to find. They’re all around because everyone is a project in some stage of completion. The secret? It’s never complete, but there are signs of progress.

THEIR MEMORIAL DAY ON BOTH SIDES

Memorial Day is for the families of service men and women who have passed, but whose memory remains. For them let’s help the service men and women today live their best lives. I’m thinking of those who didn’t die in service to their country, but those who are dying as a result of their service. […]

DIFFERENT TIME, DIFFERENT PLACE

The past is a different place, different yet familiar. Maybe too familiar? Familiar like you remember it now differently than you used to remember? Here’s how I remember it:

HOUSE CLEANING: WHAT GOES, WHAT STAYS

House cleaning is basic: start at the top, dust down, vacuum up, done. Or, dust down, vacuum up, scrub sinks and toilets, then done. Or, look at your stuff with dust around it and make a decision of stay or go, then vacuum and scrub, and you’re done. What am I missing? I’ll tell you […]

GIVING UP THE FIRST TIME

I don’t remember giving up, quitting, rising the white flag. But here we are, and I’m not alone. There’s the rocking chair, the TV, the food delivery. As long as everything lasts, why not rot away quietly? Why not? Here’s why not with Kurt Vonnegut:

TAKING TIME, MAKING TIME

Taking time for the little things is something we’re supposed to do. Making time to get it right is always the challenge. In some worlds, maybe yours, time is elusive, slippery, until you get rewired one way or the other.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT BURGER?

A great burger is a matter of timing. If you haven’t eaten all day anything would be great. That last thing you ate was a little off so you’ve been looking forward to the next meal. This burger fought through adversity to land on greatness.