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LESSON PLAN FOR TODAY: COMMON HISTORY

April 21, 2026 by David Gillaspie Leave a Comment

First we review what makes up a lesson plan. Wiki says: A lesson plan is a teacher’s detailed description of the course of instruction or “learning trajectory” for a lesson. A daily lesson plan is developed by a teacher to guide class learning. Details will vary depending on the preference of the teacher, subject […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: basic training, boomerpdx, common history, fitness, history, learning, lesson plan, mr. Smithsonian, museum, music, remedial, school, Social media, story, students, teacher, writer, writing, WWII

LUNAR NEW YEAR AND MORE IN PORTLAND

March 9, 2026 by David Gillaspie

My small group of five went to the Lunar New Year Parade in downtown Portland. Yes, that Portland. If you’ve heard about it and wonder, it’s not a smoldering city rocked by insurrection. But it was rocking. After living in bigger cities where most people visit and leave, including Portland, I was thrilled to see […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomers, city plan, downtown, dragon, drive, education, learning, lunar new year, museum, parking spot, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, portland china town museum, Portland Oregon, story, travel, writer, writers, writing

WHY AUTHENTIC MUSEUMS STILL MATTER

January 3, 2026 by David Gillaspie

I’ve been inside authentic museums of all kinds, from the Gene Autry Museum of the American West, to the Petersen Automotive Museum, to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. They all come with a suspension of disbelief. Does everything have to be perfect? Noooooo. But they do have to be authentic.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, American History, american museums, artifacts, authentic, authentic museums, Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, blogger, boomerpdx, education, future, go wrong, historical artifacts, history, ignorance, Love, make sense, millennial kids, museum, museums, passive ignorance, read, responsible, story, travel, uncertain future, where is this going, woolworths, work it out, write, writer, writers, writing

NOBODY FROM NOWHERE? SO FAR SO GOOD

December 5, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Some people lament being a nobody from nowhere. Not me. I’ve heard enough big shots complaining about their loss of privacy to the point of living like a shut-in. “I used to be able to go out with no one noticing. Now every time I leave the house is a big event.” Who wants to […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, be there, blogger, boomer blogger, business, dressing room, education, history, margaritas, mexican food, museum, museum business, nobody, nobody from nowhere, normal, nowhere, Portland, Portland Oregon, stories, strip club, the masses, timelines, want more, writer, writing

WINTERING WINE AND ROTHKO

November 4, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Wintering wine is what it looks like with the grapes gone to juice. Wine country in Oregon’s Willamette Valley at ground level where the fruit had been. The turning leaves paint a splash of color across the hillsides this time of year. What’s it remind you of?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: art, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, Hawks view, mark rothko, museum, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, Portland Oregon, rothko, wine, wintering, wintering wine, writer, writing

FIRE STARTER FOR YOUR FACE: MATCHBOOKS

October 28, 2025 by David Gillaspie

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 […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, Baby Boomers, boomerpdx, boomers, cancer, cigaretters, cigars, Death, education, family, fire, fire starter, fitness, history, learning, match book, matchbooks, Matches, museum, museum collection, museum quality, permanent, phillumenist, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, smoking, story, temporary, wife, writer, writing, your face

A CURATED LIFE OF MUSEUM QUALITY

October 16, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Who wouldn’t want a curated life? Curated: carefully chosen and thoughtfully organized or presented We’d get to skip all of the confusion and misunderstandings and go right to the good stuff. Sounds good to me, except for a small part. You know that small part?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, crime, cultural, cultural crime, curated, curated life, education, investments grandkids, life, millennials, museum, museum quality, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, quality, readers, retirement, tagged topics, vacation, writer, writing

MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS

September 29, 2025 by David Gillaspie

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 […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: achievement, Authority, baby boomer, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, boss, build trust, buy in, challenge, education, emotional stability, history, innovation, kids, learning, loyalty, manipulate history, millennials, misinformation, museum, new boss, old boss, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, retirement option, right message, suicide, travel, trust, unstable, writer, WWII

KEEPING TRACK AT THE GETTY MUSEUM

September 20, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The Getty Museum lived up to all of my expectations, and then some. It’s been on my list for years. Not any more. Ever since my first school field trip to the Coos County History Museum in North Bend, Oregon, I’ve been a museum fan. My question then, and now, is, ‘Where did all of […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: art museum, audience, california, Coos County, el porto, fortune, Getty center, getty mission, Getty museum, GPS, keeping track, LA freeways, los angele, Manhattan beach, museum, museum worker, nighthawk cars, North Bend Oregon, purpose built, richest man, THE GETTY, time periods, traveling exhibits, work of art

NO PROMOTION, AND WHY THAT’S GOOD

July 29, 2025 by David Gillaspie

You get no promotion if you compare yourself to the wrong thing. If you feel the need, aim your comps higher than a jumpy sheep. I’ve got a dog who does the same thing and I know how happy she is. Remember the last time you tried to be happy? Chances are you tried too […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: boomerpdx, break schedule, common sense, drug availability, focused, good thing, good things, hardships, help, job, know better, library museum, museum, my promotion, neighbor, Nicholas Kristof, no promotion, no promotions, non profit, organized, pain, promotion, promotions, revelations, second opinion, social conditions, training, work, your promotion