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LEADER PREPARATION TRAINING PROGRAM 2025

November 17, 2025 by David Gillaspie

This is my claim to leader preparation, not leader, but ready to lead. I lean on the Fort Ord Leadership Academy when I need to tighten things up. I’d like to thank the academy for the training? Thank you, but during the supposed twenty-one hours of training we were all so sleep-deprived we could barely […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: adversity, art, Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, craftsman, culture, education, great men, history, history teacher, leader, leader preparation, leader preparation program, leadership, leadership academy, learning, Love, MARRIAGE, millennials, North Bend, Oregon, Portland Oregon, preparation, program, story, teacher, teaching, travel, work, writer, writing

SEPARATION DAY, EVERY VETERAN’S DAY

November 12, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Separation day is the day you become a veteran. You get your papers and hit the road. My veteran road began in New Jersey, Fort Dix to be specific, which has a new role to play. The Army road began in Fort Ord, which also has a new role. From one September to another two […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, Baby Boomer blogger, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, Death, destruction, Elvis, historical video, leadership, leadership training, learning, MARRIAGE, married, military, North Bend, older, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, separation day, story, u.s. Army, veteran's day, Vietnam, war, war zones, writer, writing

MY JOURNEY? WHERE ARE WE GOING

October 14, 2025 by David Gillaspie

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?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: a journey, baby boomer, blogger, BOOMER, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, disappointing, do better, education, ethnic cleansing, internecine feuds, journey, know better, learning, learning journey, lost respect, Love, MARRIAGE, marriage journey, musical journey, my journey, no respect, North Bend, Oregon, political violence, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, respect, wife, writer, writing, your journey

GROWING UP AMONG TOUGH PEOPLE HELPS

August 30, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The best thing about tough people is how nice they can be. Lucky for me, I grew up near a tough town, Coos Bay. One of my North Bend classmates said he started telling people he was from Coos Bay because he got more respect. People know Coos Bay for its toughness, North Bend not […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blog, Coos Bay, growing up, lake oswego, marshfield, name association, North Bend, obscure blog, recognition, striving to achieve, tough, tough people, toughness, wrestling, wrestling coach

TRAVELING MAN ON THE LOOSE

August 17, 2025 by David Gillaspie

One traveling man says he wouldn’t cross the street if he didn’t have to. Another says crossing the street is no problem, but he’s not going far after that. That’s enough travel for them. It’s enough for me, too. I understand the reluctant traveler. Growing up in North Bend, Oregon, Hwy 101 was hyperspace compared […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: australia, blog, boomerpdx, china, click bait, conviction, Czechia, harsh realities, hwy 101, hyperspace, I-5, Iraq, israel, job, married, memories, my opinion, my work, North Bend, opinion, Oregon, party, readers, reluctant traveler, responsibilities, Russia, serious page, space, space travel, Spain, the world, travel, travel warning, traveler, traveling man, work, world blog

START THE HARDEST PART FIRST: BEER CULTURE

August 11, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Doing the hardest part of anything is not the opposite of doing the easy part. The easy part serves as a warm-up? Sometimes. But, do that and you might be too tired for the next part, which is also not the hardest. Like what? Take drinking beer for example. I live in a beer town, […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: beer culture, blitz brewery, booze, bottle of wine, dealer, drinking booze, easy part, hard, hard luck stories, hard part, hardest, hardest part, hawks view winery, home, NBA, North Bend, Oregon, part, police, Portland, Portland Oregon, small town boy, sneaking booze, sorry tales, start, start first, weed, weed dealer, wine, wine glasses

CLASSIC REACTION TO FEAR OF NEW READERS

July 28, 2025 by David Gillaspie

My classic reaction to any fear? RUN AWAY. It’s how I react to new readers, new writers, new people. Every new thing needs attention, needs a response, needs validation, needs time. A serious blogger can’t run away from everything. But, there are reasons . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, Canby oregon, classic reaction, Coos Bay, Dan Gable, deals, Death, fear, gambling advice, grim reaper, Kobe Bryant, listen, listen attentively, Me generation, meals, Michael Jordan, new people, new readers, new writers, North Bend, obscure, obscurity, online engagement, overcoming, overcoming fear, pay attention, political analysis, run away, serious blogger, shohei Ohtani, steals

LIFE LONG LEARNING STARTS WITH A CALL

July 8, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Life long learning doesn’t end with the last school day, the last class, the last good-bye. It doesn’t end with a diploma, a certificate, or a license. Those indicate the culmination of a training sequence, but the learning is just starting. Now you find out what you need to know, which is . . . […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Afghanistan war, aging, baby boomer, BOOMER, business, city, etiquette, feelings, felon, helpful advice, high school, improvement, learning, life, life long, life long learning, livability, manners, message, North Bend, small town, turkey neck, Vietnam War, young people

COOK PARK BALLOON DAY

June 21, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Cook Park has an event every year, the annual balloon festival. We talk about going every year, but we’ve missed a couple. Not this year. And I found myself saying the same thing to anyone who’d listen.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: annual, balloon festival, beer, childhood memories, cook park, Coos County, coos county fair, county fair, first step, memories, myrtle point, North Bend, oregonians, overcast, rain, rainbow, strong, weather

PET LOVERS SHARING THE EXPERIENCE

May 28, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Pet lovers are the best. They have their pride and joy and love giving it their attention. Naturally they want to share what makes them so happy, which is why they’re the best. So go ahead and pet their dog, their cat. Whistle with their bird. Tickle their turtle. In this case it started with, […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: appreciation, corn snake, fear, happy endings, high school reunion, lovers, MARRIAGE, marriage goal, movie producer, North Bend, Oregon, party, personal goal, pet, pet lover, Pets, santa monica, snake, snake talk, socal, SoCal sophisticates, social mores, spruce pets