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MY PEOPLE, YOUR PEOPLE, OUR PEOPLE

August 12, 2025 by

My people are good listeners, up to a point. Requesting something five time in a minute is close to that point. “Please do this. Have you done it. It’s all set up for you. Get started. You’d be done if you’s started sooner.” We also have patience. What about your people?

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FATHERS DAY AFTER CLASS IN SESSION

June 16, 2025 by

My Fathers Day go-to family picture: A thirty year old man with three sons and a wife who looks like Jackie Kennedy taken in 1960. The old man has an expression asking, ‘What have I gotten myself into.’ It’s a father’s look, the same look over the gates. It never gets old. That’s me in […]

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CLEAN SLATE? IT’S NOT TOO LATE

April 20, 2025 by

The clean slate, the fresh start, is possible every day. Start over, begin again, it happens every day. That’s a picture from the night I met The Schonz. He was a sassy old bird with a firm grip. He gave me a clean slate for any other famous Portlander I might meet.

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SNOW DAYS OR SNOW DAZE

February 10, 2025 by

Snow days wrapped up on Saturday. Out of the rental house by 10:30. It was a week without writing anything. Just posting greatest hits of the blog, which is a good reminder to write more. It’s good to be back, but good to be off a while, too.

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OLD STORY? THEY’RE ALL OLD STORIES THE OLDER YOU GET

December 10, 2024 by

An old story wears thin over time? Not when it’s your story, no matter how many times you tell it. When you hear, “I’ve heard this so many times,” don’t take it as criticism. That’s just someone bragging about their listening skills, not trashing your repetitiveness. Still, why not add something new?

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AGE APPROPRIATE FOR WHO

May 9, 2024 by

Who says, “Grow up and try to be age appropriate,” and who do they say it too? Your hair’s too long, your clothes don’t match, and you don’t smoke the same cigarettes as them. But that was a long time ago. Since 1966 we’ve learned how to find satisfaction.

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DEATH WISH? IT’S JUST A STAGE

February 7, 2024 by

Death wish yourself into being a better person? “If I can’t be who I think I am I’d rather die.” Is that a wish, or a condition? I don’t know, but what I do know is ‘the end’ is the end. Most of the time.

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AMERICAN PIE REVIEW

October 28, 2023 by

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buckWith a pink carnation and a pickup truck The song came out in 1971. My older brother had a pickup truck. After he graduated high school it became my pickup truck. But not really.

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BOOMER SLUR? WATCH YOUR MOUTH

September 2, 2023 by

The baby boomer slur comes from younger people. It goes like this: “You sound just like a Boomer.” Yeah, we get it. Just like a boomer. So I did the research, the hard work, the deep dive. In other words, I watched the opening to Saving Private Ryan.

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SOLVING PROBLEMS ON THE PAGE IS REAL LIFE?

February 7, 2023 by

Whether you think solving problems is ‘your thing’ or not, it is. To do it the right way, start with a blank page. No, not the proverbial blank page, canvas, or slate, but a real life blank page. Call it a screen, whatever. It’s blank. Now what?

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