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DO MORE? LIKE WHAT

March 13, 2026 by David Gillaspie

You need to do more to matter? That’s what you ask yourself when someone says, “You need to do more to matter.” Have you heard that? I still hear it and I’m not some spring chicken pecking my way around the pen. When is enough enough?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, big brother, classic, classic funny, coaching, college, confidence, deployed, do more, education, funny, graduated, judging, losses, opinion, sports, story, unmotivated, wins, writer, writers, writing

GET TO THE WRITING POINT

December 26, 2025 by David Gillaspie

People who feel like their head might explode in the middle of the night because their brain won’t calm down need to get to the writing point. No writer has ever felt the internal pressure in their mind because they’ve already gone over things. Gone over, and over, and over, and over. Let me rewrite […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, boomer blogger, boomer kids, boomerpdx, fiction, new yorker, non-writers, opinion, over and over, Portland, Portland Oregon, public education, revision, rewrite, sentence structure, shared history, story, surveillance, teachers, writer, writer's worth, writers, writing, writing point, written memory, WWII

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

KNIGHT CANCER INSTITUTE: SECOND OPINION ON SECOND OPINIONS

August 15, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The Knight Cancer Institute has been on my mind since its inception. Why would a sports company founder devote huge resources to starting a cancer institute? It wasn’t a one time donation. Yesterday the Institute pulled in another $2 billion. It’s a big story built on little stories like this:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: $2 billion, big story, cancer, chemo therapy, curing cancer, education, gratitude, happy gratitude, knight cancer, Knight Cancer Institute, knight clinic, Nike, ohsu, opinion, Oregon, Phil Knight, precision medicine, radiation, research, second opinion, sports company, story, targeted therapies, timing

LASTING CONSISTENCY OVER THE LONG HAUL

June 12, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Lasting consistency means one thing: dependable. You know what you’re looking for and you know what you’re getting when you find it. History is full of people needing things they can depend on and you can depend on this writer to dig them up. I know you’ve got a few yourself but that’s for your […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomers, blog, blogger, civilization, communication tool, connecting, consistency, culture, education, family, fasteners, history, kids, kindness, lasting consistency, long haul, Love, MARRIAGE, opinion, story, travel, uninformed opinion, wife, write, writer, writers, writing

‘NOTHING TO FEAR’ WITH WINSTON CHURCHILL AND GEORGE CLOONEY

July 11, 2024 by David Gillaspie

“Nothing to fear, nothing to see, move along.” It’s just Winston Churchill strolling in his front yard. We had a Churchill lesson at his place, then another in his London war rooms. Our dude didn’t have smooth seas on the trip to joining the immortals of history.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: afraid, alarmist distraction, Army, biden candidacy, blogger, boy scouts, Churchill, Churchill war rooms, crappy things, England, fear, forward, free world, George Clooney, germany, great britain, hooper, Joe biden, journey, learning, london, Nazi, New York Times, opinion, parents, public life, respect authority, small footprint, war rooms, whine, Winston Churchill

OPINION PAGE? NOT HERE, KEEP SCROLLING

March 14, 2024 by David Gillaspie

An opinion page has one thing in common with others: A point of view. Unfortunately, places like that usually have a point view skewered by need. From a need for likes, for clicks, for comments, which all lead to search engine ranking. The other need if for information, useful or not; direction, wrong way or […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blog monetization, blog post, blogger, Boomer Nostalgia, boomerpdx, boomers, boredom, boring, hobby blog, information, lost youth, monetization, money, neil Gaiman, nostalgia, opinion, opinion page, PORTLAND BABY BOOMER, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, reader, reader clicks, search engine ranking, slow reader, wife, writer, writers, writing, writing room

ROMANCE TRAIN CONDUCTOR: TICKETS PLEASE

October 29, 2023 by David Gillaspie

If the romance train has ever stopped at your station, and you got on, these are familiar tracks. However, if it hasn’t stopped, and you can’t tell the difference between the local, the express, or the out of town train, please continue. Have your tickets ready.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: advice, Baby Boomer blogger, baggage, beautiful life, boomer skanks, boomerpdx, boys, career woman, college boomer, gender, girls, happiness, Love, love advice, love train, men, opinion, romance advice, romance train, romances, skanks, tickets please, train, women

HURT FEELINGS FOR HALF THE COUNTRY?

July 2, 2022 by David Gillaspie

My hurt feelings have an outlet, and I’m so glad. So is everyone else, which is a clue on how do deal with disappointment. Find an outlet so you won’t be haunted the rest of your life by the importance you place in other people’s opinions. Of you. Someone’s feelings about you could hurt yours? […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: denial, disappointment, feelings, hurt feelings, opinion, opinions, reproductive health, reproductive rights, republican wives, women, women's health, womens rights

CAN DIFFERENCE MAKERS CHANGE OPINIONS LIKE YOURS

May 29, 2021 by David Gillaspie

Difference makers show up at the right time and we all celebrate. They show up when you get lost, when you’re confused. When you need help, there they are. But where are they when you’re not lost, not confused? What do they do when you don’t need any help? Don’t worry, they’re still out there […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: difference, difference maker, difference makers, friends, high opinion, MARRIAGE, Marriage counselor, opinion, problem solvers, religious, self esteem, the writer, troubled people, valued opinion, writer, youth coachiung