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MY MOM THE MOTHER IN LAW

April 29, 2022 by

After a recent mother in law conversation I ended up disappointing myself. Why? Because I took the easy way out with the customary role, traditional values, and ducked the whole thing. Not that I don’t have plenty to say about mothers in law. My dates introduced me to the moms and dads more than a […]

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PERSONAL IDENTITY: WHAT TO LOOK FOR

November 3, 2021 by

Personal identity starts the moment you meet someone. You’ve got yours, they’ve got theirs, and the games begin. Maybe you go first and talk about the love you feel for where you grew up. Or they go first and talk about why they left where they grew up as fast as they could. After that […]

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BEST JOB STARTS WELL, STAYS STRONG, ENDS IN SADNESS

September 26, 2021 by

My best job lasted a couple of decades. It was an insight into human nature for what it was. When I decided to move back to Oregon after a short time away, I decided I wanted to do things only done in Oregon. I’d already spent a summer sliming fish in Hallmarks Fisheries in Charleston […]

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HISTORY MATTERS WHEN YOU’RE NOT LOOKING

June 2, 2021 by

History matters more to history majors? We like to think so, but history matters to everyone else, too. It matters with personal history, house history, town history, business history, and the big history between nations. The key to remember is that it always starts small. And it starts with one question: What happened?

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LIFE STORIES: WHEN PERSONAL HISTORY IS NOT ENOUGH

April 10, 2021 by

Life stories come in every form and flavor from hot to cold, bland to sassy, truthful to made up. Tell the same stories long enough to the same people and they start to wonder: “How many times have we heard this stuff?” “Do they know they’ve told the same story over and over?” If you’ve […]

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REAL NAME? CALL PEOPLE AND PLACES BY THEIR REAL NAME BEFORE IT’S FORGOTTEN

September 21, 2020 by

In a time not so long ago, a real name wasn’t important. It was a liability. Hollywood legends like John Wayne, Rock Hudson, and Marilyn Monroe weren’t good enough when they were known as Marion Morrison, Roy Scherer, and Norma Jeane Mortenson. But those days are long passed according to Benedict Cumberbatch. How did he […]

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BOOMERPDX AND THE WEEPING GUITAR

May 15, 2014 by

Music Lesson To Life Lesson And Back To Music. Personal history is tricky. Everyone has one and they’re all better than yours. At least that’s the idea of avoiding writing personal history stories. How many times have you told of an experience and someone listening says, “The same thing happened to me, except…” and their […]

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