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UNDERSTANDING PHOENIX FROM PORTLAND OREGON

May 8, 2021 by

Understanding Phoenix is easier if you have some kind of reference. Call it an urban reference. Phoenix is Big City big, but it’s more than that. Phoenix is the focal point of Arizona the way Portland is in Oregon. Not everyone enjoys that status, mostly those who don’t live in Portland or Phoenix. You’re either […]

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PRIVATE PEOPLE, OR JUST HIDING AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

March 27, 2021 by

Private people learn the lesson early. Don’t talk. But is that good manners, or something more complex. Call me suspicious, but quiet people need to follow the rules just like everyone else. Engage, contribute, and make it count. Do that when it’s called for be as quiet as you want the rest of the time. […]

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FITNESS BLOGGERS IN PORTLAND EMBRACE THE GRIND?

February 6, 2021 by

Fitness bloggers lay it out there in exact terms: “Do this, not that. And if you’re doing that, stop now.” Portland fitness bloggers join in, but since it’s Portland Oregon, it must have a twist? If the motto is Keep Portland Weird, there must be a twist. There’s always a twist with fitness, especially writing […]

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COVID SUNDAY: VACCINE DATE AT OREGON CONVENTION CENTER

February 1, 2021 by

Covid Sunday started at 2:45. That was the appointment time for a covid vaccine. Not my appointment though, I was just the driver. The driver plans one thing for Covid Sunday: Don’t be late. That was my plan after talking to a lady who had been late and lost her appointment time. The plan was […]

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CHRISTMAS SEASON: WHAT BOOMERS SHOULD KNOW

December 1, 2020 by

Christmas season for boomers comes with the sort of experience people go to therapy for. We know what to do, also what not to do. The important thing is we do both. With more readers coming in from faraway places like Shanghai China and Portland Oregon, it’s not too early to help them out. But […]

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WINNING PORTLAND? LOSE SOMEPLACE ELSE FIRST

November 28, 2020 by

Winning Portland, if you call it a win, is easy: grow a beard, wear plaid, work up an opinion on every beer you open. If that sounds like a Portland dream, it is, but it doesn’t last. Bikes, beer gardens, and weed shops are all good news from the outside looking in, but if those […]

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PORTLAND OREGON FROM THE THIRD FLOOR

October 28, 2020 by

City lights in Portland Oregon brighten before sunrise, one window at a time, floor by floor, until an entire wall reveals the secret shadows behind steel and glass. Every city feels anonymous in the beginning. Tall buildings full of strangers become familiar in time. After that, it’s your town. A clear orange sky promises fall colors painted […]

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BREAKING THINGS IS EASIER THAN FIXING THINGS

October 14, 2020 by

Breaking costly things is part of adult life. We find something useful, and use it. And it breaks. Sometimes they break themselves. If it breaks, we fix it, or throw it away and buy an updated version. The proud and the brave say, “Not me, man. If something breaks, I try to fix it before […]

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HISTORY LESSONS? WHO SKIPPED THAT CLASS

October 13, 2020 by

History lessons come the hard way. All the dates and names pile up. We give up on history, and stop paying attention when history reads like a phone book. But once the connections hit and we start linking names, dates, and places, we seek out history lessons. I walked between the Portland Art Museum and […]

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PORTLAND APARTMENTS, A BOOMERPDX LEGACY

September 12, 2020 by

Renting three consecutive Portland apartments over five years on the same city block means you’ve either found the right neighborhood, or you’re a NW Portland kook. I knew I wasn’t the kook when I first moved in. That guy lived in the house across the street, a large older man dressed in crotch strangling overalls […]

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