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HOPEFUL CITY, URBAN DUMP, OR BOTH

What makes a ‘hopeful city?’ Take Portland for example, a place other states once yearned for in their signature city. “We love Portland; we want to be Portland,” said Asheville, North Carolina. Except there are a few problems to overcome.

PORTLAND DRIVER ON A CABINET SEARCH

What does a Portland driver do when an IKEA bathroom cabinet doesn’t match the moment? And you live in a Portland, Oregon zip code? Go on a Portland road mission for the right junk. Warning: The time and effort spent is the real object, not the end result. You know, the ‘life is journey’ stuff. […]

DREAM OREGON FIRST, THEN GET TO WORK

Dream Oregon first, or you’ll be working in someone else’s dream. Will it be to your liking? If you don’t have a dream, you won’t know the difference. So let’s figure it out based on experience, my experience.

ONE PORTLAND BABY BOOMER DECADE

My Portland baby boomer decade began in 1980. It began when I stepped off the bus after a three day ride from Manhattan. (Hey, B.) For twenty-six year old me it was a life changer. By 1990 I was heading out.

PORTLAND FREEZE WORSE THAN SEATTLE?

The Portland Freeze that didn’t happen came when I moved to NW Portland. My apartment building was a busy place to live for students and professionals. The pretty lady who sold text books always looked like she just stepped out of Vogue. She was in a class of her own. And chilly. Hey Patricia. But […]

ATTENTION ECONOMY SPENDING CAP

Google’s response to ‘Attention Economy’ is “About 569,000,000 results (0.47 seconds).” I didn’t read them all, but the first few referred to the ‘so-called’ attention economy. ‘So-called’ because no one wants to be shamed for thinking there’s such a thing as an attention economy? Look at that top picture. What’s it say? More than you want […]

REBUILDING PORTLAND A LITTLE AT A TIME

Rebuilding Portland means one thing: acknowledge what’s broken and fix it. What’s broken? The biggest thing broken is believing Portland is worth the effort. But how do you rebuild trust? You need to go out and find it.

UNDERDOG LIFER STARTS EARLY

An underdog lifer life needs to start early, otherwise it’s just following trends. But how early? Top underdogs are never the first born, the first to start new things, or the first in line. If they were first, they wouldn’t be underdogs. Start with where you were raised.

REALITY CHECK FOR THE PORTLAND NEW YEAR

Who writes the reality check for the new year? Don’t ask. It’s you. And it’s your reality. You can check it, ignore it, or pretend it belongs to someone else. But, it’s you, it’s yours, and you’re not alone, as the top image shows.

MATCH MAKER: BEST EFFORT vs GOOD ENOUGH

Being a match maker in 2023 means finding new matches. If you’ve been trying to introduce people because ‘they’d be perfect together,’ it’s time to adjust expectations for the new year. 2022: Why aren’t you married? 2023: Marriage isn’t for everyone.