page contents Google

FALLING WOMEN, AND HOW TO HELP THEM UP

May 22, 2021 by

Falling women need a good landing. If you’re around when it happens, what’s the best move? Since a fall is usually accidental, the landing part comes from basic instinct, not planning. I’ve been that landing a few times, some better than others. You?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

CITY TRASH FROM PORTLAND TO VANCOUVER

March 31, 2021 by

City trash comes with the territory. More people, more garbage, more clean up. Except the clean up part is lacking, and it’s not the first time. Take New York City trash for example. More people than Portland, which is bigger than Staten Island, but half the size of the other Burroughs. I moved to the […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

EAST COAST KIND, WEST COAST NICE, WHICH ONE IS BETTER

January 22, 2021 by

East coast people stand up for this, stand up for that. And they stand up for themselves. “I do, I do stand up for myself,” is the reply that works best, right until they start talking about what they stand up for. Then it gets dicey, a little uncomfortable. It’s one thing to stand up […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

CREATIVE LIFE? OR JUST LOST, CONFUSED, AND EMBARRASSED

January 6, 2021 by

You live a creative life, whether you know it or not. Every hour of every day, from start to finish, we all live the creative life. Those who disagree don’t understand the word creative. Instead, they see images of people who call themselves Creatives, and back away. You don’t like self expression that includes tattoos […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

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 […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , ,

PORTLAND SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE DREAM: “LEAVES?”

November 18, 2020 by

Inner-city life boils down to one dream about changing to a suburban lifestyle, even a Portland suburb: To lay in grass that isn’t a urinal, a spittoon, or a goose crapped landing patch. It’s a big dream for big people. Some make it, some don’t. How does a Portland suburban lifestyle dream begin? I’ll tell […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , ,

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 […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , ,

BURIED STORIES, EXPRESSIONS OF HOPE

October 24, 2020 by

News hounds dig for the buried stories that explain everything. Sometimes it works better than others. They find diamonds in the rough, clean them up, and exhibit them. Where’s that buried story dog in Oregon? Asking for readers from the Top Ten states on boomerpdx overnight: Oregon, California, Washington, followed by Texas, New York, Florida, […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

BROKEN STAIRWAY? HOW TO REPLACE IT

October 15, 2020 by

My mother in law walked down a broken stairway for sixteen years. I’d replaced treads and firmed up the handrails, but we still joked about it. “An independent observer might think my son in law is trying to kill me by falling through these steps,” she laughed. “If the fall doesn’t kill you, my snake […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,