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SITTING DOWN AND SHUTTING UP? OK BOOMER

February 26, 2026 by David Gillaspie

As we’ve seen over the years, sitting down and shutting up is not a baby boomer characteristic. Never has been. No one has ever called us the Silent Generation, the Quiet Generation, or the Compliant Generation. We’ve been called a lot of things, just not those.

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PLAY ACTING STOPPAGE

February 10, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Acting? Play acting? Playing? What’s the difference when an actor is playing a part? I’ve seen the difference from my third row center season tickets at The Armory. For years my wife and mother in-law were theater buddies, two outgoing ladies of a certain age parking underground, riding up in elevators, and walking the cement sidewalks […]

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FIGURE THINGS OUT BY WRITING THEM DOWN? OKAY BOOMER

February 6, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Is it true you can figure things out by writing them down, or is there more to it? Who said, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down?” Who? Don’t panic, it was Joan Didion. I know questions make some people nervous. (Me) From National Public Radio:

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SELF IMPROVEMENT IS THE BEST YOU CAN EXPECT?

February 3, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Yes, self improvement is the best you can expect. What else would you want? If you make a mess and clean up after yourself? That’s improvement. Sounds easy enough.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, attention, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, facebook, hunger, imbd, improvement, internet movie data base, money, Nuremberg, Portland Oregon, self improvement, story, travel, twitter, Weight Loss, weight loss miracle, writer, writers, writing, WWII

STUMBLING STONES OF HARSH HISTORY

January 30, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Last night I learned about Stumbling Stones, or Stolpersteine. They are memorial bricks laid for Holocaust victims at the last place they voluntarily lived before being deported for execution. Our friends told the story of the journey to their family’s former home in Germany, once known as East Prussia. They found the Stolpersteines outside the […]

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NATIONAL PRIDE FROM THE BACK ROW

January 29, 2026 by David Gillaspie

The idea of national pride usually comes from where you were brought up, and who raised you. My sense of things comes from growing up in small town America, raised by parents who came from even smaller towns. The sophisticate in the family was Grandma, who grew up in Dallas, Texas, graduated high school as […]

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NON-VIOLENT REACTIONS TO VIOLENCE

January 25, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Non-violent reactions are harder to work with once you’ve been on the receiving end of violence. But you must make a decision: Bring violence to violence, or stay true to your goal. If the goal is non-violence, and you get punched in the face, it’s a harder choice. For example:

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DOG WALKING FOR BEGINNERS

January 22, 2026 by David Gillaspie

This is the dog for dog walking, also known as ‘my dog.’ She gets excited for a walk, but only if you go as far as she wants to go. Go too far, make the wrong turn, and she sits down until you make the right turn. Quite a dog, the best dog I’ve ever […]

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GOLDEN SILENCE? WHAT’S THAT ALL ABOUT

January 20, 2026 by David Gillaspie

I’ve experienced golden silence? Nooooo. But I’ve come close. Like the time I woke up in a tent while spending the night on a mountain I’d climbed. So quiet, at first, then the sniffing sound. Since it was Alaska, it may have been a bear. I was silent.

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POLITICAL HISTORY = HISTORY

January 18, 2026 by David Gillaspie

When you consider historical facts, when you read history, you’re reading political history. With any luck, what you read is put together by someone who has read and understands the role of politics. What is that role? Creating a just and vibrant society for the greatest number of people. But that’s just my opinion.

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