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HOUSE CLEANING: WHAT GOES, WHAT STAYS

March 3, 2025 by David Gillaspie

House cleaning is basic: start at the top, dust down, vacuum up, done. Or, dust down, vacuum up, scrub sinks and toilets, then done. Or, look at your stuff with dust around it and make a decision of stay or go, then vacuum and scrub, and you’re done. What am I missing? I’ll tell you […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: bookshelf, friends, hoarder, house cleaning, keep, memory, reading, roman bath, throw away, usual le Guin, what goes, what stays, what to keep, writing, writing books

THE SECOND PICK GOES FIRST? SOMETIMES

February 25, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The idea of a ‘second pick’ can be a way of life, not a mistake. You’re heard of ‘one hit wonders?’ That’s what they call a band that only reaches the stratosphere of popularity with one song, not an entire catalog. Most of the time we hear ‘second pick’ and think of professional sports drafts. […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: access, anthologyj, bandwagon, biggest mistake, blog, blogger, chronic loser, Dallas Cowboys, first pick, general history, history, hyped, monograph, national history, negotiation, North Bend Bulldogs, Oregon Ducks, personal history, primary sources, recorded, research, rights, second pick, shill, stories, trust, truth, Way of life, winners, world history, writer, writers, writing

STAYING COMPETITIVE, WITH YOURSELF

February 18, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Staying competitive can be a life goal. It means staying sharp, alert, ready. Being quietly competitive is one thing; you may bring out the best in you. Loud competition can be a problem, such as?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: apartment, Baby Boomers, blog, blog worthy, blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, dead, Death, education, Fat, fat and lazy, history, lazy, MARRIAGE, new jersey, North Bend, nostalgic, Oregon, Portland, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, Portland Oregon, single life, starter home, writer, writers, writing

ATTENTION SPAN DEBATE ON VALENTINES’S DAY: WHAT?

February 14, 2025 by David Gillaspie

A short attention span is normal? Older people like to joke about going into another room for some reason they can’t remember. It happens all the time, but there’s a hack: You have to stay in the room until you remember. That’s Michael Corleone wishing brother Fredo well.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: attention span, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, coment, debate, documentary, happy face, historical, history, Hubers, memories, museum, museum of you, Portland, Portlandia, Seahawk, valentine's day, wife, writer, writers, writing

LANGUAGE ARTS FOR THE WIN

February 13, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Language arts is the difference between the possible and the impossible. Can we return to childhood? Would you want to? Or . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: art majors, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, childhood, dreams, english majors, fears, fight, history, history guy, hobbies, idioms, language arts, laughter, non-traditional student, profession, questions, Shakespeare, standard, unspoken rule, well informed, writer, writers, writing

HAPPY PLACE? KEEP LOOKING

February 12, 2025 by David Gillaspie

They say you’ll know your happy place when you get there. Who are ‘they?’ Happy people, that’s who ‘they’ are. Are they happy all the time? No, but . . .

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Army, Bill of Rights, blog, blogger, Constitution, declaration of independence, education, grandkids, happy place, history, keep looking, kids, making sense, marrieds, museum, museum manager, national archives, normal happy, rothko, smithsonian, travel, writer, writers, writing, WWII

SNOW DAYS OR SNOW DAZE

February 10, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Snow days wrapped up on Saturday. Out of the rental house by 10:30. It was a week without writing anything. Just posting greatest hits of the blog, which is a good reminder to write more. It’s good to be back, but good to be off a while, too.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: adults, blog, blog post, blogger, cannibalism, cold, dogs, Donner Party, family, food shortage, food stuffs, high desert, isolation, kids, mountain, old man, sled, snow, snow days, snow daze, snow pants, sun river, sun river party, wife, write, writer, writing

PERMANENT BUILDINGS FOR THE FUTURE

February 8, 2025 by David Gillaspie

I look for permanent buildings the older I get. It’s always a treat. I’m older than the town I live in, older than the first house I owned, older than where I live mow. Maybe I’m the permanent building? Naw. Maybe you?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, boomers, buildings, downtown Portland, education, Fox Theater, fox tower, millennials, Oregon, park avenue west, permanent, permanent buildings, Portland, Portland Oregon, travel, writer, writing

ONLINE BUSINESS DECISIONS

February 1, 2025 by David Gillaspie

People make millions with their online business. Millions, I tell you. Everywhere I look some blogger is making millions of dollars. And I don’t think it’s all google ad-words.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, best blog, blog, blogger, bloggers, boomerpdx, business, education, happy endings, money bloggers, Nobel Prize, online business, patience, perseverence, persistence, pulitzer prize, some bloggers, success, top earning, venmor, writer, writers, writing, zelle

HEALTH BLOG, CANCER VERSION

January 26, 2025 by David Gillaspie

My youngest niece is starting a health blog. During her cancer treatment she posted updates and concerns for others to heed. She was inspiring, an inspiration for others to take care of themselves. It’s good to have another blogger in the group. If she asks her Uncle David for advice, this is what I’d say:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: akismet, blog, Bluehost, cancer, cancer version, clickbait, engagement, Faulkner, focus topic, Genesis framework, health, health blog, health challenges, Hemingway, how to cope, information source, inspiration, inspiring, jetpack, knowledge, knowledge base, memoir writing, news writing, niche audience, novel writing, online writing, poetry writing, self hosted, steinbeck, Wolfe, wordpress, writing, writing heroes, yoast