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NEW STORY PROBLEMS? CHANGE THE SETTING

New story problems are like cooking a chicken. You know how you’d like it to turn out, but that’s not how it always works. When it’s your Christmas story, and it’s December 24th, you’ve got work to do. Start with your story.

HOLIDAY BUNDLE WRAPPED UP TOGETHER

What’s the usual holiday bundle? Lights, tree, presents. Add some snow and you’re all done. But then a day like yesterday adds something extra, something unexpected. There I was, sitting in a car dealership while my ride was in the garage. You know the drill?

MALL HUSBAND AND THE JEWELRY STORE

Mall Husband happens when his wife says she’s going to the mall to finish Christmas shopping. Finish what? Husband thinking, ‘The Cowboys and Panthers coming up after a Duck game stomping at Arizona State yesterday is good karma. My kid has my Cowboy gear.’ Wife: Then I’m stopping by New Seasons to finish Thanksgiving shopping. […]

OREGON ART PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES

Art people live in every state, every country. This map shows state size based on population. Oregon looks pretty small compared to New Jersey. What follows are Oregon art people.

CAR LOVE, OR LOVE CAR

Car love depends on who is in the car. Of course we all love a car we can pack to the rafters and drive down the road. But it’s not about what’s in there, it’s who. After 4100 miles of togetherness I’ve got nominations.

OREGON DAY, JUST ONE OREGON DAY

On one Oregon day I saw U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas meet her people at the Tigard Library. The next day I drove around the countryside looking at what and who is represented. After joining the crowd in Tigard and listening to how Rep. Salinas spoke to them, I felt certain she had a good handle […]

DRAG QUEEN STORY TIME CANCELLED IN TIGARD LIBRARY?

The drag queen story time is canceled in Tigard and I had to learn about it on twitter? Something’s gone wrong when drag queens out in the far reaches of Portland suburbs can’t fly under the radar. It’s not like there’s a specific drag queen review out here like Darcelle’s. Did someone drive up from […]

REINVENTING ARTISTS AND ART IN TIGARD

Reinventing artists is one way of saying, “Wow.” You read about photographers and writers, see their work, and buy something they made. It’s different when you meet them in a setting outside a museum, gallery, or library. They are real people, which is easy to forget when you hold their work.

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.

DON’T CARE, OR CARE, THERE IS NO TRY

If you don’t care about something, stay off the soapbox. Save your big talk for something you care about, we’ll figure out the rest. Once you’ve been around the block a few times it gets easier to care than not care. Why, you ask?