BOOMERPDX • THE BLOG YOU'VE BEEN MISSING IS HERE

END PRODUCT IS WHAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT, NOT PRACTICE

‘End Product’ is another way of saying, “What have you done lately?”

We pay to go to concerts, games, and races.

We don’t pay to go to practice rooms, weight rooms, or interval track training, the stuff done before the end product.

Buy a ticket for an event and you expect a competent performance?

Sounds reasonable to me.

HISTORICAL ACCURACY? IMPORTANT, OR NOT

I’m a fan of historical accuracy, of a story that stands up to scrutiny not opinion,

My feeling is that the people involved in historical events deserve the decency of applied history.

How to apply history?

It’s all about the sources.

OPENING NIGHT AT THE ROSE GARDEN

I watched the Rose Garden, home to your Portland Trail Blazers, rise up on the Northeast bank of the mighty Willamette River.

From opening night until now it’s been . . . thirty-one years?

As long as the Memorial Coliseum stands, the Rose Garden will always be the new kid on the block.

And now it’s old and tired?

Or, How To Tell The Difference Between Yoga And A Case For Emergency Rescue. The gym I belong to is full of classes. Usually they happen in a dance studio with window walls on one side and mirrors on the other. It’s the usual schedule of jumping around with a wired up instructor, lifting Styrofoam […]

CANCER SURVIVOR ESSAY STRUGGLE

Stories about a cancer survivor are an inspiration to all cancer survivors. Even a cancer survivor essay about the trauma of being a cancer survivor holds important hope. Pam Parker gets into it with a cancer survivor story in the Chicago Tribune. It’s not pretty and sweet and all dolled up […]

AUTHORITARIAN PARENT? WHAT OTHER KIND IS THERE

A scene from the movie Vision Quest shows Louden Swain’s buddy Kuch at home with his dad. Instead of a bonding moment of shared struggle, the dad slaps Kuch around, telling him he’ll never be nothing. Nothing. Wrestling might make him feel like a big shot, but he’ll still be nothing. […]

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THE PORTLAND DREAM GROWS DARK

Move to Portland, it’ll be fun they say You’ll learn to love clouds on a sunny day It might be weird but you’ll like that Bring your flannel and a lumberjack hat Move to Portland and bring your skills The new people know how to find the deals Where food is organic, free […]

Dear Millennial Voters, All Of You, From Air And Water

The future is closer than you think, and you, millennial voters, will have the final say on the future you want. Now the last thing you give two damns about is a rant from a flowing silver haired, mustachioed, Mark Twain wannabe blogger. I get it. But, sometimes people need a little […]

HELICOPTER PARENT WISH LIST

My mother discovered stolen contraband the night she pretended to hang up my coat. The ‘hang the coat up’ frisk was a classic move. I’ve used it with my own kids. The item she found was a seventy nine cent writing tablet that opened like a book. She asked where it came from, I gave […]

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PORTLAND FEVER: 1980-1990

After walking around Manhattan and finding the perfect neighborhood, I wanted to find that neighborhood in Portland. When I did it started Portland fever. Northwest Portland in late spring reminded me of Greenwich Village on a smaller scale. Like most everything compared to NYC, smaller is normal. Smaller buildings, smaller stores up […]

BECK’S IN PORTLAND BEER CITY

A Euro-problem For Portland Beer? Or Just Me. In the beginning there was Blitz, the baby boomer’s original Portland beer. You can still see the remains of that other urban brewery around NW 12th and Burnside’s Brewery Blocks. It’s a nice re-use of an area instead of complete tear down. What isn’t around is the […]

Nature Inspires Art, Yellowstone Inspires Nature

Driving Yellowstone is a trip back in time, and more than pre-historic time even though a dinosaur walking across the landscape wouldn’t be much of a surprise. In this real life vision of Jurassic Park buffalo work just fine. By back in time I mean a 45 mph speed limit and […]

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As the golden years of retirement stretch out before you there are a few things to keep in mind.

Probably more than ten line items, but this is a start.

You don’t have to agree with any of them, but pick and choose in any order.

I’ll start:

‘End Product’ is another way of saying, “What have you done lately?”

We pay to go to concerts, games, and races.

We don’t pay to go to practice rooms, weight rooms, or interval track training, the stuff done before the end product.

Buy a ticket for an event and you expect a competent performance?

Sounds reasonable to me.

I’m a fan of historical accuracy, of a story that stands up to scrutiny not opinion,

My feeling is that the people involved in historical events deserve the decency of applied history.

How to apply history?

It’s all about the sources.

Ten years ago I got the cancer call.

Me: Hello.

Doc: Are you sitting down?

Me: Yes. (I was in the bathroom.)

Doc: The tests came back. You have cancer.

Me: That’s not good.

I watched the Rose Garden, home to your Portland Trail Blazers, rise up on the Northeast bank of the mighty Willamette River.

From opening night until now it’s been . . . thirty-one years?

As long as the Memorial Coliseum stands, the Rose Garden will always be the new kid on the block.

And now it’s old and tired?

toughen up

boomer years

buckle up

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