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MAKING THE CANCER CALL 2026

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.
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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?
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A LIFE CELEBRATION

Remember the guy who took shooting pool to a whole ‘nother level?
Who knew where to find a good table and fifty cent beers?
That was Rob Brown in Eugene when we went to UofO.
While he had a drive to succeed, he knew how to take a break.
In that sense he was a host who understood how to pull people together.
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RETIREMENT WARNINGS FOR BOOMERS IN THE FAST LANE

You’re in the fast lane and know it when you pull up on a Waymo car.

 

Waymo has named the Rose City as one of the next locations welcoming its own fleet of self-driving vehicles.
As part of the announcement, the company revealed it will start manually operating the cars on Tuesday to “help familiarize the Waymo Driver with Portland’s distinct streetscapes — from its iconic bridges to its bustling, rain-slicked corridors.”

 

I saw this rig in town and thought, ‘The future has arrived.’
Who is ready for the future? Baby boomers are ready.
Sort of?
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ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR REMINDER FROM VETERANS ADMINISTRATION MAILER

As a veteran of the President Gerald Ford Army of 1974-76, I feel I know what acceptable behavior is without a reminder from the Veteran’s Administration in 2026.
I knew the program way before joining the Army.
Where did I gain such valuable information? The Boy Scouts.
This all rings true from Acceptable Behaviors listed on the mailer:
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toughen up

PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, pt2: FAMILY TRAUMA

Illness defines family trauma over time and it’s exhausting. Remember the movie Ordinary People? The family dynamic wasn’t defined by illness, but death of a child. It didn’t go well for the emotional state of all. There’s was a sudden adjustment with a lifetime effect. Living with a pre-existing condition, or around others with pre-existing […]

DIVORCE NEW NORMAL: “WAS IT ANOTHER GUY?”

    Older people, a goal baby boomers are moving toward at hyper speed, have heard more joy and heartache than anyone else. We’ve got at least ten thousand hours in each encompassing most every possible outcome.   At recent bar stop I learned a whole new take on divorce for modern times. It came […]

CANCER RESEARCH THROUGH BETTER BEER

    “I’m buying you a beer,” G said.   “That’s awfully nice, but you don’t have to,” I said.   “It’s that one,” he said.   “Which one?” I asked.   “At the bottom of the Daily Specials.”   I looked at the beer menu and didn’t see it.   “Where are the specials?” […]

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boomer years

BULLIES AND BITCHES: BORN THAT WAY?

Genetics no excuse for bullies and bitches. Some time ago in the Baby Boomer fog of age, like grade school in the mid-60’s at Bangor Elementary, voted the cool school by all former Bearcats, bullies and bitches came in all shapes and sizes. Turns out the time of day also mattered for them. A kid […]

WHO ARE D-DAY MILLENNIALS

You’ve seen comments for D-Day Millennials on social media. It’s not good, those comments. They start with remarks on a ‘safe place’ and move to ‘what kind of pussified men are we raising?’ Consider the sources if you can. Unless it’s Sergeant Rock talking, don’t get too concerned. Most of the time it’s men and […]

NEW HOMETOWN TRENDING?

Live one place long enough, it’s your new hometown. If you even have a hometown you ought to feel lucky. Feel lucky it’s not your ‘home floor’ or ‘home building’ or ‘home block.’ Hometown feel pretty good compared to some places. Except every hometown has the same stigmas as every city, just smaller. Which brings […]

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buckle up

LEARNING TO LEARN PORTLAND BIG AND SMALL

  Life long learners need classes to learn Portland?   A New York man moved to Portland in his fifties. He returns to The City every year to find something new. “Just walk around the financial district in lower Manhattan and you can read the history of the area on the sidewalk,” he said. “I […]

HIKING BABY BOOMER PORTLAND, pt. 2

An incredible part of the city is feeling like you’re never far from the woods. There’s always a clearing, a trail to follow. And it feels safe enough to dive right in there. On a Friday I stopped on SW Terwilliger in between appointments. This is the road on the side of the hill below […]

PORTLAND: THE FOG OF HISTORY

Yesterday’s Tomorrow – A Portland Journey. From the street under your feet to the places you walk by everyday, the untold story unfolds. Except you never see it. We live in the moment. Moving from one place to another is our goal, and it’s enough. But it’s not enough for everyone. It’s not enough for […]

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