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GREAT NEWS FROM MT. ANGEL AND JOHN ROSSI PODCAST

The great news from Mt. Angel comes via the John Rossi Podcast visit to Lou’s Kitchen.
The Kitchen is a big winner in Best of Willamette Valley 2026 claiming the Gold Medal for best all-round restaurant.
When I opened the door the place was packed and buzzing at noon.
One grilled chicken salad and an Arnold Palmer later we retired to the podcast studio to work on stuff and thangs.

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THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE TO WRITING AN EVERYDAY BLOG

An everyday blog is just what it sounds like:
Every. Day.
Like most things worth pursuing, it takes tenacity and creativity to make something worth writing into something worth reading.
No problem, write. Right?
But, there’s more.
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BEER BELLY, BEER GUT, THEN WHAT

I’m working on a beer belly reduction plan, which means what?
Drink less beer, what else?
I was lamenting my loss after meeting a new guy who fixed broken guitar amps in his garage.
Me: I think the signs are lining up to loose my gut.
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BEING USEFUL LIKE ROBERT FULGHUM

This isn’t Robert Fulghum, it’s me being useful in my Robert Fulghum beard which has gone the way of every beard that dared show itself on my face.
He is probably a better beard steward than me. My enthusiasm for grooming an extra pet in the house lasts about six months.
The last dog lived sixteen years; the current dog is going on five.
Am I being useful for them? More than I am to a beard.
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A SECOND LOOK AT “THAT AIN’T RIGHT”

What’s a second look at this garage arrangement tell you?
What’s missing: a fitness area with a treadmill, squat rack, work bench, maybe a couple of cars stacked on a lift, and a designated music area with guitars, drums, and amps all ready to go.
Not to say this garage is lacking anything, but it looks more like a storage unit than a daily use area to build on, play in, and break a sweat.
This is a great set-up for people ready to move. Loading time in three, two, one . . .
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toughen up

KNIGHT CANCER vs THE HUTCH

    Portland and Seattle have a storied rivalry throughout history, especially sports history.   Now it’s competition to find the cure for cancer. Let the games begin.   The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle has a super story out yesterday, huge story in the Seattle Times.   “The Hutch closes in on […]

BABY BOOMER FOOT ISSUES SOLVED

Do you have Baby Boomer Foot Issues? Yesterday I jammed my pained tootsie into about twenty shoes. The pain comes with plantar fasciitis, which is supposed to be a heel thing, but got my middle toe instead. I blame a famous shoe brand for bending my foot the wrong direction, then myself for thinking the […]

HELPING THE EMERGENCY RESCUE

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 […]

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boomer years

ILLEGAL ORDERS: FOLLOW OR NOT

How illegal orders were explained in the 1970’s Army. The beginning of the All-Volunteer Army came with something extra. New boots needed to know about ‘illegal orders.’ Call it a special understanding to make the Army a more attractive choice. Not more swearing, yelling, smacking, punching, and general ass-kicking. And no more illegal orders. The […]

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN BOOMER

I hear you asking, “What’s a ‘proven’ boomer?” You know what a ‘made man’ is in the Mafia? They’ve taken an assignment from the boss and done good with it. Usually the assignment that makes you a Made Man also makes you a Button Man. You push the button, pull the trigger, you’re a made […]

LAST BEER CALL? MAKE IT THE BEST LAST BEER

      (Part I of two.) The Last Beer Call Champion: Breakside Brewery IPA. After traveling coast to coast, Breakside blew the competition away. Drinking every beer in Portland since Grant’s and Red Hook were the only new beers on the rack shows how good Breakside is. Call it scientific research. You want to […]

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buckle up

Travel Education Fatigue Makes Well Rounded Snob

  The first time I heard an acquaintance talk about travel education I was impressed as hell. They made me want to do it, to go where they’d been. Then I heard it again, and again. And again. Has this happened to you, travel education fatigue? You need to fight through it.

LONESOME VALLEY? WALK IT BY MYSELF? WHAAAT?

  The Carter Family has a map of the lonesome valley. Everybody knows the way on the lonesome valley. Your mother’s gonna walk it. Your daddy’s gonna walk it. Those sinners got to walk it. And they all walk it alone. That’s what the Carter Family says. Everybody’s got to walk this lonesome valley We’ve […]

PORTLAND 1980: HOW TO SETTLE IN A NEW TOWN

    One song stuck with me on the bus ride from NYC to Portland 1980: The second verse of Lodi, by Creedence Clearwater:   I rode in on the Greyhound I’ll be walkin’ out if I go I was just passin’ through Must be seven seven months or more Ran out of time and […]

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