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SHINE ON LIKE YOU MEAN IT

September 23, 2020 by

Compounding the words Shine and On sounds like a cheerleader cheer when you say it out loud. Give it a try like this: “Shine on.” For the full power, try it like this:

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NEEDY READERS? GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT

July 15, 2020 by

What do needy readers want? Tastes change, fads come and go, but the top selling book of all time is pretty clear. Across all platforms one book stands higher than all the rest. Do you need a hint? Think ‘Tale of Two Cities.’ Wait, that’s the title. Damn. The big question: Is it worthy? What […]

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MEDICAL ADVICE TO IGNORE IN AN EMERGENCY

June 11, 2020 by

Medical advice is wasted on hypochondriacs. The problems they bring to an appointment change by the end. “It hurts when I do this,” turns into, “It hurts when I don’t do that. But now it’s something else.” Sound stressful? It is. It’s always something else. How do I know? Please continue.

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HOPE IN ONE HAND, AND IT’S ENOUGH

April 15, 2020 by

Art is defined by hope. As in, “I hope people like my work.” Turns out people like Grant Wood’s American Gothic just fine.

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CANCER MEMORIES: UNEXPECTED MOMENTS OF LOVE AND KINDNESS

January 13, 2020 by

I made a list of cancer memories to use in my memoir. Not all of them made the cut. A book needs the big stuff; these are the smaller cancer memories:

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CHEMO: NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT IT, EXCEPT …

October 16, 2019 by

My wife drove me to my first chemo, one of three on the schedule, twenty one days apart. It was part of the program, mixed in with thirty five hits of radiation, for HPV16 neck cancer. It was something I dreaded. Why? The name chemo even sounds bad.

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OLD MAN TALKING ELDER HEALTH IN GYM

August 26, 2019 by

An old man, older than me, saddled up on the stationary bike next to mine. I’ve skipped the bike a while but now training for the prospects of pedaling around Paris. Together, the old man and I were biking Beaverton from 24Hr Fitness. My usual question if someone older looks chatty is, “How are things […]

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BOOK NOTES: AN UNCOMFORTABLE TASK BUT SOMEONE’S GOT TO DO IT

August 24, 2019 by

What struck me when I started writing book notes were the words from who knows where I found them, but here they are, “You’d better love the the book topic because at some point you’re going to hate it.” And it’s true, except I sort of hated it from the start since my book notes […]

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MY CANCER: THE MYTH VS REALITY

August 8, 2019 by

(Spoiler: It’s not my cancer, your cancer, or anyone’s cancer. It’s just cancer and it needs killing instead of you, me, or anyone else.) Calling something as awful as cancer, “My cancer,” doesn’t feel right. I don’t claim ownership, I’ll never claim ownership. My loyal readers know the rest of the story, that cancer gets […]

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WRITERS GRIND THEIR GUTS OVER THEIR WORK

April 30, 2019 by

The ads say, “Work from home. Set your own hours. Be your own boss. Writers have the best of all worlds.” Travel the world, soak up the sun, and write about it seems like the message sent. That’s the chair for those writers at the top. Clear sky, blue water, what else would you want? […]

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