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AMERICAN MADE? TIME TO PROVE IT BY VOTING

American Made is a label that gets tossed around more than it should. It means quality, trust, a better future that the rest of world looks to for guidance. That was then. What does it mean now? Is it still the land of the free, home of the brave?

PORTLAND APARTMENTS, A BOOMERPDX LEGACY

Renting three consecutive Portland apartments over five years on the same city block means you’ve either found the right neighborhood, or you’re a NW Portland kook. I knew I wasn’t the kook when I first moved in. That guy lived in the house across the street, a large older man dressed in crotch strangling overalls […]

BEER DRINKING THE HARD WAY WITH A FAIR FATHER

Most times, when it comes to beer drinking, you need a plan. The easy part is when and where. Then it gets tougher. Which beer to drink has become an identity check. In a place like Portland Beer City, a beer identity means everything. Beer cred means never getting caught with a commercial light beer. […]

WHEN SOFT MEN,PILLOWY MEN, PLAY HARD

Take my opinions on soft men to heart, I’ve seen them in action. So have you. Like most converts to a new belief system, soft men who play hard go an extra mile, or ten. They’ve got something to prove to their soft man group. But there’s a special trick they use.

TASKMASTER: WHY FINISHING A TASK FEELS SO GOOD

A taskmaster assigns work for others. In a marriage, that person is the husband, or wife. If two people are lucky enough to have kids, finishing tasks set a good example. Kids who take up the idea that a finished project feels good make their parents proud. But where does it start? How does it […]

USEFUL NOISE WHEN SKIP A ROPE IS THE SOUND OF COMFORT

The sound of useful noise is a comfort. Some find it in a guitar, others in a piano, still more in the song they sing in the shower. No one sings Skip A Rope for comfort. It’s a mean song that’s beginning to sound like a new national anthem. Hit the link to hear it. […]

TIGARD MAN: WHY MOVING OUT OF INNER CITY PORTLAND WAS A GOOD IDEA

I’ve been a Tigard Man for thirty years, but it feels like yesterday. Memories of Portland keep reminding me why I moved. Not bad memories, but they weren’t good for others. For example:

PORTLAND MAN: PAST AND FUTURE OF A CITY ON THE EDGE

Portland man met another man and flipped a coin to name this place. We know who won since it’s not called Boston. From a distance it’s easy to see why people fall in love with a city growing in the woods. It’s a terrific strip of urban life in the western wilderness. You don’t have […]

OREGON MAN: WHAT MAKES THEM EXTRA SPECIAL

Oregon man needs to leave the state and return to understand how special they are. Answer the question, “Where are you from?” with Oregon and the show begins. “Oregon? I’ve always wanted to go there,” they say, like it’s a mission to Mars.

MARRIED MAN: TIME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

A married man has one job above all others, and that’s to protect the institution of marriage. Otherwise, why bother jumping through the hoops to get married? “But Dave,” you ask, “how do I protect the institution of marriage?” It starts with a definition of marriage. Get ready, because here we go.