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PANHANDLING THE PANHANDLERS IN PHILADELPHIA

April 29, 2020 by

Panhandling is an urban characteristic that brings diverse emotions. For some, the response it, “Don’t talk to me.” Followed by, “Don’t make your problem my problem.” The reverse: “I don’t have change, but please take this ten dollar bill.” The response is different with the roles reversed.

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MINDHUNTER + TALKING TO STRANGERS = YIKES

March 17, 2020 by

I started watching Mindhunter halfway through reading Malcolm Gladwell’s recent book, Talking To Strangers. It’s a strange combination ranging from creepy to creepier. Mindhunter tells about the FBI effort to understand what motivates serial killers. If that’s not creepy enough, the killers they interview had attacked women.

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THE HEATER AND THE OREGON HEAT

January 7, 2020 by

On a chilly Oregon Sunday, known as Wild Card Weekend in the NFL, my heater died. I had no Oregon heat. My palace was cold. Like every writer known to man, I was working and didn’t notice until I felt the air conditioning kick in. Except the cool breeze came from the furnace fan, minus […]

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TIGARD TRENDING TOWARD TRAIN TRACKS

December 27, 2019 by

Not Me: I want to live near the train, the light rail train. Isn’t Tigard trending toward the train. Me: The train goes through Beaverton to Hillsboro. Not Me: I’ve heard great things about Hillsboro.

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HALVE MAAN BREWERY, BRUGGE, BELGIUM

October 30, 2019 by

To start, I like beer. I seek out beer. New beer, old beer, good beer, or bad, I want to know more about beer. The Halve Mann brewery took me to school. Portland, Oregon beer has had a bad month, including the recent brewery closings. This link to Willamette Week lists the sad news for […]

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AUTUMN LEAVES DANCE TO WHISPERING WINDS

October 26, 2019 by

If trees are the answer, is the question “what do do with autumn leaves?” Stick with the trees for now. They produce oxygen. And they are beautiful, pulling neighborhoods together in a sharing way. So, where is everybody who breathes my tree’s gas when this happens?

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BON JOVI TABLE vs BAND TABLE

June 14, 2019 by

Bon Jovi table versus the band table had a nice feel to it, like the Sharks and Jets in Westside Story, except without the dancing. One table is all in for one of the sexiest rockers to ever take the stage. Women love him, men want to be him. The other table worked the moment […]

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If Winners Rule By Winning, Everyone Else Is A Loser?

May 9, 2019 by

The safe answer for winners is, “Maybe.” Don’t we all consider ourselves winners at some point? We might say we don’t keep score, but we know the score. Like rec soccer for toddlers, they knew the score of their games even if the parents pretended not to. So why not just say, “screw it,” and […]

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REAL THIRD PLACE LIVING SPACE

May 7, 2019 by

For a brief time I was an athlete with potential. I’d learned how to not get pinned in wrestling, how to lose by decision, how to win by decision, and finally how to stall to victory. It’s the last one people like referees didn’t understand. They hated it, told me to stay on the mat, […]

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THIRD PLACE RANKING BEHIND HOME, WORK

May 6, 2019 by

Third place in sports is hard to celebrate, while third place in what passes for normal life is something to cheer for. At least that’s the idea. I celebrate third place in sports, the bronze medal, because only two others took things further. A third place in public life needs gold certification if you decide […]

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