new look for ye old blog

It happens… not as often now as in the heyday of the blogging phenomena. The point being… I’m still maintaining one… a blog, that is. Many others have packed it in and moved on (exclusively) to social media. Although many have left their sites up… others have completely deleted their one time presence on the net. Do I miss the old days of blogging. I do. I also miss wearing speedos to swim in. I’m …

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it has been coming for a while…

This process has been ongoing for a few weeks now. Every now and then you just got to do it. So, what brought this on? A couple of months ago I woke to the realization of finding myself in the position where I was not responsible to anyone but myself. Not to a parent, spouse, kids or even a pet. It is both a strange and wondrous place to be. How does it feel? I’m …

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first in half a month

OK… maybe a little more than half a month. Yeah, I’ve been a tad busy. First half of March always is… and has been for lo these 16 years. DA ROGUE (2017 edition) It was that time again when just like in nature, blossoms of creativity were popping up all over the Tower District. Although somewhat scaled down the fest delivered what it promised.  Kudos to the present organizing team and the many volunteers for …

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freedom and expression…

… and why I champion it. I am writing this not just because the annual Rogue Festival is around the corner… though the festival is proudly tied to this principle.  But I will get to that later in this post. Of late, in conversations with a couple of my more conservative leaning friends, the idea that “the press is the enemy of the people” has been bandied about. I must add that I dearly love …

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maybe it is the rain

Lord knows we’ve had our fair share this season… and it continues. It is some relief for the last 4 years of drought. That is one of the many upsides. The other significant one being that the air gets washed out which in turn makes the act of breathing much easier. All good things, right? So, why am I feeling a tad bit melancholic and nostalgic of late? Maybe because the weather has hampered my …

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The Sixteenth Edition…

… of the Rogue unfolds in a few weeks. Soon the Tower District will be abuzz with local and out of town performers flyering their shows and patrons hopping venues to catch what may be the next hot thing. 16 years and still going. And as I’m always reminded… most recently at the unveiling of this year’s muse, “Look what you started?”  And yes, I am pleased that it is still going. But I didn’t …

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Virtual Returns

Just watched the movie Lion. I liked it… a lot.  We’ve probably all seen films like this before. Many within the “heart-tugging-movie-of-the-week” variety. Yes, this is one of those but rises above the genre in many ways.  The script is actually quite strong. The direction allows the story to breathe.  Dev Patel‘s performance is stronger than what we have usually seen him in… and generously supported by the likes of Rooney Mara and Nicole Kidman.  …

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to my DEM supporting friends

I’m an independent watching over half the voting populous lose their ever lovin minds over the results of the last election and the upcoming inauguration. These feel like uncertain times for many especially after the rhetoric flung about during the course of the campaign. I can tell you that many independents and a goodly amount of republicans have similar feelings. So, how did we get here? Let me first attempt to explain (in my view) …

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it is the middle of the week…

… and close to the middle of January. Locally we have experienced a series of storms and everyone is buzzing about it… especially the downpour last night. A friend posted on FB that it came down so hard it activated his outdoor security lights. Don’t get me wrong… the rain is very welcome in these parts. We’ve been living in a drought for quite a bit now and last year’s El Nino did not exactly …

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