Author Archives: Jim Blackwood Jr

Portland the First Time: My Euphoria Story

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Jim Blackwood Jr

As Sally and I get ready to leave Portland, it occurred to me I have been clear why I am leaving, but not so revealing about why I came here. So, this tale will be one of a series of … Continue reading →

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Heading for the T-Places

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I have an admission. From the mid-1980’s when I arrived here until a few months ago, I had no idea there was a difference between the cities of Tigard and Tualatin. I knew they were somewhere south of Portland. I … Continue reading →

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My Best Live Show… Ever

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Jim Blackwood Jr

With over 1,000 shows on my list, as I watched the snow fall, I thought about which one was the pinnacle. I could go big, Bowie, Stones, Who, Eagles in the 70s. But as my memory pot simmered, and everything … Continue reading →

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The End of Mystery

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Surfing Netflix, I came across the 1998 movie, “As Good as It Gets.” If you haven’t seen it, just the on-screen time between Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, who both won Academy Awards, is worth the 2 hours. About 90 … Continue reading →

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Does America Only Have 3 Years Left?

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I was awash in hope for the great American experiment. It is a wonderful notion, this idea that a wildly diverse collection of humans would gather to commit themselves to a creed, a collection of ideas. Through the flaws at … Continue reading →

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Emptying The Boxes

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Jim Blackwood Jr

The two small boxes could not have been more different. One was a neat, glossy, rectangular wooden box. Simple, but nicely made. The other was tin metal with a paisley flower pattern on the outside. In another life, it would … Continue reading →

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Drake! WE ARE LEAVING!!!

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Have you ever been to a show with a band you love and about halfway through the set you are done? Maybe the line-up changed. Perhaps the new album was an awful dance-beat nightmare? Or maybe, to your surprise, your … Continue reading →

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Thoughts On: “How Democracies Die”

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I instinctually avoided this book until I could arrive at my own conclusions. Once I posted “The End of America,” I dove into this frightening little tome. The credits are funny. The authors are academics who thank their editor for … Continue reading →

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The End of America

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I doubt that the middle can hold. Circumstances the founders could not have expected are unleashed and what we know of as America hangs by a precarious thread. The founders knew this form of government was an unlikely concoction. In … Continue reading →

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The Colonization Game

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Jim Blackwood Jr

After the 21st time I saw “land back” spray painted on buildings and toppled monuments in Portland, I mused on this popular notion of rethinking colonization. There are folks who are now decolonizing almost everything. Decolonize mathematics. Decolonize science. I … Continue reading →

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