Category Archives: Essays

Biden and Trump – Two Raging Narcissists

Posted on July 19, 2024 by Jim Blackwood Jr

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” ― George Orwell, 1984 Surrounded by venal enablers, our two candidates have morphed into the same person. Oh, we always … Continue reading →

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Biden and the Democratic Party Failed Us

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Typical Memory Care resting face. Copyright Guardian This morning, I woke up livid. I am angry that Joe Biden has revealed himself, not as a patriot, but as the most typical, hubris infected narcissist of a politician. Last night, the … Continue reading →

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“Just Look at Him” – A Debate Guide

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Generally, I try not to pay too much attention to the accidental Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. But last night he was making the rounds of the cable news network with a simple message. (Okay, not the Biden hyped … Continue reading →

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Biden Has a Harris Problem — So Do We

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I watched the Kamala Harris interview on CNN. I tried to stay hopeful. No, really, I did. That hope lasted until she fumbled the first question in a blizzard of verbal nothingness. The interviewer then tried to help her by … Continue reading →

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That Night Walt Curtis Hit On Me

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Jim Blackwood Jr

When I read that Portland poet Walt Curtis had died at 82, it reminded me of a different Portland. For all my precarious existence back then, I loved it. I arrived in Portland in 1982, at the worst possible time. … Continue reading →

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Countless Kids Rescued: Sally Retires

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Tomorrow my wife will kiss me and leave for the office one last time. Of course, since I am a retired night owl, she will do that while I am blurry-eyed and still in bed. After decades of devoting her … Continue reading →

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Great Job Joe — Keep Your Promise and Retire Now

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Jim Blackwood Jr

“I can’t get up in the morning without one good rationalization.” Woody Allen When I consider the possibility that Joe Biden is going to run for reelection, I feel like I am watching the opening scenes of a dystopian movie. … Continue reading →

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The Collapse of Civilization –- Damn Close

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I really wanted to see a movie. Simple desire. Now that we live in the burbs, we I don’t have access to all the wonderful old theaters in the big city. I knew what I was getting into here. It’s … Continue reading →

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Ghost Dog at Our Feet

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Mozy had been with us for over a year when Zoom arrived. We were cautious about how they met, backyard first so neither of them felt hemmed in. After a few sniffs, and the new boy demanding some play, they … Continue reading →

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My New Bike: At Least I Missed the Creek

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Jim Blackwood Jr

You never forget. Just like riding a bike. Something I reminded myself as I extracted myself from an Alder tree. In the memory fog, most of us have a rite of passage story about our first bike ride. It’s the … Continue reading →

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