Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Joy of the Broken Urinal Blues

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Half the world has no idea what it is like for a guy to piss in a rock and roll club.  Women are better for it. Last week I went out to see my buddies in the band Volcker.  (Yea, … Continue reading →

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Life Among the “NIMBY Racists”

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

More people are coming.  How many times have we heard that?  When I drive around Portland I sometimes get a little lost because my memory landmarks are gone, replaced by a monoculture of 5 story apartment buildings. An ugly fight … Continue reading →

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Death on the Eastbound MAX

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

  What’s going on here?  Like so many people I had to stop to ponder the vicious attacks on humanity at the Hollywood MAX station.  As I read about the reactions to the violence, things just keep getting more complicated. … Continue reading →

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That Time With Gregg Allman in Atlanta

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Have you ever had a waking dream? I got to see the Allman Brothers Band a couple of times. The second time I saw them play their music. The passing of Gregg Allman reminded me of the first time I … Continue reading →

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Give Me Appropriation with a side of Beans and Rice

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

The absolute truth is that none of us can get through a day without a little cultural appropriation. Humans are creatures of infinite adaptation and co-optation.  The folks who are most scary believe in racial and cultural purity.  Yea, I … Continue reading →

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Caught In Our Own Thought Bubbles

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

Americans are sorting. Regionally and ideologically. It’s natural to seek your tribe…your clan…your kind. But it is dangerous too. Unchallenged thinking is an insidious toxin to personal and societal growth. If I learned anything from 8 years in Portland City … Continue reading →

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How Hillary Clinton Shattered America

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I just read Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign.  For anyone who is, like me, a political junkie, it is mandatory reading.  Two good reporters, Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, set out to tell the inside story of how Hillary Clinton … Continue reading →

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Snakes and Rats and Tyranny

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I am not one to immediately run to NAZI comparisons when thinking about President Trump. I thought it was crazy when the left started in on NAZI jabs during the George Bush administration. On Saturday I watched Trump’s speech at … Continue reading →

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Rush and Rachel Walk Into a Bar….

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

I am a centrist. That means I am always looking for the middle ground between political extremes. Probably the only place I have unyielding dogma is my view of the American League’s designated hitter rule. It’s an abomination. I am … Continue reading →

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How You Remember

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Jim Blackwood Jr

All of our senses trigger memories. I was just driving home and Boston’s “More That A Feeling” came on the oldies radio. That song immediately triggered a memory of a lovely afternoon in my college dorm just after that song … Continue reading →

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