After 39 days into the new year, how are your resolutions or goals going? If you stuck with it for a week or two and then dropped it, think about why that is. Was your goal realistic? Attainable? Too strict? Too vague? Write down your goal (or goals) from the start of the year. Now think about how you can adjust, modify… to get it done.

For almost as many times as I had split these waters with unsteady feet, I had come away with more angst and bitterness than when I had started. Steelhead are hard to catch. I was 38, and the Gods of the Deschutes were laughing.

Tina Ontiveros's rough house describes an image that is so vivid you can feel the forests and the edge of the Oregon desert- sight, sound and the feel of the air are all wrapped up in her words. The most striking parts of the book are Ontiveros’s thoughts about resilience, embracing trauma scars, and recognizing that the past creates the person you are today.

Tina Ontiveros, a long-time resident of the Gorge, daughter, wife, mother, sister, author, writing teacher and advocate for the disenfranchised living in poverty — she wears many hats. However, the one adjective she does not ascribe to herself is ‘victim.’ Writer Karen Carlin goes deep with Ontiveros about her haunting yet moving memoir in this one-on-one interview.

A new CD of music from Gorge musicians Richard & Tova Tillinghast emerges from the tumultuous year of 2020. The overall vibe of “Random Perfect Plan” is strictly acoustic and most tunes harken back to the earthy, roots-folk style found on previous albums like 2008’s “Sweet by and By” and “The Door is Open,” from 2014.

Wight loss, saying no to things that make you unhappy, trying something new - are all great goals for the new year. But so are attainable goals and they are key to happiness, according to our columnist Erin Peters. When you start thinking about what you want to accomplish, try to make it something you can reach. You should be setting yourself up for success rather than failure. Read more here.

Jim Drake takes us on another adventure in media for just $3.59. Be careful, you might learn something, punk. This week takes a look at Eastwood’s Firefox, balancing world power and the problem with VHS tape.

Thrift Store Hero Jim Drake makes an outrageous buy this week with two quarters, a dime, a nickel and three pennies. See what our local denizen of all things media stumbled into when 1965 sang out to him like a huge and dark tenor saxophone. Read more here.

Local amateur astronomer Jo Cruz makes his debut here at CCCNews with the Geminid Meteor Shower and the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. Try and get above the clouds tonight for the best show of the year!

In this Episode: Jim Drake goes shopping. Not for essentials like food and toilet paper, but for items that only a collector of All Things Media can appreciate. For the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing my books, movies, CDs, even some games that have been rescued from the Shelves of Obscurity. Come along, if you dare, and let’s find out exactly how far $10.30 goes at local thrift stores.

Thanks, COVID... No, really! No sarcasm here. If you ask people how COVID-19 has negatively impacted their lives, they could undoubtedly list off a slew of examples. So what about when people were asked about how COVID-19 has positively impacted their 2020 year?

Columnist Jim Drake takes a look at local entertainment- online and off. Two drink minimum required before entering. Mark Daly, Hapa Hillbillies, Granada Theatre, Freebridge Brewing, Bargeway Pub, Mandolin Camp, Lesley Saunders

When you’re looking to eat healthier and be more intentional, stay away from diets that will dictate and restrict what you eat. Find ways to modify eating what you already enjoy, and create a plan that you can stick to and feel good about!

Masks do make workouts a bit more complicated. But after the first few minutes , many can ignore the fact that the mask is even there. It just takes some getting used to it. Options abound for those seeking a good physical challenge, whether taking a class, an online option or tackling the outdoors in the Gorge. Get out there. Get moving. And be safe about it.

The key to staying happy may be tied up in getting out and doing something fun, both good for mind and body. Read more by columnist Erin Peters

In Our Own Backyard - Pelican’s take flight this morning on the Columbia River below The Dalles Dam. Common and beautiful. And as new as the strain in your forearm when dipping a paddle. 

As spring fades to summer and the days spent in quarantine are literally getting longer, I think it’s important to take the time to adjust our perspectives and recognize the beauty and power in what humans do best: change.