Don Hall 5/30/19 Don Hall 5/30/19

Finding Three Pain Points — How to Sell Progress

My brief stint selling window replacements did garner me some insight on the process that, as I look out into our divided country, I can’t help but wonder if the technique used to get people to spend $30,000 to replace their windows might have some value in selling our most untenable ideas to one another.

Don Hall 5/28/19 Don Hall 5/28/19

The Quest For a Mistake-Free Life

In this society, we are no longer allowed to make mistakes.

There is a paradox at play in that we are encouraged to gain experience in order to be employable yet the only path to truly valuable experience is to make mistakes and learn from them. No mistakes equals no genuine experience and Mobius Strip circles us like the spectre of failure writ constant.

Don Hall 5/27/19 Don Hall 5/27/19

I Believe… [#trumpisjustareflection]

…that the internet is the most sophisticated communication tool invented to date and the best we can figure out to do with it is to piss and moan about our pet causes and bully one another. #trumpisjustareflection

Don Hall 5/26/19 Don Hall 5/26/19

Not That Big of a Deal Yet | Happy Birthday, David Himmel

David Himmel turns forty today. As usual, he didn’t plan ahead and botched his own birthday article. Enjoy!

Don Hall 5/25/19 Don Hall 5/25/19

I Like to Watch | John Wick Chapter 3 — Parabellum

Aside from my obvious enjoyment of the story of an ex-assassin, known by the Russian mob as Babayaga (The Bogeyman) and spoken of in whispers of his legendary focus, determination, and will, mourning his dead wife and being gifted by her beyond the grave a puppy only to be thrust back into the game by a Russian mobster’s son, I found myself conflicted in two specific ways.

Don Hall 5/20/19 Don Hall 5/20/19

I Believe… [Surprise! Just When You Thought Alabama Was Done Taking a Shit!]

…that the sudden shock and surprise that several of our worst states in terms of rights for anyone but the wealthy decided to put laws into place to challenge Roe v. Wade in the Supreme Court indicates either a blissful ignorance or a sad complacency. It’s like we saw the big dog eating bowls of slightly rotten meat and its own feces and, days later, were awestruck when it shit all over the living room.

Don Hall 5/19/19 Don Hall 5/19/19

Reality Doesn't Just Go Away Because You Will It

The Truth is a complicated thing and anyone claiming that their truth is more valid than another's without factual information and another take on it is highly likely full of shit.

Don Hall 5/18/19 Don Hall 5/18/19

"It pays my way, and it corrodes my soul..."

Are you Heller's Bob Slocum or Melville's Bartleby? Or someone in between the dismal acceptance of the grind and the refusal to comply with the demands that your existence is owed to the labor for something without regard for you?

Don Hall 5/16/19 Don Hall 5/16/19

Be Stalwart and Build the Cathedral

As a feminist, I suggest we reject this terminology. I believe we can embrace a more feminine model and, instead of destroy and battle, we can build. The idea that we can fight the weather is silly; instead we build shelter from it. Build. Create coalitions. Construct roads to empathy and trust among even those we have chosen to despise. Cathedrals for the many places we desperately need for solace and community and progress. Cathedrals that are open to all people.

Don Hall 5/14/19 Don Hall 5/14/19

The Sales Gene and Why I Don’t Have It

I get it. Most of capitalism is driven by sales. Most sales are made by people selling things and ideas. The time-share thing here in Vegas. The guy on the street-corner with the spinning arrow sign trying to get you to come into the third-tier mobile phone store. The kid with the box of candy to raise money for his basketball team. All some variation on the theme of non-stop, unwavering sales.

Don Hall 5/13/19 Don Hall 5/13/19

I Believe… [Women Are Not Baby Farms, You JagStains]

…that one of many paradoxes presented in modern American society is the odd confluence of overpopulation run rampant, the decrease in financial aid and paid time off for young mothers, and the bizarre desire to force women to have babies they either don’t want or can’t care for. For fuck’s sake, get the priorities in line — if you want women to be baby farms at least pay them for it or get out of their business…

Don Hall 5/11/19 Don Hall 5/11/19

Both Rock AND Roll is Required

It is my armor. Against the ravages of time and heartache and failure and despair. Attitudinal armor. Protection from self-pity and feeling small in a world of wars for oil, politicians spouting horseshit non-stop and the constant drumbeat of the the Big Countdown Clock. A layer of badassness that fights back the feeling that, as I get older, I'm simply going to lose everything I ever held dear and everyone I ever loved because that's just the way it is. My Captain America shield. My Bat Cape. My resolve to never allow the World to beat me.

Don Hall 5/10/19 Don Hall 5/10/19

Being Reminded that You are Disposable isn’t Fun but it’s Necessary

George Bailey wasn’t special. He was, on most faces of it, a real loser. That’s why he decided to end it all — he was a failure from the lens of post-modern success. Clarence didn’t change his mind, he shifted his perspective away from himself to those who surrounded him.

Don Hall 5/8/19 Don Hall 5/8/19

When Mice Roar and the Rest Assume They’re Lions

My senior advisor, Tom Restivo, pulled me aside one day and said “You know, most people in the school don’t support your causes. You know that right? It seems like you think that you’re constantly on the side of right but, even if you are, without the backing of a larger group of students, you’re never going to get algebra credit for the Math Team.”

Don Hall 5/6/19 Don Hall 5/6/19

I Believe… [Cosplayer is an Identity, Too]

…that identity may be a kind of expertise but it is only an expertise in being oneself. The desire to tribe up and gain power through identifiers is a strong one but using your culture, skin color, gender, sex, or political leanings is absolutely no different than identifying as a cosplayer, a foodie, or a sports fan.

Don Hall 5/5/19 Don Hall 5/5/19

The World Is Now Your Therapist, So Have a Cheeseburger

Have you seen the new Emo Burger King ad?

I do not love the idea that in an age where nuance, humor, and snark are taken so literally that the perpetual class of whiners will take this as yet another permission to unload their emotional trash on the streets for all to see. Yes, it’s important to avoid stuffing your bad feels down under the sofa like dogshit you can smell but can’t find, but there’s a reason therapy is usually done one-on-one in a private office.

Don Hall 5/4/19 Don Hall 5/4/19

Life Hacks in The Pursuit of Surviving the Leap from the Cliff

Now new to the Mojave, I’ve had to come up with a few new hacks to make life just a bit easier, the transition a bit smoother.

Don Hall 5/1/19 Don Hall 5/1/19

I Like to Watch | Cobra Kai Season 2

The first season indulged in the Gen X joy of revisiting those nostalgic moments and was so successful, they decided to do a second and, in extending the story for ten more episodes, dive into some truly profound territory.

Don Hall 4/29/19 Don Hall 4/29/19

I Believe… [Discarding Mitch is More Important than Slapping Trump]

…that if we truly want to get things moving on things like Medicare For All and the New Green Deal, our priority should be focused on unseating McConnell. The DNC should put every dollar possible into getting rid of that venomous little fuckface.

Don Hall 4/29/19 Don Hall 4/29/19

When Facts Dispute Ideology, What Do You Do?

When facts dispute your ideology, please — PLEASE — access that one or two brain cells that control your ability for self reflection and understand that those facts mean your failed solution doesn’t need another shot. You need to come up with a different solution, dumbass.