Don Hall 3/22/19 Don Hall 3/22/19

A Job Interview as Full Contact Combat

“Don,” the focus shifts to me. “What do you think of her answer?”

What? Do they want me to criticize her strategy? In front of her? Is this how this is going to go?

Contributing Writer 3/21/19 Contributing Writer 3/21/19

American Shithole #52 | Vacations, Part Two: LA Waste

My first word on Los Angeles asphalt was a despondent “fuck.”

Contributing Writer 3/21/19 Contributing Writer 3/21/19

Molecular Music and Being Human

But why does music bring people together? What is its potential power in building a world with greater justice?

Joe Janes 3/20/19 Joe Janes 3/20/19

The Minutes of Our Last Meeting | The Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach Meets with Disney

Deadpool – We did it for the kids.

Don Hall 3/20/19 Don Hall 3/20/19

White Privilege: Still Struggling over What to Do with It

My issue is not nor has it ever been questioning the existence of white privilege but what to do about it. So far, no one seems to be able to give me a path toward sharing the privilege or shedding it aside from the Catholic admission of sin and continued confession.

Elizabeth Harper 3/19/19 Elizabeth Harper 3/19/19

Down Deep

Go down deep, to where it doesn't make sense, that place that no one else can see or understand, and you can't explain or tell them about it while you're there.

Don Hall 3/18/19 Don Hall 3/18/19

I Believe… [We're Only Human]

…that there is nothing wrong with capitalism and the only thing wrong with any system of economic structure (communism, socialism, etc.) is that people in power always want more. Even (most) wonderful people with grand altruistic hopes become greedy monsters when afforded power.

Chris Churchill 3/18/19 Chris Churchill 3/18/19

A List of Things Americans Do that Get their Soldiers Killed

If you truly want to thank a soldier for their service, you can do it by changing your ways.

Mike Vinopal 3/17/19 Mike Vinopal 3/17/19

Noble X — Episode 22: Please Take Me Home

The mixture of things that seem like a healthy everyday John and manic Johnny 5 is making Thomas’ head spin. Thomas keeps thinking “John needs to go to the hospital to talk with some professionals," and in the same moment, “He seems kind of ok. Is the hospital really necessary?” Thoughts of doubt dance through his head as he drives John to his parents.

Jenni Thurston 3/16/19 Jenni Thurston 3/16/19

The Most Epic St. Paddy's I've Ever Had

Everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s, but I drank more like a Russian that night. We sat in a circle and took shots of vodka like it was the only liquid in the world that could sustain us. I lined up nine shots and put them away professionally. I was ready to enjoy my life and I knew booze would get me there. But sitting around with nine shots of petroleum disguised as vodka, I was disappointed in my lack of buzz and made my way downstairs for a smoke.

David Himmel 3/15/19 David Himmel 3/15/19

Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of March 10, 2019

• Being a white male without student loans is not Bad Privilege. Having your parents bribe your way onto a collegiate rowing team is Bad Privilege.

• Speaking of… Lori Loughlin surrendering to the FBI would make a great plot point of a Lori Loughlin Hallmark Channel made-for-TV movie.

Don Hall 3/15/19 Don Hall 3/15/19

My Mom Told Me Not to Get Naked on Television

I've been arrested twice in my life. Both times were for public nudity.

So, when one of the pieces of advice my mother gave me as I packed up my truck to move to...somewhere...after college was "Don't get naked on television. Keep your clothes on!" it made perfect sense.

Contributing Writer 3/14/19 Contributing Writer 3/14/19

American Shithole #51 | Venezuela and the White Paper

When I look at the photographs pouring in from Caracas — images of a society teetering on the edge of collapse — I can’t help but think “this is all of us, in ten years; and there’s not a fucking thing we can do about it.”

David Himmel 3/14/19 David Himmel 3/14/19

Our Weekend with Michael Jackson and R. Kelly

Katie came with a record player. I had planned on buying one for myself just about the time we got serious, so when we moved in together, hers became mine, and I was Don Hall-excited about it. I could finally dust off my vinyl collection and give the old discs a spin. The first one I chose was my original pressing of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. At about the third track, the Paul McCartney duet “The Girl is Mine,” Katie asked, “Who is this?”

“Who is this!?” I responded, astounded and slightly confused. “It’s Michael Jackson. It’s Thriller — the second best-selling album of all time.”

“Oh, I don’t like Michael Jackson.”

I immediately questioned our entire relationship and my taste in women. “What!? How can you not like Michael Jackson?

Joe Janes 3/13/19 Joe Janes 3/13/19

The Minutes of Our Last Meeting | Harvard Alumni Relations Board Emergency Meeting

Even if someone did cheat, they still had to go to class and pay someone do the work.

Elizabeth Harper 3/13/19 Elizabeth Harper 3/13/19

Drowning in Sorrow but Doggy-paddling My Way Back to You

Apt metaphor
underwater
drowning in despair
movement difficult
slow motion from the get-go
tangled feet
depressed brain
muffled moans of pain
pawing at the tide

Don Hall 3/12/19 Don Hall 3/12/19

The Best Goddamn Salad You’ve Ever Eaten or Go Hungry

Gang, while a cliché, it is so true that life is relatively short. When, at fifty-three, I can see how fragile things are, how quickly the wakening up to the world is snuffed out on a continual basis, I comprehend a simple truth: if you can’t muster a white hot passion for the people and the world around you, that short life is a prison. I’m not a big fan of prison, so I prefer to Carpé that fucking Diem and eat the ass out of life.