Contributing Writer 1/9/21 Contributing Writer 1/9/21

Tilly’s

I could see him as he talked. The mouth surrounded by the scraggly beard, moving at a thousand miles an hour. Him walking and talking at the same time since he never sat for too long in any one place. Medium height, medium build, and large hands with fingers, which had been broken years ago. The hands hid the story of a man feared by many when he was much younger.

David Himmel 1/8/21 David Himmel 1/8/21

Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of January 3, 2021

Even Hitler had enough sense to stage his violent coup under the guise of night. That’s the one lesson Trump didn’t rip off from the Führer.

Don Hall 1/8/21 Don Hall 1/8/21

The Demagogues Are Here (and They're Smarter Than Trump)

The demagogues of 2021 have been watching. They've been fine-tuning their approach to power and are constructing their own Big Lies to spread. Unlike Trump, they aren't supposed captains of industry and have no designs on public office. They've seen the constraints of political power and know those obstacles are not the clear road to dominance.

Don Hall 1/7/21 Don Hall 1/7/21

There Are FOUR Lights, Douchebag!

Like Madred, Trump simply keeps repeating his completely unfounded conclusions as fact over and over. I wonder if Rattensperger at some point in the conversation started to believe that maybe there were five lights. I wonder how tempting it would be to cave in just to get the man to stop talking.

Joe Janes 1/6/21 Joe Janes 1/6/21

Trump Demands Recount of Number of Racists in Georgia

Look for my new hat, We Made America Great, available as soon as they come in from China.

David Himmel 1/6/21 David Himmel 1/6/21

Who Gets to Tell Your Kid’s Story?

I hated when my mother would talk about me to her friends when I was a kid. Hated it. Even the most bland of stories, like, say, that I was playing little league again that spring would infuriate me. And I know she shared way more about me than my pre-teen baseball career to her friends and family. Hated it. As if she knew anything about me whatsoever. As if my challenges and wins and all-inclusive experiences—as if my life—were her story to tell.

Don Hall 1/5/21 Don Hall 1/5/21

I Like to Watch | Gerard Butler Movies

Less enchanted by the romcoms in his IMDB (P.S. I Love You, The Ugly Truth, or Playing for Keeps) or even his super badass phase (300, RocknRolla), my Gerard Butler jam happens once he gained a bit of weight, got the slightly droopy underchin, and did his level best to do one of the least convincing American accents since Kevin Costner tried an English accent in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Don Hall 1/4/21 Don Hall 1/4/21

I Believe... [Ted Wheeler is a Bit Late]

I believe... that after ten months of the Antifa crowd burning Portland to the ground at the drop of any ideological excuse, Mayor Ted Wheeler’s admonition for the continued vandalism under the guise of persistent protest seems a bit late to the game.

Don Hall 1/3/21 Don Hall 1/3/21

Advice Unsolicited | Misinterpreting Rowling

I want to let my youngest enjoy the world of Harry Potter without supporting a bigot and disappointing my oldest.

Don Hall 1/2/21 Don Hall 1/2/21

I Like to Watch | True Crime Television

True Crime is not so much a genre of how terrible some people can be. It is a genre that acts as the mirror to society as it is rather than as we hope it is.

David Himmel 1/1/21 David Himmel 1/1/21

Notes from the Post-it Wall | 2021 New Year Resolutions Edition

If a resolution of yours is happens to be about your weight, please consider going easy on yourself. You’re not alone. We all hate our bodies and want someone else’s. For example, I want Gal Gadot’s.

Don Hall 12/31/20 Don Hall 12/31/20

The Throwing Caution to the Wind When Caution is Warranted

As we stand on the precipice of 2021, maybe it's time to look hard at those risks and determine to throw caution to the wind. I mean, seriously, what have you got to lose? Death is inevitable, life is a choice.

Joe Janes 12/30/20 Joe Janes 12/30/20

2020! - The Zack Snyder Cut

Featuring Jesse Eisenberg as Donald Trump, Ben Affleck as Rudy Giuliani, and Jon Voight as Rush Limbaugh.

Paul Teodo 12/30/20 Paul Teodo 12/30/20

Primo

“I’m gonna do the dago hop on my 80th birthday. I’ll be good by then.” Primo struggled to slide off Dr. Anthony Choy’s exam table.

“The Dago hop?” Dr. Choy asked.

“It’s an Italian folk dance.” Romolo, Primo’s son, answered.

Elizabeth Harper 12/29/20 Elizabeth Harper 12/29/20

Nightmare Carpet

Don Hall 12/28/20 Don Hall 12/28/20

I Believe… [Bitcoin Slots]

I believe... that cryptocurrency, the stock market, and throwing money into a slot machine are all identical processes for gaining wealth without working.

David Himmel 12/28/20 David Himmel 12/28/20

Wonder Woman 1984 Couldn’t Save the Story

Wonder Woman 1984 was a disappointment. And not as much for me as for Diana and Wonder Woman. And for actor Gal Gadot. She was robbed of an interesting story. There is no character development in WW84 for our hero. Diana is in the exact same place as she was at the end of the first film.

Don Hall 12/26/20 Don Hall 12/26/20

Conspiracy Theorists Are Simply CosPlaying to Avoid Crushing Reality

Conspiracy theories grow during times of institutional failure. If you can't have the life you were promised by your personal and flawed interpretation of the "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" clause at least you can paint yourself as a hero struggling against a greater evil. You can be a knight or a superhero or a great revolutionary.