Don Hall 6/13/22 Don Hall 6/13/22

I Believe... [First the Show, Then the Convictions?]

...that if, at the end of the January 6 Commission’s hearings, no one significant goes to prison, it was all just a campaign commercial.

Paul Teodo 6/12/22 Paul Teodo 6/12/22

[EXCERPT] Gorski and The Goat

On a urine-stained olive green cot in the back room of Rosalda’s Cantina in Ciudad Juarez, I came to. Blacked out. Again. A smell I couldn’t quite put a finger on. Rank breath, a muffled gurgle and what felt like whiskers. I hope not our hostess, or worse, one of her chicas.

Don Hall 6/11/22 Don Hall 6/11/22

American Jobs—Selling Amoco MultiCards to Old Women

"But doesn't it bother you any? I kind of feel like crap after a shift. I keep thinking about all of these poor people who can't afford these things and that we just hammer them over and over until they sign up for the card to be polite. I dunno. It seems... unethical or something."

David Himmel 6/10/22 David Himmel 6/10/22

Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of June 5, 2022 — Cannes, France Edition

Everyone over here looks like a Bond Girl or a guy who sells you the best drugs.

Contributing Writer 6/10/22 Contributing Writer 6/10/22

The North Star

Don Hall 6/9/22 Don Hall 6/9/22

The Truth Will Set You Free...

Here it comes, kid. For some time upcoming, you'll pass those places and moments when things were shiny and wonderful but the patina of betrayal will be right there to make each one bittersweet. Sonofabitch, I hate this part.

Joe Janes 6/8/22 Joe Janes 6/8/22

Batman Eating A Grape

It’s Batman. Eating a grape.

Don Hall 6/7/22 Don Hall 6/7/22

The Foley Artiste

She wanted to be lusted after, to be prey to the kind of men who fetishized her. She understood that kind of power over men. Her husband was not susceptible to that sort of control and, she imagined he might not be even if his eyes functioned.

Don Hall 6/6/22 Don Hall 6/6/22

I Believe... [School Shooting Drills]

...that school shooting drills are exactly the same as ‘duck and cover’ procedures and the air masks on airplanes—placebos to make us feel safe in a world designed by nature to kill us all.

Guest User 6/5/22 Guest User 6/5/22

A History of Rails and Waiting - An “El” Train Diary

Not too long after that I got my friend Jaz, who’d grown up in the suburb of Berwyn fer petesakes, to cross from one car to the next via the emergency doors at each end while the train was in motion. We had no reason whatsoever to move seats, but she’d never done it before and the cheap thrill put a wide smile on her face and lights in her eyes I couldn’t resist indulging.

Don Hall 6/4/22 Don Hall 6/4/22

The Dumbass Tree

The tree loved the woman but even more than the woman
The tree loved the idea of being in love.
What the tree didn't know
Because trees were long on roots but fucking short on brains
Was that woman only loved two things:
Herself and immediate gratification.

David Himmel 6/3/22 David Himmel 6/3/22

Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of May 29, 2022

It’s an unfortunate thrill to be living through the results of humanity’s failure.

Don Hall 6/2/22 Don Hall 6/2/22

The Perils of Outer Space

Captain Jason Blue had been floating in space for nearly ten hours. He was going to asphyxiate in his suit in a matter of minutes.

Joe Janes 6/1/22 Joe Janes 6/1/22

Common Sense GOP Solutions for Avoiding Mass Shootings

Schools should have only one door, one classroom, no windows, and, most importantly, no books.

Don Hall 5/31/22 Don Hall 5/31/22

Collateral Damage Group Session

“I just don't want to lose what little bit of myself I still have pursuing something that will only leave me with nothing in the end."

Don Hall 5/30/22 Don Hall 5/30/22

I Believe... [Utopian Solutions]

...that utopian solutions and dreams are super until you understand that unless programmed robots control it humans will inevitably fuck it up.

Don Hall 5/29/22 Don Hall 5/29/22

Finding Geena

When someone tells a lie like this for so long to so many people, the lie becomes a habit and habits become addiction.

Don Hall 5/28/22 Don Hall 5/28/22

If There is No Evil, How Can There Be Good?

"We fat all creatures else to fat us,” Hamlet states, “and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service—two dishes, but to one table. That’s the end.”

David Himmel 5/27/22 David Himmel 5/27/22

Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of May 22, 2022 — Guns Edition

Uvalde cops lie. They are cowards. They are partly responsible for the death of 19 children and two adults. But, hey, at least they got to return home safely to their family so they can talk about how hard their job is—handcuffing parents who are begging them to be brave and do the thing they swore to do: protect their community.

David Himmel 5/26/22 David Himmel 5/26/22

On Turning 43 | A Birthday Reflection

“I must make what happens to me good for me.”