Don Hall 1/10/23 Don Hall 1/10/23

Controlling Anxiety is All About Perspective

I get the anxiety some now. Not in any 'deer in the headlights' sort of way but a low-grade mumble in the back of my every interaction that asks Are you sure this isn't bullshit?

Don Hall 1/9/23 Don Hall 1/9/23

I Believe... [TikTok Illness]

...that when being austistic is somehow considered a thing of pride rather than affliction, TikTok has gone too far.

David Himmel 1/6/23 David Himmel 1/6/23

The Privilege of Understanding Self-Loathing

I’m starting to think self-loathing, like braces, doesn’t look as cute the older you get. That’s because as you get older—ideally, anyway—you find your station, your purpose. You’ve pruned back the dead branches and settled nicely into the garden you’ve made for yourself. It could be a job, a family, friends, hobbies, passions. You’ve been at this for half your life, you’ve orchestrated all of this, and you don’t hate it. Some of it you actually enjoy. So, why all the self-loathing?

Don Hall 1/5/23 Don Hall 1/5/23

I Like to Watch | Babylon (2022)

It's rare to meet a genius.

The term is overused like hero or trauma or dangerous. To meet a bona fide groundbreaker, a genius in his own right, someone who created something that history has dictated is important scientifically or culturally, is rare.

Joe Janes 1/4/23 Joe Janes 1/4/23

McCarthy Declares Victory, Claims Votes Rigged

McCarthy has asked representatives from Georgia to find him just 20 more votes.

Don Hall 1/2/23 Don Hall 1/2/23

I Believe... [AI Hypocrisy]

...that design artists up in arms about the AI art programs need to check their Spotify and BandCamp app libraries.

Don Hall 12/31/22 Don Hall 12/31/22

The Last Roll of the Dice Not Taken

There is that hope with feathers but my hope looks a bit like a scraggly chicken, one eye pecked out and a mangy rash on its neck, desperately foraging for seed amongst the rubble.

David Himmel 12/31/22 David Himmel 12/31/22

The Wonder of the New Year

I wonder how love will bloom this New Year’s Eve. I wonder what kind of chaos will ensnarl itself in this year’s revelries. The hours leading up to the countdown and those first few fleshy pink hours of 2023 are critical. Critical in our human minds, anyway—Time and Space cannot care. And I wonder which way those hours will go and for whom and what it will eventually mean.

David Himmel 12/30/22 David Himmel 12/30/22

Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of December 25, 2022

A poop before breakfast does not get enough celebratory attention.

Don Hall 12/29/22 Don Hall 12/29/22

The Best of Literate Ape 2022

Like the Blockbuster's of old or any hip bookstore, I think I'll go the route of the Staff Recommendations this year and serve up a list for you to read that reflects my personal favorites for 2022.

Joe Janes 12/28/22 Joe Janes 12/28/22

Santos Apologizes-ish

I promise to make neighborhoods safer, lower taxes, and give everyone a pony.

Don Hall 12/26/22 Don Hall 12/26/22

I Believe... [Santa Brought a Job]

...that the best Christmas gift I got in 2022 was a freaking job that included PTO and benefits. Hell, I might even be able to save some cash that won’t be stolen by an ex-wife in 2023.

Don Hall 12/25/22 Don Hall 12/25/22

Unforging Marley's Chain: The Enduring Affect We Have on the Lives of Others

I don't see myself in Scrooge much—not wealthy or particularly skin-flinty with dough—and I'm not Republican in any way yet I'm finding a bit more appreciation for Bill Clinton-style centrism. For me, it's those fucking chains of Marley that give me pause.

Contributing Writer 12/24/22 Contributing Writer 12/24/22

Hey Joe!, Dear Don, …(and yeah, you too Vlad)

one idea that I had was to be in the spirit of Jesus (I know that Republicans say they like Jesus). And be like Bush. You know, George Bush used to have a saying, “I wonder what Jesus would do?" Me too. And I think that Jesus would try and love the fascists.

David Himmel 12/23/22 David Himmel 12/23/22

Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of December 18, 2022

Christmas always feels most magical when the man wearing an elf’s hat takes a leak in your CTA Blue Line car.

Jenni Thurston 12/23/22 Jenni Thurston 12/23/22

Santa's Gift

Ricky stood in the snow with one sneaker untied and his backpack hanging far too low on his back. His breath misted in the frigid December air. He shook, but not from the cold. His mother taught him to layer up, making it almost impossible to catch a chill.

No, his shivers were from fear. A fear he had every year. But this year was going to be different.

Joe Janes 12/22/22 Joe Janes 12/22/22

A Merry Christmas Punch/CounterPunch On the Sensitive Topic of One Mr. George Bailey, Part Two

I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. It’s just so hard to argue something I no longer believe. Don Hall is right. George Bailey is not a good person. He never took a single step outside of Bedford Falls. His family lives in a drafty old house that he used to throw rocks at. He has a kid named Zuzu. Zuzu—short for Pazuzu, the demon from The Exorcist… I just, I can’t.

Joe Janes 12/21/22 Joe Janes 12/21/22

F@#&! - It’s Christmas! Give Yourself the Gift of TSA Pre-Check In

For $80, the TSA will trust you to not blow up or hijack any commercial airplanes.

Don Hall 12/21/22 Don Hall 12/21/22

A Merry Christmas Punch/CounterPunch On the Sensitive Topic of One Mr. George Bailey, Part One

But did that room full of people really know George Bailey? Did they fully grasp his horrible failure as a human being before throwing down the money he lost?

Who was George Bailey and why do we in the Age of Cancel Culture want to see him escape his tragic fall?

Don Hall 12/19/22 Don Hall 12/19/22

I Believe... [Trump Cards?]

...that $99 is a steal for a Donald Trump Official Digital Trading Card but the very person who would appreciate it most can’t work his phone and is still using a 2005 Dell desktop.