The Critic's Choice
It is a fool’s game to attempt to interpret the work—any work— of an artist. Because there is no interpretation. Nothing to be interpreted. The intended meaning is just that—an absolute. The thing you see or hear before you is what the creator intended it to be. Even if that intention was to be ambiguous.
I Believe... ['Spare' Me]
I believe... that Prince Harry is merely an avatar for an entire cohort clamoring to declare “See? I’m a victim, too! Look over here! I’m truly traumatized! Follow me on my platforms.”
Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of January 8, 2023
Jesus… the week of Elvis Presley’s birthday and his daughter, Lisa Marie, dies. The Universe doesn’t care about us, but sometimes, it feels that it does. And it feels like it’s a wry practical joker.
The Overdue but Perfect Response to the Outrage of the Minority
Disrespectful outcry will never, ever affect our actions.
Man Fights For Right to Marry Fictional Character
I’m open to different species, too. A big slug-like Hutt would be really interesting.
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?
I Believe... [TikTok Illness]
...that when being austistic is somehow considered a thing of pride rather than affliction, TikTok has gone too far.
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?
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.
McCarthy Declares Victory, Claims Votes Rigged
McCarthy has asked representatives from Georgia to find him just 20 more votes.
I Believe... [AI Hypocrisy]
...that design artists up in arms about the AI art programs need to check their Spotify and BandCamp app libraries.
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.
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.
Notes from the Post-it Wall | Week of December 25, 2022
A poop before breakfast does not get enough celebratory attention.
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.
Santos Apologizes-ish
I promise to make neighborhoods safer, lower taxes, and give everyone a pony.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monte imagined approaching the counter.
“Hello, I hear Morgan Freeman narrating my life.”