Don Hall 2/5/22 Don Hall 2/5/22

A New Not-for-Profit is In Town

So, it's official. Literate Ape is now Literate Ape Press, Inc. a 501(c)(3) Nevada Corporation.

Don Hall 2/3/22 Don Hall 2/3/22

The 56th Year in Lessons Learned | Notes from an Old-ish Man

I was born on February 3, 1966. I have just completed my 56th stroll around the calendar and walking those dirt roads toward the inevitable. What have I gleaned from those 365 days that merit sharing here?

Don Hall 2/1/22 Don Hall 2/1/22

The Point of Democracy is Populism

Democracy is dependent upon populism. The more of the population who casts a vote in one direction or the other determines who wins power. It's not a complicated idea. Part of the bargain requires that win your side loses, you accept the loss. We're not quite so good at that part lately.

Don Hall 1/31/22 Don Hall 1/31/22

I Believe... [Omicron is COVID on Tinder]

...that Omicron is the Tinder version of COVID—it’ll fuck anybody once, every night, and move on to the next swipe.

Don Hall 1/27/22 Don Hall 1/27/22

Masterpieces in Sand

Roy looked down from the cliffs at the man drawing in the sand. The picture that started to emerge startled him. It was an extraordinary face, not realistically rendered, but seemingly viewed from many angles at once. In fact, it looked much like a Picasso.

Don Hall 1/24/22 Don Hall 1/24/22

I Believe... [1619 + 1776 = A Fuller Picture]

...that the 1619 Project is some solid reading and, while not a definitive history of the country’s founding, a brilliant parallel view to understanding the brilliance of the Founding Fathers creating the republic. Both are true and together provide a more complete comprehension.

Don Hall 1/23/22 Don Hall 1/23/22

It's in the Pragmatic Solutions that Salvation Awaits

While I look nothing like Joe Biden (I've been told I look like Al Franken, which is the closest to any former political seat of power I'll ever be, I suppose) I believe that most of our cultural and political issues are easily solved with some common sense, aw-shucks pragmatism.

Don Hall 1/22/22 Don Hall 1/22/22

I Like to Watch | Tree of Life (2011)

It's about the molecular connection we all have with the planet and the universe and each other. It's about primordial soup evolving over time into weeds that Jack is instructed to pull from the root, not just the top. It's about the brief glimpse of a human life, filled with pettiness and violence and sex and love and hate.

Don Hall 1/18/22 Don Hall 1/18/22

Performative Trauma is a Devil's Bargain

Complexity and marketing are not compatible lovers.

Don Hall 1/17/22 Don Hall 1/17/22

I Believe... [A Mouthful of Shit]

...that an opinion without some factual backup is like a cake without sugar. It's heavy, flat and tastes like a mouthful of shit.

Don Hall 1/16/22 Don Hall 1/16/22

The Definition of Success and Failure Determines the Roads You Take

What would you do if you knew you would not fail?

Don Hall 1/15/22 Don Hall 1/15/22

Beware Strangers Bearing a Gift Freelance Gig

With the pandemic, lockdowns, stimulus checks, and the dramatic rise in remote gigs, the grift is in full force.

Don Hall 1/13/22 Don Hall 1/13/22

The Music of Obscenity

Favorites include "douchebag," "asshat," "shit stain," and, of course, any variation on the word "fuck." The Irish can use these words like Yo Yo Ma can play an arpeggio and I consider myself a near virtuoso.

Don Hall 1/10/22 Don Hall 1/10/22

I Believe... [Bag of Weasels]

I believe... that every relationship comes with its bag of weasels.

Don Hall 1/8/22 Don Hall 1/8/22

The Opinion of the Intelligent

If your personal truth is only informed by your experiences in the world, without some attempt to triangulate and educate yourself, it is by the very definition, "the certainty of the ignorant."

Don Hall 1/3/22 Don Hall 1/3/22

I Believe... [Bristling Elites]

...that when Pulitzer prize winners and people with advanced degrees bristle at being called “elites” the Emperor’s codpiece just slipped off his huge, highly educated, monied cock.

Don Hall 1/2/22 Don Hall 1/2/22

Sauna Talk is a Lot Like Locker Room Talk

"Well, that's racist."

Nine sphincters tightened. Nine old, wrinkly, half-naked white men almost held nine sets of breath.

I looked him in the eye. "What about that is racist?"

Don Hall 12/30/21 Don Hall 12/30/21

The One 2022 Resolution For Us All

After two years of COVID, social justice demands, insurrectionists, the fact the Trump won't simply die from a goddamned McDonald's fueled heart attack, economic instability, cyber-attacks, droughts, floods, bizarre heat waves followed by epic snowstorms followed by massive wildfires and urban blacks beating up old Asian ladies on video, trying to find some sort of positive, self help path forward seems impossible.

Don Hall 12/27/21 Don Hall 12/27/21

I Believe… [Simple Resolve]

...that if anyone still does New Year’s resolutions, they should include the goals to mind their own business, place their anxiety into perspective, and maybe take a few walks a week. Keep it simple for 2022.

Don Hall 12/26/21 Don Hall 12/26/21

The Best of The Ape 2021 | Most Read, Best Stuff

2021 was an odd year for everyone, globally speaking.