R.T. Donlon's Blog, page 2

The Humility of Disrespect

A funny thing happens when we are forced to work with other people for more than three-quarters of a year (yes, for me, that's working with temperamental high school students) - either we thrive together or we dissolve. 

But why?

It's hard to imagine that we can allow something so basic to overcome our 'civilized' lives, but almost like clockwork, it seems to seep its way like a poison into our veins. It continues until we are lost in the effects of its aftermath. 

But there's a lesson to be l...

Of Writers and Magicians

I've been doing this writing thing for some time now. 

I've learned tricks of the trade, how to write a pretty damn good story, and how to grow my writing business from the ground up. 

But I come back to one thing all the time. It's one thing that simply can't be learned:

There are writers and then there are writers. 

There are people that work hard at what they do. They fight for recognition. They understand the value of their work and they understand it will take tremendous sacrifice to get t...

A Shopper's Guide to the Friday Apocalypse

"Excuse me..."

I ignore the comment. 

"Ummmm....excuse me..."

Still ignoring.

Tap on the shoulder, so naturally, I must turn. 

"You cut me in line."

(There may be some sort of eye roll involved on my end.)

"I think you're mistaken," I say. "I was here first."

I turn away, but there's yet another tap on my shoulder. Oh. My. God.

"Listen," I begin, holding back the most unholy of frustrations. "I don't know what you think happened, but you're literally one place in line behind me. It's not a big deal....

Look What You Did, You Little Jerk

Oh, how times have changed.

We all know the iconic scene: The look on Kevin McCallister's face while Buzz barfs up his pizza. Quite frankly, that moment says it all. So when Kevin bullrushes his brother and spills milk all over the family's passports, it's only natural for everyone to gang up on poor, little Kev. The entirety of his extended family looks on in disdain while Uncle Frank spews that fateful line we have all come to know and love: "Look what you did, you little jerk."

Of course,...

Surviving the Odds

It seems to me that the universe we know is so much bigger than we could have ever expected. It's easy to say it's massive...or even magnanimous...but these are just words. Is there even a word in our English language that can do the expanse of our universe justice?

The answer, I think, is no. 

And it will always be no.

Why? Because the human brain is not meant to fathom the exactness of unobservable things. We are meant to dream about them. To wonder. We hypothesize about beginnings, the Big Ba...

A Tale of Two Futures

I think about the future more than any human being should. 

The idea that, in less than a decade, we have gone from T9 texting on textile phone pads to 4G touch screens built into six inch pocket computers seems like something out of a science fiction novel. The fact that our brains haven't exploded with awesome juices just yet is beyond me. 

We live in a world where corporations are always battling to release the next best thing. Competition is fierce. Why? Well, because there's always somethi...

The Quiet & The Restless

"But I'm anti-social. I'd rather be by myself."

"I'm not a talker. I learn better by listening."

"I'm an introvert. I was born this way."

Anti-social, not a talker, introvert...All of these things are just not true. 

Now, either you're nodding your head in agreement or scrunching up your eyebrows/forehead like you just got hit with a wild fist.

The truth is, we can't always change the circumstances of our daily lives. It's impossible to think we have control over our world, the people in it, and...

The Unwritten Chapter

Patience. 

It's what we all want, but very few can stand to wait for. 

It's why America has, in some ways, become what it has become: a society built on instant feedback. From a fast food chain on every corner to "Next Day Shipping" on Amazon Prime, we are told we can get what we want in a very little time.

And then, just as we get comfortable with that formula, life throws us a curveball.

Teachers start telling you it's a process. Be patient. Your time will come. Bosses tell you to start at th...

Survival Instinct

Ah, so here it is: the end of summer. 

Or should I say, the end of an era.

It's been great, but it's time to embark on a new journey filled with The Odyssey and Romeo & Juliet, all with a bunch of teenagers who will think the biggest enlightenment in Shakespearian research is the fact that historians believe that Shakespeare had, indeed, smoked weed way back in the day. 

I don't know whether to be weirdly nervous or excited.

I like to picture myself as Ron Swanson sometimes. Just like this. I s...