ACE in the Hole

CW: Discussions of childhood ACES. Mentions of alcohol use and verbal abuse during childhood. Read safely! Partner (on phone): "'Always,' 'Never,' 'I don't know how to answer that. It was 'Always' when we still lived there, but 'Never' now because we have public transportation? Well, okay, not 'Never.' Public transportation isn't perfect out here, and …

We Should All Be Tired

"I’m so very, very tired" I first heard this spoken by a colleague of color this week trying to explain the toll that seeing yet one more blatant murder of a black man in America had taken on him. Then I saw it posted by others of color on Facebook. Then, once I'd seen it …

It Can’t Happen Here?

CW: American eugenics in the time of corona. States announcing they will deny life-saving treatment to corona patients if they have disabilities such as "Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other such conditions." For anyone who has ever said, "it can't happen here..." Yes, it can. And it has already (as you will well know …

Where's Whoopsie #26: Could Trump's Words like *Silent* Raindrops Fall?!

CW: American politics and corona. Seriously. WTF, America?! So, uh, I'll totally be back to my usual semi-humorous self later this week. But, I need to go scream somewhere for a minute, and here is the "safest" place I can think. I have said repeatedly that people are the scariest part of any pandemic to …

“Lavender, Where Are You?”

CW: Descriptions of childhood emotional abuse. There will come a point in 2020 when I can officially say that I have lived longer outside the 9th Circle of Hell than I have within it. I will not, unfortunately, be concurrently able to say that I have spent more time outside of Hell than I have …

Where’s Whoopsie #25/Improv #19: Hazy Shade of Waiting

Does an afternoon of quiet relaxation in a cafe with a journal, a sketchpad, a kindle, and some hot chocolate sound like bliss to you? More importantly, does it actually yield bliss for you? Because I have learned that the gulf between "sounds like" and "is" is about as wide as the gulf between my …

Meteorologic Misanthropy #1: Smoke in the Office/Water from the Sky

Fun Fact #1: I haven't just been in a fair number of disasters. They tend to follow me. Think I'm kidding? At literally every job I've ever had, there has been a fire in the office within the first two months of my starting there. (I have never worked at a restaurant, a fireworks manufacturing …

Subway Sociology #8: Railway Acts of Baked Goods Generation

Starting a new job costs physical spoons, even when it saves mental spoons. My new longer commute has left me pretty drained this week. I did plan to post yesterday, but an unexpected situation on said new commute took precedence. Other people's stories aren't mine to share. So, all I will say is that, if …

The American Dread

This time last year, I was about to go on my not-FMLA. I had pre-written a blog post about how to protest with chronic illness for the Fourth of July, and - as that is a rather date-specific post - I went ahead and posted that. But, while I certainly went to protests as best …

Stick with It

Sometimes I have a flare and want to save my poor swollen hands for work. Since I always write on July 4th, check back then for a full post! In the meantime, if anyone needs any encouragement this week: If my squishy can stick to the ceiling for a full 15 seconds through sheer grit …