Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Write

Many things have been said about last night's U.S. presidential debate. The Times in the UK said of it: "The clearest loser from the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was America." The Guardian described it as a "national humiliation." Dan Rather at News and Guts wrote: "Who won and lost tonight …

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Brevity is the Soul of Apathetically #9: Out of Context

The first session of my mini D&D campaign went well. Work, on the other hand, was fairly stressful this week. Because I have an annoying habit of dramatically announcing things that I probably am not entirely prepared to talk about in the most random circumstances possible at that workplace. Because somehow those personal things that …

Trust in Mental Health Treatment #7/Messages in a Bottle #18: Meda-Analysis

Do you ever get handed such comedy gold that it’s actually kind of intimidating? Like, the low-hanging fruit is so low-hanging that you suspect it’s a trap**?  It’s terrifying, isn’t it? I mean, with a joke so easy it writes itself, how can you possibly screw it up?! So, of course, you panic freeze and …

Cue the Waterworks

CW: emotional abuse, threats of self-harm (made by others, not me) and references to past childhood abuse (without details) I have a tradition I like to call 'Crying on Christmas Eve.' In the Before Times, when Americans were still welcome in the rest of the world, it was an annual pre-trip ritual I had to …

Brevity is the Soul of Apathetically #8: This is What They’re There For

Work has been particularly busy this month because it's budget season. I have recently been reminded that busy times at work are what most people at most functional places of employment consider to be the height of workplace stress. (That does make me kind of wonder what those same people would think if they only …

Social Eye-solation

Lavender: "Okay, much as I like your hair longer, I feel sympathetic pain. Split ends suck. My hair is crunchy. If your hair is also crunchy, you are allowed to cut it." Partner: "No. I mean, I don't think it is? I can't tell. Maybe I just don't know what to look for? You could …

Compassion is Not a Zero-Sum Game

CW: Descriptions of multiple types of systemic abuse and personal crises. Be safe while reading! The Poor People's Mass Assembly and Moral March on Washington is happening today. It has been planned for two years to draw attention to the plight of the poor and of systemic racism in the U.S. I wish I had …

Messages in a Bottle #17: How to Dilettante with Dysautonomia

CW: Mentions of consuming alcohol in a safe and responsible way. So, uh, how about what is going on in the U.S. right now? Which part? Well, uh, all of it. Plus whichever thing has most recently happened as of the time you read this post. The U.S. was a pretty systemically horrible place in …

Improv #22/Where’s Whoopsie #25: Middling Management

"If-then statements: 'If we do X, then Y not?" "Bread Metaphor --> 'engage the clients in the discussion'" What does this even mean? I have absolutely no idea! These are actual notes I took about some meeting recently. I give it even odds whether it was work or improv, though, as I've seen a couple …

Brevity is the Soul of Apathetically #7: Netflix and ADHD Pills

The rest of America has mostly re-opened, so I will claim I'm posting these because pretty soon people are going to be really sick of reading about quarantine even on the East Coast. Why waste what I put in the "massive" effort to write (er, well, "write down")?! But, let's be real here: a) we …