My cubicle neighbor got a new set of headphones that are apparently Very Nice. All day guys have stopped by and gone ooo and ahh and geeked out over specs and the deal he got. I told them they were acting like girls over shoes. They weren't amused.

I voted this morning. Saw a lt.guv candidate outside & wished them luck (I wouldn't object to them.) Flat out told Mosby volunteers to not waste their efforts on me.

And my tweaked neck is still tweaked & playing with my stress back and it is seriously uncomfortable. Foam roller plus no pillows tonight.

shrift I am so sorry.

KARL! I'm so glad you're ok. scary.

lisa - that does not sound relaxing. I've been stung by scorpions 5 times, I am not a fan.

I am trying not to spiral into despair because of the world. it's a lot of suck right now.

I am trying not to spiral into despair because of the world. it's a lot of suck right now.

It's discouraging. And you know...it was only in 2015 when the White House got lit up in Pride colors to celebrate gay marriage. So I have to hold on to that because my faith is stretched very thin right now.

Well, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is 28 and a member of the DSA, won the Democratic primary in Queens today. Beat a ten-term congressman who was seen as Pelosi's heir. This is... encouraging.

And a federal court just struck down family separation.

The expected person (white man) son the Louise Slaughter seat. We actually had a white man, a white woman, a black man and a black woman running, which seemed odd as they all pretty much had the same views. Like the debate was mostly them agreeing with each h other! The man who won does have the most government experience as a state assemblyman. The two women had never held office and the other man was a city councilman. I voted for the councilman because he seemed both fired up about Rochester s issues of poverty and racism and also like a reasonable and kind person, but I was pretty sure he wouldn't win. I

The Republican is a neurosurgeon. I know a few kind and reasonable surgeons, but in general the surgeon type is not who I want in government

I'm trying to look forward to November, but I may have to schedule a trip out of reach of media at that time. I am trying to avoid polls and predictions because I don't think I will ever recover from the confidence they gave me that I would be celebrating President Clinton.

I've spent a lifetime being steadfastly optimistic in the face of inevitable disaster, but recent history has changed me into a bitter realist with a lack of confidence in her fellow citizens' ability to make rational decisions.

So that was a long sentence, but true so I'll leave it.

I have good news, at least: I finally hired for my last open position on my team! And she seems great. I'm especially proud that in an office that is heavily, heavily white women, the three people I've hired are not! One white man (not a huge blow for equity in society, but still), two black women (one is maybe biracial, I don't actually know). Now if I can just hang on to them.

I am trying not to spiral into despair because of the world. it's a lot of suck right now.

I have a weird hope mechanism. Give me 1-2 piece of horrifying news items and I'd be depressed. Give me more than that, and I'll enter a stage of "if nothing we do matters..." and get up and do/organize stuff. Maybe it is an adaptation to living here, but I just don't want to let the m-f take away my hope and humanity; I also don't have the energy and the capability to act with anger anymore. It tires me to try and contain it, and it makes my actions blind and dangerous.

However, in better news. After two years of spending dozens of hours trying to capture her, one very patient vet and a special cage (which name I cannot Google its name in English), and an hour of trying to get her inside the special cage, Batcat is finally vaccinated. Poor kitty. She resisted the entire thing. She's probably planing to kill me in my sleep tonight.

Edit: and yay Jesse's news!

Slack is down. This feels like a national emergency.