[looks around] Well, this is a hell of a place to come in.

Hey. Thank you all for your very kind words, they are tremendously appreciated.

The plan that my father laid out for us when we visited in August? Yeah, that didn't happen. Dad was buried within 24 hours - before I was able to get a flight back - and the memorial service was held last Saturday instead of being scheduled for a few months after the interment. There was a Zoom call, with two-thirds of us having to attend remotely; the family chat thread was a relief:

Jim: "Why does the interior look like a municipal hearing room?"

Ken: "I expected some Jesus, but hooboy this is a lot of Jesus."

Twenty minutes into the stake president's testimony: "Is he still blathering?" "I shut the sound off. Does anyone have their captions on?" "Me - yeah, he hasn't said anything about Dad outside the first couple of sentences."

At one point during the drone, a hymnal came flying into shot with a thud - Ken's money is on an extremely bored child, which would be on brand for Parkers - whoosh, suddenly there is a book in the space in front of the lecturn!

When it finally ended, the family in attendance declined the refreshments, politely excused themselves and went to my mom's for homemade pizza and small humans (my great-nieces) running amok. My father's widow was not present, and was not missed.

Mom opened a chat thread with my siblings and I with the words "Time to move"; she's doing her part for Harris in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, and going to stay with my brother in North Carolina after. Jim is attending an industry conference there next week; he'll be having dinner with Mike and passing on my hugs.

My feelings about my father are complex: I will admit in this company that my first thought after "He's not in pain any more, good" was "He was too ill to vote for the Cheeto Vulgarian in PA." I loved him as a child, I understand why he made the choices he did, I wish him well in whatever befalls him now.

And I'm relieved it's over.

And I'm relieved it's over.

I recognize that feeling. I felt the same for my Dad, his father, and his mother.

Much love to you, amyparker.

My feelings about my father are complex: I will admit in this company that my first thought after "He's not in pain any more, good" was "He was too ill to vote for the Cheeto Vulgarian in PA." I loved him as a child, I understand why he made the choices he did, I wish him well in whatever befalls him now.

Family is complex. As is grief and all of the other things we feel when someone dies. (parker)

I am so afraid to feel any optimism, and after 2016 I've avoided looking too hard at any predictions/polls/clairvoyant octopods in case I accidentally see some good news. This is an incredibly normal and healthy way to feel for 8 years hashtag everything is fine.

I am the same. I'm going to try my damnedest to stay off of social media tomorrow, because 1) it won't help anything, 2) I've returned from the work conference to an insane amount of email and Slack messages, and 3) I'm going for a breast biopsy today, so my stress levels are already stupid high.

So much love to you, amyparker.

However, even just taking the cynical/practical view of things, it seems clear that women are highly motivated by the Dobbs decision especially as they see women dying in parking lots.

I agree -- I think it'll turn out that Dobbs is a much bigger factor than most pollsters counted on.

Most pollsters aren't women. Which is not something I think about every day, just like how many male Jeopardy contestants biff it on Historic Women, etc. Still true. Atropa, try not to worry. Most biopsies aren't cancer.

I am Jessica, PM, and Atropa with the scared to be optimistic, and avoiding social media tomorrow.

All good thoughts to you, Atropa, on the biopsy and the workload.

Karl, congratulations on your household being vaccinated, and best thoughts the vaccines do their jobs.

Parker, I know you've had a lot of practice, and I do regret the necessity, but I'm in awe at the skill with which you navigate your family relations. Much love and comfort in your loss.

Tomorrow is our corporate Global All-Hands and normally I wouldn't bother to come to the office for that but (1) there's a catered lunch and I am very food-motivated and (2) attending in person will keep me off the news for 2 hours. Score!