I went to yoga class last night despite my hip being made of fire, because I needed to show my hip who's the boss. (Spoiler: it was my hip. My hip was the boss. Although it feels better today, so I guess yoga helped.)

I'm feeling burned out at work, things aren't going well personally, and the news is full of jaw-dropping levels of corruption and malice in the federal government. It seems like it just keeps getting harder to make it through each day.

It seems like it just keeps getting harder to make it through each day.

I’m trying to reduce my news consumption and focus on aspects of my life that I can control, hoping that this too will eventually pass. My stress level is at an all-time high. Which reminds me that I really should go swim before the sun is over the pool.

I am with you, Gud. Everything is a struggle, more so than usual

I had a dream last night that I picked up a zine that was all printouts from “nerd” websites from 1988 - 1992 and a big chunk of it was from here and was just Buffistas gossiping about each other.

I'm sorry, Gud. I told my boss in my annual review a few weeks ago "Look, I am hanging on by a fucking thread, there will be no career growth happening until the world stops being an unending nightmare hellscape. Whatever level I'm at now is the best you're going to get."

I had a dream last night that I picked up a zine that was all printouts from “nerd” websites from 1988 - 1992 and a big chunk of it was from here and was just Buffistas gossiping about each other.

HAHAHAHA impressive that there were apparently Buffistas in this AU before there was BtVS!

I had a dream last night that I picked up a zine that was all printouts from “nerd” websites from 1988 - 1992 and a big chunk of it was from here and was just Buffistas gossiping about each other.

I mean, we did volunteer the corpus of our writing to linguistic study via erinaceous.

the news is full of jaw-dropping levels of corruption and malice in the federal government.

I have enjoyed Tulsi getting dragged backwards through the scrub brush of her own lies before Congress. Check this out transcript from Jim Himes (CT) and Tulsi's exchange:

*******
HIMES: Do you think it’s responsible for you, as head of the intelligence community, to retweet posts from individuals affiliated with Russian state media?
GABBARD: That retweet came from my personal account.
HIMES: Personal account? You’re the Director of National Intelligence, not an Instagram influencer. There’s no such thing as “personal” when you’re elevating Kremlin propaganda.
GABBARD: I have the right to share information—
HIMES: Information? You mean Russian disinformation. You sit in high-level intelligence briefings, then turn around and boost the same narratives Moscow is pushing. Should we just CC the Kremlin on your next meeting and cut out the middleman?
GABBARD: This is just an attempt to smear me—
HIMES: Smear you? You lied under oath in a Senate hearing yesterday, claiming you knew nothing about classified information, while sitting in Signal chats where war plans were discussed. You retweet Kremlin-backed sources, then act shocked when people question your loyalties.
GABBARD: I’m focused on national security—
HIMES: National security? While pushing Russian propaganda and pretending you’re clueless about intelligence leaks? If a Democrat had done half of this, you’d be screaming treason on national TV.
GABBARD: This is about free speech—
HIMES: Free speech? You’re the President’s top intelligence advisor, not some random guy on Twitter. Every word you amplify has consequences. And right now, you’re handing America’s enemies exactly what they want—straight from your "personal account."

Watch her squirm: [link]

I'm sorry, Gud. I told my boss in my annual review a few weeks ago "Look, I am hanging on by a fucking thread, there will be no career growth happening until the world stops being an unending nightmare hellscape. Whatever level I'm at now is the best you're going to get."

I've restarted my neglected daily meditation practice, not because I think it will help me achieve a state of enlightenment or even just super chillness, but because I need every tool I can get my hands on just to reinforce that last thread that I too am hanging on by.

Unrelated (or maybe it IS related): yesterday's impending weather change that made my right hip so hateful has finally arrived, and brought with it an even more hateful migraine. Ubrevly, my beloved, work your magic.

I can relate, though I guess I have the same thread(or two) from forever. still not satisfying, though. I guess I *could* cut back on the activist stuff, but I did that, last year, because Jacqueline died and I Wouldn't Want To Spend My Last Day On A Zoom(and blah, blah blah) but my self-care is not as gratifying as what the people in the articles do, and, at my age, hanging out with mom isn't quite the thing to ease all my lonely moments,although we're fine and all that. But my self-care is sometimes just swapping one screen for another, so, you know, eh. So, no, kind of not *nourished* by that, even though I can find a good laugh once in a while. Sometimes I lie in bed and think "I cheated death for this?!" I wish I could tap into my shadow, white-lady powers and find a manager to yell at, because that is some bullshit. Nearly as much as thinking someone like me has *too much* of anything.(except volunteers who can't help and kind of hit me, again, with "Thank you for your service," which I hate because it reminds me of "so brave1!" so much that I wish they'd curse me instead. Almost.) (And apparently, my superego sounds like Denis Leary...always a healthy sign.)

I’m focused on national security—