For many of us, sadness and grief are inescapable at this time of year. Knowing that millions of other people feel the same way isn't particularly comforting. But at least we know that there's nothing wrong with us.

wapo.st/4qbUzOB 🎁🔗 Scott Beardsley has a rock solid commitment to Scott Beardsley. Brag about diversity initiatives when it's trendy, brag about being apolitical when it's not. Only white dudes are free to be this cynical on their rise to the top, because either way, they're gonna be fine.

More reasons to love Rich Steves.

What in the world is your mindset to think it's a good idea to take the top job at UVA right now, when everything around us is shouting "stop!"? The hubris! www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...

Good to see that the Board and newly-named President have begun the long process of rebuilding trust by *checks notes* dropping a demand that we all get along at 3:30PM on the Friday before holiday break.

What do users think about our staff, services, spaces, & resources? We asked, and here are the answers! A blog post by our UX Researcher outlining the results, with a link to a more in-depth report. https://library.virginia.edu/news/2025/what-our-users-think-2025-library-survey-results

I don't generally get motion sick but my plane just landed at CHO in these wind gusts and yikes.

Happening in 30 minutes! Come on down!

At the UVA Faculty Senate meeting last Friday (that's just 7 days ago), we were reassured that the committee was NOWHERE NEAR having a choice. That, it appears, was patently untrue. Beardsley will not build our confidence by accepting this.

Tomorrow!

👋🏽Charlottesville activists and allies who showed up to resist the 2017 Unite the Right rally: someone wrote about us. Still salty that normies told us to “just ignore them” and “be civil,” admonished us to not counter-protest, and that “both sides” journalists platformed the far right.

Finally, some very, very good news.

UVA’s Board of Visitors is holding public meetings to discuss candidates for its next president. Here's what you need to know:

"I've turned water into wine, so I should be able to get your faculty to respond to emails."

DJ Riko's 2025 Christmas mixtape is out! Every year he releases an hour-long collection of great, funny, and/or interesting Christmas songs. Recommended highly.

So very grateful for Zyahna and her hard work. If you're able to donate, please do. And share widely!

Mutual aid builds a stable safety set that's not dependent on governmental systems. Neighbors helping neighbors. Chip in if you can!

Couldn’t be prouder! Join us tomorrow night at Random Row at 530 for a launch event!!!

YESSS!!

I love this gingerbread cake and often make it at Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday season. I'm late to it this year but remedying that today--which surely will kick off the holiday spirit, yes?? The snow doesn't hurt either. ❄️ smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/gram...

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. (About 40% of the dialogue in my house comes from this movie)

ICE raided a James Beard award winning restaurant & because the chef/owner was prepared, left emptyhanded:

This is the cushiest complaint ever but I got a massage over thanksgiving and I think they undid all the knots that held me together. Like, my shoulders don't know where to should.

Beginning today, Clemons will be open 24/7 for the next 2 weeks. You can view all Library hours through the end of the semester at: library.virginia.edu/hours

Withholding support from corporations enabling the Trump regime is a powerful way to fight authoritarianism. Supporting the organizations who do fight back hard and organize others to fight is just as important. If you can, pitch in to power your friendly pro-democracy organizers at Indivisible.

This looks so cool!

The city of Charlottesville is soliciting residents’ votes for a name for this year’s Christmas tree. Let’s keep a good thing going! forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

If you're staying here for the Thanksgiving Break, check out this page from Student Services — things to do, places to visit, and a schedule of when things are open or closed on Grounds. (Libraries are closed Wed-Sat, reopening Sunday) studentaffairs.virginia.edu/thanksgiving...

What a time to be alive.

Come work for me! I'm hiring at @usdigitalresponse.org—somebody with experience as a government procurement FTE who wants to join me in providing pro bono support to governments in the U.S. who want to move to a user-centered, Agile software procurement approach. Remote, full-time, $145–165k.

Fight like hell for the living #TDOR 💙🩷🤍🩷💙

The Cavalier Daily, UVA's student newspaper, hasn't had a single FOIA request fulfilled since *July 1*. This is flatly illegal. Senator Deeds shared UVA's FOIA response with the newspaper, which allowed them to do this reporting.

Marjorie Taylor Greene has been disliked by the left for years and years and had never had to fear for her life. She's been disliked by the right for 1 day and now has to hire security.

What's your sign?

May I recommend "East Nashville Skyline" for your Saturday night? Todd Snyder died yesterday and I was going to pick a single track but decided I'd rather not. Just as good today as when it came out.

My colleague Megan Pauly tackled the 12-page letter that former UVA President Jim Ryan released to the community. He didn’t want to release it yesterday because of the three-year anniversary of the on-Grounds shooting where 3 UVA football players were killed, with others hurt.

Today marks the passing of UVA student-athletes Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. At 1:55 pm the Chapel bells will toll and all are encouraged to participate in a moment of silence in their memory as we honor their lives and legacies. news.virginia.edu/content/memo...

The first time I rode in one of these I thought we were in a room waiting for the bus. Turns out it WAS the bus.

every tiny crumb that leaks out is a career ending bombshell and we’re all just supposed to go on with our lives while our elected representatives shrug and tell us there’s nothing to be done about the president’s involvement in a child sex trafficking operation

👏Low👏 stakes 👏 debates! 👏Low 👏stakes 👏 debates!

This isn’t very hard, folks.

I'd call this ridiculous if I didn't think that jaunty word made a joke of this. Utter cruelty.

URGENT: Call Mark Warner - 202-224-2023 and Tim Kaine - (202) 224-4024 and tell them NOT to cave to the GOP on the shutdown without a minimum one year extension on the ACA subsidies!

This is an all hands on deck moment to save health care. If you got a notice this month that your health insurance premium is going up by $500 or maybe even $1,000, send me your story: www.warren.senate.gov/health-care-...

I wished someone Godsleep instead of Godspeed today by accident. I wish you whichever of these you prefer.

1. In the wake on Mamdani’s win, we’ll see a lot more far right anti-urban sentiment. Here’s a thread on its roots and evolution. The idea that the city is evil and corrupt, and the countryside innocent and pure, goes back a long way: to Theocritus in Alexandria, and to the Old Testament. 🧵

Look at the shifts in VA. How do we continue to build on this? How do we safeguard our elections and our electoral systems? Locally, we are going to continue to organize. 1/

Thank you, Virginia. ❤️

Nearly every county in Virginia has shifted blue in a massive statement against Donald Trump.