Malcolm has always been good at posing, like he's having his 18th century portrait painted.

Tomorrow night, I'm singing in a choir concert for the first time since I graduated from college 25 years ago. I'm weirdly nervous. It's like all of my college angst came out of the box as fresh as when I put it away, and it is now mixing in with all my adult angst. It's uncomfortable. But fun?

You can learn so much about a person from how they treat other people. It's useful when watching how your date treats baristas and servers. It also applies to how public figures talk about children, whether those children need food, or are being forced to attend someone's depraved private party.

Celebrate every win!

Annual mammogram this morning. The waiting room is much busier than usual, and there's a woman here with her who is both underinsured and here for some definitely non-routine care. So lots of paperwork on top of whatever emotional strain. It's a perspective check, that's for sure.

Husband used the phrase "an oldie but a goody" last night. (Ironically - we were talking about my insomnia, which is not a "goody" by any means.) But that got me thinking... have we ever used "goody" in that sense in any other context? Or is just that one phrase? Where did it come from?

Every time Lauren Boebert is in the news, I realize that yes, I CAN be more embarrassed for my state. Every time.

Yesterday, I had a profound moment of going from extremely irritated with someone to peace, because I took a moment to take a deep breath, and extend that person the grace they deserved. It felt great, and I'd recommend it. Even if you are the person needing that moment of (self-) compassion.

You should vote today so you can tell your grandkids what democracy was like.

I voted! This ends the thread following the progress of my mail-in ballot. (with a little color commentary along the way) It's a great system, honestly. Every state should do this.

I try not to be too much of a nag about this, but have you made your plan for voting yet? As frustrated as some of us in the US may be with our national parties, they do pay attention to the numbers in off years like this. They will notice who is voting, and what they're voting for.

Yes!! That's my congressperson right there!

Just in time for Halloween - I've developed a strong fear of my own WIP.

I need someone to do me a favor: listen to an interview with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson without also watching it. (He was on Fresh Air last month if that's useful). Tell me if you think he sounds like Barack Obama.

I hope my fellow mayosapiens realize that any relative older than you is an aunt/uncle for a lot of folks. But I also hope we all know that the real purpose of this “story” is to put Mamdani’s name in headlines next to the words “hijab” and “9/11” and evoke that implicit association dog whistle 👀

Seriously, y'all, I really miss the stickers. One of these years, I really need to fit this in...

According to my e-reader, I was only 5% into Structuring Life to Support Creativity when I had an unexpected insight into one of the ways I get in my own way. It wasn't even in one of the chapters that I *thought* I would benefit from.

Oh, yeah, do that right away. Also - while you're on that page, scroll down to look for other weird stuff. I found a phone game that I'd used for approximately 2 seconds about eight years ago was still storing stuff in my google drive. Gone, now.

Heather Cox Richardson makes a really good point about why we (US voters) should turn out for our (their) location elections THIS FALL. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEWi...

Hope is a funny thing, not least because the word itself gets redefined every time someone wants to make a rhetorical point. So at this point, I don't even know whether I want to let go of my hope, or cling tightly to it, but here's what I do know: The marathon isn't over yet.

No actual movement on MY ballot this week (because it's still sitting on my kitchen island), but an update from the system itself...

Back in 1998, discussing a political scandal of the moment, a smart person told me, "It's not the thing itself that I think makes him unqualified for office. It's the stupidity and lack of foresight in how he's responded to it." And yeah. That's still a measure worth looking at.

I'm traveling today, so I won't be out in the crowds. Be safe, friends. Be safe, be joyous, be uncowed.

I'm in an inexplicably rotten mood this morning, and couldn't concentrate on ANYTHING, so I took a break to read a little bit of fiction, except sometimes fiction is more true than anything else in your life. So here - have my morning gut punch:

"We don't need better emotional communication from machines. We need people to have more empathy. The reason the Uncanny Valley exists is because humans created it to put other people into. It's how we justify killing each other." All the Birds in the Sky Charlie Jane Anders

Today's small joy was going for a beautiful autumn walk and not taking my phone. I can't share any pictures on social media, but I assure you that this walk happened in real life where it was much more important.

Finding the little joys in life doesn't mean ignoring the big terrors. Flowers grow between the cracks of broken sidewalks all the time.

Check out where your closest No Kings protest is on Sat, 10/18, by going to www.mobilize.us/nokings

Hot on the heels of Friday's update...

Another vote-by-mail update! By the way, if anybody finds this thread and has questions, drop 'em in a comment.

Why do cat food companies not put the same varieties in their small cans that they put in their big cans? What is the point of testing to see if my cats will eat what's in the small cans, if I can't then buy the food at a sustainably affordable size? (let's see if today's cat picture will upload)

Who needs a little mid-week pep talk? Well, Zoë doesn't care much about that. She doesn't care what you're working on today. She just thinks you should get on with it and bring her treats when you're done.

Another update in my ongoing thread tracking my voting-by-mail experience... (and oh look, there's a typo. Oh well...)

OK folks, a lot happened in Chicago over the last few days. I'm going to recap - buckle up, because this is long. What's happening here has massive implications not just for this city, but for the entire country, especially blue cities. 🧵

One of the walls in our bedroom has been empty for a very long time, because we couldn't decide what to put there. Over the weekend, we finally decided, and got the great pleasure of writing a check (yes, an old fashioned check) to the actual artist. I'm thrilled!

My evening in the "war zone" of Chicago included riding my bike to the lakefront 10 min from my apt, catching the sunset, & being greeted by happy, wet puppers from the dog beach.

I love having house guests, honestly. I get real joy out of making people feel comfortable and welcome. Also, I must be honest that I also love it when they leave again. When the rhythms of the house start adjusting back to normal.

I don't have any how we continue running the civic marathon that keeps feeling like a sprint. We're sprinting because the house is on fire, and we're either about to be trapped inside, or we need to rescue someone we love. But also... getting "to safety" is going to take a while.

I don't have a lot of energy to get MORE mad today, but this... this is super important. So if anybody's on the "ready to call my reps" train this afternoon, maybe consider this?

He's home, with his belly shaved and a little cranky about the whole experience, but none the worse for wear. They didn't have to sedate him, thankfully, which makes the recovery easier. (and he's already had his first meal) We won't have any news for a couple of days, but I feel better already.

Had to drop Malcolm-the-cat off for an ultrasound this afternoon. They're gonna call me when he's done, as if there's anything I could possibly concentrate on in the meantime. Poor little dude was SO confused about why we wouldn't let him eat this morning.

I was gone for a couple of days, so right now, I only have one job...

Over the last couple of days, I've really pushed myself to the edge of my current stamina for creative writing. It worked, I think. I got out of the funk I'd been in. But I am TIRED now, and it's only 3:40 in the afternoon.

I'm doing a mini writing retreat today and tomorrow, using my husband's office instead of my own. It's really amusing how effective this is. Our house isn't that big!

Generally speaking, I try not to indulge the side of me that wants to medicate every bad mood with cookies. But sometimes, it is absolutely amazing with a handful of Oreos can do to one's outlook.

Five signs your president is a wannabe tyrant: youtube.com/shorts/Qnv8L... @maddow.msnbc.com #resist #impeach

Feeling pretty small and powerless today. I'm making a list of all the little things I can do to make my corner of the world a little better, like getting vaccinated (already done), and supporting my local public library. Any ideas? What are your "small" things that make a difference?

I'll be writing a series of posts over the next couple of months, outlining the journey of a single mail-in ballot in a state where everyone is automatically registered to vote by mail. Step one, for me, happened years ago, when I registered to vote at the same time I got my driver's license. 1/x

Because when a nation repeatedly goes to the polls and checks the box labeled “gun,” every act of gun violence is political, and to single out one death as somehow uniquely political is an insult to the memory of all the others who died and another failure of the test. 8/10

I don't have a single thought about today's political violence that is simple enough to put into the world via social media. So I'm just gonna mute the whole conversation and come back later.