In case you haven't seen this today.

Long, fascinating thread. This comes near the end. The line, "Now their independence day matches my independence day" truly hits.

I filled out my primary ballot over the weekend. There were a couple of local races that were really fun to consider, because the people involved will (hopefully) all go on to do cool stuff, and I find myself wanting to watch their careers like a devoted auntie.

It came! It came! (This is when I admit that I'm a tiny bit careful about managing these. I keep the email notification in my inbox until the ballot arrives, so that if it *doesn't*, I know what to do about it without having to look it up.)

I've been distracted lately, and I *knew* we had a primary coming up, but I wasn't really thinking about it. Fortunately, the Colorado BallotTrax system emailed me to let me know it was on its way, and now I'll know to keep an eye out. Because that's how secure mail-in voting can be.

Thank you to the folks who make @rattlepoetry.bsky.social for giving this one a little extra flight. Head over to the site (first link) if you want me to read it to you.

Today's poem was perfect for a Friday at the end of a long week. Someone else put my desires into words.

I think I've been doing Sun Salutations wrong... #caturday

This seems like a good time to say that the last two books I finished were The Raven Scholar and Nonesuch, and they both knocked my socks off, for different reasons. Taste and reading experience are curious things.

I'm having a real love-hate relationship with the book I'm reading right now. I can admire how well written it is. And I really want to know what's going to happen next. But I'm not enjoying the reading. At all. It's such a weird experience.

Like most gen-xers, one of my internet pet peeves is a video that could have been a bullet list. That's not new, and I will not apologize. But honestly - worse than that is a video of nothing, where all the "content" is in the description. At that point, you are in entirely the wrong medium.

I've been thinking about how we (humans) talk about AI, and I have a proposal: I think we should stop letting AI be the active subject of any sentence, grammatically. Take the emphasis away from the tool and put it back on the decision maker.

I posted this yesterday because it brought me a lot of joy. I'm posting it today because I needed the reminder. (already)

Honestly, I don't know why any actor would WANT the job of playing "the most beautiful woman in the world" because that's just such a ridiculous appellation. But Lupita Nyong'o is certainly both beautiful and graceful enough to handle it - not just the role, but the stupid pressure.

Had a series of errands today that turned into a series of positive encounters restoring my faith in humanity. Turns out that people are pretty neat, when you give them an opportunity to be.

This is a cat checkpoint: show the most recent cat photo on your phone.

I don't go to Starbucks often, but sometimes in a strange neighborhood it is the best option, and if I don't need caffeine, I order a mint tea which is the easiest way to pay for a table without a hassle. And EVERY TIME, the barista 'helpfully' corrects me that I'm ordering a mint majesty tea.

Imagine getting a new cell phone number, only to find it was previously used by some sort of spammer. And you are pre-blocked on all of your friends' phones. (This hypothetical doesn't stop me from blocking annoying numbers)

I should have said this months ago, but this whole gerrymandering redistricting arms race sucks no matter who's doing it. Honestly, dems, as much as I want y'all to do better in 2026, I want you to ACTUALLY DO BETTER and not just be better at manipulation. 1/2

Slightly diminish a book Extended Hospital Stay of the Author

It came! It came! Can't wait to start reading Flightless, by @marieparks.bsky.social

Oh, yes. This.

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm pretty excited about Practical Magic 2. I don't even care what that says about me.

I've been thinking about cultivating a bit more awareness of joy and beauty in my daily life, both as a counter to the existential dread, AND to give myself fuel for the hard fights.

There are enough major threats to our world right now, please beware the slow decline into dystopia that comes from accepting phrases in the news like, "... sweet gesture from students to thank their principal who was injured by a shooter while trying to help them."

My normal Tuesday night conflicts keep me from doing this, but that doesn't mean YOU can't do it! Party Favors! A cool-sounding new book!! And one of the sweetest people in publishing!!! You can't go wrong.

It’s a rough day to release a book, but release days are picked well in advance and unless I’m mistaken it’s not the book’s fault it was released on a day like today… which means for any followers so inclined, here’s a little release that could probably use a boost

My will is weak, and my cat is strong.

Reposting this on NOT the first, because I really wasn't kidding... I am AMAZED at the number of newsletters that don't have a "did someone forward this to you? Please subscribe!" link at the bottom...

psst: the outlets and techbros who tell you "All software devs/all game devs/all coders are already using it" are being JUST AS DECEITFUL. It's just straight-up incorrect.

As someone who is very slowly trying to switch a bunch of things to a different email address, I have free advice for anyone with a newsletter: Make this really easy for me. Include both the link to unsubscribe AND the link to *subscribe* in every newsletter.

He’s slinging this BS because he hopes it sells copies of his book on AI & gets him more speaking fees & consulting gigs. He’s spreading this lie to line his own pockets. Don’t fall for it. It’s as true as any April Fools joke. No author I know uses the slop machine because we actually LIKE writing.

We shall overcome. We shall overcome. We shall overcome someday. Deep in my heart, I do believe We shall overcome some day.

Oh, woe. I forgot to grab the new book I wanted to start reading before the cat fell asleep on my lap.

Oh I see that "lie awake smelling wildfire smoke from hundreds of miles away" season has begun already. Fuck.

This whole thread, y'all. Keep marching.

Another version of "never fucking surrender" aka hope in action.

Like many people who make things, I have complicated feelings about the art vs. artist convo. On the one hand, once you make a thing and put it out in the world, you lose control over who sees it, and how it’s seen. That’s not opinion; that’s reality. (1)

I've realized lately that I have a new pet peeve, and it really is a tiny unimportant thing, but I really hate when someone describes the second book in a duology as the "last" or "final" book.

This is important. www.terrygodier.com/the-last-qui...

I like how progressives get mad at single issue voters on the right (abortion), but are totally cool doing the same illogical, not-nuanced reasoning over here on the left. And by "like" I mean, JFC knock it off. Use your whole brain. Life is complex.

Related to this, but even easier: I keep meaning to put little baggies in my jacket pockets for picking up random trash I find when there isn't a can nearby, so I don't then have to put that trash loose in my pocket. BRB - now that I've taken the time to type it, I'm gonna go do it...

I had a three day weekend, and ALSO my usual Tuesday evening commitment has been pushed to tomorrow, so I am going to be absolutely confused about what day it is ALL WEEK.

The *saddest* arguments I see online are the ones between people who are agreed on wanting to change things but who disagree about whether it's better to be optimistic or pessimistic right now.

🧵It’s a sunny Saturday after the much-promised end to the lawless occupation of Minnesota by federal paramilitary. In our neighborhood this morning, folks have noticed a number of unfamiliar cars parked on the streets at an intersection near three churches. 1/5

One of my favorite things about humans, honestly, is that we all have different taste. Different foods. Different stories. Different music. I love that there's something for everyone.

This is a powerful mix of fascinating and deeply moving. Human ingenuity at its best, in response to the worst.

I'm switching to proton mail for my writer domain email. If it goes well, this will be the next big step in de-googling my life. I've had my personal gmail account for a very long time, now, and I'm a little nervous about leaving it behind. Anybody else have experience/thoughts to share?

I just wrote my first newsletter in... about a year? It's about why stories are important. Speak from the heart, or not at all.

I ate an orange yesterday that was one of those startlingly delicious pieces of fruit, that inspires you to just stand still and ignore everything else for a few minutes so you can savor it properly. 🧵