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. 🧵

Sigh First of all, what a sad c*nt. Second, she’s not a writer no matter how many books she vomits out. I’m not in competition with her. None of us writers are in competition with her. It’s not a contest. Writing isn’t a race it’s a process, it’s creativity, & she’ll never become one doing this.

At this point in history, if you're putting yourself forward as some form of expert on democracy vs. tyranny... and you go on a national media platform crying "Now is the time to take this seriously" ...You sure as hell better follow that up with some action steps. I don't need more unguided fear.

Movie review from Guardian on Melania.

Y'all, you know what's weirder than "living your normal life while the world is on fire"? "Going on vacation while the world is on fire." It's super weird. But I'm gonna do it anyway. Please do be good and kind to yourselves. And mean to the meanies.

My Hard-Earned Wisdom knows that I should stand up. Walk away from my desk. Make a decision before I come back. But that first moment of walking away feels so much like quitting that it's actually really hard to do. Brains are so dumb.

Oh, yeah, THIS feeling. I hate this feeling. (when I have a bit of time to work, but there's no way I have enough time to do ALL the work, so I kind of panic and freeze and don't do any of the work)

It's all well and good to write, "this is the emotional crisis scene" in your notes. Writing the scene is another thing entirely.

Whoo boy... Started my day with a medical appointment which meant that I'd already listened to some news and engaged with the outside world before I sat down to work. So, of course, it took me 2 hours to get my head back in the game. And then the power went out. Mondays, am I right?

Friends, a thought as the world keeps finding new ways to be terrible: Create love first. As you're preparing to fight the hatred, start by doing one small act of love each day. For other people, or for yourself. We do need to fight, but we cannot let ourselves forget Love.

Reminder to politicians that defunding ICE & holding it accountable are *politically safe* positions. Stop voting to give them money. The American people don't want this!

We sure could use it so it is once again time to bless your skyline with pics and video of my dogs eating tiny pancakes #PancakesTime

Were I to choose just one weapon of the enemy to NOT use, a tool that I shall forever endeavor to leave untouched, it is this: Dehumanization. I can despise ICE, and do everything in my power to bring justice upon them, but I will continue to see them as humans. I will not become a monster.

Friends, a thought as the world keeps finding new ways to be terrible: Create love first. As you're preparing to fight the hatred, start by doing one small act of love each day. For other people, or for yourself. We do need to fight, but we cannot let ourselves forget Love.

Taps sign:

A beautiful little thread. CW: Human remains

Hey USians - if you're frustrated about what ICE is doing, and you're watching Minnesota from afar feeling helpless, there is one thing you can do RIGHT NOW, which is to call your congressperson about the DHS appropriations bill. Personally, I like using 5calls.org for phone numbers and scripts.

My doctor's office sends automatic follow up emails from an address that shows up as DONOTREPLY in the sender field. And every time. Literally every time. My brain jumps to "Donut Reply." So that's why I'm dissatisfied with my normal breakfast today.

Yesterday, I got caught up in only looking at the worst things that USians are up to lately. I saw the greed, and the fear-mongering, and the bullies. This thread was an important reminder of the BEST things USians are doing. We can all be like these people, if we choose.

Remember all the people whining that teaching actual history in school was making kids feel bad about being (white) Americans? Sure, learning about slavery made me mad. Learning about racism made me pledge to do better. Watching current events in the US right now is what makes me hate the US.

Oh y'all. I'm struggling this week. I have so many worries, and fears, and furies inside me. And every time I sit down to write anything at all, they all come pouring out indiscriminately, but not USEFULLY. How are you all holding up?

Fuck this framing. The city is in no way “reeling” because of protests. The city is occupied by fascist secret police who have killed and injured its people. The protests are a sign of collective resolve, literally the opposite of reeling. I cannot stress enough: protesters are not the problem.

Worth a read

Smoke detector went off about half an hour before the alarm this morning. Just once, but a full alarm instead of the small battery beep. Full walk of the house revealed no dangers except for a couple of very sleepy humans. Somehow, I feel like the cats are to blame.

Garden of the Grinning Beast A pacifist born into a warrior society gets trapped in a Ghibli-esque spirit world where she must right the balance between humans and spirits while weighing the value of one life against the many its loss might save. #BluePit 📖 #Q #A #NA #F #ND #LGBT

I'm continuing to think this series is valuable *for me* to keep my head above the high-water-mark that despair is reaching for these days. But it needs a better title than "non-awful things." Thoughts?

I really wish that people wouldn't use the words "female" or "male" as nouns that apply to human beings. It's not that I'm opposed to language shifting. It's just that the pattern with those particular words is almost always to dehumanize, and we have plenty of dehumanization happening already.

Do you have questions about publishing books? Writing them? Query letters and literary agents and that whole deal? I have a newsletter about that! Read more at www.agentsandbooks.com

Several other people said this yesterday, and it's still true: You don't have to watch the video. Plenty of other people have watched it, and can summarize it for you. You don't have to watch it yourself. We don't all have to witness every horrific thing. In fact, we should TRY to take turns.

Non-awful things, 3: I might finally have found the right pillow. As a side sleeper who often rolls either onto my back during the night, this has been a life-long challenge. It's too early for product placement, but last night's sleep was very promising.

Thinking about turning this into a thread. Non-Awful things in the world, one per day. If I do it, will you participate? I think it might be good for all of us.

I usually only allow myself to look at the awful things in the world at specific set-aside times of day. The rest of the time, I need other things to look at and think about, like my home, and the people I love, and the fact that the sun rose a little tiny bit earlier today than yesterday.

I think when a cookbook author describes a recipe that relies on chemistry (fudge making) as "easy" and then fails to properly describe either the chemistry OR the steps you have to take to make it work properly, that author should have to eat a spoonful of every batch that goes wrong. Everywhere.

I'm giving 2026 a soft-launch this week. My goals are being slow-to-form, and revealing some important emotional work that needs to be done first.

CONSEQUENCES 2026

Happy New Year, darlings. May love guide you. May your heart be open. Make plans. Share joy.Build community. Be soft when you can & fierce when you can't. Tell your own story. May you do no harm, but take no shit. When all else fails, remember we get through all of this together. It's a privilege.

Same.

Oh Christmas week, oh Christmas week How hard it is to work through I look around, it's only me. The office is so e-empty. Oh Christmas week, oh Christmas week How hard it is to work through

Global warming doesn't always mean that it feels warmer outside. It's way more complicated than that, and involves science I don't fully understand. But I do understand how creepy it feels to be hitting record-setting highs in the days between the winter solstice and Christmas.

I have a little video skill & often need to film simple things. I contemplated buying a fancy camera. And then I realized for how much it cost, I could hire a friend who actually knows how to film well 10 times and get better results. Yes this is a post about AI. (But also it's totally true.)

Sometimes, you gotta just look straight at the things you're afraid of, say, "I see you, scary thing, but you don't get to control me," and then get on with your day.

Still no power. Still no updates on when we might have power. Made a cup of tea with the jet boil, like I'm camping. I can assure my fellow tea snobs that there is something worse than a microwave.