One year ago today, my dad died unexpectedly. He was the best and I really miss him, all the time. That’s it, that’s the whole skeet. Here’s a picture of my dad.

OMG, how can an earworm stay in my head for 2 weeks? I don’t even like Dire Straits. I forced myself to listen to the whole thing today b/c I heard that sometimes works. If it doesn’t, I might need surgery to excise it. m.youtube.com/watch?v=vcwl...

The revolution starts NOW. Steve says so.

It was the omg what now of times, it was the seriously wtf is happening of times

Power is out (55106). Bummer.

German literature. And…..nope! My German skills have so atrophied that I have resorted to Duolingo, Love is Blind Germany and tween German audiobooks to try to rebuild.

“This bill, if enacted, will smother rural communities by closing small-town hospitals, piling on medical debt and stress and laying off thousands of workers right here in Minnesota,” writes columnist Aaron Brown.

Worth noting that not only is this “rural hospital” fund temporary and a fraction of the losses, it’s also designed to be a political slush fund since half the allocation is at discretion of the CMS administrator. Barely even eyewash.

My god they’re just trying to get me to cry every tear I have. 💔

For some reason this post is getting a bunch of new likes and reposts….which I love because these are adorable pictures, but also hate because our beloved Moj died in April at age 14 and we are still heartbroken about that and miss him so much. He was the best boy. Glad others find him adorable too!

The really sad thing is how I can already hear exactly how they’ll blame Biden (and Harris, and Obama, and Clinton) for the inevitable retaliation. And how quickly that will become the accepted truth. I hate this timeline.

Ok I know this is not the main point here, but I think someone needs a refresher on “literally” vs “figuratively.”

I am still reeling.  I am also sitting with the fact that our historic 2023 accomplishments were only possible because of the monumental leadership of Hortman and Dziedzic, and now we’ve lost them both.

When I think about Melissa Hortman, I think about this list. Rest in power.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Horrific news. I hope we hear they’re going to be ok. Targeting democratic public servants is a horrific escalation of the political violence we are seeing every day. And I’m sure the timing is no coincidence. JFC.

I wish there could just be 24 hours to send kind thoughts to a fundamentally decent but flawed man who just got a horrible diagnosis before people start being assholes.

Worth a read. A rural family medicine residency grant funded separately from regular GME keeping this clinic’s doors open (and I will note many of these residents are immigrants) apple.news/AUBySXw1ZRsy...

Said goodbye to the best, funniest, sweetest, most handsome boy this week. We are heartbroken & are dogless for the first time in 20+ years. 14 years was not long enough w/ Moj, but we know he lived his best life to the end, swimming, running, chasing balls, being loved. #RescueDogs #DogsOfBlueSky 🐕

Also important to note that the president & his administration care so little about Abrego Garcia’s life that they haven’t even been willing to ask for evidence that he’s still alive. They don’t give one single shit. They might prefer that he be dead, to serve as a warning.

Chris Van Hollen flying down to El Salvador and refusing to leave until he got in a room with Kilmar Abrego Garcia blows up every other “well what do you expect them to do?” defense for elected Democrats

“And on August 14, 2024, he posted the “5 Reasons Why” video about flat earth, which asks, among other things, that if the Earth is actually spinning, “why aren’t we all being flung out into space?” A wise question. Who amongst us has not wondered this (when we were little kids)?

Just tought you might all need this (from "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers").

If the U.S. government is going to take the position that, once removed from the United States, folks can’t be brought back, then it sure seems to me that federal courts should be reflexively and categorically barring *all* removals until they’re 100 percent certain that the removals are lawful.

How are we feeling now about that vote to (unanimously) confirm Rubio, @amyklobuchar.com and @smith.senate.gov? Got anything to say about this? Or, better, thoughts on actions?

Posting for no reason. No reason at all. m.youtube.com/watch?v=7QHN...

We went to the Hands Off rally in Grand Rapids MN today. Small county/city, went 60/40 for Trump. 300+ people showed up - massive for Itasca county! Honking cars far outnumbered the dudes who gave us the finger. My fave sign is the NSFW one. #HandsOffMN

Yesterday, the MN Dept of Health announced 170 layoff notices due to unexpected federal grant cuts of over $220M. These cuts will affect Minnesotans’ daily lives — accessing vaccinations, seeing less support for our elders in nursing homes & less surveillance of wastewater. It’s going to hurt.

It’s been a shit day in public health land. Happy for a decisive win today, esp one that involved really hateful people throwing their money away and still losing bigly.

Got home, saw the news from Wisconsin, and immediately searched "eat shit." Was not disappointed.

Post the last photo of your pet.

Whoops, just realized you can't copy and past from the link I gave. This link is a Excel download of the sheet that you can use to copy-paste emails! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

You can call @klobuchar.senate.gov at her DC office at 202-224-3244 or her MN office at 612-727-5220. Flood her lines, let her know she needs to vote NO on cloture/CR. We are her voters, we put her there. She needs to know what we want. Reskeet, and comment below if you’ve called her!

Just called both the DC and MN offices of @klobuchar.senate.gov to tell her that I, a MN voter, want her to be a firm NO vote on cloture/CR. I encourage my MN peeps to do the same. Maybe @smith.senate.gov can convince her this fight matters….

I just don't get the thinking here. Filibuster the CR with the demand that Trump disband DOGE. Simple and easy to understand. If, after some time Trump refuses to dislodge his billionaire boyfriend, they relent, explaining that Trump proved that Musk is more important to him than the American people

It’s sad that this needs to be done, but it does. With no transparency or accountability for what’s being terminated, the grantees or contractors themselves need to do it. People will only act (maybe) if they know what’s happening.

Post a picture of when your pet was little. (Puppy Moj, on adoption day 14 years ago, and a bonus photo from a month ago)

This week I: 1. Woke up 2. Fell out of bed 3. Dragged a comb across my head 4. Found my way downstairs; drank a cup 5. Looking up….noticed I was late

How many federal workers would DOGE need to fire to make up for Musk not paying his fair share of taxes? Answer: 677,000. That's 44% of the entire non-DoD federal workforce. Again, this power grab is not about the budget. It’s about politics.

It’s #GrizzlyWeek for me, on my reading list. Both excellent, both featuring great big bears. #BookSky 📚

Do we do #HealthPolicyValentines over here? If so, and setting aside some worries for a moment, here you go: Roses are read Violets are blue 340B is complex but maybe this ⬇️ can help you. tinyurl.com/mspy7wfm @dusetzinas.bsky.social @dianemn.bsky.social @farley

MINNESOTA NIH AWARDS FUNDING: $718 M JOBS SUPPORTED: 7,992 ECONOMIC ACTIVITY SUPPORTED: $1.74 B

So, if I’m reading this correctly grantees doing scientific research can’t say WOMEN or FEMALES anymore. But MEN or MALES is still a-ok. I guess I’m a non-male now. Super.

Partially bundled….fully bundled. -14 air temp + a stiff breeze + lots of layers = no problem. Almost too toasty. Only problem is the frozen eyelashes.

Wow. Honestly surprised by this. Welcome to many more weeks of gridlock and legal fees. #mnleg

TFW you are so old you need to wear a coat with a handle on it so your people can help you up the stairs, but you’re still raring to go for a nice chilly walk. #DogsOfBlueSky 🐕

Post a picture of your pet when you first got them, and a picture of them now! #dogs #DogsofBluesky #Seniordogs 🐕