At my favorite diner

Queen Anne's lace is by far the most boopable plant. I will not be taking any questions at this time.

I am no constitutional scholar, but I can't help but feel that "the President gets to dictate what every university can teach and what every television station should broadcast" is closer to what the founding fathers were worried about when it comes to free speech than trigger warnings on syllabi.

Went to a community screening of @thelibrariansfilm.bsky.social at Junction Arts and Media last night, followed by a group discussion with two local librarians. It was heavy, but important, even though we haven't seen it much in Vermont yet. (NH is another story, though ...) See it if you can!

Yes, actually, I *do* need some Perimeter Time.

Our public lands are so beautiful, I hope they stay that way for future generations too.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth just said on Colbert, "We should all live long enough to develop a disability," & the audience laughed uncomfortably. I can tell you what they were thinking. It was "Not me. That would never happen to me." & the underlying, unacknowlged premise was "b/c I'm better than that."

ART IS NOT HERE TO MAKE YOU COMFORTABLE, YOU ARE THINKING OF A DUVET.

Went outside for a walk and oops I bought four books and a tote bag. Happy Independent Bookstores Day!

Latest podcast is out: Get in everyone, we are going to Resistance Summer School! Thank you to everyone who indicated they would like to take my course on Race, Media and International Affairs 101. Please fill out this quick interest form to begin to sign up! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Big milestone: I walked a mile without my crutches today! Week 7 post-op and getting stronger every day.

When it turns out your friends actually do listen to your weird rambling about spring ephemerals during your dog walks! I'm so proud. 😭

Today at the bookstore I sat across the table from a student and she gave me a flower from her hair and in turn I gave her my mermaid rock (given to me by a self-described mermaid in the river on a hot day last summer) and I just love that imagination and joy still exist in the smallest of ways.

Six weeks since surgery, and it's finally sinking in how APPALLINGLY BORING physical therapy is. I just ... pick up my leg and put it back down again. Again. And again. And again. In marginally different ways.

COMPARE: the results of fighting back to the results of not fighting back

Giving people tips on how to protest safely: yay good! Telling people they are protesting wrong: from the literal CIA handbook on gumming up the works

The biggest thing we need to do is let people know that the protests are FUN. Yelling fuck the man is fun. You will meet fun people. We also need to make them more fun. Bring grills like the French. Bring instruments like it’s Mardi Gras. Give people a reason to spend their weekend in the streets.

It was a good day to go to Montpelier and show what democracy looks like. We couldn't get a dog sitter, so Leeta came with. #vermont

Take care of your neighbors and friends, you're going to need community more than ever.

Found these old grievances online. Sound familiar? He cuts off our trade with all parts of the world: He imposes taxes on us without our consent: He deprives us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury: He transports us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses…

What kind of community do I live in? The kind where there's a Facebook group for fans of the wild turkey who hangs out near the hospital. It has over 300 members.

It's been a month since my knee surgery. I still can't take my dog to the park by myself or walk without crutches or go more than an hour without thinking about how much this horrid rash itches. But I'm getting better. I'm doing my PT every day and I'm getting better.

being an indie bookseller in the helltimes has felt both very stable and very stabilizing, and part of me wishes everyone could be on my side of the counter for a little while, because I think it would help some of you be a little less cynical and doomy right now. so here is my VERY anecdotal data:

Honestly, is there anything more soothing than reorganizing your want-to-read list?

DEVOUR FECULENCE oh what a moment

Ok so apparently not everyone read Their Eyes Were Watching God or watched Old Yeller and it’s not a given that this is known, but: Kids, rabies is 100% fatal. If you get bitten by an unknown dog, you have to get a rabies vaccine asap.

The ADA was won after a series of battles. This was one of them. 🖤🖤🖤

US added to the global human rights watchlist due to declining civil liberties.

You know the rule, after all!

Too bad Uvalde Elementary didn’t sell Teslas.

More random chemo-brain-train thoughts. The "5 year survival rates for cancer are all by nature 5 years out of date" post reminded me of a truly chilling me-adjacent anecdote, buckle up:

Just got home from my first PT session since my knee surgery! The machine that they attach to your muscles and make your leg feel like it's full of bees is WILD. I can't wait to start getting stronger again!

When Amazon launched in 1995, there were 5,500 indie bookshops in the U.S., with 7,000 locations. By May of 2023, that number had decreased to 2,185 indies & 2,599 locations. When you purchase audiobooks via Libro.fm vs. Audible, you directly support indie bookshops. Let's make that number grow ❤️

Surgery went well! Nurse Leeta is making sure I get all my snuggle therapy.

This man's selfless generosity saved 2.4 million infants' lives. RIP If only more of us could be that giving and compassionate.

A lot of people think if they can't do One Big Thing That Solves The Problem Forever, they might as well do nothing. That's not how things work! There are SO many little things you can do that will make a difference, and if we all do something, it'll add up! Here's some ideas:

I haven't seen Our Town since high school, I'm so psyched!

As Mutual Aid is criminalized in the US, i.e. Stop Cop City activists were charged with RICO and Domestic Terrorism, our free 3rd Mutual Aid session on legal, financial, and security basics is vital. Join Wednesday, March 5 at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET! Sign up mutualaid101.org.

None of us can be sure what will “work.” You try multiple things and find your way in. Read some histories of the Civil Rights Movement by those who participated. They were never “sure” of what would work. Some campaigns fizzled out. But persistence, creativity, determination, and focus were key.

36% of all banned books contain a character or a real person of color. But sure, this is about protecting the children. people.com/sex-claims-e...

A grassroots movement is calling on all Americans to abstain from shopping with major retailers tomorrow, February 28, as part of an “economic blackout.” I encourage you to join. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/boycott

Idk who needs to hear this but community building means you need to talk to your neighbors once in a while. Even if you don't like them. At the very least you can figure out who not to talk to again.

When I was talking a lot about getting prepared for FEMA cuts and trade war, someone told me apologetically needed to mute me because it was stressful hearing about preparation they couldn't afford to do. That's a huge stress right now for ALL of us, I think-- there is no getting fully prepared.

Hi, just a reminder that when you use Libro.fm for your audiobooks, you support independent bookshops vs. large corporations that drive them out of business. We also pay taxes. And so do indie bookshops.

Dialed into the Vermont Statewide Telephone Town Hall, very grateful to @balint.house.gov for organizing it!

Hey, artists, in case you were wondering if your work matters: I'm a scientist working on climate change and biodiversity, and I would not be who I am today without The Lorax, The Secret of NIMH, Watership Down, The Last Unicorn, and The X-Files. I know I'm not alone. Thank you for all you do.

This is so very, very real.