I was standing in line for a Rapid test last week, and while looking around at the carefully placed dots 6 feet apart, the National Guardsmen checking people in and administering tests, traffic cones guiding the flow of traffic, the sanitizer stations and double-masks, I was really struck with how normalized this surreal situation is. Remember when we thought we'd be working from home for like, 2 weeks max? Like, people for real said the Covid fear was an overreaction and everything would be fine soon.

#TuesdayThoughts for Your Thoughts with Derry Murbles & August Clementine pic.twitter.com/kzRj0pwNMQ

— Parks and Recreation (@parksandrec) January 31, 2018

It really made me loop back like, I have almost no documentation of what Covid Times are like, because it's just so a part of everyday life now. We have a concert that has been rescheduled 3 times, in Chicago for Final Fantasy VII Remake, and apparently it's still happening in early Feb. Coordinating Rapid tests and navigating requests for isolation periods to not expose Sean right before her Actuary exams, negotiating masking and distancing based on comfort levels. All just so wild.

Ohp, 2 entries (now 3 I guess?) ago I hit my 2000th entry. Woo! That's just here on LJ. We can't forget the Great GreatestJournal Debacle where I lost at least 3 years of journal entries when the servers went offline.

I wish I had more time to wax poetic about journaling; alas.

Suffice to say: the last 18 years have been a wild ride. Thanks for coming along with me ^_^ 

I started this tank top in 2019 and finished it in 2020. My weight fluctuated enough that it was too small by the time I finished it. I set it aside, and I even slated it to try to give away more than once.

I’m glad I kept it, because now it fits so well! The armholes are a little unforgiving but it’s totally manageable. Which is good news because the color is so good and I love the pattern ^_^

I am experiencing some relief at the Chauvin verdict (I am legitimately surprised they convicted of all charges), but mostly just raw emotions of this last year.

I don't believe in the prison industrial complex — I think keeping humans in cages is fucking barbaric — but I also understand the limits of our current society. Police need to realize there are consequences for hurting and killing people — and prosecutors also need to actually HAND OUT those consequences by charging people when this shit happens. 

And we obviously need to reimagine community policing altogether* so it's not even a discussion. I am not hopeful that these changes will happen during my lifetime, but I am optimistic for us continuing to lay the groundwork. To move from a society focused on social control, to a society focused on social investment.

If you see the original police report, it was written as if Floyd had a drug-induced heart attack and died at the hospital after benevolent cops called for help. It only got this far because that brave teenager filmed the whole thing and the community did not stay quiet.

Now all these national guard and extra police need to get the fuck out.

*I know that abolition is not a new concept — I'm using "reimagine" here to refer to the general public and our current government and systems. 

Yet another name. In Minnesota. During Derek Chauvin's trial. A young man lost so unnecessarily.

How the fuck can you confuse your taser with your gun. A traffic stop should never result in a death. The police response last night was abhorrent, violent, aggressive, dangerous, and the police chief promised the same response tonight. We'll be there tonight.

Just wanted to document for posterity that in the last two weeks I have had TWO dreams involving wearing masks. 

One of the dreams the masks were just there because we were outside, and the other one there was a kerfuffle about people NOT wearing/forgetting their masks.

Fascinating.