Fucking Fuck, v7 January 4, 2018 1:06 PM Subscribe
It's time for another FUCKING WTF thread!
Not even a week into 2018, the current occupier of the Oval Office has baited Kim Jong-un about having a "much bigger & more powerful" nuclear button, asserted his former political opponent, her chief staffer, and his ex-FBI director should all be in jail, feuded with his former campaign manager Steve Bannon over indiscreet quotes, threatened the publisher of an unflattering insider account of his first year with legal action, addressed the White House press corp with a pre-recorded video, and suspended security aid to Pakistan.
As a public service for MeFites, here is a place to cry out, commiserate, and console in the New Year. It's chaos; be kind.
Please feel free to use this thread and MetaChat to unload all your screaming into the void in order to lower the noise in the ongoing US politics threads and reduce the workload for the mod team, as discussed in the Resetting Expectations thread.
Please feel free to use this thread and MetaChat to unload all your screaming into the void in order to lower the noise in the ongoing US politics threads and reduce the workload for the mod team, as discussed in the Resetting Expectations thread.
Seriously. Super glad my mom died before the election.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 1:15 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 1:15 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Can I also complain about how I hate my fucking job? (At least I have a job.)
posted by paper chromatographologist at 1:17 PM on January 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by paper chromatographologist at 1:17 PM on January 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
AAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHGH!!!#$$@!!!~!
I have that insane Wizard of Oz briefing in a tab but I just cannot bring myself to watch it yet. It's just too much for me. Aauuggh!!#
posted by scalefree at 1:21 PM on January 4, 2018
I have that insane Wizard of Oz briefing in a tab but I just cannot bring myself to watch it yet. It's just too much for me. Aauuggh!!#
posted by scalefree at 1:21 PM on January 4, 2018
This is clearly the Biffverse timeline and butthead is still President. We need to go back and destroy the almanac. Sadly I do not have access to a Delorean or a flux capacitor.
*sighs*
posted by Fizz at 1:22 PM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
*sighs*
posted by Fizz at 1:22 PM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
That press conference was totally Lacks Headroom.
posted by Catblack at 1:22 PM on January 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Catblack at 1:22 PM on January 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
I'm certainly not the first to think of this, but the whole "much bigger & more powerful nuclear button" thing brought to mind George Carlin's "bigger dick foreign policy theory". Much of 45's rise to power and general WTFery was almost unimaginable, but when it comes to foreign relations, Carlin had this figured out ~25 years ago.
posted by tonycpsu at 1:23 PM on January 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 1:23 PM on January 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
My mom gave me some inside info on our family tree and I discovered that Sylvester Pennoyer, an evil POS two-term governor of Oregon during the 1880s-90s was my great-great-great uncle. So I wrote this essay assessing Pennoyer's Trumpian attributes. It felt sort of like I was outing myself as of MAGA lineage. Sorry mom.
posted by angrycat at 1:25 PM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 1:25 PM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
BlLARGHHHHhHhHH! Furflety gurdgit fuck!!!!!!!!!!! I wish void crabs would hurry up and eat us already.
posted by nolabasashi at 1:27 PM on January 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by nolabasashi at 1:27 PM on January 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mmm, void crabs.
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:32 PM on January 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:32 PM on January 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
I'm taking a break from screaming FUCK about politics to scream FUCK about a person tangentially attached to my friends' circle who has been dating a friend of mine, J. I hadn't heard from J in a while and neither had our mutual friends and it turns out the reason he hadn't been in touch is because this woman had been systematically isolating him from family and friends, mentally, verbally, and physically abusing him (including repeatedly beating him with an ice pack on Christmas), refusing to let him see his family for the holidays because that would be abandoning her, threatening to kill herself if he leaves, and taking away and abusing his much-needed depression medication. J's out, got all his stuff out of their shared apartment and vanished while she was gone, is staying with friends and has no plans to ever go back. She tried to press domestic violence charges against him but we all saw that coming a mile away and have a great deal of corroborating evidence, Jake's written recollections of every event including dates, times, and witnesses, and a number of people willing to go to bat for him if needed. So the situation is as good as it could be.
Except that. Come to find out as of today. She's done this to FIVE of my friends in the past ten years. FIVE. Including my current partner. In the course of a three-month relationship in addition to an insane amount of emotional and verbal abuse, she put a cigarette out on them and slapped them so hard she knocked their glasses into the street. Every single one of them is one of the sweetest, nicest, most gentle male-bodied people I know, and had never been in a long-term relationship before. She's systematically preying on woke, sympathetic, kind-hearted dudes who don't know what a healthy relationship looks like in my circle of friends. And because she's female and mentally ill, no one is taking it as seriously as they should; if this were a man, we'd all realize she's a walking murder-suicide in the making. And J could press charges but she will never, ever face actual judicial punishment for her crimes, because female-bodied against male-bodied. And there's no missing stair whisper network for men. She's going to do it again, probably to someone I know and love.
Obviously, I haven't been wronged here and it's not about me BUT FUCK YOU GUYS I AM SO FUCKING ANGRY.
posted by WidgetAlley at 1:32 PM on January 4, 2018 [29 favorites]
Except that. Come to find out as of today. She's done this to FIVE of my friends in the past ten years. FIVE. Including my current partner. In the course of a three-month relationship in addition to an insane amount of emotional and verbal abuse, she put a cigarette out on them and slapped them so hard she knocked their glasses into the street. Every single one of them is one of the sweetest, nicest, most gentle male-bodied people I know, and had never been in a long-term relationship before. She's systematically preying on woke, sympathetic, kind-hearted dudes who don't know what a healthy relationship looks like in my circle of friends. And because she's female and mentally ill, no one is taking it as seriously as they should; if this were a man, we'd all realize she's a walking murder-suicide in the making. And J could press charges but she will never, ever face actual judicial punishment for her crimes, because female-bodied against male-bodied. And there's no missing stair whisper network for men. She's going to do it again, probably to someone I know and love.
Obviously, I haven't been wronged here and it's not about me BUT FUCK YOU GUYS I AM SO FUCKING ANGRY.
posted by WidgetAlley at 1:32 PM on January 4, 2018 [29 favorites]
Every time Trump escalates things with potentially disastrous geopolitical ramifications, all I can see is my Army brother and the guys he's in charge of being the ones suffering the consequences of, say, conducting a never-ending war in Afghanistan after angering Pakistan, or leading ground troops into North Korea, or manufacturing regime change in Iran. I am so angry that someone so stupid and so ill-considered and witless and reckless and unqualified and all the other things has so much power and nobody will even take away his fucking twitter account, just for a start
posted by ChuraChura at 1:38 PM on January 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 1:38 PM on January 4, 2018 [10 favorites]
My mother sent me an email reaffirming that she prefers to tear her family apart by supporting the Republican regime than admit that her mental abilities are slipping. That it was hubristic to try to explain that the conspiracy theories she parrots aren't true.
posted by Candleman at 1:50 PM on January 4, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Candleman at 1:50 PM on January 4, 2018 [8 favorites]
Happy New Year you guys! I just came in to say I hope you're all warm. mrs yoga is making homemade spaghetti sauce as I type and somehow I've been able to keep my fucking fucks to a dull roar lately.
posted by yoga at 2:01 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by yoga at 2:01 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Then there's this: Sessions terminates US policy that let legal pot flourish
And yet the Dow crossed 25,000 points for the first time today, I guess without the help of crashing marijuana stocks. I guess this administration doesn't care about all the possibilities legalized or even just decriminalized marijuana presents for lower rates of violence, lower rates of incarceration and systematic injustice against people of color who disproportionately serve time for petty drug offenses, a burgeoning trade market, medical benefits that help people lower their opiate and opioid use, growth of the hemp industry in general, etc.
I'm generally not having a great day apart from all the bad news either, with just lots of weird passive-aggressivity from multiple quarters, stress, our stupid broken earth with its broken weather, etc. Everything sucks aggghhhhhhh.
I'm gonna go cuddle with the dog.
posted by limeonaire at 2:13 PM on January 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
And yet the Dow crossed 25,000 points for the first time today, I guess without the help of crashing marijuana stocks. I guess this administration doesn't care about all the possibilities legalized or even just decriminalized marijuana presents for lower rates of violence, lower rates of incarceration and systematic injustice against people of color who disproportionately serve time for petty drug offenses, a burgeoning trade market, medical benefits that help people lower their opiate and opioid use, growth of the hemp industry in general, etc.
I'm generally not having a great day apart from all the bad news either, with just lots of weird passive-aggressivity from multiple quarters, stress, our stupid broken earth with its broken weather, etc. Everything sucks aggghhhhhhh.
I'm gonna go cuddle with the dog.
posted by limeonaire at 2:13 PM on January 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
The Dow keeping going up just pushes me right over the edge. The president's a moron, too much of congress is completely corrupt, and people just keep buying the fucking stocks like nothing's wrong.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 2:20 PM on January 4, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 2:20 PM on January 4, 2018 [19 favorites]
That it was hubristic to try to explain that the conspiracy theories she parrots aren't true.
I feel you. I sometimes try or think about trying to understand my (few) conservative relatives, but my ability to continue listening just vaporizes when they start quoting total bullshit fake facts and theories. I absolutely cannot listen to that stuff without contradicting their wacky talking points that contradict what I believe/know to be true.
posted by puddledork at 2:22 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I feel you. I sometimes try or think about trying to understand my (few) conservative relatives, but my ability to continue listening just vaporizes when they start quoting total bullshit fake facts and theories. I absolutely cannot listen to that stuff without contradicting their wacky talking points that contradict what I believe/know to be true.
posted by puddledork at 2:22 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Am deciding how badly I want to buy the new book about the current administration.
posted by ZeusHumms at 2:26 PM on January 4, 2018
posted by ZeusHumms at 2:26 PM on January 4, 2018
I am going to make it through this year if it kills me.
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:28 PM on January 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:28 PM on January 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
Thread Title: Most countries treat subway systems as national assets
Me: Most countries treat their citizens as national assets. This country treats its citizens as consumers.
posted by ZeusHumms at 2:29 PM on January 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
Me: Most countries treat their citizens as national assets. This country treats its citizens as consumers.
posted by ZeusHumms at 2:29 PM on January 4, 2018 [15 favorites]
I just have nothing left in me but despair.
posted by elsietheeel at 2:47 PM on January 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by elsietheeel at 2:47 PM on January 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
Some kind of ACH error caused my rent to be deducted from my checking account twice on Tuesday. I'm choosing to focus on the positive in that we have enough cushion in the bank account to absorb that while it gets straightened out.
posted by COD at 2:50 PM on January 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by COD at 2:50 PM on January 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
SQUIBBLY-BLABBITTY-DOO!! Your '76 Pacer is now a Lamborghini! Hey, thanks Night Ranger!
I came in with the squibbly and the rest, just, followed.
posted by petebest at 2:56 PM on January 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
I came in with the squibbly and the rest, just, followed.
posted by petebest at 2:56 PM on January 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
Vote #1 petebest for all the offices*, most coherent stream-of-consciousness ravings within six miles of the Potomac!
*orifices?
posted by tivalasvegas at 2:59 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
*orifices?
posted by tivalasvegas at 2:59 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
oval orifice
o god I need to get out of this thread
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:00 PM on January 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
o god I need to get out of this thread
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:00 PM on January 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
Me: Most countries treat their citizens as national assets. This country treats its citizens as consumers.
This administration is treating citizens like enemies of the state.
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:00 PM on January 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
This administration is treating citizens like enemies of the state.
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:00 PM on January 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
Yes we'll save so much money if we let Putin fund Packistan's war against ISIS. Oh wait. ... But on further reflection. No, actually if Putin goes in to crush some bad guys they'll literally be crushed, but no, not actually a statesman like long term strategy.
posted by sammyo at 3:44 PM on January 4, 2018
posted by sammyo at 3:44 PM on January 4, 2018
Anybody notice our Interior Secretary is named after a metal, though misspelled? Interesting map in the SL Tribune, showing how the cuts to The Bears Ears National Monument excise the Uranium deposits, and cuts To The Grand Staircase National Monument, exactly excise the coal, these resources for foreign extraction companies to develop.
posted by Oyéah at 3:45 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 3:45 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
I rarely remember my dreams, but a few days ago (well before the Wolff book excerpts came out) I had a dream featuring Steve Bannon. I was in an area that looked like a college quad and across the quad I saw a large, lumbering, almost hunchbacked man walking along. Then, I heard someone shout out "Sodor! Sodor!" but in a taunting way at the man. Somehow, I simultaneously recognized that the hunchbacked figure was Steve Bannon and that the "Sodor" chant was a play on "Hodor" from Game of Thrones. Uncharacteristically, I joined in as the second person to chant "Sodor" at Bannon and before long a large portion of the whole crowd in the quad was chanting too. I think at some point I also changed up my taunt to "Steve the door! Steve the door!" because I guess that's what "Sodor" means in that dream world? Bannon starts walking faster, trying to escape the crowd but the crowds and chants kept following. At some point, Bannon gets fed up with the taunting and turns around and starts to run in my direction. He's not charging at me directly but rather coming at a an oblique angle to charge at someone behind me. I brace myself for a collision but as he brushes past me, I realize that instead of carrying the momentum of a 200+ lb. dude that would obviously knock me over, he barely makes any impact at all. I come away with the feeling that Bannon, despite his large size and fierce manner, is completely insubstantial and inconsequential.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm the 3-Eyed Raven now except I can only see the future and only in dream form.
posted by mhum at 3:59 PM on January 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm the 3-Eyed Raven now except I can only see the future and only in dream form.
posted by mhum at 3:59 PM on January 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
THE BASTARDS!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:22 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:22 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am continuing my 2017 coping strategy, which is to try to avoid any mention of politics or the administration at all unless it is directly actionable by me. So, I will peek (BRIEFLY) at the latest politics thread for info on what I need to call Congress about, or check one or two of the good "here's what to call about this week" email newsletters, and then I will MAKE MY CALLS, and then I will force myself to think about trees and hummingbirds and Star Trek and Ali Smith books and learning how to play "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" and German's chocolate cake and watercolors and brush pens until it's time for the next round of calls.
(I know lots of other MeFites are making calls, and I just posted a simple little spreadsheet for tracking calls over at Projects, in case it's helpful or inspiring to anyone else here. Someday I might write a nice app for that with bells and whistles, but in the meantime, a spreadsheet's better than nothing.)
Yesterday I was going through some old papers and found a journal entry from September 2003:
Everything seems so terrible that it feels sick and wrong and trite to acknowledge a silver lining, but I just can't help but notice: after decades of sexual harassment, we are finally talking about the reality and taking tiny first steps toward doing something about it. After decades of financial and lethal oppression of blacks in this country, we are finally talking about the reality and taking tiny first steps toward doing something about it.
After decades of fretting and complaining and doing little other than voting, I am finally actually taking some action as an engaged citizen, which I should have been doing all along.
posted by kristi at 4:29 PM on January 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
(I know lots of other MeFites are making calls, and I just posted a simple little spreadsheet for tracking calls over at Projects, in case it's helpful or inspiring to anyone else here. Someday I might write a nice app for that with bells and whistles, but in the meantime, a spreadsheet's better than nothing.)
Yesterday I was going through some old papers and found a journal entry from September 2003:
... I try to avoid the news, but the headline says Bush wants MORE "anti-terrorism" powers. It makes me angry & depressed. I feel like I should be contacting my congresspeople daily.*( * Prior to last year, I probably contacted my congresspeople once every five years or so.)
We've GOT to get Bush out of office.
And yet, as I was saying to my friend on Sunday, *I* balk at being more than a little involved, and I'm one of the most active liberals I know!
Everything seems so terrible that it feels sick and wrong and trite to acknowledge a silver lining, but I just can't help but notice: after decades of sexual harassment, we are finally talking about the reality and taking tiny first steps toward doing something about it. After decades of financial and lethal oppression of blacks in this country, we are finally talking about the reality and taking tiny first steps toward doing something about it.
After decades of fretting and complaining and doing little other than voting, I am finally actually taking some action as an engaged citizen, which I should have been doing all along.
posted by kristi at 4:29 PM on January 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
I'm just glad that my father didn't live to see this. It would have killed him!
I frequently think how glad I am that none of my grandparents lived to see this. My grandfathers were both WWII veterans and I can't fathom how sickened they would be to see this slide into authoritarianism and the rise of neo-Nazism, and how heartbroken they would be to see their own children (my parents) standing on the wrong side of history. This all just feels like a fucking tragedy.
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 5:26 PM on January 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
I frequently think how glad I am that none of my grandparents lived to see this. My grandfathers were both WWII veterans and I can't fathom how sickened they would be to see this slide into authoritarianism and the rise of neo-Nazism, and how heartbroken they would be to see their own children (my parents) standing on the wrong side of history. This all just feels like a fucking tragedy.
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 5:26 PM on January 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
I don't know: I took it as good news that Trump and Bannon are on the precipice of tearing each other apart. But maybe I'm being naive and this all part of a larger (evil/Bannon) plot. The way things have been going [sigh], perhaps option 'B' there is the more likely one. :/
posted by Halo in reverse at 5:29 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Halo in reverse at 5:29 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
The "nuclear button" tweet thing is really fucked up, and it's kind of fucking me up how much we all sort of shrugged it off to get distracted by the latest Gin Blossoms Goebbels (Bannon) shit-tornado.
(I'm guilty too.)
But seriously, fuck twitter on this so hard. This is what's getting me to leave the platform after using it regularly for 7 years - that they'd rather become a propaganda platform for nuclear rhetoric. Hell no.
posted by mostly vowels at 6:05 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
(I'm guilty too.)
But seriously, fuck twitter on this so hard. This is what's getting me to leave the platform after using it regularly for 7 years - that they'd rather become a propaganda platform for nuclear rhetoric. Hell no.
posted by mostly vowels at 6:05 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm flabbergasted that more isn't being made of the pre-recorded press briefing.
That's a huge huge story.
But none of the 24 hour cable networks are talking about that.
There's something huge behind the fact that the president had to have a carefully edited video put together to address the press.
I'm still, flabdagasted.
Yeah, I know there's lots of fuckery coming to light today, there's lots of things to talk about.
But that press briefing.
THAT WAS SO FUCKING FUCKED UP.
posted by yesster at 6:23 PM on January 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
That's a huge huge story.
But none of the 24 hour cable networks are talking about that.
There's something huge behind the fact that the president had to have a carefully edited video put together to address the press.
I'm still, flabdagasted.
Yeah, I know there's lots of fuckery coming to light today, there's lots of things to talk about.
But that press briefing.
THAT WAS SO FUCKING FUCKED UP.
posted by yesster at 6:23 PM on January 4, 2018 [20 favorites]
My father was a union guy for a long time. I have no doubt that he would have voted for Trump. I'm glad he died before it became an issue. Sigh.
posted by mollweide at 6:37 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by mollweide at 6:37 PM on January 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
I am just so broken by this world. I even co-wrote a book in which we visialized fixing it. But the world's gotten worse since the writing of it, and it doesn't feel like we've done nearly enough. I am hurling love and creative energy into the world at my very best pace, and I'm exhausted, and it FEELS, sure as hell, like he's just too much bigger than me. And has too many henchmen.
I'm tired. It's so much more difficult to build something than it is to tear something down.
I thought I'd unwind by watching some art videos on youtube. One of the artists expressed her concern and uncertainty, as a self-employed person, about taxes for the coming year. She mentioned Snopes. One of the commenters cheerily assured her that she was going to be pleasantly surprised at tax time, and assured her that Snopes was "a liberal fact-checking site" and therefore worthless... And my rage swelled back up again, and I wanted to break something.
I put my ipad down carefully and played Animal Crossing until I could breathe again.
I'm so glad Metafilter is here to remind me that I'm NOT the crazy one. Thanks, ya'll.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 6:54 PM on January 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
I'm tired. It's so much more difficult to build something than it is to tear something down.
I thought I'd unwind by watching some art videos on youtube. One of the artists expressed her concern and uncertainty, as a self-employed person, about taxes for the coming year. She mentioned Snopes. One of the commenters cheerily assured her that she was going to be pleasantly surprised at tax time, and assured her that Snopes was "a liberal fact-checking site" and therefore worthless... And my rage swelled back up again, and I wanted to break something.
I put my ipad down carefully and played Animal Crossing until I could breathe again.
I'm so glad Metafilter is here to remind me that I'm NOT the crazy one. Thanks, ya'll.
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 6:54 PM on January 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
We are not the crazy ones. We are not the crazy ones. We are not the crazy ones.
posted by greermahoney at 7:02 PM on January 4, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by greermahoney at 7:02 PM on January 4, 2018 [26 favorites]
My mom gave me some inside info on our family tree and I discovered that Sylvester Pennoyer, an evil POS two-term governor of Oregon during the 1880s-90s was my great-great-great uncle. So I wrote this essay assessing Pennoyer's Trumpian attributes. It felt sort of like I was outing myself as of MAGA lineage. Sorry mom.
One of the last things my grandmother told me before interfamilial relationships broke down was that our family had served in government since the days of Taft, and when sh was a little girl she'd stayed up aaaaaalll night as her granddad collected the ballots than got Taft elected.
all I could think of was the Taft-Hartley Act.
posted by sciatrix at 7:06 PM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
One of the last things my grandmother told me before interfamilial relationships broke down was that our family had served in government since the days of Taft, and when sh was a little girl she'd stayed up aaaaaalll night as her granddad collected the ballots than got Taft elected.
all I could think of was the Taft-Hartley Act.
posted by sciatrix at 7:06 PM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Am deciding how badly I want to buy the new book about the current administration.
My one good friend reminded me that Wolff has fucked up in terms of journalism before and cautioned me about at least one factual error, but I'm not sure I care. I think I might want to read it just for the schadenfreudy fanfiction.
The rest of my life is currently in some amount of shambles--between getting my partner back to school, both of us going through some medical shit, and fuckery with student loans not coming in, money is now so tight for us that I can barely breathe. So I've been putting in my calls to my senators and the odd friendly thank you one to my congressman, and I've been otherwise focusing on trying to be creative: fanfiction on the one hand, and resuming the embroidery project I have building based on this conceptual mockup on the other.
So far I think it's helping. I have half the words outlined now.
posted by sciatrix at 7:20 PM on January 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
My one good friend reminded me that Wolff has fucked up in terms of journalism before and cautioned me about at least one factual error, but I'm not sure I care. I think I might want to read it just for the schadenfreudy fanfiction.
The rest of my life is currently in some amount of shambles--between getting my partner back to school, both of us going through some medical shit, and fuckery with student loans not coming in, money is now so tight for us that I can barely breathe. So I've been putting in my calls to my senators and the odd friendly thank you one to my congressman, and I've been otherwise focusing on trying to be creative: fanfiction on the one hand, and resuming the embroidery project I have building based on this conceptual mockup on the other.
So far I think it's helping. I have half the words outlined now.
posted by sciatrix at 7:20 PM on January 4, 2018 [6 favorites]
My husband is kind of gleefully following the Bannon/Trump catfight and I...
Things just ain‘t funny anymore.
posted by The Toad at 7:42 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Things just ain‘t funny anymore.
posted by The Toad at 7:42 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
@joannarothkopf: it is the 369th day of 2017, nice
posted by Going To Maine at 7:44 PM on January 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 7:44 PM on January 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
So after Twitlers latest provocation, I was having trouble sleeping, oddly enough. Which led me to hear our recently hospitalized-just diagnosed with cancer-elderly dog’s breathing patterns change enough that we made yet another 2 am trip to the vet, telling each other that it would be like a couple of days ago, when they patted us on the head and told us she was doing ok. Fast forward 24 hours to her in an oxygen cage with a diagnosis of asthma/bronchitis and pulmonary embolisms, but the vet( the kind of vet that has Kleenex boxes strategically placed every ten feet) was explaining that she was responding well, and hoped to have her home tomorrow afternoon. Fast forward 15 hours, approximately 45 minutes before her tentative release, and a phone call from the vets office, saying she was doing fine right up until she started gasping and collapsed. Fast forward 45 minutes to the two of us arriving at vets and the formerly enthusiastic optimistic vet explaining how we could try to stabilize her, but since she was either throwing more clots in spite of anticoagulation or bleeding from said anticoagulation in the middle of a doggie version of a university hospital dot dot dot. Fast forward 10 minutes of trying to fit in a lifetime of Butt scritches and belly rubs before the doctor returned . Fast forward the seven seconds it took for her silky belly to stop moving after the injection. On top of worrying about my family on the east coast. On top of discovering that me sister is aok with her husband using racial slurs and flying the stars and bars.So so tired y’all.
posted by jacy at 8:11 PM on January 4, 2018 [55 favorites]
posted by jacy at 8:11 PM on January 4, 2018 [55 favorites]
Oh lord, Jacy, I am so sorry. Giant internet hugs.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 9:53 PM on January 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 9:53 PM on January 4, 2018 [13 favorites]
people just keep buying the fucking stocks like nothing's wrong.
People just keep buying the fucking stocks because the new tax package robs the middle and lower classes to give to corporations, meaning profits (and therefore dividends) will go up, as opposed to wages or employment.
Fixed that for you.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:33 PM on January 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
People just keep buying the fucking stocks because the new tax package robs the middle and lower classes to give to corporations, meaning profits (and therefore dividends) will go up, as opposed to wages or employment.
Fixed that for you.
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:33 PM on January 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Dow keeping going up just pushes me right over the edge
The Dow is denominated in dollars. I just assume the US dollar loses value with each Tweet and that rising share prices do not reflect any change in a firm’s intrinsic worth right now.
FUCK TWITTER, Y’ALL. I haven’t buttoned, but I deleted the app from my phone for the new year, and by God I actually feel better even though I’m looking down the barrel of bankruptcy. I’ll miss my semi-bon mots, Josh’s fractal paintings and bondcliff’s guitars, but no way am I trading those for hourly bumps of anxiety leavened with humor.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:35 PM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
The Dow is denominated in dollars. I just assume the US dollar loses value with each Tweet and that rising share prices do not reflect any change in a firm’s intrinsic worth right now.
FUCK TWITTER, Y’ALL. I haven’t buttoned, but I deleted the app from my phone for the new year, and by God I actually feel better even though I’m looking down the barrel of bankruptcy. I’ll miss my semi-bon mots, Josh’s fractal paintings and bondcliff’s guitars, but no way am I trading those for hourly bumps of anxiety leavened with humor.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:35 PM on January 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Oh, Jacy. Damn.
I just want to say the following to someone other than myself, in the hopes that writing it will prove to be a talisman:
I've been having an email get-to-know-you with a person I think is great for the past couple of weeks. We met today in person, and that seemed to go well. They are literally the best piece of news I've had in a couple of years and I'm so excited--yet absolutely fucking terrified I'm going to fuck this up. And that worry in-and-of itself feels like my fucking brain, the non-rational, chemical goopy bit, is doing its normal over-thinking thing and that will lead to a loop which does, in the end, fuck this up. So: Please, goop--find something else to do for a bit. I need this.
This potential relationship is the first thing which feels like even an echo of reality as I used to understand it. Turns out, I miss reality. The fantasy we're all collectively part of at the moment, presumably in the mind of a deeply disturbed being, sucks. I'd like a chance to forge my own spot away from it.
And now back to less self-indulgent crap...
posted by maxwelton at 10:44 PM on January 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
I just want to say the following to someone other than myself, in the hopes that writing it will prove to be a talisman:
I've been having an email get-to-know-you with a person I think is great for the past couple of weeks. We met today in person, and that seemed to go well. They are literally the best piece of news I've had in a couple of years and I'm so excited--yet absolutely fucking terrified I'm going to fuck this up. And that worry in-and-of itself feels like my fucking brain, the non-rational, chemical goopy bit, is doing its normal over-thinking thing and that will lead to a loop which does, in the end, fuck this up. So: Please, goop--find something else to do for a bit. I need this.
This potential relationship is the first thing which feels like even an echo of reality as I used to understand it. Turns out, I miss reality. The fantasy we're all collectively part of at the moment, presumably in the mind of a deeply disturbed being, sucks. I'd like a chance to forge my own spot away from it.
And now back to less self-indulgent crap...
posted by maxwelton at 10:44 PM on January 4, 2018 [12 favorites]
jacy, I’m so sorry.
posted by mochapickle at 11:18 PM on January 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 11:18 PM on January 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yay maxwelton!
Remember that this shiny new person is not a plate of beans.
(they may want you to eat them, but put the overthinking aside for a while)
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:36 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Remember that this shiny new person is not a plate of beans.
(they may want you to eat them, but put the overthinking aside for a while)
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:36 PM on January 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Fuck the scummy weasels and the greedy void crabs in people suits who are behind them.
A friend of mine was friends with one of the people who died in the train derailment last month. He's been helping out the guy's family from the day that it happened, and while the press were their predictably vulturesome selves (with an odd exception - one of the national morning shows sent a clever and respectful rep who graciously took no for an answer), shenanigans have been attempted by other entities with interests. So far and hopefully in the future, with his help and that of others, the scummy weasels won't get the upper hand.
He's the kind of friend that I try to be. The friend who shows up. Unfortunately, he's had a lot of practice.
Look for the helpers, and help them if you can.
posted by monopas at 12:04 AM on January 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
A friend of mine was friends with one of the people who died in the train derailment last month. He's been helping out the guy's family from the day that it happened, and while the press were their predictably vulturesome selves (with an odd exception - one of the national morning shows sent a clever and respectful rep who graciously took no for an answer), shenanigans have been attempted by other entities with interests. So far and hopefully in the future, with his help and that of others, the scummy weasels won't get the upper hand.
He's the kind of friend that I try to be. The friend who shows up. Unfortunately, he's had a lot of practice.
Look for the helpers, and help them if you can.
posted by monopas at 12:04 AM on January 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Oh Jacy, I am so sorry. *Huge hugs*
posted by daybeforetheday at 1:11 AM on January 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by daybeforetheday at 1:11 AM on January 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
You know, I almost wish I could go back into my past fifteen years ago, grab my opiate-addled self, who was verbally abusive when she wasn't nodding off, and then get really baked and load my opiate me and my weed me into a small room with Jeff Sessions.
I mean it would be pretty awesome because opiate me would be screaming at Sessions until he cried and then baked me would be giggling but like inserting my body between opiate me and Sessions to avoid violence.
The worst part of that scenario? Not being in a small room with Jeff Sessions, although that would be bad. It would be being in a small room with the fifteen years ago opiate-addled version of me.
posted by angrycat at 1:20 AM on January 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
I mean it would be pretty awesome because opiate me would be screaming at Sessions until he cried and then baked me would be giggling but like inserting my body between opiate me and Sessions to avoid violence.
The worst part of that scenario? Not being in a small room with Jeff Sessions, although that would be bad. It would be being in a small room with the fifteen years ago opiate-addled version of me.
posted by angrycat at 1:20 AM on January 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
Oh jacy, I am so, so sorry about your dog. Pets are such wonderful, furry souls. My heart hurts for you. I’m sure you gave her a lovely home.
posted by bookmammal at 3:32 AM on January 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by bookmammal at 3:32 AM on January 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
maxwelton, you got this. I know I am just an internet stranger, but I believe in you, man.
posted by Literaryhero at 4:17 AM on January 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Literaryhero at 4:17 AM on January 5, 2018 [6 favorites]
Hugs Jacy. I lost my cat, Tipper, age 12 to cancer 2 years ago. It hurt so much. I was in emotional, health and financial distress at the time. I didn't know if I'd be able to afford the initial treatment, but I managed to cover the cost of initial surgery and she had a good recovery for a month before the cancer returned and the humane answer was euthanasia. She was my familiar from the time I moved to Melbourne.
I've got two young Maine Coon's as company now as gifts from my family. They're still growing into their paws. I hope you're able to find a new companion when you're ready.
Otherwise, 2017 has sucked beyond all compare. I'm financially ok, but still insecure. The whole marriage equality thing in AU and the #metoo events raised a huge number of emotional issues tracking back from early adolescent sexual abuse outside the home, gender dysphoria issues across decades pre- and post-transition. The fucking postal survey was a catalyst to anxiety and social isolation. Watching the USA implode into the vile mess of ugly hatefulness I'd seen growing over the last three decades. The invading of the same vileness into Australian politics in the form of Dutton, Morrison, etc. The infection is still active.
And then my health collapsed. I moved off a biologic, targeting a protein known as TNF-Alpha, that mostly worked. But I still had recurring flares and disabilities. The new class of biologic targeted a protein called IL-17. It hasn't worked. At all. I've been debilitated for many many months. I'm on the highest dose of oral corticoid-steroids since the onset of my condition. Ironically, I can't restart the previous biologic until my inflammation is under control but it refuses to drop to an acceptable level. The high dosing is having a large impact this time. Huge weight gain, moon face, fragile and thinning skin, unbelievable sweating.
Life sucks right now and I'm doubting it's worth for me.
Add this to the shit storm in the USA. I grew up in Texas. My parents and extended family are mainly from and in Oklahoma. My immediate family love and support me. Don't know so much about the extended 2nd and 3rd cousins and aunts and uncles. It's ugly and sensitive. I try to ignore it, but the undercurrent and undeniable degradation of homes, infrastructure, social cohesion remains.
It all hurts. The disease of Republicanism (and trump) has likely destroyed the USA for a generation. I hope it recovers. The metastasis of the cancer into Australia is life threatening to me.
I'll back up in my despair for a second to acknowledge that being white and from the USA has given me many privileges in my career. Being trans and lacking a tertiary degree not so much. Still, in so many respects, I've had a lucky life.
Sorry for the long, disjointed Fucking Fuck. It isn't even close to to the despair I've felt for many months. My basic health is my current priority, if that doesn't improve then screw it.
posted by michswiss at 5:02 AM on January 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
I've got two young Maine Coon's as company now as gifts from my family. They're still growing into their paws. I hope you're able to find a new companion when you're ready.
Otherwise, 2017 has sucked beyond all compare. I'm financially ok, but still insecure. The whole marriage equality thing in AU and the #metoo events raised a huge number of emotional issues tracking back from early adolescent sexual abuse outside the home, gender dysphoria issues across decades pre- and post-transition. The fucking postal survey was a catalyst to anxiety and social isolation. Watching the USA implode into the vile mess of ugly hatefulness I'd seen growing over the last three decades. The invading of the same vileness into Australian politics in the form of Dutton, Morrison, etc. The infection is still active.
And then my health collapsed. I moved off a biologic, targeting a protein known as TNF-Alpha, that mostly worked. But I still had recurring flares and disabilities. The new class of biologic targeted a protein called IL-17. It hasn't worked. At all. I've been debilitated for many many months. I'm on the highest dose of oral corticoid-steroids since the onset of my condition. Ironically, I can't restart the previous biologic until my inflammation is under control but it refuses to drop to an acceptable level. The high dosing is having a large impact this time. Huge weight gain, moon face, fragile and thinning skin, unbelievable sweating.
Life sucks right now and I'm doubting it's worth for me.
Add this to the shit storm in the USA. I grew up in Texas. My parents and extended family are mainly from and in Oklahoma. My immediate family love and support me. Don't know so much about the extended 2nd and 3rd cousins and aunts and uncles. It's ugly and sensitive. I try to ignore it, but the undercurrent and undeniable degradation of homes, infrastructure, social cohesion remains.
It all hurts. The disease of Republicanism (and trump) has likely destroyed the USA for a generation. I hope it recovers. The metastasis of the cancer into Australia is life threatening to me.
I'll back up in my despair for a second to acknowledge that being white and from the USA has given me many privileges in my career. Being trans and lacking a tertiary degree not so much. Still, in so many respects, I've had a lucky life.
Sorry for the long, disjointed Fucking Fuck. It isn't even close to to the despair I've felt for many months. My basic health is my current priority, if that doesn't improve then screw it.
posted by michswiss at 5:02 AM on January 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
jacy, I'm so sorry about your pup. All my family's love to you and yours.
posted by middleclasstool at 5:25 AM on January 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by middleclasstool at 5:25 AM on January 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I've been on a holiday for a while and a have a few days more. I haven't watched any news and don't intend to (so many shows to catch up on). Swimming in the ocean, catching up with family. Preparing food from books that I was given for Xmas (yeah, they know I love cooking and it's not about them getting yummy new food for sure), and I feel for you who are suffering in different ways, but 'the current occupier of the Oval Office' is not the be all and end all.
If you continue to concentrate on 'him who should not be named' it will be all you think about. I reframe and ignore the best I can. I hope you can too.
posted by unliteral at 5:45 AM on January 5, 2018
If you continue to concentrate on 'him who should not be named' it will be all you think about. I reframe and ignore the best I can. I hope you can too.
posted by unliteral at 5:45 AM on January 5, 2018
All the hugs, Jacy.
At me to the camp of, I have never been glad my mother was gone before, but hell, she got anxious when I took the train to Florida alone. Some asshole WITH HIS FINGER ON THE BUTTON TWEETING ABOUT IT? She'd be melting down right now.
(But I still wish she were here. I could use a Starbucks run with my mom right now.)
posted by joycehealy at 6:29 AM on January 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
At me to the camp of, I have never been glad my mother was gone before, but hell, she got anxious when I took the train to Florida alone. Some asshole WITH HIS FINGER ON THE BUTTON TWEETING ABOUT IT? She'd be melting down right now.
(But I still wish she were here. I could use a Starbucks run with my mom right now.)
posted by joycehealy at 6:29 AM on January 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Take care, Jacy. Losing furry soulmates is so very hard.
maxwelton: I just want to say the following to someone other than myself, in the hopes that writing it will prove to be a talisman:
I've been having an email get-to-know-you with a person I think is great for the past couple of weeks. We met today in person, and that seemed to go well. They are literally the best piece of news I've had in a couple of years and I'm so excited--yet absolutely fucking terrified I'm going to fuck this up.
Hopefully my experience will be a talisman to ward off this for others: yours was me four weeks ago. Then we went on a second date, hours of enjoyable talking and strolling around Montmartre, he seemed genuinely eager and asked if we could see each other again. Of course! I answered. Yay! "How's Friday?" he asked. Fine for me. "Cool I'll think of something and we'll be in touch." That sounds very nice, I said. He blushed and smiled, asked "So Friday's good for sure, then?" I nodded, giggled happily, we kissed cheeks.
And he ghosted. I'd already gone after him for the second date, and he had asked for my ideas so I'd done all the planning for it, so yeah, the third was for him. We exchanged a few texts the day after the second date... and he ghosted.
Please don't ghost, people, especially not after you've set an initial plan in person. I can grok ghosting very early on if there's just a fuzzy "be in touch" with nothing more, but damn. It's not that hard to text "I'm sorry, something came up and I won't be able to see you after all." And give a decent explanation if/when the other person asks a question in return.
Otherwise 2017 was a good year for me personally. 2018 has started off even better. I spent the first twenty years of my life living in a fundamentalist evangelical abusive hell, my twenties desperately trying to raise my head above it enough to survive, my thirties juuuust barely surviving and ekeing ahead, and now that I'm starting my forties some jerkbutt asswipes have gotten in charge of my home country... but my personal life is finally stable and optimistic. It's like flipping from "shit shit shit" personally while the country seemed optimistic, to "shit shit shit" for my home country while personal life is finally on track. It's weird and damn, I know how traumatic and how wide-ranging that abuse is. Because it is abuse. Y'all are being abused on a national level. Remember to do things you love. I'm saying that as someone who had nothing 'cause like, as a kid you can't have a job or live independently, so yeah, do what you love, even if it's watching butterflies on clover blossoms and petting cats and dogs.
posted by fraula at 6:31 AM on January 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
maxwelton: I just want to say the following to someone other than myself, in the hopes that writing it will prove to be a talisman:
I've been having an email get-to-know-you with a person I think is great for the past couple of weeks. We met today in person, and that seemed to go well. They are literally the best piece of news I've had in a couple of years and I'm so excited--yet absolutely fucking terrified I'm going to fuck this up.
Hopefully my experience will be a talisman to ward off this for others: yours was me four weeks ago. Then we went on a second date, hours of enjoyable talking and strolling around Montmartre, he seemed genuinely eager and asked if we could see each other again. Of course! I answered. Yay! "How's Friday?" he asked. Fine for me. "Cool I'll think of something and we'll be in touch." That sounds very nice, I said. He blushed and smiled, asked "So Friday's good for sure, then?" I nodded, giggled happily, we kissed cheeks.
And he ghosted. I'd already gone after him for the second date, and he had asked for my ideas so I'd done all the planning for it, so yeah, the third was for him. We exchanged a few texts the day after the second date... and he ghosted.
Please don't ghost, people, especially not after you've set an initial plan in person. I can grok ghosting very early on if there's just a fuzzy "be in touch" with nothing more, but damn. It's not that hard to text "I'm sorry, something came up and I won't be able to see you after all." And give a decent explanation if/when the other person asks a question in return.
Otherwise 2017 was a good year for me personally. 2018 has started off even better. I spent the first twenty years of my life living in a fundamentalist evangelical abusive hell, my twenties desperately trying to raise my head above it enough to survive, my thirties juuuust barely surviving and ekeing ahead, and now that I'm starting my forties some jerkbutt asswipes have gotten in charge of my home country... but my personal life is finally stable and optimistic. It's like flipping from "shit shit shit" personally while the country seemed optimistic, to "shit shit shit" for my home country while personal life is finally on track. It's weird and damn, I know how traumatic and how wide-ranging that abuse is. Because it is abuse. Y'all are being abused on a national level. Remember to do things you love. I'm saying that as someone who had nothing 'cause like, as a kid you can't have a job or live independently, so yeah, do what you love, even if it's watching butterflies on clover blossoms and petting cats and dogs.
posted by fraula at 6:31 AM on January 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
Bannon lives a few blocks from me. I'd like to think that his breaking with Trump has a little to do with his seeing too many stickers of this image that certain people have been posting around DC.
posted by exogenous at 6:34 AM on January 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by exogenous at 6:34 AM on January 5, 2018 [18 favorites]
This morning I read a Politico piece that split screens Fox news and T*ump's tweets, with the somewhat non-startling conclusion that he isn't actually artfully framing the narrative or craftily directing the stories of the day, no:
THE PRESIDENT JUST TWEETS WHATEVER IS ON FOX NEWS.
That's it; that's what he does. No more, no less.
I no longer think, "Surely this. Surely THIS will be enough to get ONE adult in power to lead the charge to get rid of him," because my adult kids were home over the holidays and all said that in their circles, they've come to accept that this great American experiment of democracy has failed.
We tried for 200 years and it's over. We have a lunatic in the White House. We cannot get rid of him. And that's all, folks. We can all get out there and love each other and do good work and take care of ourselves but as far as our government goes, the great experiment has ended.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 6:59 AM on January 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
THE PRESIDENT JUST TWEETS WHATEVER IS ON FOX NEWS.
That's it; that's what he does. No more, no less.
I no longer think, "Surely this. Surely THIS will be enough to get ONE adult in power to lead the charge to get rid of him," because my adult kids were home over the holidays and all said that in their circles, they've come to accept that this great American experiment of democracy has failed.
We tried for 200 years and it's over. We have a lunatic in the White House. We cannot get rid of him. And that's all, folks. We can all get out there and love each other and do good work and take care of ourselves but as far as our government goes, the great experiment has ended.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 6:59 AM on January 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
I'm hanging on by a thread.
I went no contact with my narcissistic mother after the election, not because of the election but her behavior during it was really over the edge. I have had no contact since then from my side. She tends to send profanity-laden screeds every so often. On the day after Christmas, she sent 2 photos of my 94 year old grandmother in the hospital looking near death with the only caption, "not that you care." I was driving home from a lovely visit with some friends 400 miles away. Seems grandma had fallen and was actually already home from the ER but the gambit was that I would feel so guilty that I'd finally call. Now, 10 days later, she's back in the hospital and I've been yelled at by my sister for "tapping out" because I won't fill out the MediCal paperwork despite having visited a number of times. My grandmother has 2 adult children and they both have spouses but my sister is acting out because my mother's narcissism is getting to her. It's all such a clusterfuck.
When my father's mother became ill 15 years ago, I took care of everything (taking the driver's license, selling the car, finding a place to live, finances, lawyers, real estate, feeding, hygiene, EVERYTHING). I was never so suicidal than I was after that was over. I'm not doing it again.
The political drama kind of works as a distraction for me from the personal, but it all has to be raising my cortisol levels to ridiculous heights. I really need to meditate.
posted by Sophie1 at 7:28 AM on January 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
I went no contact with my narcissistic mother after the election, not because of the election but her behavior during it was really over the edge. I have had no contact since then from my side. She tends to send profanity-laden screeds every so often. On the day after Christmas, she sent 2 photos of my 94 year old grandmother in the hospital looking near death with the only caption, "not that you care." I was driving home from a lovely visit with some friends 400 miles away. Seems grandma had fallen and was actually already home from the ER but the gambit was that I would feel so guilty that I'd finally call. Now, 10 days later, she's back in the hospital and I've been yelled at by my sister for "tapping out" because I won't fill out the MediCal paperwork despite having visited a number of times. My grandmother has 2 adult children and they both have spouses but my sister is acting out because my mother's narcissism is getting to her. It's all such a clusterfuck.
When my father's mother became ill 15 years ago, I took care of everything (taking the driver's license, selling the car, finding a place to live, finances, lawyers, real estate, feeding, hygiene, EVERYTHING). I was never so suicidal than I was after that was over. I'm not doing it again.
The political drama kind of works as a distraction for me from the personal, but it all has to be raising my cortisol levels to ridiculous heights. I really need to meditate.
posted by Sophie1 at 7:28 AM on January 5, 2018 [15 favorites]
but it all has to be raising my cortisol levels to ridiculous heights
Truth. And it affects everyone. I'm a teacher and my students are shorter-tempered, my coworkers are turning into a Lindsay Lohan "Mean Girls" endless re-enactment, the parents of my students (right-wing NE town) have become obnoxiously over-entitled and take great pride in belittling teachers and our sad jobs.
Everyone is just so fucking cranky. For the first time in years, I'm trying to get out of teaching because it's now just an endless shitshow of hostility and defensive posturing and nastiness.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 7:41 AM on January 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Truth. And it affects everyone. I'm a teacher and my students are shorter-tempered, my coworkers are turning into a Lindsay Lohan "Mean Girls" endless re-enactment, the parents of my students (right-wing NE town) have become obnoxiously over-entitled and take great pride in belittling teachers and our sad jobs.
Everyone is just so fucking cranky. For the first time in years, I'm trying to get out of teaching because it's now just an endless shitshow of hostility and defensive posturing and nastiness.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 7:41 AM on January 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
2017 had me terrified - crying, panicking, and not taking good care of myself. I did what I could, contacting my congress critters, although none of them will listen to me. I felt like nothing I did had any effect.
Every day is a new low bar, but now I am really fucking angry and I am not about to let them win.
posted by blurker at 7:43 AM on January 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Every day is a new low bar, but now I am really fucking angry and I am not about to let them win.
posted by blurker at 7:43 AM on January 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is incredibly petty of me, but...TFW you're really, really angry about something that happened on an academia-related mailing list you're on, but can't complain about it here because MetaFilter people are such an educated bunch that there's a pretty good chance someone here is on the same list, and maybe even the person who got you angry.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 8:07 AM on January 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 8:07 AM on January 5, 2018 [10 favorites]
I've spent a decade working in politics and lobbying. I've helped elect and re-elect a President and worked on a bunch of down-ballot local races, and lobby my state legislature on energy/environmental issues. I'm a down-ballot unpaid elected official. I've been a True Believer in Democracy for a long time.
And now...I just don't know anymore. The President listens to nobody about anything. Two state Senators resigned before this legislative session, one for being caught having an affair with a lobbyist, the other for being caught sexually harassing and maybe also assaulting lobbyists and legislative staff. Both of these monsters were sponsors of a bill I'm trying to get passed. They left over a half-million people in my state without representation in the senate because of their stupid toxic male bullshit.
It's wearing me down. What's the point of being an environmentalist when the President is going to kill the world with nukes over a tweet? What's the point of voting if the people we vote for don't pay attention to us and are just using the office to enrich themselves and their friends, and as an outlet for their sexual aggression? Next week I'm conducting a training on how to talk to your legislators about environmental issues, and I just want to scrap the whole goddamn thing because everything I've believed about politics and government and democracy is turning into a cruel joke.
Fuck all this bullshit.
posted by Cookiebastard at 8:19 AM on January 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
And now...I just don't know anymore. The President listens to nobody about anything. Two state Senators resigned before this legislative session, one for being caught having an affair with a lobbyist, the other for being caught sexually harassing and maybe also assaulting lobbyists and legislative staff. Both of these monsters were sponsors of a bill I'm trying to get passed. They left over a half-million people in my state without representation in the senate because of their stupid toxic male bullshit.
It's wearing me down. What's the point of being an environmentalist when the President is going to kill the world with nukes over a tweet? What's the point of voting if the people we vote for don't pay attention to us and are just using the office to enrich themselves and their friends, and as an outlet for their sexual aggression? Next week I'm conducting a training on how to talk to your legislators about environmental issues, and I just want to scrap the whole goddamn thing because everything I've believed about politics and government and democracy is turning into a cruel joke.
Fuck all this bullshit.
posted by Cookiebastard at 8:19 AM on January 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
You guys.
I’m one of the very very few liberals in my extended family. I used to visit my elderly mother twice a year, in spring and fall. Well, for a fall visit I was going to wait till after the election when everything would be OK. It wasn’t OK. I didn’t visit that fall or last spring or this fall. I just don’t think I can do it. I can’t stand it.
Meanwhile my husband drank up most of our money and lost his job during his recent midlife crisis and is now living with his girlfriend (and just started a new job), but for various reasons he hasn’t taken much of his stuff and we haven’t actually quite broken up and I can’t move on because I will absolutely take him back but he has to come home and let me forgive him, and I can’t even.
Also I hate winter. And my phone died and I have to wait till payday to get a new battery or whatever.
Thank you so much for being here. I need us.
On the plus side, my ridiculously sweet cat is the snuggliest lap boy ever and makes me feel good every day.
posted by Occula at 8:31 AM on January 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
I’m one of the very very few liberals in my extended family. I used to visit my elderly mother twice a year, in spring and fall. Well, for a fall visit I was going to wait till after the election when everything would be OK. It wasn’t OK. I didn’t visit that fall or last spring or this fall. I just don’t think I can do it. I can’t stand it.
Meanwhile my husband drank up most of our money and lost his job during his recent midlife crisis and is now living with his girlfriend (and just started a new job), but for various reasons he hasn’t taken much of his stuff and we haven’t actually quite broken up and I can’t move on because I will absolutely take him back but he has to come home and let me forgive him, and I can’t even.
Also I hate winter. And my phone died and I have to wait till payday to get a new battery or whatever.
Thank you so much for being here. I need us.
On the plus side, my ridiculously sweet cat is the snuggliest lap boy ever and makes me feel good every day.
posted by Occula at 8:31 AM on January 5, 2018 [24 favorites]
This is such a minor thing but ever since we reset expectations on the politics thread I am agonizing over every time I post a comment anywhere on Mefi and am too anxious to even try to post on the politics threads anymore. I feel like I've lost the ability to read the room and for the life of me can't tell what is and is not appropriate based on what comments people are actually posting. I am prohibited at work from discussing politics on social media (I'm considered a 24/7 rep for my school) and don't currently have anyone informed enough in my world to have a much deeper than "fuck that trump amirite?" conversation. I mean, my opinions and analysis aren't really worth sharing anyways (which is true) but I miss participating.
I appreciate reading what is contributed by everyone so thank everyone for your contributions. I feel bad about not being active anywhere (other than with donations and resistbot faxes) - I feel pretty helpless but I guess that's just the way it is for everyone now.
Basically, fuck that Trump, amirite?
posted by Joey Michaels at 9:04 AM on January 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
I appreciate reading what is contributed by everyone so thank everyone for your contributions. I feel bad about not being active anywhere (other than with donations and resistbot faxes) - I feel pretty helpless but I guess that's just the way it is for everyone now.
Basically, fuck that Trump, amirite?
posted by Joey Michaels at 9:04 AM on January 5, 2018 [14 favorites]
I am very interested in seeing how the Wolff book affects Trump's mind. Since I have no way of knowing how much of the book is true, I'll just enjoy his inevitable breakdown. Let's face it, the book essentially says that everyone around Trump thinks he's stupid and unfit to be President. This strikes at his core. It has to hurt.
Good.
posted by Splunge at 9:10 AM on January 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
Good.
posted by Splunge at 9:10 AM on January 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
infinitewindow best wishes on the bankruptcy thing. I'm living proof it is survivable. Feel free to DM if you want an ear.
Everyone else here I offer a big fucking hug.
I keep wondering what the Women's March is going to morph into, given the increasing speed of the trump spiral. 2 weeks from tomorrow in this unpredictable time line.
posted by yoga at 9:22 AM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Everyone else here I offer a big fucking hug.
I keep wondering what the Women's March is going to morph into, given the increasing speed of the trump spiral. 2 weeks from tomorrow in this unpredictable time line.
posted by yoga at 9:22 AM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
After being unemployed for so long I knew I was going to be in a bit of a hole and would have to climb out. That it would be hard. But I've gathered all the bills in arrears and factored in the broken parking brake, New regular brakes, a tune up, and paying someone to actually fix my laptop and I'm in a hole of about $5000. That might not be a lot to some, but when my first paycheck was $300 and the second only $200 because of snow, and this week we only worked two days? That whole looks like an impossible climb.
But on a positive note, I found afternoon care for my disabled teenager through the YMCA. And if he does well, then when I get my tax returns I'll expand to morning care allowing me more hours at work and better pay. I just have to hang on for a little longer.
Also, I continue to meet with my new sister once a month and she and her kids continue to be awesome. It's been a weird journey to more family, but I'm glad I'm on it.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 10:07 AM on January 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
But on a positive note, I found afternoon care for my disabled teenager through the YMCA. And if he does well, then when I get my tax returns I'll expand to morning care allowing me more hours at work and better pay. I just have to hang on for a little longer.
Also, I continue to meet with my new sister once a month and she and her kids continue to be awesome. It's been a weird journey to more family, but I'm glad I'm on it.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 10:07 AM on January 5, 2018 [12 favorites]
hey yoga, I'm about to start the bankruptcy process as well and I have no idea what to do or where to start. I keep meaning to post an Ask.Me about it, but executive function issues and anxiety over the whole thing are thwarting me. Could I MeMail you too maybe?
Also I just dropped a giant sketch pad on my face and now I have a fat lip. Two, actually.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:11 AM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Also I just dropped a giant sketch pad on my face and now I have a fat lip. Two, actually.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:11 AM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I read these threads because they make me feel less alone and isolated - I appreciate being reminded that I'm not the only person who's depressed/furious/terrified/discouraged by what's going on every fucking day in the fucking news.
And then I read some of these stories - losing pets, horrible family behavior, health problems, running out of money - and they just break my heart. I wish we had a way to mark a comment with something like "sympathy" or "support" rather than "favorite". I can't favorite what people are writing, but would like to express support or agreement or sympathy. (No, I don't want to make a separate request thread about that; I know it's been discussed before, and I know that nobody needs any extra work. Sorry for any derail.)
Fucking trump and mcconnell and ryan are ruining fucking everything.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 10:20 AM on January 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
And then I read some of these stories - losing pets, horrible family behavior, health problems, running out of money - and they just break my heart. I wish we had a way to mark a comment with something like "sympathy" or "support" rather than "favorite". I can't favorite what people are writing, but would like to express support or agreement or sympathy. (No, I don't want to make a separate request thread about that; I know it's been discussed before, and I know that nobody needs any extra work. Sorry for any derail.)
Fucking trump and mcconnell and ryan are ruining fucking everything.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 10:20 AM on January 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
I can't favorite what people are writing, but would like to express support or agreement or sympathy.
You can send them a Memail. Having been on the receiving end of a few of those, I can assure you they will mean waaaaaaaayyyyyyy more to the recipient than a single click engagement on the favorites or sympathy button, or whatever.
posted by COD at 10:28 AM on January 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
You can send them a Memail. Having been on the receiving end of a few of those, I can assure you they will mean waaaaaaaayyyyyyy more to the recipient than a single click engagement on the favorites or sympathy button, or whatever.
posted by COD at 10:28 AM on January 5, 2018 [11 favorites]
I'm pretty much going into 2018 like Brick Tamland holding a hand grenade and yelling incoherently.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:39 AM on January 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:39 AM on January 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Not at all related to politics, but I'm in New Orleans to present at a conference, and I've been totally panicked about my presentation. It sucks! Not in, like, a "oh ho hum I think my amazing things sucks"kind of way but in a "I had writer's block for a month and cobbled together something barely coherent this morning, and still need to do my slideshow" way.
I feel like one of two things will happen: I'll freak way out and there will be like 4 people in the audience, or I'll freak way out and then see major important people in the audience and freak out even more. I'm hoping it'll be the former and that I can just say that I presented at a conference without anyone ever knowing how awful it was. Either way, I'm just waiting until it's overrrr and then I can go experience what New Orleans has to offer, by which I mean I want to check out some of the used bookstores around here.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 10:50 AM on January 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
I feel like one of two things will happen: I'll freak way out and there will be like 4 people in the audience, or I'll freak way out and then see major important people in the audience and freak out even more. I'm hoping it'll be the former and that I can just say that I presented at a conference without anyone ever knowing how awful it was. Either way, I'm just waiting until it's overrrr and then I can go experience what New Orleans has to offer, by which I mean I want to check out some of the used bookstores around here.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 10:50 AM on January 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
My understanding is that everybody presenting at every conference is feeling basically that way.
posted by contraption at 10:54 AM on January 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by contraption at 10:54 AM on January 5, 2018 [7 favorites]
I gave a talk at a conference in New Orleans and it was great because I ate like 17 beignets beforehand and I was all hyped up on powdered sugar for the talk and then as soon as it was done I went and drank a lot of beer and saw Kermit Ruffins and ate amazing seafood jambalaya and forgot about everything conference related. A++ recommend.
posted by ChuraChura at 11:07 AM on January 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 11:07 AM on January 5, 2018 [22 favorites]
Interviewed for a job yesterday that I really wanted and need. Got the cal. No-go but hey you were number 2. I've been number 2 for a few jobs now and I'm tired of it. My 12 year dog who was fine and bounding around last week is now lying at my feet and I'm sitting here trying to decide if I should last minute call the vet for a final appointment today or wait till tomorrow.
Found out yesterday she has a heart tumor and is congestive heart failure so there is nothing to be done. She's still eating a bit, drinking and wags her tail for short walks outside. This thing does not end good, it ends horrible, it's either respirtory distress or tumor rupture which means full cardiac arrest. These are not good ways so it's just a matter of deciding exactly when. Her breathing is starting to get a little heavier so I'm pretty sure tomorrow I'm just freaked about tonight and holy shit this fucking sucks.
Thanks for listening. I really just needed to get this out.
Oh and fuck Trump and all the other complicit, craven, selfish, stupid fucks around him and those allowing him to remain in power.
posted by Jalliah at 12:18 PM on January 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
Found out yesterday she has a heart tumor and is congestive heart failure so there is nothing to be done. She's still eating a bit, drinking and wags her tail for short walks outside. This thing does not end good, it ends horrible, it's either respirtory distress or tumor rupture which means full cardiac arrest. These are not good ways so it's just a matter of deciding exactly when. Her breathing is starting to get a little heavier so I'm pretty sure tomorrow I'm just freaked about tonight and holy shit this fucking sucks.
Thanks for listening. I really just needed to get this out.
Oh and fuck Trump and all the other complicit, craven, selfish, stupid fucks around him and those allowing him to remain in power.
posted by Jalliah at 12:18 PM on January 5, 2018 [23 favorites]
After every minute development/leak/excerpt/interview/what-have-you I want to post "Surely this!" in the current politics thread. And I refrain. Today, however, it has become too much. So...
Surely This
fuck
posted by Fezboy! at 1:27 PM on January 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
Surely This
fuck
posted by Fezboy! at 1:27 PM on January 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
elsietheheel yes, totally MeMail me! And use caution around sketch books.
posted by yoga at 1:34 PM on January 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by yoga at 1:34 PM on January 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
After every minute development/leak/excerpt/interview/what-have-you I want to post "Surely this!" in the current politics thread.
For the past week I've been sorely tempted to shout out, "Oh, THIS is the Bad Place", in reaction to everything.
posted by ZeusHumms at 2:30 PM on January 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
For the past week I've been sorely tempted to shout out, "Oh, THIS is the Bad Place", in reaction to everything.
posted by ZeusHumms at 2:30 PM on January 5, 2018 [8 favorites]
I make a comment in the latest potus45 thread that goes against the DNC centrist-right orthodoxy and it gets shoved down the memory hole. I know I should just let it go and go watch Netflix or something, but man, being censored like that really fucking bugs me. Some of us don't have any confidence in the Red OR the Blue Team -- who'da thunk it? If you do, don't think it out loud.
posted by Fuzzypumper at 4:05 PM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Fuzzypumper at 4:05 PM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Jalliah, I am so sorry you’re going through all that, and especially with your dog. You’ll know when it’s time. I am so, so sorry.
posted by bookmammal at 4:09 PM on January 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by bookmammal at 4:09 PM on January 5, 2018 [4 favorites]
... and sending virtual hugs/hand squeezes/arms around the shoulders to all who need and want them. We need to hang on to each other.
posted by bookmammal at 4:15 PM on January 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by bookmammal at 4:15 PM on January 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm visiting my elderly dad and today he had a headache and cannot take aspirin. So we have this exchange:
Me: Want some ice?
Dad: No.
Me: Want me to massage your forehead?
Dad: No.
Me: Want me to be quiet?
Dad: No. ... I just want you to be yourself.
Me (putting my hand on top of his): That might cause problems for both of us.
Dad: We'll just do the best we can. And take a break if we need to.
So my dad is kind of like Trump only without the money or college degree. To be fair, he is way smarter than Trump. He's also a dry drunk, and a cranky narcissist who damaged me and my younger sisters a massive amount with his selfish, self-centered behaviour when he was younger. So this afternoon's exchange was a form of grace. To have my dad accept me as myself, after a childhood of being corrected and criticised for being myself, well, that meant a lot.
Things aren't okay, of course. They aren't okay for me personally (for a variety of reasons), they aren't okay for lots of fellow MeFites, and they sure as hell aren't okay for the US or, as long as Trump is in power, the world. And yet, I am okay.
There are many reasons why I am okay, despited the fucked up nature of the universe right now. One of them is MetaFilter. Every day I visit I see a post, read a comment, or notice a story that feels like a moment of grace to me.
Because of that, I can't help but be optimistic. I can't help but remember the importance of community in both good times and bad times and how, in this especially dark timeline, MetaFilter continues to be a community that gives me hope, courage, and support when I ask for it.
Not everyone experiences this place in that way but I do. Thank you for making MF my online home. I really need an online home, and I'm glad this is it.
posted by Bella Donna at 6:04 PM on January 5, 2018 [34 favorites]
Me: Want some ice?
Dad: No.
Me: Want me to massage your forehead?
Dad: No.
Me: Want me to be quiet?
Dad: No. ... I just want you to be yourself.
Me (putting my hand on top of his): That might cause problems for both of us.
Dad: We'll just do the best we can. And take a break if we need to.
So my dad is kind of like Trump only without the money or college degree. To be fair, he is way smarter than Trump. He's also a dry drunk, and a cranky narcissist who damaged me and my younger sisters a massive amount with his selfish, self-centered behaviour when he was younger. So this afternoon's exchange was a form of grace. To have my dad accept me as myself, after a childhood of being corrected and criticised for being myself, well, that meant a lot.
Things aren't okay, of course. They aren't okay for me personally (for a variety of reasons), they aren't okay for lots of fellow MeFites, and they sure as hell aren't okay for the US or, as long as Trump is in power, the world. And yet, I am okay.
There are many reasons why I am okay, despited the fucked up nature of the universe right now. One of them is MetaFilter. Every day I visit I see a post, read a comment, or notice a story that feels like a moment of grace to me.
Because of that, I can't help but be optimistic. I can't help but remember the importance of community in both good times and bad times and how, in this especially dark timeline, MetaFilter continues to be a community that gives me hope, courage, and support when I ask for it.
Not everyone experiences this place in that way but I do. Thank you for making MF my online home. I really need an online home, and I'm glad this is it.
posted by Bella Donna at 6:04 PM on January 5, 2018 [34 favorites]
Trump is in the office because the 'Liberals are the enemy' rhetoric.
The whole point of the 'Liberals are the enemy' (aka 'pro-choice / Satanic baby-killers') rhetoric is that liberals are evil.
"Christian nationalism is designed specifically to accommodate the sin of white male supremacy. The mechanism in this design is universally adaptable to accommodate, minimize, dismiss, excuse, or even to bless any sin. By definition, the Satanic baby-killers are worse than anything else, and therefore anything else can be minimized and accepted as 'Not As Bad As the Satanic baby-killers.' That is how the model works. That is it’s purpose. It is absolute and categorical."
This closes the door on any meaningful dialogue between anti-choice Christians and liberals.
I have family in the deep south. Their pro-Trump Facebook posts baffle me. "How many constitutional violations must there be before you stop supporting Trump?" I ask in vain at Thanksgiving get-together.
"We'll see" came the reply, with a knowing twinkle in her eye, which scared the shit outta me. WTF does THAT mean?
posted by Monkey0nCrack at 9:21 PM on January 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
The whole point of the 'Liberals are the enemy' (aka 'pro-choice / Satanic baby-killers') rhetoric is that liberals are evil.
"Christian nationalism is designed specifically to accommodate the sin of white male supremacy. The mechanism in this design is universally adaptable to accommodate, minimize, dismiss, excuse, or even to bless any sin. By definition, the Satanic baby-killers are worse than anything else, and therefore anything else can be minimized and accepted as 'Not As Bad As the Satanic baby-killers.' That is how the model works. That is it’s purpose. It is absolute and categorical."
This closes the door on any meaningful dialogue between anti-choice Christians and liberals.
I have family in the deep south. Their pro-Trump Facebook posts baffle me. "How many constitutional violations must there be before you stop supporting Trump?" I ask in vain at Thanksgiving get-together.
"We'll see" came the reply, with a knowing twinkle in her eye, which scared the shit outta me. WTF does THAT mean?
posted by Monkey0nCrack at 9:21 PM on January 5, 2018 [5 favorites]
After being unemployed for so long I knew I was going to be in a bit of a hole and would have to climb out.
I'm just over $45K in the hole due to loans from my family for the past year and 3.5 years of unemployment - on the bright side they're 0% interest. (Also had to cash in all my retirement accounts, my stock fund and spend all the proceeds from the sale of a Bay Area condo.)
Hang in there 80 Cats in a Dog Suit. We can do this.
posted by bendy at 10:01 PM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm just over $45K in the hole due to loans from my family for the past year and 3.5 years of unemployment - on the bright side they're 0% interest. (Also had to cash in all my retirement accounts, my stock fund and spend all the proceeds from the sale of a Bay Area condo.)
Hang in there 80 Cats in a Dog Suit. We can do this.
posted by bendy at 10:01 PM on January 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Jalliah, I'm so sorry about your dog. Gentle hugs.
posted by daybeforetheday at 12:38 AM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by daybeforetheday at 12:38 AM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
...years and years ago I had a friend who had a friend named heroin. Heroin took up most of this friend's time and emotional space and eventually all of friend's money and etc, nothing new here. At times my friend would tell me he was breaking up with heroin ... but he wouldn't. Mutual friends got destroyed, some killed, by drugs and he moved out of town and eventually kicked. (Every day he's alive is a serious gift)
I don't know any junkies anymore, not even any drunks. But I read the papers, the news from the US and I'm reminded of going to Mona's in the East Village where he would meet a friend and later I'd ask him if it was alright, that there were other ways to get through his days. But he'd always swing by Mona's or one of those other places at the end of most nights. I feel like Trump is the US' heroin - like there's a segment who are hell bent on ruining themselves and their lives and taking the rest of us with them.
Like those junky friends, it's depressing as fuck on an almost subliminal level and after a time you can't do anything else for them.
I love you, but I can't help you anymore. You gotta get right or at least want to. Until then... I'll help if I can but I'm cutting myself out of it emotionally. There's no upside, fighting psychos like the Mercer's and the Kochs'.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:25 AM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
I don't know any junkies anymore, not even any drunks. But I read the papers, the news from the US and I'm reminded of going to Mona's in the East Village where he would meet a friend and later I'd ask him if it was alright, that there were other ways to get through his days. But he'd always swing by Mona's or one of those other places at the end of most nights. I feel like Trump is the US' heroin - like there's a segment who are hell bent on ruining themselves and their lives and taking the rest of us with them.
Like those junky friends, it's depressing as fuck on an almost subliminal level and after a time you can't do anything else for them.
I love you, but I can't help you anymore. You gotta get right or at least want to. Until then... I'll help if I can but I'm cutting myself out of it emotionally. There's no upside, fighting psychos like the Mercer's and the Kochs'.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:25 AM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
You can send them a Memail. Having been on the receiving end of a few of those, I can assure you they will mean waaaaaaaayyyyyyy more to the recipient than a single click engagement on the favorites or sympathy button, or whatever.I received a memail very shortly after my last Fucking Fuck comment. Totally unexpected and totally what you would expect from a fellow mefite; compassionate, intelligent, understanding, empathetic and insightful.
This is a good community.
posted by michswiss at 5:05 AM on January 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm so fuckng angry this morning I can't see straight. I publicly called a Trump win in June of 2016 on Facebook and I swear I feel like I fucking jinxed us all. My wife tried to soothe my anger by telling me about all the good that's already coming from this shit show and I countered with republican gerrymandering and the ridiculous double standard democrats have to pass in order to be electable. The fact that Al Franken got crucified and Farenthold is still in office makes me burn with anger.
So, to be productive, I'm going to ask those of you in the know how the fuck do I get involved politically? I'm in FL. Do I reach out to the local Dem party? Do I find a local chapter of socialist Dems? Do I contact the Dems at the state level? I have marketing experience and know how to create solid narratives. I'm tired of screaming into the void and throwing money at democratic candidates that get their asses handed to them here in FL. I need to get involved. I don't want to feel hopeless anymore.
posted by photoslob at 6:17 AM on January 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
So, to be productive, I'm going to ask those of you in the know how the fuck do I get involved politically? I'm in FL. Do I reach out to the local Dem party? Do I find a local chapter of socialist Dems? Do I contact the Dems at the state level? I have marketing experience and know how to create solid narratives. I'm tired of screaming into the void and throwing money at democratic candidates that get their asses handed to them here in FL. I need to get involved. I don't want to feel hopeless anymore.
posted by photoslob at 6:17 AM on January 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
I think the best thing we can do is to use whatever power we have to inject diversity into politics.
The era of the evangelical male white politician needs to end. They've had their chance and got their $$$ and then fucked it up for the rest of us. They need to step aside and let the ladies take the wheel for a while.
posted by Monkey0nCrack at 6:37 AM on January 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
The era of the evangelical male white politician needs to end. They've had their chance and got their $$$ and then fucked it up for the rest of us. They need to step aside and let the ladies take the wheel for a while.
posted by Monkey0nCrack at 6:37 AM on January 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
But guys, he just said he's, like, really smart.
posted by smallerdemon at 6:41 AM on January 6, 2018
posted by smallerdemon at 6:41 AM on January 6, 2018
Ok, this guy is a clown and will eventually crash and burn. The scary thing is that there are a lot of people who believe his shit. Imagine what it would be like if he was competent. My fear is about what is creeping towards Bethlehem. Education is the only defense.
posted by night_train at 8:47 AM on January 6, 2018
posted by night_train at 8:47 AM on January 6, 2018
This is all so overwhelming, so unending, so pervasive. It’s affecting everyone I know and informing my day-to-day in ways I never imagined who the president was would do. Right after the election, I was trying to move my mentally ill mom closer to me, and going through the process of renting a home. I found one twenty seconds from me that looked quite good, and we had already signed a year’s lease and moved just a few things in when it began to rain. It was a terrible storm, and going back to the house after, we found that the converted garage had flooded. This simply would not do—that was going to be my little room if I needed to stay over. Called the guy, all is fine! Once in a ten year thing! It will be shop-vacced and the little ditch out the back cleared out! No worries! All that happened, and the next day it was flooded again though there had been no more rain—it was apparently seeping through the walls.
I then noticed evidence of many previous incidents. This was not going to work. So I called him back to tell him we wanted out of the lease. And he went down the playlist of shady, abusive behaviors. He attempted to gaslight me. He was offended that I was responding this way! He threatened me. People, I was NOT HAVING IT. I had concern about my mom, righteous indignation, and also absolute rage about Trump in my corner. I spoke with a lawyer (no help) and then I sent a short note and they key back. Let him come after us for breach of contract or something like that, and I was going to make sure THIS shyster, at least, was toast. Fuck with my mama and me, and you were going to have serious, serious problems, starting with social media. I guess he got that, because he sent us a check for the first month’s rent back PDQ.
Before Trump, I wouldn’t have so quickly cottoned on to the games this liar was playing, and I would have never have been so aggressive about getting it sorted. But I was spoiling for it. I can’t do a lot directly about this moron of a president, but I was damned if I was going to let some pissant slum lord win.
posted by thebrokedown at 8:55 AM on January 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
I then noticed evidence of many previous incidents. This was not going to work. So I called him back to tell him we wanted out of the lease. And he went down the playlist of shady, abusive behaviors. He attempted to gaslight me. He was offended that I was responding this way! He threatened me. People, I was NOT HAVING IT. I had concern about my mom, righteous indignation, and also absolute rage about Trump in my corner. I spoke with a lawyer (no help) and then I sent a short note and they key back. Let him come after us for breach of contract or something like that, and I was going to make sure THIS shyster, at least, was toast. Fuck with my mama and me, and you were going to have serious, serious problems, starting with social media. I guess he got that, because he sent us a check for the first month’s rent back PDQ.
Before Trump, I wouldn’t have so quickly cottoned on to the games this liar was playing, and I would have never have been so aggressive about getting it sorted. But I was spoiling for it. I can’t do a lot directly about this moron of a president, but I was damned if I was going to let some pissant slum lord win.
posted by thebrokedown at 8:55 AM on January 6, 2018 [10 favorites]
Hey, photoslob, I was talking a little bit about this in the politics catchall, but here's what I am personally doing:
I'm looking for candidates at the local level--House rep races and lower--who are women, preferably women of color, and checking to see they have good support systems. I'm sharing their names and looking for things I like about their candidacy, and then I'm talking about them to everyone I can think of. Here in Austin, we've got a state house rep race with a tough primary coming up in a few months, so I've been talking up Sheryl Cole because I genuinely like her and I like her values. I love my federal house rep, so I'm following races for a few other women I also love and talking them up to anyone who seems likely to listen. The two serious contenders for my gubernatorial race on the progressive end of things are a progressive lesbian Latina and a conservative-middle-of-the-road white dude? I'm talking up Lupe Valdez and building her name recognition.
You have marketing experience? Great. You're in Florida? Great. I can guarantee that your state has a bunch of women and people of color working on fledgling runs for the first time. Go talk them up and support their runs.
I think this is the single most important thing we can do as Americans right now, especially in states that are highly racially diverse. We need to make sure that our representatives reflect the diversity of the people in their backgrounds, and that means deliberately supporting and talking up local candidates who are not white men as hard as we can.
If you want, I'll go take some looks and see if I can't help you find some women in Florida to get all jazzed about.
posted by sciatrix at 9:19 AM on January 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm looking for candidates at the local level--House rep races and lower--who are women, preferably women of color, and checking to see they have good support systems. I'm sharing their names and looking for things I like about their candidacy, and then I'm talking about them to everyone I can think of. Here in Austin, we've got a state house rep race with a tough primary coming up in a few months, so I've been talking up Sheryl Cole because I genuinely like her and I like her values. I love my federal house rep, so I'm following races for a few other women I also love and talking them up to anyone who seems likely to listen. The two serious contenders for my gubernatorial race on the progressive end of things are a progressive lesbian Latina and a conservative-middle-of-the-road white dude? I'm talking up Lupe Valdez and building her name recognition.
You have marketing experience? Great. You're in Florida? Great. I can guarantee that your state has a bunch of women and people of color working on fledgling runs for the first time. Go talk them up and support their runs.
I think this is the single most important thing we can do as Americans right now, especially in states that are highly racially diverse. We need to make sure that our representatives reflect the diversity of the people in their backgrounds, and that means deliberately supporting and talking up local candidates who are not white men as hard as we can.
If you want, I'll go take some looks and see if I can't help you find some women in Florida to get all jazzed about.
posted by sciatrix at 9:19 AM on January 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
I've held off for as long as possible but
FFFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK TTTTTTTTHHHHHHHIIIIIIISSSSSSS FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKKIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGG SSSSHHHIIIITTTT TO HELL !!
posted by AndNeverWell at 9:44 AM on January 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
FFFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK TTTTTTTTHHHHHHHIIIIIIISSSSSSS FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKKIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGG SSSSHHHIIIITTTT TO HELL !!
posted by AndNeverWell at 9:44 AM on January 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Going to unfuck part of my previous fuuuuuck. Just got back from the vet. It was obvious this morning that it was time. She let me know. We had a good living room sleepover last night with her and my other dog, a quiet morning and tons of hugs and pets. The countdown to appointment time sucked but in a weird way reading the immense amount of stupid that is Trump book and tweets made it not so bad. I could focus on the crazy and wtf elsewhere.
There is stupid snow and -20C right now and my Dad helped get a path on our long laneway cleared so it was an easy walk down. We got to the car, got her in and..... car won't start. Dad had left the flashers on and drained the battery. There was about 10 seconds where I thought I was going to lose my mind and drop to the ground in a panic attack but got it together. Luckily we didn't have to wait long for someone to drive by. So thank you nice man with your own big dog in your car for helping the half crazed lady with a jump.
When she was presedated she relaxed so much that she fell into a sound sleep. She was so relaxed that it was obvious how exhausted she was and while sad and agonizing it felt right. So yeah my dog just died but I don't feel 'fuuuuuck' anymore. Sad and will be crying for days most likely but I feel relieved and a sense of peace about it already.
Again thanks for listening. And thank you all for the kind words in the thread and by me-mail. It really does help. Hugs for everyone that needs or wants one.
Jalli.
posted by Jalliah at 10:44 AM on January 6, 2018 [33 favorites]
There is stupid snow and -20C right now and my Dad helped get a path on our long laneway cleared so it was an easy walk down. We got to the car, got her in and..... car won't start. Dad had left the flashers on and drained the battery. There was about 10 seconds where I thought I was going to lose my mind and drop to the ground in a panic attack but got it together. Luckily we didn't have to wait long for someone to drive by. So thank you nice man with your own big dog in your car for helping the half crazed lady with a jump.
When she was presedated she relaxed so much that she fell into a sound sleep. She was so relaxed that it was obvious how exhausted she was and while sad and agonizing it felt right. So yeah my dog just died but I don't feel 'fuuuuuck' anymore. Sad and will be crying for days most likely but I feel relieved and a sense of peace about it already.
Again thanks for listening. And thank you all for the kind words in the thread and by me-mail. It really does help. Hugs for everyone that needs or wants one.
Jalli.
posted by Jalliah at 10:44 AM on January 6, 2018 [33 favorites]
Jalliah—I completely understand the “sad but relieved” feeling.
When it’s time, you’ll move from memories accompanied by tears, to memories that bring smiles.
Take care.
posted by bookmammal at 11:15 AM on January 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
When it’s time, you’ll move from memories accompanied by tears, to memories that bring smiles.
Take care.
posted by bookmammal at 11:15 AM on January 6, 2018 [5 favorites]
Jalli, hugs.
Hugs to anyone having to deal with the loss of a beloved pet. I get blubbery even thinking about my creaky old collie. I can't even.
I love all of you, unconditionally. I may disagree, sometimes even vehemently, with some of you, but this community is much closer to the archetype of "family" than my actual family, and our occasional "crazy racist uncles" (thankfully) never seem to go the distance. So: (sniffs) thanks.
(Also: I have not fucked up, yet. The other person seems to want this to happen as well, and, I suspect, might be in a similar space.If they have allowed for even a fraction of the slack they have from me...I can work with that. Jesus, I need to knock on wood or something after that. ["Does laminate count? Aiee..."])
posted by maxwelton at 12:23 PM on January 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
Hugs to anyone having to deal with the loss of a beloved pet. I get blubbery even thinking about my creaky old collie. I can't even.
I love all of you, unconditionally. I may disagree, sometimes even vehemently, with some of you, but this community is much closer to the archetype of "family" than my actual family, and our occasional "crazy racist uncles" (thankfully) never seem to go the distance. So: (sniffs) thanks.
(Also: I have not fucked up, yet. The other person seems to want this to happen as well, and, I suspect, might be in a similar space.If they have allowed for even a fraction of the slack they have from me...I can work with that. Jesus, I need to knock on wood or something after that. ["Does laminate count? Aiee..."])
posted by maxwelton at 12:23 PM on January 6, 2018 [4 favorites]
But guys, he just said he's, like, really smart.
"Mikey, I'm smaat"
-Fredo Corleone
posted by clavdivs at 1:35 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
"Mikey, I'm smaat"
-Fredo Corleone
posted by clavdivs at 1:35 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Do I reach out to the local Dem party? Do I find a local chapter of socialist Dems?
Join and start attending the regular meetings for your local chapter of the Dems and your local chapter of the DSA. You can see what subcommittees you want to get involved with once you've joined.
Your involvement will probably snowball from there.
To be frank, I doubt either org will much care about your marketing skills. But they will tell you where they need boots on the ground, and you can help there -- or anywhere else that comes to your attention (maybe a local race you really care about, etc).
posted by static sock at 2:03 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Join and start attending the regular meetings for your local chapter of the Dems and your local chapter of the DSA. You can see what subcommittees you want to get involved with once you've joined.
Your involvement will probably snowball from there.
To be frank, I doubt either org will much care about your marketing skills. But they will tell you where they need boots on the ground, and you can help there -- or anywhere else that comes to your attention (maybe a local race you really care about, etc).
posted by static sock at 2:03 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I could try to be more eloquent, but THE FUCK???!!!??? Every day is like, oh you thought this was the bottom?
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 2:05 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 2:05 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Captain's Log, Stardate 71482.3. Fuck. Seriously - what the hell is the away team doing down there. Prime fucking directive people - have you goddamn never fucking heard of it?? No one is going to believe this shit is real - I mean installing Trump. Trump! Dipshit of the century. Do you know how much shit Starfleet is going to give us back in the future if we don’t fix this steaming pile. Maybe it’s best we just jump straight into full fucking nuclear war now and never exist. Fuckity bye.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 3:20 PM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by inflatablekiwi at 3:20 PM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hugs to you, Jalliah.
posted by mochapickle at 3:49 PM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by mochapickle at 3:49 PM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hugs jalliah. Hugs to all.
Frickity frack! I just finished repairing fitting at well pump. And there is still 3-4 inches of snow. But the ironic part is that it wasn't related to frozen pipes or weather; it's just where a thteaded pvc fitting transitions to metal. Hope it lasts till next weekend when I'll have time for a proper fix.
posted by mightshould at 4:23 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Frickity frack! I just finished repairing fitting at well pump. And there is still 3-4 inches of snow. But the ironic part is that it wasn't related to frozen pipes or weather; it's just where a thteaded pvc fitting transitions to metal. Hope it lasts till next weekend when I'll have time for a proper fix.
posted by mightshould at 4:23 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
Well, I got to eat pierogies and spend some quality time with MeFi’s favorite WaPo columnist (and National Treasure) this evening, including a long conversation about Calvin Coolidge impersonators, so I guess 2018 isn’t total garbage for me yet.
posted by whitewall at 6:47 PM on January 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by whitewall at 6:47 PM on January 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
I too got to eat pierogis tonight but not with our National Treasure! Alas, maybe one day?
posted by ferret branca at 7:56 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ferret branca at 7:56 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I said this before in a different way.
When Trump was gaining in the polls I'd drive the kids to school. 20-30 minutes. They had clipboards and finished their homework while I listened to NPR. I thought they were immersed in math. They do better at it in the morning. We'd had this routine for a few years and the only things that caught their attention were whalesongs or silly bands or mine craft.
I don't remember what was said on the radio right before my son casually said somebody should kill him. One part of his brain is still doing the homework. At the next stoplight I turn and look at him and he misreads my face and says "No, not you, cause then my life would be hell." Goes back to his math. I look at the girls in the back seat. The older one says "Not you." The younger says they'd really miss me. I turn the radio off.
When I thought this was impossible I made a joke here about how he'd get filmed shielding himself from a with a baby because I thought his ascension was implausible and impossible.
So we watched The Dead Zone last night and talked about it way past bedtime. These are good and thoughtful kids. And if they are thinking that way...
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:05 AM on January 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
When Trump was gaining in the polls I'd drive the kids to school. 20-30 minutes. They had clipboards and finished their homework while I listened to NPR. I thought they were immersed in math. They do better at it in the morning. We'd had this routine for a few years and the only things that caught their attention were whalesongs or silly bands or mine craft.
I don't remember what was said on the radio right before my son casually said somebody should kill him. One part of his brain is still doing the homework. At the next stoplight I turn and look at him and he misreads my face and says "No, not you, cause then my life would be hell." Goes back to his math. I look at the girls in the back seat. The older one says "Not you." The younger says they'd really miss me. I turn the radio off.
When I thought this was impossible I made a joke here about how he'd get filmed shielding himself from a with a baby because I thought his ascension was implausible and impossible.
So we watched The Dead Zone last night and talked about it way past bedtime. These are good and thoughtful kids. And if they are thinking that way...
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:05 AM on January 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FLIRRRRRRTTTTTERRRRRRSSS! (cw: apologist strawmans sexual harassment and assault)
New York Times breaks trail for the return of Glenn Thrush from his brisk two month slap on the wrist. If there aren't guilty consciences at the New York Times trying to make this all go away I'll eat my hat.
New York Times? You think you're trustworthy to report on this president?
The US Senate has higher standards than the New York Times.
Is there a byline block for Android? For Firefox? A bit of sottware I can set up so I never accidentally click on any article bylined by Glenn Thrush and thus never give his work hits and advertising clickcs?
posted by jointhedance at 11:15 AM on January 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
New York Times breaks trail for the return of Glenn Thrush from his brisk two month slap on the wrist. If there aren't guilty consciences at the New York Times trying to make this all go away I'll eat my hat.
New York Times? You think you're trustworthy to report on this president?
The US Senate has higher standards than the New York Times.
Is there a byline block for Android? For Firefox? A bit of sottware I can set up so I never accidentally click on any article bylined by Glenn Thrush and thus never give his work hits and advertising clickcs?
posted by jointhedance at 11:15 AM on January 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
After using it regularly for seven years, and it being a massive part of my professional networking toolbox, I finally deleted Twitter.
I FEEL EXTREMELY LIBERATED.
posted by mostly vowels at 4:18 PM on January 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
I FEEL EXTREMELY LIBERATED.
posted by mostly vowels at 4:18 PM on January 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
I noped out of my shitty brother in law's birthday even though I love my niece, because I'm not entirely sure I would be able to avoid throttling his racist, sexist, homophobic, Trump-loving neck. He'd be too much of an asshole to avoid politics, too. I have hated this dude since my sister brought him home 30 years ago, and by God my radar was right.
It tears me up that my sister stays with him. She is miserable and it's made her mean.
So many people got such terrible demons in them.
posted by emjaybee at 6:03 PM on January 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
It tears me up that my sister stays with him. She is miserable and it's made her mean.
So many people got such terrible demons in them.
posted by emjaybee at 6:03 PM on January 7, 2018 [10 favorites]
Oh God, emjaybee, I identify with this so hard you don't even know. Sending a hug.
posted by mynameisluka at 8:50 PM on January 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by mynameisluka at 8:50 PM on January 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
I FEEL EXTREMELY LIBERATED.
I haven't deleted mine, but I've officially stopped participating on any level, and likewise I found it liberating, though that feeling is bittersweet, because I'm leaving a whole lot of people who I love very much behind there. But I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't so much as auto-post from my blog there anymore, and that Facebook would never touch my new phone. We're only a week into 2018, but so far it's working. And my head is better.
It tears me up that my sister stays with him. She is miserable and it's made her mean.
I'm sorry that she is going through that. Ever since I came across this AskMe answer, it's wedged itself firmly in the back of my brain, and I almost literally hear the key phrase repeat itself on a loop every time I have a friend going through marital problems: It is to peace that God has called you. Adjusting for whatever values of "God" each person's life embraces, of course.
posted by middleclasstool at 5:34 AM on January 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
I haven't deleted mine, but I've officially stopped participating on any level, and likewise I found it liberating, though that feeling is bittersweet, because I'm leaving a whole lot of people who I love very much behind there. But I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't so much as auto-post from my blog there anymore, and that Facebook would never touch my new phone. We're only a week into 2018, but so far it's working. And my head is better.
It tears me up that my sister stays with him. She is miserable and it's made her mean.
I'm sorry that she is going through that. Ever since I came across this AskMe answer, it's wedged itself firmly in the back of my brain, and I almost literally hear the key phrase repeat itself on a loop every time I have a friend going through marital problems: It is to peace that God has called you. Adjusting for whatever values of "God" each person's life embraces, of course.
posted by middleclasstool at 5:34 AM on January 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
I had a comment in the American politics thread deleted the other day, and while I thought it was a pretty funny comment if I do say so myself, I totally and completely understand why it was removed.
But then it struck me that we're held to a higher standard of communication and discourse here at MetaFilter than the American media (and I'm including Twitter in that group) and members of the US government hold the President of the United States to.
Which led to thoughts about how as a minority male, pretty much all my life I've been held to a different standard than Trump is currently held to. I'm pretty good at code-switching, but I know that if I'm not careful I can easily slip into pronunciations and patterns that evoke "the old neighborhood" where I was raised. Any time I've slipped up in a professional setting, I've sweated it: Does this mean people now think I'm not intelligent? Have I hurt the chances that my proposals will be accepted? Will it impact my chances for promotion or a chance that I'll be given premium projects and prestige clients?
This leads to me having to confront something I try not to think about: how unfair life is. I know POC, women, LBTQ, and other minorities are never -- ever --- supposed to comment on this in America, but I feel like every day where the press doesn't rake Trump over the coals, everyday where the Republicans excuse him -- or, worse, praise him -- for something for which they excoriated Obama is a slap in the face and middle finger to so many of us. To paraphrase Chris Rock, every day where Trump doesn't endure a comeuppance is a reminder that many of us have to fly to get to where people like him can walk to.
And that's what has had me say fucking fucking fuck every day for the past sixteen months, even on those days when nothing particularly egregious about him or his circle has been reported.
posted by lord_wolf at 9:08 AM on January 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
But then it struck me that we're held to a higher standard of communication and discourse here at MetaFilter than the American media (and I'm including Twitter in that group) and members of the US government hold the President of the United States to.
Which led to thoughts about how as a minority male, pretty much all my life I've been held to a different standard than Trump is currently held to. I'm pretty good at code-switching, but I know that if I'm not careful I can easily slip into pronunciations and patterns that evoke "the old neighborhood" where I was raised. Any time I've slipped up in a professional setting, I've sweated it: Does this mean people now think I'm not intelligent? Have I hurt the chances that my proposals will be accepted? Will it impact my chances for promotion or a chance that I'll be given premium projects and prestige clients?
This leads to me having to confront something I try not to think about: how unfair life is. I know POC, women, LBTQ, and other minorities are never -- ever --- supposed to comment on this in America, but I feel like every day where the press doesn't rake Trump over the coals, everyday where the Republicans excuse him -- or, worse, praise him -- for something for which they excoriated Obama is a slap in the face and middle finger to so many of us. To paraphrase Chris Rock, every day where Trump doesn't endure a comeuppance is a reminder that many of us have to fly to get to where people like him can walk to.
And that's what has had me say fucking fucking fuck every day for the past sixteen months, even on those days when nothing particularly egregious about him or his circle has been reported.
posted by lord_wolf at 9:08 AM on January 8, 2018 [25 favorites]
WHAT, PRECISELY, DO I NEED TO DO TO PERSONALLY MAKE SURE ACTUAL LITERAL MONSTER JOE ARPAIO'S SENATE RUN GETS THE HUMILIATING DEFEAT HE SO RICHLY DESERVES?
posted by Space Kitty at 11:36 AM on January 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Space Kitty at 11:36 AM on January 9, 2018 [5 favorites]
also FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKKK that guy and everyone like him.
posted by Space Kitty at 11:55 AM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Space Kitty at 11:55 AM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]
Dear Void: If, like me, you ever doubted the existence of a poisonous dark side of “Bernie” profressives, pay a visit to reddit’s WayOfTheBern. In the prehistory of 2016 I lauded Sanders for pushing the platform to the left, but after seeing what has been created in his name... fuck.
posted by Chris4d at 8:45 AM on January 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Chris4d at 8:45 AM on January 10, 2018 [3 favorites]
Is it ok to add multiple what the fucking fucks in a single WTf thread?
BECAUSE WHAT IN THE HOLY FUCKING CRIPPLED FUCK ARE WE DOING LEAVING THIS UTTER ASSHOLE IN THE OVAL OFFICE????
Shithole countries?!!
posted by yoga at 5:59 PM on January 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
BECAUSE WHAT IN THE HOLY FUCKING CRIPPLED FUCK ARE WE DOING LEAVING THIS UTTER ASSHOLE IN THE OVAL OFFICE????
Shithole countries?!!
posted by yoga at 5:59 PM on January 11, 2018 [6 favorites]
All the days since The Bad Thing Happened have been challenging, but these are the ones that really wear me down and make me sick at heart and ashamed of everything in general, the days when this horrible white supremacist homunculus goes out of his way to punch down and do unspeakably cruel damaging thoughtless shit to regular nice ordinary people who are minding their own business and are just trying to live their lives and never did one fucking thing to this terrible, terrible man.
You know, just to remind them that they'll never get a fair shot or break or slur-free day as long as he and his pusillanimous knuckle-dragging asshole fanclub have anything to say about it. How I wish I could send Donald Fucking Trump straight back for just a day to the crushing hardscrabble impoverished existence his and my 19th century German immigrant grandparents were mired in before they managed to get to the US, where their children were treated as unpatriotic undesirables while experiencing a slightly less grinding, freer hardscrabble existence. Every single American with one atom of Irish heritage should be standing outside the White House right now with torches and pitchforks and giant posters showing scenes of the potato famine.
I mean, today Anderson Cooper and Bill Kristol both left me literally sobbing with their kindness and decency. It's a very disconcerting time.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:58 PM on January 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
You know, just to remind them that they'll never get a fair shot or break or slur-free day as long as he and his pusillanimous knuckle-dragging asshole fanclub have anything to say about it. How I wish I could send Donald Fucking Trump straight back for just a day to the crushing hardscrabble impoverished existence his and my 19th century German immigrant grandparents were mired in before they managed to get to the US, where their children were treated as unpatriotic undesirables while experiencing a slightly less grinding, freer hardscrabble existence. Every single American with one atom of Irish heritage should be standing outside the White House right now with torches and pitchforks and giant posters showing scenes of the potato famine.
I mean, today Anderson Cooper and Bill Kristol both left me literally sobbing with their kindness and decency. It's a very disconcerting time.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:58 PM on January 11, 2018 [3 favorites]
Right now I'm cocooning myself by watching a lot of Olympic sports and (soon) tennis. Some escapism. (But of course, then my favorite figure skater didnt make the Olympic team. Ha! Can I blame 2017-18 for that?)
I'm just glad that my father didn't live to see this.
I have often wondered what my dad (died April 2009), would've thought of how appallingly, outspokenly racist most of the rest of the immediate family has become.
The hard thing about this surreal national crisis is that you also have your "usual" life issues to contend with.
And then you have THIS.
In some ways it's depressing me and wearing me down. But, as when I've faced many other difficult challenges, I stop to praise myself for what I am doing to deal with adversity.
posted by NorthernLite at 9:56 PM on January 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm just glad that my father didn't live to see this.
I have often wondered what my dad (died April 2009), would've thought of how appallingly, outspokenly racist most of the rest of the immediate family has become.
The hard thing about this surreal national crisis is that you also have your "usual" life issues to contend with.
And then you have THIS.
In some ways it's depressing me and wearing me down. But, as when I've faced many other difficult challenges, I stop to praise myself for what I am doing to deal with adversity.
posted by NorthernLite at 9:56 PM on January 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think with Trump, one has do to 'all of the above' - solve the immediate problems and resolve deeper, more complex issues simultaneously.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:14 AM on January 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:14 AM on January 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm so fucking tired you guys.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:23 AM on January 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:23 AM on January 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Unreal. Mr. Bonespurs is now assured "cartoon villain" status in perpetuity. I'm going to have so much to say when my kid brings me her high school history text book a decade from now ...
posted by polly_dactyl at 11:11 AM on January 12, 2018
posted by polly_dactyl at 11:11 AM on January 12, 2018
That's the sort of optimism I appreciate. Of course there will still be books in a decade! High schools too! This is going great!
posted by contraption at 11:19 AM on January 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by contraption at 11:19 AM on January 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
I've posted it before, but it remains true:
Donald Trump a 'revolting slug' unfit for public office, NSW Parliament decides.
the Parliament "agrees with those who have described Mr Trump as 'a revolting slug' unfit for public office" [...]
The motion regarding Mr Trump was passed without dissent, after Upper House president Don Harwin looked into whether the term "revolting slug" amounted to unparliamentary language.
"It is great that all sides of Australian politics, from conservatives to Liberals to Greens, agree that Donald Trump is a revolting slug and completely unfit for public office," Mr Buckingham said after the vote was passed.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:26 PM on January 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
Donald Trump a 'revolting slug' unfit for public office, NSW Parliament decides.
the Parliament "agrees with those who have described Mr Trump as 'a revolting slug' unfit for public office" [...]
The motion regarding Mr Trump was passed without dissent, after Upper House president Don Harwin looked into whether the term "revolting slug" amounted to unparliamentary language.
"It is great that all sides of Australian politics, from conservatives to Liberals to Greens, agree that Donald Trump is a revolting slug and completely unfit for public office," Mr Buckingham said after the vote was passed.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:26 PM on January 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
Just needed somewhere to lay this out, figured a fucking fuck thread is an ok place:
1. 9/10/17 I broke my collarbone on top of a mountain. Sometime shortly thereafter I became an Internet Douchebag on the Instagram video of the crash. Four months later and I'm still not allowed to ride bikes, fat as fuck, and feel like I'm going insane.
2. 11/12/17 My ten year-old kitten Abbey was put down. Cancer in her abdominal lining. She was in the litter that my other cat laid in my closet back in college about five minutes after she adopted me.
3. 11/18/17 My younger sister passed away at 31, succumbing to organ failure and internal hemorrhaging. She didn't have health insurance (in AZ) and couldn't get the consistent care necessary to diagnosing and treating her various health issues.
4. 12/27/17 My elderly uncle is caught at the wrong place/wrong time between my mother's two large American Bulldogs, gets knocked to the ground and severely bitten on his hands and forearms. One of the dogs was my sister's before she died, and we thought the tension between him and my mom's dog was waning as she looked over them both. Before I can break up the fight my mom's dog is injured badly enough to warrant being put down. Uncle gets stitches, the wounds were so bad. (This is uncommon for dog bites for fear of infection.)
5. 01/13/18 My elderly uncle (same) passed away from heart failure in the shower, today or yesterday.
So, y'know, over the course of four months my immediate family has been reduced by half, same for my pets, and this seems so small by comparison but the thing I've done to keep myself mentally (and physically) healthy over the years has been disallowed.
Fuck. Fucking fuck fuck FUCK.
posted by carsonb at 7:08 PM on January 13, 2018 [11 favorites]
1. 9/10/17 I broke my collarbone on top of a mountain. Sometime shortly thereafter I became an Internet Douchebag on the Instagram video of the crash. Four months later and I'm still not allowed to ride bikes, fat as fuck, and feel like I'm going insane.
2. 11/12/17 My ten year-old kitten Abbey was put down. Cancer in her abdominal lining. She was in the litter that my other cat laid in my closet back in college about five minutes after she adopted me.
3. 11/18/17 My younger sister passed away at 31, succumbing to organ failure and internal hemorrhaging. She didn't have health insurance (in AZ) and couldn't get the consistent care necessary to diagnosing and treating her various health issues.
4. 12/27/17 My elderly uncle is caught at the wrong place/wrong time between my mother's two large American Bulldogs, gets knocked to the ground and severely bitten on his hands and forearms. One of the dogs was my sister's before she died, and we thought the tension between him and my mom's dog was waning as she looked over them both. Before I can break up the fight my mom's dog is injured badly enough to warrant being put down. Uncle gets stitches, the wounds were so bad. (This is uncommon for dog bites for fear of infection.)
5. 01/13/18 My elderly uncle (same) passed away from heart failure in the shower, today or yesterday.
So, y'know, over the course of four months my immediate family has been reduced by half, same for my pets, and this seems so small by comparison but the thing I've done to keep myself mentally (and physically) healthy over the years has been disallowed.
Fuck. Fucking fuck fuck FUCK.
posted by carsonb at 7:08 PM on January 13, 2018 [11 favorites]
Wow, Carson, any one of those things is dreadful all by itself. My condolences to you and the rest of your loved ones on the loss of your sister, uncle and the pets.
posted by NorthernLite at 7:39 PM on January 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by NorthernLite at 7:39 PM on January 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
OMG, carsonb, I'm so sorry. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:10 PM on January 13, 2018
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:10 PM on January 13, 2018
Adding to the shitty pile of fucking fuck...
My pug Gibbon just had three seizures and died. No warning, he'd never had seizure activity before.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 9:18 PM on January 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
My pug Gibbon just had three seizures and died. No warning, he'd never had seizure activity before.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 9:18 PM on January 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
So sorry, carsonb.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 9:19 PM on January 13, 2018
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 9:19 PM on January 13, 2018
Shit, carsonb. That's awful.
If I'm doing my maths right, does this mean your immediate family is now you and your mum?
IAMNYHugTherapist, but irregardless of that, you both need hugs. Preferably with each other.
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:56 PM on January 13, 2018
If I'm doing my maths right, does this mean your immediate family is now you and your mum?
IAMNYHugTherapist, but irregardless of that, you both need hugs. Preferably with each other.
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:56 PM on January 13, 2018
Oh god, carsonb and fluffy battle kitten, I'm so sorry. Love to you both.
posted by limeonaire at 2:01 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by limeonaire at 2:01 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Every night for the past week I have had nightmares about terrorist attacks, bombings, plane crashes, and (I know this is stupid) really violent alien invasions. Every time a helicopter goes by I get rigid and have to take deep breaths and try to hide that I am physically hunkering down and cringing. I heard a distant car crash last night and the sound of breaking glass made me feel like I was in one of the cars myself. Now all I do when I'm not totally engrossed in work or a game is listen for danger. And this is daily life for anyone in a warzone! Daily neverending life! We are the monsters in this narrative.
posted by Hermione Granger at 3:14 PM on January 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Hermione Granger at 3:14 PM on January 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
Welp, the backlash against #metoo is now in full effect. We've got idiots like Liam Neeson calling it a "witch hunt" and even people who should know better like Margaret Atwood saying the same thing. (Never mind that the Salem trials were carried out by oppressors and the supposed witches were their victims...) No, it's important that we protest the fact that many women now feel free to talk about what happened to them because women might get too empowered.
It's the same old bullshit story - women are getting too fucking uppity and we need to slap them back down. Stay in your lane women! Shut up! Stop making us uncomfortable! Oh, and we know we told you to smash the patriarchy, but can you do tone it down a little? Maybe just hit it with a rubber mallet a few times when we're not looking so we don't have to care.
posted by i feel possessed at 9:13 PM on January 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's the same old bullshit story - women are getting too fucking uppity and we need to slap them back down. Stay in your lane women! Shut up! Stop making us uncomfortable! Oh, and we know we told you to smash the patriarchy, but can you do tone it down a little? Maybe just hit it with a rubber mallet a few times when we're not looking so we don't have to care.
posted by i feel possessed at 9:13 PM on January 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
Oh my god, I just--I fucking--*breathes*
We got the student loans sorted I thought--found out why mine were delayed, forcibly got the credit collections company to hand over the college transcript, and shit was very tight but when the loans came in, I figured I could pay off the cards and we'd be okay. So even though for a couple of days there we were down to $30 in the bank accounts, I genuinely thought the money issues were fixed and I'd taken that $1800 plumbing bill I got hit with accidentally handled that son of a bitch like a boss. Even when the credit card I thought had space for it turned out not to! I was proud of myself! The two adult cats both need teeth out but I figured we could manage that next month, if we budgeted right!
Tonight, our fucking toilets started leaking sewage from the base, and the on-call plumber can't get here till tomorrow. We've got a bit more cash in the kitty from my partner's paycheck, so if it's not catastrophic we probably can handle it, but--
can I just please have a fucking break from the goddamn fucking disasters for one fucking month?
posted by sciatrix at 9:53 PM on January 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
We got the student loans sorted I thought--found out why mine were delayed, forcibly got the credit collections company to hand over the college transcript, and shit was very tight but when the loans came in, I figured I could pay off the cards and we'd be okay. So even though for a couple of days there we were down to $30 in the bank accounts, I genuinely thought the money issues were fixed and I'd taken that $1800 plumbing bill I got hit with accidentally handled that son of a bitch like a boss. Even when the credit card I thought had space for it turned out not to! I was proud of myself! The two adult cats both need teeth out but I figured we could manage that next month, if we budgeted right!
Tonight, our fucking toilets started leaking sewage from the base, and the on-call plumber can't get here till tomorrow. We've got a bit more cash in the kitty from my partner's paycheck, so if it's not catastrophic we probably can handle it, but--
can I just please have a fucking break from the goddamn fucking disasters for one fucking month?
posted by sciatrix at 9:53 PM on January 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm feeling fairly panicky tonight and really having trouble getting a handle on it, to be honest. I spoke to a professional earlier, but the good vibes wore off fairly quickly. My husband has been having an attack of one or more of his chronic conditions for almost 2 weeks at this point, involving a hospital visit last week, and didn't listen to me when I said he should stay and get tests. It turned out to only be better long enough for him to get sent home to where I'm his only nurse, as I predicted. I'm pretty unhappy about this turn of events, as it's destroying my ability to concentrate or take much joy in life right now.
Then there's some squirreliness I can't get into in another area of my life that's just totally freaking my shit out because people chose the past week to start expressing Concerns and guys please this is just not the time, much deletia, but basically I was already anxious and this is triggering PTSD from past situations. Oh God please don't let this get weirder...
My brother also decided this morning was a great time to start talking to me about funeral options for our father, who's in hospice and probably will be for some time yet. The hospice gal had some phone problem or just got offended that I wasn't up for talking about death with her lately and so called my brother to complain, so he's taking point on this, which I appreciate, but I don't like being routed around with excuses about my voicemail not working when other people have left messages just fine for the past several days. And did I mention I just really don't want to discuss death more than I have to right now?
I'm also helping organize and run the first event of the year for a group I'm part of later this week, and some of the pieces have yet to come together, and it's not a great day for it for me but I didn't feel like I could say no because reasons, and...
Then all these fucking headlines this week about the world ending, or false alarms about it ending, and I just can't even. I feel like friends are kind of scarce in my life right now, too, and it means a lot that you're all here to listen to me nervously write volumes of nonsense, even if it's just about bad life decisions or painful or weird medical situations. Anyone who wrote me something here lately who I haven't gotten back to right away, please know it's absolutely not personal. I'm just having trouble dealing...
posted by limeonaire at 11:35 PM on January 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
Then there's some squirreliness I can't get into in another area of my life that's just totally freaking my shit out because people chose the past week to start expressing Concerns and guys please this is just not the time, much deletia, but basically I was already anxious and this is triggering PTSD from past situations. Oh God please don't let this get weirder...
My brother also decided this morning was a great time to start talking to me about funeral options for our father, who's in hospice and probably will be for some time yet. The hospice gal had some phone problem or just got offended that I wasn't up for talking about death with her lately and so called my brother to complain, so he's taking point on this, which I appreciate, but I don't like being routed around with excuses about my voicemail not working when other people have left messages just fine for the past several days. And did I mention I just really don't want to discuss death more than I have to right now?
I'm also helping organize and run the first event of the year for a group I'm part of later this week, and some of the pieces have yet to come together, and it's not a great day for it for me but I didn't feel like I could say no because reasons, and...
Then all these fucking headlines this week about the world ending, or false alarms about it ending, and I just can't even. I feel like friends are kind of scarce in my life right now, too, and it means a lot that you're all here to listen to me nervously write volumes of nonsense, even if it's just about bad life decisions or painful or weird medical situations. Anyone who wrote me something here lately who I haven't gotten back to right away, please know it's absolutely not personal. I'm just having trouble dealing...
posted by limeonaire at 11:35 PM on January 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
ohmyGOD Carson, I am so so sorry. Holy shit.
posted by Space Kitty at 11:48 AM on January 16, 2018
posted by Space Kitty at 11:48 AM on January 16, 2018
If any more evidence were needed that we are indeed on one of the bottom-most timeline branches, the fact that such a run of ruinously shitty luck could befall as kind and generous a person as carsonb should be enough to convince anybody. Fucking fuck, man.
posted by contraption at 1:34 PM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by contraption at 1:34 PM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
carsonb, I'm sorry to hear all of that. It's devastating.
I hope you've got the resources in place to support you right now, but in any event I'm glad you were able to vent here — may it help you in some small but real way. Please take care of yourself in the days and months to come.
posted by adamgreenfield at 2:17 AM on January 17, 2018
I hope you've got the resources in place to support you right now, but in any event I'm glad you were able to vent here — may it help you in some small but real way. Please take care of yourself in the days and months to come.
posted by adamgreenfield at 2:17 AM on January 17, 2018
I won't share the manifest and ongoing shittiness of my own past year and a half, BTW, because other than the fucking-fuck fuckery on both sides of the Atlantic a lot of it's honestly not mine to share. Suffice to say it's sucked a good deal less than the horrible horrible stuff many of y'all have related here, but quite a lot more than any comparable eighteen-month period of my life.
I will say that three things have helped tremendously with my ability to cobble together something that looks like equanimity: laying off my beloved alcohol for a month, lifting weights for a few hours every other day, and jumping back on top of my growing list of obligations with a shared to-do app. (OK, those things, listening to a whole lot of blackgaze/dark ambient, real loud, through a really good set of headphones, to the degree that I'm actually contemplating a [cough] doom yoga class.)
This protocol is helping me manage, and lordy do I ever wish that each and every one of you has similarly stumbled or eventually will stumble on some such collection of coping mechanisms. These are the times that try [our] souls, etc., and it feels like all we can hope to do is charlie mike and see them through. For the sake of everyone who needs us, if for no other reason.
posted by adamgreenfield at 2:27 AM on January 17, 2018
I will say that three things have helped tremendously with my ability to cobble together something that looks like equanimity: laying off my beloved alcohol for a month, lifting weights for a few hours every other day, and jumping back on top of my growing list of obligations with a shared to-do app. (OK, those things, listening to a whole lot of blackgaze/dark ambient, real loud, through a really good set of headphones, to the degree that I'm actually contemplating a [cough] doom yoga class.)
This protocol is helping me manage, and lordy do I ever wish that each and every one of you has similarly stumbled or eventually will stumble on some such collection of coping mechanisms. These are the times that try [our] souls, etc., and it feels like all we can hope to do is charlie mike and see them through. For the sake of everyone who needs us, if for no other reason.
posted by adamgreenfield at 2:27 AM on January 17, 2018
COME ON, MUELLER.
posted by Dashy at 6:11 AM on January 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Dashy at 6:11 AM on January 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
Carsonb, I'm so very sorry.
Sciatrix, that's most likely the wax seals under the toilets, and you can replace them yourself. They're $5 at home despot.
posted by Dashy at 6:16 AM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
Sciatrix, that's most likely the wax seals under the toilets, and you can replace them yourself. They're $5 at home despot.
posted by Dashy at 6:16 AM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
It definitely is the seals, and they're totally blown! It's just that also, both our bathrooms got soaked with sewer water and the plumber can't find the relevant sewer leak that's causing the blockage in the main line as of yesterday. He quoted something like $225/toilet to replace the seals, but that's not going to be any good until we find out what's up with the main line. (All of that may be gibberish; it's filtered through my very basic understanding of what I'm up against.)
For context, Austin basically shut down yesterday on account of hail and ice as we got hit with a storm, which may well be what happened with our main line blockage. The plumber who did come out yesterday managed to get the water level down without actually reducing it, and also confirmed he could see sewage in the main water line. He thought there might be a leak, but couldn't find it without a camera, which because of the ice etc. he wasn't able to obtain yesterday. He also highly suggested that the water damage remediation folks come take a look and give us a free inspection given the flooding in both bathrooms, which became a gentle 'hey, let's talk to your home insurance folks,' which became "the homeowner's insurance is just... going to put you up in a hotel for a couple of days", which became "so it miiiiiiiiight be more like... a week and a half? We're just gonna, uh, see how long this takes you." I have no idea what's going to happen when the plumber comes back in a day or two.
(Incidentally, we only even know that much because of my Secret Quonsar--the plumber's flashlight broke at a very bad time yesterday, and the only one in the house was the one that kimothy so kindly sent me. So hey, that's one gift that has definitely been worth its weight in gold!)
All of this is.... uh... well, exciting, let's call it that. Fortunately we have a friend who has taken two out of the four cats for the duration--she would have taken three, except one was hiding and couldn't be found when she came by but has since reappeared, and the remaining cat was intended to stick with us because he actually likes travelling and makes the dog feel better. And we're at the LaQuinta, which let us keep the rest of the animals with us, otherwise. So we've got three adults, two cats, and a dog in a hotel room for the duration, but it's actually a hotel room that isn't too much smaller than our actual house minus the kitchen and individual bedrooms, so, uh.... could be worse? The dog can come to work with me for a week or two! Classes won't start for a bit yet!
So anyway, shit is better than it was the other day--I can handle insurance! I got a masterclass in insurance wrangling back in 2013 when my apartment burned down!--and the insurance will cover just about everything if it was damage from freezing, which is actually fairly likely given the timing. I have passed through the stage of Endless Screaming and into the stage of Finding This Hilarious and Making Terrible Jokes Like "guess who's got two thumbs and is temporarily unhoused again!" and trying to make my grad school friend plot a poisson distribution of my assorted calamities, so wins all round.
posted by sciatrix at 8:31 AM on January 17, 2018 [6 favorites]
For context, Austin basically shut down yesterday on account of hail and ice as we got hit with a storm, which may well be what happened with our main line blockage. The plumber who did come out yesterday managed to get the water level down without actually reducing it, and also confirmed he could see sewage in the main water line. He thought there might be a leak, but couldn't find it without a camera, which because of the ice etc. he wasn't able to obtain yesterday. He also highly suggested that the water damage remediation folks come take a look and give us a free inspection given the flooding in both bathrooms, which became a gentle 'hey, let's talk to your home insurance folks,' which became "the homeowner's insurance is just... going to put you up in a hotel for a couple of days", which became "so it miiiiiiiiight be more like... a week and a half? We're just gonna, uh, see how long this takes you." I have no idea what's going to happen when the plumber comes back in a day or two.
(Incidentally, we only even know that much because of my Secret Quonsar--the plumber's flashlight broke at a very bad time yesterday, and the only one in the house was the one that kimothy so kindly sent me. So hey, that's one gift that has definitely been worth its weight in gold!)
All of this is.... uh... well, exciting, let's call it that. Fortunately we have a friend who has taken two out of the four cats for the duration--she would have taken three, except one was hiding and couldn't be found when she came by but has since reappeared, and the remaining cat was intended to stick with us because he actually likes travelling and makes the dog feel better. And we're at the LaQuinta, which let us keep the rest of the animals with us, otherwise. So we've got three adults, two cats, and a dog in a hotel room for the duration, but it's actually a hotel room that isn't too much smaller than our actual house minus the kitchen and individual bedrooms, so, uh.... could be worse? The dog can come to work with me for a week or two! Classes won't start for a bit yet!
So anyway, shit is better than it was the other day--I can handle insurance! I got a masterclass in insurance wrangling back in 2013 when my apartment burned down!--and the insurance will cover just about everything if it was damage from freezing, which is actually fairly likely given the timing. I have passed through the stage of Endless Screaming and into the stage of Finding This Hilarious and Making Terrible Jokes Like "guess who's got two thumbs and is temporarily unhoused again!" and trying to make my grad school friend plot a poisson distribution of my assorted calamities, so wins all round.
posted by sciatrix at 8:31 AM on January 17, 2018 [6 favorites]
Wow, sciatrix, I'm sorry for all of the chaos, but I'm glad to be helpful in an unforseen way! (And I bet mx. sciatrix isn't teasing you about your multitools so much now!) :)
posted by Kimothy at 1:00 PM on January 17, 2018
posted by Kimothy at 1:00 PM on January 17, 2018
Thanks for the words of comfort and support, everyone. The upheaval continues apace, but yes I am so very lucky to not be completely thrown for a loop. I'll get by with a little help from my friends.
If I'm doing my maths right, does this mean your immediate family is now you and your mum?
I have one other younger sister (the middle child) who, thankfully, is prospering peacefully on the other side of the country. But out West here it's just me and mum, yep.
posted by carsonb at 10:30 PM on January 17, 2018
If I'm doing my maths right, does this mean your immediate family is now you and your mum?
I have one other younger sister (the middle child) who, thankfully, is prospering peacefully on the other side of the country. But out West here it's just me and mum, yep.
posted by carsonb at 10:30 PM on January 17, 2018
I'm so sorry carsonb. My thoughts are with you.
In addition to being super fucking triggered (I hate that word now) by all of the Ansari and USAG stuff (survivor of CSA) I'm also feeling like my biggest and least destructive coping mechanism is getting pulled and I'm being overlooked and under appreciated. My grant did not get funded. We're getting bridge funding. Despite receiving the highest score in my group (yay me), a couple of our groups in the overall grant pulled the score down and I'm taking a 35% layoff for the next year. I know that on some level, this is not the worst thing in the world, but I feel like all of my work is being shit on and people are making all kinds of decisions without me because I don't have big letters after my name. It sucks and I'm not feeling like I have anyone supportive to talk to about it either which double sucks. So, fuck.
posted by Sophie1 at 1:04 PM on January 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
In addition to being super fucking triggered (I hate that word now) by all of the Ansari and USAG stuff (survivor of CSA) I'm also feeling like my biggest and least destructive coping mechanism is getting pulled and I'm being overlooked and under appreciated. My grant did not get funded. We're getting bridge funding. Despite receiving the highest score in my group (yay me), a couple of our groups in the overall grant pulled the score down and I'm taking a 35% layoff for the next year. I know that on some level, this is not the worst thing in the world, but I feel like all of my work is being shit on and people are making all kinds of decisions without me because I don't have big letters after my name. It sucks and I'm not feeling like I have anyone supportive to talk to about it either which double sucks. So, fuck.
posted by Sophie1 at 1:04 PM on January 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
Current CR situation in Congress reminds me a little of the movie Speed.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:23 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:23 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Relaxing snowy Sunday morning picking up groceries at my friendly west side market when a man near checkout starts screaming incoherently about Chuck Schumer for a good ten minutes until security finally escorts him out. This is fine.
posted by mochapickle at 10:57 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by mochapickle at 10:57 AM on January 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Is...is it time for a new Fucking Fuck thread? Or can we still Fucking Fuck in this one?
posted by yoga at 9:11 AM on January 30, 2018
posted by yoga at 9:11 AM on January 30, 2018
This one is still rolling as a place to let your WTFF out.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:13 AM on January 30, 2018
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:13 AM on January 30, 2018
Well, I think it’s been about three weeks now of getting severe headaches every day. I’ve gotten migraines since I was 19, and these are totally different. I’m waiting for insurance authorization to see a neurologist, but I honestly think it’s just stress. I mean, it can’t be a coincidence that the headaches started up again just as the semester started. On the other hand, I’m not that stressed out?
And I say “again” because almost the same thing happened last May. Doctor thought it was a concussion, even though I hadn’t hit my head. Referred me to a neurologist, but I couldn’t get past bureaucracy and eventually the headaches went away on their own.
But now they’re back and they hurt like 10x as much, which is a lot. It’s like when you get a sore throat and you feel sort of ok until suddenly you try to swallow.
Annnnd here comes another one :(
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 5:22 PM on January 30, 2018
And I say “again” because almost the same thing happened last May. Doctor thought it was a concussion, even though I hadn’t hit my head. Referred me to a neurologist, but I couldn’t get past bureaucracy and eventually the headaches went away on their own.
But now they’re back and they hurt like 10x as much, which is a lot. It’s like when you get a sore throat and you feel sort of ok until suddenly you try to swallow.
Annnnd here comes another one :(
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 5:22 PM on January 30, 2018
Hi! I've never participated in one of these threads before, but HOLY FUCK do I need to do some screaming into the void right now. Fuck this fucking treasonous stain on American history, and fuck everyone who voted for him and who continues to enable him (especially his GOP collaborators in Congress).
None of them will get a fraction of the justice they deserve.
On the plus side, I've been getting back into loud, angry music.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 3:48 PM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
None of them will get a fraction of the justice they deserve.
On the plus side, I've been getting back into loud, angry music.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 3:48 PM on January 31, 2018 [1 favorite]
Still in the hotel until the drywall guy can schedule us in, which I haven't got a call about yet. Augh.
In other notes, have noticed for the past couple of weeks--since we've been here--that our hotel is fucking crawling with State troopers and police, and no city police presence whatsoever. So I'm busily figuring out who to contact about that and whether I'm making a mountain out of a molehill... but there's at least a dozen vehicles and I can't think of any other reason for them to be clustered at this hotel except immigration raids.
I'm tired and angry and fucking done and I don't want to be making phone calls but. But.
Fuck.
posted by sciatrix at 5:48 AM on February 1, 2018
In other notes, have noticed for the past couple of weeks--since we've been here--that our hotel is fucking crawling with State troopers and police, and no city police presence whatsoever. So I'm busily figuring out who to contact about that and whether I'm making a mountain out of a molehill... but there's at least a dozen vehicles and I can't think of any other reason for them to be clustered at this hotel except immigration raids.
I'm tired and angry and fucking done and I don't want to be making phone calls but. But.
Fuck.
posted by sciatrix at 5:48 AM on February 1, 2018
Had a sudden and unexpected longing for NPR to air political coverage after my local station chose to air segments of Justin Timberlake's press conference for the Super Bowl the other day.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:31 AM on February 2, 2018
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:31 AM on February 2, 2018
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posted by Soliloquy at 1:13 PM on January 4, 2018 [5 favorites]