Still cycling through all the emotions. Repeatedly. Whole damn washing machine of feelings. Anger, sadness, hurt, confusion, disbelief, determination, and a slew of others.

And my post-election analysis is as follows: Racism and misogyny on the right. Racism, misogyny, and general dumbassery on the left. I just don’t think it goes much deeper than that. I’m pissed at white men, and I’m even more pissed at white women, and fuck if I know how to make them change their tune.

Much like when Covid hit, I suspect I’ll be writing more. Coping, processing, ranting, repeating myself, etc. Just be warned, LOL.

Coping so far:

• Reached out to a friend who is understandably hurting to make sure she knows she’s not alone, and sent a little gift.
• Started weekly donations to groups who I think will need help. Will be rotating through the food bank, a local LGBTQ+ youth support group, Whitman Walker Clinic, and the animal shelter. Food for the folks & pets that will need it if the economy goes to shit, support for the LGBTQ+ community that will always need it, but even moreso now. Pretty sure these will be my lanes going forward.
• Figured out how to make non-breaded baked chicken breasts that aren’t dry as fuck, and they were awesome. (In times of crisis, we need to eat.)
• Lots of cuddling the cats.

I’ve decided to treat work as a distraction that pays me. I know, “But capitalism and authoritarianism wants you distracted!” But it’s not the same kind of distraction, and this distraction keeps me from despair, and again, pays me, and I can use that money to help others.

When that clicked today, it felt like I’d 100% turned the tables on my employer. But for the love of god, don’t tell them that, if they realize I’m using my 8 hours a day of fiddly spreadsheet time as some fucked up therapy, they’re gonna start charging me for it.

Saw an otherwise fairly sane and knowledgable person going on about “Well, they can’t do things without due process!” The fuck they can’t – due process is the best case scenario, here. And the courts being as fucked as they are, probably the most we can hope for is to slow some things down. But, we help who we can, slow down anything and everything we can, and do the best we can. Some days our best won’t be enough, but some days it will, and we’ll keep going and keep trying.

To do all of this, we also need to stay functional, which will range from the absolutely mundane – sleep, eat well, exercise – to things that will feel downright selfish – stepping back from the news, having fun, creating art, enjoying nice things. But, we gotta be functional to be helpful.

And those are my rambles at the end of this back-to-work-after-a-holiday-weekend Tuesday.