"It meant basically you got five people to register to vote in probably six months, or maybe none."
Seems a good time to re-up this @ashleynicoleblack.bsky.social piece about the realities of resistance work, featuring insights from several Civil Rights Movement elders in DC. It always heartens me.
Music gear guys (as differentiated from "musicians")
Absolutely fucking good.
Buddy had more brain cells than I was even comfortable with. This cat could use tools and social engineer the best of us.
An extremely large and also fat orange tabby cat is wearing a child's Super Mario t-shirt over his back and forelegs. The t-shirt fits nicely. In front of the cat is two bowls overflowing with kibble. The cat side-eyes the camera.
Reminds me of my old family cat, Buddy. A king and community organizer: once he got out and straight up hosted a meeting of neighborhood cats in the driveway in the wee hours of the morning.
God I remember being TERRIFIED of pitching Lisner shows to you way back in the day. I was so intimidated. This is their fucking loss, forever.
And now there's even less reason to do that.
A devastating loss. And completely avoidable.
May they rest in peace, they will be missed 🖤
I'm glad for alt outlets like @wcp.bsky.social and @51st.news et al for local DC coverage but I still log into WaPo (w/ library card) now and again for @capitalweather.bsky.social Carolyn Hax and @chrisrichards.bsky.social.
Epilogue: how the hell does one find out what the "allowed amount" of a surgery center's facility fee is? 8/7
After she gave me her piece of the annoying math word puzzle that is out-of-pocket costs, she wrapped up the call with a beautiful pep talk. It was really eloquent, about never being afraid to own who i am and that this is taking care of my body and my health.
So yeah, now I'm crying. /end.
But the VA has its own issues and she feels like an outsider in her therapy group because everyone else is older and dudes. Basically, we're friends now, and I hate that I didn't catch her name and declined to fill out the survey at the beginning of the call. 6/
Turns out she's LOVELY. She's a Desert Storm vet in WVA and doesn't want the secret to get out about how great it is. I told her about @margaret.bsky.social, we bantered about how I have to basically play detective to estimate my costs, and she's glad she doesn't have to deal with it. 5/
She asked about my being on hormones because "not interested" was just a footnote on her screen so I started to explain nonbinary stuff, and she immediately got it.
As her computer loaded up the info I was asking for, I confessed my relief that she was cool about things. 4/
None of this was coming from the rep, to be clear. Just anxiety-brain. She had a Florida accent, which probably stoked things subconsciously, but again, made no indication that this was any different for her than a herniated disk repair or something. 3/
It was unexpectedly TERRIFYING. I know rationally that the phone reps aren't allowed to be assholes about it, but I had this sudden fear when she put me on hold. What if I got one who wants to Make a Point or even just hand me off for "moral reasons" when I'm just trying to figure out costs. 2/
I did kind of expect my call to confirm insurance benefits for top surgery to make me cry this afternoon, but not like this. It was the first time I said the words "gender affirming surgery" out loud to a stranger whose location, politics and familiarity with queerness I had no way of knowing.
🧵/
My mom didn't have that option and the morphine wasn't even touching her pain in the end (also pancreatic cancer). I do not wish that experience on anyone. Hoping this passes so more people have access to compassionate end-of-life care.
I want to go to all of these but my body won't allow it. How to choose, how to chooooose....
Update: we raised $2,600 for migrant and Salvadoran solidarity! I'm also moved beyond words to find a space that not only accommodates my disabilities as a dance performer, but celebrates them. So thankful for (and proud of!) my community right now 👯
My first day on Ritalin it put me to sleep and I was so upset. I'm already so tired, all of the time! And even prescription meth (ylphenidate) wasn't enough to wake me up??? Yeah... my psych's response was "dx confirmed. let's up the dose."
Flyer with text: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. 1-3 PM. $10-40 pay what you can, cash or venmo at the door. bit.ly/dcdcshowcase Dance Chance Showcase 4 dance troupes, 4 performances. A benefit for Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid & Committee in Solidarity with the people of El Salvador. St. Stephen's Church, 1525 Newton St NW, Washington, DC DC (lightning emoji) DC
DC come hang with me at St. Stephen's on Saturday for DC Dance Chance! (It's Hat Band, but for dance!) Proceeds benefit @dcmigrantmutualaid.org and Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador.
FYI your reporting is what made me stop procrastinating getting a consultation for top surgery and actually getting it scheduled.
💯
Yeah, infantalizing and internalized racism? Since this is a public convo I want to make it clear to others it almost certainly wasn't a white person who put that content together and posted it. I'm far too tired to get deep into organizing spaces so just learned what "wrecker" is ... and yup. That.
... The burbs don't have the same issues as DC proper with lack of local control. Would like to see them aim higher than "make the kidnapping go as smoothly as possible for the person being disappeared."
I once accidentally pissed off an INS officer who then made things immeasurably worse for the couple I was accompanying to their check-in. My missteps directly escalated the abuse of the people I was trying to help. I do get that concern, but...
I took their training months ago and it was very similar to HWD's copwatch training. Basically what to do if you come upon one person being questioned and possibly detained, nothing about chasing ICE out of the community.
Earlier iteration of ICE tactics is spot-on. Their training addresses what happens when you are witnessing one person get questioned or detained, and was very similar to the copwatch training I took. It's not for blanket raids or chasing ICE out of the community altogether.
As a bookstore that sells pamphlets and magazines, the criminalization of such materials feels pretty close to home. So let's take a closer look at the materials the federal government is claiming tie readers to "antifa terrorism." We can pick out six titles in these grainy photos. 1/