Life of Wry

Is this thing on?

Been a minute since I’ve posted. If WordPress is accurate, my last post was on January 12 of this very year. Ouch. What a year.. it deserves some reflection. And ya never know.. maybe I WILL reflect!

But for now… it’s election day. Finally ELECTION DAY.

I swear… the midterm elections have been top of mind for literally months, if not since the moment that psychopath won the 2024 election two years ago. Seriously, TWO YEARS AGO. We’ve been living this horror show for two years. Not to mention — OF COURSE — he’s dominated and filthified our national consciousness for 11 years now.

Today is the day we’ll experience — I hope, I pray, I beg — a national reckoning.

Me, at this moment: Got 7.5 hours of sleep last night (that is exceptional for me), which is gas in the tank for a long night glued to my laptop. I had a nice workout and stretched it all out, so physically I’m ready to be a total chair, couch, desk potato ALL.DAY.LONG. Will move from place to place, as comfort dictates, all the while listening to pre-game analyses and podcasts, reading articles, making notes (I do this). My spot at the moment is in front of the fire (BONUS: it’s raining outside!!), squatting on my little wooden stool, tap-tap-tapping away on my laptop, which sits atop a little wooden table. This is one of my favorite places to sit… fire searing my back.

Going to hang out with my States Win peeps at Dunloe from 5:30-7 tonight. Some results will start to trickle. I’ll come home to last night’s leftovers (no cooking today), then really settle in.

I’m very, very excited.

I’m reflecting, too, on my part in the effort. Truth is — as noted above — it’s been a helluva travel year (70th birthday reunion, 30th anniversary getaway, Peter’s defense, Peter’s graduation celebration, Bonnie’s 95th in Iowa, Peter and Maya’s move to Pasadena, the 50th anniversary Sweden reunion, two Yosemite trips, two Vermont trips, and a month in Scandinavia!). When I finally do the math on this year, it may show I/we was/were away more than I/we was/were home. But when I WAS home, I managed to:

• Attend weekly Monday morning Action Coffees, calling my reps about important policy issues
• Write postcards for candidates in important races (California, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina)
• Make calls to low-propensity voters in a must-win district (Randy Villegas)
• Text to those same low-propensity voters to make sure they vote
• Canvass for a candidate in a close California race (Adam Gray)
• Write and send monthly appeals letters to my list of 80+, raising money for worthy groups and candidates in swing states (shared the writing tasks with Lyra)
• Write and distribute to nearly 2000 our States Win weekly newsletter (shared the writing task with Kelly)
• Show up to rallies, actions, protests (2 No Kings rallies, occasional 5th and B actions, a couple of ICE protests in Woodland)
• Show up to gatherings and meetings (monthly Contagious Courage at Dunloe Brewery, monthly Indivisible meetings)
• Attend VERBS fundraisers (I made it to two this year)
• Give a crazy amount of money
• Keep informed. Voraciously consumed analyses and commentary from deeply informed, deliciously articulate, righteously indignant (and somewhat diverse) sources: the POD boys, the Daily, Robert Reich, Robert Hubbell, Heather Cox Richardson, Heather Delaney Reese, Adam Kinzinger, Frank Bruni, Marc Elias, Kara Swisher, Scott Gallaway, Ezra Klein, Ezra Levin, Leah Greenberg (and some I’m surely forgetting). Watched too much CNN; read tons of the NYT, Atlantic, Guardian; listened to NPR

And voted early, like you’re supposta do.

It felt like not enough, less than previous years. But it was a decent showing in an otherwise nutty year. We do what we can do.

So, as I sit here, warming up and needing to shift to a new location, I am ready to see the fruits. I hope to luxuriate in the fruits. I hope it’s a long night of WOW, and dancing around the house, and texting friends and fellow warriors in the fight. I hope I go to sleep with a huge smile on my face, thanking the indefatigable activists and progressive electorate for a job well done.

The adrenaline coursing through my sympathetic nervous system tells me I’m quite.. nervous, but I am also nauseously optimistic.

See you on the other side.