Ally Ottesen, M.P.H.

Damn am I proud to be a Californian. We aren’t perfect here but I have so much love for the people in my state and how we’re showing up right now. Also, a major shoutout to the people in other places who are standing with us in solidarity. This is going to be a long road but I believe in us all.

Yes, this started in Australia, in major cities, a few years ago. Glad it's made it to Portland.

The best April Fool’s jokes are the ones that are a little early. I started to fall for it until I got to the “solves all mysteries” part. I’m very grateful that your books don’t do that.

Ah, The church and the nobility have teamed up to sell indulgences to us poor wretches. Definitely not to extract more capital, no, no, it’s for the benefit of our unclean souls! How very predictably fucking feudalist of them.

I’m embarrassed to say that I hadn’t even heard they were happening, and I’m an infectious disease epidemiologist. Gonna go look this up even though I don’t know how much more anger I can handle tonight 🥲

My job saves lives and saves money. I’m a public servant. How are any of us waste or fraud? We make this country what it is.

DOGE cut a bunch of funds from state & local public health, specifically around infectious disease. I’m a county infectious disease epi. I make less than 6 figures in the SF Bay Area. If I lose my job, my husband & I both lose our healthcare because he’s self employed. Never felt this hollow before.

She is phenomenal!

Democrats are the thing I’m second most sick of after Republicans.

US politics have been in desperate need of an overhaul for a long time but I’m at least grateful that more people understand that now (???)

We need multiple viable parties that represent much more of the political spectrum.

I’ve been staying off social media lately to get work done- I’m in the first stages of a big analysis and getting pretty close to launching the wastewater surveillance project I’ve been working on.

It rained really hard last night, and god, the sound of it was so beautiful that I had to share.

Hahaha ok you got me there

Hi hey hello

Oh my god 😆

It’s so GOOD! I played it a year or two ago and the song gets stuck in my head all the time still.

“Perhaps my only real expertise, my only talent, is to endure beyond the endurable.” - Annihilation

He’s such a try-hard oh my god. The man just needs to accept that no amount of money is ever going to make him cool. For sure French Revolution, but I’ve been saying that a lot lately, we probably all have 🥲

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1/2:Current mental state: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Holy fuck if we get through this we are all going to need a lot of therapy oh my god.

Hell yeah it is! I’ve been calling and sending a lot of emails to my reps lately (and specifically some about this issue) and I’ll find a protest near me as well. I hope today brings you something, however small, that soothes the heartbreak a bit 💗

I feel you. I’ve had a lot of breaking points since this all started, but reading about this a few nights ago left me profoundly broken. As bleak as it seems, the world needs people like you now more than ever. I hope we all get some good news soon though because damn 😣

I’m starting to sound like a broken record but this is so staggeringly irresponsible and genocidal.

This observation brought to you by the realization that I swore multiple times in multiple work emails yesterday. Oops. 🤦🏻

The number of swear words I use in a day is negatively correlated with the number of hours of sleep I got the night before.

I’m really curious why no one has asked Musk the same question about his attire during the Oval Office interview or the cabinet meeting 🤔

Also, if I remember correctly, many if not most Trump voters actually aren’t into the hardcore christian nationalist/project 2025 BS, and Vance has been spewing a lot of that. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I have a hunch that if Donnie kicks the bucket, a lot of his supporters will bail.

I mean same, but I take some solace in the fact that Vance has zero charisma or personality. Even the Trump supporters in my extended family were ambivalent at best about Vance prior to the election and I’m guessing the shit he pulled at the Munich conference didn’t sit well with them.

Unfortunately, many of those people will remain mired in their own ignorance and just find some other nonsensical thing to pin the blame on. I do hope some of them learn, though.

Hey! My name is Ally. I’m an epidemiologist and occasional creative writer, currently working on a sci fi short story.

The concept came to me a few days ago, so no title yet. I’ve already written quite a bit despite how busy work has been. Writing has really been helping me process reality!

Yeah, I feel you. I hope you’re able to find some rest and joy today and that it refreshes you 💗