Crystal

Will we wait to see whose side they're on before offering grief or defensive arguments for those who have fallen? Will we hear that a person was slain and decide whether or not to care based on some kind of scale of righteous morality? Aren't there situations in which murder should be decidedly bad?

That's absolutely fair!

Oh, no, I just meant record the content at your leisure, then edit and post when you feel like it without any kind of timeline. Not sure how the guests would feel about that, though!

I suppose there may be a worry of the content being out of step with current events. I say keep the conversations... even if they go unpublished. Art will always be relevant, even if the current events don't line up.

It's a truly wonderful show. Would it feel better to make a decision about it? I do understand the discomfort of meandering. I imagine doing it as you please might feel too noncommittal.

The back of a sign on which someone has tagged the phrase "butt stuff"

AI could never

The inexplicable hope of soft kindness for anyone and everyone.

Like sunshine in the winter.

And while I was never in the care of your presence or kind regard, I feel it deeply.

You, who mattered. Matters; so much; within your circle. You, who continues to matter.

Perhaps it is not so important that I understand why or try to make sense of our collective loss of you, Ms. Good.

Or, maybe the inability to judge or condemn a subject with pure heartedness or radical goodwill feels somehow offensive in itself.

Instead of exploring with curiosity, offensive skepticism, like a protective amulet.

Somehow, being unable to understand intrinsic kindness and empathy on a humanitarian level frustrates. Angers.

I imagine that the average "conservative" copes with skepticism.

I think a lot of us deal with the frustration of not understanding something in different ways.

the case for living Sometimes a breeze blows on a sunny day. A pollen-covered bee crawls gracelessly across a poppy, loading up on food to share with all her sisters in the hive. The first tomato of the year is ripe, ready for salt and slices of fresh bread. The juice drips, tart and sweet, down to your wrist before you have the chance to lick it clean. You laugh, undignified and far too loud as you remember what your best friend said when you were young. She's long since passed, of course, but every burst of laughter brings her back. It's not enough, and yet it's all we have, each too-small seed of joy unearthed from soil watered more often by our tears than rain and melting, soft and fragile, in our hands. In lack of hope or some great blessed plan, we hold and kiss and keep them while we can.

In June I finished a poem about being suicidal and the tiniest things one can use as a carrot to keep themselves going, and here at the close of the year I am finally (mostly) ready to share it

I love my two blackout drunk Minnesota sons

7 Dems joined House Republicans in voting for a bill that would enable ICE agents to strip search 12-year-olds.

Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
Don Davis (NC-01)
Laura Gillen (NY-04)
Jared Golden (ME-02)
Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34)
Adam Gray (CA-13)
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03)

And suppose the shrimp head was actually some sort of ceremonial headpiece, armor (helm), or breathing apparatus (think diver's helmet) and it would pop off and the tiny creature's hair would float out, revealing a tiny human face. Which could also mean the segmented shrimp tail could be armor too.

Furthermore, there would be different shrimpmaid/mershrimp races based on the species!

If there are mermaids, but instead of fish, it was shrimp, would the top or bottom half be shrimp? Would the other half be a girl or fish? 🧜🏻‍♀️🦐🐟 (I delight in the idea of a fairy sized mermaid, but wonder about the logistics... 🤔)

My brain hurts a little too, just trying! Need more Omega-3s, perhaps. 🤔

Sakanaction is nice.

Is reliance on logic a trauma response? 🤔

I think "The Christmas Waltz" might be my favourite.

It's never too late, as surely night will fall again and again.

Hot Take: We should stop obsessing over unconditional love and expecting to receive it from others. It's wonderful to be seen and be loved for our true selves, but being held to a standard of decency, which may differ for every relationship, is important. Don't forsake values for love.