Carrie Gaffney

Bubble Pit at a Rave Baby

I got a cat, and she is making my life infinitely better already.

Even if you don’t listen to news, literally on the ‘plan your trip’ feature for months. Anyone who uses the service regularly was getting notified. Ugh.

Family group chat reaffirming I raised two amazing adults.

It is an unspoken obligation that I have to watch Glory every time it’s on and sob uncontrollably for three hours afterward. So it has been for 30 years.

I share a birthday with Elmo, and I don’t know; it feels fitting.

My favorite part is that it summarizes all of my rejections from literary journals. Very affirming and not soul crushing at all.

I was on the board of a national social justice org for a while. One time I remarked I was surprised they had chosen so many Midwesterners because of our conservative rep. The woman in charge said, ‘Midwesterners who do this work lead with love and do not quit.’
I will never forget that.

The Briggs column definitely feels like a precursor to futures narratives that will go ‘He’s brilliant and she was just a teacher’ and will make me want to stab myself in the face.

Guys, we’re misspelling ‘Axis of Evil 2.0’

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. Taken Summer, 2016.

Everything is awful, so a random thought to consider: if you’ve ever been driving and stuck behind a bus, you *probably* could be on that bus instead. Something to consider in the new year.

Anticipating the moment when my doctor asks me without irony if I’m getting enough bacon. 🤷🏻‍♀️

a close up of a cat 's face with a blurry background ALT: a close up of a cat 's face with a blurry background

Literally just at a bookstore downtown where a patron was asked if they were local and they said, yeah. Well, Westfield.

The nuanced debate around problematic systems/ stakeholders in the college football bracket has me wondering why we can’t apply that same nuance to *other* problematic systems/stakeholders. Like maybe human-type stuff. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My child when he was little: what it plus one? And I was always like, man, yes. What is plus one?

Take that, I-65!

I was one of the teachers who welcomed students from Afghanistan when they arrived in 2021. Their trauma was immense, and all of us felt the gravity of our responsibility to center their humanity first and foremost every day. And now what?

Today is rainy and gross.
But yesterday was glorious.

Columbine happened during my student teaching, so I have never worked in a world where I wasn’t worried I might have to die at school. I am physically ill that the AG of my state thinks it is acceptable in any way, shape, or form to release a child to anyone except a parent or guardian. Shameful.

I work at Tech HS. I walk .4 miles every day to catch the 3. Almost everyone on the bus at that time is a Tech student. Whatever the route is with your kid, persevere. You’re teaching an amazing lesson on schooling without cars. ✌🏼

The ID domestic abuse marathon coupled with commercials where it’s 4 pm and the mom feels pressure to figure out dinner… I don’t know. I don’t like it.

If you could include upping the 3 to every fifteen minutes from 6-9 am and 2-5 pm, I would appreciate it. 🙌🏻

Irvington going hard early.

If this is true… Midwest writers are about to have their moment. 🤞🏻🤞🏻

I love the east side of Indy all the time, but today was a great day to renew my vows.

When did alphabetical order start going by first name? Because what? And no.

Sometimes I forget I live in the city.

Indy to Bloomington on the Flix bus. Hoosier luxury.

Kevin was my friend. Losing him was a loss for the city, a city he loved and advocated for every day he was here. As a city and state, we have a responsibility to keep our people safe.