They’re still active. They’re organizing a “Good Trouble” protest (as a nod to John Lewis) on July 17 across the country. I think what’s happening is that the media has stopped talking about 50501 (gee, I wonder why they would do that?), but the protests are definitely still happening.

I’m glad to know that show wasn’t just some sort of fever dream I had at 5 years old. No one I know remembers it.

My state decided it was a great idea to switch from allowing you to go to your local county clerk’s office for licensing to requiring you to go to a regional driver’s licensing office, which there aren’t enough of in the state. They make you schedule appointments at least a month or two in advance, and when you show up for your appointment, you still have to wait in a long line. It can take hours, and of course they’re only open at inconvenient times for anyone who works a full-time job. They also accept walk-ins, but the line for that is even longer, and there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to be seen that day. Top it all off with the extra documents you’re required to bring with you (birth certificate, etc), and a lot of people I know just haven’t bothered with it yet. I don’t blame them.

There was a whole saga of him buying expensive rat erotica artwork at one point, which is a sentence I never thought I’d write.

I’m sorry you feel like this. I don’t know you, but I don’t want you to hurt yourself. I was depressed for a long time, too. Therapy helped. You’re right to think about the good things that may happen in the future, because there WILL be good things, just like there will be bad things. I don’t know the details of your situation, but I hope it gets better soon, and I hope you know that people care about you. I’m sure there are people in your life who love you and would miss you. And even if you can’t think of anyone who cares, here’s one internet stranger who does. Sending hugs to wherever you are tonight.

I work for a company that helps people with developmental disabilities (autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, etc) become more independent in their daily lives. Recently, one of our clients successfully earned her vet tech certification. She wants to help sick animals, especially cats. This is a girl who could barely write her own name when we started working with her. Now, she’s going places. Makes all the hard work worth it.