February 15

I feel certain that I am live-blogging the end of life as we know it. Isn’t it odd? How one billionaire Nazi South African is strip mining the entire U.S. economy to pay himself $8 million taxpayer dollars PER DAY, while the President talks about how professionals like me (i.e., not male) are ruining everything by taking jobs that don’t belong to us (?????). National Parks and public health research and vaccines and the economy are all being attacked, and we may be entering a world war where we are not on the correct side, and yet we have to get up and work through it all like things are normal. During the workday my boss (also South African, as it happens) is sending me articles from historians about how the Trump-Putin meeting in Munich about Ukraine is an almost EXACT match to the Europeans agreeing to support Hitler carving up Czechoslovakia just before WWII, ceding to the aggressor rather than pushing him back. Difference here is the U.S. is on the BAD GUYS’ SIDE which is exTREMEly stressful to contemplate. And then my boss is like “please don’t forget to send your TPS reports and approve your direct reports’ payroll promptly, thanks.” Uh, sure thing bud. Perhaps tomorrow we all die in a nuclear holocaust because the men in charge all have dementia and/or personality disorders, but I’ll definitely meet that arbitrary work deadline.

Honestly Zelensky has shown how one man – through bravery and sheer force of will – can change the course of history for the better and lead his people into protecting the world from Putin’s forces. Let’s focus on that lesson for now. Transcription of Zelensky’s badass address, filmed by iPhone selfie mode, surrounded by his advisors, standing in the streets of Kyiv as Russia attacked on February 25, 2022: “Good evening to everyone. The leader of the party is here. The head of the presidential administration is here. Prime Minister Shmyhal is here. Podolyak [Advisor to the Presidential Office] is here. The President is here. We are all here. Our soldiers are here. The citizens of the country are here. We are all here protecting our independence, our country, and we are going to continue to do so. Glory to our defenders, glory to Ukraine.”

Well peeps, I am here. I am not leaving. I am protecting our country (from its own leaders, currently, which is not my favorite situation). I am protecting its independence, its resources, its citizens, no matter who they voted for, as much as one insignificant citizen can.

Man I wish I didn’t have to, though.