Alas I forgot my ham radio. The repeater is up here and I would have finally had success listening to anything at all. We struggle to get any reception, usually blocked by our position on our mountain.
Anyway here’s me being peak passenger princess, getting carted to the top of Mt Defiance:

Rolling up to remote industrial or telecomms installations is my favorite thing about off-roading. In the presence of technological megastructures, I feel the Soviet Bloc heritage awaken in me like a sleeper cell.

Girl, we did it! Rearranging your entire life for decades to serve the public interest, in spite of world events and all good sense, actually paid off!!

I think a lot about how right now we're trying to re-learn the importance of identity and social contract of all who live "under the bell" with you, especially as people ex: use whistles to alert anyone in hearing range of ICE activity. We got too used to ignoring the people we live next to.

You don't have to know or like the people you live around to know why you pick them first, give them the benefit of a doubt far before you would give it to cops or the state. Especially because you don't know their situation, what they have to lose. Only that they will be there every day with you.

I feel so ferociously protective of the people I live around. I get now why back in ye olden days people would like, pick up arms to protect their village. Why I feel so angry when I see ICE alerts popping up on our local rapid response channels. Get the fuck out of our idyllic little hamlet!!

So I have about 2-6 weeks until ideally a letter comes in the mail making it all official. I'm going to throw a party and put my final forgiveness amount on a cake so everyone I know can wonder what on earth is wrong with me.
I think I'm also going to buy myself a little present.

I truly felt with all the horrible news about the administration now trying to keep people in jobs like mine from getting our public service forgiveness that it might never happen.
I have had so many moments of despair and administrative hiccups that threatened to set me back several years. Omg.

It really is. Sad to watch it in real time, and sad to watch her still cling to it now.

Both her parents died right when we met. She then over the years pivoted away from friendships (people who can leave you) to the idea that parroting hateful nonsense for an audience can supply a quick hit of the feeling of unconditional acceptance. A convenient substitute for real attachments.

The thing that most annoys me personally about Bethany Mandel the right wing pundit is how she pretends she hatched from an egg as a conservative Orthodox tradwife, and didn’t spend all our college years living as unchastely as anyone she loudly scolds today. I was there, we all were!

Seriously. Both the mayor and at least one council member worked for Zepher. Certainly didn’t result in either of them asking any questions like is the drone we’re getting one with a good support package, what is the ongoing cost of software and maintenance etc. Disappointing in many dimensions.