I Don't Belong Here...

(Here in Phoenix, not on Dreamwidth) but I went ahead and sent the op-ed to the newspaper. Which they will probably ignore because "I've lived here my whole life and I'm like a disease,"(I'm quoting "Sixteen Candles" here--people do kind of let fly about what's wrong with me in general, but nobody really said that!)
I wonder if it would be worse knowing there is somewhere I *could* fit, but that it would be really hard for me to ever get there. OR that I have given life so much side-eye over the years that I'm just...permanently outside and there is no real place that is, you know, *my place.* People don't like me here unless they've got thankless volunteer commitments to hand out.(I do try to help, but I can't always keep up, and anyway, that's not what they meant on Law and Order when they talked about Ties To The Community, I don't think.)

Even the whole "online tribe" thing feels like it's breaking down a bit. Which is probably inevitable, given that one doesn't stay a wide-eyed rookie who can't believe her luck forever(and my whole twitter list broke up... I still think I'm glad I didn't hobble over to bluesky and start being the same fool twice(probably three times, really) by reconstructing something that can't be rebuilt.

First Friday Five Of 2026

. Do you have a favourite cause that you support? Yes, I have a lot...mostly, these days they involve the left wing of the Democratic Party and trying to bring it back to its roots and all that.

2. If so, how do you support it? Money, and many, many phone calls. I've pulled back a little, though, both for logistics and because it can eat up my life if I let it. Which would be one thing,if I, say, met my husband doing that stuff and it was, you know, us and our shared obsessions against the world, Jane-and- Bernie style, but my personal identity just suffers if I dive in too deeply.(And, no, it hasn't really turned out to be a great way to get a date because "You'd have so much in common." I was hoping, but not so far. For bohemians, everyone seems to be super-attached. blah. Although I guess if I ever did meet someone, I wouldn't have to worry about movement work messing up our longevity? Dig me, with the heart half-full for the next twelve minutes. I could still meet somebody! Like the peach that's still fresh...if you eat it *right now*)

3. Have you been an active member of an organization (attending meetings, volunteering, etc)? Probably the most unusual answer to this question involves the few ADAPT actions I went to, but I got sick from the plane--never flying again without a mask--and I promised my mother I'd stop, as I infected my everything. I still talk up the fact that I did it though.

4. Have you ever led any group? Does it sound like I ever led any groups? I've been on several advisory committees and people don't take my advice.

5. If so, how was your experience with it?
OR: 5. If not, why, is it a conscious choice, of lack of opportunity?Yes, both.

Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.