Did I forget to reserve an Open Thread for my birthday tomorrow? I sure did! Does this mean I finally remembered to write up a Thursday Politics Thread ahead of time (or at all)? It sure does!

Hi, PT! Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, but more importantly, today is my last day of being 46! They say may you live in interesting times, and it has indeed been an interesting year. I experienced prolonged unemployment for the first time, came to grips (ish) with my mom’s mortality, and accepted that I and America are apparently incompatible. What’s that the guy says in Falling Down about the white dude as compared to himself?

Well, America and I are not morally viable right now — the government, the 77 million people who voted for Donald Trump in 2024, and the 89 million eligible voters who didn’t vote for anyone, that is. The rest of you?

On the plus side, I’m recently employed better than ever, Mom’s doing well thanks to science and modern medicine, I’m going to eat pickly food on a stick tomorrow, and I am, all in all, one damn fortunate almost-47-year-old today. My sincerest hope for this country, world, and everyone (yes, even you, Lemon) is that this general dark patch similarly passes, and we collectively wonder what the fuck that was all about.

Happy Thursday, PT, and Happy (almost) Birthday, me!

Grab a mod if you need one, and be kind to yourselves and each other. Hug a cat. Pet a tree. Etc. Most importantly, y’all are loved!