“Do you remember this thing that happened 35 years ago?”

“Why, yes, I do. For I am forty years old.”

One thing I remember is that, long before face-changing apps were just part of taking pictures, I used this website to upload my picture and find out what I would look like at the dreaded age of 40.

They thought I’d grow an enormous jaw and look a little like Jay Leno. And I’m very happy to discover that this didn’t happen. Oh, you rascally, demoralizing tech lords! Always pulling shenanigans!

In fact, I feel quite fresh and new. The circumstances are still very high stakes, but because so much good is possible. Because in my better moments, I can see people starting to step up to the plate, remember who they are, and embrace their humanity again. The evil fascists that dominate our thoughts will fall. The people will prevail. And when we do, our democracy WILL be stronger than it has ever been. Americans enjoy being number one. We are  humiliated by anything else. And the shock of all of the chaos is starting to wear off. The focused will of the people is starting to take shape. 

It is brutal to have your naivete ripped from you. But once it has been, after the inevitable plummeting that happens, and has happened, your blind spots are eradicated. And if you incorporate what you’ve discovered, you build something smarter and more supportive as a result. The peace and liberty we seek is only a matter of time.

Writers always say it doesn’t feel like they wrote a thing–that it was channeled. It’s because we look to what is inevitable: these characters, with these values, in this setting, with these conflicts, yields ____, inevitably. We have been shocked at what we’ve allowed because we never thought it could happen to us. Now we know better. But we are the same, obnoxious, loud, entitled, “You’d better not tread on me!” Americans we always have been. The inevitability here, is that we will destroy what thwarts us.

Things that make me happy in this, my 40th year:

Peertube. A YouTube alternative that has come out of France. Open sourced, decentralized, not prohibitive, but with options to not see the dirty if you don’t want. No surveillance, no algorithms. I’ll be making that transition from YouTube this week and encourage people to follow me there.

DuckDuckGo. I’m late to this party, but I’m loving it as a Google alternative. It blocks websites surveilling you, no algorithms, good search features. With the enshittification of Google, it’s a breath of fresh air.

Strawberry ants. I was reading about these little critters, and I just think they’re delightful. 1. They are pink 2. They swarm in huge numbers. 3. They are from South America, but there are colonies in our gulf states, like Louisiana. 4. They destroy electronics.

I wonder if they know that the food they crave exists in endless supply in Louisiana, just sitting in a tent, waiting to be swarmed. My greatest birthday wish is these wonderful critters find themselves a super intelligent super-feast. I trust they’ll find their way.

Ants really are quite inspiring. They are tiny, yes, and easily smashed, yes, but they just keep building and find other ways to thwart their enemies. A human seems like an insurmountable beast…but with enough time and effort, ants can slip in through any crack and just completely total your house before you knew what hit you. Magnificent little beasts they are. We have plenty to learn from them.

I’m taking it easy today and enjoying myself. There is a lot to enjoy, and a lot on the horizon.

They say life begins at 40, and I’m ready for life to begin.

We have to be out of our apartment before the 15th. Please help my birthday wish of a stable home for me and my family come true by stocking up on Bones today. We are so close, but can’t get there without your support!

If you get 100 bones today, you’ll receive your password to Process and an official Process mug as a thank you.  When you get $250 bones today, you also get our Artsy Fartsy tee shirt!

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