Key Update

April 17, 2026

• Earlier this month, I posted about the key that I sent to a padlock collector. They were kind enough to send a photo of the lock the key belongs to:

  

  I was totally not expecting a fancy lion padlock. Pretty cool! Unfortunately, I'm told that the key didn't open the padlock, perhaps because of some gunk stuck inside. Fingers crossed that they manage to get it open.

• I've felt busy lately, even though I haven't been up to that much. The pace at work has ramped up as we try to finish projects. We missed our final deadline, as we almost always do. They've changed deadlines constantly over the past few months. Any time it becomes clear we won't hit one, they just move it out a few weeks and suddenly our tracking document shows that we've "hit" it. Is that normal? It seems so strange to me.

  Obviously, the deadlines are made up. I'm not sure what else we'd do but change them when they don't suit us. Frankly, I'm not paid enough to work overtime. (And I'm not sure what amount would be enough. We're only alive once.)

• A couple weeks ago I went to an event where Bryan Stevenson was one of the speakers. I am a fan; in fact, his presence was the only reason I went to the event. He's a lawyer whose career has focused on helping incarcerated people disadvantaged by racism and poverty. His work has exonerated many people and has brought more fairness to the treatment of those convicted as juveniles.

  I used to read a lot about criminal justice. I'd keep tabs on issues and learn about what life is like in prison. At every level, the U.S. justice system is stricken with inequality due to racism and poverty. The system of injustice even reaches outside of prison yards, into the families and communities of incarcerated people.

  There are shadowy figures in powerful positions who want to profit by incarcerating even more people. It's despicable.

  Unfortunately, informing myself on this topic got to the point where it bordered on self-harm. I know several people who are or have been in prison. I think this, combined with the knowledge that many innocent people are incarcerated, made the possibility of myself going to prison seem more likely than it actually is (given the fact that I am a white middle-class woman who doesn't engage in risky behavior). It made me anxious, so I stepped back.

  Despite not allowing myself to read much about this subject anymore, it's still very important to me. I support it from afar. Bryan Stevenson's speech was as inspiring and interesting as I expected. He is a genuine American hero. Give that man seventeen Nobel Prizes.

• Pink Flamingos was playing at my favorite local theater last weekend. My husband and I had planned to see Female Trouble there a few months ago but ended up canceling because of a snowstorm.

  We did have fun watching the movie at home that night but wondered how much of the experience was lost without an audience. So we made sure to see our next John Waters film in theaters.

  I hadn't seen Pink Flamingos before. Obviously, I knew about the lore around it and had some idea of what to expect. Still, I went into the theater with knowledge of only the film's notorious final scene.

  As a whole, I did have a good time. Watching it with a crowd definitely helped. I laughed at least as much as I squirmed, and I appreciate the movie's continued position, even 50+ years later, as transgressive challenger to the status quo. I admit I was surprised to see so much butthole, though.

  I also saw Exit 8 this week. I enjoyed it, though I craved a bigger buildup of tension. I wanted them to dial up the anxiety by 10. Still a solid movie, though. I'd recommend it.

• This week I had an influx of interest in my Furbys Against Fascism pamphlets + stickers. I sent a bunch out, but I still have some left. Get 'em while they're hot.