So….yeah. Another week; thousands of probationary employees all over the government fired, so many of us glued to r/fednews for the latest rumors, all-hands Teams meetings where HR guys in rumpled suits allude to “huge RIF” using all kinds of words except for those two. The new SECDEF (who’s a moron) doing a video townhall talking about huge cuts to budget and people, but still building “the biggest, most badass military on the planet” and My Agency CIO (an amazing human being) telling us all that “maybe you should probably download a personal copy of your personnel file; just in case.”

Plus, we’re three weeks out from what’s likely to be the longest government shutdown in history, not just because Republicans in Congress can’t agree on how to do a budget, but also because the administration wants to stress out public servants even further and drive more of us out.

My therapist and I had a lot to talk about this week.

In spite of it all, I’ve been managing to keep a lot of the worst of the affects of the stress at bay. I’ve got a decent local support network, probably the best team I’ve ever been part of at work (and we’re making some really cool things lately), and being February, I’ve got a great online community of creative people to share ideas with over at fawm. A lot of us are writing a lot of therapy songs.

I’ve also been trying to unplug a bit when I’m not working – the weather’s been uniformly shit (though the dog, who’s also been a lifesaver for me, loves this batch of snow), but I’ve gotten out to spend a spare hour with friends after work over a drink a couple of times, and I’ve been digging into the mindless joy of the MonsterVerse series. Sometimes watching giant CG Kaiju beating the crap out of each other and destroying CG cities is exactly what you need.

That said, I’m struggling to get excited about much right now; even with the good, there’s a lot of just…numbness

Friday at work’s a half-day, after which I pack up and head down to Raleigh for Ret-Con, to play some music and sit a couple of panels with some Research Triangle nerds, and while I am looking forward to it, I’m struggling to muster enthusiasm. I’ll put on a good show, because a lot of these folks are part of the hometown crowd, like me, and haven’t heard the new record yet, but it’s going to be a bigger mask than usual.

But, if you’re in the area, here’s where I’m scheduled to be:

• Friday, 5pm: Oak – Home Recording & Distribution
• Saturday, 12pm, Dogwood – Comics You Should Read
• Saturday, 3pm, Camellia – Cult Favorites
• Saturday, 7pm, Camellia – Live Music: Chuck Parker
• Sunday, 10am, Dogwood – Tales from the Old Internet

Otherwise, of course, if there’s formal or informal music happening somewhere that doesn’t conflict with my official schedule, I’ll likely be there, and as the con’s using my PA for the weekend, I bet I’ll be running sound at least a little bit…

Now that politics, wallowing, and promo is out of the way, here’s what the algorithm pushed out this week. Tons of indie and such, with a particular favorite artist landing in there at #10. If you don’t know Katie Crutchfield/Waxahatchee, you owe it to yourself to go dig in; it’s great stuff:

1. “If I Know You” – Bonnie Light Horseman
2. “Weighing Down” – Julian Taylor
3. “Only You” – Evan Blix
4. “The Willow” – The Damn Truth
5. “Your House” – Inhaler
6. “Mama” – Cam Cole
7. “Wristwatch” – MJ Lenderman
8. “Green Eyes” – JOSEPH
9. “A Stone Only Rolls Downhill” – OK Go
10. “Much Ado About Nothing” – Waxahatchee
11. “Brightest Star” – Lilly Hiatt
12. “House on Fire” – Toby Lee
13. “Sugar in the Tank” – Julien Baker @ TORRES
14. “Water Underground” – Real Estate
15. “Driver” – Soccer Mommy