A year ago today, I woke up hopeful. I went to bed, devastated. What followed me was a year of, for lack of a better term, dead ends. One plan after another gone awry, from professional to personal. This dark cloud that besieged my life, it just hunkered down. My one respite of course was The Teenager—her health, her being, her attitude. Always a reminder to me to Snap Out of It. And so, when I woke up, I voted. Hopeful. And when I went to sleep last night, the polls across the nation reflecting some current of hope, I felt less heavy of heart. I felt, dare I say it, hopeful again.

And this morning, as I tally the results, I am feeling really, really, really hopeful.

Even with the amount of red in Virginia, the state managed to elect a Democrat into the Governor seat and, say her name, say her name, Danica Roem. And what is significant about Danica? She is the first Transgender State Representative in U.S. history. Democrat, natch. Also, Andrea Jenkins, she’s the first Trans person of color in a major city’s council to win, in Minneapolis. And Manka Dhingra won, giving Democrats control of the house in Washington. All these (and more) victories? HUGE. Not simply for women, but for this country.

And don’t forget Elizabeth Warren. “We will stand up to bigotry. No compromises on this one, ever.” I’ve never been particularly politicized, not in terms of government. My awakening occurred during the Anita Hill Trials; soon after, we started BUST. We were angry, energized. Still. We rarely broached the subject of being in public office in the zine; we were writing about our inner lives as well as forging our vernacular as Third Wave feminists. Still. Now, here in my 50’s, it’s hard to hide from what’s happening outside my keyboard. And women like Elizabeth Warren and Governor Kate Brown, who are on the inside and now all these other women running and winning elections, they’re women I’m following. Because: the future remains female.

DON’T mess with Connecticut.

Pamela Adlon: “And now I realize that if my mom had ever said anything to me about my vagina, I would have thrown her out the window. I mean, I can’t even take it if she touches my hair. So the moral of the story is, look to your sisters and your friends. Leave your mom out of it.”

Roxane Gay: “I wanted to write a counter narrative that you can have an active, fulfilling life and you can struggle with weight and be interested in weight loss, but not have figured it all out, but also not be full of self-loathing. And just to write a complex story of a body.”

Lindy West: “We are seething at how long we have been ignored, seething for the ones who were long ago punished for telling the truth, seething for being told all of our lives that we have no right to seethe.”

Kathleen Madigan: “There are so few mysteries anymore because everything is kind of at hand on the internet. We kind of already know everything.”

I love that the artist Sia calls the asshole’s bluff.

Samantha Bee explains the Boyfriend Loophole.

The great comic Marsha Warfield is blogging!

Pee Your Pants.

Fifty Shades Sex Toys. You heard me.

All I want for the holidays is the faux fur coat from Eaves.

Athlea Faux Fur Coat by Eaves.

And now have a laugh with Michelle Wolf.