I told Lani this too: You can't go to a local office for unemployment. They give you a post office box in Salem and a phone number, and the website says specifically that local offices no longer handle claims. Trust me, I'd go there in person in a second if I thought it would help--I'd almost always rather do that then call.

In terms of OCF: I know all those things, and I know you're trying to help, but being told to be thankful feels condescending to me, especially since none of those things are any kind of replacement for OCF. It's just a very specific different experience, one I start looking forward to every year in January. It's a space where I can truly feel like myself, a place that feels damn near created for me, among lots of other people, all day long; and being there for a day or three and soaking it in really sustains me for the rest of the year.

I am thankful for all those things, but I can still be really sad to miss OCF.