This morning I'm sick and I'm listening to election results. Not a great combination for my mental state, I'm sure. I'm feeling a little hopeless about the future of this country in the short-term -- worried about the impact of the next 2 years on the long term. My work, helping agencies prepare for major changes and strategically plan out their future, becomes quite in demand in times like these. Oddly, my personal job market improves as the outlook is grim. I'd rather have the opposite happen, and be called in to figure out the best way to improve services, not save services. Between the Republican control over the federal government and the passage of Prop N here, I'm very very worried about the increased strain on our service sector. I'm afraid of more people not getting the help they need to survive. I'm feeling a little escapist right now and may curl up with my tissues and book in my bed for a while -- before coming back out and trying to do some concrete work.

One really concrete thing you can do: Help an adult learn how to read. Low literacy is a major contributor to so many other poverty-related problems. Even if you don't have any money, if you have a little time, you can help someone gain confidence and skills by teaching them to read.

OK. Time to go mope for a while.