Hi! Those who know me best know I ~try~ to reduce Social Media Performance

So this is me saying that, no, 2020 has not hit me hard on any relative scale. Yes, I’m v privileged. But, also yes, I’ve had a rough time! I’ve felt very overwhelmed!

So I want to say a few thanks

Today I got to byline a sorta (?) oral history thing about 10 years of @PhillyTechWeek which is crazy and rewarding and also (tbh!) v frustrating because (like so many of us all!) we had to throw out so many plans

But look at this thing https://twitter.com/TechnicallyPHL/status/1305931893448335362

Everything I've ever done as a journalist and community organizer or whatever it is you would call me has been as honestly and earnestly about bringing people together in a place I wanted to contribute positively to

So many people have helped me I want to clumsily drop some thx

Source or not, I will never forget one of the first emails we ever received for @technicallyPHL and one of the first @PhillyTechWeek ($500!) checks was from @joshk

It's not an ethical problem. We've challenged him. He's been annoyed by me! But I have tremendous respect for him

I've shared more than one @phillytechweek after-after party with @ricknucci who is as genuine and serious and sincere a tech CEO as I ever met in 10+ years of interviewing and learning about them

One of the perks of leaving daily beat reporting is that people like @uvacoles who would have stayed only a source have instead become a friend. She's understands how workforces change and communities interact as well as anyone I've ever met

I can't quite describe how much joy I get watching @DaveSilver__ @TheWillToms @RyanEppley @recphilly_ grow because they remind me so much of what @Technical_ly would have been a few years in if I had as much savvy as they do.

I want to after-party w/ them next week

I better understand how mountains are moved, and what it looks like for people to use their mountains to make their communities a little bit better (rather than those who just on their mountain for their own benefit) because of people like @PhilaEnergyGal and @switchfitch

I've gotten to work with people like @sylvestermobley with a kind of intimacy that does feel like family. Like, you can not talk for a few months or what can feel like years and you can disagree about something but that you can return again

I've learned that there are people who hide and survive inside big organizations, and then there are people who try to figure out how to get things done, people like @daniellecohn and @phillyluke

Once removed from our beat reporting, I've developed what feels like lifelong friendships with people who might have otherwise been sources, people like @robertjmoore @KieraSmalls @JenniferLMaher

Yes, I like, respect and admire @215tayyib and @alexhillman and they have made me a better person — even if trolling me is a past time of theirs :)

I will someday once again drink (whiskey) with @cjwilburn and (beer) @themightychris and (coffee) @keitho3world @gadsbyo3world and maybe smoke a cigar with @code_rhino

I spent longass weekend hackathons with smart and curious and weird people like @mheadd @mjumbewu @bengarvey @titlecharacter @brennan_mike @youngmoo

For @PhillyTechWeek I worked on some of the most remarkable and fun and poorly-funded projects around with curious and thoughtful nerd friends like @fjlgamer

I got to work on @phillytechweek with people like @SeanBlanda @brianjameskirk @juliana_f_reyes @_FatimaConteh @laurlaurg123 @AsGoodAsTheyGet @KateLeshko @zackseward @CTag115 @TorresLuzardo and many others

And now we are about to produce this pandemic-postponed, not-at-all-what-I-envisioned 10th annual #PTW20 with absolute fucking gems like @VBetter @aileenconnolly @juliezeglen Katrina, April @By_paigegross @LessCardinal @sammarkowitz and a whole team

This twitter thread is a mess! Of course it is.

Because I didn't write it out. Because I think some social media performance is unhealthy af.

I am stressed! I do not like this year — even with some beyond-belief joys. And that is ok! It is ok to admit that yo this sux

Because for 10 years I have tried v hard, and I am so proud that our team is still standing after the last six months, and we're standing in front of the 10th annual @PhillyTechWeek something I love because it has given me all of you.

Yes this was weird. But honest! Thank you <3