I am semiconscious for the first time since 2018. My partner and small animals recognize me for me again; I can dream, and I can remember. For most purposes, I have been in a walking benzo and opioid coma for the past eight years. Asshole presidents have come and gone; my hair has been shot through with gray; I've taught generations of students; written and recorded hundreds of posts; watched a pandemic blossom like a blue-black flower...