On the way home from #PyConUS 2026. Quite an experience this year; very intense. No point in sugar-coating the part where there is a pervasive vibe-sickness, open source is suffering a massive sustainability crisis, slop security PRs are overwhelming everyone (etc etc). But there was a lot of hope, a lot of energy, a lot of effort toward mutual understanding, and (surprising to me) a lot of *appreciation*. Including for my own work, both writing and coding.