A Note from the Trenches Writing this is an act of survival. Today, my "office" is a dark basement and a heavy heart, navigating a reality that feels designed to fragment me. Between spending six hours on hold with disability only to face disrespect, to filing motions because of missing child support, the "external" pressure is immense. Yet, even in this, there are victories—like finally securing a 504 for my son through the power of my own research and writing. In physics, t