fizzawrites

So, one of my nieces decided that she wanted to visit (with kiddos) for Easter this weekend. This is cool! Mom gets excited to see the kids!

Although, hilariously, we're both kinda on a :| vibe about the unexpected visit. I think we just wanted to go out for a breakfast buffet and maybe splurge on a mimosa. We had plans to do very little!

I also have to reschedule my acupuncture appointment. Generic plans are for me to drive them in to Lincoln Park Zoo as that's free and there's tons of stuff to climb on. If it rains, backup plans are the Adler. I'm also going to have to reschedule my laundry trip to tomorrow night, but hey! I get to see kiddos! Which I am honestly looking forward to.

I also promised Kiddo #6 pancakes FOREVER ago, and am going to make good for Sunday breakfast. I sent mom a shopping list, so I hopefully don't have to haul in buttermilk and maple syrup. But who knows! I have no expectations. Well. Other than they'll likely taste a bit like garlic, but that's the risk you run when you season a cast iron pan correctly.

I've been thinking a little more about how I just got randomly left with people when I was a tiny child. I mention this because none of my great nieces and nephews seem to have the same experience? Nor do any of my friends' kids. Like the best examples of this I can think of was when my mom was dealing with moving us from Texas to Chicago, she just kinda left me with my sister and her husband for two weeks? Mind, I'd been introduced to my sister ONCE prior to this, and then I ended up babysitting my 8-week old niece for most of the time because my sister and her husband worked. (I was 8.) Or the time I got left with my friend's parents (I was, like, 6? 7?) and their neighbor had to go pick something up in what my brain tells me was Texarkana but was more likely McCallen because no way in hell I was gone for the ~20 hour trip, but defo closer to 10 hours, and offered to bring me and my friend along. We went and spent most of the drive in the open bed of the pickup truck either asleep or playing some kind of random game. And everyone was just kind of like "Yeah, that sounds like a thing to do on a Sunday."

To be fair, this was Texas in, like, 1987, so.

Point being, there is not a SINGLE one of my extended family of niblings that will get into a car with me if one of their parents isn't involved. Including the one that I lived with for almost two months. On the one hand, horray for stranger danger instillation. On the other, huh. I am mildly impressed by parents respecting body autonomy? Also where the hell are these children getting their fucked up childhood stories? I don't think any of my niblings have ever played with a bucket of scorpions on accident and that is a small shame.

Honestly, I'm mildly surprised I made it into my 40's with only like, two major phobias.

I celebrated by adding to my already ridiculous horde of Chicago Public Library t-shirts. I think I already have six? Meh, I got two more! I will also be excited to see the 2025 design when it comes out this summer.

I really do need to invest in a CTA t-shirt so I can continue my journey of wearing 90% Chicago Public Services t-shirts as sleep wear at all times. Currently, I only have library and post office t-shirts tho. And a couple University of Illinois t-shirts.

Anyway, if you are interested, go celebrate your local library! Say hi to a worker or donate money or buy a bunch of friends of the library books. Heck, buy a t-shirt and rep your local. I'd be grumpier that I can't get merch for my local branch, but I hate my local branch, so that's a thing. If nothing else, just go walk around and check out the spaces! Remind yourself that that shit is free to you and that you can just go relax and be in a place that isn't work or home, and you don't need to spend money.

It's weirdly radical these days.

Also, please be nice to your library workers. They're doing their best.