deannie

I feel mildly disrespected by the Christian high holy day.

Honestly, I did have a nice weekend. I got to hang out with my niece's kids (and my niece and my SIL), and when you actually get them talking, they are just cool little people who are becoming more themselves as they grow. They both had a lot of questions about their genetic lineage, which. Y'all. How I know THIS MUCH about people I'm related to by marriage when they themselves know almost zero is kind of boggling. Kiddo #5 was DEEPLY confused that they have Eastern European (Russian) ancestry. I very much cracked up when they yelled "But! I'm Russian Jewish, not RUSSIAN."

On a related note, I got to inform them that Christopher Columbus was a horrible person, and both Kiddo #5 and #6 asked their grandma (my SIL) to remind them to look up Christopher Columbus' journals when they turned 18. I also told them to watch the OSP video about the myth of El Dorado because they've got indigenous Mexican heritage, and fuck Spain.

We also all went out for Mexican food for dinner and peletas for afters. 12/10, Chicagoland Mexican food be doin' it, you know it's FR when they have fresh giardiniera on the table. ESPECIALLY w/the big bits of carrot and cauliflower. Also found out they opened a Tortilleria Atotonilco in comfy distance of mom's, which is my absolute favorite Chicago brand. El Milagro and Nueva Leon are wider loved, but Atotonilco always delivers fresh to my store (they are WARM when I get them!), so <3

As for Easter inconveniencing me, after brunch the crew headed home and I caught the Metra downtown. I was supposed to pick up a library book on Saturday, but PLANNING to leave my home at 8am and ACTUALLY leaving my home at 8am on a Saturday are two very different realities. I drove over when I got home on Sunday, but NOPE. INCONVENIENCED BY EASTER. I guess it makes sense as Chicago is like, CATHOLIC Catholic, but BOO. Luckily, the pet store is owned by heathens, so the girls got their food. I remain a little sad that pepper and egg sandwiches will be mildly harder to source, but whoo, bye, Lent.

Plus, I guess I get to go on an adventure tomorrow? The library branch I'm picking my book up at is just a bit further down the Metra line than my normal stop, and is open til 8 on Tuesday. There's also a bus back home, so there's tomorrow's adventure set.

Last, but not least, I have ordered the last of this year's Tax Refund Splurge. I ordered two CTA t-shirts. I am currently wearing the CPL life-long learning t-shirt. OH! And if any of y'all are interested in supporting the Chicago Public Library, they're having a sale right now! T-shirts are $14!

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 was terrifyingly competent on Saturday. I got a few long-standing errands out of the way. I think my favorite was finally going out and buying some new bedding at IKEA. I haven't really picked anything new up in years, and I was out in that direction for another thing, and figured why not?

Ended up getting two duvet covers (one for summer one for fall) and a layering blanket. Indira blankets from IKEA have been my go-to for decades at this point (and I still have all three that I've purchased), and I adore them to this day. Still, this version is significantly thinner than the one I bought a couple years ago and I'm a little :\ about it. Still, I guess it is the season going in to summer so it might be season-appropriate? IDK. It works fine for what I have rn.

Anywho, my bed is cute and comfy.

I also did a bunch of grocery shopping and cleaned out my fridge. I really need to clear out the freezer too, honestly. There are some ice blocks that were once frozen veggies that are just. Well. Better for all involved if they get composted. If I am REALLY ambitious, I should clean out the pantry too. That is less pressing as I went through it not THAT long ago, but I have a bunch of stuff in there that I'm just not reaching for. Someone else should have the canned crab meat that I'm sure is within 9 months of not being good. (I made crab rangoon last year? IDK, I'm not doing that again because I'd have to make my own wrappers if I wanted to do it again and I SUCH at hotwater dough.)

I also do really need to make hummus this week. I have meatballs thawed in the fridge a cucumber, and some pita and that is a good little dinner.

In other news, turns out mom didn't ACTUALLY have her phone stolen. She accidentally mailed it to my niece in a box of clothes for baby J. Yes, she has a meeting with a neuro-psych person scheduled, I already have it on my calendar.

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.