This week, I’m thinking about big kid stuff. Zuri is turning six which I am pretty sure is officially big kid status.

This year, for the annual Zuri issue (some things I’ve written about previously: parenting merit badges, expert parenting tips, and birth story) I did a little interview with Zuri and included some very fun audio pull quotes.

LITL: Hi Zuri. how old are you?
Zuri: I'm five about to be six.
LITL: And what is it like to be five?
Zuri: Oh, you know it's this like big kid stuff.
LITL: And what do you think it's gonna be like being six?
Zuri: Still big kid stuff, but just a little bit bigger big kid stuff.
LITL: What kind of big kid stuff?
Zuri: Like more Heggerty to keep me learning.

LITL: Can I ask you um to tell me about your best friend?
Zuri: My best friend's name is Nora. She likes to play with me every day at recess.
LITL: Wow, that's really nice. What is special about your best friend?
Zuri: Oh, you know we knew each other since we were two so we're really good friends.

LITL: What are things that you like to do that make you happy?
Zuri: I like to build. I like to play. I like to eat. I like to read.

LITL: What do you like about art and projects?
Zuri: I like that if you mess up, you could just change it into something else that's beautiful that it can also go with your artwork, even if you make a mistake, you can still fix it with something.
LITL: And what's your favorite kind of thing to use to make art? Like paper, crayon, markers. . .
Zuri: I like to use cardboard and, you know everything. I like to use cardboard to like build, but craft things like build or with craft things.
LITL: What are some craft things?
Zuri: You can build closets out of cardboard with craft things, beds.
LITL: What other kinds of supplies do you need other than cardboard?
Zuri: Popsicles sticks, straws, pipe cleaners, little circle sponges. Paper. Pom-poms. And sometimes glitter markers.

LITL: Can you tell me what you want to be when you grow up? Like what kind of job you want to have?
Zuri: Yeah. I'm going to be a cowgirl artist and I'm going to get horses on the farm and turn them into unicorns.
LITL: Oh my gosh, that sounds incredible. That sounds like a really fun way to be a grown up.
Zuri: Yeah, and speaking of crafts. . .I'm gonna make the unicorn horses out of crafts, lots of crafts.

LITL: What is my job?
Zuri: You work at a office.
LITL: And what do I do there?
Zuri: Have meetings, discuss stuff.
LITL: What what kind of stuff do you think I discuss at my job?
Zuri: [pause] Parties.
LITL: Parties, yeah, that's a good guess.

LITL: What are you most looking forward to about being six?
Zuri: Losing some more teeth. Getting older because I really, really, really want to be seven soon because that's my favorite number.
[Ed note: She just lost her first tooth last week]
LITL: And what was it like losing a tooth? Were you scared? Were you nervous? Were you excited? How were you feeling?
Zuri: I was excited.
LITL: You were excited?
Zuri: Yeah. And all I wanted was to tell EVERYBODY.
LITL: You wanted to tell everybody?
Zuri: Yeah.
LITL: And did you?
Zuri: Yes, and the truth is. . .I did tell everybody.
LITL: Thanks kiddo.
Zuri: You’re welcome. AND GOOD BYE.
LITL: I love you.
Zuri: I LOVE YOU TOO.

This week in reading. . .
So when you read Britt’s newsletter and blindly add things to your libby queue you wind up reading a Christmas-themed Knives Out-ish romance novel on the beach. The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year was a lot of fun. I listened to The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren which is a sequel to the Unhoneymooners and an audio-only release. The most notable bit being that the main characters anxiety and coping mechanisms are deeply familiar to me (lists 4EVER!). The Faculty Lounge is a cozy little novel, I am so so close to done and not sure it is going anywhere, but I like it anyway.

Saturday is Indie Bookstore Day. Support your local book stores either in person or via Bookshop!

​This week in listening to Good Hang with Amy Poehler. . .
Is this a Good Hang recap newsletter? MAYBE. Kathryn Hahn was on last week and they talked about female friendships and making close friends later in life, which I loved because some of my post-school, post-20’s friendships are the best and closest of my life! Also Bill Simmons told Amy not to have her laptop out during the podcast (because now every podcast has to be a video, but I digress) and I disagree! Let her have it there, Bill. OR let me be there to do the live fact checking for her. Honestly, both options are fine.

Then this week she had Jack Black on. I’ve never been a fan, but they clearly have such a great relationship and the interview was a lot of fun and even made me like him a little?!

​This week in TV. . .
Oof, with regards to the new season of Hacks, I don’t love Deborah and Ava being on at war with each other AGAIN, especially knowing that surely it cannot last, so like, what’s the point?

Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate are so perfect in Dying for Sex. I may never be over it/them. Love love love.

Obviously will be watching the next season of And Just Like That even if this preview is painful.

​​This week in a gif. . .

This week in movies. . .
Black Bag was so so fun. Everyone was clearly having a good time and the clothes and sets were great.

​This week in a newsletter. . .
Scaachi Koul deliciously eviscerating TERF JK Rowling and people still actively supporting the Harry Potter series, which was beloved to me for so long.

Jon and Mac read Go, Dog, Go!

​This week in follow this account. . .
This woman on TikTok is my new hero.

This week in google searches. . .

This week in one good thing. . .
Helping myself through the painful chaos of the world by donating to The Birthday Party Project.

​This week in a quote. . .
“What does it mean for something to be improper if the administration’s understanding of what is acceptable excludes anything that might make white Americans feel bad?” - Clint Smith

​This week in artsy stuff and photo things. . .
Can’t get over how much I love Roxane Gay and Debbie Millman’s home.

This Vogue cover is. . .good?!

I love these gorgeous quilts.

This week in an Editor's Note. . .
Looking ahead to the summer and thinking about takeovers - is there someone you would recommend? Are you that someone and have a pitch? Let me know!

​This week on the internet. . .
I say this with so much love: LEAVE CLUELESS ALONE, ALICIA.

I loooove this Japan-themed issue of T.

OMG this 90’s cruise - Collective Soul! Lisa Loeb! Gin Blossoms! I read every word of this while laughing out loud, but didn’t understand how five days resulted in such a short piece.

I SWEAR TO BEYONCE I WILL LOSE MY MIND IF THIS MAN BECOMES MAYOR (negative)

Lydia Kiesling on refusing to speak at an anti-trans university.

I am one step away from setting up a google alert for Absolute Bagels.

Jazmine Hughes and Bowen Yang?!?!? YES.

me, doing peer review, 
Leonor

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