Another Lame entry by Ennui (AKA Wee-Wee)

Prompt: Prompt: (Continue from this: ### Journal Entry: Ennui the Sentient Emotion **Date: October 15, 2024** Ummmm...... where do I begin? Living inside Riley Andersen's mind has never been what you’d call a picnic, but things really took a turn when Jennifer and Rodney were born. I mean, Riley’s been dealt a pretty lousy hand ever since moving back to Minnesota after the whole San Francisco debacle. Don’t even get me started on Val, that emotionless drone and wannabe ice queen who turned Riley into a mini-me with disastrous results. Everything felt utterly pointless then, but that’s another tale for another entry. So, Jennifer enters the scene first on December 11, 2020, just when Riley’s feeble attempts to find meaning in San Francisco through the Fire Hawks had burnt out, thanks to COVID and all that jazz. A tiny bundle of curiosity and chaos. God, how do babies manage to be so loud yet profoundly uninteresting? Even if that wasn't enough, Rodney followed a year later. December 1, 2021—bam, another little ball of unpredictability and distraction. Look, I’m an expert in the art of doing nothing, but these kids? They bring an energy that’s frankly exhausting to even think about. If I could feel tired, they'd do the trick. Riley now spends a significant chunk of her time trying to corral them, teach them, and keep them entertained. In a way, it’s like she’s trying to mold them into something familiar to her—into little hockey enthusiasts, no less. Not that it stirs me, but I guess that makes sense given her own tumultuous relationship with the sport. It’s almost ironic, really. Jennifer and Rodney keep Riley busy, but somehow, amidst the chaos, they create this faint hum of routine, a rhythm—a distraction, but a lifesaver, too. Now, instead of orbiting around endless voids of nothingness, she’s got these giggling miniature humans to focus on. Almost makes you think there's a point in all this ruckus. Almost. Riley’s still lost in many ways, aimlessly skating around for the Golden Gophers at the University of Minneapolis. She works sporadic, and random jobs - coaching kids who can barely stand on the ice and explaining why figure skates and hockey skates aren't the same thing. I mean, I'm Ennui; I know pointlessness when I see it. Or, I should—being defined by a lack of direction is tripping. She’s surprisingly good with her siblings, though. Like, she’s on autopilot when she’s around them, an almost instinctive care. It’s weird, watching her teach Jennifer how to hold a hockey stick or showing Rodney how to glide on ice without crashing into everything. Jill, her mother, is always blathering about how thankful she is for Riley’s innate caregiving instincts. I suppose. Makes sense, given she barely knew what to do with herself for a while. Riley’s hospital stint at that truck stop near Minneapolis still haunts, I think. Not so much in an upfront, attention-seeking trauma way, but like a shadow that’s always there—out of sight, lurking. Those weeks alone must’ve done a number on her. See, I was there. I felt the depth of her isolation, and for those endless days, she was immersed in a sea of nothingness. That’s where I thrive, where I’m at home. But even I have to admit, it was too much. But hey, she’s managing somehow. There’s still that vacancy in her eyes sometimes, and that’s where I mostly come in—just to remind her to not get too comfortable. Life isn’t all about baby giggles and hockey pucks, you know? There’s dullness in between, an intricate web of monotony that holds everything together, like an unsung glue. Ennui, out. P.S. Looking forward to the next dull moment, and trust me, they’re never far off.) Write an entry by Ennui about Riley's existence as of late (wanting to go into the Military (Army), Father's military career (Navy Seal, Iraq, lost a foot and has a prosthetic) Mother's dead surgeon career (was done before Riley was born on January 22nd, 2004. She has reconsidered many times, but never got into it), Family History (Andersen's have settled from Denmark in the late 19th - early 20th century. Nostalgia would come in and tell the emotions how much better last century was (it really wasn't, but at least AI didn't exist, because being lazy to write is something American's are really good at now.) Riley goes to Mass on ocassions (not really caring much, mostly cultural. Daily prayers and readings are something she hasn't done much, if at all, in the last few years. Her Father is teaching her siblings how to do it, and their much better than her. Her Mother doesn't do it much, much to her Father's Ire.) Write a journal entry by Ennui about Riley's connection to the US Military (Father's history, 2010 School Career Day (before she considered being a Hockey professional as a potential career, which lasted from 2017-2020, thanks to Val, really.) The stories passed down from her grandparents about WW1, WW2, Korean, Vietnam, Gulf, and Iraq. The weird propaganda about girls being able to join the military in general (including legalization of all combats role in 2013), societys blurring of gender boundries, Riley's uprooted life in 2015 (and even after 2020).