War with the Evil Power Master
To change up the games we’ve been playing lately, Liz and I broke out a game that I got last Christmas: a “Choose Your Own Adventure” board game titled “War with the Evil Power Master.”
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First Coronavirus Excursion
Liz has had medication waiting for her at our local Walgreen’s. And knowing this was a need that would require us to leave the house… we decided to lump several other tasks on the same day. If we were going to be out and about, we may as well try to get all the things done.
Basement Door Work
Liz has been a lot more motivated than me of late, in terms of working on the house. While I had some momentum setting up the washer and dryer, I’ve since settled from that motion.
Which Switch?
Maybe I’m just trying to switch things up (see what I did there)? Maybe I just want a small change to my work routine, just so I can feel alive.
Ticket to Ride
We changed up our usual game, and broke out Ticket to Ride. I’m used to this game being one that involves a lot of people, but was surprised that the two of us could play fairly easily.
One thing I wasn’t expecting: long periods of card drawing and hoarding. And then a flurry of activity. I was a bit more aggressive in trying to preemptively block routes, and am wondering if that’s a good strategy or not, with just two players on the board.
April Snow
We’re about five weeks into staying inside, due to the Coronavirus. So what if it’s snowing outside?
Really, what does it matter? What are days anymore? What is time?
Setting Up the Dryer
Next up was the hardest bit: removing the existing gas line. Originally, I had intended to just pop off the cap. I struggled with this a bit, and decided halfway that it would be better to remove this length of pipe entirely (which connected to the gas shutoff valve).
The Banco Río Job
“Araujo had a crazy idea, and he shared it with his friend Sebastián García Bolster. This was a few years after the botched Ramallo heist had lodged itself in Araujo’s brain. It would be crazy to rob a bank but not leave, he mentioned to Bolster. To disappear through a hole. Bolster had been friends with Araujo since high school, and he agreed: That did sound like a wild way to rob a bank. But he assumed it was just some lark; his pal Araujo smoked a lot of weed.”
Busy Working Weekend
Had a fun chat wiht Liz, as she’s been trying to measure the impact that the Coronavirus has had (and will have) on DePaul’s students: tracking current students, new students, and what it all means for the DePaul, both this year and the next.
Setting up the Washer
The laundry has been piling up. And under normal circumstances, I’d be going to the laundromat. But we’ve had a washer/dryer combo sitting in the basement for some time now, waiting to get hooked up.
We’ve punted on setting these up, choosing instead to focus on the first floor of the house. It was a conscious choice, and the bulk of our efforts have been on getting the first floor a bit more in shape, a bit more habitable.
Hop on Up
Phineas has always been a fairly bold bunny. And despite him slowly transitioning into an old man, he’s still ever curious and ever the explorer.
Isolation Commentary
“Olive: focused, relentless, tasting absolutely nothing…”
A Deep Sadness
“Anticipatory grief is that feeling we get about what the future holds when we’re uncertain. Usually it centers on death. We feel it when someone gets a dire diagnosis or when we have the normal thought that we’ll lose a parent someday. Anticipatory grief is also more broadly imagined futures. There is a storm coming. There’s something bad out there.”
Yard Work
The weather was really something today, with us hitting a high in the upper 70’s. As a result, Liz threw on some garden clothes and went outside to tend to our garden boxes.
Go Then, There Are Other Worlds Than These
One odd thing for me: as much as I like video games, at times this feels less fun to me. Liz enjoys the discovery process, but at times I get overwhelmed at the prospect of problem-solving more things after a day of work.