Most weekends are pretty dull. We keep them that way. We prioritise sleep, go to the grocery store, and if there’s anything special it’s usually D&D with our friends. This is life because 2-year-olds like nothing more than to ruin plans so it’s usually easier to not make them and put on hours and hours of Disney movies.

This weekend though some nice geekery came together.

BME and NES

After a pancake breakfast on Saturday, I decided the family needed an outing. We were out of dog food and while the snow storm hadn’t been too bad it was cold enough I knew we would mostly stay inside if we didn’t force ourselves out. We went down Preston Highway to Feeder’s Supply, but on the way stopped at Book and Music Exchange to browse.

Grace had a great time chasing us down the aisles, and picking up movies them back. For her pleasantness we got her a copy of The Lion King.

I purchased an A/C adapter for the NES system that’s been sitting idly in our entertainment center for a long time, and a couple games. Proud to announce the system is up and running! I’ve not tested all of the old games yet but I only had a little time Sunday morning to play.

Stranger Things 2

After such a big morning, Grace took a long afternoon nap. Amber and I took it as our opportunity to catch up on Stranger Things 2. We still have one episode remaining, but I’ve really enjoyed the series. Especially El being so resourceful.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

It was getting to the point I was nervous I might not get out to see this movie in theaters. That just can’t happen with a Star Wars movie. Amber’s mom accepted a plea to babysit and we got to see the matineé today.

Holy cow did I love the movie. I don’t have the energy to write a review and I’m too late for that party anyway, but Ber and I have spent most of conversations the rest of the day about it.

Why This Is Worth Writing

Do things that make you happy. It’s okay to let yourself do thing that make you happy. I don’t feel this way most Sunday nights, but I feel pretty great right now. A bit of nerd recovery is totally reasonable.

The world around you is out of your control. The facts that govern your life are mostly out of your control. The actions you take are often in response to motivations and needs that are largely out of your control.

What you do control is the story you tell yourself about what it means. You can always choose to paint a picture you believe in.

The evil empire is rising all around, you can see yourself as the rebel waiting for a chance to make a difference.

Falling behind at work looks exactly the same as a restructuring of priorities.

Recovery and exhaustion both look an awful lot like sleep.

Food can be either fuel or a leisure activity.

If you don’t like the facts, give them a different story then ask yourself what’s on the next page.

My mind fights with itself a lot. It’s like playing both colors in chess. Your move as white, then on the other side of the board you counter it with the same ferocity as black. You always win and you always lose.

Sometimes it’s what gives me my advantage. I see a lots of sides to an argument. I’m willing to change my mind quickly. Once I know the answer I go one step further to see if I’m wrong. It helps me when learning and teaching.

Many days it becomes problematic. The war wages and my body can’t keep up. I’m thinking and thinking meanwhile the tension in my shoulders, my teeth start grinding, and I can’t type on the keyboard without my wrists burning.

That’s when I know it’s not about the problem anymore. It’s not about anything that’s wrong with work, with home, with life. It’s just a spiral that my mind has created. It’s worth trying to reset.

• Weightlifting
• Riding a bike
• Walking
• Showering
• Reading
• Writing (with a pen and paper)
• Speaking out loud (preferably with a friend)

All these are my best bets to help the reset take hold. They are also some of the hardest things to convince myself to do. Caffeine and food almost always make it worse but they are almost always my first reaction.