Sunday 3 October 2004

Pic of the day: The magic moment! Just seconds before he levels up from toddler to schoolkid. It is as if the higher consciousness is already infusing him, as he looks at the baby bottles and the floor where he used to play. 'This is not me, not anymore. There must be something more to life ...'

Quiet Sunday

I am in a fairly good mood today. The last couple of nights I have got a decent amount of sleep. This morning I woke to the sound of thunder, and hurried to get up and unplug my DSL. It was just a local thunderstorm, and I warmed up while waiting for it to blow over.

The RSI (repetitive strain injury) in my right arm is something I will have to live with. I can keep it from getting worse, but I cannot imagine that it will ever heal. Perhaps if the most optimistic dreams of the most optimistic dreams come true... but I can't base my life on that. I can however use my brain, which is still working pretty well, and avoid some stupid mistakes. For instance I have noticed that my arm is worst just after I wake up. Even a a nap will do that, but after a night's sleep it takes some time for it to recover. Typing or mousing in the morning is likely to make the arm hurt quite a bit, possibly the rest of the day. The trick is to warm up the body first. Because of the thunder and the rain I did not take a walk, as I was tempted to do. But I spent approximately 20 minutes doing stretching and stepping exercises in my living room. Not fast enough to get sweaty, just to make sure the body got warm and the blood got flowing through all parts unhindered.

Then I played Morrowind for a few minutes. Well, and a few more minutes. But not for a long time: I can play that game with a game controller rather than mouse and keyboard, but it was still hurt if I do it for too long. After I had finished playing Morrowind, I stretched out again and went to play Sims2.

***

I am sure you are eagerly waiting to hear how things are going with my Sims. Well, Nemo decided to stay at home helping his parents take care of the baby twins. With his father still working full-time, it was really up to Nemo and his mother to raise the toddlers for the most part. The first twins, Norma and Nathaniel, had enough with schoolwork. They would try to help out, but sometimes they did more harm than good, for instance by putting a toddler to bed without taking it to the potty first.

Nemo and Lucy have been engaged since they grew up, and both of them have kept "getting married" at the head of the wish list for all this time. Lucy would come over most days -- usually Nemo would call for her, but one day when he didn't, she came anyway -- and has become quite good friends with some other family members. They considered marrying and having her move in, but it wouldn't be much of a married life... she would be more like another sister. It just didn't seem right. [However, the Sims know exactly who they are related to and not. She would not actually become a family member in that regard, and might still continue her romantic relationship with Nemo. If only they had the time.]

Finally the toddlers grew up to become school kids. By now they have developed distinct personalities. It turns out that the second set of twins are just as incompatible with each other as the first. But the good news is that by the same token, each of them goes along with one of the older twins. So now they have paired up, even to the point of getting matching beds. Despite their very different personalities, the younger twins look exactly identical. We shall have to see about their haircuts. [I wish it was possible to dress children in different clothes. But even though you can buy clothes for them, there is no way to make them change into a different set. You can make them change from everyday into formal or gym-wear or PJs, but not from one set of everyday clothes into another. This must certainly be a bug, and it applies to teens as well, even though they enjoy shopping for clothes.]

Anyway, the Sunday before Marcus and Anthony should begin school, Nemo moved out. The whole family spontaneously gathered around him, patting his shoulder and waving goodbye as he left. The only one who wasn't there was the twin that was sleeping in Nemo's bed. It totally felt like being in the middle of a novel by Margit Sandemo. OK, there would have been a ghost and an alien too in that case, but the atmosphere was there.

So now starts a new book in the saga of the Vrimoen family, I guess.

***

It was a pleasant surprise to look up from my play and find that the clock showed only a quarter past noon. I had plenty of time to walk to the supermarket and buy some food. It is now two weeks since the incident where I have somehow cut my toe, and the cut is healing fine so far. Ironically the other foot was hurting more, but there is no visible damage. I need to keep them used to walking, as I plan to keep using them for as long as God allows me to. Sometimes things just happen, you know. But you can't sit on your [behind] and let you body decompose while still alive, and then say "God let it happen so I'm stuck with it". God may be responsible for the universe, and the universe has a tendency to intrude on daily life. But I'm still responsible for doing my part. Even on a Sunday.