Spaghetti with tomato sauce and parmesan, for dinner. Snacking on pretzels.

I am comforted by an unexpected phone call from a college friend.

We discuss recipes for various pasta dishes, we talk about spoilers for an anime we both enjoy (My Hero Academia), we remember some of the moments we shared with our philosophy professors that made us laugh – like that time she was camped out in the philosophy department playing a video game called Stardew Valley and the chairman walked in and immediately had so many questions, many of which he ultimately decided not to ask, I think.

It’s good to hear her voice.

At this point, I am mostly just checking in on people to make sure they’re still alive.