So, a productive at-home vacation is past.  We have been living in our house for almost four years and this last week I finally got around to putting up the various odd pictures on the basement walls.  Crookedly.  After putting together some storage shelves, I needed to move a shelf that I previously put up near my desk down there.  So after the first attempt with the crappy drywall anchors, I noticed the shelf seemed askew.  Using trusty spirit level, I determined it was listing to the left.  After a few moments’ silent struggle whether to leave it as it was or not, I yanked it from the wall, carefully re-measured the proper anchor holes, made sure the results were level, carefully drilled, carefully hammered the crappy anchors into the dry wall, hung the shelf, hung some pictures under it, went upstairs.  When I returned the shelf looked askew; the spirit level determined it now listed to the right.  So I tilted the pictures under it to the right, so the shelf won’t look completely crappily hung until I get around to fixing it.

Another accomplishment: finishing the play-through in Mass Effect.  This is one of the few games I’ve enjoyed so thoroughly.  Sure, there are a few rote elements, but the payoff is double-plus good, and the SFnal setting is satisfyingly detailed.