That’s my $5 monthly payment for extra wishes in Genshin Impact, the video game my partner and I have been playing the past couple years. The music is top-notch, which is one of the things that keeps us playing. Sadly less boardgaming for the past few months, although this month that will certainly change as we once again take up the Alphabetic Boardgaming Challenge.

Meanwhile, things continue, with all the good and bad that implies. My most recent column is about my newest pet and my neighbor from 20 years ago: Enter the Cricket. If you want to read my other columns from the past two months, my newsletter remains the best way to get regular updates since I’m not great at posting frequently to this blog, as you might well have noticed.