I knew I shouldn't have, but I started playing Minecraft again. The game really feels like an alternate reality. The way the block mechanics work tricks your brain into thinking you're doing something productive and building up to something. I spend hours upon hours playing that game completely absorbed.

I completely renovated my home base, putting in a skylight and polished diorite walls. I also started making more complex stuff like crossbows and I'm hoping to find some more minerals. I've only found diamonds once right when I started. Then like a newb I made a diamond breastplate and went spelunking. Guess how long it took me to fall into some lava with it on. Still smarts thinking about it.

The game has a lot of pandemic bylines now like "Be a hero. Game at home!" and "Go to the store for your elders.". It amazes me how far-reaching this pandemic is and the surprising places you see messages.

I also built a second base. It's in a secret area away from my main base and I wanted to give it a secret laboratory vibe. I like how it turned out and I already have the next few building phases planned out in my mind.

Like I mentioned, the game really absorbs me when I play it and I have intentionally been trying to keep away from it. It's like I'm living another life in that game. The maps are massive and as I was taking the screenshots for this post I thought I'd go and look over a mountain near by base just to see what's there.

I got really lost and couldn't find my way back anymore. It's happend a few time but I usually find my way back in about 5 minutes. Not this time. I completely lost my bearings and legitimately got that deep feeling of being completely lost. I had to build littla forts to survive the nights and of course I didn't have a bed so I had to stay awake the whole night.

The survival horror of Minecraft came at me hard. Near my base I could see multiple Ender Men doing whatever the fuck they do when they're not killing players. I just stood there in awe and fear and hoped they wouldn't see me. I had already had one Ender Man pass me in a cave earlier today. I doubted I'd make it back to my base alive. I was right, but not because the Ender Man got me. I feel into a crevice and a skeleton and creeper got me. I lost like 10 levels right there plus all my iron tools and crossbow.

I now know I have to be more careful when I venture out. I never bothered making a compass or a map in the game but I never really knew how massive this game really was. I will have to make a map before I go out next time. It will be interesting if in some months I find the little emergency shelters I made in the mountains and I can remember that weird night when I watched the Ender Men until the sun came up...