things i think about while powerwashing 181

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Right around the time I started and named this newsletter, an interesting new game hit the early access: PowerWash Simulator. During peak COVID times a lot of these simulator-esque games made their ways across the internet including one where you work in a restaurant, one where you work in retail and one where you work in a normal office job.

Yeah I guess we were all desperate for normalcy or something.

I did not play PowerWash Simulator but! With the assistance of esteemed subscriber Connie Liou I successfully completed the main campaign of the aforementioned's sequel PowerWash Simulator 2. Throughout the course of 38 different cleaning jobs you come to find that the corrupt mayor is somehow affecting the rotation of the moon due to the theft of some dirty jewels. Oh yeah, and as a result of the mayor's previous downfall in the previous game you now own his cat. And he wants it back. And somewhere along the way people protest and the town is now dirty and now you have to clean it.

You think that's ridiculous? At one point you clean a temple and upon cleaning a sufficient amount a secret passageway opens up, revealing an (obviously) dirty room that needs to be cleaned. And then some time travel is involved.

But even with the wild-ass plot this game is just ... relaxing. There's been several times when I've felt my eyelids droop as the soothing noise of water cutting through layers of grime on the digital asphalt started to lull me to bed. There's no background music (I think?), just the occasional meow of the former mayor's cat.

I think if you enjoy cleaning this game is for you! If you don't enjoy cleaning ... pick up that broom and start sweeping.

museum of the week

my favorite dead section. i am catching up on the museum writing backlog so this will come back soon.

in the meantime here is the char siu i made on the grill this week!

anonymous subscriber news

WELCOME TO THE GRILL LIFE. Anonymous subscriber please text me with a pic of ur grill setup and reveal yourself to me (but you will remain anonymous to the wider public).

Also to the anon who got the interview: congrats!!!

Submit here: https://forms.gle/2MABf8jNr2V8kEY87

• anon is inspired: ryan has inspired me to buy a grill on my own. grilled burgers and veggies twice now, and so happy in this investment <3
• anon steers: just bought my first car!
• anon thanks: I got the interview, thanks a million for the good vibes!!!!!!

animal of the week

Esteemed subscriber Ellie Wang brings us a very funny looking rodent — a woodchuck. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

If you guys saw me try to type that out you would've put me wherever they sent Mitch McConnell.

This is a woodchuck in Michigan! At first I thought it was a beaver but the tail didn’t look correct, so I turned to Gemini to find out its identity so it could be wrong.

Send me your animal photos at ryan@torrtle.co OR at this form https://forms.gle/NT3nSkKVbpkjCr1u8!