9 October 2006 (I cannot recall the exact time I reached this destination). While I am on the bus, waiting to arrive at the airport, waiting to arrive to my destination within the world of Day of the Figurines, I realise the importance of waiting within the game. Here, almost nothing happens quickly. In fact, on occasion, nothing happens at all and I appear to be moving from destination to destination, like some sort of a mixed reality flaneur. Sometimes, answers to questions arrive days later. Sometimes, they don’t arrive at all and I somehow have to live with the consequences of not knowing. I arrive at Ron’s Top Chip Shop. At last I have some company, and not just ‘any’ company. BERLIN and JOANA are here. BERLIN is, of course, an old acquaintance whose humour and ability to provide information about the location of other players I have missed deeply. I am pleased to have found BERLIN. However, BERLIN tells me that they are very sick and need a defibrillator or some saveloy. I have no idea what saveloy is, where to get it or what it’s for. I decide to go to the hospital to see if I can get a defibrillator.
10 October 2006 6.52pm gametime, 7.27 my time. I arrive at Ron’s Top Chip Shop, where I can see JOANA and many SAVELOYS but again am not able to have any conversation. In the meantime, I spend the whole afternoon trying to sort among my aunt’s belongings. I find beautiful old photos of when she was in her twenties, some love letters and grateful letters from her students who loved her and remembered her, year after year, for teaching them all about art and Rome. I find photos of myself as a child, and photos of my daughter whom I know now will never get to know her the way I did. And I find things. Many, many things. I wonder, how do I deal with this? How do I sort what matters from what doesn't? Matters to whom - anyway?
15 October 2006, 11.24 pm gametime, 2.01 pm my time. I arrive at Ron’s Top Chip Shop and get a saveloy for BARNEY who was my travelling companion earlier in the game. I don’t care if this means I’ll loose my drum kit which I sepnt such a long time getting hold of.
17 October 2006, 13.54 pm game time, 6.24 pm my time. I arrive at Ron’s Top Chip Shop. This also is shut.
