Employee submissions to the @ArgoAI #SimplePleasures Slack channel during the pandemic:

Looking for dogs to adopt. Sitting on the floor + letting my kids climb all over me. Buying one of each kind of apple at the market, and eating them in sequence, like a wine tasting.

1/x

Ending a Zoom call.

When my parents answer the phone.

Homemade red sauce. Watching Vikings while reading the Wiki to check historical accuracy. An early & slow Saturday morning where I can sit and enjoy a strong cup of coffee. Binging Parts Unknown with Anthony Bourdain.

2/x

Listening to @KaraSwisher and @ProfGalloway

Staring at the stars.

Watching reruns of American Dad, Family Guy and Futurama. The stiff little tail wag of our little old man — our 16 year old dog — in the morning.

3/x

Seeing and hearing more of the birds and wildlife in the morning while walking my dog. Gardening. Sunbathing in the backyard. The kindness of stranger’s eyes above their masks at the supermarket. The smell of clean sheets.

4/x

When my boyfriend puts fresh sheets on the bed before I get there. When the scent of a really awesome candle fills the house. First scoop of a new jar of peanut butter. First scoop out of a new container of ice cream.

5/x

First scoop out of a Nutella jar. (Reply: Any scoop out of the Nutella jar.)

A gentle breeze, filled with the aroma of the neighbor's citrus blossoms, enjoyed from a shaded camp chair. A campfire. The sound of a 4 year old napping.

6/x

Facetiming my grandma and seeing how happy she is to see me, and my dog. Watching Extraction with someone actually in the Special Forces, and his howls of laughter. When someone says ‘I love you’ at the end of a phone call.

7/x

When my wife makes Brazilian confections using boiled down condensed milk, with milk chocolate or coconut shavings. These sweets form a slightly crunchy sugary coating on them once fully dry. That crunch, and the rush of flavor.

8/x

Our All Hands meetings mean so much now.

Being greeted by my dogs like it’s been years since they’ve seen me, even if I was only gone for ten minutes. Reading in a hammock. Sleeping in a hammock. When my husband brings me coffee in bed in the morning.

9/x

Those times you're in a meeting and your wife brings you milk and chocolate chip cookies. (Reply: my 4 year old very happily just brings me a plate of crumbs.)

10/x

Letting Vivaldi drown out my baby’s naptime revolt. Playing Civ 6. Mac and Cheese. The Chipwich. Playing chess with my son. Teaching my daughter to play chess. A good cocktail on the porch. A drink on the deck. Fresca. Hot chocolate. Diet Cream Soda.

11/x

When it rains. Any day it's not raining. The sound of rain on the roof. The smell when I open the door after it rains. Babies. My sleeping baby. When the neighbor’s baby falls asleep. Days like today.

12/x

When it rains. Any day it's not raining. The sound of rain on the roof. The smell when I open the door after it rains. Babies. My sleeping baby. When the neighbor’s baby falls asleep.

13/x

Getting out of the house to go to the grocery store. When the grocery store is still open. When there's no line at the grocery store. Tuna. Whitefish. Anchovies. When the budget ice cream tastes better than Haagen Dazs. Nils Frahm. Sardines on toast. Sardines in Olive Oil.

14/x

Explaining the original Tron to my kids. When mama bear walks out of the woods with her cubs and crosses the street. When a stray cat enters my yard...she’s mine now. Working from home. Working. Talking to my team. The kindness of strangers.

Quiet.

15/x

The “beep” sound a PC with an internal speaker makes when it turns on.

Making a list of places to go when this is over.

All the people I’m going to see when this is over.

16/16