dickensian estate
That's what it feels like: interminable, never-ending, soul-crushing emphasis on things, things, things, all to be minutely cataloged and appraised, divided, parceled out with great care and effort. I have three images in my mind. First, those little puzzles consisting of tiles in a tray that has only one open space, and you push the tiles around to complete the picture. The second is the one which in my family we call "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic" - a task, repeated to no avail. The third? Slowly being crushed by a juggernaut. This will come to an end, but so far, it's not fast enough.