It's important to be optimistic and maintain a good attitude, no matter how grim the outlook is, no matter how ridiculous the situation you find yourself in, and no matter how sad your circumstances seem. It's easy to throw your hands up and mock assignments that seem absurdly beyond the realm of feasibility, but I think the personal stretching that such assignments entail is excellent for growth.
I worked on my landscape planning homework with Anna, went shopping, ate dinner with Shiva, and finished up several administrative tasks. The snow outside is lovely.