At summer camp we had joke activities like "sand a log to nothing" and "dig a hole to China". Kids would sign up for these activities and actually sand down the log and dig the pointless hole for hours. Just as popular as playing soccer, swimming, etc. I agree this tunnel boyfriend may be on to something

What did you sand with? How many files did you go through?

Did you have an activity to turn a log into a paddle?

Just regular sandpaper. I like the paddle idea, that'd have been a more interesting goal and given something to show for the effort.

Sounds like boot camp.

That reminds me this one book I've read in my teenage years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnels_(novel)

Two main characters were meeting after-school to dig a tunnel, although their motivation was a little bit deeper (sorry, I couldn't help myself) than just digging itself.

Can I use SSH?

Sure, but you have to go physically put your shovel in the hole first and then come back.

…just be careful. There’s a man in the middle of the tunnel who will try to take your stuff.

I'm in too, doesn't even matter if we live in different cities, we can just dig a tunnel and meet in the middle

Ok, but be sure to use similar tech to that used in the Channel Tunnel:

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-channel-tunnel-1779429

so that the two tunnels meet in the middle ...

Looking forward to the transatlantic version.

Find a club near you at https://www.justserve.org