Pixels don't have cache clean like Samsung in recoveryBad Pixel, bad.
I did not think of clearing the cache. I'll have to look up how to boot into that mode. Haven't done it in ages.
I am going to switch to the Pixel launcher as a baseline. Really not a fan but I've never used it for more than a day. If all is good next week, I'll go to Nova.
Another weird behavior has developed as well. When I swipe up from the bottom to go back home, the window swipes up normally and then flashes a full view of what I just swiped away before going to the home screen. Will see if this goes away too.
Let the experiment begin!