Monday. We’re falling into a routine: I roll out of bed at 7am (with a kick of encouragement), grab a shower, eat breakfast (usually black coffee with dry cereal) spend some time online, and open my work laptop to clickity-clack on it till 5pm, with a small break for lunch. Gf wakes up, does yoga, spends time online. We do indoorsy things in the evening. (The gf has a name, but it’s very distinct and easy to identify, ergo the “gf” shorthand.)

Strange news… National Guard is being deployed in the US. Senator Klobuchar’s husband tested positive. An elderly couple tried taking chloroquine by themselves: he died, she’s in the ICU. Today was the first day with over 100 American deaths. (And who knows how many just don’t get tested.) Nothing but gloom and despair online and on social media. Took a short drive to the local grocery store today: this time, they were out of chicken and frozen blueberries. Ran into the local LCBO just as they closed and grabbed a six-pack of cider. This is probably the longest I’ve gone without beer in 5 years. Heh. (For non-Canadians, LCBO is a government-run monopoly, a store designated for liquor sales.) During the 2-minute drive to the grocery store, the new radio talked about tactical approaches to catching those who break quarantine. On the drive back, the radio talked about possibly restricting movement between provinces: on the border of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, travelers are being told to self-isolate for 2 weeks. This feels like an omen of things to come. Will we institute a national lockdown?

I was surprised to see that the US/CAD exchange rate has shifted from 1.33 to 1.45 right after the stock market collapse 2 weeks ago. This means my Canadian savings are suddenly less valuable in the US. Conversely, this means my US savings and stocks can buy 9% more land in Canada…

I work at Amazon. I’m a financial analyst in the FC Finance org. (FC = fulfillment centre = warehouse.) Been here more than 10 years, but only 1 year in Canada. FC Finance means you’re generally supposed to be present at the FC. Earlier today, we got new guidance: now, just like the rest of our Finance brethren and sistren (mostly brethren), FC Finance folks can work from home. I had a 3-week vacation to Tunisia booked for April 5th-26th… Not going anymore, obviously, but this is good to know: gf and I were worried about the gap between 3/31-4/05, when I might have had to drive back to work and expose myself to potentially infected folks.

New plan: since we can’t renew this sweet little AirBnB cottage after 3/31, we’ll rent a place for a month and score a nice discount. The most likely candidate right now is a place in rural Quebec…

All is well on the personal front. All the gyms are closed – and even if they stayed open, that’d be too risky. Gf and I are trying out bodyweight exercises. She’s lifting cans of creamed corn. I’m doing bicep reps with bags of sugar and/or an old-timey wooden chair. Life goes on. Just not everywhere. And not for everyone.