Tuesday night. She almost didn’t return. She felt strongly about staying in her friend’s empty basement apartment in Toronto two days ago, and didn’t want to come back to Niagara Falls with me, if only for two weeks. There’s another world where I didn’t weave the words together the way I did, where she stayed in that basement all by herself, where I spent the two remaining weeks in Niagara Falls by myself.

Things are… okay, but far from flawless. Xgf is still in the bargaining mode, trying to find workarounds and compromises to our key incompatibilities. None of them can bridge the divide, and part of her is aware of that, and that makes everything that much more tragic. Eleven more days till we officially move apart. This is a strange arrangement, sometimes cozy, occasionally painful, but it’s better than being alone, if only for a little while.

…I’m future-leaping hard. Diving headfirst into work, setting up ambitious projects that won’t fully pay off till months or years later. Brainstorming hobbies that would keep me from going stir-crazy, vacations that don’t involve international travel or being around other people. Gold panning, perhaps? Easier than gem hunting, in any case. Fresh air, sun… Heh. (Because of my unique seniority position, I get more vacation time than I know what to do with. Since I didn’t take any last year, this year I should try to take nine weeks off. Three down, six to go.)

The world is still a crazy mess. Russia appears to have a big surge in coronavirus deaths: they might end up being second only to the US. A few more cases appeared in Wuhan, and now China plans to test all 11 million inhabitants. Impressive, if nothing else. South Korea was almost virus-free until someone went to three nightclubs and exposed as many as 1,500 people. Vietnam and New Zealand appear to have beaten the virus, having played their cards right. As for the rest of us… Only time will tell.