Sunday, Feb. 16
Day 23 in quarantine. I might be in a simulation or the peripheral of some crazy rich historical-crisis-tourists from the future. I can imagine this package would be quite expensive.
I make honey water and coffee, and my Chinese stepmom in Ottawa sends me a story about how we're all chickens in cages, trying to live our best life while we can.
In feel-good news, a man from Wuhan volunteers with an animal rescue group to care for nearly 300,000 pets who's owners are locked out of the quarantine zone. Some give passcodes; others beg him to break in. He fills up the food and water and changes cat litter. My dogs are chasing sunbeams, and I put some cushions down by the window so they can sunbathe.
Benben and Hachoo take a sunbath
The school has opened the admin office for a few hours today to help residents avoid a blackout. I suit up for outside, drop off my power card, and some cash at the security gate. Stupidly, I didn't bring my own pen and walk away after signing their form, wondering how many people have also used theirs. I have to come back at four to pick it up, "contact-free." Speaking of cash, China is burning money collected from hospitals and supermarkets, only issuing out new currency. China is already a cashless society, I haven't touched the stuff in years.
Quiet streets of Jiulongpo
I decide to take a walk to the street. The turnstiles are closed, and I don't have a pass to go outside, but I can wiggle my way through the vehicle gates and walk towards the SF delivery truck parked out front. A young man is sorting through packages. I snap a photo or two. Two community leaders are walking towards me. They gawk at this hulking alien in a bug-eyed spacesuit taking pictures of them. I scuttle back inside the school compound before they start questioning me.
I decontaminate and get my "inside onesie" back on. Dad is still up, and we play a game of NHL Hockey online. I'm Team Canada, and he's "all-time all-stars." Crosby versus Gretzky. When I was in college in Halifax, my best friend used to do Sidney's manicures in Cole Harbor, around the time he won his "golden goal" for Team Canada in Vancouver. He really cared about his hand hygiene. That was the year a band I spent a decade touring with played the Yukon medal ceremony. A lifetime ago.
I take my morning vitamins and eat my last "zinc immunity booster" pill. The gas runs out for our stove as we're making pancakes, but I finish up on our hot plate.
A man on day 13 of his 14-day quarantine decides to go for a walk in the park and gets a phone call from his boss saying he's got to go back home right away. Facial recognition flagged him, an AI called his boss and pressured them to send him back home. China uses AI and big data to combat the spread of the virus so efficiently. I wonder how a country without all this tech would handle this sort of outbreak.
I work online for four hours, write a little, read a little, and make a loaf of bread.
Kai made 'a bread'
Millions of roses were destroyed this valentine's day. The top three most popular gifts this year were face masks, eye goggles, and alcohol lathered cotton pads. Love in an age of no contact.