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<!DOCTYPE html>
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<meta charset="utf-8" name="viewport" content="width=80ch">
<title>COVID-19</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="../style.css">
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<body>
<h1><a href="http://blaise.zone">blaise</a>-<a href="../">memories</a>/COVID-19</h1>
<hr>
<p>
This memory summarizes my personal experiences of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic">COVID-19 pandemic</a>.
I've written it in first person as Blaise Thompson.
</p>
<hr>
<h2 id=2020-03-18><a href=#2020-03-18>2020-03-18 Wednesday</a></h2>
<p>
Today is the last normal day of work on campus.
We have been told to prepare to shut down for at least eight weeks.
It's hard to imagine that it will actually be that long.
</p>
<hr>
<h2 id=2020-05-18><a href=#2020-05-18>2020-05-18 Monday</a></h2>
<p>
Day 62 of work from home.
</p>
<p>
I am partially furloughed from my job at UW-Madison.
Essentially this means that I am forced to take four days (32 hours) of unpaid time off between now and the end of October.
By "firing" me for this short period of time, the institution hopes to save money to compensate for decreased income.
Click here to read the furlough letter that I received: <a href="./furlough.pdf">PDF</a>.
</p>
<hr>
<h2 id=2020-05-21><a href=#2020-05-21>2020-05-21 Thursday</a></h2>
<p>
Day 65 of work from home.
</p>
<p>
I finally receive my $1200 "Economic Impact Payment".
To be fair, I signed up to receive the payment by mail rather than direct deposit.
I am thankful that I have not lost my job.
</p>
<hr>
<h2 id=2020-05-23><a href=#2020-05-23>2020-05-23 Saturday</a></h2>
<p>
Day 67 of work from home.
</p>
<p>
It's Memorial Day weekend.
Last night I slept over at my friend Zach's house in Baraboo Wisconsin.
Given the Wisconsin Supreme Court order, the local restaurants are now open again with reduced capacity (Baraboo is in Sauk County, not Dane).
For the first time in weeks, I have brunch at a sit-down restaurant: Broadway Diner in downtown Baraboo.
Things are different.
They have every-other booth taped off, so customers cannot sit directly next to strangers.
There are no paper menus, only QR codes to scan with your phone and download a PDF menu.
There are no condiments, even salt and pepper, unless explicitly asked for.
Still, it feels so nice to go back to relative normalcy.
After brunch Zach and I go out to Devil's Lake for a nice long hike.
There are lots of people enjoying the nice weather, and we see many rock climbers on the bluff.
</p>
<hr>
<h2 id=2020-05-27><a href=#2020-05-27>2020-05-27 Wednesday</a></h2>
<p>
Day 71 of work from home.
</p>
<p>
For the second time since work from home I get permission to temporarily enter the Chemistry Building.
This time, I am picking up a bunch of small parts for a hardware project that I am trying to work on at home.
Everything in the electronics shop is exactly as I left it.
</p>
<hr>
<p>
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0</a>: no copyright
</p>
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