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-% document
-\documentclass{letter}
-\usepackage[margin=0.5in]{geometry}
-\usepackage{multicol}
-
-% text
-\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
-\renewcommand{\familydefault}{\sfdefault}
-
-% graphics
-\usepackage{graphicx}
-\usepackage{wrapfig}
-
-% signature environment
-\newenvironment{sig}[1]%
- {\begin{list}{}%
- {\setlength{\leftmargin}{300pt}}%
- \item[]%
- }
- {\end{list}}
-
-\begin{document}
-
-\pagenumbering{gobble}
-
-\large{\textbf{Winter Solstice Greetings \hfill 2020}}
-
-\begingroup
-\setlength{\intextsep}{0pt}%
-\setlength{\columnsep}{10pt}%
-
-Hello to all my friends and family.
-What a year it has been.
-Certainly for many of us it has been the hardest year of our lives.
-Still, there is snow on the ground and I'm enjoying a nice coffee as I write to you.
-I feel so lucky to be able to connect with you all in this small way.
-
-\begin{wrapfigure}{l}{0.4\textwidth}
- \begin{center}
- \includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{"IMG_20200111_143519"}
- \end{center}
-\end{wrapfigure}
-
-I started this year with a few days in Seattle.
-My friend Tyler started a new job there in late 2019, and I visited to explore his new home.
-Tyler was between apartments, so we stayed in a luxurious Airbnb with an excellent view of the city (see left).
-It was special to be able to experience Seattle with Tyler.
-Seattle and Madison share a notable similarity---they are both cities built on an isthmus.
-Madison is between two lakes: Mendota and Monona.
-Seattle is between Lake Washington and Puget Sound.
-
-Like everyone, my 2020 has been primarily shaped by COVID-19.
-On March 17th we were told we have two days to pack up everything and get off campus.
-I took two large carloads of various electronics and instrumentation and holed myself up for three straight weeks in my apartment, not stepping outside my door even once.
-We were originally told shut-down would last eight weeks, but in the end I ended up being kept away from campus for 15 weeks straight.
-
-The most wonderful outcome of quarantine was the opportunity to spend an entire month living in Iowa City with my parents.
-It was so nice to experience their lifestyle---gardening, walking with dear Karaby, enjoying food.
-Iowa City is a lovely place.
-I'm so lucky to have been with loving family for a portion of this isolated time.
-
-\begin{wrapfigure}{r}{0.4\textwidth}
- \begin{center}
- \includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{"PXL_20201122_163338324"}
- \end{center}
-\end{wrapfigure}
-
-I have also used this quarantine period to experience more outdoor places near Madison.
-I never realized how many wonderful parks there are so close to my home!
-Here I am at Mirror Lake, which I visited with my friend Zach.
-Other highlights include multiple trips to Indian Lake, running from mosquito at Cherokee Marsh, and hiking out in the dark to avoid freezing temperatures during a camping trip at Brooklyn Wildlife Area.
-
-I continue to grow professionally.
-I feel very lucky that I was able to work from home this year.
-I was actually able to attend more conferences than normal, as virtual conferences don't require travel cost.
-There are a lot of people doing exciting work in my weird little world of scientific instrumentation!
-I was one of the very first to return to campus in June, being designated essential to the ``research reboot'' effort on campus.
-Work has been shockingly hard since then, as I am under-resourced and must personally complete all tasks.
-Things have recently gotten a lot better as I have hired two new student assistants.
-This week, staff at University of Wisconsin hospitals began receiving vaccines.
-
-Wishing you and yours a happy new year. Stay in touch!
-
-\vfill
-\raggedleft
-
-Blaise Jonathan Thompson \\*
-\hspace{0pt} \\
-725 W Washington Ave. Apt 306 \\*
-Madison, Wisconsin 53715 \\*
-\hspace{0pt} \\
-1-424-225-2493 \\*
-blaise@untzag.com \\*
-http://blaise.zone
-
-\end{document}