From ddc040ac8e2c08da9d5c8a3a7366626bb62d095f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Blaise Thompson Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2020 12:27:08 -0800 Subject: 2018 solstice letter --- public/2018-solstice-letter/DSC_0131.JPG | Bin 0 -> 1240638 bytes .../2018-solstice-letter/IMG_20180511_193937.jpg | Bin 0 -> 2759745 bytes public/2018-solstice-letter/index.html | 105 +++++++++++++++++++++ public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.pdf | Bin 0 -> 4030490 bytes public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.tex | 100 ++++++++++++++++++++ public/2019-solstice-letter/recipients.org | 28 ++++++ public/index.html | 5 + 7 files changed, 238 insertions(+) create mode 100644 public/2018-solstice-letter/DSC_0131.JPG create mode 100644 public/2018-solstice-letter/IMG_20180511_193937.jpg create mode 100644 public/2018-solstice-letter/index.html create mode 100644 public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.pdf create mode 100644 public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.tex create mode 100644 public/2019-solstice-letter/recipients.org diff --git a/public/2018-solstice-letter/DSC_0131.JPG b/public/2018-solstice-letter/DSC_0131.JPG new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6a53d85 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/2018-solstice-letter/DSC_0131.JPG differ diff --git a/public/2018-solstice-letter/IMG_20180511_193937.jpg b/public/2018-solstice-letter/IMG_20180511_193937.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..37ab576 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/2018-solstice-letter/IMG_20180511_193937.jpg differ diff --git a/public/2018-solstice-letter/index.html b/public/2018-solstice-letter/index.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e24855c --- /dev/null +++ b/public/2018-solstice-letter/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,105 @@ + + + + + + 2018 winter solstice letter + + + + +

2018 winter solstice letter

+ +

+← back to memories list +

+ +

+Blaise sent this letter to friends and family to celebrate the winter holiday season, 2018. +In addition to this html version, you can also download the letter as sent: PDF. +

+ +

Winter Solstice Greetings - 2018

+ +

+Hello to all my friends and family. +I hope that you are feeling peaceful, cozy, and happy in these winter months. +It's fairly warm here in Madison, but the bay near my apartment has already frozen over. +The last two weekends have been popular with ice fishers and skaters. +As finals week progresses the town slowly empties. +

+ +

+This has been an important year for me professionally. +On April 23rd I successfully defended my dissertation, earning my doctorate in analytical chemistry. +See below a picture of me and my PhD adviser John Wright. +I am very lucky to have worked under John for seven short years. +John taught me a lot about being an independent thinker and communicator. +I was blessed to have my parents and good friend Tyler attend my graduation. +I "walked" with two other Wright Group friends---Kyle Czech and Jonathan Handali. +The ceremony that I attended (just for masters and doctorates) was huge---I'm still amazed at UW-Madison's size. +

+ +

+ +

+Of course, the high of graduation is typically followed by the panic of trying to find a job. +On July 23rd I began working as an instrumentation technologist for the chemistry department. +This is a research support role where I work on solving technical challenges facing researchers throughout the department. +I am the supervisor of a "makerspace" where students and researchers can come work on instrument construction and repair. +We have specialized equipment and a large inventory of parts for purchase. +I take on a large variety of different jobs---everything from fixing humble hotplates and glassware drying ovens to designing custom oscillators for mass spectrometry. +The people that I work with on a daily basis are driven and kind---they have done a lot to help me overcome my lack of formal training in electrical engineering. +For me right now, this is a dream job. +

+ +

+I've had several opportunities to travel this year. +A few weeks after graduation my friend Tyler was gracious enough to invite me to his home in New York for a 1.5 week vacation. +Highlights included eating at Di Fara Pizza, exploring Coney Island, and seeing The SpongeBob Musical on Broadway. +It was so fun to visit Tyler and see how far he has come since his own graduation. +I was also glad to visit my friend Felix at Yale during the same trip. +

+ +

+In July I spent nine days in Iowa City with my parents. +After so long, I enjoyed spending such a long time at "home". +The barn construction project is going along beautifully, and I was able to help with some humble drywall work. +

+ +

+Over the thanksgiving break I traveled to the west coast. +I flew into Las Vegas, where my parents picked me up for a quick 24-hour Death Valley experience. +We woke up early to watch the sunrise from Dante's View. +I hope to return to Death Valley for a longer trip some day. +Here I am standing on the floor of Badwater Basin---282 feet below sea level. +After leaving, we picked up Karaby and drove straight to Roseville, where we had thanksgiving dinner with the Trumbly & Decker Family. +It's so nice to connect with extended family after many years. +

+ +

+ +

+Wishing you and yours a happy new year. Stay in touch! +

+ +

+Blaise Jonathan Thompson
+725 W Washington Ave. Apt 306
+Madison, Wisconsin 53715
+
+1-424-225-2493
+blaise@untzag.com
+http://blaise.zone +

+ + + + + diff --git a/public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.pdf b/public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.pdf new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6ba3c9e Binary files /dev/null and b/public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.pdf differ diff --git a/public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.tex b/public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6a71ad8 --- /dev/null +++ b/public/2018-solstice-letter/letter.tex @@ -0,0 +1,100 @@ +% 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 2018}} + +\begingroup +\setlength{\intextsep}{0pt}% +\setlength{\columnsep}{10pt}% + +Hello to all my friends and family. % +I hope that you are feeling peaceful, cozy, and happy in these winter months. % +It's fairly warm here in Madison, but the bay near my apartment has already frozen over. % +The last two weekends have been popular with ice fishers and skaters. % +As finals week progresses the town slowly empties. % + +\begin{wrapfigure}{l}{0.4\textwidth} + \begin{center} + \includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth]{"IMG_20180511_193937"} + \end{center} +\end{wrapfigure} + +This has been an important year for me professionally. % +On April 23rd I successfully defended my dissertation, earning my doctorate in analytical chemistry. % +See left a picture of me and my PhD adviser John Wright. % +I am very lucky to have worked under John for seven short years. % +John taught me a lot about being an independent thinker and communicator. +I was blessed to have my parents and good friend Tyler attend my graduation. +I ``walked'' with two other Wright Group friends---Kyle Czech and Jonathan Handali. % +The ceremony that I attended (just for masters and doctorates) was huge---I'm still amazed at UW-Madison's size. + +Of course, the high of graduation is typically followed by the panic of trying to find a job. +On July 23rd I began working as an instrumentation technologist for the chemistry department. +This is a research support role where I work on solving technical challenges facing researchers throughout the department. +I am the supervisor of a ``makerspace'' where students and researchers can come work on instrument construction and repair. +We have specialized equipment and a large inventory of parts for purchase. +I take on a large variety of different jobs---everything from fixing humble hotplates and glassware drying ovens to designing custom oscillators for mass spectrometry. +The people that I work with on a daily basis are driven and kind---they have done a lot to help me overcome my lack of formal training in electrical engineering. +For me right now, this is a dream job. + +I've had several opportunities to travel this year. +A few weeks after graduation my friend Tyler was gracious enough to invite me to his home in New York for a 1.5 week vacation. +Highlights included eating at Di Fara Pizza, exploring Coney Island, and seeing The SpongeBob Musical on Broadway. +It was so fun to visit Tyler and see how far he has come since his own graduation. +I was also glad to visit my friend Felix at Yale during the same trip. + +In July I spent nine days in Iowa City with my parents. +After so long, I enjoyed spending such a long time at ``home''. +The barn construction project is going along beautifully, and I was able to help with some humble drywall work. + +\begin{wrapfigure}{r}{0.3\textwidth} + \begin{center} + \includegraphics[width=0.3\textwidth]{"DSC_0131"} + \end{center} +\end{wrapfigure} + +Over the thanksgiving break I traveled to the west coast. +I flew into Las Vegas, where my parents picked me up for a quick 24-hour Death Valley experience. +We woke up early to watch the sunrise from Dante's View. +I hope to return to Death Valley for a longer trip some day. +Here I am standing on the floor of Badwater Basin---282 feet below sea level. +After leaving, we picked up Karaby and drove straight to Roseville, where we had thanksgiving dinner with the Trumbly \& Decker Family. +It's so nice to connect with extended family after many years. + +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} diff --git a/public/2019-solstice-letter/recipients.org b/public/2019-solstice-letter/recipients.org new file mode 100644 index 0000000..78382df --- /dev/null +++ b/public/2019-solstice-letter/recipients.org @@ -0,0 +1,28 @@ +#+TITLE: winter solstice letter recipients + +* DONE Alisha Nielsen +* DONE Carol & John Wright +* DONE Claire & Ralph Till +* DONE Darien Morrow and Katelyn Fisher (spelling?) +* DONE Elizabeth Breuer +* DONE Felix Radford +* DONE Justin Earley +* DONE Kate Webber +* DONE Kyle Czech +* DONE Kyle Sunden +* DONE Marcia and Dan Boyer +* DONE Marilyn Roberts +* DONE Mark and Roger +* DONE Myrna Casebolt +* DONE Nancy & David Thompson +* DONE Nathaniel Nielsen +* DONE Nina Halperin +* DONE Parker/Eckert Family +* DONE Sam Price +* DONE Sarah Charley +* DONE Susie & Mike Truninger +* DONE The Kohler Family +* DONE The Manly Family +* DONE Tracey and James Nielsen +* DONE Tyler Roberts +* DONE Zach Ott diff --git a/public/index.html b/public/index.html index 956cd80..23a4d06 100644 --- a/public/index.html +++ b/public/index.html @@ -23,6 +23,11 @@ 2019-09-28 Armenian heritage trip + + 2018-12-21 + 2018-12-21 + 2018 winter solstice letter + 2017-12-21 2017-12-21 -- cgit v1.2.3