From 6fa3d6d03c4f0731cf388166bacebbf2e062fd1c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Blaise Thompson Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2021 16:42:51 -0500 Subject: refactor with actual building --- memories/2020-solstice-letter/letter.tex | 96 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 96 insertions(+) create mode 100644 memories/2020-solstice-letter/letter.tex (limited to 'memories/2020-solstice-letter/letter.tex') diff --git a/memories/2020-solstice-letter/letter.tex b/memories/2020-solstice-letter/letter.tex new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cdeebd7 --- /dev/null +++ b/memories/2020-solstice-letter/letter.tex @@ -0,0 +1,96 @@ +% 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} -- cgit v1.2.3