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 --- source/2016-solstice-letter/index.html | 97 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 97 insertions(+) create mode 100644 source/2016-solstice-letter/index.html (limited to 'source/2016-solstice-letter/index.html') diff --git a/source/2016-solstice-letter/index.html b/source/2016-solstice-letter/index.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b94d5d2 --- /dev/null +++ b/source/2016-solstice-letter/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,97 @@ + + + + + + 2016 winter solstice letter + + + + +

2016 winter solstice letter

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+← back to memories list +

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+Blaise sent this letter to friends and family to celebrate the winter holiday season, 2016. +In addition to this html version, you can also download the letter as sent: PDF. +

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Winter Solstice Greetings - 2016

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+Hello to all my friends and family. +I hope that you are feeling peaceful, cozy, and happy in these winter months. +It's snowing hard outside as I write this letter to you. +

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+I'm now in the middle of my 6th year of graduate school. +I'm still enjoying my time in the Wright group---I hope to be here for a while yet. +The past year of graduate school has been frustrating in some ways. +Lots of progress has been made, but I haven't reached the key checkpoints that I hoped to reach. +I'm looking forward to being a teaching assistant for a graduate-level electronics and instrumentation course next semester. +

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+This summer was busy for me. +In mid May three college friends (Kate, Nina, and Claire) joined me here in the Midwest. +We spent a few days exploring Chicago---river tour, museums, food, even a local contradance. +Pictured below is us outside of Shedd Aquarium. +We then drove to Madison and spent a few days in Wisconsin. +Exploring the House on the Rock with Benji was a highlight of the trip for me. +

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+I was honored to stand as a member of Claire's wedding party on June 24th. +The wedding took place near Claire's parents in beautiful Napa Valley, California. +It was a great wedding and I really enjoyed catching up with the Parker, Eckert and Till families. +It was also great to briefly see the Nielsens---Jim and Tracey were kind enough to loan me a car during my time in California. +

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+After returning home from California I had just 24 hours before flying to Amsterdam for an academic conference. +Coherent Multidimensional Spectroscopy (CMDS) is a small biennial conference in my narrow subfield. +My advisor---John C. Wright---was a founding member of the conference and still sits as chair of the organizing committee. +This year the conference was held in beautiful historic Groningen, the Netherlands. +The first molecular photon echo was resolved in Groningen (DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.74.674). +At the conference I presented a poster on my work to make CMDS instrumentation more reproducible and robust. +Afterwards I spent five days exploring Europe, traveling to Brussels and Amsterdam. +Pictured below is me in the famous Grote Markt. +I didn't really plan anything about my trip, just stepped out of the hotel and started walking. +Everywhere I went was filled with great food, people, and artwork. Very enjoyable---but I was ready to return to Wisconsin after five days. +

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+This year I've enjoyed learning more about philosophy, rationality, and psychology. +Daniel Kahneman's book Thinking, Fast and Slow has changed the way I think about human cognition. +I'm trying to incorporate these ideas more into my personal behavior. +

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+Have a fantastic 2017. Stay in touch. +

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+Blaise Jonathan Thompson
+509 N Lake St. Apt 408
+Madison, Wisconsin 53703
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+1-424-225-2493
+blaise@untzag.com +

+ + + -- cgit v1.2.3