This memory summarizes my personal experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. I've written it in first person as Blaise Thompson.
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.
Day 64 of work from home.
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.
Day 66 of work from home.
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.
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