(Editor's note: We asked some of our sports department colleagues to share this week what their lives have been like without the usual routines of news, practice and games to guide them. This is a six-part series.)
I moved to Minneapolis on Jan. 1, 2020. The choice of date was as symbolic as it was logistical.
New year, new life, and all that.
2020 was already going to be a year of change for me — a new job and new home after nearly 15 years in New York City.
But when I arrived in the Twin Cities on Jan. 1, I hadn't heard of this new novel coronavirus, and I had no way of knowing just how strange a transition this would be.
The next day, I walked into the Star Tribune building for my first day as senior assistant sports editor. Ten weeks later, I walked out after being told we would be working from home indefinitely.
For 10 weeks, I tried to put faces to names, figure out where people's desks were and find the right conference room. I spent 10 weeks learning to navigate the skyways and find good places for lunch.
I spent 10 weeks learning "how we do things," only to have to start doing things a different way. And, oh, by the way, sports all over the world shut down.