January
Jan 1-3: Started off the new year with my dearest SNK, playing Takoyaki roulette with a few of her kendo friends. Takoyaki roulette?? Yes, possible options included tako (duh), kimchi, cheese, mochi, and Chinese mustard... Then I spent the rest of my new year watching the third season of Sherlock and the Doctor Who Christmas Special with SNK and her gentleman friend. There was also a giant fruit strudel involved.
Jan 11: E&K wedding!
February
Feb 1-28: Work work work.
March
Mar 24-25: Presented at the Western States Section of the Combustion Institute (WSSCI) spring meeting at Caltech. Enjoyed my first mashed potato martini bar (so many topping choices!) and used the conference as an excuse to hang out with my fabulous college roommate.
April
Apr 1-3: APEP's 14th annual International Colloquium on Environmentally Preferred Advanced Power Generation (ICEPAG). Helped with the computer system this year, which was interesting.
Apr 4-6: CrossLife retreat. Learned about the importance of fellowship and was challenged to love Christ's bride as Christ loves his bride.
April 11: APEP's 4th annual Talent Show. Lots of awesome talent, hilarious "most sustainable man in the world" videos, and a shameless banana phone dance (oh my).
April 13: Beloved International's Huruma at UCI, featuring Tim Be Told. I don't think I've ever heard a better live performance in my life. Tim's voice is incredible.
May
May 12: Turned in my thesis three weeks early. Hooray!!
May 16-21: Portland, Oregon :D Spent the first two days hanging out with old high school friends, then presented at the Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems (ILASS) Conference and got the opportunity to co-chair a session. Also found out when I came back that the delicious tap water I was drinking was possibly contaminated with E. coli.
May 31: Took my last final ever, which was a weird one-on-one oral exam with my professor on turbulent flow. Alas, I was unable to escape prelim style examinations after all. I was delighted and terrified at the same time to realize that oral exams go by a lot faster if you keep saying "I don't know..." (But surprisingly I got an A!)
Also, CrossLife Senior banquet on on the same night.
June
June 9-13: Conquered Boston, Massachusetts with SNK on an epic YOLO trip, during finals week for everyone else...
June 14: Graduated and saw the POTUS speak at my graduation with KLee. No big deal.
June 20-23: Anchored conference in Phoenix, Arizona with some RGC people. It was very dry and hot there.
June 28: L&PJ wedding!
June 29: Off to Europe :O
July
First month of my travels: Paris, Brussels, Ghent, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice, Ljubljana, Vienna, Budapest, and Krakow.
August
Second month: Prague, Berlin, Potsdam, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, and London.
September
Back in the States, living it up in funemployment.
October
Continued unemployment... cooked a lot of food with friends, did some campus EV, and spent a lot of time at my pastor's place playing with his cute kids.
November
Waited around a lot for jobs to call me back. Is this what one-sided dating feels like? But I had a really fun 6 hour interview that was essentially a time for me to nerd out and ask all the gas turbine questions I've ever had in my entire life.
December
Dec 2-6: Went to Denver, Colorado to visit a few NASA friends. Thankful that the awesome Maddog gave me a place to crash and was willing to show me around the city. I was also offered a job during this time - Praise the Lord!!
Dec 20: B&R wedding!
Dec 26-30: SJ/SF - some catching up, some sightseeing, and some time spent as a DIY craft slave for an engaged friend. My flight back to SD was cancelled due to extreme weather so I ended up spending the night at SFO. Sadly I did not channel my inner Tom Hanks in the Terminal.
