2009: A Look Back

I guess I will continue what I started last year with a look back and a look ahead around New Year's. The look ahead will come later.

In all, 2009 has been one of the better years I've had in a while. The highlights:

1. My two written qualifying exams have been passed. Add to those the A+ from Fluid Mechanics this fall, and all I have left to do to meet my qualifying requirements is to get a B in Turbulent Flow this spring.
2. I was asked to do a research assistantship this spring and continue research this summer. This could lead to me having a master's degree by the end of the summer.
3. The professor I was a teaching assistant for this fall wrote a letter of commendation on my behalf because of how well my students did compared to the rest of the calculus II students.
4. Both sermons I gave this year seemed to go well. I haven't been asked to do another yet, but my pastor seemed to perk up when I mentioned I'm off until January 25th.
5. Linux runs much more nicely on an old laptop than Windows does.
6. I'm starting to accept that at least for the foreseeable future, I am going to be single.

Now for the low-lights:

1. For the foreseeable future, I am probably going to be single.
2. It has been two and a half years since I've been on a date.
3. Bloody snowstorm a week and a half ago.
4. Windows choked on the six and a half year old laptop, and so was purged and replaced with Linux. Fortunately, all important files were saved.

Well, that's my 2009 in a nutshell. I'll give my look ahead to 2010 in a couple of days or so.