Changes in my life and experiences that you might find interesting.

[Edit 1-24-2005: from now on this section shall feature changes and milestones in my life; go to the journal weblog for the really interesting stuff]

8-23-05
    Well, I did graduate after all! I just forgot to post it here for a while. The ceremony was on May 6th, and after a bunch of running around campus with forms, I was able to get the last credit which was due to me, and got my diploma soon after. I now have my Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics (BAEM) degree. Lately, I've been working on developing new skills, reading, and spreading the word that I'm looking for a career in industrial design. It's been a good, relaxing summer so far.

1-24-05
    I finished a very long and challenging fall semester on December 21st. I had a good vacation, and started the spring semester last week, on the 18th. I'm planning to graduate this spring.

I'll be posting most of the news in my journal now, so you can go there to hear about such things as the results of the photo contest. I've found ways to post content there much more quickly, so updates should be fairly often. This news page will become more like a milestones page.

9-11-04
    The journey to Chicago was a great success, thanks in part to our wonderful hosts in Chicago, the Halls. We took a train downtown and went to the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium, and Millennium Park. We also lucked out big time on finding camping spots. We ate great camp meals, had fun with fire, went fishing and hiking, and enjoyed the stars. Wisconsin was awesome, and I took a ton of cool pictures. I plan to enter some of the pictures I took at Buckhorn State Park in a small contest they have there.

Here's one:

8-16-04
    I went to the Scheele family reunion in Jackson, Wyoming at the end of July. It was a blast. My family drove all the way there and back from here in Minnesota, in two cars, because we needed to split up afterwards. It was 1250 miles one way! Now, I'm going to drive to Chicago two days from now with my girlfriend, who hasn't gone on any big trips yet this year. Touring Chicago, staying with friends there, and camping on the way there and back sounds like one heck of a fun trip. Also, since we'll be logging a lot less miles per day on average than I did on the reunion trip, we'll be able to spend plenty of time enjoying the natural beauty of Wisconsin's state parks. I don't have much of the summertime left, so I plan to make the most of it.

7-4-04
    Well, the races went well, and were a lot of fun. I met my goal of getting better than 22 minutes in the Bud Break run, with a time of 21:49. I placed 15th overall and 4th in my class. I didn't do quite as well in the Spring Cup, or the Afton Avalanche. The month of May was really, really rainy, which made it difficult to train, let alone race. We went from a couple inches of rain deficit for the year to over two and a half inches surplus in just a month! We even had 12 rainy days in a row. June was much better, and I've put on a lot of miles. I hope to do a few more races before the summer is over.
   I had a good conclusion to Spring semester, getting on the Dean's list. I heard Yanni talk after he got his honorary doctorate at the U of M. It was very inspirational, and helped motivate me to finish up the semester strong. I also got some lessons in self-defense from a grand master martial artist, which was pretty cool. I now know not to kick above the waist. 8)

4-25-04
    I ran in the Pi (3.1415...) Mile Run at the U of M on the 9th, and I got a time of 21:10. I had a great time. I also went biking at "The Farm", a local mountain biking haven, with my brother Scott on Friday. That was great. He got a big cut on his leg, and tied his bandana around it. I'm getting excited about the Bud Break Run at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on May 2nd. It'll be my 6th time competing in it. Scott and I are both getting really revved up about Erik's Spring Cup (mountain biking), which is the first race in the MNSCS series.

3-30-04
    I got a new bicycle on Ebay recently. It is a Kona "Jake the Snake", which is a cyclocross bike. I'm very happy with it, and I am excited about this upcoming mountain biking season. I did more winter riding this year, and have been working to stay in good shape. It's at least kept me healthier.

2-21-04
    I left for the air force base on the 19th of September, started work on the 26th, and ended my time there on December 16th. I returned, went on a vacation with my family, and enjoyed the winter break. I started the Spring Semester on 1-20-04.

9-3-03
    I got word that I have been accepted to the Co-op position at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio. I'm now waiting for word on the start date.

9-2-03
    Started Senior year at the U of M

8-8-03
    I have completed my summer session. I took Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering, which included a lab. Heck of a way to spend the summer. Well, I got an A in both the lab and the class. I will now try to get some serious mountain biking in, and work on all the other things I have been wanting to do during that time, including working on this webpage.

5-20-03
   I have decided that this summer I will not try to find a job in this extremely tight market, and instead use my talents to make money. Look for an update on the things I create later in the year.

5-15-03
   Completed junior year at U of M

9-3-02
   Started junior year at U of M