As I have surely mentioned in previous weblog entries, Natasha and I make a list of ideas and experiences for the upcoming year. Throughout the year we look at the list to see what we have done, but it also serves as a great source of inspiration to remind us of "old" ideas.

The primary goal of the list is to help keep us active in life. The goal, however, is not necessarily to do everything on the list. Thus, if you have some great ideas for our list or (even better) if you can help us realize one or some of the experiences, we would love to hear from you.

Download: A Year of Experiences

All the best,
Robert

The summary of major events (positive and negative) or accomplishments for each month of 2008. Otherwise, my life was busying practicing the violin at least 5 hours each week, spending time with my lovely wife, learning French and Russian, as well as practicing Taekwondo and other sports. Of course, my main activity revolves around the triumphs and tribulations of my PhD project.

• December
  • I attended a meeting of the "Thought Studio" in Darmstadt: Philosophy, conversations, great wine, muddy mountain bike riding, whiskey tasting, wonderful food, etc.
  • Holger and Tatiana visited us in Zürich for a great weekend together.
  • After 10 years I finally visited the dentist. The result: no cavities, no problems, great & healthy teeth!
  • Natasha and I visited friends (Philipp, Miriam, Holger, Tatiana, and Thomas) in Stuttgart.
• November
  • Natasha and I enjoyed a weekend visit from friends in Germany (Irina and boyfriend).
• October
  • I attended a weekend Taekwondo seminar in Basel, Switzerland.
• September
  • Natasha and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary: September 1, 2007.
  • I achieved another breakthrough in my research and created an optical biosensing platform with my nanowires!
  • Natasha and I spent a weekend in Amsterdam together to mark the beginning of a long vacation.
  • Natasha and I spent 5 incredible days in New York City.
  • Natasha and I spent 2 weeks in Canada visiting family and friends.
• August
  • We spent a great weekend with Florian & Xenia in Zürich and hiking in the Alps.
  • I achieved a major breakthrough in the creation of my nanowires!
  • I presented my results at the annual LBB Group Meeting and we all enjoyed windsurfing afterwards.
• July
  • I hosted a meeting of the "Thought Studio" in Zürich.
  • Natasha and I spent a weekend in Lausanne, Switzerland.
  • I spent another week in Lausanne to attend a seminar on nanotechnology.
  • Natasha and I had a great day of "Weidling" on the Rhine near Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
• June
  • I spent a long and wet weekend in Amsterdam & Antwerp with my friends Joris & Ellen.
• May
  • I run in a city-wide relay race known as SOLA. There are 14 stages of the race for a total of near 120 kilometers. My stage was 11.1 kilometers and very hilly at the end of the run.
  • I participated in a 2-week French language course in Royan, France. There are pictures and a weblog entry for this amazing period of last year.
• April
  • Natasha and I enjoyed a weekend in the mountains and hot springs in Scuol, Switzerland.
  • I attended a wonderful meeting of the "Thought Studio" in Munich, Germany.
• March
  • Ski weekend in northern Italy in the small village of Taufers with my lab, the LBB.
  • I was severely ill with the flu again, for much more than a week.
  • Natasha and I enjoyed an amazing Easter weekend in Dijon, France.
• February
  • I celebrated my 31st birthday and received a violin from Natasha.
  • I started playing the violin and receiving lessons on February 23rd.
  • Natasha and I hired a financial advisor and began building a new financial strategy.
  • I began supervising three student projects simultaneously as part of my Phd.
• January
  • Natasha and I joined several relaxing days in Grindelwald, Switzerland.
  • I was severely ill with the flu for more than a week.
  • Natasha, her father and I celebrate the beginning of the new year in Stuttgart, Germany.

All the best,
Rob