Suzanne Calling

I'm in final exam mode, and research proposal mode, so this week's will be short. This old Debbie Gibson song has been running through my head lately. Odds are good that you haven't heard it, because it wasn't released as a single, but I like it.

Or: You wanted to know about this new D-Box thingamajig and/or how the movie plays in 3-D and I've got the information to share. It hasn't been mentioned on the blog much (or possibly not at all), but I have a substantial blind spot in my left eye, thanks to strabismus. There's nothing wrong with the eye mechanically, but it turns slightly to the left and as an infant, the brain couldn't reconcile the two different ocular images-so that one is ignored in processing. Thing is, I've never really had a problem with it, except for having poorer than average depth perception (which is why I suck at baseball, tennis, football and anything where a ball is in the air) and an inability to effectively watch 3-D movies. A few years ago, Disney opened Mickey's Philharmagic at Walt Disney World and I went in, not expecting to enjoy it. Suprisingly, it all worked for me, a first in my life. So, when the only ticket options for the local theatre's midnight showing wer...

This is what happens when you post on Facebook that you'll be attending the midnight showing of Harry Potter! (and there will be a review of the D-Box System and 3D tomorrow or Sunday-without spoilers) Suzanne: I solemnly swear I'll be up to no good tonight-and I won't spoil it for others... Frank: Voldemort is Harry's father and Hermoine is his twin sister? Suzanne: And the collective gasp opportunity in the movie theatre is thwarted once again-thanks, Frank! Frank: I didn't mention the little furry teddy-bear like creatures that help bring about the destruction of the evil empire or Voldemort returning to the light side.......oh damn Frank: There was an alternate ending where Harry joins up with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and they hunt and kill Bella Swan because "she's too fucking whiny" (Harry's words-not mine) but, Daniel Radcliffe thought it might tarnish him in the eyes of his fans who haven't seen him n...

Have been staying up later than me this summer, because they won't fall asleep during the movie! A few years ago, we spent the night of Chef's birthday in the local Books a Million, waiting for our copies of the Deathly Hallows. Here we are now, they're old enough to attend their first midnight movie.

The first week at my job, my boss and I sat down and discussed what I would be doing in my year's tenure. I am employed in a contract position, and that contract ends next June 30th-right about when I'd be seeking a fellowship as a Ph.D. candidate-so it works fine for me. The coworker who does *some* of my duties, but not all, had given me some of the basic information, so when my boss said "and we'd like you to start up and maintain a blog for our group," I had to restrain myself from squeaking out 'Really?' and doing a happy chair dance. Instead, I told her I'd get right on it-and promptly asked a dozen questions that got answered with 'do it whatever way you'd like, I trust your judgment.' Part of me wondered if it was because she'd noticed the link to my blog on Facebook (we're friends on there and have been for a while) or just that she knew that I like to write. In any case, it's taken some work to get the server space...

Day 12 on round three of my Shellac by CND manicure. This one didn't start out as well out of the gate because I have this habit of absently picking at my nails and well, there were a couple of fluff balls or something in the coating on two nails. Unless you're really looking at the nails, you probably wouldn't have noticed that the ends were a little ragged. User error, definitely not Nail Tech error. and now for something completely different, the right hand! Rock Royalty, which really looks like a creme polish unless in direct sunlight, like in these pictures Yes, there are two nails that bit the dust this time around. Only two in six weeks is something of a record for me, so I'll chalk that up to a Shellac success, instead of a failure. In noodling around the Innerwebz, I found that there are six colors coming out in September, a teal, aqua and purple, then three layering colors. Normally, I'd be bummed, because they're not what I would consider approp...

The regional sandwich you'll find in this neck of the woods are the very tasty Cuban sandwiches, usually just referred to as a Cuban. Originally created as something the workers could eat on the go as they went about their work in the fields, a Cuban contains pork loin, ham, cheese, lettuce mustard and pickles on a bread similar to crusty Italian bread. Then they're flattened and heated in a plancha (hot grill) and served up warm. We're not purists, though, preferring to ditch the pickles and sometimes even the mustard. When done just right, though, a Cuban is a thing of beauty. Today, inspiration struck. I made a wonderful 4 pound pork loin on the grill last night, which there is probably 3 pounds remaining. I've got all the other ingredients we eat AND this amazing barbeque sauce Ed calls Awesomeque. (Pssst, it's really this guy's Pig pucker sauce and dude, thanks for the recipe!) Why not make Gringos, since taking the pickles and mustard off the sand...