Sure to be the next big thing...

From People.com in regards to the SATC After Party in NYC:

Even later is the cast and crew's after-after party in The Carlyle hotel's legendary Bemelmans Bar and will feature a signature cocktail in honor of Sarah Jessica Parker's character. Here's how to make one:

The Bradshaw:

2 oz. Don Julio Blanco Tequila
1/2 oz. X Rated Passion Fruit Liquor

3/4 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

3/4 oz. Cane Sugar Simple Syrup

Shaken, serve straight up in a martini glass rimmed in hot pink sugar, garnished with a lime wedge.

Thank You Wikipedia.

One more of life's questions answered:

Let me start by saying that I often geek out on wikipedia. I look up all kinds of stuff. Steven and I call it "Create your own adventure"...and it goes like this:

Start by finding something on the wiki homepage. Click it. Find something in that article to click...review that, find something new in that article, and so on and so on. I could go on ad nauseum about the charms of wikipedia.

Today it answered a long standing question for me:

Many many moons ago I was a freshman sitting in an upper division biology course in high school. The teacher was making a demonstration about the scientific process and how we make hypotheses and then test them. He went on (not very effectively) about how you would go about finding out what was wrong with your car if it suddenly wouldn't start. (BTW, this is a GREAT time to mention that Occam's Razzor would suggest the battery was unplugged, but I won't go into that.)

Of course, I'm an engineer at heart and I said "You take it to the mechanic!"...that was simply an unacceptable answer for him because he was a "scientist". So to further prove his point, because now he is simply arguing with me, instead of teaching a class, he takes a test tube filled with sugar and pours a clear liquid into it, then sets it over a small bunsen burner. The sugar instantly dissolves, heats, burns and leaves a black residue in the test tube smelling of carmel!

He asked what happened, and what's left? I say the sugar dissolved, heated and carmelized. This was somewhat also an unacceptable answer for him. I never knew why....because clearly that did happen....Enter the wiki for Sulfuric Acid:

Reaction with water:

Because the hydration of sulfuric acid is thermodynamically favorable, sulfuric acid is an excellent dehydrating agent. The affinity of sulfuric acid for water is sufficiently strong that it will remove hydrogen and oxygen atoms from other compounds; for example, mixing starch (C6H12O6)n and concentrated sulfuric acid will give elemental carbon and water which is absorbed by the sulfuric acid (which becomes slightly diluted): (C6H12O6)n → 6C + 6H2O. The effect of this can be seen when concentrated sulfuric acid is spilled on paper; the cellulose reacts to give a burned appearance, the carbon appears much as soot would in a fire. A more dramatic reaction occurs when sulfuric acid is added to a tablespoon of white sugar; a rigid column of black, porous carbon will quickly emerge. The carbon will smell strongly of caramel.

Apparently the answer he was looking for was "that is carbon in that there tube".

JUNE: Movie of the Month- SATC!!!!!

Dust off those stilettos ladies, its time for Sex and the City- THE MOVIE!!!

Long awaited, much anticipated and sure to be full of Jimmy Choos, Manolos, Love, and all things GIRL!

I've had a lot of response on wanting to see this Movie of the Month...I had intended it to be a Saturday night extravaganza, but I'm (along with everyone else) much too booked, so set your calendars for:

Sunday June 8th!

The normal details apply, Bridgeport Village Cinemas, around early afternoon (I'll send out an email with the final time on Thursday June 5th) with lunch beforehand. Although we may do it in true SATC fashion and have a "brunch" a bit earlier with some shopping (to get in the full mood).

As always, email me if you want join us. It is sure to be spectacular!!

5 Reasons to see the new Indiana Jones Movie...

I picked this up from www.msn.com:

1. Harrison Ford's still got it: Even at 65 years old, Ford has a classic charisma that action stars half his age would die for. Sure, he's got a plethora of stuntmen to step in for lots of the tough stuff, but they were around 27 years ago on "Raiders of the Lost Ark," too. Unlike his last thriller, the horrid "Firewall," where it appeared he'd have a heart attack in the middle of the film, the longer he's on-screen in "Kingdom," the more you suspend your disbelief about his seniority and, once again, root for Indy to save the day.

2. Cate Blanchett's hilarious accent: Smartly mocked by Indiana Jones in a very early scene, Blanchett delivers a Russian accent that's hard not to giggle at. Luckily, she's playing her Soviet dominatrix so straight (the words "Tranny fierce!" come to mind) that she becomes more and more convincing as the movie wears on.

3. There are genuine thrills and surprises: Don't get me wrong, Spielberg, Lucas and the numerous screenwriters have included some cringe-inducing moments, such as when Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) swings across the jungle a la Tarzan, but for the most part the action scenes are inspired and filled with true tension. Early word was that the movie never allowed the viewer to think the main characters were in any true danger, but that's hardly the case.

4. It looks damn good: Most Spielberg films have amazing production values, but I was struck at how much better "Kingdom" appears than the last installment, "The Last Crusade." Many fans will say it's sacrilege to claim "Kingdom" cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, no slouch with two Oscars to his credit, outshined the legendary Douglas Slocombe, who shot the first three films. But, watching "Last Crusade" again, the only inspiration in that movie appears to be Sean Connery's performance. With the contributions of up-and-coming production designer Guy Dyas ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age"), "Kingdom" turns out to be the most authentic looking Indy film since "Raiders."

5. It doesn't feel anticlimactic: After almost 20 years since "The Last Crusade," there was concern that the reunion might feel forced like numerous other franchises that have outlasted their welcome in the 21st century (see "Rush Hour" and "Die Hard"). Far from it, "Kingdom" has enough pizzazz that you hope Lucas and Spielberg can convince Ford to don the fedora one more time. Lord knows we don't need a solo LaBeouf "Indy" movie.

But really, I only need one reason: It's freaking Indiana Jones!

Dear Aunt Paula,

Thank you so much for the ice cream maker. Since we've had such hot weather we decided to try out a "Gourmet Magazine" recipe. This is our homemade from scratch mint ice cream! We used the mint that Mom grew in her herb garden!
But I really have to tell you, the most important thing was that this recipe was a CUSTARD based ice cream. Custard requires "stove top thickening"...and I DID IT! My first successful custard... I contribute it largely to my new candy thermometer. :)

Once it was finished, and it was sooooo hard to wait that long, I dished it up and it looked like this:Say it with me now, YUM-O! If I could send you the left overs to AZ, I would!!!!

Love, Jewels

Wine Tasting...

So we have been planning to go wine tasting again ever since the last wine tasting we did with Larry and Marlene. This time, we were prepared with a picnic, thanks to wonderful Aunt Donna. Despite being the hottest day of the year, we still had a blast.

She really out did herself, I swear. This is me recovering from my food coma. Seriously.I love wine tasting!

Mother's Day part II

Yay for Mother's day! We celebrated the day on Tuesday the 13th for Mom and Shelly. Steven and Colin played ball while Dad and Chris cooked.


After dinner, we got a call from Aunt Marg asking for some assistance with the truck. She wanted to move a truck canopy home after purchasing it for Mitch. We put in a call to Keith for some extra man power, but we just had to laugh when we finally got it on the truck:
And I give you "The Christmas Tree Truck"...That's hot!

Ok, the Cat's alive,....let's go to dinner!

I think I've finally learned to be "at one" with my tv addiction. Which is why I feel that I MUST tell everyone I know when I've found a new show that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

I LOVE 'The Big Bang Theory'.... let me tell you why:

The series is about two socially inept prodigies in their 20s who are living across the hall from a beautiful, socially adept girl with questionable intellect. wikipedia- I do quote sources!

The theme song is a hilarious trek though time by The Barenaked Ladies, which we promply downloaded off iTunes directly following the pilot episode. (This is the thing that Steven says is missing from current television programing: an actual theme song)

They also have the best episode titles:

The Middle-Earth Paradigm
The Fuzzy Boots Corollary
The Pork Chop Indeterminacy

But the best thing about the show is the writing...it speaks to me because I'm a HUGE nerd at heart...Here are some quotes from the first season:

Sheldon: [about donating sperm] What if she winds up with a toddler who doesn't know if he should use an integral or a differential to solve the area under a curve?
Leonard: I'm sure she'll still love him.
Sheldon: I wouldn't.

Penny: Yes, I know men can't fly...
Sheldon: No, no lets assume that they can... Lois Lane is falling accelerating at an initial rate of 32 feet per second per second... Superman swoops down to save her by reaching out two arms of steel... Miss Lane who is now traveling at approximately 120 miles an hour hits them and is immediately sliced into three equal pieces.
Leonard: Unless Superman matches her speed and decelerates.
Sheldon: In what space sir in what space? She's 2 feet above the ground. Frankly if he really loved her he'd let her hit the pavement it'd be a more merciful death.


[Everyone trying to assemble Penny's new IKEA wardrobe, reading the instruction paper]
Wolowitz: Oh, boy! I was afraid of that!
Leonard: What?
Wolowitz: These instructions are a pictographic representation of the least imaginative way to assemble these components. This, right here, is why Sweden has no space program!

Sheldon: Okay, look, I think you have as much of a chance of having a sexual relationship with Penny as the Hubble telescope does of discovering that at the center of every black hole is a little man with a flashlight searching for a circuit breaker. Nevertheless, I do feel obligated to point out to you that she did not reject you. You did not ask her out.
Leonard : You're right. I didn't ask her out; I should ask her out.
Sheldon: No, no, now, that was not my point. My point was 'don't buy a cat'.

Leonard: Do you really need your Honorary Membership of the Justice League card?
Sheldon: I had it in every wallet I owned since I was five.
Leonard: Why?
Sheldon: It says here, "Keep it on your person at all times." See, right here under Batman's signature.

Leonard: You are not Isaac Newton.
Sheldon: No, no, that's true. Gravity would have been apparent to me without the apple.

Sheldon: If influenza was only contagious after symptoms appear, it would have died out thousands of years ago. Somewhere between tool using and cave painting, Homo habilis would have figured out to kill the guy with the runny nose.

Sheldon: Engineering—where the semi-skilled laborers execute the vision of those who think and dream. Hello Oompa-Loompas of science.

Since there are too many other great quotes: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory

So that brings us to the Cat... I love whenever my shows geek out with a little Physical Chemistry (despite the painful memories that class brings back to me)...so when Penny asks Sheldon for advice on if she should go out on a date with Leonard (who is her good friend) and he explains with an analogy using Schrodinger's Cat- I was exstatic!

What is Schrodinger's Cat?

Schrodinger proposed a thought experiment to explain his "problem" with the Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.... Geeky stuff about superimposition of atoms....There is a cat in a box, with a sealed vial of poison. The poision is rigged to be released radomly at any time. Since the only way to know for sure if the cat is alive or dead is to open the box and look, the only logical conclusion about the livelyhood of the cat at any given moment (that you're not peaking in the box) is to say that is both alive and dead. Since we know that the cat cannot be both alive and dead, this launched the bizarness that is Quantum Mechanics into question.

Sheldon basically tells Penny that she won't know if its a bad idea to date her friend until she does. So when he tells Leonard "Schrodinger's Cat", he knows exactly what that means. He then picks up Penny for their date and asks her if she knows about Schrodinger's Cat, and she says "I know too much about it"... He kisses her and she says, 'Ok, the cat's alive, let's go to dinner!'

If there's anything I love more than science talk, its nerd love.

Jewels

PS Yes, I know I just totally geeked out here, please don't leave comments about what a nerd I am.

Best. Headline. Ever.

That’s the way 14 tons of cookies crumble
Truck loaded with Oreos overturns after driver falls asleep

MORRIS, Ill. - You'd need a lot of milk to dunk all the cookies that spilled on an interstate highway in Illinois this morning.
A trailer loaded with 14 tons of double-stuffed Oreos overturned, dumping boxes of cookies all over the road and the median about 50 miles southwest of Chicago.
It shut down the highway and backed up traffic.

Illinois State Police say the truck crashed after the driver fell asleep at the wheel.

Seriously, what would I give for a couple of those right now?
J

Went out for lunch today...

And almost got run over by a super duper Obama supporter. This person had a HUGE Obama campaign sized cardboard or heavier sign strapped on to his car. I know it wasn't Obama because it was an old Volvo and there's no way secret service would let him ride around in that.

To give you a little perspective on what we're dealing with here's a little diagram...sorry my Microsoft Paint Skills are not as good as my Math skills (which are sweeeeet, btw) so I won't quit my day job:

So I'm sitting in the driveway at my office, waiting to get onto 43 (right where it ends) and I'm waiting for the light to change, so I can get on the highway. Then out of no where, this crazy old Volvo with (what I originally thought was a refrigerator) something on top comes flying through a red light.

Naturally, I let it go, then hop right out after it. It stays ahead of me in my lane...By now, I'm yelling at it (work has fueled my PMS today) for going slow. It somewhat senses my frustration and swerves to change lanes...or so I thought. It does this swervy bit two or three times (before nearly crashing into the center divider). Apparently it can't decide whether it wants to go downtown or to Lake O?

So, it makes one last power play for my lane, swerves (I swear to goodness, I thought it would tip over) and does the swervy bit in the next set of two lanes...

Then, in what I can only assume was a rash decision, turned to head up to the Ross Island Bridge. I watched it in my rear view mirror swerve and nearly take out a truck twice the size of the Volvo. I'm like screaming "WHAT THE HECK!!?!?!?!" as I watch.

I'll leave you with this: the plates were from California. You can make what you want out of that.

I made it safely to Zupans with much trouble after that, but on my way back to work I see the one thing missing from the entire charade: A Cop.

Where were you?

A year ago today I was being proposed to!

Yeah, we're pretty cute. :)

Flim and Flam

Not to be confused with Fletsam and Jetsam (the evil eels from Disney's The Little Mermaid), I finally rode the tram at OHSU. When I started work, I could see the final construction details out my window and I promised myself I would ride it when it was nice out...that was in 2006. Then 2007 came and went and pretty soon all the nice days were gone and I still hadn't gone for my ride yet. Well, there's no time like the present!

Steven's Aunt Diane met me (She works up on the hill) for lunch and then we rode it up together. She gave me a little tour around the campus, we nearly hit a code blue button the elevator (which turned out to mean nothing, we were so disappointed, but laughing loudly) and then I came back down. That's when I snapped this little gem of a pic. Enjoy!

Julie

Getting busy...

I didn't think too much about all this wedding stuff until:

1. I realized that Monday May 12, 2008 is exactly 365 days from when Steven proposed marriage to me.


2. I started to look at my calendar and see how my Saturday's, Sunday's and weeknights (gasp) have started to fill up with little errands and parties and things to do.


3. The Mom's started to send me emails saying "such and such" arrived today...what do you want me to do with it...


4. We bought a digital video camera.


5. Our honeymoon plans were finalized.


6. Our showers were scheduled, and I received invitations in the mail.


7. Our invitations were delivered.


8. People at work started to ask about details...and expect a response.
   

Needless to say things for us are starting to get busy. But it's OK, we've got it under control. At least for now. And all I can say is that I'm really looking forward to chilling out on the beach in t-minus 90 days.

On the other hand, when we're not totally busy with weekends being booked solid, I'm totally engrossed in this season of Survivor. If you haven't watched it, go catch up on http://www.cbs.com/ before the big finale Sunday. In a game that's been well publicized for 16 seasons now, I wouldn't think that they would be able to pull off back stabs and blindsides with such ease, but it's really making for some good television. I find myself totally geeking out, going online, looking at behind the scenes footage, speculating...I have even daydreamed about trying out myself. That's how I know I'm going crazy. Can you imagine me on Survivor? I'd die (or vomit) before eating fish...but I do find coconuts quite tasty. More to the point, I'd lose my mind at not being able to bathe every day. So that pretty much puts that in perspective. Still, I do find the game quite fascinating. I must just be born to play from the sidelines. In case you're keeping track, I'm rooting for Amanda to win it all!

Also, we went to Salem last weekend to visit with Aunt Donna and listen to her sing us some songs that we might choose for the ceremony selection. Here's a picture of her in action.

Not only did she sing for us, but she treated us to homemade chicken noodle soup, cookies, brownies and other yummy treats. We are spoiled rotten. :) Thank You!! Afterwards the ladies went shopping for a Mother-of-the-Bride dress. No luck that day, but we're hanging in there.

~ Julie