Dinner and a Movie

Since I finished school and don't have to spend all of my time studying I've been able to watch a few movies and do some real cooking again.  Last night we watched Safe House and I made this fish dish although I substituted store bought mango salsa and I made Kale for the first time.  With all the southern cooking I grew up with I never acquired a taste for greens so I really didn't think I was going to like this, but it was pretty good.  I didn't put any sugar in as the recipe called for and was glad, the cranberries added plenty of sweetness.

Other good movies I've seen recently are Trouble with the Curve and We Bought a Zoo.  Both are good enough to watch more than once.

I had a conversation the other day about candy from my childhood.  See if you remember these:

Flicks

Zotz

Pop Rocks, of course

Jolly Rancher Sticks, everybody loved Fire, my favorites were Watermelon and Strawberry

Candy cigarettes, you don't see them anymore

Wax Lips and Cinnamon Toothpicks, not really candy but we had to have them anyway

One last topic for this post:  Football.  I really wanted to know what a Hokie is so I went to Virginia Tech's website:  http://www.vt.edu/about/hokie.html

Happy New Year.

Graduation!!!

Finally, I'm done!!!  

I finally earned a college degree in Clinical Laboratory Science,

 and it was the same week I turned 44.

Three and a half years of studying and sleepless nights led to graduation at the James Brown Arena.

Before the ceremony we were herded like cattle in these pens under the arena.  

These are just a few of my classmates.  There were about 18 in my class  (I was the only one here in Springfield) and a few more in the Masters class who will graduate in the Spring.

Everybody in Augusta, GA was so nice to us, they even gave us a special parking space.

The night before graduation was the awards ceremony and the professors arranged for dinner at the Olive Garden afterwards.  Only two of the Masters student and one set of parents made it.  

From left to right is Ms. Kraj (she taught Molecular), Dr. Anne Ranne (I love her name, she taught Professional Ethics), Rocky, Me, Dr. Pretlow (Biochemisty and research writing, also a great mentor for me through the program), the two Masters students, one set of parents (they thought I was from the South), Dr. Russell (Hematology and Microbiology; I've never heard a Southerner talk as fast as she does), and Ms. Eggert (she teaches Radiation Therapy, I did not have her as a teacher).  Mr. Wise did not come to dinner, he taught Blood Banking and Immunology.

I'll be bringing in the new year with a new job.  I can't wait to start.  PeaceHealth hired me to work in the Blood Bank at River Bend Hospital and I'll also work at the small lab they kept at Sacred Heart.