A New Beginning

'Tis the Season

Our Department Holiday Luncheon this year was a good time!
(All photos by Haidee Tieng...I decided to leave my camera at home this time!)

Olivia and I



Yolanda, Vivian and Darlene



Leticia, Tracy, Angela and Casandra

Happy Holidays from the Administrative Staff

of the Biochemistry Department at UT Southwestern!

DMA, Fashion and Art

Met friends at the Dallas Museum of Art yesterday - and we had a blast!

Mary, Dot and Lu
(I need to work with Dot on having her picture made...)

The Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit is FABULOUS!  What an out-there creative genius -

There was an amazing collection of his fashion - including the following (all fashion pictures from the Internet - no pics in the museum, of course...):

one of my two favorite - this looks simple at first glance,
but the more you look, the more complex it becomes

never has tape-lace looked so astounding -
another one of my favorites (it is floor-length)
-also a great example of how much thought he puts
into the headgear as well as the outfit...

my choice for oddest...mostly because I just didn't get it...
and there was plenty of strange to choose among...
at the DMA show the mannequin also had a cane...

my personal overall favorite -
to take such a classic prom dress style and to tweak it!

The workmanship on the boudoir pieces were amazing - most of which aren't suitable for showing on a family-friendly blog...

and yes, this is the man who worked with Madonna and brought you those famous cone-shapes!

The show was extremely well done and very over-stimulating, but a pleasure to see and it was great to share it with friends who are into fiber and fashion.

We went out the side entrance to the museum so we could stop at the Nasher gift shop, and to our delight, the trees had been lace-bombed!

What a good day.

As for my art:  Today I finished the piece for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative - I'm proud of it and hope it brings in money for Alzheimer's research...

Now it's time to go see what's next on the list...who knows?  It might be nap!

Department Retreat...

I had a great time at the Biochemistry's Department Retreat in New Braunfels, TX - it's held every year at the T Bar M Ranch.   As usual, I got lots of flora pictures - except for the grass, these blooms are all very small (less than a couple of inches)...

 

 

 

While the other admins work the registration table...

I spent a lot of time on the phone

working out issues with the local transportation for our invited undergraduates from all over the country (15 this year, competing for the Frank & Sara McKnight Award in Molecular Sciences...)

After a great barbeque dinner, we held the poster session for current students, postdoctoral fellows and the invited undergraduates - I always enjoy that part of the day - I take pictures of the undergraduates and their posters (here's two of them mugging for the photo op)

and I get to hang out with them and learn a little more about them

All 15 were very personable and EXTREMELY bright...such a pleasure to work with them!

The next day, Darlene, Angela, Andrea & I went to the Wimberly TX Market Days, which is a fabulous once-a-month flea market -

We spent several hours there and didn't even come close to seeing it all!

Then we stopped at the San Marcos outlet malls before heading toward San Antonio - where we did even more shopping at the SAS Factory outlet

where I really enjoyed their collection of old vehicles

After that we went on into San Antonio to eat at the Tip Top Cafe - as seen on Food Network's Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives... and, I will admit, I had my doubts, but OMG what GREAT food!!  And a great time!


Amazing Onion Rings and not greasy!

 

Andrea's Chicken Fried Steak was almost as big as the plate and delicious!



Darlene's Fried Chicken was crispy and scrumptious!



And the Fried Fish (Angela and I both had that) was classic wonderful diner food!

 

Darlene & Andrea

Jo & Angela

After getting back to the ranch, we stayed up until 1 a.m. playing UNO...I laughed so hard it hurt!

The next day, Darlene and I treated ourselves to Collins Street Bakery in Corsicana for lunch and got home in the late afternoon.

All in all:  good shopping+good food+good friends = Great Time!

Dave as Flag Bearer...

While I was off at the Department retreat this past weekend, Dave had the opportunity to be one of the flag bearers from the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War at the dedication of the memorial to Union vesterans at the Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery on 11/6/11...