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Pictures from the life of Sandra!
(under construction)
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This is Sandra's research interest...
Sandra studies the FMRP (Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein) protein. I don't fully understand it, but apparently in order to learn, a certain amount of remodeling has to happen between nerve cells. That is, some protein has to be produced between the end of one nerve (the dendrite) and the beginning of another nerve (the nerve body). Without this protein, no remodelling and hence no learning can occur. Protein expression is a complicated process starting from DNA which is transcribed into mRNA which is translated into proteins. Sandra studies (I think) the variable amount of expression of FMRP protein at the dendrites of mice with and without the Fragile X mutation. I hope I didn't just make a fool of myself. |
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This is one of Sandra's favorite sports teams...
Sandra is a big Duke fan, as I think just about everyone who went there is. Rumour has it that she will actually get down for a week or so if they lose in the NCAA's, and the first day I met her, she corrected me on what Jason Williams' (the Duke point guard at the time) free throw percentage was. By then I already knew she was the one, but still it was pretty impressive. I was tempted to ask her what the infield fly rule was: my friend Joe Han used to say that he'd propose on the spot to any girl who knew what that was. Honorable mention goes to the Nebraska Cornhusker football team, as Sandra was born in Nebraska and is a 'Husker at heart, at least during college football season.
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This is one of Sandra's famous dishes...
I actually don't know what her famous dish is. I heard she bakes pretty well, but don't have any specifics. All I care about is that she can make rice. For whatever reason, I cannot make rice and never have been able to. People have tried to teach me the "knuckle" method and the "palm" method, but it always comes out too dry or too wet. Sandra assures me that she is a masterful rice cooker. |
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This is one of Sandra's favorite animals...
They say your favorite animal is a reflection of your subconscious self. Well, those of you who know her shouldn't be surprised that the dolphin is one of Sandra's favorite animals. It is smart, friendly, social, cooperative and adept. Plus it smiles a lot. An interesting coincidence is that one of the first promises I made to Sandra was to take her swimming with dolphins. So far we've gone to Sea World, where she fed some dolphins and petted them. But someday I'll take her to the Florida Keys, where we'll go swimming with dolphins for sure!
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This is one of Sandra's favorite movies...
Sandra likes clever movies with a twist that the audience doesn't see coming, but in hindsight should've. Movies like "The Usual Suspects", "Shawshank Redemption" and "LA Confidential" thus rank high on the list. For that reason, I expect she'll really like "The Sixth Sense". I think however "Braveheart" might be her favorite movie (though it's always hard with Sandra to actually pin down what her favorite of anything is). She tells me there's a scene at the beginning of the movie that's so good, that the movie could end right there and it'd be one of her favorites. Movies on the wishlist to see include: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; "The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring"; and "Memento". |
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Did you know...
...that Sandra is often cast in the reluctant role of the Wedding Singer, as dubbed by her friend Mi Yung? Each time she sings, however, Sandra secretly hopes that she's been exposed and that no one will ask her to sing again. Somehow though, she keeps ending up being invited to sing again. It's a good thing too: the reason she was in the LA the weekend she first met Dave was to (you guessed it)... sing at a wedding!
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Secret Shame!
Sandra is one of only seven people in our generation who still watches "The Price Is Right". In fact, she actually stood in line once to get tickets to be in the audience. She got 'em, but wasn't fortunate enough to get picked as a contestant. Which is too bad. States Sandra, "I mean, I've been watching the show all my life... I'm pretty good!" Honorable Mention Secret Shame: avid ex-viewer of "Survivor Africa", and "Party of Five". |
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