Dr. Hutchison Quote of the Day!

"Next we are going to study Markovnikov's rule. Isn't that just a fun name to say? Mar-KOV-ni-kov! You know, I wanted to name my firstborn son Markovnikov. But then, I got married and that idea went out the window VERY quickly."


"I always felt funny coming out of the lab storage closet with two large jugs of 200-proof alcohol."

Book Review: Upside-Down Kingdom

The Upside-Down Kingdom by Donald B. Kraybill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is absolutely fabulous. I may not agree with the author about everything he said, but he brought up many good points and it was very convicting. He takes a fresh, new look at standard parables. When Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, was Satan merely tempting him to eat? Or maybe Satan was tempting to do a miracle. Was the Good Samaritan just a story about being nice to others or was it more culturally profound than that? This book taught me to love people. So the question is, am I living in the upside-down Kingdom?


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Break (in Terms of Biology)

I love break. It's truly wonderful to get away from college life for an entire week. However, I'm having considerable trouble adjusting back into normal society. Perhaps if you are a college student, you understand my plight.

1) Species Diversity within a Population

Who knew there were so many different kinds of people? The world isn't completely made up of 18-20 something, college students and a few professors. Who knew?! In addition, these many people do the strangest thing. They go shopping at expensive stores like Target. I honestly don't understand how anyone can afford anything but Wal-Mart. And not only that, but they actually stroll around at a leisurely pace while they shop and buy things to entertain themselves. Don't they have homework to do?

2) Habitats

My life revolves around a 12' x 8' cinderblock dorm room and a backpack. How my family of four can take up a 1600 square foot house is a mystery to me. I mean, if two people can live in a 12' x 8' room, then surely 4 people only need two of those, right? I feel like I'm in a mansion!

Dr. Hutchison Quote of the Day!

"The molecules are like Kindergardeners. They buzz around wildly and run into each other. Then, when they run into each other, they might switch coats. Just like molecules exchange valence electrons!"

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...Unless You're a College Student

I'm staring at my computer screen right now with this rather vacant, emotionless gaze. My eye lids are drooping even though it's only 7:45 pm. My brain has worked hard all day and it has finally decided to reject all incoming information. If you talk to me, I may or may not hear you. If I do hear you and decide to respond, my sentences will probably be less than cohesive.  I might even stop midway through a sentence and ask you what I was talking about.

Dr. Hutchison Quote of the Day!

"There are a bewildering number of different units used to express concentration. Most of them are fairly useful, but weight/volume percent is just evil."

Even Robert Pattinson Has to Wear a Retainer

Take a look at my sister blog, stuff: (lost and) found


stuff:(lost and) found.: Monday Nov 7th:

Dr. Hutchison Quote of the Day!

"When I worked at the library during college, I actually had a whole plan worked out for how we would defend the library if we were attacked by terrorists."

It is always comforting to know that in the face terrorism, we have Dr. Hutchison to protect us!

When Punnet Squares Become Romantic (and Enzymes Become Rakes)

Peas. Yellow peas and green peas. Oh, and flowers! Yes, there were purple and white flowers.

Maybe that's all you remember about Mendelian genetics. Perhaps it has been many years since you last took any high school or college biology class, so you don't recall much (except that your teacher made a point of telling you about peas and flowers). But the heart of genetic--genes, DNA, alleles, and phenotypes--is about so much more than the color of plants or if you can roll your tongue. Genetics is about life both past and present.

Genetics can determine whether you live or die, if you can have children, and what kind of life you will live. Even our thoughts and beliefs about genetics affect us in a large way. It may determine if you are an evolutionist or creationist, pro-choice or pro-life, and perhaps even if you believe in God.

Dr. Hutchison Quotes of the Day!

Allow me to preface these quotes by saying that I walked into class that day and the slide on the screen read, "Applications: Dating." Needless to say, I knew this would be an interesting day in chemistry class.

Photo curtesy of Becca Mattison©

"He's an igneous rock. That means you can date him."


(Don't worry, he was referring to Carbon dating both in this quote and on the slide I mentioned).

"If you think about architectural history--of which I know nothing--you will find that..." 

"Aaaak, we're all going to die!" 

(Talking about how we were going to do a radiation lab next week.)

From The Shepherd's Crook Ministries

A lot of you, I'm sure, already know that November has been designated by our government as National Adoption Month. We need to be praying for the orphans of the world on a regular basis, and this month ought to bring their plight to mind more often than usual. In addition to praying for these children, I ask that you share their stories with at least one other person this month. You can post this message to an on-line forum, to your Facebook page, or print it and share it with your church. We all need to pray for these precious little ones and the millions of other orphans that they represent.

Dr. Hutchison Quote of the Day!

"Beta particles are technically called negatrons, but negatron kind of sounds like an evil robot, so we never use it."




"I heard some students in the Gen Chem lab call a Buret a 'bur-ay.' I had to resist the urge to say something! I just had to keep reminding myself, 'They're not even my students...just walk away....walk away.'"