Casino Night!

Lady luck was on our side as Scott and Wade hosted SII Casino Night. There was poker, blackjack and even Scrabble (this is SII, after all!).

Scott channels the "Are you feeling lucky? Well do ya, punk?" vibe

Wade shuffles while Steven tries his hand at blackjack.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Tonight was Children's Book Night at SII. We each brought in our favorite children's book to share and Barbara brought in a big stack too! Eric started off by reading The Runaway Bunny, then Julia thrilled us with Where the Wild Things Are, followed by Eddie who spooked us with a scary Calvin and Hobbes story. I jumped in with The Pain and the Great One, followed by Danny with Make Way for Ducklings and Quin with The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse. No story night would be complete without some yummy cookies and hot cocoa!

Classic children's books galore!

Eric reads The Runaway Bunny.

Steven, Fr. Sean, Quinn and Barbara enjoy listening.

Julia reads Where the Wild Things Are

Eddie reads Calvin and Hobbes.

SII Spring 2011

Today was our very first SII night of Spring 2011 and we had a HUGE turnout! Fr. Sean presided over the Mass [St. Paul's conversion was especially pertinent to everyone as we started a new semester and a new calendar year!]. Mass was followed by a yummy pizza and cake social. It was great getting together as a whole group for the first time this semester!

Bob Ross Night

Watercolor, brushes, and a silky smooth voice that makes you want to pour your sensitive soul out onto a blank canvas. It can only mean one thing: It's Bob Ross Night at SII!

Our very own Deirdre Long took charge of our long-awaited fine arts night. Armed with our color palettes, multi-sized brushes and a Youtube video of the painting guru himself, we set out to paint a dreamy mountain lake landscape. I think the results speak for themselves.

Photo by Deirdre Long

Murder Most Foul

Tuesday night was our second annual Murder Mystery Night: Hawaiian Vacation Edition hosted by the masters of suspense, our very own Eddie Danger Harrison and Julia "Don't Even Try It" Pender. A whole group of students gathered for a special evening of fun, sleuthing, and... murder! SII-ers ran around Kalmanovitz Hall to look for clues that would help solve the murder. Did they succeed? Of course.

The victim.

The plotter.

The suspects.

Murdered.

The accusations.

The revealing.

Galleons and Globalization

Last week had the good fortune of getting a private tour of the Thatcher Gallery's latest exhibit Galleons and Globalization, led by the very knowledgeable and always entertaining Fr. Tom Lucas, SJ. He is an art and architecture professor as well as the director of the Thatcher Gallery. Click here for a video of Fr. Lucas presenting on Galleons and Globalization.

Fr. Lucas spent several years carefully organizing the current exhibit, which explores the relationship of the Spanish Pacific Empire and the resulting intercultural exchange between California, Mexico and the Pacific Orient. Through the 125 plus thoughtfully chosen items in the gallery, we saw how sea commerce in the 16th through 19th centuries became the vehicle for developing a rich cultural exchange.

Fr. Tom Lucas explaining how important silk was to the Spanish traders.

Beautiful tabernacles borrowed from California missions.

Items included Ming Dynasty china recovered from sunken ships, original tabernacles recovered from the old California missions, and priceless ivory depictions of the life of Christ. The Thatcher Gallery borrowed these rare artifacts from several international museums, organizations, and private collections. The result is breathtaking!

Definitely stop by the Thatcher Gallery in Gleeson Library for a chance to see the collection for yourself. The exhibit runs through December 17.

SII Iron Chef

Last week we had the greatest cook-off the city has ever seen! Sharp blades flashed as chefs quickly diced a crate of fresh tomatoes, and the smell of melting cheese and chopped onions wafted through the air as a dozen anxious hearts beat in time with the countdown timer: 3-2-1! It was our first ever SII Iron Chef Microwave Challenge!

The rules:
Each participant can bring one ingredient to the cook-off and everyone will form two teams. Each team can utilize the ingredients the team members brought, as well as a list of secret ingredients provided by SII. The teams have 30 minutes to create a fabulous dish with only the ingredients they have and using only the microwave. Ready? Go!

The outcome:
People flocked to the Phelan kitchen to participate in the Iron Chef Challenge and everyone eventually collaborated to create one super dish! Manny created a superb chicken cordon bleu for the main dish, Dylan used his mad chopping skills to dice fresh tomatoes for salsa, Sarah and RJ threw together 3 different cheeses for the quesadillas, and the result was....

The SII Iron Chef's Choice: West Meets Southwest Special!

A delicious helping of chicken cordon bleu 

with a side of three-cheese quesadillas and house-made salsa

The oh-so-special secret ingredients!

Manny came prepared with his specialty: chicken cordon bleu!

Don't mess with Dylan and his measuring spoon.

Freshly baked cookies by Chris (who was only using the oven because he's a guest judge).

The cheese masters at work.

Yours truly with the healing powers of  Kikoman.

The executive chef team at SII.

Excellent photo angle of a master chef at work.

Tomatoes are good for you.

So are quesadillas!

Chris with his crazy face and plate of our West Meets Southwest Special.

First SII Night 2010

Tonight we kicked off the first SII Night of the school year, and we had a fabulous turnout. For those of you who are new to the Institute or who may not be familiar with what SII Nights are, we get together every Tuesday night for Mass at 6pm and a group activity afterward. Everyone is welcome to SII Night and everyone is encouraged to attend Mass, no matter what religious beliefs you hold. It's just a wonderful time to sit in quiet, purposeful prayer and meditation as a group. The activities that follow Mass range from Dante lectures and study abroad informational sessions to monster movie fests and murder mystery nights. The great thing about these SII Nights is that students are the ones organizing these events. Therefore, everyone can get the chance to choose an activity that is exciting and meaningful for them.

Tonight's pizza party

Our first SII Night started a bit earlier tonight, with a special visit and presentation from Fr. Richard Finn, Regent of Blackfriars in Oxford. SII has a long partnership with the Blackfriars program and has sent several USF students to study in Oxford. Mary and I were lucky enough to be part of that program last year and it was a real treat to see Fr. Richard again.

Mary, Fr. Richard Finn, and Me.

After a well-attended Mass led by Fr. Sean, we all mixed and mingled with a pizza party. It was nice seeing new faces and meeting up with old friends. I even got a chance to see many SII friends from my year. We all lived together and went to class together since freshman year, and this informal reunion was long overdue.

Senior Class: (L to R) Kailey, Ali, Mary, Justin, Rebecca, Teresa, Ravi

Agatha Christie Night

Thanks to everyone who came to our first ever Agatha Christie Film Night. It was a great success and we thank Fr. Recio for his wonderful intro to Christie and the murder mystery genre. Further, it was awesome to watch the classic film Death on the Nile. You all looked beautiful and handsome in your 1920s attire. Even if you didn't dress up, thanks for coming and you looked beautiful and handsome anyway!

Agatha Christie Murder Mystery Movie Night

****This is NOT a re-enactment of a murder mystery.

It is a film night.****

Come to SII's Agatha Christie murder mystery film night!

When: Sunday, April 19 @ 7:30 p.m.
Where: SII Office, KA 144
Attire: 1920s cocktail-wear encouraged
What: A wonderful evening of an intro to the murder mystery genre, an exciting film, delightful company and (of course) free refreshments!


Dress up in 1920s cocktail attire and join us for an evening of murder, mystery and fun as we watch a classic Agatha Christie film.

The movie choices are Nemesis, Death on the Nile and The Secret Adversary. Post a comment to vote for your favorite.

Fr. Recio will give a brief intro to the film and to Agatha Christie's role in the murder mystery genre.

As always, refreshments will be provided! Bring your friends. Thanks and see you there!