{danielle}

As a few of you more devoted readers (read: nobody :p) may remember, I was recently (in January) sick with strep throat and then, three weeks later, I was finally healed at the fabulous and lavish UCSD Urgent Care facilities. Well, I have a lot to write about but I thought I'd keep this entry short and... well, more sour than sweet... considering how hungry I am and how much my eyes hurt from having nothing to do for the past four days but stare at Elias's big, functional, and fully digitalized TV and various computer screens. Pictures from an awesome summer with tell-tale captions to be posted on MySpace soon -- but before we get to that... The person who guesses why I've had nothing to do for four days first wins a cookie!

No takers on the cookie prize? What about... nookie! First correct guesser wins nookie!

Still no takers? Well, fine then. I can take a hint. :'[ I'll just give the answer up then... It's 'cuz I've been... sick! With strep/tonsilitis... again!


When I was sick for forever in January, nobody except the people who lived with me or randomly decided to visit or call even knew I was sick, much less gave half a crap. But this time around, I've been getting sympathy from all angles. It's bittersweet yet touching; but I really do appreciate it. :o)

Everyone's been blaming this bout of illness on my "lifestyle," which I find funny because that has, if anything, improved in recent months. I've never drunk soda, I don't really like junk foods like candy or potato chips, and my only guilty pleasures recently have been chocolate, ice cream, and McDonald's when I can afford them. Plus, my sleeping pattern became super regular as soon as the quarter ended -- as soon as my body didn't have to get up to do something my brain was dreading. Note that being awake at 5 o'clock in the morning when I have plans to finally see my best friend the next afternoon is purely a fluke of being sick and restless for several prior days. ;p And I've been exercising more than I had been: walking everywhere possible, swimming daily. I have the bruised feet and the chlorine stench to prove it!

Anyway, I really don't know how I got sick, but I know I'm prone to this kind of illness and I'm considering having my tonsils removed. Anyone willing to share tonsillectomy stories will be rewarded with something other than cookies or nookies, 'cuz apparently those are worthless. *sniffle* :p If I recall correctly, I'm pretty sure my mom had hers removed for the same pesky reason.

Oh well, I blame Muñeca and her fiesta! And on that note... Happy birthday, Muñecita! Today's your big day!! Make it last! :D


Well, g'night y'all! Oh wait -- shoutout to Patty for being on my mind, simply 'cuz she was on my mind this time last week! xP

It's been a long time since I've updated! Shoutout to my ex-boyfriend and new LiveJournal friend, brianslaw, for pointing that out to me and encouraging me to change that. :o)

Ooh, before I talk anymore, there are two games everyone should know about! Free Rice is an SAT-esque choose-the-correct-synonym game, and for every word you know, your mouse click donates twenty grains of rice to hungry people worldwide -- and they've got the video evidence to prove it! Twenty grains probably doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up fast; I've donated over 10,000 grains consistently just by being bored for a bit.

If English isn't your thing, try Free Poverty and put your geography skills to the test instead! Every time you get close to pinpointing a location, you donate up to nine cups of water to the thirsty and parched, and if you're right on the money you donate ten!


School's out for summer and I'm feeling almost as lost about my future as I was during the stretch of high school in which I was homeless and rounding every corner to find bad luck knocking on my door. (I'm getting a little too Degrassi with these clichés though, aren't I? :p) My housing, my education, my financial aid, my scholarships -- are all uncertain right now.

Grades came in today and let's just say that I'm three for three; my third year of college brought with it three terrible quarters and the grades to show for it.

Two of my roommates, thankfully the two that don't really matter, have signed a new lease at a new apartment. My other roommate, my best friend, is willing to split the place just amongst ourselves... but he might be getting kicked... again. After spending the day in Hillcrest on Wednesday (and planning to go back tomorrow, too), I'm not at all against the idea of moving down there (but finding a decent, reasonably priced place and a better roommate than Miguel would be next to impossible at this point). I'd have to get up way earlier than I'd like, but there is a shuttle to campus and the place is just oh so lively and oh so queer!




For some probably stereotypical and media-induced reason, all this reminds me of two things. First, I saw Rent today for the first time! I am in love with Angel and Mimi and when I thought they both died, I actually almost cried. For some reason I like Benny too, but I think that's just because Taye Diggs is so incredibly hott with such an amazing voice. :z



And second, I'm randomly reminded of Skim's song "What If?" If you haven't heard of it or haven't heard of her, it's amazing; she's amazing.



Anyway, I know it's not Tuesday, and I especially know it's not last Tuesday, but TMI Tuesday #138 sounds so delicious I have to have a bite! So sit back and enjoy a little information -- maybe even a little too much information. xP

• If you're in love with your partner, does it make the sex better?
• Definitely. I'm not one for casual sex anyway, but from limited experience I can at least comment that strong feelings are prerequisite for my personal sexual openness and comfort.
  

• What is the most expensive sex toy you've ever purchased?
• The purple glittery vibrator I suspiciously haven't been able to find cost almost $40! It was worth every penny though, just like the saleslady promised. ;]
  

• If you knew ahead of time you would not have an orgasm, would you still have sex?
• For sure. All of my partners have always been very orgasm-driven and I'm not. I'd rather just get lost in that groovy feeling than drown in the pressure to cum. Being able to have and enjoy tantric-style sex with a partner is one of the biggest turn-ons!

• What celebrity would you most like to have sex with if given the chance?
• Hmm... Christina Ricci is the only person that comes to mind, though I'm sure there could be others if I dug deep enough.
  

• Have you ever had sex while an audience watched?
• Yes, a few times actually -- the writhing walrus, the I'm-trying-to-sleep-but-the-bed-is-squeaking, and that very inebriated time in the car after a heated game of Nintendo Monopoly. hahaha
  

• BONUS [Optional]: Describe the best sexual encounter you've ever had.
• Any sex with Elias during our first six months or so of pre-dating and dating was the best you could possibly imagine. I can recall one time at my Sixth College apartment that had me seeing God and cumming in droves... Okay, this is definitely TMI now. haha!

Just to leave off with something wholesome... :o) I've been trying to relocate my duck into a nice and better-suited home and, having no luck from 4H and Humane Society, I posted an ad on Craigslist today. Check it out and spread the good word!

In the meantime, my cat's fleas got so bad I would've sworn my normally gray Shadow was completely black for a while. My mom and I took him for his first vet visit and got him deflead, but more complications soon arose. It turns out he is an older cat, as we suspected, but they can't be sure how old because he only has two teeth (and dental's how they determine cats' ages). His red blood cell count was also approximately 14-18% -- where 35% is normal and at or below 20% they recommend a blood transfusion. He was diagnosed with severe and chronic anemia and I had to shovel out over $1,000 for the transfusion. He's been doing better recently but acting mighty strange...

Anyway, here are some pictures of the little guys!



I can't believe it's 7am and I'm just finishing this... *snooore*

I didn't think today could get any weirder, but -- oh -- it went there!

As I was on the bus headed to school, I realized I had left Elias's cell phone at home. Oh yeah, I lost my cell phone at his house this weekend, so I was left with his non-chargeable, older version of my cell with half a battery to ration over the past few days and none of the contacts I needed in its address book. That instance of morning forgetfulness, amazingly, basically shaped my whole day.

Flash forward to the end of the school day. It's 5pm and I'm just leaving Cryptography, headed to whatever dining hall my path takes me in search of something to eat and a way to kill two hours before tutoring. At 6pm, I'm in a mad rush to the library (because I can't tell time and I don't have a nice non-analog cell phone clock to remind me of that), and along my path I saw the sign (and it opened up my mind!): "Get your Day of Silence shirts, pins, and flyers at the LGBT Resource Center!" So I did. :o)

That, in turn, somehow reminded me of this week's Speak Out! Tritons for a Hate-Free Campus events (probably having something to do with the Resource Center's proximity to the pub and the similarity of its anti-hate message with the anti-oppression Day of Silence). Regardless -- today, Dat Phan did a free "conscious comedy" show at the pub!! Dat fucking Phan! Unfortunately, the show was scheduled to start at 6:15 but didn't get going until after 7... and I had work at 7. I was totally bummed about having to give up not just my free time but also the chance to see a show of my dreams... so I borrowed Teresa's phone, fished around forever for my tutoree's number written on actual parchment, and told her I'd be a bit late.


The show was amazing, by the way. Dat was on his game tonight and his material was all new. As soon as his set was done, I gave him a big hug and snuck out of the venue.

But... after getting to Geisel and sweeping all the normal haunts and even borrowing Jesse's phone to make another round of calls, my student was nowhere to be found.

Life without a cell phone sucks! Even if I disregard all of the "extracurricular" uses I've come to rely on, you have no sense of time, nobody's phone numbers at will, and no way to call anyone even if you did.

Anyway, since I couldn't get a hold of my student, I called Allison and met up with her, Grace, and Jon to get some more Crypto homework done. We studied a bit, they told me stories of their weekend getaways with Ravi the TA (as he shall hereby be known, apparently :p), and when we got to talking about midterms I decided I should probably check my schedule to make sure I wouldn't be surprised by one tomorrow. Good thing, too: turns out I have a midterm on Tuesday in the only class I'm totally unprepared for. I decided to go home and study for that instead of slaving at the library over Friday's homework, but Grace offered to take me home if I'd wait for her to do a lab at Bonner (hehe) and I gladly accepted her offer.

On the way to Revelle, I remembered I'd left my camera case at the pub so I headed in to go find it and guess what I saw? Two students studying for Crypto! At Porter's Pub! Small world, huh? Well, as it turns out, one of the students wasn't actually a student; it was my professor. You've gotta understand, he's twenty-nine years old and has more piercings on his face than the (nonexistent) "prototypical" American does on their whole body. Observe exhibit A.

Grace and I told him we'd been doing homework for his class at the library and he kind of chuckled and asked why the hell we were up so late studying, but then shrugged and told us to stick around for some help. Mind you, he has "office hours" at the pub after class every day, so he'd probably been "tutoring" for five hours at this point. lol

We never did get any homework done. Grace went to do her lab and I mingled with John, another Crypto student (some cute faux lesbian sorority girl whose name starts with N), and a crowd of drunkards smoking on the back patio. That in and of itself was enough to make me go, "Is this really happening?!" Marriage jokes and sex jokes and general randomness ensued -- and, by the way, if your significant other ever tells you they "paid cash" for something, apparently they really got it by giving lots and lots of head.

Side note: I am really attractive to the drunks! First it was Tyrone on Sunset, now it's old guys at the pub. What the heck, yo? haha

When the pub was finally kicking our asses to the curb, an hour after closing time, I realized I had no way to reach Grace because -- get this -- John doesn't believe in cell phones anymore. So I asked if anyone could give me a ride home and John actually offered. I think the fantasies of a 46-inch flat-panel LCD TV with an X-Box 360 and a Playstation 3 and a spazzing duck had more influence in his decision than I did, but whatever, it's a ride -- and not just a ride, but a ride from a cute guy -- and not just a ride from a cute guy, but a guy from your cute math professor. Hella random!!

Anyway, on to the juicy part...

I'm in the back seat and N-girl is in the front. Before we leave the parking lot, we're teasing him about not getting into an accident in his "condition," but he assures us he's had long enough to sober up. They're flirting back and forth as we come up to the stop sign between Warren apartments and the engineering buildings. There are two cars waiting for some pedestrians to cross and we're coming up on them pretty fast. I assume John'll see the car but he's too busy hitting on this chick, so I finally yell "STOP!" and... we crash, but at a slightly lower speed. Exhibit B:


His plastic and Styrofoam Saturn crushes like a Coke can but the other car didn't have a scratch. As I'm getting out of the car to help assess the situation and calm the other driver, I look up and who do I see? Annie! I explain to her that Grace owed me a ride but I couldn't get in contact with her, and she explains to me that she needs a ride... and then we both sort of take in the whole thing.

Anyway, there's probably more I can say but I'm getting tired and, like I said, I have things to study for. But that's the story of my professor's crashed car and the most random night since the Rainbow Penthouse a few weeks back.

I've gotta say, hott guys have been disappointing me lately. I wish there was less hate and hornballness under that exterior. I'm a little bummed that I don't have someone to fake stalk now. :o(

I've been tagged! Lalo and Casey tagged me in the sixteen weird/random facts/habits/goals survey. It's pretty self-explanatory: if you're tagged, you write a blog with a list of sixteen things about yourself -- weird things, random things, facts, habits, goals, whatever! Then you choose seven people to tag and they start the fun all over again!

(You're also supposed to tell the people you've tagged so they get the memo, and you can't tag your tagger(s) but you should let them know when you've responded so they can read your answers too! Also, the more "real" your answers are, the more inspired your tagees will be!)

I'm doing mine on LiveJournal instead of MySpace because... I want to? hah :p Really, it's 'cause I felt like getting creative wit' it and that's very hard to do on MySpace blogs using Firefox for Mac. >_<


1. Even though I live, work, and go to school in La Jolla, California -- one of the wealthiest, safest, most beautiful cities in the United States -- I live in perpetual paranoia of drive-bys, stabbings, and muggings.


2. When I think about it, I miss high school more than anyone could imagine or probably compare with. I feel like no other institution could ever be as great as my experience at Bravo.

I miss passing by at least twenty familiar faces in the stairways and hallways on the way to class. I miss changing for PE while making conversation about boyfriends and parents and political views. I miss lunch and nutrition and how I couldn't wait for them every day because a day not spent at The Spot or The Tables was a day wasted indeed!



Memories, huh?

3. Speaking of Bravo... I remember being such the social butterfly during high school -- flashing everyone my dragon chones on the first day of sophomore year, approaching new people just to make a new friend, being generally loud and obnoxious without hesitation or regret.

UCSD has made me so anti-social; I'm less likely to talk to a stranger to get to know them and more likely to be rude to them for doing things that shouldn't even bother me.

4. On a lighter note... :p I'm very easily frightened and made paranoid. I love to go off by myself exploring empty, dark, or otherwise creepy places, but my visits are usually cut short by an inexplicable "strange feeling," and I literally run away, all the while looking behind me.

(Seems like we all have this one in common. hehe Let's go exploring together!)


5. Speaking of that "strange feeling," I believe very firmly that so-called "paranormal" activity and phenomena are perfectly scientifically explainable. I believe our brain experiences such phenomena as if they were perceivable/tangible, but that perhaps we don't have the experience of seeing/feeling them because we've closed our minds to their possibility.

Yeah, this coming from a cognitive scientist, folks! >_<


6. When I get those "strange feelings," I want to stay to investigate them -- to open my mind to them so that I can perceive their realness -- but I'm usually too scared.

7. I don't know why everyone thinks I'm such a model student. In the past two quarters since moving off-campus, I've taken 9 classes, and here are my grades: B, B, C+, D, Fail, Withdraw, Withdraw, Withdraw. Don't get me wrong; I usually do a lot better. But I'm not a perfect student.

8. Along those lines, I don't really know how to study. I take amazing, copious notes that professors would be jealous of, but I almost never refer back to them except when trying to recall obscure, course-irrelevant facts, like the story of the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" amidst my notes for cognitive evolution. I rarely attend lecture because I oversleep on a daily basis (but I always make up other excuses) and I am never caught up with readings.

9. Coffee makes me jittery, though I chug other caffeinated products (namely iced tea) by the bucket.

10. In the 1-2 months since I've been off Prozac, I've had the worst mood swings of my life, and I can't seem to conceal my emotions nor hide my depression anymore. I suppose that's good, because I've always hid those things so as not to bother others with my problems, and as a result I have always been very hesitant to share, face-to-face, my inner battle with anyone who I consider at least an acquaintance. It's not so difficult anymore.

11. I didn't do anything I would consider significant at the lab I worked at for STAR II (in high school), but I brag about having worked in a neural engineering lab at USC all the time.

12. Sometimes, I can't talk myself into doing things I really want to do -- whether it be to talk to that kuwl guy who wears a mime-esque outfit everyday when I see him alone at Price Center, or just to get offline and go to bed at a reasonable hour -- and when I think about how little self-motivation and self-control I have, it makes me want to cry.

13. I don't want this whole thing to be negative, so here's a goal I'm looking forward to fulfilling! :o)

Before I die, I will have a girlfriend, and she'll be beautiful, and I'll tell her how beautiful she is, and I'll love her, and I'll spoil her, and I'll pleasure her in every sense of the word!


14. A lot of you already know this, but I suppose some people still don't: Hi, I'm Danielle, and I'm a twenty-year-old thumb sucker. The blue barrette thing that I sometimes bring to school, the one I rub together to make that squishy sound, is half of my bedroom repertoire, the other half being a blankey.

15. I don't believe you -- any of you -- when you tell me I'm beautiful, funny, a good friend, someone you love, or good at anything, because I don't see any of those things within myself. I'm sorry.

16. Last but not least! I never use Google anymore. I use a mirror search engine called Helpuu.com because it works exactly the same as Google, gives the exact same results -- but every time you visit the site or do a search, sponsors donate money to starving children. :o)

All images (except the high school ones, of course) in this blog are courtesy of Helpuu.com's image search!




(LiveJournal lets you leave comments even without logging in / having an account, so once you're done fulfilling your end of the bargain, feel free to post the link to your blog as a comment! :D)

So I'm sure everyone's heard of the Post Secret Project and PostSecret.com by now, right? Well, in case you've been living under a rock for the past few years...

The Post Secret project and accompanying website are the brainchildren of Frank Warren. Just a few years ago, a curious Warren approached everyday people on the streets and in cafés and wherever else everyday people go, handed them a blank postal card, and asked them to share a secret with it. Since then, the project has boomed to international proportions; people all across the world are making and sending in their own postcards, self-designed and decorated, sharing a personal secret anonymously with the globe, on the scale of thousands per week.

Oh, and if you're up for practicing your French, Post Secret France was launched in late 2007 and Post Secret Auf Deutsch later followed suit -- but don't worry, both sites offer English translations. There's also Los Secretos Dominicales, a Spanish translation of the weekly US secrets.

Some secrets are funny, some are inspirational, some shocking, some take your breath away -- but they're all real, and together they tell the extraordinary tale of ordinary people. The website, which has over 100 million views, is updated every Sunday with about 20 new secrets, and Warren has published 4 books filled with page after page of secrets since 2005. The Post Secret Community website was launched earlier this year as a forum for avid viewers and other addicts to chat, post audio and video secrets, and learn more about the project.

These are my favorite secrets from this Sunday. Enjoy! :o)







PS: I found this really awesome website -- "The Story of Stuff" -- that tells the tale of consumer products, where they come from, and where they go. It's a really great and simple way to educate yourself and have fun looking at pretty stick drawings! :D Check it out!



PPS: I saw an awesome K-12 art exhibit at the West Covina Library. Check it out if you're in the neighborhood, or come back here tomorrow for pictures! :o) Here's a sneak peak:



I donno if you can see the little tags in the bottom-right corners without clicking on the pictures (which you should! they're even better in detail! ;D), but these were done by a sixth and a tenth grader (respectively). Jaw drop moment! O_O << That's my jaw dropping, apparently. :p

I'm not very picky when it comes to celebrating fake or misinformed holidays like Valentine's Day and Halloween (which are actually two of my favorite holidays!), but I've never been particularly excited by St. Patrick's Day. Perhaps it's 'cause I'm underage? At any rate, my best friend Carlos and I love green, and this year I realized that St. Patrick's Day is, if nothing else, a great way to show that love off. ;o)

Here's my St. Paddy's 2008 semi-greenlicious outfit that I threw together last minute between studying for my MATH 102 final, taking said final, and cleaning up an especially nasty-smelling pile of poop (credits to Spaz for that one). Note the green scrunchies in my pigtails and the zillions of water spots on my mirror. :p






And now for my new ritual, TMI Tuesday! This week's episode (#127) is, appropriately, about beer and inebriety.



That's all, folks! :b Watch these awesome videos! (Click on the screenshot.)


Shoutout to Jon and Roger for introducing me to Sia and for Sally for introducing me to "Everything's Just Wonderful"! ;D

Don't ask me how or why, but I recently came across a great deal of awesome Blogspot sites, including TMI Tuesday, which is apparently updated every Tuesday with TMI mini-surveys that dare you to go there... but I bet you couldn't guess that from its name! ;)

I decided to test my inner testicles and answer this week's questions about sex, commitment, and weird fetishes...

The content of this journal is explicit!!!

Roger, Sallimo, me, and Jon-emo! Roger was tipsy, I was tipsy, Jon was flat-out drunk,
and Sally was totally sober! Seriously! Can't you tell from the picture?! xP

This is me being silly with Kokopele tootin' his flute around my neck, mischievous sprite...
I don't know why it's so pixelated, but so far I blame LJ.

And this... I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist! This is something I found in my cat's litter box
that looks hilariously like a cookie cutter ghost!

Remind me to never again forget to get my 20-ounce Mexican Mochas sans espresso!

My heart's been racing and I've been angered and frustrated by small, inconsequential details all day. It didn't help that my morning dragged on because I couldn't find socks, and then I couldn't find my wallet, keys, and sweater (all of which were bundled together in my roommate's things), so I got to my first class a whopping forty minutes late (and it's a 50-minute class). Then my second class, that "easy review of linear algebra," was actually challenging and confusing, as was yesterday's homework, which I started morning of and didn't even get halfway through. And my third class, an upper-division cognitive science requirement, was aggravatingly simple -- a review of stuff I learned in a lower-division psychology class!

I'm off to the happy part of my day, when I get $25/hour to tutor an amazing, sharp 8-year-old in math, English, and a little bit of social science. Today I'm helping her add and multiply numbers that represent money, and work on her diorama and research project about Hopi Native Americans. Sweet!

Sorry I'm so MIA... :/ I tend to do this a lot.

I know I promised more pics and vids from my fabulous winter vacation, but as you may have guessed from my last entry, I've been pretty sick for a while now. :/ I started getting sick last Thursday (January 10th) and had the symptoms I described in my last entry for only a few short days (until around January 15th). For a few days after that, I still woke up feeling like shit, mostly in the throat and ear area, but normal doses of over-the-counter medicine were enough to bring my voice back and keep the pain at bay. By Saturday, though, I realized that my pain wasn't going away -- not naturally and not even with normal doses of meds. I was taking so much ibuprofen I started to feel like an overdose survivor waiting to happen.

Yesterday marked the eleventh day of my sickness. Eleven days of speaking and drinking cold liquids on a stricly as-needed basis. I was dying without my voice and iced tea! So I went to UCSD Thorton Hospital's Urgent Care, and I don't know what they did to be honest, but I have been healed! By a cute nurse at that. ;) I can't believe that in all my camwhoring at the hospital, I forgot to get a picture of the nurse!


Wait, camwhoring? At the ER?


I just wanted to thank everyone from the bottom of my purple heart for all the well-wishes! It's good to know that in times of need, minor as they may be, there are people around who will care for me in person, tolerate my symptoms, and keep me in their prayers. ^_^

I came back from vacation early Sunday morning to one sick roommate, and from Thursday on I've been coming home to a whole houseful of 'em. In the wee hours of Thursday morning, as I worked on my first assignment of winter quarter, I started to feel a tickle in my throat. I tried to ignore it, to tell myself it was just a little tickle and I had other things to focus on, but as it turns out, your body doesn't react too kindly to not being focused on!

I've been getting progressively worse, and this morning I woke up feeling like such shit that the thought of getting out of bed to get medicine and use the restroom left me catatonic for almost an hour. When I finally took care of everything, I slid right back into bed and passed out for another few hours, and then another few after waking up from that.

My throat is sore, my ears hurt whenever I swallow or move too quickly, coughing puts a chokehold on my brain somehow, my extremities are sore, and I have chills up and down my body. Blah!! I feel like a Grade-A fool for not purchasing a flu shot between the last time I got sick (which, in large part, led to my "performance" last quarter, if you can call it that) and learning Aaron was sick. They're only $16 at the university hospital! >_<

Does anyone have any remedies to suggest? I'm all ears!!