This is a place of miniature business...

It is not a playground.
Even though it looks like a playground.


Frick yes!
Grades just came in, and by the grace of God, I passed :)
I still don't understand the college grading system, but I'll take it. Here it is:

Class - Grade on the final, overall grade

Math 2D - B+, A-
Math 2J - D+, B
Psych 11C - D, B-
Writing 39B - none, B
Cal Teach - none, A

How anyone can fail the midterm, get a D on the final, and still manage to get a B in the class is beyond me. Needless to say, I am pretty satisfied with Winter 08.

School starts on Monday, which means Spring break is almost over. But it was a great break. We went to the beach, dancing (and got pulled over by the cops), movies, bonfire on Saturday, and some sort of hangout/goodbye thing on Sunday. And I am in the process of acquiring a car. Pretty exciting stuff!













I'm sure there will be more things to tell of after this weekend. Until then...

Phobias

A week or so before the end of the quarter, my psychology class started talking about phobias. A phobia is a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it. This got me thinking. There are so many people out there with the weirdest phobias. There is a woman who is afraid of pickles. Another afraid of cotton balls. These are completely irrational. I'm almost positive that besides choking, a pickle can't hurt you. But then I started thinking about my own phobias. I am scared to death of dentists. But why?

I did some research and found that I'm not alone. 30-40 million people are so afraid of dentists that they refuse to even go, leading them down the path of gum disease and other hygienic problems. I've always gone to the dentist, but certainly not by my own choice. I remember when the fear started. I was 7 years old, and my 3 year old brother had to get a root canal. I just remember sitting in the waiting room listening to him scream because the idiot dentist decided that he should try to "pop" this lump of puss in his gum. And I've hated going ever since.

I started listing the things that happen when I go to the dentist. The morning of, I start to dread going, and on the car ride over there, my heart starts to beat a little faster than normal. When I'm in the waiting room, I try to not think about what's going to happen to me, so I close my eyes and even rock back and forth. When I'm sitting in the chair, my heart is thumping in my chest, I'm sweating, I'm holding my hands so tightly together that they turn white. Even though I try really hard, my entire body shakes uncontrollably. I get nauseous and sometimes feel like I'm going to pass out. When I was younger, I used to cry every time. And that's just when I go to the dentist. When people start talking about the dentist, I can't listen. I can't watch anything to do with the dentist. I get physically sick thinking about it. I have to leave the room. Even right now, my heart is beating faster and my palms are sweating.

I tell people about my fear, usually when it becomes a problem. If someone's talking about the dentist, I mention that I'm afraid. I think people sometimes think it's this big joke, or that I'm not really as afraid as I say I am. And it's the worse when they don't take me seriously. Because then they "taunt" me with it. They start talking about it on purpose. And even though I try not to let it bother me, my body starts freaking out. Heavy breathing, sweating, accelerated heart rate, and nausea. I've tried to overcome this fear, and for the most part, I've made progress. I haven't cried in over 3 years, which I think is might impressive. But I still cringe every time I go.

I think more than anything , I'm afraid that someday when I have kids and they have to go to the dentist, I won;t be able to be there for them because I'm too afraid. And I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

Spring Break

I have a nice long list of movies that I need to watch, but I don't know which ones. What to do?
300
40 Year Old Virgin
A Beautiful Mind
Armageddon
Babe
Blood Diamond
Bourne Identity, The
Bourne Supremacy, The
Bourne Ultimatum, The
Braveheart
Con Air
Crash
Fight Club
Frequency
Gangs of New York
Gladiator
Golden Eye
Green Mile, The
Illusionist, The
Indiana Jones 1, 2, 3
Life as a House
Memento
Mummy, The
Mummy Returns, The
Oceans 13
Others, The
Patriot, The
Paycheck
Phone Booth
Prestige, The
Princess Bride, The
Rock, The
Red Dragon
Schindler's List
Seven
Shawshank Redemption
Silence of the Lambs
Superbad
Terminal, The
Usual Suspects
We Were Soldiers
V for Vendetta

So many to choose from. And all in alphabetical order courtesy of Adam.
And on a side note, Kevin has fallen off of his bike 3 times in the last week. Twice within a 10 minute period. It makes me smile :)

Bob Smith

I thought, as a form of entertainment, you would like to see what my friends and I do at 1 am. Just in case you were the least bit curious....



And if you don't want to know, then I suggest not pressing the play button. And to answer any questions about Bob Smith....well, I'd rather not. Ask Kevin. I'm sure he would be delighted to tell you.
Finals. I can only imagine. I have so much work to do and so little time. Class is over in officially 15 hours. And then the studying starts. *enthusiasm* And then SPRING BREAK. Oh relaxation.

Question: Should I start watching 24 over break, and if yes, can I stomach it?

We shall see.

G-A-I

Roommate dilemma!
What to do? There are some really great girls who want to live with Laura and me next year, but we just have too many people. And it's so frustrating because we don't want to hurt anyone. But after many prayers, I think I've come to a conclusion on my end. And I know it's what God wants for us.

In other news, UCI baseball team is 8-0. Big win against USD tonight. Owned in the face for sure. And I got my second baseball lesson from Adam. I can now distinguish pitches and I know all of the numbers for the players. (Pitcher's number 1) Other than that, I've pretty much retained all of the information from last time. So, I think it's safe to say that I've got this baseball thing down (kinda).

In school news, I'm doing pretty well. Right now, if I continue at the pace I'm going, my final grades should look something like:
Math 2D - A
Math 2J - C (If I get an A on the final)
Psych 11B - B
Writing 39B - B
Cal Teach - A
We'll see if I can kick it up a notch. Other than a RIP that I have to work on, I'm pretty set for the rest of the quarter, which is only 2 weeks and 3 days! Then the glorious spring break.

For anyone who wanted to know, I'm learning how to play the guitar, which is going pretty well. I have those nice calluses on my fingers, so YEAH! Other than that, I've been watching a lot of movies lately.
Duplex - Pretty funny. You should watch it.
You, Me, and Dupree - Ok. Maybe if you have a free afternoon.
Good Luck Chuck - Most of it was good. There were a few parts though...
Knocked Up - Strangely funny. I suggest getting the edited version (if they have one)
Because I Said So - Good chick flick
Children of Men - Go watch it right now. Stop reading this and go watch it.
Bench Warmers - Heh. It was ok. Maybe if you're bored.
Harry Potter 5 - Always good. (Even the 4th time)

Well, I have to be up at 6am , so yeah. Huzzah for student teaching volunteering mandatory fieldwork, or whatever it's called.