Monday, May 27, 2013

My Ode to UC Davis.

Once an Aggie, always an Aggie. Yes other colleges/universities may have the Aggie as their mascot as well (and they may be that much better at ICA sports than us but whatever!) .. but Davis students OWN it. Yes for a bit when you first get to Davis you have no idea what an Aggie is or what it stands for but as your years go by you learn to love it. And Gunrock. Which is the name of our mascot. And yeah a lot of Davis students may go through their whole career not knowing that but you know what? Doesn't matter.. Because honestly, most UC Davis students I meet, absolutely loved their time at Davis.

Maybe I was in a weird bubble of a cappella nerds/dorks and RAs but honestly... I've met people who were not in those circles but truly cherished their time there. I might even venture as far to say, Davis has a certain charm about it that you just cannot deny. While I haven't been back to campus since I graduated, every year that goes by that I don't go back to visit makes me kick myself.

What spurred this ridiculous entry to express my love of Davis? Well a good friend of mine just got engaged to a really cool girl and I went up to Elk Grove for the engagement party and I got to drive by campus twice. I wanted to stop but I had things to do... I know I know ... woulda coudla shoulda.

But as I drove by, a huge smile broke across my face and this feeling of happiness and good nostalgia just took over. Gone was my annoyance that everyone in Yolo County drives like 10 below the speed limit and in its place was was good goood gooooooood vibrations! Haha sorry had to finish that song out. But really. Yes there was some drama at Davis, to the point where I lost a few friends but it made me into a better person (and yes that is competely cliche but I don't care... I'm writing a nostalgic post about undergrad for goodness sakes... I'm going to be cliche). And since then I've basically reconnected with those friends so really no harm done.

My first kiss was as an undergrad. The first time I sang by myself in front of strangers was at Davis. My first real long-term job was at Davis. The first guy to ever ask me for my number was at Davis (which was actually under super creepy circumstances but still). My first singing performance was at Davis. The first time I ever felt like people didn't judge me for not being book smart was at Davis. I found out I have ADD at Davis. My first celebrity encounter was at Davis! Davey Havok grabbed the mic and sang with my really good friend who happened to be standing right next to me and we smiled at each other. Mehehe.

I learned so much about myself at Davis. How to keep in touch with friends were hundreds of miles away. How to be a stronger person. How to stand up for myself. How to let people go.

Anyway. Any high school student that tells me, "I don't want to go to Davis.. there's nothing to do" I look them square in the eye and say, "If you go to ANY school with that attitude, you won't find anything to do anywhere." Yes Davis is your textbook college town but that means there are things to do any where and every where! You just have to look. I bet even if you went to UCLA with a sour puss attitude you wouldn't find much to do. Okay you might but it'd have to punch you in the face. Any college experience is what you make of it. And mine was awesome.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Sick to my stomach

Yesterday a doctor, Kermit Gosnell, (I'm not even going to go to the place where his name totally disgraces one of my childhood favorite beings, Kermit the Frog) was convicted of murdering three babies by cutting their spinal cords with scissors.

When I read the verdict and the testimonies of the witnesses, I was literally sick to my stomach. I read it on my break at work and I got teary. This was my first time ever truly feeling sick when reading an article. Don't get me wrong, I am completely pro-choice but this.... This was something else. The way the babies/fetuses were stored ("The remains of aborted fetuses were stored in water jugs, pet food containers and a freezer at the clinic" after to me shows that he knew he was doing something wrong. He was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter of this woman because he used too much anesthesia (which actually does happen but in his facility which was reported to be understaffed and also staffed with unqualified people, just makes the situation that much worse.)

His defense was that he was doing it for the good of low-income minority women. Honestly, I keep praying that this is true and somehow, at least one of one of these women will step forward... because I really can't stomach or process the fact that a person would have a baby be born and see it breathing... then cut the spinal cord. Why go that route?

If you can stomach sad things, here's an article about the trial:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/14/justice/pennsylvania-abortion-doctor-trial/index.html

and then an article about one of his patients:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/14/justice/pennsylvania-abortion-doctor-regrets/

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Dating... again. MEH again.

So I was/am kind of dating this guy and the other day KO asked my friend M and I, with all of our dating adventures... is there anything that is a "have to have." I had to think. And this guy... made me realize that one of the things that I "have to have" is that the guy makes plans. I know that sounds weird but let me explain. A person that makes plans for another is carving out time in their schedule to think up something that they think that the person they're going to hang out with enjoys doing. Think about that. The person planning spends time thinking but also wants to spend more time with the other person and wants to make them happy. I guess another way to put it, is that they are selfless. That's going to one extreme though. I'm not saying that I want roses, a candlelit dinner, and a carriage ride. What I'm saying is that I want my partner to think of me and plan something special. Sacrifice. Because honestly... I would do the same for them. (Yes that's a bit of a humble brag)

Even for platonic relationships I think this applies. Look at the girl that I almost cut out. And maybe this is my vice or something to do with my birth order. But really I just want to be shown that I'm special enough to the other person that they want to spend their precious limited time with me. Not their lawn. Not their car. Not their bros. And I know that sounds disgustingly needy but I'm not saying ALL the time. But like once in a while. And also if the romantic relationship is just starting, I think it should be even more! Haha. I feel like you should still be trying to "win the girl over" you know? Make her feel like she's a queen and that by being with her, you feel special. Okay maybe that's too much to ask. (Can you tell this is semi how I feel about the guy that I'm sort of seeing right now?)

But really. I think one of my non-negotiables is the guy needs to make me feel special once in a while. (But of course I'll take more often than that... I mean comon. :) really.)