Everything Glitters Like Blank Paper

1. what is your middle name?
Davis

2. Name someone with the same birthday as you:
Emily Robertson's younger brother, Joey

3. Favorite fruit?
pears

4. For or against same sex marriage?
For for for.

5. Are you allergic to anything?
Codiene and pollen. . .mold. . .etc.

6. Are you bisexual?
depends on the moment, really.

7. Have you ever slept in someone else's clothes?
Yes.

8. How many U.S. states have you been to?
How about I list them? That's easier...

alabama, arizona, arkansas, california, colorado, connecticut, delaware, florida, georgia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, louisiana, maine, maryland, massachusetts, mississippi, missouri, nevada, new hampshire, new jersey, new mexico, new york, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, texas, utah, vermont, virginia, washington d.c., west virginia.

9. How many of the U.S. states have you lived in?
3 -- Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas and I guess you can count Pennsylvania as well,

10. Have you ever lived outside the U.S.?
no, but it's in the cards.

11. Name something physical you like about yourself?
I take great pride in my facial complexion. I take really really really good care of my skin. Oh, and I'm also smart.

12. Something non-physical you like about yourself?
I'm funny. I love making people laugh.

13. Do you have any pets?
two dogs, one named George and the other Samantha

14. What is your dream car?

a new one that doesn't have any problems like my current one. lol. Probably a Prius.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?
At the moment? Newark. I don't know why, either.

16. Are you bipolar?
no way.

17. What dream car do you want your husband/wife to drive?
Uh. . .how is this relevant? One that runs so that if mine breaks down I can use his. Also, he shouldn't be focused on it.


18. Where would you want to go on a first date?
On a first date, I'd like a lunch. That way you have all morning to look forward to it, and all evening to analyze it.

19. Would you date the person who posted this before you?
Well, seeing as it was Cody McClanahan, I'm not into that. A) she's a girl and B) she's too young for me.

20. Has anyone ever sang or performed for you personally?
Yes!

21. Ever been kissed under fireworks?
don't think so.

22. Do you like president Bush?
NO

23. Have you ever bungee jumped?
no

24. Have you ever white water rafted?
yes

26. whats your favorite color?
black

27. What song are you listening to right now?
the soundtrack to Cirque du Soliel's "Verakai"

28. What's your favorite song at the moment?
'Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef

29. What was the last movie you watched?
"Flight 93" -- it gave me a headache I cried so much.

30. Where was the last place you went besides your workplace or house?
to the movies yesterday.

31. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
no

32. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
yes

33. What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
their face and their height.

35. What do you usually order from Starbucks?
tall decaf venti breve

36. Say something totally random about yourself...
I have a skin disease. Seriously.

37. Do you have an iPod?
not yet. Some day I'll be updated into the 21st century.

38. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
Yes. Most commonly Renee Zelwegger and Scarlett Johansson

39. Do you have freckles?
many come out in the sunshine.

40. Are you comfortable with your height?
most definitely

41. Do you love someone right now?
yes!

42. How tall are you?
5'5"

43. Do you speak any other language other than English?
spanglish

44. Have you ever ridden in a limo?
yes

45. Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
Yes.

46. Do u watch tv?
yes. love it.

47. What is your favorite thing to do?
whatever I feel like at the moment.

48. What's something that really annoys you?
when people are inconsiderate of others around them.

49. What are some things you really like?
sex and the city, Ty Burrell, boys, Kidd Kraddick in the morning, food, beverages, flip flops, and great days spent with friends.

50. Do you like Michael Jackson?
I don't care what anyone else says. . .Michael Jackson rocks so hard it hurts.

51. Have you ever surfed?
no. . .I've always wanted to try but I'm afraid I'd make an ass of myself and then lose the board in the surf. no pun intended.

52. Do you know how to pump gas?
yes

53. What do you drive?
1998 Saturn LS2 four door sedan

54. What's the latest you have ever stayed out?
7:00 a.m.; leaving at 9 pm the night previous.

55. Have you ever thought that you were honestly going to die?
no.

56. Were you ever rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
no

57. Have you ever been dared to do something you didn't want to do?
who hasn't? Isn't that the point of daring?

58. What's your favorite state to live in?
Currently Texas. But I'm thinking that I'd really enjoy colorado.

59. What color is your hair?
blonde

60. What color are your eyes?
greenish grey

61. Do you have any special talents?
I can roll my belly, shake my hips like Shakira, sing, play guitar, hambo, many others.

62. Favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Tea

63. Favorite city?
Austin.

64. Have you ever ridden a mechanical bull?
no. I've lived in Texas for 2 years and haven't. ODD.

65. If you were working on a pirate ship, what would you most likely be?
A pirate with a wooden leg and a parrot and an eye patch and one gold hooped earring. I'd stand around and point at people and say, "ARRRHHHHG...YOU! SWAB THE POOP DECK! SAVVY?"

66. Who do you live with?
best friend -- Kevin.

67. Last thing you watched on tv?
Verakai.

68. Do you wear glasses or contacts?
neithe.r

69. Have you ever taken a roadtrip?
Yes! Kev and I take one almost every year. Good times. Great Oldies. Magic 105.

If you didn't catch this on SNL this past saturday night, I encourage you to watch it now.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OcZiel6D18&search=gore

A) My first year of college is officially over -- yay!

B) My tax return came and my finances are looking FANTASTIC!

Both of these things are incredibly good and I'm very happy about both of them. Interesting, though, I can't wait until PNME starts. This semester has just been incredibly. . .rough. It hasn't been too busy and I haven't ever once felt overwhelmed. The problem is just that I've been doing things that I don't necessarily like.

It started when I realized that I wasn't challenged by any of the classes I took this semester. I didn't have any homework or outside projects. I also didn't have to read any of the books that I bought. My instructors were so easy, I found that if I just listened in class I didn't even have to take notes in order to pass. Amazing. So. . .I found my hour and a half drive to San Antonio to be almost worthless. It was a rough semester in school. I never really wanted to go; too boring.

Then there's the issue of Sunshine. When springtime came around all I could think about was how happy I was last spring when I worked at Sunshine. I was outside all the time working on projects and I was in really good health. I lost something like 15 pounds last spring. It was crazy. I was really happy. So I thought about quitting Chili's and working only at Sunshine this spring because I thought I would be happy again like last spring. Well, it didn't exactly turn out that way because I couldn't leave Chilli's the way I wanted to.

Chili's had invested a lot of time in me by asking me to go to different certifications. It seemed wrong to me to quit Chili's after they had invested so much time in me. So I worked out an agreement between both employers where I can work at both places on the weekends. Now my weekend schedule is CRAZY. I work:

friday night: Chili's
Saturday Morning: Sunshine
Saturday night: Chili's
Sunday Morning: Sunshine
Sunday Night: Chili's
Monday Morning: Chili's

On my first day back to Sunshine I was excited because I thought -- finally, I'm back to the place where I was so happy last year. As it turns out, I'm not very happy because, simply, things aren't the same as last year.

What I failed to realize is that Sunshine made me happy last year because of where I was in life. I'm in a different place now and I feel differently about many things. This is why I'm unhappy at the moment.

It's just odd. I wonder -- next year, when I'm thinking back on this spring, will I think of myself as happier now then I am then? Why is it that I always perceive of myself as happier in the past? Am I capable of being happiest in the present? Why? Why not? Odd. Odd. Odd.

Smooches,

Danielle :)

ps: Dig the upgrade with the photo?

Scene: George W. Bush, Rudy Giuliani, a New York City Firefighter, and an ordinary American Civilian sit together at a round table in the White House.

W: Well boys, I’ve gotten ya’ all together today to discuss how we’s gonna’ commemormarate the people that died in the plane crashes on 9-11.

Civilian: Don’t you mean ‘commemorate,’ Mr. President?

W: That’s what I said, commemormarate. Why?

Civilian: Never mind. . .

Giuliani: I’ve been thinking, sah, and I propose that we leave ‘dose two humongous hydrogen burning lights in the place of the taowahs, in ordah to commemorate the deafs of our tree thousand fallen.

W: I think that’s a fine idea, Rudolfo, but I’m not sure it’s the best’in. See, we are Americans. We are the home of the free and the land of the brave. We crushed the commies and soon we’ll crush the terrorists!

Giuliani: Wats da point?

W: The point is that we gotta’ do somethin’ bigger. Bigger than anybody else’s got. We gotta’ make something big – like Howard Hughes’s Spirit of St. Louis!

Civilian: Don’t you mean the “Spruce Goose,” sir?

W: That’s what I said! Spirit of Spruce Gooeys! It makes sense! Hell, if we don’t make somethin’ huge, that’s like ‘llowing Al Qaeda to come and take a shit in our apple pie!

Civilian: * sighs *

Firefighter: I think we should build a huge statue of our beloved and fearless leader, George W. Bush. And the statue will depict you, Mr. President, standing on top of a bunch of terrorists, and you’ll be holding a small Osama bin Laden in your right hand but he’ll be headless because his head will be seen clearly in your teeth, right? Then, on your shoulder there’ll be a tiny statue of Jesus taking a shit on the Quran!

Civilian: But. . .if you don’t mind me asking. . .how will we be able to know the pile of humans he’ll be standing on are terrorists?

Firefighter: Oh….that’s easy. They’ll all be wearing turbans. I forgot to mention that Jesus’ shit will burn constantly like Kennedy’s eternal flame!
W: I like it! Will it be the largest statue in the world?

Firefighter: If we can make it so.

Civilian: I just don’t think that’s the right direction to go in considering the unrest in Holland. . .

W: TERRORIST!!!!

Civilian: What?

W: What?

Civilian: You just screamed “terrorist.”

W: Oh. . .while you were talking ‘bout history I kinda’ fell asleep; never was my best subject. Hehe hehehe. Must’a been dreamin’. Listen, I got a great idear.

I think we should build a tower in place of the old towers. Only, it’ll be the tallest tower in the world see, and it’ll stand there taller than anything. And we should call it somethin’ big and grandose!

Civilian: Don’t you mean “grandiose?”

W: That’s what I said! Gradsnopes!

Giuliani: What do you think we should call it, W?

W: Freedom Tower, of course!

Civilian: But don’t you think that building a skyscraper, the largest in the world, with such a pretentious and arrogant name such as “Freedom Tower” is only asking for another tragedy like 9-11? Possibly including a plane? I mean, what are we going to do if this building is destroyed and another 3,000 people die? Build another tower? How in God’s name is it a good idea to build a tower that touches the rim of outer space in order to prove that we are not nearly as bad as our opponents claim?! How does a gigantic tower not just scream CAPITALIST PIGS!!!

W: *presses button on table* Security, we have an al Qaeda operative in our midst, and we need a removal. . .

So...

I just finished watching "Mommie Dearest" on the Lifetime Movie Network, and let me tell you, that child's life was effed UP. I don't know where to begin with this film. I will say that the famous scene where Joan drags Christina out of bed over the wire coat hangers is absolutely terrifying; the fact that "Joan" was wearing that mud mask made her look like a real monster. The monster she was, I guess.


I want to read the book now.

Ciao,

db xo

ps: check me out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/semi_ruckus

I don't know about you. . .


But I LOVE hearing that Muslims are chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Bush."

Yes, things really ARE on target over there!

<3,

db

Do you think that their cities suffered when superheroes and heroines left to join forces for the justice league? Personally, I'd think Gotham City would just crumble. . .

Friends,

The above title is taken from the movie “Heathers” starring Wynona Ryder, a then nearly unknown Shannon Doherty, and Christian Slater. I recommend you see it. I mean today’s title literally.

Before I begin today’s topic, I’d like to comment on the “tips for punishment” topic. The truth is, I’ve also tipped less for poor service. Sometimes, you get a really awful server who just doesn’t care or doesn’t notice you. And in this circumstance, I say that it’s okay to not tip well because you are sending the message that this person does not need to be a server. But there are tons of people in the world who are wonderful servers but mess up from time to time. If you look at your server and you can see that they are working their ass off—almost overwhelmingly—and they happen to mess up something, be like Allstate and have accident forgiveness. Don’t tip poorly because someone’s trying to prioritize and you aren’t number one at the moment. Another moment will come where you will be. That’s all. Oh, and I totally agree that restaurants should not give the payment responsibility to the customers but they do and we must remember that always.

There doesn’t seem to be any process by which university professors are screened. This, of course, does not make any sense to me. Take for example, my math professor; I don’t understand a word he’s saying half the time nor what he writes when he “writes” on the board. I can only imagine his interview:

UTSA: Well, Mr. Agrawal, we see here that you received your doctorate in mathematics at Charmed Elephant Maharajah University in Dehli; that’s a prestigious academy.

Chiezekienj Agrawal: Yesh.

UTSA: So. . .you’ve taught math before, right?

C.A.: Jesh I daught de matimatiks, jesh.

UTSA: And do you speak English?

C.A.: Yesh, I likes de engrish beary mushk.

UTSA: What?

C.A.: De engridsh? I rikes it.

UTSA: Oh.

C.A.: I love to teach de cheedreens ‘bout de porynomirals, jeshk.

UTSA: Can you teach remedial math.

C.A.: Yjesh!

UTSA: Welcome aboard, Agrawal! You’re hired.

It’s not that my professor can’t speak or write English; it’s that he can’t pronounce words properly or with the right inflection. Every class is a roller coaster of spending time analyzing his English and quite frankly, I don’t think that I should have to. Should I pay big money to sit and listen to someone who doesn’t speak English well enough to teach me the material? I don’t think it’s right. Oh, and he doesn’t understand English very well, either. I remember this one time when I had a question he was visibly having trouble understanding what I was saying. As you can probably guess, no one really asks questions in class. All in all, this guy should not be teaching.

Why is it that universities are poxed with these types of professors? When did it become okay to seemingly let just anyone teach? Because if this person was allowed to teach high school, I know he’d make it a year maximum. Are there any Model kids out there who remember Mrs. Lefevre? Aside from the fact that she was a raging box, she was also a poorly communicative overall horrible teacher. So she got fired because enough students and parents complained. This would never happen in college. First, because of professors are protected by tenure or know important people on the administration. Second, because most college students accept bad teaching because the think “that’s just the way it is.” Or even worse, they don’t recognize what bad teaching is. Ugh! Well, it might be the way it is but it certainly isn’t the way it should (nor truly has) to be.

Just because you completed numerous years of school at (often) prestigious universities and received an otherwise useless degree does not mean that you’re automatically qualified to teach. To me, it only means that you’ve got a degree that’s better used teaching. You may have your doctorate in Asian History, but you’ve more qualified to be an auto mechanic. This one sector of college really sucks because when your grade actually counts and is important (unlike high school) you have to weed through shitty teachers and politics.

Enough of this noise.

In other news, my friend, Lindsey Luettkenhoelter was tragically killed early Sunday morning. Her memorial service is this afternoon. If you pray, I ask that you please pray for her family and for their (and otherwise) forgiveness of Brandon Lee.

Got to motor,

danielle

Friends,

Restaurants bring out the best and worst of people. While waitressing I have served some of humankind's greatest and worst and let me tell you, as a diner you have the ability to both make and shatter someone's [your waiter] day. As a result of experiencing both treatments, I decided to compile a list of rules you should try to remember when you're eating out. I contend that if you follow these rules, you will not only have better service but you'll also be respectful of the person who's working hard to take care of you. Because many of you probably haven't worked in a restaurant before, I hope that this list sheds some light on what it means to be a server -- in short, really hard work.

1. When your waiter arrives to take your drink order, please be kind and give the order promptly. Do not keep conversing with your table mates and blatantly ignoring your waiter. This is disrespectful and rude.

Also, don't assume a waiter can remember everything you say without writing it down. Give some warning that you need to order something and let the waiter have a moment to jot it down. If you just start ordering things while you're getting situated, the chances of you getting it wrong or it not coming out at all are higher than if you had been patient enough to wait until your waiter is ready. Common courtesy, folks.

2. Take the time to try to remember your waiter's name so that if you need something or there is a problem, you know who to go to. This is important because with very few exceptions your waiter is the only person in the restaurant who can make changes to your ticket or order. Additionally, if a change is made without your server knowing it can cause him or her undue distress; i.e. "I wasn't taking care of them good enough. . ." or even get them into trouble with you or the management.

3. The next time you're in a restaurant, take a few minutes to observe the servers. Are they often standing in one place? Or are they darting around the building? In most cases, the waiters are all over the place taking care of numerous tasks that range from placing orders into the computer system, making drink orders, printing tickets, delivering food, etc. There are a lot of things that servers are responsible for, and often, there are numerous tables that a server is responsible for. It's hard not to feel like your needs are the most important sometimes, but it's good to try to keep those in check. Your table is not the only table your server is trying to care for; if your tea goes unfilled for a few minutes, relax. Often, your server knows of your needs but just needs a few minutes to prioritize. Learn to deal with the fact that your tea is not number one priority at that instant.

4. DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT use tips as PUNISHMENT. Tips are not an extra "gift" that you are supposed to give to your server out of the goodness of your heart. Tips are what the restaurant expects you to give your waiter. An average server makes around $2.13 an hour. Remember earlier when you looked around and saw everything they were doing? The amount of work servers do against the wage they make is atrocious. Why there aren't "save the waiters" groups around I don't know. The point is that the restaurant assumes the server will be making minimum wage or more hourly based on their tip money. Therefore, they shouldn't have to pay anything more than the bare minimum.

So say your waitress places in your food, but the kitchen is backed up on numerous orders, and it takes 45 minutes to get to you. In this situation, a manager should comp a few things off your ticket for the wait. But say you're pissed off anyway. Who can you take this out on? Most likely, the person serving you. Once you get your ticket you see that it's $30.00 even with comped goods, so you're pissed and don't want to pay more. You put $1.50 on your tip line and walk out vindicated. Well, the fact that your food came out late wasn't your waiter's fault, and putting $1.50 doesn't 'stick it' to the restaurant the way you intended. The only person you stick it to, is the waitress. And on a night like this where everyone's food is late and everyone's pissed, that waiter might leave with only $20.00 when she did $80 worth of work.

In short, it isn't your job to punish the waiter. If you're mad, talk to a manager and see what you can get free, then tip accordingly. It isn't fair to the person who's busting their ass to try to keep you happy.

5. And while we're on the subject of tipping, always try to tip 20%. It's the appropriate amount for the amount of work the person's doing for you. If you can't afford to tip this amount, then don't go out to eat at a nice restaurant. Here's an easy way of calculating close to 20% when you're out.

the tab is $36.80

a) move the decimal point one place to the left: $3.680

b) multiply this new quote by 2: $7.36
i. or multiply 36.80 by .20 for same result

c) your new tab is $44.14 (both ticket price plus tip)

6. Don't abuse refills.

And most importantly. . .

7. Be respectful to your waiter. Waiters weren't brought over from another country and chained into waiterhood; they are average people you would meet on the street or at school or a neighbor's barbeque. Don't talk down to them and don't abuse them. Say you're at that barbeque and a friend goes to get you a soda. When they come back they accidentally brought you the wrong soda. Would you then shift into a condescending tone and ask how hard it must be to get the right soda? Would you be short with them for the rest of the evening? If they needed $2.00 for a cab would you only give them 50¢ all because of this soda incident? No. You'd probably just laugh and say, "hey, no big deal" and then let your friend get you the right one. Think this way when your server makes a mistake or your steak isn't cooked the right way. Chances are, your waiter can get you the right things and will do their best to make sure you are happy. The least you can do is be respectful and understanding if they mess up. Accidents happen, and waiters are *gasp* people, too.

I hope that these simple rules shed some light on dining for you,

Danielle

Dear 1s,

a) I didn't draw this but I wish I did -- I think it's abfab!

b) I'm thinking of planning a solo trip to London for a week or so.

c) Can it hurry up and get sunny again in Austin, please?

d) Happy St. Patrick's Day!

cuddles,

Danielle :) xo