Wow. Water Pills.

If you haven't heard of Water Pills, they are a diuretic (makes you pee more) that is used to lose weight.. water weight. Apparently the idea is for losing weight in less than a week for events like weddings etc. And then you go back to being fat. Because when you stop taking the pills, you gain the water weight back very quickly.

The instructions say to drink extra water to stay hydrated while you use them. Except this doesn't even make sense; why would you drink water to replace the water you're trying to lose? Besides, aren't there easier weight loss quick fixes? I mean, I don't consider a danger of dehydration an easy fix. Because that's what ends up happening with most girls that take water pills- they double the dosage to make it work faster. The reason this is severely DUMB is that without a certain percentage of water in your body, you begin to experience dehydration symptoms- aka headaches, fatigue, muscle cramps, chills, nausea, etc.

Even anorexia makes more sense to me than going thru all of that unpleasantness. And that is just sad.

22... What do I do with that?

After your 18th and 21st birthdays, other birthdays seem to pale in comparison.

Nonetheless, birthdays are an excuse to celebrate your life & friends, take the day off, wear a pink boa, and enjoy the fact that you won't get older for another year.. Haha.

This year I almost forgot about my birthday. Thanks to my sister & best friend though, I was reminded plenty of times. I thought it was going to suck, just because I can already drink, I'm already an adult, and there isn't much more except the gateway to wrinkles and spider veins.

But for a 22nd birthday, it was pretty awesome! I got a boyfriend, money, food, and got to hang out with my best friend. What more could a college kid ask for?!

It makes you wonder, why are birthdays are so important to us? I mean, George Washington's birthday is a HOLIDAY. People take the day off for his BIRTHDAY- not theirs, HIS! The day he was sworn into office isn't a holiday, but his birthday is!

Psycho Americans.

Shoulda Woulda Coulda... Didn't.

You know those situations where something embarrassing happens? But you respond by acting pisst off? It could have been that hilarious episode everyone remembers months later. And you knew exactly what to say to make it funny.. the words just came to you too late.

So you walk away kicking yourself for making the situation negative instead of making everyone's day. I mean, too bad it's not every day you drop a thong in the hallway. And 2 guys say "Hey you dropped something".. before any of you realize what it is.

Valentine Conclusions

Oh, valentine's day..

I'm one of those people who has always hated this day, ever since I was old enough to realize what it really entailed. No longer was the entire class required to give valentines to everyone. Guys selectively asked other girls out on dates or gave them flowers and chocolate. Never me.

Except the time I got flowers for valentines day because I was a sneaky asshole & led on a guy I didn't like. And then he overdid it and actually sent me flowers on valentine's day. Other than that, I've just celebrated this day with friends and family. Obviously I'm thankful to have them, but as you know, it's more enjoyable to have "someone special" to celebrate love with.

So I hate valentines day. I don't need another reminder of the fact that I'm single and have been for essentially my whole life. But this valentine's day was a little different. I still resent the fact that I'm single against my choice, but I've been working really hard at several goals in my life. These are mostly academic and self-improvement goals. When you exercise self-control consistently, you can become the person you want to be. Which brings a good measure of contentment and satisfaction.

If I can't have a relationship right now, I am going to throw everything into the rest of my life. And I'm already happy with the preliminary results.

Most Important 433 Words to Read This Month

No matter how sophisticated and grown up we become, everyone has her insecure days. In this excerpt from her new book, Eve Ensler celebrates the true power of a woman.

"Dear Emotional Creature:

I believe in you. I believe in your authenticity, your uniqueness, your wildness. I love the way you dye your hair purple, or hike up your short skirt, or blare your music while you lip-synch every single memorized lyric. I love your restlessness and your hunger. You possess the energy that, if unleashed, could transform, inspire, and heal the world.

Everyone seems to have a certain way they want you to be- your mother, father, religious leaders, politicians, boyfriends, fashion gurus, celebrities, girlfriends. In reporting my new book [I am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World], I learned a very disturbing statistic: 74 percent of young women say they are under pressure to please everyone.

I have done a lot of thinking about what it means to please: to be the wish or will of somebody other than yourself. To please the fashion setters, we starve ourselves. To please men, we push ourselves when we aren't ready. To please our parents, we become insane overachievers. If you are trying to please, how do you take responsibility for your own needs? How do you even know what your own needs are? The act of pleasing makes everything murky. We lose track of ourselves. We stop uttering declaratory sentences. We stop directing our lives. We forget what we know. We make everything OK instead of real.

I have had the good fortune to travel around the world. Everywhere I meet teenage girls and women giggling, laughing as they walk country roads or hang out on city streets. Electric girls. I see how their lives get hijacked, how their opinions and desires get denied and undone. So many of the women I have met are still struggling late into their lives to know their desires, to find their way.

Instead of trying to please, this is a challenge to provoke, to dare, to satisfy your own imagination and appetite. To take responsibility for who you are, to engage. Listen to the voice inside you that might want something different. It's a call to your original self, to move at your own speed, to walk with your step, to wear your color.

When I was your age, I didn't know how to live as an emotional creature. I felt like an alien. I still do a lot of the time. I am older now. I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying, and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be OK with being different, with being this alive, this intense. I just don't want you to have to wait that long. "

Love, Eve Ensler

Take 'em by surprise

"Breaking news!" I tell my sister. "I killed a spider in the bathroom by throwing water around it so that it lost its footing and got swept into the sink & down the drain! That way I didn't have to clean up spider guts by killing it another way!"

Rebecca replies, "But it might survive and crawl out, so I always kill them."

At least I made sure so much water followed it down the drain that it couldn't possibly have survived.

somewhere sunny please?

Winter blahs -noun: often characterized by 1) lack of motivation, 2) mild depression, 3) low energy.

Oh, that's what's wrong with me! Here are some solutions that I so kindly plagiarized from the internet:

1) Exercise. Endorphins can make you feel better and happier for several hours after exercising. Don't feel like braving the ice to get to the gym? That isn't an excuse. Jumping jacks, pushups, yoga, and chin ups require minimal equipment & space.

2) Eat healthy foods. You might crave pizza and Nabisco iced animal crackers,

but these refined foods can contribute to depression, lack of concentration, and mood swings (exactly what you're trying to get rid of).

So eat those things sparingly, or at least paired with healthier items such as salads, fruit, fiber-rich breads (ie, 100% whole wheat), and vegetables. Try making your own soups, in order to avoid canned soups (which pack enough sodium to give you either a heart attack or thyroid cancer eventually).

3) Make self improvement goals and work toward them. You'll feel better because you will be better.

4) Plan something exciting- the anticipation will improve your mood. Ie. a weekend trip, spa trip, girls/guys night out, themed party, or sporting event.

5) Get enough sleep. People naturally desire more sleep in the cold months. It doesn't necessarily mean you're lazy.

6) Socialize. Insurance statistics say that good social connections can add as much as 9 years to your life expectancy (http://www.attitudefactor.com/socialties.htm). So go hang out with a good friend, or talk to someone who makes you laugh.

7. Relax. Take time to read a book, do nothing, even take a bubble bath.

8. Put these things into practice, don't just read them.