**Thanks to the guys across the street for dinner last night.  Special thanks to JORGE (LOOK!  I FIXED THE SPELLING?!  HELLO?  HELLO?!  DOESN'T ANYONE CARE?!!!) for preheating the oven and Eddie for opening the oven (risking burns to his hand), and taking the pizza out of the box.  Wow, you guys worked so hard (sarcasm).**

 

Well, my long streak of not going to the beach abruptly ended Saturday when Eddie totally pulled the whining-baby-guilt-trip tactic on my ass over AIM.  So I ended up going to Dockweiler (sp?  Is that even the right name?) with Eddie, Dave, and Tiff (and CASA).  I was dressed a little…goth-ish (all dark-like and evil) and I actually wore a SLEEVELESS TOP.  Yes, I did.  (Amazing?  Quite.)  But I did wear my lace-up armwarmers so I didn’t feel as uncomfortable in my skin as I usually do.  I actually like the look so maybe I’ll start wearing it more often.

 

PI-KU-CHAS! 

 

 

 

Me N Candy!  And Eddie looking...stupid--I mean NORMAL.

 

 

Here is one team in the football game that lasted the whole FOUR HOURS.  It looks like they're talkin' tactics...

 

 

And they charge...

 

 

Dave catches the ball...and is tackled.  Sadness.

 

 

TUG OF WAR!  Juniors and Seniors versus...

 

 

THE FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORES!  GO TEAM!  (We actually won!)

 

 

 

Yeah, I don't know what this is.

 

 

See?  I told you we could be normal!

 

 

(Or can we?)  OMG, do my eyes deceive me?  NO!  It's the two coolest girls in the world doing their way cool pointy fingers...ON THE BEACH!  Why are you vomiting uncontrollably?

 

Let me just tell you that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get food with the CASA guys.  When it was announced that food was ready, all these guys just surrounded the BBQ and whenever something was cooked, they’d just take it.  AND THEY WOULDN’T LEAVE!  They’d just stand there until they filled their plates with hamburgers, hotdogs, bacon, chicken, and chips.  Tiff, Eddie, Candy (a girl we met yesterday), and I just waited and waited.  Tiff managed to get some chicken and devoured it immediately.  She then tells me to “assert myself” and “push my way up to the front.”  Haha.  Yeah right.  I then told her that I refused to beg for my food, and this dude standing nearby heard me, and yelled at the guys, “HEY!  GIVE THE GIRLS FOOD FIRST!”  Mwa ha ha ha ha.  Thanks dude.  I got my chicken, and all the guys groaned about how much bigger my piece was than theirs.

 

Divine revenge?  You bet. 

 

 

After that Tiff and I came back to the apt. where we desperately tried to scrub the dirty, dirty beach-y feeling off our bodies (our hands, feet, and shoes were all gray b/c the sand was so dirty).  Eddie called and invited Tiff and me to their apt. for dinner.  I took some really funny videos of the guys.  I will post them if someone can tell me HOW TO POST VIDEOS IN XANGA.  Please keep in mind that I’m not very clever so I may need step-by-step instructions. 

 

Tiff and I also watched some Mad TV and SNL (with the AWESOME Christopher Walken…THE CONTINENTAL!).  Seeing him just made me want to wear Fedora hats.  I can already picture what I would wear with the hat…and then I think about how much it will cost and become sad.

 

 

 

This is probably what Tiff is doing RIGHT NOW:  Reading that book yet again.  Tiff has this weird problem (or is it a gift?) that makes her deaf or something when she reads.  She can just tune out all sounds and conversation and just get lost in a book.  If I ran into our room with a knife stuck in my back screaming bloody murder she probably wouldn’t hear.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

But I’d bet she would hear if I ran in singing “Luke be a Jedi tonnnNIGHT!”

My fascination with Goths continues.  However, Tiffanie has also fallen victim to the darkness and now we are practically twins (we’re even wearing the same jeans…same wash, same cut, same size…scary!).  Except I’m REALLY evil and she’s really nice and likeable…not to mention half my size…shorty…heh heh heh.  Alright…so here we are all made up in what we believe to be Goth, even though I’m sure true Goths out there are mocking us.

 

 

 

And of course…Tiff and I are just big ol’ posers, and we can’t control our naturally geeky personalities as you can see.  THE POINTY FINGERS RETURN!

 

 

 

And now this picture, which both Tiff and I hate, but I’m putting it up anyway as a way for me to pay homage to her birthday…and Todai….  We were trying to figure out ways we could somehow photoshop this picture to make us look better…In my case you’d need to use that glittery blob that TV shows use to protect people’s identities.  I would actually do it but it takes too long for Photoshop7 to load, so I’ll let the world see the natural me.  WHY DO YOU CRINGE?!  DON’T YOU TURN AWAY IN HORROR!  BWAAAAR!

 

 

Today was a good day I guess.  Went to the CASA dim sum, where I paid $8 (our table split the bill 10 ways) even though I only ate two pieces.  Most of it was enjoyable even though I had a bit of an…“unpleasant” experience in the beginning, but overall…errr…I guess it was okay.  Here is a pic of some girl, me, Tiff, Eddie and Dave. 

 

 

 

Yeah, I have tons of reading to do and two quizzes and a midterm this week.  Too bad I’m too exhausted to really complain about it. 

 

Oh yeah, Brian took Tiff and me shopping right after dim sum and Tiff and I spent so much (and in my case, too much) money!  Oh no…8 am class tomorrow…6:30 am wakeup.  NOOOOOO!  I need sleep! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIFFANIE!

 

(The BIG 1-2, huh?  Oh wait!  You’re NINETEEN!  Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaa.  Oh…present?  YEAH, I got you something.  It’s right…here!!! (points to ceiling… runs away)) 

Had an awesome steak lunch today:  Corn (made by Tiff), steaks (marinated by Tiff, grilled by Dave and Eddie), garlic mashed potatoes, (HOMEMADE BY ME!!!), and apple pie (from Costco).  George did dishes, and even though Jon didn’t really contribute to the dinner (though his stories were highly amusing), it’s all good b/c it was his birthday.  Not bad for six college students, eh?

 

Here’s a picture of the steak LEFTOVERS that Tiff and I took home (we also took the apple pie)…we’ve got some major stir frying ahead of us!

 

 

 

Quote of the day:  “I’m pushing a cart, I’m chopping wood, I’m having a baby!”

 

The funniest (and most disturbing) thing of the day is seeing Eddie and Dave go through their phases of endless flirting that somehow shift into a sissy slap fight.  At first Tiff and I would laugh, after a while we shifted our eyes, and eventually we got fed up and just poked them with broomsticks to keep them in check. 

 

It was a good day.

 

What happened just now:  That black and white Ralph Lauren-esque Wienerschnitzel commercial came on TV!  The one with that girl on the beach who is in love with the CG hotdog…

 

Girl:  “I want you…”

(screen fades)

Weinerschnitzel Dog:  “You have to catch me…”

(screen fades)

 

And it goes on. 

 

Well, with that in mind, let me just say this:  When I first told Tiff, Brian, and Daniel of this commercial (last year), they just laughed.  They all thought I was crazy!  But NOW WHO IS THE CRAZY ONE?!  HUH?  YOU ARE!  HOO-YEAH!  THAT’S RIGHT!  LORETTA WAS RIGHT!  A-BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA…And now that Tiff has seen it, she too is under it’s evil spell.  She will never forget it…

 

So the long weekend is over, and now I’m once again trapped within my usual haze of boredom and monotony.  Eat, study, eat, study, eat, TV, study, sleep.   That’s pretty much been my life for the last few days, and I get the feeling that this is basically how it’s going to be for the rest of my life.  Yip-eeeeeerrr…

 

Now that our apartment finally has internet, all of the bonds and social relationships that we apartment mates have forged with each other, will quickly disappear, leaving only four glassy-eyed zombies who will now, and forever, believe that the internet is their be all and end all.   

 

Fabulous.

 

What’s new, you ask?  Well, I’m glad you asked that question b/c now I have the pleasure of telling you to shut up!  It’s my turn to talk!  (Ahem)  School is still as boring as ever.  All of my classes seem to drag on forever to the point that one day, I will be discovered in my seat (in the front row, of course), as a mere skeleton, and my once youthful glow will be replaced by the youthful scent of rotting flesh.  For many years to come, students will whisper in the halls about that promising, young student who somehow studied to death.  And then my ghost will see these stupid gossipers and I will ghost-pee all over them.  “Hey…did you guys feel that?  It suddenly got real warm…” 

 

A-heh-heh-heh-heh…that’ll teach them not to mess with the Ghost of Christmas Loretta!

 

Well, here are a few pictures I never posted.  We actually have pets within our apartment…

 

 

 

This is a picture of Scottie, Kelly’s fluffy lil’ bun-bun!

 

 

 

And these are my hermit crabs.  I named them both Crab.  I admit, they aren’t very cute…or soft…or lovable…but just like me, they are loners that pinch strangers for no reason. 

 

 

 

And this is my baby Dancha who is still back home in Hawaii!  This picture is one I took from an actual photo on my wall!  Amazingly clear isn’t it?  A picture of a picture!  Get it?!  A picture…of…A PICTURE!  It’s like that mirror thing, where you’re looking into a mirror and then there is another mirror behind you and it looks like you’re going to die b/c oh my god I can’t believe you are still reading this.

I would have updated MUCH sooner, however my life is plagued with sorrow so of course, I don’t have any internet in my apartment.  Actually, it isn’t that bad, considering I’ve gotten tons of studying in.  I’m actually mooching internet off some guys (Eddie/Mystery guy/John Lam) who live across the street who have also promised to cook for Tiff and me using their plethora of George Forman merchandise. 

 

As for news…not much.  Packing was an extremely difficult experience that left me exhausted the first few days here.  I only got really settled after my furniture was assembled (many, many, MANY thanks to my sis and Stan who basically did the whole thing while Tiff and I plotted to kill each other…human truffles, anyone?).  Let’s see…I’ve got some pictures…of the apartment, NOT the human truffles.

 

 

 

This is a picture of Tiff’s and my room…it really doesn’t look this messy in real life…I swear the camera makes it look a lot more sty-like than it really is.

 

 

 

Next we have a close up of THE BUNKBED.  Yes, Tiff and I got the bunk bed of our dreams.  Underneath all of that cloth is a beautiful bunk fit for an insane asylum OR perhaps even a prison!  Don’t you just love how cave-y and dark my bed is?  It’s pretty much the exact opposite of Tiff’s cute cloud print, pastel colored side. 

 

 

 

Alright…here we have a close up of my work area.  The desk, the executive style chair (Tiff’s got one too…when we’re bored, we spin on them…and then we have chair wars).  All of my posters from home are up on the walls so my one wall is a psychedelic homage to No Doubt and Incubus. 

 

 

 

This is the Bathroom…not much else to say.

 

 

 

Here is our living room.  Please do not judge us for not having couches…b/c I will kill you…DAMN THE GUYS IN CITY PARK 2 FOR THE OPULENCE THEY RUB INTO OUR FACES!  Char is sitting in front of the TV watching King of the Hill and having a snack!  She’s my Hawaii connection in the apartment (Iolani grad)…

 

 

 

And last, but not least, the kitchen.

 

So, yeah, that’s about it.  I will write more later, b/c hopefully the internet router will work!  Hope you guys are having lots and lots of fun wherever you are…

The time draws near…eagerly I wait the morrow…

 

Instead of writing some sappy/thoughtful entry about my time in Hawaii…which would most likely be a 2-line post about how I did nothing here, I’m going to write about myself b/c at this point, I have nothing else to write about… 

 

I am afraid of clowns (Coulrophobia?). 

 

I hate/fear clowns of every shape and size, harlequins, and mimes included.  In my mind, clowns are just scary monsters that obviously represent all things evil.  As a child, I had this really bad fear that a clown would kiss me on the cheek, smearing my face with paint.  Irrational, but not improbable.  This hatred/fear of clowns extends to the happy, sad, and hobo clowns, that are so often depicted in art, though I don’t know why (probably just to scare innocents like myself).  Even the famed Ronald McDonald is not immune to my hatred of clowns.  Hey, props for the food, but I wouldn’t feel too bad if Clown McD died. 

 

Well, I gotta get back to packing, and let me tell you something:  It is a struggle!  My arms are getting a workout and my head is about to explode b/c my stuff just won’t fit! 

 

HAHA!  ONE DAY LEFT!

Wow, Xanga is finally back up!  To make up for lost time, I must POST LIKE I’VE NEVER POSTED BEFORE!  Gotta type, gotta type, gotta type!  If I don’t type at a rate above 50 words a minute…a bus will explode!  Hello?  It’s a Speed reference!  Man, you are so sad.

 

It’s official:  LESS THAN ONE WEEK ‘TIL LA

 

So what have I been up to lately?  Urm, not much.  I prepare a little of my packing everyday.  What I need to somehow fit into my luggage is currently sitting on my bed, with much more to come.  So…I feel there may be another $25 fine in my future.  Damn.

 

My BUAD250a professor has already emailed us the syllabus and HW schedule.  For some reason, instead of being bummed about how much work just this one class is going to require, I’m pretty jazzed about it (Yes, people still use the word “jazzed”).  Maybe the three months of doing practically nothing has left me…hungry for something, rather, anything, to do that requires the actual use of my brain.  Not to say that I don’t enjoy my current life of blob-like bliss…I’m going to miss the ease of the parasitic summer (sob sob sob)…I love you summertime!  I’ll always keep you here (pointing to heart).  Whatever you do…don’t forget me…

 

What I need to do this year at USC:

 

1. Get involved in some sort of business-related clubs and continue with CASA.
   
2. Get a good GPA, and by good I mean, a repeat of last semester.
   
3. Go to a football game regardless of what many people call my “lack of spirit” (with “spirit” being interchangeable with the words, “heart,” “compassion,” “morals,” and “decency”).  Preferably the always highly-anticipated USC vs. UCLA game. 
   
4. Learn about possible scholarships available to me even though USC doesn’t give a hoot about the continuing undergrads that have no alumni connections.  Thanks, so much USC (sarcasm).
   
5. Actually GET the scholarship.

And that’s about it.

 

 

That lady is me in about 20 years.

Interesting stuff…

 

Savant Syndrome is an exceedingly rare but remarkable condition in which persons with serious mental handicaps, resulting from various developmental disabilities, such as Autism or Williams Syndrome, or from major mental illness, have astonishing islands of ability or brilliance that stand in stark, markedly incongruous contrast to the overall disability.  Some of these individuals are talented savants.  These are individuals who display savant skills that are simply in contrast to the disability.  In others, with a much rarer form of the condition, the ability or brilliance is not only spectacular in contrast to the disability, but would be spectacular even if viewed in a non-disabled person.  These individuals are known as prodigious savants.  The fewer than 100 cases of prodigious savants reported in the world literature in the past 100 years have shown remarkable similarities within an exceedingly narrow range of abilities, given the many possible skills in the human repertoire.

   

Traditionally the term "idiot savant" was used for individuals with serious mental handicaps and yet had special abilities.  Historically the word "idiot" referred to those with an IQ of less than 25 while "savant" means one who is learned or wise.  However, since most cases of idiot savant occur in individuals with an IQ of 40 or greater, the term "idiot" is a misnomer.  In accordance with this, not to mention the negative nature of the term "idiot", "savant syndrome" has begun to replace the older term.  The condition can be congenital or be acquired by an otherwise normal individual following CNS injury or disease.  It occurs in males more frequently than in females in an approximate ratio of 6:1.  The skills can appear suddenly, without explanation, and can disappear just as suddenly.

Calendar Calculating

 

One of the most advanced cases of calendar calculating was based on research with identical twins George and Charlie, each with an IQ of 60.  If given a date, they could give the day of the week over a span of 80,000 years.  If asked to name in which years the next 200 Easters will fall on March 23, they would be able to name those years with lightning rapidity, faster than a computer and just as accurately.  They could tell you what the weather was like on any day of their adult life, but they would have forgotten a name by the end of a brief visit.  They could not count to 30 but they would swap 20-digit prime numbers for amusement. 

 

Musical Ability

 

Thomas Wiggins, also known as "Blind Tom,” played Mozart works on the piano at age four, and could play back flawlessly any piece no matter the complexity.  He could repeat a discourse of any length in any language without the loss of a syllable.  Once tested with two compositions of 13 and 20 pages, he repeated them without error. 

 

Cindy is another example of a musical savant.  She is blind and moderately mentally retarded.  She could play any song on the piano by ear after hearing it just one time.  Musical selections were committed to memory.  Her mechanical style was characteristic of most savants.  All songs were played in the key of "C"; no sharps or flats were used. 

 

Memorization

 

An example of this is the case of a male who had memorized an incredible number of statistics, including the population of every town in the United States in which the population exceeded 5,000 people; all United States' county seats; the name, number of rooms, and location of approximately 2,000 well-established U. S. hotels; and the populations of 1,800 large foreign cities. 

 

Calculating and Mathematical Skills

 

An example of a savant who demonstrated this ability is the case of a man who was blind.  He could give the square root of any number running into four figures in an average of four seconds, and the cube root of any number running into six figures in six seconds.  When he was asked how many grains of corn there would be in any one of sixty-four boxes, with one in the first, two in the second, four in the third, eight in the fourth and so on, he gave the answers for the fourteenth (8,192), for the eighteenth (131,072), and the twenty-fourth (8,388,608) instantaneously, and he gave the figures for the forty-eighth box (140,737,488,355,328) in six seconds.  He also gave the total in all sixty-four boxes correctly in forty-five seconds.

 

Another example of a savant with these abilities is the case of a 27-year-old man with a mental age of three years.  Conversation was possible only through the medium of mathematics.  Multiplication of numbers with several digits, as well as calculation of squared numbers, and conversely, provision of square roots, was accomplished without paper.  Interestingly, he could not perform simple arithmetic problems.