Perspicacious Penner

 "You don't have any eyebrows!" "Your lips are the same color as the rest of your skin." "Your teeth make you look like a hamster." "Her eyes are so small--look at them!" "Those scabs make you look ugly." "You need to lose some weight." "You look perfect with makeup on!" You look perfect with makeup on. There are some things I unintentionally repeat to myself, and that last comment is one of those things. I've heard all of these comments and more throughout the years--the first two were the most recent. The last one was a close second. Each of these comments come from various people from 3 different cultures: Indian, Mexican, and American. This tells me one thing: I'm bound to be objectified no matter where I go.  I began wearing makeup when I was 11. Before that, I just wanted to ride a skateboard, climb a tree, or, as my brother and I used to say, go to the park and "jump off of stuff." Those ...

Like most, anything interesting that has ever happened to me was a complete accident or, at the very least, unforeseen. Like crowd surfing, for example. If I told you I've crowd surfed before, would you believe me? If not, I completely understand. I'm not typically the type to demand hundreds of hands upon me while owning the spotlight. If you would believe me, I'd be interested in knowing why. It is true, however, that I've crowd surfed. It's a weird story. Just about all of my stories are eccentric at best. When I was 13, I attended my first live show at the infamous SOMA in San Diego, CA. SOMA was basically the place where everyone around San Diego would come to see their favorite metal, rock, alternative, and even Indie bands play live. Hipsters, scene/emo kids, militrash, and general grunge folks alike could be seen hanging around this wonderful venue every weekend. It's a cultural relic to this day. If you're not into the live music sort of thing, you ...

 It's become quite clear that this is where I clear out all the grime I've pent up over the years. I'm okay with that. I came across a journal with entries from when I was 16 and, as I go through another (like 100th) transformative time in my life, I thought I'd share because these excerpts really hit me hard. The translation for my chicken scratch will be below: "There are people who are going to be hard to grow because they've cheated you and lied to you and plucked your heart strings as if it was a beautiful instrument. But don't give up, don't turn your back, because sometimes it's the most bitter who require the most love." I wish I could tell 16 year old me how badly I needed to read that from her. I begin to feel jealous of the path she was on in life but then I realize we're literally the same person and it's never too late. The next excerpt is literally the next page but carries its own value: "The hardest thing is learnin...