Passionista

ME this is the story of a girl

My name is Shauna Danielle, and I’m almost twenty-one, though you likely wouldn’t peg me for any older than fifteen. I have a baby face; big cheeks, big eyes, and a small nose, but I like it that way. I consider myself a redhead by choice, and have been dying my hair various shades of red for several years now. I’m a huge sweater vests enthusiast. I have seven piercings and one tattoo, with at least one other tattoo to come in the future. I’m a big girl, at 5′8″ and, quite frankly, more pounds than I care to disclose for the world to see. I recently made a goal to lose 60 pounds before beginning my final year of university in September, and am already seeing results.

I’m a third year university student majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology. I have plans for grad school someday, studying developmental psychopathology. I’ve never been much for “normal,” and I plan to spend my life learning more about the abnormal. When I’m not in school, I work with youth with developmental disabilities. It’s challenging, but very rewarding.

I spent much of my life being told I’m irrational, a pessimist, that I blow things out of proportion. It wasn’t until recently, through the words of one of my professors, that I realized I had an anxiety disorder. I scheduled an appointment with my doctor, and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder with Agoraphobia, panic attacks, and borderline Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Even just being able to put a label on my problems has been helpful. I am currently only utilizing drug treatments, but may turn to additional cognitive behavioural therapy in the future.

DANIEL my partner in crime

I am fortunate to have a wonderful boyfriend named Daniel. We met April 12th, 2008 when he sent me a message on PlentyOfFish. I knew he was someone I was interested in learning more about as soon as I read the subject line of his message, “Salutations!”, a dorky greeting I have been teased for using myself.

Due to the fact we live two and a half hours apart, we spoke online for hours and hours daily for nearly a month before meeting in person May 4th, 2008. We sat on the beach and fed crackers to geese for hours before going out for pancakes for dinner, finishing off the night with watching Little Miss Sunshine. Apparently the connection was obvious, as Daniel returned home and romantically asked me to be his girlfriend by changing his relationship status on Facebook. He has been romancing me ever since.

BEST FRIENDS my other partners in crime

BAILEY: Bailey and I were born on the same day, in the same hospital. Our mothers wandered the halls together in anticipation for our arrivals. Bailey arrived first, I several hours later. Essentially, we have been friends ever since. We went through elementary school and high school together, and have become closer after graduating despite taking different paths after high school.

VAL: Val and I met when we were both part of the ground crew when Winners opened in our city. We became friends through work, but lost contact after I quit (she still works there to this day). We were “reunited,” of sorts, my second year of university when we shared several of the same classes. Now we have, essentially, all the same classes and see each other on a daily basis.

LIKES I need something to go here

asparagus, Atlantica Online, broccoli, my cat, a clean house, cranberry Canadian Dry, drummers ;), geeks, getting the top mark, going to my Dad’s house to visit, grocery shopping with friends, IHOP, Japanese food, M&M’s, Mexican food, nerds, nights with my girlfriends, Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii, reality TV, Red Robin, Reeses Pieces, seafood, Skittles, sleeping on freshly washed linens, spending time with my boyfriend, Spore, Starbucks’ blended lemonade, Subways’ white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, sushi, sweater vests, Tim Hortons’ real brewed green tea iced tea, unicorns, watching new movies, Wednesday conversations with my Mom on Skype, World of Warcraft.

DISLIKES I need something to go here

Christmas music in November, when dogs lick me, when girls look like high fashion models for 8:30am classes, when people don’t cheer at hockey games, when people don’t take care of their pets, sitting on warm chairs, skinny jeans in double digit sizes.

MOVIES I need something to go here

A Walk to Remember, The Bucket List, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Crazy/Beautiful, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Finding Neverland, Flashdance, Footloose, Grease, Hide and Seek, The Holiday, I Am Sam, Ice Age, Ice Age 2, Jersey Girl, Juno, Knocked Up, Ladder 49, Love Actually, Mockingbird Don’t Sing, My Neighbour Totoro, My Sassy Girl, Nights in Rodanthe, Pay it Forward, Radio, Saw, Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, The Shawshank Redemption, Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek 3, Twilight, The Notebook, The Virgin Suicides, The Wizard of Oz, Vanilla Sky, X-Men, X-2

MUSIC the soundtrack to my movie

3 Doors Down, Brand New, Daft Punk, The Dresden Dolls, Eve 6, The Eyeliners, Flogging Molly, The Fray, Goo Goo Dolls, Gwen Stefani, Jack Off Jill, Lacuna Coil, Le Tigre, Metric, MXPX, Nickelback, No Doubt, Pointer Sisters, Rasputina, Regina Spektor, Scarling, Spice Girls, Story of the Year, System of a Down, Third Eye Blind, Three Days Grace, Thrice, Twisted Sisters, Yellowcard

TV I need something to go here

According to Jim, The Amazing Race, America’s Next Top Model, Average Joe, Beauty and the Geek, Big Brother, COPS, Dawson’s Creek, Dr. Phil, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Forensic Files, Friends, The Hills, John and Kate Plus 8, Little People Big World, Miami Ink, Montel Williams, MTV, Oprah, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, Whose Line is it Anyway?

RANDOM FACTS that you really didn’t need to know

- I haven’t had television for nearly 3 years.
- Yet I still watch way too much reality TV.
- I’m addicted to YouTube.
- I’ve used a day planner everyday since the 3rd grade.
- I’m known as “the girl with the Batman purse.”
- I organize my DVD’s alphabetically.
- I can’t say the alphabet backwards.
- I’ve seen Nickelback live more times than I care to say.
- I’d see them again without thinking twice about it.
- I eat pizza with a knife and fork. And messy burgers.
- I bet you’ve never heard of my favorite movie.
- I love to hate Billy Talent.
- And Panic! at the Disco, and Fall Out Boy, and MCR.