Submitted my Public Health Application on-line! One down, and one to go! Go on Kat with yo bad self! :)

Ever see those bumbper stickers that read: "Mean People Suck."? I've always seen those and thought, "Duh, that's hella obvious!" But then you have those encounters ever so often that make you say, "Who ever penned that phrase is a genius! Mean people DO INDEED SUCK, with a capital S-U-C-K!" As Ana and I were riding home on BART the other day, we were talking about vairous encounters we've had with sucky people. In talking with people, I've come to realize a few things: (1.) Mean people suck, and will continue to until they stop being mean people (2.) Although you may have experienced similar emotions, they are not exactly the same as others. When someone tells me about an experinece they have had, usually one that has been really painful, I say that I understand or that I can empathize. But do I really? Excuse me for getting nerdy for a minute, but I think emotional pain can be categorized like biological species. You know, "Kings Play Cards On Fairly Guarded Steps" (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Genus, Species -- thanks Mrs. Baynonne-Johnson!). The pain of myself and my confidant may be in the same family, in some instances the same genus, but they are two totally different species. It's so true that you cannot criticize or understand a man/woman until you have walked a mile, or two, in his/her shoes. Thank goodness for the "Confidence Enhancement Program"! ;)