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Hey, what's up? My name is Annie.

I work in a neurobiology lab and I love my job. I will do my best to help you! Also don't be afraid to ask me a question or a clarification to any advice I give you. I get email updates so they WILL get answered.

Have a question? I'll try to answer. :)

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advice

I have this very important exam! It's in just two days! I'm ready of course, but I'm freaking out as well :/ What can I do to simmer down? Thanks!

Take deep breaths. I get the same way. I start freaking out. What works for me is first, I stop studying right before the exam to take time to calm down. For example, if i need to brush up on a few things I will, but stop an hour before the exam to take a walk. Take deep breaths, slow deep breaths. And be confident! If you're ready you KNOW you'll do your best and that all you can ask for. Tell yourself you can do it because you studied and you're ready. Before the test, take some more deep breaths. (Also I find it better to not listen to people talking about facts before an exam because it throws me off my game. Like if I see someone studying something I don't remember. It freaks me out so I've stopped paying attention to it). Also! Have a piece of chocolate! Studies have shown having something sweet before a test gives you better results. I don't know if it's true, but how can you deny that? Haha. Good luck! I know you'll do great :)

Is it weird that I really don't like going on dates? I don't like a guy to try really hard to make me feel special by holding the door, telling me I'm beautiful, etc. but most girls do. To me that's really cheesy and fake.

I'm an interesting and down to earth person and I've had feelings in the past for guys I see all the time, who are in my friend circle. I really want to form a natural friendship with a guy, and hang out with him with other friends first and then when we start to like each other we hang out one-on-one. I want to have the desire to hang out with someone because I really know him and like him as a person. In other words, I feel like it can't START romantically for me to feel "right" and "natural" and "comfortable" about it. Ughh dates are so stupid.

All of the dates I've been on have been with guys that I just met and the first time we're hanging out is one-on-one on a date. Date means more than friends. Guys usually expect at least some kissing and cuddling by the 2nd or 3rd date and I can't feel comfortable doing these things with someone I feel uncomfortable with! Even just spending hours trying to entertain and socialize with this person makes me feel uncomfortable.

I feel like we need to be FRIENDS first and THEN more than friends. For me, forming meaningful friendships takes lots of time. And this is an issue because there aren't that many guys in my friend circle.

I've been VERY sexually attracted to FRIENDS I've had feelings for, but not guys I barely know and have hung out with twice (unless he's really hot). I don't know how so many girls find their boyfriends with skipping that important friendship step. I want to start out with a genuine friendship and then let it blossom.

I don't NEED a relationship right now, but of course I have natural girl desires, much of them strong physical desires, so how do I get this to stop bothering me?

I'm also 21 and very, very inexperienced. Am I closed-minded? Do I need to make myself uncomfortable and do things that are unnatural for the sake of "putting myself out there?"All I keep hearing is that I need to "put myself out there" but at the same time to not "do things that make me feel uncomfortable." Well, dates and kissing with distant aquaintances make me uncomfortable. So, which way to I go?

You should obviously go with what you are comfortable with. It actually makes perfect sense to me. I'm the same way. It's very natural for feelings to develop from friends because you know them and you feel comfortable around them. If you feel like you need someone in your life, simply make more friends and just get to know people in a friendly environment before taking it further. Honestly, I don't think there is anything wrong with that.

What was that movie in the 90s (i think) ... it may have even been on lifetime. Where this woman, and I believe she was innocent, was stoned to death. It seemed like it wasn't a movie that was set in the "old times" but i could be wrong. All I remember is these two children (i think they were boys) picking names out of a box, and this woman's name was picked and her entire town began to stone her. Morbid, I know. But any ideas??

I don't know about a movie, but a similar story is out there called "The Lottery." Maybe that might help lead you towards the movie you are thinking of.

If she loves me but she don't want to have sex with me what must I do

You will have to respect her wish. You can't force her to have sex. She'll let you know when she's ready. Until then focus on making her happy.

What are the dirct effects of stress to the human body.

Continuous stress overtime is never a good thing and starts affecting you mentally and physically. I found some useful sites for you that explain the effects of stress nicely.

According to this next site common symptoms of stress include:
A fast heartbeat.
A headache.
A stiff neck and/or tight shoulders.
Back pain.
Fast breathing.
Sweating, and sweaty palms.
An upset stomach, nausea, or diarrhea.
This site also explains of more long-term effects.
http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-effects-of-stress

Here's another:
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/effects-of-stress-on-your-body

Hope that helped.

Hi! I'm a 13 year old girl and I'm getting my ears pierced for my 14th birthday which is in a month. I don't have any other piercings or tattoos or anything like that and I'm just getting the regular ear lobe piercing on both ears, and I don't ever plan to get another piercing.
My whole family supports me and they think it's a great birthday thing, my Mum suggested bringing Panadol or something just in case I get a headache? I'm most likely getting it done at my local chemist or doctors office, so they will be done by a highly trained professional.
Is there anything very important I should know? Is there anything I should take with me?

I have my ears pierced and I recently got my nose pierced. I have to say that ears heal much much faster and easier than a nose. Still however, you should take care of it nonetheless. The most important thing is to keep it clean. A simple solution is using salt and water. One of the easiest thing do to is get a gallon jug of water and mix 3 teaspoons of non-iodized salt (NOT iodized). This mixture is gentle enough for piercings. Then you can take a bit of the water, heat it up and sock cotton balls in the water and gently press on each side of your ear for 5-10 min once or twice a day. Believe me this is important. At one point I got busy and didn't clean for a few days and got a very small infection, but it cleared up as soon as i started cleaning. Another important thing is to not take the earring out if you suspect an infection because the skin will close up leaving the infection in your body when you want it to leave. But it's not likely to get one if you do continue cleaning.

I also want to add that once you are healing your jewelry may not move as freely as it once did but you SHOULD NOT force it. Just continue cleaning. Also, it may seem healed, but remember that the tissue heals from the outside in.

The place I went to also suggested getting a clean pillow sham and placing it over your pillow when you sleep. Then flipping it over the next night to make sure you sleep on a clean surface.

Also this site had good basic information. http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Body-Piercing

Good luck :)

I am 13 years old, and I have not taken a babysitting class yet. So, the parents of a 7 year old boy, is still going to be home working while I watch the little boy next Saturday. But this will be the first time ever babysitting someone. What should I do with him?

Little boys are very active so be prepared for a workout. I would really suggest asking him. If you play with him and his toys then I don't see how anything can go wrong. If they have a backyard then play outside and teach him some outdoor games you know. Just try not to get too out of control. If the parents want it quiet then maybe go to the library and check out books for him. The best advice I can give is to make sure he's having fun. If he's having fun then you know you're doing a good job. Good luck :)

Im really stressed about my first ever violin competitikn tomorrow morning. Im competing in a traditional and pop compwtition and ive been practicing like crazy. Whatre ways i can keep myself calm ? Helpnplease!

You have to believe in yourself. You know you can do it! You've practiced and worked really hard for this competition. Take a deep breath and smile. Do your absolute best because you know you can. Breathe in and breathe all that stress out. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. Don't worry about the outcome and worry about having fun and enjoying the moment. Good luck! I know you'll do great :)

13/F

So I have a gap in between my toes. The gap is seperated from my 4 toes to my big toes. And my toes are crooked! I used to wear a lot of flip flops, so that's what I was thinking it was from. But.. What do you think it is? I don't wear sandals or flip flops anymore or anything.

I don't think this is a deadly matter or anything, but I'm just curious. My feet have always been like this and everyone just teases me about it.

Feet are funky things. I would say I agree with the flip flops thing. Not only that but often toes are crooked. I know everyone teases you about it, but in the end no one cares about how someone's feet look because everybody has some weird body insecurities. I really would just laugh it off if anyone teases you and think nothing of it. I'm sure you're a great looking person even with a crooked toe.

how long does the kool aid stay in your hair when you dye it with kool aid

I would say about a month. It depends on how much you boil the kool aid mixture. For some people it lasts till the next wash but for others it lasts a month. I hoped that helped.

My boyfriend and I took a lot of pictures for Valentines day, which all happen to be on his phone cuz my phone sucks and his is a lot better. So we were on our way to his soccer game and he had twenty minutes to warm up. I asked him if I could send myself some of the pictures from his phone and he said okay. So I was able to send myself one picture. I was basically attaching the rest of them all in one text. He is sitting right next to me putting his cletes about to go and warm up. He stops me and tells me he needs his phone im thinking uhm, you are about to warm up, you don't need your phone. So he says, it's my phone. I didn't even send the one I was attaching and gave it back. I was mad. he made me feel curious like what is he hiding? Then he tells me im wrong for being mad. Am I?

You shouldn't be too mad. It's nice to give him the benefit of the doubt if you're not sure. Unless this is something that has been going on for a long time then it could be a problem.

Personally, I like having my phone with me all the time, even when I work out and don't even use it. He could be one of those people. It seems like you guys had a lot of fun on Valentine's Day and spent it together. Don't try to make a big deal out of nothing.

It's ok to get upset. It's understandable. But it's good to let it go as well. Ask him to send you all of the pics and enjoy your time together.

Hope this helps.

hi im having a problem with my boyfriend.. he makes me mad alot but i love him. What should i do because i dont know how to handle this situation without hurting him.

It depends actually. There are different ways someone can make you mad. If he makes you mad because he's abusive or violent then that is not ok. However, if it's things like he doesn't text you back right away than those things can be fixed.

It would be good to get more detail, however what I can say is that you have to evaluate what you can do. If what he's doing is minor then you can just let it go. A relationship is a two-street and requires sacrifice from both ends. Try to look at the positive aspects about him and let somethings go. You shouldn't be afraid to tell him how you feel (in a nice way of course) and try to work it out. Working out arguments and problems is the main test in a relationship. If you love someone then you have to be willing to work things out.

I would love if you asked me another question with more detail. This way I can give you better advice. If you decide to ask me again, please link your original question. I'm sorry for the vague answer!

21/f 144lbs

Greetings! I have lost eleven pounds since New Years by eating healthy and working out. I have heard from people that losing the last ten pounds or so is the hardest. I looking to lose another 20. Anyone on here lose at least 20? How long did it take you and how hard was it to lose the last ten?

Wow that's great! Go you!

My suggestion would be to change it up when working out. The more variety you have in your workouts the more muscles you'll use and the more exciting it will be. You body gets tired of the same workouts and starts to get used to it. If you start changing it up it will cause your body to be more alert and work harder. Simple things like changing up your reps and sets on weight machines is even enough. Trying new things like kickboxing or a new workout will be great.

My advice from personal experience is to keep at it and find new things to motivate yourself. When I started getting healthy I actually stopped looking at my weight. The reason for this is because muscle weighs more than fat and so people tend to get discouraged when they don't see the weight drop as fast. It's important to look at the changes in your body an to notice how lean you're becoming. It does get harder to lose WEIGHT but that doesn't meant you're not getting more fit. Just remember that and do your best :)

Hi all - I have a quick, maybe silly, question about frozen pizza. I bought one the other day but unfortunately had no space in the freezer so I just put it in my fridge (my fridge is on the coldest setting) because I was planning to eat it within the hour anyway. Unfortunately things came up and today is the first chance I've had to make it. So it's been in the fridge 3 days and I just made it and ate it. It was quite soft and didn't get that crunch/crispiness but tasted fine.

Is that safe? I mean, the pizza was still in the fridge but now that I think about it, I'm not so sure how safe it is to make a frozen pizza after it's thawed. Might've been stupid of me to eat it but I am a hungry student & no other options on a late Sunday night!

Thawing things out in the fridge is actually one of the safest way to do it. For example, people leave meat on the counter to thaw is very dangerous. The fridge keeps it at a good temperature so it's ok. This website explains why, http://www.stilltasty.com/articles/view/9

Also typically it's advised not to refreeze things after they thaw. So you should be perfectly fine and your pizza should be good.

When you do a payment plan with a college, do you have to pay fir anything or do they take it out of your financial aid?

You're going to have to be more specific. All colleges are different and have a different set of protocols. My best advice would be to talk to a financial aid adviser. They will know exactly what they offer and if you will have to pay or not. It will give you the best idea.

Typically payment plans on loans have to be paid back. Unless you get a scholarship or a grant, it is likely you will have to pay them back for what they lent you. It's very important to understand the procedure of paying back these loans and making sure you know if you will be able to. Don't take a chance. Many people don't understand their payment plans or borrow more than their means and have a difficult time after college. Don't be one of these people. Ask all your questions from the people at your college. Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into and be safe and smart!

Best of luck.

13/f

My life is just so completely boring that it's depressing. Every single morning I wake up at the crack of dawn, work endlessly at school, come home and spend 5 hours on homework, then I go to sleep. I push myself a lot in my schoolwork, so much that it's totally consumed my life. I have no friends. There are people that I sit and eat lunch with every day, but they're not my friends. In fact, I'm pretty sure they don't even like me. I have nothing in common with them. My school's super small, too, so I have nowhere else to go. I'm in clubs at school, but I feel like they do absolutely nothing for me most times. I don't like holidays, especially Valentine's Day, which is coming up. They're so pointless, and I never celebrate them anyway. I feel like my life has absolutely no purpose whatsoever. Teachers give way too much homework and expect us to get it all done. I don't play sports. I don't like music. My life has no purpose whatsoever. Sometimes I feel so depressed that I just eat and eat- there's nothing else I feel like doing. I have really bad acne and braces and scoliosis and greasy hair. I hate my freshman year in high school. I hate life. Help...

Try to create time for yourself. I know how difficult it is to find time to do things while managing homework. It's really tough. But give yourself say 30 minutes a day to do something you think you might like.

For example, if you've heard that a certain show is interesting, watch an episode each day as a break from homework. Or read a book a little at a time. You don't have to find what you like right away. Think of things that maybe could be interesting. For example, have you ever tried art? Maybe buy a sketchbook and try? If you like to eat why not learn to cook? You can also go for a walk. Maybe learn how to plant a seed and take care of it. Even get a small pet. Play a video game.

Sometimes it takes time but once you've found the one thing that inspires you, it makes things easier. Like I said, start with giving yourself just 30 minutes each day to relax and do something you think would be fun and different. Don't be afraid to try new things.

I'm a university student and I know how if you focus on school all the time it burns you out. Never say that your life has no purpose. If you feel this way then perhaps you can do something for other people as well. Never be afraid to try new things. You have to take the initiative and make your life exciting otherwise it never will be.

Best of luck!

Hello, recently i just broke up with my boyfriend, i just started university and we just both never really had time. So a couple weeks after we broke up i met this guy and i know him through my brother. so weve been talking and weve hung out a couple times. when i broke up with my exboyfriend i told myself that i wont have a boyfriend for a long time and that i need to focus on school. But now i really like this guy and im always thinking about him. i think i am starting to develop feelings for him, what do i do ? :(
Thanks kaaitlyn 18f

You can't really control how you feel. If you think you like a guy, trying to ignore the feels might prove to be more distracting and time wasting. If you want you can simply just try to get to know him. If you want to focus on school at the same time, then simply set limits for when you can talk or hang out with him like with any other friend or commitment.

I did my fafsa a few days ago and I saw my advisor and he told me to register for classes. So I registered for a class and the next day it was dropped. Does that count on transcript? Do I have to wait for my financial aid to come in to register for classes?

If you drop a class before a certain period then it doesn't count on your transcript. Usually there is a period that they allow you to drop with no consequences. I would look that date up. It's often 2 weeks into the quarter/semester.

If your adviser suggested you to register for classes I would do that. You don't want to wait till all the classes you need are filled.

Best of luck!

Okay so i just bought these protein bars, chocolate peanut butter wafer protein bars.. i looked on the back of it and it said that it has 400 calories, now ive been trying to lose weight and ive lost so much so far, and i want to keep going. Now im not going to eat the whole bar, im just planning on eating only half or even LESS than half once a day, im just terrified itl cause weight gain because i don't usually eat any chocolate on my diet but i heard that because its a protein bar its good for weight loss, it also says "carb concious" on it so im guesing thats a good thing, im just really nervous i dont want this to backfire and cause me to gain weight. should i replace my breakfast meal with half of a protien bar? or is it as a snack? or what i dont really know how much to eat or anything, so some guidance would be greatly appreciated, thanks so much in advance

I agree with Alin75. Protein anything be it shakes or bars are targeted towards those buff guys that work out like crazy. They need the protein to help with their muscle repair and growth.

But let me tell you something, if you're not one of those guys and you eat that 400 calorie protein bar and don't burn it off, it becomes fat. Your body won't know that the bar is only for muscles. If it's excess calories it will be stored as fat. So instead of the bar, have an egg or lean meats. They have protein an other nutrients that are helpful for your body. Another suggested a trainer once gave me is to buy that protein powder (you can get them anywhere even Walgreens) and cut the suggested amount in half. She said to mix it with fruits and drink it right after a workout.

See what works for you and good luck with you healthy lifestyle :)

If you get your financial aid money a week after school starts, how do you get your books and stuff?

First off, I would recommend talking to your financial aid adviser. Every college has a different system and this is a question they probably get often so they will know the answer.

Also, will your financial aid be put directly into your bank account? Or your student account? Often time you get the option to get it directly deposited into your bank account. Because if that is the case then you can simply buy the books now and it won't matter as much because the money will go into your account.

Another option is to buy the books from your university bookstore and wait until you get your financial aid to return them. Our university bookstore has a return period in case students drop a class.

You can also email your professor telling him/her this and see if there is another solution. Sometimes university libraries have the book and you can borrow it.

Like I said, every university is different. See what is the easiest for you and works for you.

Hope that helps!

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