UPDATE:
radiator is fine, coolant is fine, cooling system is fine, thermostat is fine, water pump is fine and the car has been running smooth. apparently it's an internal engine problem, possibly a crack somewhere.
the car has been running smooth and normal but when it overheats, i notice that the radiator coolant is low (not the reservoir but the actual radiator coolant level), so i fill it up weekly/biweekly through the radiator cap and it seems to be working for me so far...if it is an internal problem, i'm going to just invest in another accord for the future so long as this car can keep me going until i'm out of college haha