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Rocío Santos-Carrillo

September 28, 2002

Walking Etiquette in the City

            Only an insane person would go to 34^th St during the Christmas season or to Times Square on New Year’s Eve.  Why? Because everyone and their mother is there. It’s every man for himself and it’s more impossible to get around than usual.   Every smart New Yorker knows what areas to avoid in Manhattan and when.  One of the most insulting things to tell a native New Yorker is that they walk like a tourist.  We all know how they walk, on the wrong side of the sidewalk, miserably slow, stopping “to take it all in”.  Here are some pointers on how to walk in NYC for tourists and a little refresher for the natives.

I. Walking Slow

            Ever heard of a New York minute? Yes, there is such a thing; it’s roughly 45 seconds.  Things in New York are faster, it’s a fast paced city, people are in a hurry, and it pisses them off when the person in front of them is walking insanely slow and they can’t get around them.  How fast you should be walking? It’s simple; just keep up with the person in front of you.  You should be about 4 paces behind them, any less and they’re walking too slow.  So, no excuses now, speed up or get out of the way!!

II. Walking on your left

            Walking is kind of like driving, you stay to your right.  Believe it or not there are lanes; where ever you are, you’re supposed to stay to your right.  Then there’s the concept of uptown and downtown.  For tourists and those who have no sense of direction this can be very complicated so pay close attention.  If you are walking downtown, the stores will be on your near or far right (depending on which side of the street your on). If you are walking uptown, then it’s the opposite.  The stores will be on your near or far left (again, depending on which side of the street your on).  Now that you’ve got the tricky part here why this is important:  If you’re going to go into a store, you need to make sure that the store is on your near left or right so that you don’t have to cross lanes.  This means that you need to know where the store is.  If you don’t, find out before you even get out.  Don’t ever stop to ask for directions because no one will give them to you.

III. Stopping

            When you stop in the middle of the street you affect everyone around you.  People get distracted and you could even cause an accident!  Not only that, but you’ll get plenty of nasty looks too.  You’re only supposed to stop on the corner, and even then, don’t take up too much space.  And don’t bother waiting for the walk sign; if there aren’t any cars coming, go!  Jaywalking’s not really illegal… they just say that.

IV. Walking in Groups

Yeah we’ve all done it, your out with like 4 friends and you’re all walking down the street in a neat little line so no one feels excluded.  This is generally accepted in residential areas, because, of course, you’re walking at the appropriate pace and there aren’t as many people.  However,  don’t try it past 59^th street.  There will be a lot of angry people trying to get past your little barricade.

V. Walking and chewing gum at the same time (i.e. Multi-tasking)

            Eating while walking can be a problem for some, especially eating messy things. Use extreme caution when eating and walking.  You don’t want to get food on someone else (especially if you’re also doing one of the above things you’re not supposed to be doing).  If you brought what you’re eating on the street, you could have a problem later on. 

Cell phones can be distracting too, if you can’t use it without stopping, forgetting where you’re going, or forgetting that there are strangers around you, don’t bother.  Some people are good at doing several things at the same time, others aren’t.  If your walking in NYC and your not a native, don’t attempt it.

VI. Extras

 Extra things like bags, kids, and strollers can be dangerous.  Try your best to remember that they take up space that other people could be using, so keep them close to you - especially if you want to keep them. 

Umbrellas are another annoying extra.  Umbrella rules are simple:  Hold it straight above you, not on your shoulder; it’s not a parasol.  When walking by people hold it up if you’re taller, down if you’re shorter.  No twirling.  Close it neatly with the little wrapping thingy.  Don’t shake it dry at the expense of other people.  And for heaven’s sake close it in places where it’s not raining (i.e. under scaffolding).  You won’t need it there. 

            Walking in New York is simple, all you need is common sense.  Just remember walk with purpose, stay to your right, and don’t stop till you get there.  If you’re going somewhere with a group of people, you meet there; know your co-ordination limitations and keep your extra stuff close to you.  New Yorkers have this stuff down pat.  They also know that none of these rules apply during the Christmas shopping season, when it’s every man for himself.  But during the rest of the year, try to be polite.  J

Bibliography

1. Santora, Mark. “Think You Own the Sidewalk?; Etiquette by New York Pedestrians Is Showing a Strain” New York Times 16 July 2002.
2. Saulny, Susan. “New Yorkers Ponder Rain Range; Wielded as Weapons Umbrellas Poke Prod and Drip” New York Times 30 January 2001.

How to Pick the Right Haircoloring  by Emie Silvestre

How To Pick The Right Haircoloring

       There has never been so much fashion excitement around haircolor as there is today. Haircolor is described as the newest cosmetic because it does for the hair what make-up does for the face. It creates a beautiful, shining, translucent finish for the hair, plays up skin tone, brings out eye color, and brightens the entire appearance. There is no doubt that haircolor can bring hair from dull to dazzling in literally minutes. When the haircolor is right, less make-up is needed. A person’s natural coloring just comes shining through.
       Women have been coloring their hair for years. But now, modern haircolor has sent women flocking to salons and drugstore shelves for at-home products to discover the many fashion options haircolor has in store for them. What is all the new excitement around haircolor? Unlike haircoloring in the past years, modern hair color is fun and fashionable, as well as easy to do and maintain.
       When people improve something about their appearance, they automatically feel better about themselves. This is simply a law of nature. The overall positive emotional impact of improving the hair’s appearance ranks high “up there” with losing weight, buying new clothes, working out to stay fit and even getting a great new haircut. The results are the same, people look better, feel younger, act more confident, and experience a wonderful psychological boost.
Teenage girls are tie-dyeing their braids and ponytails. College guys are “suntanning” their hair with surfer highlights. Male executives are turning their dull, graying hair into a distinguished blend of highlights against their natural color.     Women are creating new fashion effects by coloring only sections of their hair and trying out a temporary mood color for a particular night’s party. 
       There are three C’s of beautiful hair: cut, color, and condition. There is no doubt about it. When the cut, color, and condition of your hair is ideal, something wonderful happens. Many women wear long hair because their significant other demands it or because the female is insecure and hides behind her hair. Long hair is fine and can even look beautiful, so long as it is kept long for right reasons. That’s what makes it look great.
       Color should be compatible with skin tone and accent the eyes. If there is a red tint to the skin, red hair will not be flattering. It also will not work well with brown eyes. Work with your skin color. Blonde hair on black or Asian women looks as dumb as corn rows on very pale white girls. Celebrating cultural differences is much sexier. Surrender to the natural laws of chemistry and biology. Some hair types just will not curl no matter how often they are permed, while other hair types will only curl no matter how many relaxers are put on. Live within these limits or it will cause you much grief. People who have never before colored their hair should choose a color that is close to their own shade or slightly lighter. Lighter shades look better on most people, and are flattering to most skin tones.
       For do it yourselfers, the haircoloring packages will give an idea on how various shades will look with your hair. The resulting color however always depends upon the natural haircolor. The only way to determine how it will look is to try it out. Your choice of haircolor definitely should take into consideration your natural complexion. A medium-blonde with very rosy skin, for example, would want to create subtle ash highlights to play up her skin tones and eyecolor. On the other hand, a medium-blonde with pale skin should stay away from ash tones. Women should choose light neutral blonde highlights to enhance their total color image.

       Most at-home hair coloring products contains everything that is needed to color or state what additional items needed that is not in the package. The items usually include a plastic applicator bottle, a separate bottle of developer, a comb, instructions and plastic gloves.
      Before beginning to apply haircolor, manufacturers usually suggest taking a patch test and a strand test to guarantee safety and satisfactory color results. These are important precautions- please take the few minutes required to do them. 
       Certain people may be allergic to foods, drugs, cosmetics, or other items normally considered harmless. Allergies can sometimes develop suddenly. People who have been non-allergic to something last week may suddenly find themselves allergic to it now. That is why taking the patch sensitivity test twenty four hours before each and every application is important.
      Remember that timing is key to obtain satisfactory hair color results. Though many products now have a built-in times when color stops developing, it is still vital to closely follow the timing of any step. 

Driving Standard - How Daddy Teaches His Little Girl by Krista Roberts

Krista Roberts

October 8^th

  Driving Standard- How Daddy Teaches His Little Girl

Your first car, how exciting is that.  I bet you can’t wait to get in and go.  Go ahead, hop in…What?...Oh that pedal on the left? No, no that’s not a manufacturers mistake-you need that…What is it?...That’s the clutch, don’t worry you’ll learn it all soon enough.  But first, be prepared- this is not for the impatient.

Relax, and buckle up this has the potential to be a very bumpy ride.  Let me know when you’re ready to learn.  Now?...Great, here we go.  First thing you need to do is understand some of the basics.  This car is a five speed…What’s that mean? It means that on this car there are five different gears you need to switch between while driving…Is it hard? No, don’t worry about it you’ll pick up on it soon enough…How do you shift?  That’s where the clutch comes in.  The only way you can shift gears is by pushing the clutch in.  You want to be careful of riding the clutch too much because it wears it out, and well, those are expensive to replace.

  How do you know when to switch gears?...Mostly by the speed you’re going.  You will be in first gear pretty much only when you are coming from a complete stop or let’s say up to ten miles an hour.  Then you will want to switch to second, until you reach about twenty miles per hour.  Third gear will be used for speeds up to about thirty and forty miles per hour and after that you will use fourth gear.  Use fifth gear mainly only for highway speeds.  When it is in the middle, not in any gear, that is called neutral.  You can put the car in neutral when you are parked somewhere and the car is still on.  When in neutral you do not need to have your foot on any of the pedals.  Think you got it so far?...Good it’s time to start up the car and see if we can get going.

First thing you need to do is make sure your foot is on the clutch and the brake. When you’re all set with that turn the key, but leave your feet on both pedals.  Now you need to put the car into first gear.  First gear is up and to the left.  Make sure you keep the clutch pushed in or you won’t be able to move it into gear.  Okay good, now you need to slowly lift up on the clutch and, as you do that, push down on the gas.  You can tell by the noise that the car is making whether you need more gas or less clutch.  Make sure the clutch is coming up as you’re pushing on the gas until you feel the car start to roll.  Less gas…let up more on the clutch…good…no no less gas…oops, no it’s okay that’ll probably happen more than once today.  What did you just do?...You stalled the car.  That just means that you didn’t have the right balance between the two and it couldn’t go.  It’s okay though it happens to everyone, especially at the beginning.  Start the car up again and we’ll see if we can get it to go this time….

Okay so now that we have you out of the driveway, the next thing you need to do is switch to second gear as we get on the main road.  All you need to do is push in the clutch and shift straight down.  That’s second, after it is in gear lift your foot off the clutch.  Do it slowly or you will jerk the car.  After you get going in second gear, and you reach a higher speed push the clutch in again, and shift up and a little to the right.  That is third gear.  Don’t forget to take your foot off the clutch after you are done shifting.  And now that you’ve hit the speed limit and you are going to stay steady at this speed, shift straight down.  That is fourth gear.  Since we are not going on the highway you won’t need to use fifth gear, but for when you do you just shift up and over to the right.  Reverse is also an important gear, it is all the way to the bottom right.  I believe it’s obvious when reverse is to be used- to back up. 

The next thing I want you to know is how to downshift.  What is downshifting? That is when you are slowing down and you need to go to a lower gear.  Say when you’re coming up to a stop sign, you want to shift down to first, but to get there you need to go back to third, and second, and then when you are stopped put the car into first.  You need to always remember to put the car into first gear when you are coming from a complete stop, because if you don’t you’re going to have some trouble moving from that spot. 

It’s really quite simple once you get the hang of it, which may take some time.  You might be giving your friends headaches every time you drive for a little while, but you’ll get used to it and don’t worry so will they.  You’ll learn soon enough how to shift smoothly without jerking the whole car and you’ll pick up on little things as you go to make it easier for you.  The basic things to remember are just keeping the right balance between the clutch and the gas, when to shift, and remember to take your foot away from the clutch when you don’t need it.  You’ll love it once you learn it. 

How to Find Your Perfect Prom Dress by Tara Kiernan

Tara Kiernan 
October 7, 2002

How to Find Your Perfect Prom Dress

It’s January and you just start hearing the first buzz about the senior prom, your senior prom. You and your friends eagerly dream about who that special someone will be that escorts you to this special occasion, the limousine companies start to circulate their pamphlets, and ideas are thrown out about what will be done afterwards. All the anticipation creates such excitement that you completely forget one of the most important elements- the dress. What are you going to wear? You’ve dreamed about this day since you were a little girl. You want to look nothing less than amazing and you want to be nowhere other than in the spotlight. So let us get down to business. Choosing your perfect dress- key word your- is not as difficult as it is perceived to be. There is no need to spend endless hours at the mall while you and your mother bicker over which color suits you best and you don’t have to sell a kidney to afford one either. Just remember these simple rules and before you know it you will be the belle of the ball and everyone will know it. 
The first rule to finding a prom dress is to find the right style for your particular body type and shape. Just because Elle says a certain look is the “in” look does not mean that it is the right look for you. Dresses, including prom dresses, come in all shapes and styles. There are A-line dresses that pretty much look great on anyone, pouffy dresses for the bottom-heavy, as well as strapless, particularly flattering on girls with nice shoulders and backs. Choose a dress that accentuates the positive and conceals the negative. Pick one that you feel comfortable in. Remember, you are the one who has to wear it.
The next step is to choose the right color. Although you may love a certain color, it may not be the best color option for your dress. Some colors may look great on a wall or on fabric but not necessarily on the body against flesh tones. Beware of the dresses that could potentially make you look like the next Barney or a hazard cone. Stay clear of the “electric” colors. I am serious. Some of them actually glow in the dark. I don’t care what Jessica McClintock says, colors like those do not look good on anyone. If you are too pale you will disappear and the only thing people will see is a floating dress. If you are too tan, you’ll look like the old lady in There’s Something About Mary. The color should match somewhat with your skin tone. Skin tones range from pale to olive to dark. Pick the color that makes you “pop.” It should give you a healthy glow or enlarge your eyes. Yes, colors can have that power.
Sizing should come after the shape or style and color have been chosen. As you try on dresses you should pick a range of sizes. Usually try on dresses that are one to two sizes bigger or smaller than what you usually wear. Designers do not discuss what the exact measurements of a size 10 are, for example. Bust lines, waste lines, lengths, and widths vary from dress to dress. If you can’t find a dress that fits you the way you want it to, never settle. Most dress shops and dry-cleaners will alter your dress accordingly. Your dress can be taken in, out, or shortened and many of these places will do this for a reasonable price. If you purchase your dress on the internet and you can’t actually try it on, make sure you have your measurements handy while you’re surfing the net. Most sites make the sizes available but if they don’t, ASK. You don’t want to have to go through the hassle of returning the dress via air-mail. It is not only inconvenient, but it could get pricy. And that is only if the dress is returnable at all. Make sure you ask about that too. 
After you’ve considered all the preceding info, you have to think about prices. Prom dresses can be very expensive. You have to decide exactly how much you can and are willing to spend. Remember, you will most likely only wear the dress for one night and, after all, it is only a dress. 
Alright, now that I’ve gotten the realistic warning expressed, I do have to say that your dress is a big part of the glamour element of prom and prom is a once-in-a-lifetime extravaganza. I would not, however, recommend that you take drastic measures to obtain the cash. Don’t go into debt, don’t sell any body parts or organs, and don’t dip into the parents’ retirement savings. If you are really short on cash you should try your local vintage or consignment shop. They have dresses that start anywhere from $5 to $10. Dresses don’t have to be expensive to be “perfect.” You could also try one of those discount department stores like Marshall’s or T.J. Max. Be prepared to tunnel through racks and racks of clothing. However, your efforts probably will not go unrewarded. At these stores you can often find designer clothing at really low prices. 
You can usually find cheap dresses on-line as well at sites like www.ebay.com. Most of the descriptions of the dresses are accompanied by a picture and many of the sites offer hundreds of selections. However, one drawback is that you are not guaranteed as to what you will see when the dress arrives. 
If you are willing to spend more money, store’s like Macy’s, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom offer a wide selection for proms and formals. You will probably spend anywhere from $90 to $200. If you’re really willing to break the bank, you can always head to the stores of your favorite designers. They’re probably located in the fashion district or upscale neighborhoods in the closest metropolitan area. Especially in cities like New York (of course), San Francisco, and Chicago, you can find dresses by everyone from Vera Wang to Armani. Dresses like these will run you upwards of at least $500. 
Now that you know these few essential tips you are ready to begin your search for the perfect dress. Remember that “perfect” is a relative word and shopping for prom should be fun. Good luck and happy hunting! 

Bibliography 

“The Dress.” Yahoo! 2002. 26 Sept. 2002. 23 Sept. 2002. 
<http://www.PromDressGuide.com/www/prom_dress_styles.htm>

“Your Dress.” Yahoo! 2002 26 Sept. 2002. 5 May 2002.
<http://www.teentimes.com/06-02/prom/prom4.htm> 

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