Becoming a New Yorker

Friends, family, and even strangers have all been asking me how I like New York. For those of you that don't know, I have been living in New York this semester to do an internship with Dateline--which by the way has been literally amazing. But living in New York has not been all it's cracked up to be.

To make it all work I've been staying with a family in the Bronx. This family has 5 kids and it takes me about an hour and 15 minutes to get to work each day. So what time is the alarm set for with a commute time like that? Bright and early at 4 a.m. And no this place that I am staying is not the "W" and I am most certainly not living on Park Avenue though I dream about it sometimes.

Where I live is smelly and stinky and loud. (By the way if you don't like complaining you may not like this blog very much...or if you're a New York fan.) Though the place I live is less than pretty the people really seem to like it there. But I have grown attached to my commute buddies (who are really not my friends but just people I think are my friends in my head--I've never actually talked to them.) But we take the same bus and get on the same subway at the same time everyday. So that's pretty cool.

But what's not cool is leaving work to hop on a "packed like sardines" subway with some smelly people (not everyone is smelly) and New Yorkers have no manners when it comes to music. Has it ever occurred to anyone that not everyone wants to hear your music? Apparently not.

But New York has this spirit about it that is simply amazing and unlike any other place in the world (and I've traveled a lot). The opportunity and determination that lives in this place is infectious and I am so glad I got to spend time here.

But honestly...I still don't know why Jenny from the Block keeps singing about the "south, south Bronx". As a resident it's not that great--just saying.

My Skin Care Routine

So for those of you that do not know me I have always had a difficult time managing my skin. I also come from a family with bad skin so I know exactly where it comes from. Sometimes it is not that you are not drinking enough water or washing your face enough--lots of times it is genetic. So as I have gotten older and have expanded my knowledge of different skin care products I have gotten into a routine that seems to work for me right now. I have realized that I have sensitive skin and what I would call combination skin--like most people. Also, all the products that I use can be found in the drug store so they are not too pricey. As a college student living in New York I need good products for an even better price.

So my go to cleanser is by Cetaphil. It is made specifically for sensitive skin so it does not dry my skin out. You can get this product at almost any drug store for about $6. Most places even offer the off-brand which is just as good and a little cheaper. I use this product morning and night just to get excess makeup off and to just cleanse my skin before bed.

Also everyone needs a good spot treatment (especially me since I still do get some breakouts). I have been using Clean & Clear´s persa-gel spot treatment for months now and it has really worked for me. Now you will notice on the packaging that this specific spot treatment contains 10% benzoyl peroxide and is labeled maximum strength. Heed the packaging warning! This product can be pretty strong and can dry out your skin if you put it all over, so it is best to focus on the problem or potential problem areas. I have just started using this products off-brand version and have been equally as happy with it.

Now whether you wear makeup daily or go tend to go more natural everyone needs a toner! You will be surprised what you see on the cotton ball even after you wash your face--a toner really helps get deep within the skin to cleanse it out. Now there are so many toners on the market that may work really well but I am a loyal witch hazel user. I got it while I was in Jacksonville at a Publix for $1. IT has lasted me about 6 months and I totally love it and my skin care routine would not be the same without it. You should use this after cleansing.

Now after all that toning and cleansing and spot treatments--you need some moisturizer. As a girl that loves being in the sun I know that I have to put on a moisturizer that has some SPF in it to keep my skin looking good. For the past few months I have been using Cetaphil´s Daily Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 every morning. It is about $12 at any drug store. I have seen it all over Youtube beauty vloggers pages. But honestly as of late I have not been so impressed with it. I find that as I try to rub it into my skin it gathers into little balls of product. Now it may just been that I need a new one but I am planning on trying Garnier´s Moisture Rescue soon.
 
Now the last thing that I use about twice a week I got as a gift but is one of the most expensive products on this list. For days that I need a really thorough cleanse I use my Clarisonic Mia 2. The one I have is orange is costs about $120. I do not use it everyday because it is a little too aggressive for daily use and may tend to dry out your skin. You can also switch out the brush heads and use it to exfoliate your body.

Now the last bit of advice I will give you about keeping acne under control and what I think has been really working for me is vitamins. Right now I am taking a one a day women´s vitamin that I got at target for about $10 and some small biotin pills that I also got at Target that is supposed to help with your skin and hair. I have started taking them at night after dinner so that they do not make me nauseous.

If you have any skin tips please comment them below. I love to learn about new organic ways to keep my skin fresh and blemish free!

¨The Awkward Art of the Job Interview¨

We have all had to do them but they probably have not been stellar. I´m talking about interviews. If you want to get a job they are unavoidable. Now as I have gotten older and the caliber of jobs that I am applying for has gone up I see that charm is not the only thing you need to land a great job. It has become a combination of charm, looks, knowledge, and the way in which you communicate your ideas. But some people say a bad interview may not be entirely your fault. The National Public Radio podcast called ¨Money Talking¨ addresses some of the errors interviewers make in a series called ¨The Awkward Art of the Job Interview¨.

If you have 10 minutes during your Monday morning commute it is really interesting. They talk about how interviewers sometimes just do not ask the right questions. Or that interviewers try to ask questions that are too ¨clever¨--in turn making the interviewee feel like they have to come up with a ¨clever¨ answer which may come off as cheesy sometimes. Or sometimes interviewers say they cannot find anybody suitable for the job but sometimes it may be that they are just looking in the wrong places. Sometimes the perfect person for the job is right under their noses. They suggest interviewers ask their current employees about some of the best people they have worked with in the company and start to interview those suggested people.

So this is a great 10 minute podcast for anybody interviewing soon (me!) or someone looking to hire. It rally puts both sides into perspective and adds some clarity to interviewing--which can sometimes be a tricky thing since everyone seems to do it differently and think they have the key to it. Hope you enjoy!
 

Were the internet laws in Owen Labrie´s case misconstrued?

This week we are talking brains because this topic something I have not been able to get out of my head. This week I helped Dateline on a story about Owen Labrie and it really made me think about some interesting points about internet law and made me reflect on what I am doing on that internet that may seem innocent could actually get me in trouble.

Now for those of you that may not know, Owen Labrie is accused of raping a 15-year-old at his elite school called St. Paul´s. There are a lot of details that go into this story but one of the main points was that the victim insists it was not consensual but admits that she ¨froze up¨ when the time came to say no. This was all started by a tradition at the school called the Senior Salute that basically meant that older guys tried to ¨hook up"with younger students.

On Thursday Labrie was found not guilty of the main charge of rape but was found guilty of soliciting a minor online and endangering a minor--which also requires registering as a sexual offender FOREVER. Now despite whether I think Labrie is guilty or not one of the uncertainties comes with the soliciting a minor online charge. Many people believe this law was misused.

That means that this law is intended for people who are tricking minors online in that they are saying they are someone that they are not.  Now it does not seem that that is what Labrie was doing. In fact, the two already knew each other in real life and it seems he did not have any intention of tricking her at all. But this is just some food for thought on this case. Just like many women I heard the word ¨rape¨ in the case and was on the defensive because of course it is wrong. But once I begin to look at the facts and details of the case it really makes me question a lot of things. Feel free to leave a comment on your opinion on this case!

Here is some light reading if you want more on the case: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/08/28/experts-weigh-labrie-verdict/rZ36LlTyJPo6LHKMIptdaM/story.html