by Natalie Dee
I�m an attractive dude and am hip to fashion, etc. However, I have one big problem: strawberry nose. For like five years now (I�m 20) I�ve had a problem with the pores on my nose being big and getting clogged easily.
I wash my face every day and have been using a blackhead cleansing scrub for probably six months or so, but it doesn�t seem to help. Is there a solution (an inexpensive one) for this or will I just have to live with having what I think is a pretty gross nose for the rest of my life? �Kyle
The redness and large pores you�re describing could be attributed to a lot of different things. If your problem is caused by acne, a cleansing routine that includes benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid may be your best bet. However, the fact that you�ve been using a special face wash with no results makes me think it may be something else.
Two possibilities are rosacea and rhinophyma. Both are diseases that can cause redness and thickening of the skin on and around the nose, and enlarged pores. In fact, rhinophyma is a type of rosacea that primarily affects men.
Unfortunately, neither disease has a cure, but the symptoms can be controlled and minimized with the help of a dermatologist. It may not be the cheapest way to get relief, but it would probably be the most effective.
I just moved to a new apartment in June so this is my first autumn here. On my street, which is where I park, there are these trees that just started dropping berries on the cars.
I took my car to get washed pretty soon after I realized what was happening (I only drive about once every couple of days so they may have been there a couple of days) and the guy told me that the stains were permanent and that I would either have to have my car detailed or repainted.
I am really angry, mostly because I was planning on staying here till the end of next December, which means I have another autumn here, and therefore I have another 14 months of driving my white car around that looks like GARBAGE and is going to cost me a lot of money to get fixed. I mean, this car looks TERRIBLE.
Do you think my landlord (big company) should be responsible for paying for my car to be repainted? Or is it my own damn fault somehow? �Erica
That�s a toughie... I don�t think it�s the landlord�s fault, since he has nothing to do with what�s going on in the street. You could try to bring up your concerns with the city, since they�re in charge of making sure the streets remain clean. Alternately, you could try to find out who owns the tree that dropped the berries and talk to him or her.
Whether it does any good is up in the air. Personally, I think the responsibility for the repairs is going to fall on your shoulders. There were probably berries already on the ground when you parked, which should have warned you. Also, I don�t see how your paint could be that damaged unless you left the berries on the car for a while and the acids had a considerable amount of time to work their magic.
If it was the fault of the tree and not of you not sweeping the berries off your car, there should be a lot more damaged cars on your street. If you�re not seeing similar damage on your neighbors� cars, it was probably something you did or didn�t do.
I�ve been pretty unhappy with my job lately (OK, let�s be honest, I never liked it). I originally planned to stay until late December, resign, take the holidays off and start a new position in January. But man, you know it�s a lot of work to quit your job!
This is my first �big girl� full-time job, so my question is, how do I go about the whole resignation deal? Do you have any recommendations for the letter of resignation? What if they ask me for an exit interview? �Maggie
The key to quitting is making it as painless as possible for both you and your employer. The usual rule of thumb is two weeks� notice, but if you�re in any kind of position of power, or if there are a lot of responsibilities associated with your job, you might want to give four to six weeks� notice. Work with your supervisors to train your replacement and keep them up to date on whatever projects you�re working on.
As far as your letter of resignation, just blow a bunch of smoke up their asses. Tell them how much the position taught you about the field, how much you�re going to miss working there, blah blah blah. Make it seem like the reason you�re leaving is because you got offered some sweet career-building opportunity instead of telling them you�re quitting because they�re all dicks.
If they ask you for an exit interview, just blow some more smoke up their asses, and then go home and never come back.
My dad�s been telling me how I shouldn�t be advertising the fact that I want to be a doctor because I don�t have the potential to become one. He tells me to enter an easier field and he gets mad when I tell him what I really want to do.
I�m not the kind of person who can spin negative criticism into constructive criticism and it just depresses me. I don�t ever disrespect him and feel obligated to listen to him. What do I do?
�Craig
Sorry, dude. I�m just gonna have to tell you to fuck your dad. Sure, going to med school is HARD, and it�s going to be a lot of work, but you can do whatever you want.
If you have the initiative, and the self-discipline to study hard, then DO IT. Go be a doctor. Just because your dad is giving you a hard time doesn�t mean you can�t do it. You can do it, and if your dad doesn�t like it he can suck your doctorate.
Natalie Dee is a Columbus-based artist and writer whose work can be seen at nataliedee.com.
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