Audio By Carbonatix
Instead of resolving to do something, maybe you want to resolve to quit doing something. Maybe it’s smoking, maybe it’s biting our nails, or maybe we want to walk up to the boss and tell him where to put the latest office supply order. Whatever kind of quitter you want to be, New Times is here for you.
KICKING BUTTS: You know who you are, and you know if you’re ready to quit. With all of the anti-smoking bans popping up all over the country, this might be a good time to consider giving up the cancer sticks. Trust us, there are places you can get help besides the nicotine substitute aisle at Walgreens. The Arizona Department of Health and Human Services actually has an amazing anti-smoking program (that your cigarette taxes have been paying for, so no need to feel guilty about using their services). The Tobacco Education and Prevention Program (or TEPP) not only will offer you information about the various nasty health concerns of smoking, but it will also hook you up with low- or no-cost cessation supplies, counseling, and whatever you need to kick the habit for good. Try the Arizona Smoker’s Helpline (or ASH line, we appreciate the clever acronym), which offers tailored tobacco use cessation counseling, information, and self-help materials seven days a week. And we hate to admit it, but the Philip Morris Web site actually has a lot of useful information on the terrible effects of its own products and ways to help you stop buying them — a by-product of the American legal system at work, for once.
DON’T BITE ME: Biting the nails. So many of us do it out of nervousness, habit or stress (because we’re trying to quit smoking), and we chew our poor fingernails to the quick. Too bad we can’t reach the toes. (If you’re that desperate, refer back to our fitness listings.) The little snaggles of skin and paper-thin nails hang off our fingers like guilty reminders of our lack of self-control. Related Web sites suggest everything from wearing gloves to snapping elastic bands around the wrists when you catch yourself biting (just like Catholic school). At www.stopbitingyournails.ca, you can buy a book that promises to cure you for $4.95. Our suggestion to help curb this habit? Get a fancy manicure. If your nails are covered in paint, not only will they taste terrible, but you’ll be less likely to want to nibble the nails and ruin your pretty paint job. They will also be less likely to break, which is the reason most people bite them off. If you’re a little cash-poor after the holidays (and who isn’t?), try getting a manicure at one of the local beauty school salons like Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy (we heard you should ask for Cherilyn), Tempe’s Carsten Institute of Hair and Beauty, or one of Artistic Beauty College’s locations (the home of the $5 manicure). Skittish about going into a salon? Try using a product called Mavala Stop (http://www.mavala-usa.com/11ncare.htm). It promises to make you kick the habit by “warning” you not to put your fingers into your mouth. They say it has a “distinctly bitter” (read: nasty) taste that deters even longtime addicts, and looks like clear enamel.
TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT: If you have been staring at the unemployment numbers and staying in a job that makes you want to stab out your eyeballs, try beefing up your résumé and searching on the sly. The biggest thing to remember is that you shouldn’t work on your résumé or search online for jobs from your current job — unless you’re absolutely sure no one is looking, or checking your computer. But if you don’t have a computer at home, both Phoenix and Maricopa County libraries have computers available free of charge, and most copy shops like Kinko’s offer computer rental and assistance with résumé design. We recommend the New Times classifieds (and we hear other papers have them, too . . . ) as well as online search services (the ones voted best in online polls are below). Many job-search sites also offer online résumé posting, résumé help, and tips on interviewing.
SMOKING
ASH (Arizona Smoker’s Helpline)
1-800-556-6222
Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, and 1 to 5 p.m. on weekends. Services available in English and Spanish on weekdays.
ADHHS Tobacco Education and
Prevention Program
Check out online learning center (link on main page). Library card necessary for access, but you can get a “virtual library card” on the site by clicking “First Time Visitors.”
Philip Morris, USA
Information on the risks of, and how to quit, smoking.
NAILS
PRODUCTS:
Mavala Stop Nail Biting Deterrent
BEAUTY SCHOOLS:
Artistic Beauty Colleges
www.artisticbeautycolleges.com
2978 North Alma School,
Suites 1-3,
Chandler
480-855-7901
2727 West Glendale Avenue,
Phoenix
623-939-8364
Carsten Institute of Hair & Beauty
3345 South Rural,
Tempe
480-491-0449
4415 East Indian School
602-840-4240
Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy
15210 South 50th Street,
Suite 150
480-940-5300
7201 East Camelback,
Scottsdale
602-994-4222
SALONS:
At a Glance
1350 South Longmore, Mesa
480-834-6760
Aveda
7014 East Camelback, Scottsdale
480-941-2333
Candie’s Beauty Salon
5893 West Indian School
623-845-7100
El Salud Belleza
4023 North 15th Avenue
602-277-8458
Kisses Nails
1900 West Chandler Boulevard,
Chandler
480-726-0217
Modelo Hair Salon
6403 North 59th Avenue,
Glendale
623-435-5352
JOB SEARCH
www.monster.com (résumé help, search engine, apply online)
www.hotjobs.com (résumé help, search engine, apply online)
www.hotresumes.com (create profile, post résumé, search engine)
www.job.com (listings and search engine)
www.resumerabbit.com (submit résumé to more than 80 search Web sites at once)
RÉSUMÉ SERVICES:
Kinko’s
Several locations
A Complete Resume Service
1734 West Thomas
602-262-5454
A Professional Resume Service
10210 North 32nd Street, Suite 204
602-788-3121
Arizona Resume Experts
14820 North Cave Creek Road, Suite 14, Phoenix
602-494-1755
Resumes, Etc.
13841 North 19th Avenue, Suite D
602-863-6535
Resumes Plus
11666 North 28th Drive, Suite 224
602-789-1200
TAKING THE PLUNGE: Now that there are no more excuses, it’s time to start making your New Year’s resolution more than something written on a scrap of paper. If you haven’t made one yet, maybe these will inspire you. Whatever you resolve to resolve (even if it’s never to make resolutions), we hope we’ve at least given you a few ideas to get started on making 2004 better. Good luck, and viva la resolution!
