manual
Hand
in the life of ...
A nail technician
Sitting on her couch in Lawrence, 23-year-old Cathy Dinh laughs at comedian Anjelah Johnson's stand-up bit called "nail salon" on YouTube.
Photo illustration by Katherine Mulder
"Hon-nee, why you don't lie-ke? Pedicure it make look na-i. It so sexy. It better for you," says Johnson, imitating a nail technician with a thick "Asian" accent.
The bit highlights the stereotype of nail salon customers not understanding the short and grammatically incorrect speech of nail technicians with an accent.
Color me beautiful Cathy Dinh, nail technician, is aware of customers sometimes stereotyping her profession.
"At first I was so offended by it." Dinh says when it ends, "but then I was like, 'It's so true.'"
Dinh is a nail technician in Lawrence, but she doesn't fit the stereotype. Although she has the dark almond eyes that reflect her heritage and is fluent in Vietnamese, she is also fluent in English. She is from Dodge City and goes to college in Lenexa.
Former coworker and friend of Dinh, Matt Truong, says the boss of Nail Citi discourages workers from talking in Vietnamese. Truong says that the ideal customers are those who feel comfortable and act like themselves. That, Truong says, is what being at a nail salon is all about.
that the workers are talking about them. In reality, she says the co-workers just tease each other.
She currently works at Salon Di Marco,but her experience with the stereotype comes from her years working at Nail Citi. Most Nail Citi employees speak Vietnamese, so that is how they naturally talk to one another. Dinh understands the paranoia customers can have
Katherine Mulder
DIY:
[do it yourself]
Play baccarat
James Bond has strayed from his gambling roots in his recent film, Casino Royale. Bond plays Texas Hold 'em, which is a variation of poker. Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, though, devoted almost an entire chapter to explaining the rules of baccarat in his Casino Royale novel.
Baccarat is not difficult. You play it like you would blackjack, but the number you are hoping for is nine. You get two cards with an option for a third. Face cards and tens are worth zero, and aces are worth one; all other cards are worth their numerical value.
For example, an ace and an eight would equal nine, just as a nine and a queen would equal nine.
There are three major variations of baccarat: Punto Banco, Chemin de Fer and Baccarat Banque. Bond plays Chemin de Fer. In this variation, there is a set of rules for how you must play your cards. If you have an eight or a nine in the first two cards you draw, then you turn them up. This is called a "natural" and you will win unless someone else has a higher natural. You can stand on a seven or
six, meaning you don't have to draw another card. You can choose to stand or not to stand on a five, but if you have four and below then you must draw another card.
Casinos may have house rules, so you should ask the croupier, or dealer, about them before you start gambling.
Adam Schoof
green it! Bum a ride online
Photo by Adam School
Shaken, not stirred: Learn how to baccarat just like James Bond, though it probably won't be as thrilling
Brian Bass was filling up his car with gas and was watching the numbers steadily grow. He came up with an idea for a carpooling website after his patience hit the limit.
Bass created Ridesearch.com, which is a website that connects people with similar commutes with each other. However, instead of making a website with ads for carpooling, he decided to make it more friendly.
"We're more of a social network," Bass says. "By being social, people get to know one another before ever setting foot in a car"
Therefore, you won't have to wonder who you'll be riding with because you can communicate with them extensively beforehand.
If you are looking for an environment where you can only place ads, then Erideshare.com is just that. Craigslist.org also has resources for carpooling ads under "rideshare."
Carpooling saves money in this stagnant economy because you are sharing costs with others. If it makes economic sense for you to give up some of your flexibility in order to save some cash, then you should consider carpooling.
Wei Wu, assistant professor of psychology, prefers carpooling for a variety of reasons. She says it saves her money, cuts greenhouse gases and gives her someone to talk to.
— Adam Schoof
Contributed photo
Dude, where's my car? Save some dough and wear and tear on your car by searching for a carpool online.
February 12,2009
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