And so it begins...

First, here are some updated pictures of my beautiful loves: 

Ellie, my beautiful kitty cat.

Ryott, my sweet and gentle puppy dog. 

And, never before caught on camera:

Kristopher and Ryott cuddling. How cute! 

 

 ***

My law school journey has begun, to some extent. The deans of my law school recommended that we read a book titled, "What Every Law Student Really Needs to Know," by Tracey George and Suzanna Sherry. Here's the cover:

 

 

 This book provides an objective introduction to legal study. The book reviews what to expect in law school, an overview of the government and the American legal system, and techniques, concepts, and strategies to help you succeed in law school and as a lawyer. It also provides different resources that law students can use to help better understand legal theory. I've decided to read a chapter a day (there are only six chapters) and finish within the week. What I've read thus far has been entertaining and informative. I feel like it's providing me with proper insight into what I need to expect on the first day of classes and giving me basic background information that will help me succeed. I'm very thankful that the deans at Belmont suggested I read this book!

***

I've also been interning with the District Attorney General's Office in Clarksville, Tennessee. I've been observing what the District Attorneys do in General Sessions and Circuit Courts. I've observed the behind-the-scenes processes and have been mentored by one of the best Assistant District Attorneys in the area. This internship has been extremely informative and, actually, very fun. It has made me strongly consider public service as a DA as a possible career choice. I think I would find it enjoyable, challenging, and fulfilling. Here's to hoping they will take me on next summer as a full-time intern! 

Take care,

--Nan

Law school

I haven't posted anything on here in quite some time. The honest reason is because I haven't had much to write about. I've read a lot of blog-building websites that have said to give your blog a purpose/vision and I've struggled to find that. However, I have good news! I have decided to turn this into a personal memoir of my law school journey. I plan to post several times a week about my experiences in law school and the law field in general. Once I get started, I will post much more frequently than I have lately. Stay in touch... there is much more to come!

Take care,
--Nan

Ethicists galore

It disturbs me when individuals who are not qualified to write of moral topics do so in a public forum. This is especially troublesome to me when, say, an individual with excellent press credentials - but no background in ethics - writes an article about morality. People will listen to this individual simply because of his or her credentials. Ethics is an extremely complicated field. Ethicists spend years upon years studying the plethora of theories propounded by philosophers across time and space. It is to these individuals that we ought to turn when questions of morality arise - not individuals with simply great press credentials.

The reason I say this is because I recently read this article in which a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist wrote a column about the morality of the use of drones in war. This is a question of just war, of ethics. I looked at this author's biography on the Washington Post website and Googled him, but found no credentials in ethics specifically. This author undoubtedly has had an impressive 25-year career at the Washington Post, but does that make him a qualified ethicist? I think not.

In fact, I found the article to have a very weak argument and even found an informal logical fallacy in it (see if you can find it, too). And let's be honest, if this fallacy were pointed out to him without explanation, would this columnist even know what it meant? I venture to say that an ethicist certainly would, but I'm not so sure that this author would. And that troubles me.

Hopefully I'm incorrect. Hopefully this author has studied philosophy for years and earned a doctorate with a concentration in ethics. That would be great. If that is the case, then I stand corrected. I just can't find that information on him and it troubles me that an individual writes of morality without any real knowledge of ethics. In fact, it seems to me that writing about ethics while standing upon press credentials unrelated to ethics is a morally blameworthy act itself. Any thoughts?

Take care,
--Nan

bluebird

I hope you enjoyed and/or were helped by my skin care post. Writing it made me realize that I need to dedicate more time to my own skin care regimen. I've started using the tanda ZAP I wrote about, but the jury is still out on it. When I reach a verdict, I'll let you know! 

***

As much as I hate to admit this, I'm not a big fan of poetry. I prefer prose. However, I studied Charles Bukowski in college and fell in love with this poem. It's called, "bluebird." I hope you love it, too!

"there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s still singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die

and we sleep together like

that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?"

  ***

In other news, I began reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy this morning. I've wanted to read it for a while now and decided that today was as good a day as any. I doubt I'll have much time to read for pleasure once law school begins in August, so I set a new goal: get as much reading done as possible in the remaining months. August 29th will mark a new chapter in my life and I want to give it my all. The balancing act I wrote of a few weeks ago is going to apply much more once this phase of my life begins. Any suggestions for books to read?

Oh, the things we do for beauty!

I have read so many blogs recently about skin care – what to cleanse with, moisturize with, spot treat with, exfoliate with, etc, etc, etc. For those of you who know me personally (which I assume is all of you at this point), you know that I have struggled with my skin for years. I suffer from cystic acne, which produces large cysts on my face that take weeks - and sometimes months - to subside. I am fortunate in that I have medical insurance that helps cover the costs of the treatments, topicals, and pills that I take to keep my acne under control. I also have a very generous and understanding mother who helps cover the costs of those treatments that are not covered by insurance. With that being said, I am going to review the products and treatments that have worked for me – both the insured and uninsured ones. Please understand that I am not a skin care professional and that you should consult with a skin care professional before beginning any kind of skin care regimen. These are simply my thoughts.

***

First and foremost, I see a dermatologist in Nashville. Dr. Michael Gold of Gold Skin Care is fantastic. He and his staff are extremely up-to-date and knowledgeable on skin care and treating problem areas. Dr. Gold prescribes me three things: two topical gels and an antibiotic. All three of these are available by prescription only. 

Acanya Gel is used to treat mild to severe acne. I apply it once daily all over my face – in the mornings, before I put on makeup – and have seen remarkable results. It now comes in a cute, easy-to-use pump that makes it even better! This product is affordable because of an offer that prevents patients from paying over $25 for the prescription. If you see a dermatologist and Acanya Gel is prescribed, make sure to ask about the offer. 

Although I use the Acanya Gel more often (daily) to treat my acne, Retin-A Micro is another topical ointment prescribed to me that is used to treat acne. I have found that Retin-A Mirco has also helped with my overall complexion, reducing pore size and eliminating blackheads. I don’t use this product every day because it makes my skin peel. I get a little lazy in my use of this product, so I only use it about once a week, but I would recommend using it every other day. It’s a great product and provides great results.

Bactrim is an antibiotic often used in conjunction with topical ointments to treat acne. This antibiotic is used to treat a variety of other ailments, from ear infections to pneumonia, so it is not acne-specific like the topicals are. However, Bactrim provides quick results in the treatment and, in some cases, elimination of acne. I am just now starting back on Bactrim, having taken a break from it for a while because I simply didn’t want to take an antibiotic daily. Unfortunately, I need this antibiotic to keep my skin clear. It treats acne from inside the body, while Acanya and Retin-A treat from the outside.

***

People spend a lot of money on cleansers and moisturizers that guarantee results. I’ve used most of them and have definitely seen these results, but I’ve also seen my pocketbook diminish significantly because of it. I use a simple, over-the-counter cleanser and moisturizer: Cetaphil. 

I use the Cetaphil cleanser at least twice a day in conjunction with the Clarisonic Cleansing System, which I will discuss shortly. This cleanser is highly recommended by dermatologists who actually sell those expensive products themselves. Cetaphil can be found at any drugstore and even Walmart and is usually priced around $10. The Cetaphil brand also offers a moisturizer that I use very infrequently. I have seen great results with the moisturizer, but my skin is naturally very oily, so I simply don’t need it. When I am using Retin-A, however, this moisturizer is a great addition to my skin care regimen. 

 

I cannot express enough how much I love the Clarisonic Cleansing System. I use the Clarisonic Mia, which is a cleansing brush that helps to eliminate dead skin cells to improve skin tone and helps other acne treatments (such as the topicals) to work more effectively. The Clarisonic Mia also comes in a variety of cute colors – I, of course, have the pink one! The Clarisonic Mia is a little pricey at about $150, but I argue that it is worth every penny. It has helped improved my skin tone significantly and makes my skin feel baby-soft after each use. I recommend using it once a day, as it is possible to overdo it if used too often. The Clarisonic brand has a moisturizer to go along with the cleansing brush, but I simply use it with the Cetaphil cleanser previously mentioned. If you purchase the Clarisonic Mia, there are two very important things to remember: you must clean the brush head at least once a week with either antibacterial soap or by boiling it in water and you must replace the brush head about every 90 days or so, as they wear down and aren’t as effective. The brush heads are about $25.  I highly recommend this product. I got it as a Christmas gift and have fallen in love with it. It has helped my face beyond belief. 

Today, I purchased another product used to treat breakouts. It is called the tanda ZAP. From what I understand, it uses blue light, warmth, and vibration to eliminate pimples before they become large and unsightly. You simply place the instrument on the area where you feel a breakout coming up and let it work its magic. Since I just purchased it today, I haven’t used it yet, so I can neither recommend nor argue against the use of this product. I plan on using it over the next few weeks and reviewing it in a later post. The tanda ZAP is priced at $50. I’ll soon see if it was worth it!

***

I have had a variety of procedures done on my face as well. From chemical peels to dermaplaning to laser skin resurfacing, I have done almost all of it – with one exception: microdermabrasion. According to my dermatologist, my skin is very sensitive and microdermabrasion could potentially burst capillaries in my face, so I have never had it done and am thus unable to comment on it. Anyone who has had microdermabrasion done is welcome to comment and provide a review of it. Note that these procedures are not covered by insurance.

Chemical peels are a great way to quickly improve skin tone, acne, fine lines and wrinkles, sun damage, etc. Chemical peels vary in strength, intensity, and process. Some are very strong, some are very painful, some require you to keep a yellow-colored acid on your face for 24 hours, some have no down-time whatsoever, and some cause your face to peel excessively for a week. I highly recommend chemical peels for those who want to improve skin tone without resorting to more invasive procedures. I would start with a light chemical peel and move forward from there in consultation with a skin care professional.

Dermaplaning is a process where an aesthetician takes a razor and scrapes off a layer of your skin. It is not painful at all and produces a radiant look and baby-smooth feel for your face. Some chemical peels include dermaplaning, but the process can be done alone as well and I know many people who have seen great results from dermaplaning alone. I have always had this done in conjunction with a chemical peel, but I have found it to be a great way to improve the texture of your skin.

I have also had laser procedures done on my face to reduce the scarring caused by my acne. I highly recommend the MicroLaser peel, which is a laser peel (hence the name) that resulted in a great reduction of acne scarring on my own face. Your face is numbed with topical anesthetic before the procedure, but there is some pain associated with it. It is not, however, unbearable by any means. Your face will be red and inflamed for 3 to 6 days, depending on the depth of the peel, so you will experience some downtime and discomfort, but it is worth it. Aqua Colour Lounge in Clarksville, Tennessee offers the MicroLaser peel. This is where I have had it done and I have found Aqua’s aestheticians to be exceptional. I have absolutely loved the results of the peel. It improves skin tone, texture, fine lines/wrinkles, acne, scarring, etc. The price of this peel varies from place to place, but is worth the cost if you want fabulous skin! By the way, Aqua offers chemical peels, too, if you’re not ready for the laser.

I have had the Fractional Laser done six times at a medical spa in Nashville. For this procedure, the face is also numbed, but I found it to be extremely (almost unbearably) painful and did not see the same level of results as I did from the MicroLaser peel. From what I understand – and remember that I am not a professional – the Fractional Laser is supposed to be more invasive and produce more significant results than the MicroLaser, but I found the MicroLaser peel to produce far superior results on my own skin. However, this may not be true for other skin types – and I am not a skin care professional. These are just my own observations.

When I experience cystic acne – which is quite frequently – I have the cysts injected with a steroid. This sounds awfully painful. Imagine: injecting a solution into an already-inflamed and tender area. Depending on the area of the face, it can, in fact, be extremely uncomfortable, but it also knocks out cysts very quickly. If cystic acne troubles you, I recommend it despite the pain.

***

As far as skin care goes, that’s about all I can tell you. Again, please remember that I am not a skin care professional and am only offering my suggestions based merely on my own experience and my own regimen. If you have any questions about these products/procedures, feel free to ask me - or more assuredly, Google them to learn more. Please feel free to critique and/or offer other skin care suggestions. The more, the merrier!

Take care,

--Nan

As of late

I haven't posted anything lately because I honestly haven't been able to think of anything interesting to write about. I have this idea that every blog post should somehow be unique and never-before thought of. I had this problem in college with philosophy papers. I wanted to write a philosophy paper full of original thoughts and ideas. Unfortunately, there have been hundreds of men and women across time and space who have already thought of the things I came up with in my philosophy papers. What I learned is that it's not necessarily about coming up with an original idea, but more importantly, it's about clarifying and critiquing the ideas that have been around for ages. Once I learned that, I was able to write very impressive philosophy papers, one of which was published in Stance, an international undergraduate philosophy journal published through Ball State University. My paper is available to view online at this website.

I found a printable poster on a blog called eighteen25. It's a unique blog that offers fun and crafty ideas. Anyway, I found this printable poster and felt creative that day, so I had it printed, framed, placed it on an easel, and set up a shelf in my kitchen to put it on (with the help of my lovely maintenance man, of course). Here's how it turned out:

Isn't it cute? I absolutely love it! My boyfriend said it was "nice," which was more than I expected from him. In case you can't read it, it says, "What I love most about my home is who I share it with." Eighteen25 is definitely a blog worth checking out.

I've been spending time thinking of ways to furnish and decorate my apartment. Thanks to my boyfriend's mother, we now have a table and two chairs to add to our kitchen. I had my father sand them and I painted them black to match the kitchen. Here's how they turned out:

Beautiful, if I do say so myself!

That's all I've been doing lately. I'm spending my time relaxing, reading, and mentally preparing myself for the next three years of law school. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see me write about. I love writing, but as I said earlier, I struggle to come up with ideas because of my tendency to want to be original all the time.

The balancing act

First, here's a picture of my cute animals:

The black cat is Ellie. She is a rescue cat that my boyfriend got me for Christmas and she's about 9 months old. The beautiful Border Collie is Ryott. She's actually my boyfriend's dog, but I claim her anyways.  She's about 3 and 1/2 years old. They're both precious animals and they absolutely love each other. It's cute to watch them play together. I'll try to get a video of it to post on here at some point.

As I have said in previous posts, I'm spending my summer relaxing and getting the new apartment set up, but soon, I'll be busier than ever and will need to learn ways to keep myself focused to ensure that I'm giving law school 100%. When I graduate from law school, I want to know that I've tried my hardest and have no regrets. I've been thinking more and more about the importance of balance in one's life and I think this will become especially important from this point on.

A healthy balance in one's life is a very difficult thing to achieve. Between school, work, family, friends, significant others, hobbies, social commitments, etc., it takes a very self-aware person to perform this delicate balancing act. I am far from competent at doing such a thing. In fact, I naturally tend to immerse myself in one activity/thought/task/duty and let my other commitments nearly fall to the wayside, so to speak. This is, of course, the opposite of what I suggest we all learn to do and I'm hoping that writing these blog posts will help me sort out ways to successfully achieve balance. Everyone needs balance in their lives.

So how do we do it? My answer is self-awareness and an understanding of eudaimonia, but this is a very vague answer and of course needs elucidation. I'm not ready to give a full answer yet. I am going to start seeing a woman who specializes in teaching mindfulness, which is - in a nutshell - the Buddhist practice of self-awareness, both physically and mentally. As I begin to learn mindfulness and all that it entails, I will continue to write about this subject. I think the practice of mindfulness may be essential to learning balance in my own life and, hopefully, can help you to achieve such a state as well.

Take care,
--Nan

Communication

As I said in my last post, I will be starting law school in August. I'm excited and nervous all wrapped up into one, but I'm confident that I have the work ethic and ability to do well in my field. I'm spending the summer relaxing and trying to prepare myself for the next three years. I want to find some hobbies for myself that will occupy me this summer and serve as a means of relaxation during law school. Of course, I love reading and writing. I also, in fact, enjoy indoor rock climbing, but I'm looking for something a little less expensive than a rock climbing membership. Any ideas are more than welcome.

Relationships are complicated, but one thing I've learned over the years is that communication and honesty are the most important factors in a relationship. If you don't have them, you don't really have a relationship. Can people communicate too much, though? Can you be too honest with your partner? For instance, if your partner told you that he or she would like to see you lose some weight or wear makeup more often, should you be offended by such statements or understand that he or she is simply trying to communicate feelings and be honest with you? It's easy to say, "You should love me the way I am." Yes, that's true. I want my boyfriend to love me for me. I've done some thinking on this, though. What I also want in a partner is someone who will push me to be a better person in ways that I wouldn't naturally push myself.  I want someone who will help me work harder and accomplish more. I want someone who will encourage me to stay fit and look nice.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is tact. I believe you should be as honest as humanly possible with your partner, and if you feel they have gained too much weight or need to work harder at a task, it seems to me that you - as the partner - have an obligation to tell him or her. You ought to tell your partner how you feel and what you'd like to see your partner work on. You just have to approach it properly. You must understand that feelings might get hurt and you must remain as sensitive as possible to those feelings. In the end, if you can successfully communicate such things with your partner, you'll have a better, more fulfilling relationship than ever before. So to answer my initial questions: yes, you can be too honest with your partner if you're not tactful, but if you use tact and common sense, the more honesty the better.

Take care,
--Nan

Eudaimonia and other things

I've never been one to keep journals. This is quite possibly due to a "traumatic" childhood experience courtesy of my brother, who read my diary in first grade and made fun of me for it (haha). I've only tried blogging one time - when I was about sixteen - and I made a few posts and simply gave it up. I'm going to try to handle this one differently, as I'd like to see a different outcome. I'd like to see this blog evolve into something I update frequently and something both myself and others come to value. I don't know where it's heading, but hopefully you'll read and enjoy along the way.

I don't know proper blog etiquette, but I feel like I should first introduce myself. I'm Nan. That handsome man in the picture with me is my boyfriend, Kris. We've been dating for about two and a half years and I think I'll keep him. I studied philosophy in college and will be starting law school in August. I'm not the most interesting or charming person I know, but I like who I've become and I think that, in the end, that's what really matters.

In my personal statement for law school applications, I started off with the quote by Epictetus: "First, say to yourself who you are; then, do what you have to do." I then cleverly (thanks to my friend James) talked about all of the things I could tell them about myself (like my love for Edward Cullen and Nicholas Sparks novels), but ultimately determined that there was one thing that really defined me: I am a philosopher. I always have been and I always will be. That's why I named my blog what I did: Eudaimonia Nan. For all of you non-philosophers out there, "eudaimonia" is a transliterated Greek word that is often translated as "happiness," but is more appropriately described as "human well-being or human flourishing." It is what the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle determined was the ultimate goal of human life.

Eudaimonia. It's been an important word for me since I read Nicomachean Ethics (one of Aristotle's great works) about four or five years ago. According to Aristotle, eudaimonia is achieved by very few, but all can aspire to it by living life according to a specific rule: always choose the mean between the extremes. I've found this principle to be very helpful in life. Don't lean towards extremes. Instead, choose the moderate path. Of course, there's a lot more to it than that, but to be succinct, the concept of eudaimonia has great meaning to me and has helped me get to where I am today.

And in case you were wondering, it's pronounced "you-DIE-moh-NEE-uh."

Eudaimonia.

Take care,
--Nan