New York Times on the PR catastrophes of BP, Toyota, Goldman Sachs

Very interesting article after the jump. JUMP!

What is good public relations?

"The goal is not to get people not to hate them. It’s to get people to hate them less.” -Eric Dezenhall, communications strategist, Washington D.C.

So Good: Put your foot in it...

"Boot with lace-up front" by Gianvito Rossi

Retail: $1,423.85

Where to live: Belltown

Keeping the optimistic perspective that once I graduate I will eventually find a job and be able to move out of my parents' house within a year--I would love to be able to rent a small studio in downtown Seattle! I have therefore been trying to do some research about possible living situations that would meet most of my predetermined criteria. Knowledge is power; I think that being informed will give me a decent edge when I go on the hunt for my first place!

I have therefore compiled a list of various apartment communities and have arranged them in descending order based on both my personal preferences and ratings on Apartmentfinder.com and various other review sites.

MY PREFERENCES:

-Safety (Belltown is the center of Seattle's nightlife...and has a bit of a crime problem; for living in this neighborhood--security is definitely my main concern. A lot of apartments that I vetoed did not offer enough secured access and online reviews commented on drug dealings/homeless loitering/prostitution propositions occurring in their lobbies. For living in Belltown, I would say you cannot judge a book by its cover. Apartment communities (like Moda) may look swanky and promise to cater to the Bohemian/hipster lifestyle, but really their debts and lack of resources cannot compensate for their unsubstantiated promises of security and dependability.

-Price

-Size

-Amenities (Although, considering my price range, having a washer/dryer in unit would be exceedingly hopeful-- it would be awesome...)

-Policies (I want a puppy!)

THE WINNERS:

1. Avalon Belltown

Address: 2800 Western Ave.

Studio: 463 sq. feet, Price: $900?

1-bedroom: 742 to 862 sq. feet, Price: $1,200 to $1,500

Pros: Full kitchen--include microwave and dishwasher; Walk in closets; Pet friendly; Fitness center; Gated entrance; Controlled access to parking garage; washer and dryer in apartment!

Cons: Some tenants' reviews stated that the apartments lacked appropriate ventilation; were overpriced (Let's face it--everything in Belltown is going to be overpriced!); slow elevators, etc.

2. Archstone Belltown

Address:  500 Wall St.

Studio: 423 to 507 sq. feet, Price: $800 to $1,000

1-bedroom: 659 sq. feet to 851 sq. feet, Price: $1,000 to $1,300

Pros: Hardwood floors; walk-in closets; sweet views (Sound, Lake Union, Space Needle, downtown); Pet-friendly; large rooftop garden; walking distance to downtown, market, etc; pretty secure.

Cons: Laundry on-site; older building; spotty internet access.

3. Metropolitan Tower

Address: 1942 Westlake Ave.

Studio: 511 to 639 sq. feet, Price: $$$

1-bedroom: 751 to 1114 sq. feet, Price: $$$$ 

Pros: Super secure; excellent location (hooray for shopping!); live in downtown without the risk of being shot; a/c in every unit; pet friendly.

Cons: You would have to sell your soul to afford to live here.

I'm trying this tomorrow!

Confessions of a Shoe-a-holic...

Time to clean out the shoe closet..all of this came out of a 3x2 closet...Good Will, here I come!

So Good: Put your foot in it...

  "Leather pump" by Gianmarco Lorenzi

Retail: $698

Keeping up: Linkedin for Dummies

It seems that whenever I get up to date on some sort of networking channel, another one pops up that I have never heard of, but everyone I know already has and is an expert on!

Right now, that's the case for me as a new member of Linkedin and I am definitely in need of this video! Hopefully, I will soon be just as savvy as my friends!

"New" furniture, new life

Hope chest (still drying!) with new, nonfunctional pulls

Old pine nightstand with new pewter pulls!

Back when I was in high school, dreaming about the day when I would be out on my own and in a small apartment in the city, I always imagined that someday I would decorate that apartment with the espresso colored furniture I would see in the Pottery Barn magazines. While there's no way I'm going to be boasting a Pottery Barn kind of budget any time in the near (or distant) future, I do happen to have a lot of unfinished pine furniture and wood stain is $9 at Home Depot!

Considering that this could very well be my last summer living at home, I have commandeered the garage for the past week and have been sanding and staining and drilling and screwing my way toward faux fancy living!

With my nightstand and hope chest finished and drying, all that remains is the monstrosity of a dresser I have had for over 20 years. The beast is solid wood, hand made by an old carpenter at least 30 years ago--the problem with trying to refinish it is that the dresser is made out of several different kinds of wood...so staining the whole thing does not seem to be an option...the plan for the moment is to stain the frame and top "espresso" and paint the drawers "sandwashed driftwood"...

This whole project is going to be a headache, but I will persevere!

Now what?

With that damn countdown ticking away in the corner and my checking account draining away at about the same distressing speed, now's the time to figure out the answer to two pesky questions I have been determinedly trying to ignore: "What am I going to do?" and "where am I going to live?"

Up at campus I hear a lot of my classmates asking themselves these exact same questions. As for what to do, (though like me, they differ from day to day) the answers du jour are: "grad school", "internship" and "any job I can find." In slightly-less-differing comparison, the response offered in terms of living situation is echoed among most of my graduating class-- "moving back home with the parents."

In the Moneywatch video above, all of the students interviewed said they would want to give themselves the deadline of one year to move out of their parents house after college. In avoiding the Italian lifestyle choice of living at home until I'm in my thirties, I am also shooting to be out of the house and in my own place asap after getting that bachelor's degree.

Lately, much of my parents' generation has been suggesting that I look for a tiny apartment somewhere in Kent/Auburn/Renton and commute to Seattle for work--while I can see this as being very practical, it is really cramping my dreams of getting the hell out of the valley and into an cramped, overpriced studio apartment in the city surrounded hobos, prostitutes, drug dealings and the soothing sounds of incessant construction. Call it a lifestyle choice, but I want what I want; the only breaking point to living in such luxury might be my budget.

Which is why I will be introducing a new segment about the best apartment complexes (offering the best value, amenities, security, access) from a few of the various Seattle neighborhoods. I am always looking for advice, so anyone with insight into Seattle living, your comments would be greatly appreciated!

I love these videos...

So Good: Put your foot in it...

"Metal flower pumps" by Stella McCartney

Retail: $795

Basic Beer Bread

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups self rising flour
2. 1/4 cup sugar
3. 1 1/2 cups grated cheese
4. 1, 12 oz bottle of beer--room temperature

Directions:

1. Using a wooden spoon, mix ingredients together one at a time. (Be very careful not to over mix, you want it to be lumpy!)
2. Dump into greased loaf pan, bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean.
3. Serve warm or toasted. Enjoy!

*Taste will vary based on selected beer. While I haven't tried it, I would guess that darker beers--like a porter--might be more appropriate*

Recipe source: My grandma

Public relations a la British Petroleum

Slingback Scoops: August 2, 2010

"Leopard Suede Strap Slingback" by Christian Louboutin

• New York Times claims iPad RSS app in violation of terms of use. Mashable

• The value of Facebook fans: quality vs. quantity. The Social Media Examiner

• Hugh Hefner...ever the feminist...The Huffington Post

• Are you using social media to its full potential? How effective is your outreach? Communique PR

• Elderly couple hit by car running red light in lower Queen Anne. Queen Anne View

• Dinner For Schmucks fails to live up to potential of comedic ensemble cast. The Stranger

PR papa, Edward Bernays, on Letterman

This is precisely why I want a doctorate...in anything

So Good: Put your foot in it...

"Lace platform pump" by Giambattista Valli

Retail: $$$

Head Over Heels: Giambattista Valli