We’re finally heading into spring and out of cold and flu season. Have you survived the winter without getting sick? If so, hooray! If not, you might want to learn a secret or two from Gene Stone, author of The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick.

As someone who is constantly sick throughout winter, spring, summer, and fall, I’m probably the last person who should be sharing their secret. But believe it or not, I do have a secret to not getting (as) sick: hand sanitizer.

Wait! My secret isn’t to use hand sanitizer, it’s to not use it. The idea was planted in my brain when I first moved to New York City. My friend would compulsively squeeze a drop of Purell into her hands before, during, and after every subway ride we took. At first, I held out my hand every time I saw her reach into her bag, but I quickly stopped using hand sanitizer when we both came down with swine flu in early October.

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I should warn: This is a bit of a selfish blog post. Seeing as I will be starting college this fall, I have been gathering as much information as I can about classes, activities, social life, etc. Unfortunately, this means that I spend an unhealthy amount of time on College Confidential and Rate My Professor. This obsession is also why a book entitled College in a Nutskull caught my eye while I was perusing the book room a few days ago. If you’re not familiar with this book, it is essentially a compilation of hilarious factual errors and is quite simply, sublime.

As funny as this book is, I had expected a how-to book and was surprised when it turned out not to be. So I figured, why not seek how-to advice about college from Workman people? The following is a short list of great advice. You may not be in college anymore but hopefully you find this pertinent to some aspect of your life (for example, knowing how to do laundry is very important).

Some wise nuggets:

I think anyone would agree—this is sound advice. Workman people must be pretty smart!

Also recommended to me for my college transition were The College Cookbook  and The Girl’s Guide to Absolutely Everything, which may conveniently go missing right around the time I leave Workman for school this fall…

 -Zatio (Rising Frosh)

Hi There,

I’m Zatio. I’ve been interning at Workman for a few weeks, spending time in various departments, and helping out with different tasks. I’ve worked in special sales, gift sales, and now, editorial. This has been a wonderful experience that has given me a glimpse of what real, adult life is like. I just graduated from high school and am heading off to college (already!) in August.

I have lived in New York for my whole life. It would be fair to call me a true New Yorker. As a result of this, I know how to get around the city. I am accustomed to crowds, small spaces, smog, and traffic. And there is nowhere else I would rather live. This also means that I am often impatient, easily incensed, and quick to complain—especially about New York City. These characteristics are why I found this particular project so interesting. As you’ll see from the following survey, everyone has different feelings about this city. But, I think, even through our gripes and frustrations, we love this place for all its quirks.

In the spirit of a pair of Workman books: Don’t You Just Hate That? and 14,000 Things to Be Happy About, we’ve decided to make a special Workman collection of loves and hates related to New York City. The following is a list of some funny, some serious, and some curious pet peeves and best things about the Big Apple.

—Zatio (a proud New Yorker)