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I just got these post earrings in a purple, and like the rest of the Alexis Bittar lucite collection they did not disappoint — they're such a vibrant, saturated shade. They're post earrings, but about 2-3x the size of regular post earrings so the bottom half of the triangle dangles a bit, which also feels ever-so-slightly edgy. Love!
Nordstrom has them on sale right now in neon pink and blue for $75 (marked down from $125, which the neon yellow ones are still priced at.) You can also find my purple ones still on sale for $63 at Alexis Bittar.
Sales of note for 8.30.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off full-price purchase; $99 jackets, dresses & shoes; extra 50% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Final Days Designer Sale, up to 75% off; extra 20% off sale
- Boden – 20% off
- Brooks Brothers – Extra 25% off clearance
- Eloquii – Up to 60% off everything; extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide; extra 60% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Extra 20% off orders $125+; extra 60% off clearance; 60%-70% off 100s of styles
- Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off (ends 9/2)
- Madewell – Extra 40% off sale; extra 50% off select denim; 25% off fall essentials
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Rothy's – End of season sale, up to 50% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear in the big sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 25% off regular-price purchase; 70% off clearance
- White House Black Market – Up to 70% off sale
Anon
What websites do you check every day?
Anonymous
This one (it’s the closest thing to social media in my life, lol), a couple of news sites, one or two fashion blogs, and pinterest.
Anonymous
this one, NYT, local paper. I visit my 7th grader’s grades every few days because they say if there are missing assignments. I check Mint every few days.
Anon88
Same except the grades. This one, NYT, Local newspaper.
Anon
Here, moms page, a few sub-r3ddits of interest, probably Facebook although I don’t post, just look
Anon
This one and N*ked Capitalism
Runcible Spoon
This one, Zillow, USAJobs, Apartment Therapy (every several days), CNN, and Huffington Post. I subscribe to the paper NY Times (one of the last surviving dinosaurs!).
Anon
Financial question…I have some money in I-bonds that just hit the one year mark. The current rate is 4.3% but if I withdraw now I lose the last 3 months of interest. My savings account however is currently 4.75. I kind of want to withdraw and just move to my savings account so everything’s in one place…worth it?
Anon
Probably. But there are advantages to I-Bonds beyond the interest rate. If you’re below a certain income level and you use the money for education, all the growth is tax-free. So if you have or anticipate having kids and qualify based on income, that’s a good reason to leave the I-Bond alone.
OP
Interesting, I didn’t know that! Unfortunately it looks like our HHI is above the threshold.
Anonymous
My own analysis re iBonds: you can only put a max of $10k in each year, so if they go up again (and or savings accounts go down) you’ll be able to add additional stuff to what you already have in there. I’m planning on leaving them in for a few months at least.
Anonymous
I Bonds are also a hedge against future inflation, gains are untaxed until realized, and are exempt from state and local tax upon realization. The answer here depends upon your other holdings and future plans. TIPS may also help h dge against inflation (and even be better than I bonds), but they are more complicated.
Anon
Billing your time on slow days is the literal worst. That is all.
No Face
I like slow days because I just stop working early and do something else. This is the advantage of the billable hour – I will make it up later!
Anon
But if you don’t have a billable hour, you can just stop and don’t have to make it up later. I don’t see how billing is an advantage here.
Anon
Yup. This is why I hate billing.
No Face
In my mind, in-house counsel have people randomly adding meetings to their calendar so you have to be available during business hours. Maybe this isn’t true for many of you though!
No Problem
Depends how your company is structured wrt timekeeping. We have to have 40 hours on our timesheet each week, whether billable to clients, billable to internal codes, or PTO/holiday. So slow days mean either you better have some internal stuff to do or you’re taking time off whether you want to or not.
Cora
Yeah this is how its been for me in the past. So slow weeks are hard. You have to put something for those 40 hours and it has to be reasonable, but also my boss used to not like it if you put on too much internal work.
Anon
Do you wear a smart watch, a regular watch, or no watch? How do you feel about having constant connection to technology via your wrist?
NY CPA
I have a fitbit that I use as my watch. It alerts me to texts and calls (have to switch to phone to answer) but doesn’t have any other connection to the outside world, so I dont really feel bothered by it. I wanted to use the fitbit anyways and so combining with its watch functionality just made sense.
Anon
Smart watch, but I don’t have any notifications to/from my phone enabled except for transmitting workout data and steps via Garmin Connect.
Anon
Same here. I specifically didn’t get an Apple Watch bc I didn’t want texts and whatnot to come through.
Anon
Same here.
Anon
+1 a Garmin watch, which I love, but the only phone-related notifications I get are calls. And that’s actually quite handy if I’m not immediately near my phone. I don’t want any other notifications at all.
Anonymous
I kill watches, so nothing right now. I am currently on the lookout for a nice old-school wind-up watch.
Back in the day I used to carry a wind-up pocket watch but it got lost in a move at some point…
Anonymous
Regular watch. I don’t need that much information, and would really only want an app watch to (1) count steps and (2) help me find my iPhone. That hardly seems worth the cost. I have a Fitbit that I wear when I’m exercising/at the pool/doing yard work, but I’m not great about charging it.
Anon
I wear a Garmin. I’m an amateur triathlete so wanted a watch with a more sophisticated fitness tracker than Fitbit or Apple Watch. I get some, but not all, notifications to my watch. I can’t respond via watch, I need my phone for that.
H13
I wear a Garmin and don’t have any notifications enabled. I use it for fitness as well as a plain old watch and pedometer. I don’t want the constant connection.
Anon
Timex Ironman (women’s version). I do not want things I own “talking” to each other. I don’t want to turn on my dishwasher with my watch or have my fridge tell my phone when to order more milk or my doorbell tell my thermostat when to turn on. Just. Make. It. All. Stop.
Anon
Same.
Anonymous
Yep, same.
ArenKay
Fourthed! Dumb watches for the win.
Anonymous
Smartwatch, but it stays on silent so it doesn’t alert me when I get calls/texts. I like it for step/fitness tracking (because it reminds me that I need to move more, especially on days when I work from home and look down at lunch and have all of 1,000 steps), and because I ride horses, sometimes alone, and want the SOS/fall detect feature.
Anonymous
I have an old school watch. It’s helpful for tracking times at meetings (less obtrusive than looking at a phone) and I don’t want to be tethered to another device.
Jane
I absolutely LOVE my apple watch! I have owned fitbit, samsung watch and other similar contraptions for the last 13 years and this is the only thing that has made me consistent about closing my rings. I love that i can look for my phone easily with it, even if on silent. And also love that I dont have to carry my phone to the bathroom or while gardening coz i can keep an eye on whether theres an emergency with the kids or anything urgent at work has come through. The watch is the only reason I switched to Apple after 15+ years of resisting it.
Anon
No watch. I used to wear an analog watch but it got in the way while typing. My job has me in front of a computer 9 hours a day so I don’t see the point, I know what time it is. Occasionally I’ll wear a nice watch on weekends as an accessory. Hot take: smart watches are unattractive and dumb down any outfit. I see the value while exercising but on a daily basis I think they look ridiculous on adults.
Anonymous
i’m on my second Apple Watch. I primarily use it to find my phone, count steps, and occasionally check the weather or messages if I’m out and about. You can choose which notifications you want to receive, and which apps you do or don’t want installed, so I don’t feel like it’s a constant connection to technology. I really like the haptic meditation thingy.
Vicky Austin
I’ve had a Fitbit and an old-fashioned watch as well. I’m over the Fitbit and thinking about selling it, and my old-fashioned watch appears to have gone missing in our move, which I am sad about.
Anon
Analog watch (citizen). I don’t want to be that connected to my phone and I don’t want to quantify how many steps I take, etc. I just want to… live my life.
Anon
I don’t wear any kind of watch because I prefer jewelry and can always find the time on my phone.
I’m against smart watches because every person I’ve known who wears one is halfway distracted by all the notifications during meetings or lunches or whatever. I know for a fact that I would become that exact person given a smart watch, so it’s not for me.
Anon
I think of my watches (analog) as jewelry and love the the look.
Cat
Mine too – I think of it as a daily bracelet that happens to be practical too!
anon
+ Also against smart watches. I have an apple watch. Honestly, if I’m far enough away from my phone (which is typically always with me) there’s a reason and I don’t need my watch pinging me, too. It drove me nuts. Also, everyone checks them in meetings. It’s no longer stealth the way it was when they first rolled out. Everyone has one and they’re annoying AF.
Anon
I have a vintage (25 yo) Longines that I wore every day for 24 years, and then it stopped keeping time. I MISS IT SO MUCH. I am so sick of not knowing what time it is if I don’t have my phone in my hand. I finally took it to a new repair guy, and he wants $395 to repair it. That seems like so much money. He told the woman who called me with the price to tell me its replacement value is $2000. That’s crazy. I only have it because my husband found a good deal on it when we were young and poor, and a jewelry store was going out of business or something. There’s no way we could have afforded the 1995 equivalent of $2000 for a watch. Anyway, I told them a week ago I would think about it, and I’m still thinking.
Anonymous
Repair it if you love it. That’s still about half the cost of even a grey-market new Longines.
Anon
That doesn’t seem crazy for an experienced professional with specialized skills to repair a $2,000 watch.
Anon
Got an apple watch for my birthday and I took it back. No to the Skinner box! I wear a regular watch.
Runcible Spoon
Regular watch — a Cartier Tank knock-off that looks the same, but cost only about $60. I’m hard on watches, smacking the watch crystals and so forth, so best to get either a super-sturdy watch or the equivalent of a disposable watch (like a Swatch!) that can be replaced when it gets too beat up. I got tired of fishingout my mobile phone to check the time, and as someone else mentioned here, it is much easier to use to check the time in meetings subtley.
Anon
I swap between a Coros running watch with a fun braided rainbow band and a Cartier Tank. My Coros can get notifications, but I have them all turned off. I use it for fitness and running tracking (and of course the time). The Tank comes with me to work things (I work from home) and any event where I wear something other than athleisure and I am not worried about it being damaged (I am hard on things).
Anonymous
I wear a watch because I find looking at my phone for the time to be distracting and I don’t want to have to carry the phone on my person at all times for that purpose. I currently wear an Apple Watch with all notifications turned off. I enjoy being able to see how far and how fast I have walked. I also like having the weather on the watch face. Once in a blue moon I use it to find where in the house I set down my phone. I use a couple of fitness apps, the navigation app for walking directions, and the track controls when streaming music to a speaker. I do not use the watch as a communication device. I am, however, considering getting cell service on the next one so I don’t have to haul my phone along in case I need to make an emergency call while running, walking the dog, paddleboarding, etc.
If I could justify spending the money I’d buy a fancy automatic watch for non-athletic wear, probably a Breitling or an Omega. Something stainless steel on the larger side that an astronaut might wear. I have an old quartz Tag that I loved for a few years but it didn’t hold up well and it isn’t large enough to look current. College tuition, new car, and home reno are all higher on the priority list, though.
Anonymous
I was analog all the way, but my mental health was in the tank and I needed to get a handle on my sleeping stats, so I ordered a European watch called a Withings. It’s an analog watch with a small digital display about the size of the tip of your pinky. It monitors your sleep, counts your steps, is FDA approved to monitor heart rhythms, and has a morning alarm that vibrates on your wrist (super helpful for me). It only needs charging about once every 3 weeks because it’s mostly an analog watch with some digital functions for health monitoring. (The watch has been available for years in the EU but is relatively new in the US because FDA approval for the heart beat thing took ages.) You can send texts to it, but I didn’t want that level of connectivity and I certainly don’t want to read a text word by word on an itty bitty screen.
FLEAS
Help! We determined our dog and cat have fleas last week, picked up from either visiting mice or the cat’s trip to the emergency vet (he is an indoor cat, so we have never bothered with flea and tick medicine, and the dog gets hers at the beginning of the month and I assume it wore off). So far we have treated them each with a topical, at the advice of the vet they have taken the Capstar pill for two days that is supposed to kill fleas instantly, we have combed with a flea comb with basically no success, the dog has been bathed twice (before getting the topical and 3 days after), we have washed all bedding multiple times, locked them out of most rooms, and vacuumed over and over again the rooms they are in. We are also stepping up the mouse traps and caught one last night. I thought we were in the clear but found a dead flea this morning and my husband thinks he saw another one on the dog. We gave them each a Capstar pill again. I am in despair that we will be in this cycle forever. Any advice or anything I am missing?
Anon
You probably need to get a pest control place to come over and treat your house, unfortunately. I had a flea infestation once and we thought we would never get on top of it. The pest place came over several times to treat at different life stages of the flea because apparently they’re pretty resistant during certain stages.
It is a very upsetting and difficult problem. Luckily, it just took the one round of several visits for us, but the do-it-yourself stuff didn’t work at all.
Also one way to test to see if you still have them is to set up a night light with a bowl of water and dish soap under it. The fleas will jump into the water and won’t be able to get out due to the soap. This won’t eradicate them but it will help you know how it’s going.
Anon
You have hatching eggs in your house. They don’t live long without a host so as each egg hatches it will latch onto one of your pets and then die. At some point they’ll all be gone. You can bug bomb if you’re comfortable with it but those don’t kill the eggs anyway. (Yes, I know they say they do.)
Anon
Longer acting feed through flea products are the best for getting a handle on things. Bravecto, Nexgard, etc are the products to look for, available through your vet. They’re spendy, but worth it.
As far as the house goes, it’ll take a bit, because the eggs in your carpets need to hatch out and die.
Anonymous
We had to get this spray from the vet along with everything else that I think we had to do three times before we finally got rid of them. Fleas are brutal!
Amelia Pond
We had to get this spray from the vet along with everything else that I think we had to do three times before we finally got rid of them. Fleas are brutal!
Anon
I have gotten rid of fleas in my house before by dusting with Sevin. You have to be sure to get the base boards, let it sit for a few hours, and vacuum; repeat a week or so later. Sevin is cheap and quite safe as far as pesticides go.
Anon
If you have given them Capstar, then the fleas no longer have a host and will die out. Might be a few still hatching but they won’t live long and the vaccuming will kill them.
Just keep up the monthly treatments and vaccuming.
I flea bombed my place six years ago and still regret it as it gave me multiple chemical sensitivity and now I can’t tolerate any fly spray and a number of perfumes.
Anonymous
I would buy something like PT Alpine incesticide and spray it inch by inch through every room. It kills fleas and eggs. Wash all linens in hot water again. Vacuum everything but spray the can outside if you don’t have a bag system. I can’t remember the frequency for spraying the house but you have to be diligent and methodical to get every space. Otherwise, call an exterminator so they can come back every few weeks to spray. And continue with the capstar.
Horse Crazy
Looking for suggestions for a new jacket. I was looking through my closet this weekend and realized that all I have for cold weather is my Guess wool coat – so nothing for wearing on a chilly walk or a run to the grocery store, when I’m not dressing up. I do live in California, so my “cold” weather is probably the low 30s. What jackets do you all wear in this type of weather? Preferably something I can get at REI, Macys, or Nordstrom. I have a couple of fleece jackets, but I’d love something I can’t feel a chilly wind through.
Horse Crazy
Forgot to add – I have a warm raincoat, so I’m looking for something for cool but dry weather.
Anon
It sounds like you have it covered then, I don’t know why you need a third or fourth different coat.
Horse Crazy
Because I’d like another one that’s not my raincoat…
anon
I wear packable insulated jackets like the Patagonia nano puff. REI has many variations by other brands as well: Cotopaxi, the North Face, REI house brand etc.
anon
Yeah, I’d just go to REI and try on a bunch.
Anonymous
If you are cold in a fleece I’d wear a wool coat
No Problem
I have a lightweight puffer from Gap (it’s the upcycled puffer, not sure if they have them available for purchase yet this year, but probably). It nicely fills the niche of weather between about 30-50 degrees (maybe even a bit colder) and is fairly windproof. I followed the reviewers’ advice and sized up and am glad I did. It’s also machine washable and has held up for multiple winters and several washes so far.
Senior Attorney
I love my lightweight Uniqlo puffer.
anon
Lightweight puffer. I have a no-name one from Target and it’s been a surprising workhorse. Perfect for when it’s 30-50 degrees because it doesn’t let the wind through.
Anon
I also live in California, and I get a lot of use out of Uniqlo down vests, because I can wear them over one or multiple layers
Anon
+1 except I’m cheap and mine are from 32 degrees.
Anonymous
I have a Columbia coat I wear at that temp. It’s one of the ones with the removable lining. It’s pretty good for wind chill at that temp, and nice enough that I can wear it to nice places.
Runcible Spoon
You could consider looking at what is called a “car coat,” that is, a 3/4 or half-length wool cloth coat, often available from Talbots and that sort of store. Or a British-style waxed-canvas barn-type jacket (like a Barbour jacket).
Anonymous
I like my quilted jackets for this. Ralph Lauren.
Anon
I love Alexis Bittar jewelry!
Any good second anniversary ideas? I think the traditional gift is cotton. I’m usually pretty good with birthday and Christmas gifts, but so far anniversary gifts leave me stumped.
Anonymous
I think I gave my husband some tool or other he wanted for our second. We haven’t done gifts in a number of years and never did the traditional thing…
I would say treat it the way you would Xmas or birthday and just find something he would like.
Anonymous
I think by our second or third anniversary we realized that all the crap we’d gotten each other for our first anniversary was just trash-in-waiting, so we just decided to spend the money on a really swanky dinner instead.
anon
Same. We celebrate, but not with gifts.
Anon
I like this idea! But my husband is definitely going to get me something tangible, even if small, and he’ll be expecting the same. But a smaller gift seems easier to decide on to me.
Cat
we don’t adhere to the ‘rules’ and prefer to splurge on travel to mark anniversaries, etc – just in case you’re looking for permission not to spend the next 50 years deciding what “crystal” means for a man, etc.
however, for cotton and small, luxe boxers or PJs or loungewear? Is he the type that would want to upgrade the bedding or towels to something nicer? Go interpretive and get tickets printed on paper that’s made of cotton?
Anon
If giving gifts on this theme is fun for you (and it would be for me), how about getting a mutual gift? You and he pick out something together that fits the theme-new cotton napkins, matching cotton robes, throw pillows, a blanket, etc.
A
Cotton outfit :)
anon
I recall discussion last week about shortages of the new COVID vaccine at some pharmacies/being offered the old vaccine or booster. Reporting in that today, at my southern New Jersey Rite Aid, they had the new vaccine. They said they aren’t permitted to give the old vaccine or booster and don’t even have it to give. Seemed that they thought it was silly to even ask. I made this appointment before the new vaccine was approved and just picked my brand of vaccine, didn’t have an option to say which version, and it all worked out.
Anon
Saying that you might get the “old” vaccine, so you shouldn’t try to get the “new” vaccine is a conspiracy theory/targeted disinformation intended to keep people from getting vaccinated. The day the FDA approves the new one, everyone has to stop giving the old one. I’m not sure if they destroy it or return it, but it is no longer possible to get it, on purpose or by accident.
Anon
I’m not sure if it’s a conspiracy so much as a confusion, since some pharmacies allowed you to schedule and then when you showed up, couldn’t actually give you anything since they can’t give you the old and don’t have the new one. Also there was literally no change in the scheduling software (it just referred to old and new by the same name, so if you checked the day before approval, and the day after, it looked like the same offering.) I had to explain this to so many generally clued in people!
Anon
My Rite Aid in central PA also has them (got mine last week).
Anon
i just got stung by a bee. second time in my life. as far as i know i’m not allergic. is it a bad idea to go workout or i should be fine?
No Problem
If it’s been more than 20 minutes and you’re still breathing, you’re fine :) Put an ice pack on it to minimize swelling, pop a Benadryl if it gets itchy or you’re really worried, and go get your exercise!
Anon
I just got stung by a bee this week too 😫 first time in 20 years and while I’m pregnant! I didn’t modify my activity at all.
Anon
Random tip I learned from a boy scout trip I chaperoned. If you’re home and have baking soda. You can mix baking soda and water together to form a paste. And this will neutralize the bee sting. Might be something to try if you have a second and you want to avoid it hurting.
Enjoy your workout
Anonymous
One bee? Yes, you’re fine.
If you’re posting here and not swelling up and gasping for air, then you are for sure not allergic.
Enjoy your workout!
Anon
I take a benadryl to cut the swelling off at the pass because I otherwise get entire limb elephantits. I am mildly allergic, this is not an anaphlaxys or nothing allergy – I have seen an allergist for it.
Iris
Totally unsolicited warning — someone I am close to also had a mild bee allergy, until suddenly one day it did turn into anaphylaxis. Also there are weird little species of wasps/other bee types out there that you may very rarely encounter, and a mild allergy to a bee could be a sign that you are very allergic to one of the other types. All this to say, mild bee allergies freak me out now and I hope you have an ongoing epi-pen prescription just in case!
Anon
Thanks for the warning. I did have an epi pen for a while, but it kept expiring and during the great epi pen shortage of a few years back, we agreed it was probably overkill. His current recommendation is to keep benadryl on me at all times and to report to an ER in the very rare chance I develop more symptoms. My strategy has basically been to not get stung, and I’ve been successful with that for 15+ years now, knock wood.
Anon
Yes, this. This is normally how I react to stings (my whole hand or leg will swell and get VERY VERY itchy for about a week, but no systemic reaction), but once I got stung twice within a week and the second sting prompted a full on anaphylactic reaction. Every sting since then has been back to just excessive swelling, but since it’s not that rare to get multiple stings at once and I like to hike, I’ve had an epipen ever since then.
Elle
Does anyone have a recommendation for a variable height 36” to 40” desk? I’m stumped
Anon
Following this. I’ve been looking at Branch, but haven’t ordered yet.
Anon
Varidesk goes beyond 40” (mine is currently at 42”) and below 36” so it should fit your needs. No clue how expensive they are though, they are our office default desk and I had no input on it. I do really like it though!
Where's my boss?
Two weeks ago, while I was on Zoom with my boss, she received a call from her boss. She took the call muting Zoom but didn’t close her camera. After the call, she was too emotional to continue our conversation and we hung up. Two hours later, Grandboss sent an email to boss’ direct reports stating that she was currently on leave and we were asked to distribute coverage for our daily huddles for the next weeks (no actual number). Her out of office message was turned on, directing senders to contact her peers, nothing else.
It’s worth noting that prior to this, everything had been “business as usual”. On that day’s morning huddle, my boss gave no indication that anything weird was going on. Without oversharing, she typically would let us know when she had something personal going on that required time away from the office. I know she wasn’t getting along with her boss, she’s not coming back, right? I know dismissal can be tricky to navigate but what’s a reasonable amount of time to wait before saying: “Excuse me, would you please provide more tangible updates”? In the meantime, I think I need to dust off my resume…
Anon
Do not ask for updates. Your boss’s boss can’t tell you why your boss is on leave and depending on the nature of the leave may not be able to tell you how long she’ll be out. If you need specific guidance on how to handle something that your boss who have handled, ask about that but don’t ask when she’s coming back, if she’s okay, etc.
I used to manage an employee who went on sick leave for mental illness immediately after being notified that she would be laid off at year end. I couldn’t tell anyone why she was out (because that would violate her privacy) and I couldn’t tell them she likely wasn’t coming back (because we had not yet notified everyone impacted by the RIF).
Anon
Is it possible that she is suspended pending an internal investigation?
Most any reason I can dream up that fits these sets of facts involves your one-over-one not being allowed to tell your team what is going on or give a timeline.
No Problem
This is what I would suspect is going on. It’s extremely weird that your grandboss called your boss out of the blue instead of a scheduled phone call and didn’t have her end the call she was on with you to have the conversation (I presume your boss told her she was on a zoom with someone else), but this reads as something more than just the two of them not getting along. The only other thing I can think is that your boss was being called to tell her that her request for leave (medical leave, one would assume) was just approved and would begin immediately. If she had already been let go, I think you would have been notified of that and would also be able to see that she’s gone from the company directory.
Anon
Yes, that was my reaction too. All the more reason for you not to touch it with a ten foot pole, OP.
anon
Random thought, but the question above prompted it. I wish more coats were labeled as wind-resistant (or not). Where I live, the wind is a greater factor than the temperature most of the time, and I HATE the feeling of wind cutting through my jacket. I’ve learned the hard way that fleece is terrible for wind resistance; it’s good only as a middle layer. I’ve even had this issue with a partially lined wool coat. When it comes to outerwear, I am such a princess. I have my heavy winter coats covered. What I don’t have is a more dressy coat that I can wear in fall/winter.
Anonymous
I’m not sure about coats but my Chicago undergrad days taught me that silk long John layers are amazing for blocking wind!
Anonymous
I have a Columbia coat that is pretty wind resistant and on the nicer side as far as wind-resistant winter coats go. I live where winter means function over fashion, though, so would not be judged for wearing it to a thing, lol.
Runcible Spoon
I suggest you browse at Aritzia online. They offer a wide variety of cold-weather coats, as a Canadian-based compnay (with a US-facing website). The Cocoon coat is terrific, as well as the Stedman, but you’ll probably find something promising. The quality of many of their coats is top-notch, very menswear-like, and not like women’s fast fashion.
Anon
Random question as I eat my lunch, which is canned soup –
What is your favorite canned soup? Yes, I know homemade is excellent and I have lots of recipes, but specifically canned soup is where I am in life right now.
I will start with Progresso Minestrone, yesterday’s lunch. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
anon
TJ’s Creamy Tomato Soup is delicious. Bonus points if you add some parmesan or fresh basil!
Anon
Gardein.
Anon
Any particular flavor?
Cat
TJ’s autumn harvest (glass jar but it counts, right?)
Progresso tomato & herb dumpling
Peaches
Partial to the Progresso hearty chicken noodle myself.
Anon
I had that one last week. Yes, it was really good!
Today’s was chickpea & noodle Progresso – can you tell my husband does the grocery shopping and Progresso was on sale last week? – and that’s going on the no-buy list.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I am noting them all down!
Anon
Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom. I LOVED it. I can’t eat it because of my late-in-life-diagnosed wheat allergy, but man. I loved that stuff.
Gail the Goldfish
Boxed, not canned, but Pacific Foods tomato roasted red pepper. Trader Joe’s version is a pretty much identical dupe (if not the same thing with a trader joe’s label)
Anon
Amy’s Organic, in several flavors – Lentil Vegetable is my favorite, but I also enjoy split pea, barley vegetable, and mushroom bisque. Some of the other flavors I’ve tried are YMMV. I’ve found the minestrone particularly objectionable, and not just because it didn’t compare with real Italian minestrone.
Nona
I really like Trader Joe’s canned lentil soup and love their refrigerated lentil soup. I like Amy’s lentil soups too (both versions) and the Progresso version is decent too. Can you tell I like lentil soups? :)
Anonymous
I work at a midsize firm that is known as a lifestyle firm – I make 90k/yr, most of us work 9a-5p most of the time, average billables for associates is 1500/yr and for partners closer to 1200/yr. Everyone occasionally has high hour periods (trial prep, closing, etc.) but we’re pretty steady and known for “we will get back to you next business day” kind of approach. Our long term clients know this and most of us do a good job with telling new clients. We are very traditional in-office, limited WFH kind of firm. Most of us don’t give cell phone numbers out, for example.
A client needed a specialist for a matter so I brought in someone from a boutique in NYC. This person emails and texts all hours of the day or night. We are working together, I do most of the general drafting but we need him for X piece. He knows my general availability, although I’ve tried to accommodate more hours per day as we work through this situation. Last week, he started texting me and the client between 5-6am my time zone, directing me to do things “as soon as possible, now if you are awake.” I am not awake, in fact, I try not to check email/texts until closer to 8. Lately, the client has started putting “3-4 hour” timeframes on all of their questions.
This is not sustainable for me. I specifically work here, to be able to care for my aging parents/have a somewhat traditional schedule. Client was told that and was OK with that before the specialist came on board. This transaction is expected to close Nov. 15.
Any advice for how I can reset expectations with the specialist? I don’t need him to change how he works, but I do need him to adjust to either doing X himself or planning on it taking me a day. I have other clients and I can’t be up at 5-6am on a regular basis for this one. Help?
Anon
Use your words. “I am available from 9 am to 6 pm Pacific time, which is 12 pm to 9 pm Eastern. I will respond to phone calls, emails, and texts within working hours.”
Cat
This, and also can you talk to your client? If I were the client I would also be annoyed that outside counsel was bombarding me with texts all, much less at those hours. Email whenever is fine, thanks, and I’ll prioritize it myself during working hours.
Anon
+1
No Problem
Yeah, “do not call or text me or the client before working hours in our time zone. I understand you are used to a faster, round-the-clock pace of work, but that is not how we operate here. It’s fine if you’re working during other hours and have questions, but please put them in an email and I will respond during business hours in my time zone.” Maybe describe to him the work culture at your firm and the expectations you have already set with your client. Perhaps he just assumes all lawyers and all clients have the same go-go-go work style.
Anon
What you have in quotations here would come across extremely aggressively in an email.
No Problem
Probably! I was picturing a phone call.
Anonymous
This. The language here is awful and your culture isn’t relevant. I’d have a discussion not in front of the client and use the language a different poster suggested.
Op
Thanks! I was really struggling how to put this into words in a professional but clear manner.
Runcible Spoon
If the CLIENT is expecting a response within 3-4 hours now, then the outside specialist brought in by your firms seems to have since warped their previous expectations. Removing the client from the communication loop might be the key to calming things down, I suggest contacting the client for a conversation, reassuring them that the transaction will close on time with all the issues covered, that there is plenty of time to handle anything that comes up in the normal course during regular business hours, and that you will keep them posted. And then have a separate conversation to request/instruct the NY specialist to refrain from copying the client on communications to you (assuming your firm engaged the specialist, and the client did not do so, directly), and to please communicate via email if something arises after hours (other than for true, life-or-death emergencies, in which case the NY specialist should disturb you with a phone call, if the issue is truly that urgent) and you’ll be happy to respond by the next business day. Ask the NY specialist to please honor the response etiquette that pre-existed their joining the team, as that is how your firm has found things work best in your particular context. And then don’t respond to the NY specialist’s after hours messages until the next business day. If it helps (and if this is true), you can imply to the NY specialist that more engagements might be on the horizon if this one works out well and if the NY specialist seems to mesh well with the team. Good luck!