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Readers were singing the praises of this lovely flat recently, noting that it’s comfortable and affordable. We’ve long been fans of the Total Motion line from Rockport (available at Rockport, Nordstrom, Amazon, Zappos, Walmart and more!) I like this blue version ($48, almost sold out at Walmart!) and this cute neutral tone (pictured) — particularly with the gold-tone heel. The pictured version is $109.95, but you can get lucky sizes and colors as low as $48 at Amazon and Rockport itself. Total Motion – Adelyn’ Ballet Flat
Psst: Looking for a ballet flat for work or a comfortable heel? Check out our roundups!
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2018 Update: We’re adding this flat to our Workwear Hall of Fame because after it’s still around, coming out in new colors, and getting rave reviews.
![collage of comfortable flats for work](https://corporette.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/comfortable-flats-2022.png)
Workwear sales of note for 4.25.24
Our favorites are in bold!
- Nordstrom – 30% off selected shoes and beauty for a limited time!
- Ann Taylor – 25% off tops and sweaters
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Brooks Brothers – Take $100 off every $300 you spend, plus extra 20% off clearance (already up to 75% off)
- Boden – 10% off full-price styles
- Eloquii – Spring Clearance Event, up to 75% off
- Everlane – Spring Sale: up to 60% off 600+ styles
- J.Crew – 50% off select swim
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off sitewide
- Lo & Sons – Mother’s Day Sale, up to 40% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Friends & Family sale, save 20%
- Talbots – Friends & Family Event! 30% off entire purchase
- White House Black Market – 40% off entire purchase
- Brooklinen – Anniversary Sale, 25% off
Workwear sales of note for 4.25.24
Our favorites are in bold!
- Nordstrom – 30% off selected shoes and beauty for a limited time!
- Ann Taylor – 25% off tops and sweaters
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Brooks Brothers – Take $100 off every $300 you spend, plus extra 20% off clearance (already up to 75% off)
- Boden – 10% off full-price styles
- Eloquii – Spring Clearance Event, up to 75% off
- Everlane – Spring Sale: up to 60% off 600+ styles
- J.Crew – 50% off select swim
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off sitewide
- Lo & Sons – Mother’s Day Sale, up to 40% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Friends & Family sale, save 20%
- Talbots – Friends & Family Event! 30% off entire purchase
- White House Black Market – 40% off entire purchase
- Brooklinen – Anniversary Sale, 25% off
Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Stay tuned for a list of our latest threadjacks!
Anonymous
Ideas for low-carb (preferably no-carb) and no-meat meals if you don’t like tofu?
Anonymous
Fritos?
jk
If complex carbs are OK, refried beans with cheese and hot sauce and/or jalapenos are my kryptonite. Lots of protein, not a lot of empty junk carbs. You can eat it with Fritos :)
Anon
Field Roast? Beans and legumes? Eggs?
Never too many shoes...
Field Roast has 12 grams of net carbs for every 100 grams and contains both rice and wheat, so definitely not low or no carb.
Anonymous
Anything eggs, if you are not sick of eggs like I am. Fritatta with lots of veggies and cheese inside, or mini-quiches for breakfast with the same are good options. I also like a shakshuka kind of thing for dinner — you can mix this up as you like — I basically do a kind of ratatouille in a cast iron skillet with fried eggs nestled in.
Unfortunately beans do have a lot of carbs, although the net carbs (carbs minus fiber) may make them acceptable to you.
I have gestational diabetes so have recently landed into this world, and let me tell you, there are a billion blogs with recipe ideas, so this is a good one for google and pinterest if you aren’t satisfied with the answers you find here.
Anonymous
Grilled portabello mushrooms
Green salads with mushroom, cheese, and avocado
Zoodles in pasta sauce with roasted veggies
Ratatouille
I’d spend some time reading labels in the freezer section at your grocery store where they keep the meat substitutes. My favorite are the Quorn products (which don’t have soy) but I’m not sure what the relative carb counts are on the various faux burgers and sausages
Anonymous
Sauteed zoodles and roasted veggies has become a go-to in my house. We use pesto sauce from Costco. One or two bags of Costco organic zucchini, one jar of Costco pesto and one additional container or bag of whatever veggies you like is inexpensive and can go a looong way.
nutella
All I got is vegetables, eggs, and cheese. That’s not to say that’s nothing – I see this working best with a series of snacks, instead of full meals where the combos can be a little harder (i.e. you eat hard-boiled eggs, some carrots, some cheese, apples, peanut butter, etc.) but some full-on meal ideas beyond salad: low carb mini tacos with fried halloumi instead of meat. Scrambled eggs with feta, cauliflower pizza, spaghetti squash with pasta sauce, stuffed peppers but with cauliflower rice?
Curries!
Quinoa and brown rice are not zero carb, but they are good sources for complex carbs. Also, sweet potatoes and squash are good base options that are not empty carbs.
Curries are great for this kind of thing. You can use chickpeas or lentils as the “base” if you don’t want to use the complex carbs noted above. Use coconut milk for the sauce, and then curry powder, cumin, garlic powder/salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and paprika to taste. Simmer vegetables of your choice in the sauce until cooked, and serve over the base of your choice. I also like the Thai Kitchen curry pastes, but I usually use 1-2 TBSP of that and then add the spices mentioned above for extra flavor.
Also, tikka masala is delicious. Check out “The Iron You” blog, I think he has a vegan recipe for pumpkin tikka masala.
tesyaa
Chickpeas in any form with any whole grain. Roasted chickpeas, hummus, chickpea salad. There is even chickpea flour that you can make pancakes, biscuits and crackers with.
tesyaa
(Missed the whole low carb thing, sorry)
Emmer
Fried cauliflower “rice” – riced cauliflower+ eggs + veggies
Greek salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, olives) with Greek yogurt
Cauliflower “toast” topped with avocado and tomato and greens: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipes/a50033/cauliflower-toast-recipe/
Lilac
Try smoked tofu, it converted my tofu hating man. For no tofu, I really like spaghetti squash with lentil bolognese and falafel salad (basically falafel and veggies without the pita), I also like a chickpea caprese salad: tomatoes, chickpeas, balsamic reduction, basil, spinach/lettuce, onions, and optional buffalo mozzarella.
Torin
I’ve found pastas made out of chickpeas and soybeans. I prefer the chickpea one personally but both are pretty low carb. Check the gluten free aisle of your local grocery store. There’s more than one brand of both. They’re also much better in texture than quinoa pastas, lucky bonus.
Anon anon
Try searching for various Indian vegetable curry recipes. There are a plethora of options. If legumes don’t violate your carbs restrictions look for recipes with the name dal, daal or dhal in them (Hindi and other Indian language food terms for beans, pulses, legumes). Eggplant curry (bainfsn bharta), okra curries (bhindi), etc. there are endless options. If you eat dairy and can find it, paneer (Indian curd cheese, kind of like cottage cheese but a much more neutral flavor and lesser then sliced into cubes) can go in several recipes.
Thai vegetable curries could work as long as they don’t use fish sauce. Pumpkin or butternut squash chili, you could maybe even leave out the beans.
Lillers
I’m late to the party, but I hope this is helpful for you. I eat a low-carb diet (but I do eat meat). It can be hard to get enough calories if you are eating a vegetarian, low-carb diet, so I would encourage you to add healthy fats (avocados, olive oil, nuts, etc). Plus, it’s near impossible to eat a no-carb, 100% vegetarian diet as most veggies have carbs.
– Veggie noodles (zoodles, sweet potato noodles) with peanut sauce and roasted red peppers and broccoli
– Fritattas (especially good for using up leftover veggies)
– Big salads with chopped hard-boiled egg, veggies, balsamic/EVOO dressing
– Shakshuka
– Egg salad on a bed of baby spinach
– Veggie stir fries
In the summer, I grill EVERYTHING. It is easy and tastes delicious.
Ellen
Yay, Kat and Kate! These flat’s are so cute, but I am NOT tall enough to wear these and not look squat and dumpy. If onley this flats had come with with 4″ heels, this would be a great shoe!
I have lost 2 more pound’s on my seaweed diet that I found on the INTERNET. Has anyone in the HIVE tried this? It is great, tho I find that I have alot more gas eateing the Kelp all the time. FOOEY!
I hope Wildkitten get’s her dog back. If Sheketovits ever did this to me when we broke up, I would have had a fit! But HE was the one that was NOT housebroken, so it was good riddence to him. DOUBEL FOOEY!
Anon
Eggs.
Lentil soup.
COtoNY
I think I need to be talked out of having my hair cut into a lob-thing tomorrow.
Like many of you, I have fantasies of having a super cute, on-trend shorter style and am currently particularly sick of my (down-to-my-bra-clasp-length) hair. The only other time I’ve gone short as an adult, I made a fatal mistake and went to a cheap hair salon, and ended up with an awful cut. I regretted it so much, and told myself I would never go short again, but now I’ve been itching to change things up the past couple of weeks.
This is what I would show the stylist: http://theritualist.com.au/emilia-clarke-lob/
But in reality, hair never ends up looking like the celebrity style one was going for, right?? I fear I would just end up regretting it again and waiting 2 years for it to grow back.
So… talk me out of this?
Anon
That is a super cute style and I think you should do it! It is not “short” and would not take you all that long to grow past your shoulders if you didn’t like it. But I think you will.
Anon
Maybe take this in steps. How about cutting off a couple inches to something around your collarbone? With my thick and wavy hair, that particular cut would look a little young/poufy/childish if I didn’t style it perfectly every day, so a little more length might be the thing.
I think going from bra strap to above the shoulders is a huge leap, so a more modest cut might be the thing to start with.
Bonnie
Show the picture to your stylist and ask whether that would be a good cut for you. I love having short hair but completely rely on an expert cut from my stylist.
Anonymous
+1 – I also have long/bra strap hair and when I chopped it 2 years ago, my stylist didn’t let me go any shorter than collarbone – which was fine. Without the weight, my hair got a lot curlier, which shortened it up even more.
And then, after having fun with the curls for about 6 weeks, I started growing it out again, because while long hair is a pain, it was less of a pain than shorter hair (for me).
Anon
I’d say go for it too. Just make sure you’re going to a stylist you trust. You said your previous experience was bad because you went to a bad salon, so make sure you trust the person you’re going to now. I’d also bring in the picture you identified as well as any others you’re interested in (pinterest is good for this). My stylist seems to appreciate having multiple photos of examples I like so she can identify the common themes and better get at what I’m really wanting and what will work for my hair.
Delta Dawn
I have been wanting to do this exact thing, and I started by going halfway. Basically I wanted to cut about six inches and instead had him cut three inches. I showed him the picture of my final hair goal but said I couldn’t do it all at once and asked him to do halfway in between (and showed him a picture of that too). I ended up loving the middle-cut and have kept it that way for a few months. I may go all the way to the lob, but even if not, this was a great change. You might try a less drastic cut and see how you feel.
anonom
I was all ready to talk you out of this, but the style you’ve found looks realistic to me–it doesn’t look like it received a ton of styling before those photos were taken. But identify the features that appeal to you so you can point them out to the stylist. A trustworthy stylist will say “no” if that’s the answer.
EM84
I had bra-clasp long, super damaged hair last year and went to my trusted, most-experienced hairdresser and had her do whatever is needed with my hair to make it look great. She chopped it into a longer bob (collar-bone grazing), deep side part, ends blown inside on the left side and ends blown outside on the right side. And it looked amazing even 3 months after. I was travelling for 4months and did not manage to pop in, but this is on my to-do-list this week. It looked professional, yet not old and it was very easy to style.
Basically just wash your hair with non-drying shampoo (for me non-SLS is a must), apply conditiomer or a mask, drink your coffee, wash out, apply Chi Keratin silk treatment from mid-length to ends and shaping mousse to roots, flip head down, blow-dry and the just spot- straigthen or shape with a large round brush and hairdrier. Finish with makeup and you are done in 25min altogether.
Now did you want us to talk you off of the bob?
Anonymous
It’s all about perspective I guess, but this routine sounds super involved and not at all “easy to style” to me.
Never too many shoes...
No carb is so, so hard without meat as even lentils are pretty carb heavy.
Crustless quiche is a good one – sauté mushrooms, peppers, spinach, bit of onion in butter, spread over small round pan, cover with layer of cheese, beat 8 eggs and 3/4 cup whipping cream with spices and pour over top. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Once eggs are set I like to sprinkle with bit more cheese and then finish under broiler.
Blonde Lawyer
Dog owners, talk to me about flea and tick prevention. My prior dog developed an allergy to the topically applied meds so we just crossed our fingers and prayed for no fleas. In the 6 of her 11 years that she was allergic, we got lucky and never experienced fleas. We have a new dog now and used First Shield Trio on her, another topical med. She is a Plott Hound with very short fur so the meds quickly ended up on her fur and very greasy. I’m kind of freaked out about the chemical pesticide and the fact that it is a poison to my cat. I had to keep them separated for 24 hours. My dog also didn’t seem to love the meds but she hasn’t had a reaction either. She just wants to groom where I applied it and is shaking like she’s wet every once in awhile. We normally snuggle and spoon on the couch and this drug seems to be all over her now, not just wear I applied it. She just feels greasy but it has only been two days. I can’t imagine doing this monthly right now but maybe I’m being over dramatic. The chemical stunk and I could taste it just from breathing it.
On the flip side, I’m all for vaccines for pets and humans even though they contain “chemicals” but a topical application is just a different ball of wax. If you use the stuff, how long does it take for your pet to feel not greasy? Are you comfortable cuddling a few days after application or are they still exuding the pesticides for the rest of the month?
Do the majority of you use the topical meds? Anyone against them? They just seem so harsher than I remember them being the early years that my former dog could use them.
Anonymous
Yeah, I’m pro-science and pro-vaccine but topical flea pesticides freak me out, especially now that we have a young child who is grabbing everything she can reach and putting it in her mouth. Our dog takes a quarterly pill (Bravecto). It is pretty expensive (almost $50 per dose, 3 doses/year because we live in a cold climate and don’t have to worry about winter) but it seems to work very well and has no noticeable side effects.
potato
Not that expensive – I just checked and we pay $30 for 3 months. (Each topical application costs $10.) I’m now googling Bravecto because pinning my dog down to apply the stuff each month isn’t worth $60/year.
ELS
I don’t use topical on my dog for fear of toxicity to my cats. She gets a pill preventative for fleas from the vet, I believe Bravecto (chosen because it lasts three months, recommended and prescribed by my vet).
I do use topical on my cats (same brand) because getting my cats to take pills is a nightmare. I did not notice the formula being as greasy as other topical flea treatments.
Blonde Lawyer
My vet gave us the topical on the same day my dog and cat had a joint check up so I assumed she took the cats health into consideration but the paper work that came with it was scary. I think I’ll be calling and asking for an alternative.
I do find it interesting that it is supposed to repel mosquitoes. I wonder if having her laying in the yard near us will work like bug spray. Again, that concept freaks me out though. She had heartworm and lyme vaccinations so I’m not as worried about her exposure to mosquitoes and ticks.
I’m also in a cold climate and would only use the meds for the above freezing months.
LHW
My one year old lab is on topical flea medication (Frontline) and Bravecto for ticks. After reviewing the box, I’m confused as to why he is on a topical vaccine and Bravecto since it also covers fleas. Overall, I’m happy with both products.
Anonymous
Bravecto covers fleas and I’m pretty sure it shouldn’t be used with other flea control products. I would definitely talk to your vet.
LHW
Thank you!
Cali CPA
My dog is severely allergic to fleas, and the topical treatments didn’t cut it, so she takes a pill. She’s currently on Nexgard, I’ve had no flea or tick problems, and she happily eats the pill because it’s beef flavored.
New Job, Who Dis
+1 for Nexgard – it’s expensive and I was reticent, but my vet was careful to explain to me how ineffective the topical brands were.
Also – depending on where you are, they are calling for an inflated/superbad Tick season across many areas of the United States – so it may be helpful in general to reevaluate in general your approach.
Anon
+1 more for Nexgard. My current dog’s coat is too thick for topicals and Nexgard works like a charm for her. If you go that route, be sure to give it with food. That’s a pretty expensive pill to vomit up and waste. If ticks are bad where you live, and you have a short-haired dog, Preventic collars work very well and are inexpensive. You can throw the end you cut off in your vacuum bag to kill any ticks that get sucked in.
rosie
We used Nexgard for our dog as well & were happy with it. I hated having the topical stuff on her. I’ve heard good things Seresto collar but never tried it, might be worth asking your vet about it.
Westraye
Another vote for Nexgard. We used to do topical, but it affected my dog significantly for a couple of days with each monthly application and it always worried me though vet wasn’t concerned. Switched to nexgard and he no longer has the side effects.
SF in House
My vet says the traditional topicals (Advantage, Frontline) are no longer particularly effective. My dog gets Trifexin, which is a flea and heartworm preventative.
Anon
Yes the old topicals are now ineffective as the fleas have evolved resistance. My cats have to use Cherastin which is Rx only.
mascot
We also use Trifexis. We need year round heartworm and flea prevention where I live.
Rainbow Hair
Shop an LBD for me?
I would love something sort of fun, appropriate for an event that is on the casual side of formal, but ideally is versatile depending on accessories etc. AND, essentially, is something I can wear a regular bra with.
Do you have a favorite? Or any leads?
BeenThatGuy
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/city-chic-dark-romance-lace-detail-dress-plus-size/3911113?origin=category-personalizedsort&fashioncolor=BLACK
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/city-chic-classic-longline-scoop-neck-midi-dress-plus-size/4235752?origin=category-personalizedsort&fashioncolor=BLACK
Fishie
I bought something that fits that bill a few years ago from Ann Taylor. Really liked the fabric. Here’s some of what they have now.
https://www.anntaylor.com/tied-matte-jersey-dress/429249?skuId=22624420&defaultColor=2222&colorExplode=true&catid=cata000012
https://www.anntaylor.com/belted-peplum-sheath-dress/421193?skuId=22755773&defaultColor=1705&colorExplode=true&catid=cata000012
Rainbow Hair
Such prettiness! Thank you!
lawsuited
I ended up getting this dress (despite so many commenters on this site saying I shouldn’t!) and LOVE it! The fit is so forgiving and easy to wear. I did change the buttons to round jet buttons so they blend in more with the dress making it easier to dress up or down, but even as is I think it would be fine for casual or semi-formal occasions. Plus it has pockets!
Never too many shoes...
Any special sizing requirements or preferred silhouette?
Never too many shoes...
Sorry, for Rainbow Hair.
Rainbow Hair
I am a cusp size, like 16, and I guess… eh, I’m hourglass-y so I wear a lot of sheath dresses lately, look ok in fit-n-flares, and avoid stomach rouching like the plague.
Never too many shoes...
How about something like this? The seaming looks great (although it is easier to see in the pink) – http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/eliza-j-crepe-sheath-dress-regular-petite/4248179?origin=category-personalizedsort&fashionsize=Regular%20XL-XXL%20(16-18)&fashioncolor=BLACK
Rainbow Hair
So pretty!!! Do you think the texture is too office-y?
Never too many shoes...
Well, crepe can be pretty all purpose and you said sort of not too formal. This is a similar style in a fancier fabric. http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/tadashi-shoji-mixed-media-sheath-dress/4351227?origin=category-personalizedsort&fashionsize=Regular%20XL-XXL%20(16-18)&fashioncolor=BLACK
Rainbow Hair
Sorry, “too office-y” means “too office-y to wear to something like a dinner fundraiser or a wedding.”
Rainbow Hair
Aaaah that second one is so gorgeous too!
Yeah I guess I need to think a bit about accessories — like that first one, plus the right shoes/necklace, might work for something *fun* and *fancy* — right?
Never too many shoes...
For whatever reason, for me “fun” always involves a more poufy skirt whereas fancy can be either sheath or flare depending on my mood.
Like I hear fun and I think of something like this…http://www.eloquii.com/sleeveless-tulle-fit-and-flare-dress/1223483.html?cgid=black-dresses&start=76&dwvar_1223483_colorCode=100
Rainbow Hair
Ah, that IS fun!
Writing off hours in law
Can folks in biglaw give me an idea how normal it is for partners to write your hours off? I am not sure if I am an outlier…I do a lot of fixed fee work, so I think we “eat it” when we’re over budget. It’s technically not counted against your bonus eligible hours, but I wonder if it really is, because I never trust stuff like that at firms.
Anecdata? Partner viewpoints? I am not overbilling–if anything I am way underbilling.
Anonymous
It’s pretty uncommon in my experience (Big Law litigation). Maybe for a first or second year who takes like 50 hours to do basic research and write a memo, but by my third year or so I’m pretty sure almost all my hours were getting billed directly to the client. I definitely wouldn’t underbill. If you have a set time frame for a project and are having trouble completing it in that time frame, talk to the partner, don’t just cut your own hours.
P
I work at a true lockstep firm with high billable rates. AFAIK, partners at my firm are not comped based on their business generation. This means that at my firm, there is actually a fair amount of pressure on associates to underbill. I believe that most partners at my firm have to ask permission from the management committee to write off associate time. I log my hours at the end of each day, really taking time to think about whether I could personally justify my time entry to the client if I were presenting the bill. My guess is that I underbill about 20% because of this. On the flip side, I never feel guilty about the time that I do bill, and I don’t put the partners that I work for in a difficult position when they have to send out their bills. I do transactional work, by the way.
Anonymous
This. I’m in transactional Biglaw, and a big part of partner comp is realization on a transaction. We have discounted rates for frequent clients or clients we want to get in the door. We also have some fixed rate transactions. Sometimes a transaction dies before it reaches closing (we’re usually paid at closing). Hours will get written off for these types of transactions, but if there are too many written off, the transaction is flagged as unprofitable. As an associate, you get an alert when your realization dips below 90%, 80% and 70%. If below 75%, expect a talking to. I underbill a bit and work as efficiently as humanely possible because I work on a lot of these types of transactions (I get a steady stream of work from one or two frequent clients). We’re encouraged to bill all our time, and written off hours count for bonus purposes, but if you’re looking to advance, you need good realization. I also help with the billing, so I get calls from the client when they think the bill is too high. I always make sure I can personally justify my time.
Writing off hours in law
Yeah–I work in venture, so our budgets are TINY. And I’m a first year. Yadda yadda. I will stop undercutting myself–I was specifically advised by an 8th year that the partner was on the warpath, so I cut about 40 hours this month on a big M&A deal…which I really didn’t want to do and which the firm says is not my place, but 8th year made me because he’s up for partner. It’s lovely.
anon
Not uncommon at my AmLaw 50 firm, especially for first-years. I write off time fairly liberally when I think (a) the associate took longer to do the task than we can justify billing to the client, (b) when the client is being obnoxiously about the bills and I feel like we have to (ie, I have clients that complain just because the # is high, not because there is any particular project they think was overbilled), and (c) when the associate screwed something up. Because I don’t make clients pay for associate screwups. Note that (c) is a totally expected thing, because people screw up when they’re learning, so it’s not a big deal unless it’s a mega-disaster.
We don’t need permission to write off time up to a certain threshold.
Anonymous
I write off time that I myself am billing when I’m being particularly inefficient. Many of the partners I work for give pretty aggressive fee caps, so they often have to write off a fair bit of everyone’s time, but that is their problem, not mine. It absolutely counts toward billable hours in bonus terms — I’d be pretty peeved if not! A ton of first year time is written off — in fact, I think partners have the option of charging only 50% of a first year’s time, which they usually take.
Anonymous
I am an income partner at an AmLaw 100 law firm. We are pressured to hit around 90% realization of our discounted rates, but for an AmLaw 100 firm we have very low rates. I always encourage associates to bill everything (unless they are fixing their own screw up). Further, I have generally seen that male associates are more aggressive billers than women associates. Although we have a closed compensation system, I understand that realization and our own time value of money is important for income partner compensation and promotion to equity partner. There is a lot of art that goes into what you send to clients, and it is not uncommon to cut the time of the lowest biller. It would not bear on an associates career unless they were generally considered to be completely inefficient.
Dress codes
What would be the male equivalent to a sequined sheath ‘rooster tail’ dress? A suit, or something more formal?
Anonymous
A suit.
Always an easy answer for men...
Suit (with tie, though I think that’s implied with a suit). I’d be aiming more dark blue (or black, if the person in question is a black-suit person) than, say, khaki-colored for the suit itself, but the basic answer is a suit if it’s a rooster tail dress code.
Senior Attorney
Beautiful suit with beautiful shirt and beautiful tie and maybe a pocket square.
Anon
I just sent my boss an email asking her to do a thing that needs to happen for another thing to move forward and my email was way more curt than I meant it to be. One of those things that in the grand scheme of things is not a big deal but for which I will be kicking myself for the rest of the day.
AnonZ
Definitely a “know your boss” issue but you could always reply to your email with a one-line note that says, “Just realized this may sound curt – definitely not my intention; just focused on getting this moving forward! :)”
Probably unnecessary, but if it eases your mind, better that than kicking yourself for the rest of the day. Don’t overanalyze.
Senior Attorney
Ha! Jinx!
LAnon
I have gotten emails like this from my team members (both men and women) apologizing for things – curt emails, being abrupt during in-person meetings, misunderstanding a question and answering it wrong, etc – and 90% of the time, I honestly didn’t really even notice whatever they were apologizing for. It never bothers me to get the notes though because I can just respond and say, “No worries at all! I didn’t notice; it’s totally fine.” Easiest email I’ll write all day.
Senior Attorney
Can you send a quick follow-up saying something like: “Oops! That turned out way more curt than I meant it to be! Sorry!”
Anon
Why would you do this?? No dude would apologize bc he thought you may take his tone as curt. You need him/her to do his/her job to keep the ball rolling forward — you are managing him/her to make sure he does his/her job so that it doesn’t come back to you that something slipped through the cracks. Let it go.
Anon
Calm down there, buddy. I never said I was going to apologize. Knowing my boss it’s probably not the right move. It was still a (minor) mistake I made, though.
LAnon
I mentioned in my comment above, but in my management role, I have definitely gotten emails and apologies from men who are worried about fairly trivial things like having a curt tone in an email. I have had men agonize to me over giving a dumb answer to a question and talked with other male managers who are trying to balance being nice with managing their team effectively.
We sell men short when the knee-jerk response to having any emotions at work is “NO MAN WOULD DO THIS!”
kk
If anyone is up for shopping today, I’m on the hunt for really pale pink (not nude) patent leather pumps- preferably in a half d’orsay similar to the michael kors flex d’orsay pumps.
I’m hoping to wear these with a white dress, a blue and white dress, and other summery evening dress-up clothes for the summer. It feels like these could be a staple item for me this spring/summer, but I haven’t found any that I like yet, and I bet other people might like to find these too!
Lillers
If you want to be splurge-y, Chloe shoes come in a color called “Taupe” that I really love. It’s a darker nude with a touch of pink. They also have a pink color that is less nude and more pinky.
Sloan Sabbith
Off of the ideas above- I need high-protein breakfast (meals generally, but breakfast is an issue) ideas that do not assume I have my life together enough to make anything ahead of time. I do not. Aspirationally, I could make things in muffin tins on the weekend if I can toss it in the microwave for a few minutes, but really quick and easy things would be ideal. Fitbit tells me sweet cereal and tea is not cutting it. So does the nutritionist I see every few months for my chronic illness.
I do not like bars or muffins. I also do not like smoothies for breakfast, or Greek yogurt (although normal yogurt is fine), or cottage cheese. I do like eggs (but see: do not have my s**t together), meat (bacon…), breakfast sandwiches (I adore breakfast sandwiches- anything I could warm up quickly would be great). Quiche/fritatta is good once, but I could not eat it for breakfast every day. Oatmeal is fine, but I don’t put fruit or peanut butter or anything in/on it- all about brown sugar and milk. I prefer savory to sweet.
Ideas? I’ll buy frozen, I’ll buy pre-made from TJ’s (or any grocery store), whatever. I care less about healthy natural clean eating and more about not buying a breakfast sandwich at 10:30 AM at work because I’m about to kill someone.
Senior Attorney
It takes, like, 30 seconds to scramble an egg. Maybe one minute to fry an egg. You can cook a strip of bacon in the microwave in one minute by wrapping it in paper towels and putting it on a plate. Pop an English muffin in the toaster and voila! You have the makings for a breakfast sandwich!
Anonymous
I scramble my eggs in the microwave. Whisk in a bowl, add a little milk/water. Stick in the microwave for 60 seconds (may need to experiment a little on that front) and then plop it in a croissant for a b-fast sandwich.
Terry
I have a special device for this. Look on amazon for “Chef Buddy Microwave Egg Cooker”. If you use nonstick spray it’s extremely easy to clean. Moonstone recommended it on this s1te and I’ve been using it ever since.
Walnut
Yeah, I get what you guys are saying, but I’m in Sloan’s boat. Anything requiring more effort than pouring milk in a bowl of cereal is more than my morning can handle. Heck, I’m not even making my own coffee in the morning right now because Starbucks in the lobby is so much easier.
Sloan Sabbith
Snort. Yes.
BB
What about literally buying microwave meals and eating those for breakfast? If you don’t care about it being “breakfast food.” For a while in grad school, I would eat TJ’s frozen Indian meals for breakfast…yum…
Senior Attorney
Yeah, I love this. TJ’s Chicken Tikka Masala is the best! Also they have delish green onion pancakes that are mostly egg…
AnonZ
+1
Free yourself from the shackles of breakfast food brainwashing! You can eat anything you want for breakfast. Find some high-protein meals you like and eat them whenever you feel like it.
Legally Brunette
Hard boiled eggs? You can make them the night before or on the weekend, and then have two every morning along with toast/avocado/yoghurt/whatever else you want.
JTX
Both TJs and Costco sell bags of hard boiled eggs, which is even easier.
Anonymous
Yep. I make enough during the weekend, and just pop one or two out of the fridge in the morning. This isn’t enough for me, so I have toast–actually this seeded cracker thing from Trader Joes, which is lower carb–with peanut butter when I get to the office.
Anon
There are frozen breakfast sandwiches (the ones by Morningstar are healthier than the jimmy dean or whatever) but honestly you can cook and egg in the same amount of time and put it in an english muffin. Google how to cook eggs in the microwave (scrambled is easiest, and you can even buy eggbeaters if you don’t want to whisk them yourself pre-scramble)
This is totally doable and you don’t have to toast the muffin either. Just nuke the egg, grab the English muffin while it’s cooking, like 30 sec, lay it on a paper towel, plop the cooked egg onto the muffin, wrap it up and go.
Lynnet
I eat (whole wheat) toast with peanut butter and jam on it for breakfast almost every morning. Basically every nutritionist I’ve mentioned it to is like, “that’s…. actually a really perfect breakfast.” It has as much protein as two eggs, and a good balance of protein, fat, and carbs to keep you going for a while. I am really picky about my jam/jelly/preserves, and spend a lot of time looking for stuff that has the least added sugar. I’m currently obsessed with the E.D. Smith brand stuff you can sometimes get at Costco. If I wanted to be truly healthy I’d use “natural” peanut butter, but I don’t hate myself that much. It takes approximately one to two minutes to make (depending on how toasty you want your toast) and can be eaten in the car on your way to work.
Shopaholic
I wonder how the macros would work out – I would love to eat whole wheat toast with peanut butter for breakfast. I’m currently eating greek yogurt, granola, berries and nut butter in the morning (and it is delicious) but I miss bread so much
New
I like to do whole grain waffles with almond butter and whatever berries I have laying around. Even a banana.
New
Oh and get frozen turkey links (breakfast sausage things) and microwave those
busybee
Same. PB on a waffle with sliced banana is my go-to breakfast. Super quick (toaster waffle) and keeps me full for a few hours with the protein/carb/fat combo.
Fishie
Bob Evans makes frozen breakfast sandwiches and they are pretty darn delicious if you ask me.
Anonymous
I like protein for breakfast and here are some things I eat, if you are not wedded to traditional breakfast foods:
– Hard boiled eggs (can be boiled at beginning of the week) and a side of sliced tomatoes
– Tomatoes and mozzarella
– sliced turkey rolled with a cheese of your choice
– PB&J on toast, an English muffin or wrap
– smoked almonds with an apple or hard boiled egg
– Sliced avocado with a side of tomatoes
– peanut or almond butter on apple slices
– melted cheese on toast or an English muffin (made in toaster oven while showering)
Anon
Kashi GoLean with milk of yogurt. The regular kind, not crunch. High protein to calorie ratio.
Sloan Sabbith
You are all wonderful. I hadn’t really even thought of eating non-breakfast foods for breakfast. I love “fancy” breakfasts, I’m just too lazy to make it happen.
Thank you!
Anonymous
If you don’t like Greek yogurt because it’s too sour, there are tons of flavours out there you could experiment with. They’re maybe not as healthy as regular plain greek yogurt, but still have lots of protein.
Never too many shoes...
I eat what I call breakfast charcuterie – some salami/ham/smoked sausage, cheese cubes and a few olives. Sometimes I add a boiled egg.
Sloan Sabbith
My issue with greek yogurt is the texture.
rosie
Have you tried Siggi’s, which is icelandic-style? I think it is a bit thinner than most greek yogurt brands, but still high protein. And I thought the Siggi’s drinkable yogurt was tasty, if that appeals to you at all.
SF in House
How about microwaving an Aidell’s chicken apple sausage? It takes ~30 seconds. I buy the big packages at Costco.
rosie
Frozen waffles w/pb or almond butter are a favorite. What about making baked oatmeal & egg dishes (quiches, frittatas) in a muffin tin & freezing them, so you don’t have to eat the same thing every morning? The baked oatmeal has egg in it, so extra protein, and you can add whatever toppings you want (or make different flavored ones for more variety–you just add toppings once you’ve portioned it into the muffin tin).
S
Buy thee some savory oatmeal (curry flavored/ tomato etc.) from an Indian grocery store!
Anonymous
Applegate breakfast sausage! So quick in the microwave. I usually throw on my coat and pack my bag while they’re cooking for 1 min 30 sec and then eat either right before I leave or as I’m waiting for the elevator…yes I understand not having your sh!t together in the morning.
EM84
I live on eggs-each-and-every-morning diet. I put togerher either quick scrambled eggs (with chopped spring onion/cilantro/whatever is at hand) and finish with spices (pepper, paprika, etc) or lately I managed to cook quinoa over weekend and a few eggs. Now I mix a small cup of quinoa, few cherry tomatoes, 1-2 eggs, fresh cilantro, a spoon of plain yoghurt, finish with pine seeds and spices. Both a re put together in a few minutes. You could alternatively boil the eggs while taking shower or doing your makeup.
Sometimes I cheat and just mix protein powder with vanilla soy milk and drink that.
Anon
Hi New Yorkers,
I’m looking for a place to meet a colleague for breakfast very near Grand Central station, nothing terribly fancy because we only have an hour, but not Pret a Porter either. Any recommendations?
anon
First thing that comes to mind is Pershing Square Cafe. That’s just from walking by though – I’ve never actually eaten there.
Fishie
I have, it’s good and the pancakes are enormous.
NY CPA
Not sure if you’re still checking for answers, but 100% go to Maison Kayser. It’s on 40th, just off 5th (so across from the library). I love it and always go there when I’m looking for breakfast near GCT!
Msj
Lexington Brass is good at Lexington and 48th-ish. And Pershing Square is a classic. There are also two Le Pain Quodiens nearby which is a step up from Pret but informal
AnoNYmous
I also would recommend Cucina & Co. or Naples 45 in the Met Life building (attached to Grand Central on the north end). Both have websites (as does Pershing Square) so you can check out the menu.
Facilities Rant
I love the building where I work. It’s well-designed and almost new, full of windows and original artwork.
That being said–why must the motion sensors in the bathroom stalls be so overactive! They flush on me while I’m still sitting down, every single time!
AnonZ
Sympathy! In our bathrooms, the motion sensors on the toilet are always overflushing, and the light sensors turn off after ~30 seconds of no motion – and can’t detect motion in the stalls. Going to the bathroom is like a horror movie: the lights go out, the toilet suddenly flushes, it’s impossible to get the soap or paper towel sensors to register…
Enough with the sensors!!
Anonymous
I’m sorry I know this is a terrible bathroom situation, but I’m cracking up at the image so thank you for the daily laugh!
Jules
Agreed. Ellen Degeneres has a whole routine about this, and every time some toilet flushes when I walk in or, worse, when I’m sitting there, I hear her say, “I’LL decide when I’m finished, thank you!”
E
ugh i wish these weren’t only in patent leather
Shoe problems
Go to the Rockport website, for many more choices (at least 10), and they have some great sales. I recently paid $160 for 4 pairs of these exact flats (black croc embossed leather, burgundy suede, grey suede, and snakeskin).. The suede pairs are lovely, the snakeskin is fun, the black croc is so-so. I would have preferred the plan black leather pair, but it wasn’t on sale so it was $110.
so
For comfort and styl,e nothing beats Rothy’s!