Coffee Break: 14K Enamel Necklace

101 Comments

1. Low stakes question here! What brands of vinegar do you like best? I bought store brands of apple cider and red wine vinegar and I’m not impressed. It turns out they’re not all the same….

   1. If it’s in a plastic bottle it’s probably low quality. I like O brand for mid range. If you’re splashing vinegar into a hot pan something cheap-ish is fine but you’ll notice a difference when dressing a salad.

   2. Eden Foods makes the best red wine vinegar. It has the mother in it. I have found it at Whole Foods and ordered from Vitacost as well. Your red wine vinegar based dressing wills be so much better!

      For apple cider, I like Braggs.

      1. I have never had red wine vinegar with the mother! I’ve had Bragg’s apple cider with the mother, didn’t even know that was an option for red wine vinegar. I will check that out.

      2. I totally agree with the Eden for RWV. I started ordering it from Vitacost for convenience and I’m really hooked on it.

   3. I find that different recipes call for different types of vinegar – if it doesn’t call for anything I’d probably use distilled white vinegar. But I have distilled, ACV, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, and a few others…

      1. Which brands? I have all of those, but am specifically looking for brands.

         The distilled I just use in the laundry, so I don’t care that much about that one.

   4. Braggs for apple cider vinegar. I don’t know the brand but my favorite balsamic vinegar is in a small orb shaped jar with a cork. Lucini, Masserie, and Pommery are my usual purchases for the rest.

   5. Progresso for red wine vinegar-it is the least sharp to my taste
      Braggs for cider vinegar

   6. Pompeian red wine vinegar (very picky on this one) and Eden apple cider vinegar (Braggs is also fine)

   7. I recommend rice wine vinegar. It’s milder than white vinegar and not as ‘fruity’ as apple cider. Most supermarket brands are vine.

2. Someone said recently in the comments that they’re known as “a SME in thought leadership”, and I keep wondering what that could possibly mean. Anon, would you mind explaining?

   1. They paid a lot of money for an MBA?

   2. LMAO.

   3. guessing LinkedInfluencer

   4. “Hey girl”

      1. Hey hun!!!!!! I have a GR8 opportunity for you!!!!!

   5. 1. Completely full of themselves, or
      2. Actual public intellectual, a la Samantha Powers or Germaine Greer.

   6. I wondered the same. Specifically, did she mean she is an expert on the subject of thought leadership, or an expert on subject Y who is positioned in thought leadership on subject Y?

   7. The LinkedIn influenced thing is becoming so nauseating. Love LinkedIn for keeping up with news about recent research, how peers are doing things at their companies etc…but so many “experts” are really not expert at all. Does anyone use LinkedIn and if so, what are the ways you find value? I’m on it mostly for visibility to headhunters, but I don’t post other than to support ex colleagues, post open roles and “support” relevant posts.

      1. Visibility to headhunters and to keep up with what my grad school classmates are doing now, just because I’m curious.

      2. People are in one of two groups – those that are constantly using it and those that just use it to keep track of former colleagues. Those in the latter camp, including me, generally ignore the former.

   8. I literally cannot stand the term “thought leadership.” What a pretentious way to say that you have many ideas but don’t actually do much of anything.

   9. That was me. My background is a weird mix. I spent part of my time working in X field relating to healthcare, earned an MS in journalism, and spent another decade or so as an editor at a journal that serves the people who work in X field. I then worked for a couple of years in a research role and then a digital marketing role outside that industry (was a weird side track that taught me a ton of new skills). Now I work for a tech and service company that sells to folks in X field.

      My job is a mix. Sometimes I’m developing content (white papers and presentations mainly) based on proprietary research we’re conducting with folks working in X field (I play a big role in question development, analysis of findings, and working with marketing on dissemination strategy). Sometimes I’m sharing a bird’s eye view of trends based on stats coming out of our client data. At certain times of year, I’m focused heavily on speaker RFPs–– and then developing and presenting content for the live event speaking gigs that we win. When speaking, I’m mostly partnering or moderating panels with folks in X field who are working on pretty innovative projects (sometimes our clients but just as often others––and sometimes only partially relating to my company’s small piece of the industry). A fair amount of my job is also working closely with the marketing team to strategize and write content for industry trades or our own website’s resource center and blogs (SEO knowledge from the digital marketing experience has been helpful in this regard). I also develop and/or moderate a fair number of webinars throughout the year. Not as frequently, but I also work on internal coms projects, sometimes developing video content to help teach our sales and other employees about the industry and sometimes interviewing and guiding edits with other SMEs. For example, I recently wrapped some videos where I interviewed some of our legal team about an aspect of our services that touches compliance and risk in X field. Those videos (and a related FAQ doc I created) will be used to train the sales team and certain employee groups, so they’re not inundating legal with the same questions. I also incorporated the information into a PPT deck that will be a tool to answer common questions from prospects.

      While I have a bit of a unicorn background, my role isn’t all that unusual. One of my peers from journal days (a JD who went to Oxford) performs a similar role with a thought leadership title at a consulting firm that mainly focuses on healthcare M&A. His path went less journalism–he worked on a healthcare association’s policy team for a bit before his current role.

      And, no, sadly, neither of us post “hey hun” on Insta–at least last time I followed him. ;)

      1. This all sounds really legit, but I agree with the other commenters that “thought leadership” is a blah term that conveys absolutely nothing. I don’t know why you couldn’t just be a SME in X since the vast majority of what you do is connected to X field. “Thought leadership” sounds pretentious and made up as hell, like so many “life coaches”

      2. I didn’t see this when I posted. You have a great career and I can see how you could be very identifiable.

      3. Thanks for the reply!

   10. I noticed that too. Thought leadership is a SME and not the topic itself. I assumed they hadn’t had their coffee and they sat at a National office of one of the big4 trying not to throw up the awful flavia coffee. Instead they threw up words though leadership and SME in a not quite coherent way!

       Giving them the benefit of the doubt but I did chuckle to myself.

3. I made a joke at work today that I shouldn’t have. My company’s leadership consists of mostly white men. I was talking to a few female colleagues and one of them asked what she needed to do to get on the leadership team. I said something to the effect of “be a white man” (I am a white woman). I wish I had not said it, but I’m wondering just how bad it was or if I need to do damage control. I stand by the sentiment that we are lacking diversity, but I don’t think making a joke about it was the most effective way to make the point.

   1. Eh. This feels pretty benign to me (obviously, I do t know your workplace). I’d just let it go.

   2. It was a good joke! And probably true, and should be pointed out. Please don’t lose sleep over this.

   3. Seems fine, and accurate.

   4. Seems fine. And the truth.
      I’m sure the white men at your company don’t think twice when they make sexist jokes.

   5. I’ve never worked somewhere that would have a problem with this comment. Especially since it’s true.

   6. If it’s true, then the org had it coming. I think you’re fine.

      1. My exact thoughts.

   7. Nah this seems fine.

   8. If I was the recipient of this comment, I would be like “haha that’s true”. Unless there’s background we’re missing (do you decide who gets on the team and she could hold it against you? Was everyone in the conversation a POC and it got uncomfortable?) I think you’re fine.

   9. I would have no qualms about saying this, and certainly have! It’s often quite true.

   10. I think if anyone were upset with your comment, they wouldn’t call you out or report it because it would be a bad look for both them and your employer.

   11. Notwithstanding the other responses (and the consensus in “progressive” circles that anti-white racism is okay), you’re feeling this way because you know your comment/joke was inappropriate. Would you be okay if one of the white men in leadership made the same comment/joke about a BIPOC womxn in leadership, perhaps in the affirmative action context?

4. It’s been really interesting to see how colleges have tightened crackdowns on student protesters for being disruptive to normal operations or otherwise violent. I guess several schools, including Vanderbilt, have actually expelled students (after they injured a security guard and broke windows) and it was in the news yesterday that Columbia (among others) have embraced suspensions and even police involvement after years of hands-off action. I thought this quote from the New York Times captured things:

   “The Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel has sparked another wave of protests, which university administrators and free speech advocates say poses new challenges. In interviews, they described encountering students who were unwilling to engage with administrators when invited to do so, quick to use aggressive and sometimes physical forms of expression, and often wore masks to conceal their identities.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/18/us/politics/colleges-protests-israel-war.html

   This is exactly what I’ve been seeing as well. Mask-wearing for COVID is all but dead in my area, but when it comes to violent protests, suddenly everyone has an KN95 on. Discussion is seen as “collaborating with the enemy” and compromise is unknown. I don’t blame colleges for finally enforcing some consequences.

   1. personally I think the consequences should have been enforced long ago. the content of the protests shouldn’t matter. whether they are protesting the color blue or the israel/palestine conflict. we live in a society where there are rules/policies meant to keep people safe. their rights to free speech are not being impeded. also, how many warnings do they need? i saw an email sent out that the students started gathering yesterday morning, were told around noon yesterday to leave or there would be consequences, were given written warnings at 7pm yesterday being told if they didnt leave by 9pm they would receive interim suspensions…but then it took many more hours to actually do something about it.

      1. I do agree. I was on a campus that tolerated violent protest (shattered windows downtown, fire, and more) and it definitely felt wrong that there were no real repercussions. That was several years ago at this point but I haven’t forgotten it.

   2. many of the student protestors are behaving in a way that is not much better than those involved in the events of January 6.

      1. yes, and they are the same people who are threatening not to vote (or not to vote for Biden) in november. i just heard a statistic that 47% of young people (not sure how defined, but it was about young voters, so assume 18-X (25?)) don’t think it matters whether we live in a democracy or a dictatorship. make of that what you will. and then try to get your local schools to teach civics again, for the love of ….

         1. Holy. Heck. Wtf is wrong with people.

            I’m young and I’m liberal but I do not understand the very liberal Gen Zers. I was talking about it last weekend with an array of fellow late twenties liberals. It feels like the Gen Zers (I know I’m generalizing) are just so uncompromising. You’re either 100% with them or you’re against them; there’s no room for nuance, hearing other views*, or compromise. Do they not realize that literally no one 100% agrees with who they vote for? Even Biden routinely doesn’t get his way on policy due to checks and balances (which, while frustrating is a good system).

            The approach makes them so hard to work with and listen to but also really shows how young and ignorant they are.

            1. They grew up with social media that disincentivizes nuance or recognizing that compromise is unavoidable for meaningful change in real life. It’s all hot takes and calling out without any of the hard work of building real-world solutions. Add in active disinformation and efforts to divide us and voilà.

            2. It takes some time and experience, and growing up, to learn that purity tests are usually unworkable in the long run.

         2. If you can’t or won’t acknowledge or appreciate the difference between living under a democracy with a head of state you don’t always agree but where you have significant freedoms and a dictatorship then you don’t deserve the democracy.

   3. The Vanderbilt protestors forcibly entered a building then refused to leave hours after being told they violated university policy. The expelled students were charged with misdemeanors by the Nashville police. I don’t see how the school is overstepping. It’s also ridiculous that these students feel so strongly about the war and are happy to disrupt campus operations, yet they want to conceal their identity with masks. Why not show your face if you’re doing nothing wrong?

      1. Couldn’t agree more. The masking is cowardice and I think Vanderbilt did the right thing. Now I want to see consequences for blocking bridges nationwide on the 15th.

      2. I agree. I’m a fierce proponent of civil liberties but as long as it’s non-violent and not too impactful on bystanders (like I don’t have patience for shutting down roads. Imagine having a loved one having a medical emergency and they can’t get to the hospital due to protests). Rallies in parks or specific buildings? Fine. Marches that allow traffic to move elsewhere? Fine. Totally shutting down traffic? Not fine.

         Also, being incendiary is not going to sway over anyone to your side…

         But yes, if you have nothing to hide then why cover your face?

      3. this is a right wing talking point. If you haven’t done anything wrong, what difference does it make if the government invades your privacy? Would you make the same argument about government snooping your period tracker? If you haven’t done anything wrong (had an abortion), then you should be okay with that. Disingenuous.

         1. Your examples are not at all analogous. Using a period tracker or having an abortion are private medical actions protected by privacy law. Participating in an unlawful public protest on private property or in a public square is in no way similar. When people marched in the 1960s, they were brave enough to stand by their beliefs and show their faces, even though they faced way harsher consequences. Protestors today are clearly trying to avoid prosecution by masking their identities and it is cowardly.

            1. I see both of your points, but I also think the consequences for being arrested for protesting for example, and much higher these days. I work with several people who arrested during the Civil Rights Movement for their participation in sit-ins, protests, etc. and they went on to have successful professional careers (physicians, executives, lawyers etc.)
               Today, you wouldn’t get hired and would have basically no career prospects.

         2. The phrase “Right Wing talking point” is a Left Wing talking point.

            1. +1

         3. Regardless of how you feel about these protests, it is absurd to say that having one’s face be seen when engaging in civil disobedience is an invasion of privacy. I had to read your comment twice just to make sure I wasn’t missing something else that happened. Last time I checked, MLK didnt wear a mask. You’re not entitled to anonymous public protest.

         4. No, the point of civil disobedience is to be arrested and to suffer the consequences of breaking the law non-violently, to demonstrate (in the demonstrator’s view) the injustice of the existing law that has been broken through the demonstration. Masking is a cowardly punk-out.

      4. I honestly assumed they were wearing masks because of the pandemic; masking is a lot more common on university campuses than elsewhere where I live.

         1. Yeah there’s definitely overlap between left wing war protestors and people who are still very Covid cautious. I wouldn’t assume they’re trying to hide their faces.

         2. Lololol no, mask wearing didn’t go from 2% to 100% overnight among young protestors because they’re suddenly afraid of COVID. Let’s call a spade a spade here.

            1. I only know two people who’ve attended in person Gaza protests and they both wore masks but they’re both seriously covid cautious and don’t do indoor dining still. I have no use for the protestors’ tactics but I do genuinely think there’s a lot of overlap between fringe opinions about Gaza and fringe opinions about Covid.

            2. I don’t think you’re familiar with the young chronic illness/disability community or the young left progressive pro-Palestine community if you find it at all unlikely that they mask regularly.

            3. Sure, maybe a handful mask regularly – but let’s not pretend it’s the norm for 100% of people to mask OUTDOORS on college campuses. That’s absurd. It’s ok to acknowledge that they’re masking to hide their identities. Some are doing it with scarves and bandanas – pray tell how that is for COVID safety?

            4. Okay, scarves and bandanas is definitely to hide identity; I saw a photo that was all KN95s. I just know that some lefty groups are requiring masks at group events even if it’s not otherwise the norm; it’s a social justice and accessibility thing, and I’ve seen 100% masking at events that weren’t any kind of protest at all.

               As for hiding identities, they think that somebody like Bill Ackman will get them suspended if they don’t. There is a lot of anxiety over people losing their jobs and careers “just for supporting Palestine” or for criticizing Israel on social media.

   4. Ugh. Protesters. I feel bad for any future neighbors and co-workers of these people. They must be joys to live around.

   5. Overall I am not surprised. Protest and disruption can be legitimate, but there is a wrong way to go about it. I am reminded of the student unionization on a nearby campus some years ago, with rallies on plazas, a sit-in near the office of the president, and picket lines. There were rules of engagement, and there were adults in charge who stopped overzealous protesters from crossing certain lines, or denounced the crossing at least. And when the university came to the bargaining table, there was of course negotiation happening. There is a balance for all of this, and our society largely relies on trust and people upholding certain norms without permanent external enforcement.

   6. As they say, your right to swing your fist stops where my nose starts. Sure, go ahead and have a peaceful protest. As soon as it becomes violent, causes damage, or negatively impacts bystanders then it’s unacceptable and there should be consequences

   7. Lawsuits, whether meritorious or not, are expensive, time consuming, annoying, and are potentially bad punlicity, and if a protestor so much as gets a bruised pinky when being forcibly removed (or simply accuses the school of such because there was contact of any kind), there is a good chance a lawsuit will be brought by that student and the school with have to deal with it

   8. Honestly, I think that a lot of colleges and universities (my alma mater included) were caught off-guard by the recent protests. There are some places where there have been decades of Very Visible Protesting (e.g., UC Berkeley), but there are plenty of schools where it just didn’t happen all that often.

      As for the unwillingness to engage, I think that having unreasonable beliefs and opinions is part of what you ought to do when you are in the 18-24 demographic. But eventually there are limits and administrators will have to enforce them.

      In a few years, my first will be at college. While I’d like them to be a bit more politically interested/active, I can 100% imagine them being the one who is just irritated that a campus building is blocked, no matter the cause.

   9. Semi-regular poster going anon for this. I am a graduate student at Columbia. Things are a mess here. The university arrested students today for refusing to leave their encampment on campus. Campus has been closed to non-affiliates all week, so everyone in those encampments had an active university ID. I think it’s very concerning to see how the university has responded to student speech over the past year, not just in this instance. Students on both sides have said and even done some incredibly vile things and they should be disciplined. But I have also seen the university discipline students for relatively non-disruptive, non-destructive, and non-violent protest activities, which concerns me.

      And regardless, I want to highlight that campuses are hurting right now. I hope that we can try to build community and understanding in the days and weeks to come

      1. Disparate treatment of protestors is troubling. One of the things that I always loved about being part of a college community is that the rules were more or less the same for everyone. I’m sure there were exceptions/mistakes but it seemed pretty even-handed.

         1. Yes thank you for articulating it better than I did. Things do not feel even handed right now. I haven’t participated in any protest activity myself, but I have been disconcerted by certain instances where the university has punished pro-Palestine students for basically identical protest activity (like, that happened at the same time) as pro-Israel students

            1. Aw thanks! Also I think that some of the crackdowns are really more about administrators being embarrassed and having lots of cranky feedback from all manner of alums.

            2. Were Jewish students chanting “from the river, to the sea, Israel will be free?” If not, then it’s not the same.

            3. Anon at 9:55: Actually no. In an instance I saw while waiting for a class to start, the pro-Palestine students were completely silent, doing a sort of mourners’ procession

            4. OP again: First sentence should read actually no one was

5. does gorjana jewelery hold up? i was debating bracelets and they will certainly get wet. i know the stuff is plate but it’s not so cheap, want it to last for a bit.

   1. I’ve had a necklace from them for a few years now and it’s held up well, actually better than a more expensive Mejuri necklace.

6. I’m going to be in NYC for work in mid-July. It’s going to be extremely hot there from what I’ve heard? What would you wear in this instance? I’m not from a hot area and my normal commute is a 20 minute air conditioned drive from garage to garage. This time I’ll be walking a lot outside between offices and the hotel.

   1. Where are you coming from? People in NYC moan about how hot it is in the summer and rich people escape to the Hamptons, but if you’re coming as a visitor and you’re not from Maine or Alaska the heat shouldn’t be oppressive. My in-laws live in the city and we visit them frequently in the height of summer. I enjoy it more at that time because it’s less crowded. We live in the Chicago area so it’s warmer than home, but it doesn’t seem crazy hot to me.

      For clothes, I’d bring a lot of layers because office buildings and hotels will be air-conditioned and can be pretty cold.

      1. It can be pretty darn hot and humid in NYC in July, and I have lived here for almost 15 years. On top of that, most NYC residents walk or take public transport to work, so it is very hard to avoid getting sweaty while you’re commuting. (Yes, I am aware you can take an Uber or cab everywhere, but that is prohibitively expensive for most, though possibly not OP on a short work trip.) Visiting your in laws and commuting to an office in work clothes are two very different things in my experience.

         OP – I would plan on wearing a lightweight dress if you can. Bring a sweater or blazer for indoors, but do not wear it while commuting.

      2. Or San Francisco. I find NYC in the summer quite hot!

      3. Or San Francisco.

         I find NYC in the summer quite hot.

   2. Tried and true comfy shoes and a jacket for the inside A/C that you can take off. Wicking fabrics.

   3. Wear your hair up at least on your commute, otherwise it will turn into a frizzy sticky mess. Personally, I like to keep a travel deodorant and those oil absorbing sheets on me during the summer months. If you have to take a subway be prepared for the awful subway platforms. They can be incredibly hot and humid. Also, I try to stick with dresses and light blazers. If you need to wear heels, bring a change of shoes as well so you only wear them in the office.

      1. Not OP, but any recommendations on lightweight blazers?

   4. Fun fact: The first time I went to NYC in the summer, I thought I would pack light so I only brought one outfit per day. Big mistake because I sweated through my clothes on the regular (especially in the subway) and definitely needed to at the very least change before dinner.

   5. It could be extremely hot or it could be regular hot and not especially gross. A dress and blazer combo was always my go to for summer work days in nyc. You probably want comfortable closed toed flats. Pack bandaids because blisters happen despite our best intentions especially when the weather is hot and you’re not used to walking at a New York pace.You want a lighter weight bag because they get heavy when you walk a lot. I might consider investing in a high quality collapsible umbrella if it looks like even a chance of rain. Rain in nyc ruins your day in ways that it just doesn’t when you drive to work. The grossest part of the summer is always waiting for the subway so if you’re avoiding that you’re already better off than most. Have fun in New York!

   6. It’s not extremely hot, just regular hot (barring some unusual heat wave). I don’t think you need any special attire beyond normal summer clothing.

      1. This. But I’ll also add, avoid open toed shoes for your commute. Your feet will get very dirty. And prepare yourself for lots of unsavory smells.

         1. Ha, core memory unlocked of coming home in the summers and immediately going to the bathroom to shower off the subway grime. I loved living in the city but not in July/August.

            1. This is why it grosses me out when people don’t shower at night.

      2. Depends on where you’re from. If you’re used to zero humidity you’re in for a shock. (See my comment above.)

   7. No nylons and not much shape wear. No wool unless very thin gabardine. Minimal polyester–no long sleeved polyester blouses. Best top is a shell or tee with a blazer or merino cardigan you can carry or leave at office. Bring a big Le Pliage to hold shoes, blazer, water bottle. Prepare for hair to frizz–a giant clip helps. Birkenstocks if possible for walking.

   8. Layers will be your friend, as will a hair clip (and a comb, bobby pins/hairspray), hand sanitzer wipes (these work to kill BO in a pinch), blotting paper, and keeping your makeup minimal. Also west coasters tend to be shocked at the level of humidity, if you’re coming from the south at least you’ll understand to factor that in.

   9. It could be lovely or it could be a humid heat wave. Tips from a Philly dweller-
      – Walk on the shady side of the street even if it means crossing when you don’t need to or waiting when you could otherwise cross
      – Clip your hair up for the walk and carry your warm layers in your tote (jacket, cardigan, whatever). Pick breathable fabric, and light and dark colors are less likely to show perspiration than medium colors (like gray)
      – allow yourself time to cool off in the AC before re-layering (like cooling off after a workout before you shower)
      – if you’re just walking a few blocks, sandals are fine as long as you’re able to scan the sidewalk in front of you while walking to avoid any mess. Birks feel more protective than flip flops for this. Suburban residents are often more likely to trip over uneven places since they are used to smooth asphalt and strip mall sidewalks – be prepared for oddball cracks
      – most people do not wear their office shoes to commute and use a cute reusable shopping bag for this kind of stuff if they don’t have space to store shoes at the office

      1. Are you me, walking from South Street to the Aramark Building for a Philly Bar Association event?

   10. sleeveless collared button-up shirt with wide-leg flowy pants and shoes with a bit of a heel that you can walk long distances in, plus a fetching dark-colored cotton cardigan for inside. White will get filthy immediately, but camel can substitute for summer white. Black linen is a god-send. Avoid necklaces because of sweaty necks and decolletage.

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