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Frugal Friday’s Workwear Report: Scuba Fitted Top

A woman wearing a red long sleeve V-neck top and black pants with black shoulder bag

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

A good long-sleeved top can be hard to find, so I knew I had to snag this one from Banana Republic Factory. The scuba fabric is substantial without being too heavy, the V-neck provides a good shape without dipping too low, and the fitted shape layers nicely under sweaters and blazers. Overall, a perfect top for the winter! 

The blouse is $18-24 at Banana Republic Factory and comes in sizes XXS-XXL. It also comes in four other colors. 

Hunting for more fitted tops? A number of our favorite work-appropriate T-shirts have a fitted, sleek look, particularly Everlane, J.Crew, and the double-layer lines at Boden, Express, Old Navy, and Hobbs. Halogen's compression tops (in regular and plus!), White House Black Market's FORME line and New Day's slim fit tees are also a good option if you want a sleek look.

Sales of note for 1/1/25 (HAPPY NEW YEAR!):

276 Comments

  1. Book suggestions for my BiL for gifts? I’ve done The Boys in the Boat and Interesting Facts for Curious Minds in the past. He’s kind of a little bit of everything guy with no clear preferences.

        1. Not sure if it’s still in print, but there’s a “coffee table” version of Into Thin Air –
          large-scale hardbound with pictures. If he’s at all interested in mountaineering that would make a great gift.

      3. I liked Dead Wake, but I actually preferred Isaac’s Storm, also by Erik Larson.
        It’s about the Galveston 1900 hurricane, but also really interesting history of forecasting and understanding of hurricanes in general.

      1. That is such a fun, weird one. Highly recommend if he’s interested in the Arctic circle – or sharks, obviously).

        And I recently read “In Broad Daylight” which is about a man who terrorized a small community and ended up essentially getting executed in the midst of a crowd with no witnesses. Good for those interested in the criminal justice system and small town social mores.

    3. James, by Percival Everett, won this year’s National Book Award for fiction. It’s next on my list to read but I’ve heard it’s fantastic.

      1. I won’t say this book is bad (it’s good literature), but I think it’s a bad gift. It’s a pretty grim read that made me miserable the whole time I was reading it. Erik Larson seems like a much better gift rec unless you know someone really likes serious fiction.

    5. Ditto the Dead Wake rec – it is my favorite Erik Larson book.
      My husband liked Dave Grohl, Kirk Herbstreit, and Matthew McConaughey’s books.

    7. I usually get my parents books for Christmas. This year my dad is getting Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster and my mom is getting A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon.

    8. Does he like science books? Mary Roach’s are hilarious and Ed Yong’s are always super well written and informative.

    9. Last year someone recommended River of Doubt by Candice Millard, about Theodore Roosevelt in the Amazon. It was a huge hit with my husband.

    10. Assuming he hasn’t read these amazing books already:
      – Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
      – The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson.
      – Open by Andre Agassi.

      1. Not OP, but thanks for the Code Breaker rec-CRISPR is fascinating to me, so adding that one to my to-read list

    11. It’s certainly not new, but if he hasn’t read it yet, I recommend Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

      1. And rereleased recently (I think this year). I picked it up and enjoyed it a lot.

    12. Any of Mary Roach’s books – pick the topic she’s done that you’ll think suits him best. Stiff, Grunt, and Bonk were all great.

    13. I loved The Wager, about an ill-fated 18th-Century Antarctic expedition and the subsequent courts martial — wild twists and turns.

  2. My two coworkers and I share a Canva account for various projects. While we don’t work directly together, we all report to the same boss. Other members of our department, including our boss and her boss, also have access to the account but don’t use it, as their work doesn’t require it.

    One of my coworkers started less than a year ago, and by spring, freelance and personal projects began appearing in the account. Since our organization doesn’t work with the companies she’s creating projects for, I know these aren’t work-related.

    For a while, I’ve been telling my other coworker to mind our business and let things work themselves out. However, no one else logs into the account, so unless we say something, no one will know. It’s also becoming increasingly frustrating because I have to sift through her freelance projects to find my work projects. Although I’ve organized my work into folders, it’s still a hassle. The probability that she’s working on these projects during the work day isn’t something I want to touch at this point, but pretty likely based on when these projects pop up on the dashboard.

    Additional details that may be relevant: I have a good relationship with my boss. We all work remote. Getting her or tricking her to sign into the account would not work – she doesn’t work in or understand Canva at all. I would have to tell her explicitly what’s going on if I were to tell her.

    Should I continue keeping my head down, or should I speak up to my boss?

    1. Say to your coworker: “Hey, I’m not sure you realize this but all your projects are showing up in my version of Canva. Could you [make a separate folder/ use a separate account]?” Coworker will be mortified, problem will resolve itself.

      Don’t involve your boss.

    2. I suspect the comments will mostly advise you to keep your head down. I would find this really irritating, but would err towards saying something to my coworker first…a shot across the bow, if you will.

    3. I would be direct with the coworker. “Hey, your personal stuff is cluttering up the corporate account. Can you delete it?”

      2. +1 “Coworker, FYI your personal projects are visible in our shared Canva account. Can you please remove them?”

      3. This exactly.

        If you somehow need to rope the boss in, don’t trick her into signing in; set up a Teams call, share your screen, and show her all of the personal stuff.

        Consider as well that if your coworker isn’t getting her own work done, your boss will know.

    4. I’d say something to your coworker first. “hey, I get the temptation, but you’re really not supposed to be using this for your own stuff”

      tbh if I were coworker I wouldn’t want my own designs done on company resources for IP purposes!

    5. I would speak up just based off of it being a hassle. I’d keep the thought about her working on outside projects during company time to myself. I would probably bring it up to my boss as “Could I get my own Canva account? Coworker has projects in there that are unrelated to my work and it’s getting disorganized.” Your boss will hopefully connect the dots?

      But also, what’s your relationship like with your coworker? Could you go to her first and say that it’s annoying to sort through her projects and maybe it will click for her that she needs to cut it out?

    6. I would go to the coworker first. The very least she could do would be to put it in a separate folder so its not inconveniencing you. I think this is really blatant usage of a Canva account – sure use it occasionally but don’t leave stuff up and don’t make it noticeable like this

        1. A big yikes is pretty dramatic. It’s equivalent to using the company printer. Canva doesn’t charge by project, so it’s probably less hurt than using a printer for personal. OP, you’re not this person’s boss. It’s weird to me that your mind is going to “trick” your boss to what you think is some big reveal. Many people have side hustles after hours or volunteer work, especially if they are young. Boss may even know. It’s why companies often have folks sign things about not having conflicts.

          Be a grown up and use your voice to ask her to store stuff elsewhere. If she’s not getting her work done, the boss will focus on that. Not your circus, not your monkey.

          2. Places I’ve worked, our marketing department has used my personal account at times. It’s the equivalent of someone doing PPTs on their work laptop. Either way, I’m not seeing why OP wouldn’t just talk to the co-worker. If the issue is moonlighting, the company surely has a policy.

            And co-worker also might want to refrain from spending work time on a fashion blog then if it is so concerning.

          4. I bet you are the type to say big yikes if someone is sharing a Netflix account. Actually, it’s less pearl clutch-worthy. It’s probably about $8 a month to use. And it doesn’t add extra cost to the company.

            And she is not this person’s boss.

            Actual “big yikes” is if external gigs are not allowed or if this work is indeed being done on company time.

      2. +1. Definitely say something to the co-worker first. If things don’t change, then I think you could ask for your own account as a previous poster suggested and hopefully your boss would get the hint.

      3. If she ever leaves the company, she won’t be able to access her projects either if they are in the company account. Canva won’t transfer them for her, since your employer owns the account. So she’ll reach out to you to try to help her and then it will be a true yikes for her when you won’t do it.
        I used to work for Canva and this is a huge issue that comes up all the time for customer support.

    8. Is your colleague failing her work duties? If so say something otherwise pretend the freelance files don’t exist. Also come on worker solidarity, she’s probably only freelancing because she’s underpaid.

    10. I would speak up to your boss. The company presumably pays for Canva, and she is using that paid subscription for a side hustle. That’s like me using my employer’s Westlaw subscription to do research for a client I am representing outside of work. Plus she is doing all this on company time. This is a pretty serious breach of ethics and should be brought up to your boss.

      1. Good grief. You can do most things in a free Canva account. A year is about $100. Not remotely the same other than it being moonlighting (which may actually be allowed). She doesn’t even know if it was on company time. Talk with the coworker. I’d rather give a heads up than tattle over this and have a weird dynamic going forward with the coworker and possibly your other coworker who also sees this since likelihood of termination for this alone is almost certainly low. There is “right” and then there’s also reality of needing to work with these people longer term.

    11. Let me guess. If you were a nurse in an abortion ban state treating someone miscarrying you’d report her to the cops for illegal abortion.

      Jesus. Who cares. It’s freaking canva. Why are you policing this.

  3. Low stakes question – what’s a good equivalent of a nice hand cream or sheet mask for men? Something that is a small luxury for the recipient but relatively affordable to buy for the gifter?

    I’m trying to avoid foods due to a variety of allergies in my friend group.

    1. Wool socks or thin tech-friendly wool gloves? My husband is always losing those so they regularly need to be replaced.

      1. +1 to both of these. My husband actually likes hand creams and face masks, too, but would also appreciate nice face sunscreen, apple airtags, or a gift card for a car wash.

    3. My husband loves the Jack Black product line and I always top up his stash for Christmas and Father’s Day. He particularly likes the shaving mask, the handsoap, and the handcream.

    4. If the guy uses any product in his hair, he would probably appreciate a fancier brand of pomade.

    5. My husband is not a person who regularly uses a lot of skincare products, but he does like the Hemp hand cream from the Body Shop. He works with his hands a lot which results in frequent hand washing & dry or cracked skin absent moisturizing.

      I got the hemp hand cream in a gift basket and he glommed onto it. Now I put a new tube in his stocking for Christmas every year.

    6. There was an NYT Wirecutter article about a mens face washer:

      “When the all-knowing Am*zon algorithm revealed the Vwmyq Silicone Face Scrubber, I sensed that I’d found the answer. It was black. It was “for men.” And it was $9.”

      The author really liked it. You could pair it with a nice “manly” smelling face wash.

  4. I’m good at sewing and embroidery. I just read a gruesome comment board on sutures vs surgical staples and now I think I missed my calling (surgical scar revision for bad scars, particularly c-section ones). Who knew sewing well with good u form tension was a 21st century non-Amish skill? Not this SLAC college history major.

    1. My son just got staples on his scalp. I honestly don’t think there’s any connection to being good at sewing based on what it looked like after the doctor did it… It did heal nicely so I guess whatever he did was fine but it looked like a hot mess.

      1. There are definitely procedures where it does matter (I’m glad that what he did worked fine though!). I’ve heard that past experience with sewing stands out especially in veterinary medicine (tiny patients, bigger variety of tissues, etc.).

        It’s legitimately been an issue lately that some people who perform well enough academically to become surgeons never developed the motor skills because they were too academically focused from too young an age.

        1. I am a smart person who succeeded academically and professionally. I was taught to sew and embroider from early childhood, and also helped with household repairs and gardening. And yet I test in the bottom 5% of the population for manual dexterity, and no amount of development of my motor skills would have gotten me to the place where I should be a surgeon.

          1. Same, I never had the potential. Some of my siblings are great at fine work though, so I’m glad we all had the opportunity to try!

        2. My husband is a surgeon, and we know a bunch of other surgeons who studied fine arts in college (in addition to science). He didn’t, but he loved making very detailed model airplanes and ships as a little kid, and always says he thinks it built up his fine motor skills.

      2. Sewing up incisions is an art. Some doctors are great at it, some aren’t, and unfortunately in my experience that division is typically along gendered lines. (except for plastic surgeons)

    2. I never had considered surgery, but in medical school I was startled when they allowed me to do some basic suturing (and more) during operations. One of the older surgeons said to me after we were done – “You have the hands of a surgeon”. I’m a classical musician.

      Yes, the fine motor and artistic skills really do carry over to unexpected careers.

      1. Same. Classically-trained violinist. And I draw and can tie all the scout knots (and scarves and do hair braiding).

        1. I am excellent at braiding (and doing lanyards) on other people/dolls but I cannot braid my own hair to save my life!

        2. I’m a pianist and a knitter and can get knots out of anything, even the most tangled skein of yarn. It requires fine motor skills + patience.

          Somehow, someone always needs my help with this, including coworkers and neighbors!

          1. I should add: getting knots out of old chain necklaces that have been lying at the bottom of a jewelry box for years… I really should hang a shingle.

    3. I took a first aid class over Covid and we did stitches and staples on raw chicken and I was really good at it! Surprising to me. The rest of the attendees (all sort of prepper type men) all preferred the staples.

      But yeah I’m a creative writing major so… lol

    4. There’s suturing and then there is waking up at ungodly hours to stand on your feet all day for hours at a time in more or less the same position in a cold OR. By the time you get to closing, you just need to be done. I suppose after you get past training you can open a practice just for scar revision, but it won’t be as lucrative as full surgeries.

      Personally, I think the OR is gruesome and looks like a fancy butcher table. I happily embroider my kids clothes for fun.

    5. The focus on neatly suturing seems to be mainly for plastic surgeons – doctor’s aren’t super incentized to do it well for various reasons, plus lasers are much more effective in getting rid of scars.
      The focus on fine motor skills is rough and lots of kids are falling behind (ask a parent how hard it was for them to get their kids to learn to tie their shoes). I STILL have my 10 and 13 year old boys do handwriting workbooks during school breaks and encourage puzzles and ‘boy friendly’ fine motor skills kits (lock picking kits, putting together car and plane models, etc).

      1. lol — there are lock-picking kits? Think I’ve found my white elephant and stocking stuffer gifts.

        1. Yes… they are wildly popular among cybersecurity students and capture the flag enthusiasts. When I was in school for CS, I spent way too much time attempting to be interested… they just aren’t my thing.

        3. My son locked us out of our bathroom and we could not get it open. Boy, did the Home Depot employees have a good chuckle when I asked if they stocked lock picking kits! You can find them online, but I guess brick and mortar stores don’t want to aid criminals

      2. I would love a link to a good lock picking kit for a gift. Hopefully in the less than $50 range!

    6. My husband has strict orders that if I ever end up in the emergency room, he’s to call in a plastic surgeon to do the suturing! ;)

  5. Does anyone have a great system for managing cords at your desk? My home office includes desktop computer, laptop, printer, lamp, and several other things that need to stay plugged in. All the cords look messy and catch dust/cat hair. I know somebody has solved this!

    2. Attach one of the under desk cord shelves to your desk. They come in metal and plastic and will hold all the cords on a little shelf under your desk but off the floor. You can even put a power strip on it so only the power strip cord dangles down to the outlet.

      1. I’ve never heard of that but I’ll check it out. Maybe combined with velcro. Thanks!

    3. Velcro cord keepers, an underdesk tray, and a cord cradle (one of those mesh tubes that bundles all the cords into one rope). And if you have things that you unplug frequently, one of those rubber grommet things that you attach to the back of your desk to keep the cords from falling off when you are not using them.

    4. There also are cord boxes. Amazon has a bunch. I have a multi-plug thingy in mine and run cords into and out of it. Cord management is an art, though; it takes some time to figure out which tools work for your set-up. I would order an array of products, see what works and return what doesn’t.

    5. My power strip and adapters are covered up by a box designed for this purpose. The cables coming out of the box are held together neatly with a spiral foam cable wrap. Both items are available at the Container Store or Amazon.

  6. Any recs for a butter dish that isn’t very easily breakable and fits the double stick of butter (eg, Kerrygold). I cannot seem to find a good solution despite lots of googling. Currently we’re just keeping our butter it in its original wrapper and it’s making my fridge a mess.

    1. One of the Pyrex snapware containers is a reasonably good fit for Kerrygold, so that is what I’ve been using in the fridge. I have seen cute ceramic ones for the counter top, but they’re heavy and breakable and the lids don’t attach, so I don’t use them in the fridge. (We don’t really burn through butter fast enough these days to leave it on the counter.)

      1. But if you want something cuter and even less breakable, search for an enamelware option; a lot of them come in double wide by default.

    2. commission your friend with a pottery hobby! or Etsy probably has some too.

    3. Buy a butter dish from a British maker like Denby. The wide sticks are common across the UK.

    6. We cut Kerrygold in half the long way so it is stick-size, put one half in the butter dish and leave the other wrapped in the fridge. I prefer that because the butter being used quickly starts to look sloppy, and we can change to a fresh stick (and run the butter dish through the dishwasher) more frequently

    8. We use the ‘corn relish’ fiestaware plates a relative got us. They work great for both wider butters like Kerrygold (our fave) and for putting out crackers for cheese plates!

    9. I like a marble butter bell for countertop butter. It withstands rough handling way better than ceramic or glass, although it is heavy enough that it inflicts damage on things if you drop it. Goes through the dishwasher nicely, too.

      Just for the love of god do NOT put water in the bottom of it unless you want a rancid stench fest. I don’t know what madness makes people think butter on the counter has to be sealed away from air; it does just fine left out at room temp.

      1. Also a fan of butter keepers. I hadn’t realized they came in marble, and now I want one!

    10. My parents’ butter dish is metal (perhaps even silver, it’s quite ornate). They’ve had it my entire life and it’s held up great. There is a glass dish in it that the butter sits on, but the rest is all metal

    11. This is the kind of thing I’d go to a thrift store for. Find some cute and/or quirky dish that fits.

      1. I also have that one – in fact, I have two of them! love them both. I have an extra for when the first one is in the dishwasher and use them with Kerry gold butters. I guess we’ve had them for a couple years now. Yum Yum Yum! Butter makes everything better! Amirite?

      1. Caution: those shatter into shards if dropped just right (or wrong, I guess).

  7. What would be an appropriate gift for an elder care social worker who has gone completely above and beyond to help my aunt with dementia on a weekly basis for the last year? We checked with her agency and gifting is allowed, but we’re not sure what’s appropriate to send. Budget is flexible.

    1. Something cash-equivalent, perhaps accompanied by some small consumable or a plant. More importantly, a heartfelt card.

    3. Cash and a nice note. And if cash is not allowed, a Target gift card and a nice note.

    5. Cash, as much as you are comfortable giving. It is not usually a highly-paid job even if her agency charges a lot.

    6. Licensed social worker here. Even if the agency says it’s okay to accept gifts, most boards would say it’s unethical to accept any gift that is more than $10 or so. So something like an inexpensive consumable gift is about all we can/should accept. I agree with the comment that a heartfelt card is always appreciated!

  8. My skip level manager (who I’ve worked very closely with over the last three years, more so than my own manager) has been a mentor and supporter for me since I joined. He’s leaving the company next week and we have a final 1:1 in person. I know we’re not supposed to gift up, but I would like to write him a heartfelt card and give him something small as a token of my appreciation (but I cannot think of anything that would work). Any ideas? Or if I should just do the card, I’ll do that.

    1. If nothing specifically springs to mind I’d stick with the card. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.

    2. I’m nobody’s direct manager but I absolutely treasure the cards and notes I’ve received from mentees and other junior staff. The card is enough; don’t gift up.

    3. As a manager, the token gifts I have received from my staff almost always make me feel awkward. The exceptions were really personalized, like a desk sign quoting something I said, or a framed picture of my team. If nothing like that makes sense for you, just do the note. That’s always what I treasure.

    4. Thank you card and something edible- bottle of champagne or plate of cookies or nice chocolates.

    5. My first boss was really into a particular candy (hot tamales) so I gave him a card and a movie size box of hot tamales and a bottle of wine. I never used him for a reference or anything like that, and frankly I didn’t like him all that much, but you never know when you’ll need a reference (or they’ll call him anyway).

  9. Low stakes Friday question… Do you leave outside lights on at night at your home? Why or why not?

    I was driving home late last night (suburb, mid-size city) and noticed that a lot of people leave outdoor lights on (or at least until 10pm when I was out and which is late for me). We don’t leave lights on though we do have a motion sensor light over the garage. It doesn’t feel terribly welcoming to pull into our house but it also seems like a waste, maybe? Would love to hear what other do.

    1. I wouldn’t leave the lights on “to be welcoming” if I’m not expecting to welcome anyone. (I don’t have a lifestyle where people drop in unannounced in the evenings.)

      1. I did when I lived alone. Now I have a giant dog so leave one or two low-light ones in for him.

    3. We leave an inside light on that is visible from the outside to make it clear our house is occupied. Not for crime – there isn’t any in our rural location – but so that if someone breaks down or has an emergency, they know that our house has people in it who can help.

    5. We don’t but we also have street lamps every block or so. My parents’ neighborhood actually asks for them off at a certain time because it’s better for birds.

      1. Yes. Birds and other animals including humans. I’m surprised that no one else commented about light pollution

    6. We keep a front porch light on that’s light-sensitive, so it turns on automatically at sunset and off at sunrise. We also have a motion sensor light over the garage. Many people walk their dogs in late evening and early morning, and I think houses with porch lights contributes to a sense of safety and comfort while walking in the dark. Also, I feel (I have no evidence to back this up) that my house is less likely to be robbed or vandalized if there’s a light out front. I sleep better at night thinking no one would sneak in on a lit porch. Perhaps I have a childish fear of the dark! I try to be energy-conscious, but of the many things I waste, I’m not terribly concerned about my front porch light.

      1. +1 we keep them on because I agree that it makes it feel more safe for people who are walking. We live in a walkable area, so there are lots of people walking after dark.

        Feels like a nice community thing to do to me.

    7. Yes, my porch light is on a timer (part of my home automation) that comes on at dusk and goes off at dawn. It’s very helpful for deliveries in winter when the sun sets early. I also keep my outside garage lights on in the winter because when I go to my exercise class it’s dark. I live alone and having these lights on makes me feel safer. The bulbs are energy efficient so I don’t think it’s that much of a waste.

    8. this is 100% normal for city dwellers. Our entire neighborhood leaves their stoop lights on overnight, in addition to the streetlights being on.

      1. Yup, I also live in Philly and everyone’s stoop lights are on all night long for safety / being a good neighbor reasons.

      2. This must vary by city. In my city, very few people leave their porch light on. But we have city street lights, and the houses are set far enough back (about 8 to 10 feet) that the porch light isn’t really going to help on the sidewalk.

        1. We’re talking houses that are literally ON the sidewalk here – rowhouses (aka brownstones or townhomes) in a dense downtown.

    9. Live in the city. Our outdoor lights have a quasi night light setting and a flood light setting. We leave them on the night light setting 24/7 and only turn on the flood light to make sure DoorDash finds the right house. We also have our walkway lit with solar lights.

    10. In the US it seems like a city vs country thing in my experience.
      My family leaves ours off in rural areas (unless expecting someone) because it seems rude to add light pollution to an otherwise pleasant dark location. I always think of the people who leave theirs on all light or have big motion sensing floodlights as city people.

    11. This is a point of disagreement between my husband and I. I would prefer to turn off our porch lights as it’s better for wildlife. Husband wants to leave them on for safety. We leave them on. Our neighborhood does have a history of people breaking into cars at night, but it’s usually just unlocked ones and we have a motion-detector flood light on our driveway anyway, but whatever. [hi husband who also reads corporette.]

    12. I just have motion sensitive lights. I hate light pollution and don’t want to contribute. I do turn a porch light on if someone is expected though (including packages or deliveries).

    13. In my VHCOL city, the neighborhoods with the very small, close together, but still expensive, houses tend to have the lights off at 5am when I’m out for exercise. The neighborhoods with the large, extremely expensive, houses on more typical suburban size lots, have their porch and/or gate lights on at that time.

    14. We turn ours off and feel blinded by our neighbors who leave them on. Even with shades pulled there is light pollution that gets in. In two different houses we’ve had big blaring lights shining into our house from across the street. I wouldn’t mind so much if they were less bright and cast a smaller arc.

      We do have a motion light on the garage

    15. This time of year, my front porch light is on pretty much 24/7. I live in a city neighborhood but with poor street lighting (soon to improve, I think). It makes me feel safer at night to know people can’t lurk unnoticed on my porch. And since it gets dark by 5:30 now, and my mail is often delivered after that, and I tend to get home even later, I leave the light on for the postal carrier and for myself. If I work from home, I usually turn off the light during the day. I would eventually like to get it set on a timer, and even an app, though.

    16. No, because it is a waste of electricity and causes unnecessary light pollution with no benefit that outweighs it. We live in a semi-rural area with very little crime and several neighbors within seeing distance who have sodium vapor dusk-to-dawn lights. They are far enough away that they are just part of the ambient background and are not too irritating. We have motion lights; when they turn on the spillover is enough that it would be annoyingly bright through the windows to keep them on for long periods of time. They come on when we enter the driveway or approach the entrances, turn off after 2 minutes, and that’s all we need.

      I don’t care if my house is welcoming to random drive-by strangers. They don’t live here.

      1. I live in the city and am perfectly content with motion lights. My husband insisted on a camera as well so we get to see who or what was on the porch if we really want, and I’ve noticed that the motion light going on seems to make the person who triggered it steer clear (get out of my yard, away from my porch, etc.).

    17. We have some solar powered lights along our driveway. They are attached to the house. They aren’t very bright but enough that if you dropped your keys, you could find them.

      We have a brighter motion sensor light off the back door.

      Both of these are because someone was in our backyard taking a close look into the windows of our detached garage at 3 am and was caught doing so on our blink camera. I called the police non emergency line when I saw the clip the next day, and our very nice beat officer came over.

      He recognized the guy as a local petty crime guy, and recommended more lighting. So that’s why we have what we have. We just did exactly that the officer told us to do. It’s easier to sneak around undetected in the dark, after all.

    18. We leave them on until we go to bed. Amazon delivers at all hours and I don’t want the delivery person to trip on the front steps.

    19. We leave the front light on per request of the [city] police but not the back porch. From what I’ve seen, most of the wildlife, and definitely the birds, is/are in the back.

  10. Can anyone share their experience with paxlovid? My husband and I both have covid, and it’s his first time. My case has been quite mild, but he was sick enough that he got a paxlovid prescription. He’s taken 7 of the 10 doses, but the GI side effects are terrible. If you or someone close to you took it, were the side effects bad enough that you didn’t finish the course?

    1. My husband stopped for that reason the first time he had Covid. Second time didn’t bother as paxlovid was worse than Covid.

    2. I noticed the metallic taste in my mouth more than the GI effects but I think I was very diligent about taking it with food. I also went through a lot of ginger chews to help with the taste and that might have helped with GI issues too. I noticed that it helped with my wicked sore through right away so I was pretty motivated to finish it. I had Covid twice, took Paxlovid the second time and recovered faster. While I can’t establish a causal effect, I was glad I completed the dosage.

    3. I took the full dose of Paxlovid, only to get a rebound case. Due to the rebound, I tested positive for about 20 consecutive days. I didn’t experience other side effects besides a bad taste in my mouth (easily remedied with hard candy, gum). I wouldn’t take Paxlovid again unless I was high risk.

    4. The worst side effect I had with it was the terrible taste in my mouth. I think I went through a bag of jolly ranchers that week.

    5. I took it and would take it again in a second if needed. I had the nasty taste (if you’ve ever gotten DMSO on your skin and gotten that weird “coins marinated in garlic” taste, that’s what it was). It knocked my pretty debilitating COVID back to “bad cold” within hours and I was a functional human within 24. FWIW, I was vaccinated and am fit, mid-40s, not immune compromised… not the profile for severe illness, but it knocked me on my butt anyway.
      I ended up timing my meals to just before a dose, so I didn’t have to deal with food and that nasty taste, but no GI effects to speak of.

      1. OMG, yes, DMSO!

        I didn’t mind the taste that much, but like others, I tried to time my dose around meals. Paxlovid made me feel much better, but I also rebounded and was positive for at least 2 weeks. I don’t know if that means I won’t take it again – would I have been even sicker for longer? No idea!

    6. The GI side effects were bad. Kinda earthshaking the first day, and then everything tasted like metal for days. I honestly don’t know if it helped or not. I was down bad for a week.

      1. I was going to bring up metformin as a potential alternative but that’s exactly what metformin is like in my experience!

        1. My doctor won’t prescribe metformin for COVID despite the published evidence.

          1. I’m surprised. Most the doctors I want to see want to add the stuff to the water!

    7. Thanks all. I’m going to encourage him to have a telehealth urgent care visit today to discuss stopping the paxlovid. It really helped his covid symptoms, but I think at this point it’s harming him. Good to know there’s a range of responses.

    8. I don’t remember any GI symptoms to speak of. If I had them, it was nothing more than taking magnesium supplements.

      I do remember the icky taste and was glad when the doses were done. I drank a lot of tea and went through a lot of cough drops trying to drown it out.

      While I didn’t really get a rebound, I do remember that it seemed to suppress the normal fatigue associated with being sick and that the fatigued hit with a vengeance once I was done with the paxlovid.

    9. I take a drug that makes me moderately immunocompromised, so when I had Covid, I took the course of Paxlovid because my doctor told me to. I found that candy like Hot Tamales or Mike and Ike’s helps with the taste. I did get over Covid with minimal lasting symptoms, so who knows what it would have been without it, but I’m glad I took it.

    10. I have had COVID-19 twice, once last November, when I took Paxlovid the day after I exhibited symptoms. Even though I was vaccinated, I stilled suffered from symptoms for about three weeks, then was severely fatigued for another six weeks, nine weeks total. I recall the bitter taste at teh back of my mouth which went away as soon as I finished the five-day course of treatment. The second time was this past September/October. Again, I took Paxlovid the day after I exhibited symptoms and this time the disease was much milder, and lasted only about a week or ten days total. I had the bitter taste and some diarrhea, but the treatment was better than COVID.

    11. I only had the metallic taste. I do wonder whether Paxlovid is why I tested positive for 16 days, but I am high-risk and was quite ill so I’d definitely take it again.

  11. All the reaction to the United Healthcare CEO has gotten me thinking about the line we draw between “its just a job” and “that job is harmful”. For example, on the actuary subreddit there was some discussion about how even though people associate actuaries with insurance, they would be necessary even with public healthcare, and are providing analysis, not making decisions. Which I agree with.

    And it does seem like this CEO took some steps I can’t support from any perspective, like the model that was denying claims at a high rate.

    I guess I’m thinking that there may be a hypothetical way to run an insurance company morally, or as close to that as possible, but that’s not what’s happening. I don’t think people get as mad at home or car insurance, for example.

    Of course sometimes you just need a job and it pays the bills etc, but at what point do have to start thinking about the actual impact? If you were let’s say the CTO are you equally culpable? A janitor? A more junior analyst?

    1. the basic issue with health insurance is everyone wants doctors to be paid more, and everyone wants their premiums and copays (whether paid to a private insurance company or the government as ACA or tax dollars) to be less. Those work against each other. Add to that the shareholder pressure of running a *publicly traded* health insurance company and it’s a mess.

      1. I don’t see why it has to be for profit at all. It’s normal for healthcare itself to be NFP, so why should healthcare insurance be for profit? Let alone one of the top ten most profitable companies on earth!

        1. I agree that it shouldn’t be for profit, but wouldn’t you have some of these issues with a NFP too? Premiums + copays < High costs of health care

          Probably a lot to be done to reduce the cost of healthcare too, but not physician salaries. A lot to balance.

          1. I honestly think that some physician salaries could be lower if student debt weren’t so big a factor, if there were more safety nets for the elderly and the disabled (who knows better than physicians how badly things can go if you can’t afford good care in retirement!), and if they made quality of life improvements. Not having to deal with prior auths, denials, and appeals would be a huge quality of life improvement for many doctors. A total overhaul of bureaucratic charting requirements would help with quality of life and with the physician shortage (doctors can see more patients if they’re spending less time charting). More autonomy, more time with patients, and fewer obstacles to collaboration can all make the job more rewarding. Etc.

          2. for profit means that money is taken out of the business. And even if a company operates in a stable fashion, the overall goal tends to be increasing profit, so more cost cutting and more squeezing.
            A nonprofit has the goal to provide the maximum level of service while breaking even. All profits can be invested into the business.
            The math is totally different.

        2. Not normal for health care facilities/providers to be nonprofits any longer. It’s all being taken over by private equity.

        1. To try and not derail –

          The system being what it is, and this board not being filled with doctors anyways, where is the line on working for a company vs being responsible for unethical things it does? This could be in insurance, for an Enron situation, something else

      3. I don’t necessarily want doctors to be paid more (maybe the nurses and home health aides and lab techs), but I also don’t think anyone should be making a profit off of health insurance. The government doesn’t make a profit off of Medicare (to my knowledge), why should another company make a profit off of me just because I’m 40 instead of 65?

        The other issue that people have problems with is the claims denial when the person’s doctor says something is medically necessary. I mean, sure, require someone to try the cheaper drug in the formulary before trying the more expensive one, but if a doctor says a person needs the more expensive one (or can’t take the cheaper ones) insurance companies should not be denying that claim. The amount of time and money that doctors’ offices spend dealing with denied claims is substantial and increases the cost of healthcare for everyone (to say nothing of the time and money the insurance company spends reviewing and then denying claims, and dealing with the appeals, which increases the cost of insurance).

        1. I really think they should just axe the requirement to try the cheaper drug before trying the more expensive one. Step therapy is harmful and has been done away with in some states for good reason. Let doctors choose the best med for the patient every time.

        2. Doctors are dropping Medicare / Medicaid patients left and right. And in America we want freedom of choice and access to every option when and where we want it. “Death panels” is hyperbole, but there is some degree of long waitlists and healthcare rationing when dealing with a public health care system

          1. That’s been my experience in the US with insurance, too. Long wait, and then not knowing if my final cost is going to be $0, $20 or some large multiple of my yearly income.
            The “long waits in countries with national healthcare” isn’t the argument in favor of the current US system that some think it is.

          2. I hear you, but if you can pay in the US, you can usually get what you want. And a long wait here might be 9-12 months, vs 18+ elsewhere (maybe my anecdotes are outliers, I am open to disagreement).

            I agree the system really screws a lot of lower and middle income families, but the upper/wealthy families are not going to want to concede their access. Just look at all the people who buy Medicare supplements

          3. Right now, the insurance companies are the real death panels. Rationing medically necessary care through prior auth requirements, denying payment for services already rendered (and frequently pre-authorized), and making people afraid to use their coverage because they might get a large out-of-pocket bill.

            If we moved to a single payer plan modeled on Medicare, administrative costs would be greatly reduced. I cannot tell you how much money is spent by actual healthcare providers fighting insurance denials and trying to get services authorized. Would we still need to figure out access to care? Absolutely. But if we eliminate the vampires, we would have a chance.

            I’m in healthcare billing. I could write a manifesto on this stuff.

          4. Long waitlists and rationing is what we have right now! In my city, it takes more than a year to get an appointment with a PCP, gyn, or derm and 6+ months to see a neurologist unless you’re deathly ill. Every time I change jobs or insurance plans, it’s a guessing game whether my doctors and medications will be covered and how much I’ll have to pay. At least a government plan would be more straight forward and actually accountable.

          5. Rationing doesn’t sound great, but at least a government is accountable to the people. And I don’t think that some of the very $$$ end-of-life care that we do is worth it.

          6. I think it’s a myth that end-of-life care is all that big a contributor to healthcare costs.

      4. Although people want their premium (and everything else) to cost less, what infuriates people is that they’ve paid for insurance and their claims are denied. UHC denies 32% of claims, and then basically plays a game to see if they can make people give up.

      5. Doctor pay is about the last thing contributing to high costs of healthcare in the U.S. You’ve got a mix of tremendous administrative burden (study how a hospital claim gets paid and you’ll quickly understand) add in unhealthy populations (lack of incentive and reward for preventative care, disparities in access to care that make populations much sicker by the time they are treated, external influence of Big Food and Big Pharma), etc., etc., and a for-profit insurance system where they need to answer with profit to their boards. And don’t even get me started on how the United States allows commercials for drugs in a way other countries don’t.

        1. Disparities period really (homelessness is such a big risk factor for ending up in the ER over and over again).

      6. There are people who think doctors should be paid more? That’s a new angle for me.

        I don’t necessarily think doctors should be paid less, but I do think regular people in non-professional roles should be paid a living wage. A real living wage that allows them to afford safe housing (not a slum rental), healthy food (not from the Dollar General grocery aisle), and basic needs (including health care – not insurance coverage, the care itself).

        1. maybe more money should be spent on doctors/staff, to reduce overtime and burnout? That would make a lot of sense to me. Not individual comp, but more money for labor as a whole.

    2. IDK but many companies that people see as health insurers are just administrators of self-insured plans. No company can afford unlimited coverage.

      IMO that we even use insurance for catastrophic risks but as funding for comprehensive coverage. And we want it to costs little and cover all, which are at odds.

    3. Catholicism discusses “material cooperation with evil,” and that’s where I draw the line. This guy was making decisions to deny people life-saving treatment *that they had paid to receive.* The janitor isn’t making decisions and his or her work isn’t material to the specific harm done by UHC.

      1. I tend to agree with this. Once you’re actively making the decisions you’re involved.

        1. I’m reserving a little judgment for people defending the decisions too. If you feel bad about who you work for, don’t do free PR for them online. Just try to be one of the forces for good if your role allows it.

    4. I think you’re morally culpable if you have decision making power and enough education/experience that you have job options, which is usually a salary around 100k. For example a 17 year old cashier at McDonalds isn’t responsible for the abuse of cows, however the chief purchasing officer very much is.

    5. Why do you need actuaries with public healthcare? Doctors can be audited by accountants just like other govt contractors if they overbill.

      1. There really aren’t actuaries in universal healthcare the way there are in private. Generally things are covered or they aren’t and those rules aren’t subject to any conditions or analysis. The only time things are a bit wonky is with mitigating circumstances (ie/ most universal healthcare won’t cover a liver transplant for an active alcoholic)

        1. You don’t understand what actuaries do. They don’t determine coverage and they don’t generally recommend any particular course of action other than adequate funding. Actuaries are in charge of projecting ultimate costs and coming up with rates, whether those rates are paid by a single payer/taxpayers or individuals. If rules or coverages change, actuaries would be called upon to figure out the projected dollar impact of those changes. Rank and file actuaries are not recommending changes or not. They tend to stay neutral.

      2. Of course you need actuaries in public healthcare. You have to protect costs in order to know how much of a budget you need. This is extremely standard. Social Security is all governmental as is Medicare and they still need actuaries.

    6. I have a chronic illness and take expensive medication that requires prior authorization and step therapy (trying cheaper drugs first). I think that’s reasonable on the face of it, the problem arises when that’s enforced too rigidly and when everything is repeatedly rejected in ways that defy logic, forcing sick people to waste hours upon hours trying to get the care they need and racking up huge bills despite paying huge premiums. Accountants shouldn’t be making medical decisions and leaving patients to suffer and die. Blood is on their hands for those decisions and they should be held responsible (not by assassination, but our legal and political system needs to take this seriously). Obviously entry level workers aren’t the ones responsible for these decisions, but once you’ve spent a decade plus at a company and moved up the ranks, I think you have a level of moral responsibility, and I certainly feel like the CEO at the worst of the worst companies who was profiting massively from other people’s suffering can be held up as a force for evil in the world, no matter how nice he may have been personally and whether he had a family or not.

      1. If the cheaper drug exposes people to a lost of risk (hello prednisone induced diabetes!), I really think they just start with the spendier drug that was developed because of the shortcomings of the cheaper drug in the first place.

    7. As doctors, we LOATHE insurance companies, and doctors and nurses that sell out to work for them as claim deniers. Yes, we do judge you by choosing to work for these entities. It is laughable the rationalizations that people who work for insurance companies give me so they can sleep at night. The dehumanizing involved and lack of empathy, and willingness to sacrifice everything for money is sad. But it is the American way more and more these days, isn’t it?

      Many (most?) people go into healthcare because of some innate desire to contribute and help society. It is what drives us through dark days.
      Yet, the current system is killing us…. literally…. doctors and patients. We are so frustrated and depressed and so so tired. The system is imploding.

      1. Spouse and I were talking about the recent Anthem BCBS policy that would deny coverage for anesthesia if a surgery went over a pre-determined time limit. Like … how much of a ghoul do you have to be to even think of that?

        1. I work in medicine and some of the things consultants suggest are… terrifying.

        2. Having attended law school and taken a few classes at the business school, I regret to inform you that there are plenty of ghouls who would say or do almost anything to get a headpat from the CEO of a big company. This slavish devotion to cost-cutting is the reason that hospitals do stuff like stop ordering bereavement boxes for newborn babies who pass away.

          Honestly, these companies don’t want national health care, but it may happen if they keep this crap up.

    8. Just FYI, most of the commenters on that subreddit are very junior actuarial students.

    9. I so appreciate the nuanced discussion in this thread. It shows that we can have reasonable interactions even around polarizing issues, which I think as a sociey desperately need more of. Thank you for initiating it, @Nina! And thank you, Corporette commentariat for giving me hope.

    1. This is interesting. I feel like it’s the equivalent of being bored with socks–like you still need to wear them, why sweat it this much?

  13. IUD insertion is frequently a question here and I just got one removed and another inserted this week (Mirena). So I’d like to report back for anyone who’s interested. I took Tylenol before hand (but kinda expired) and I’ve given birth before. It’s not like a super pleasant procedure and you do cramp up, but it’s nothing like labor pains. A couple sudden cramps during the procedure and then mild period-like cramps after. But it’s a pretty quick procedure, so I wouldn’t let it phase you if you’re interested in long-acting bc. No clue if the experiences you have with your period correlate with the amount of pain you experience during insertion, but I’ve never had super difficult period pain. Labor pain however, that’s next level.

    1. I’ve never given birth or had an IUD inserted so I may be the wrong person to comment, but I have often heard others say that it’s easier if you’ve had a baby.

      1. Truth!

        I attempted to get an IUD placed before I had kids but I just couldn’t get past the pain of insertion.

        6 weeks postpartum, I literally didn’t feel it going in.

        Same with removal recently, didn’t feel a thing. I did get withdrawal symptoms after Mirena removal (lasted about a week), which I did not expect.

        1. I had one around 6 weeks postpartum and it hurt more than my unmedicated delivery.

    2. I had a copper IUD inserted a few weeks ago. I had a failed attempted insertion 12ish years ago. For that one, I was in so much pain that I finally had to ask the doc to stop. I think there were multiple reasons why that didn’t work. Since then, I have dilated, but never to the full amount. I took 800 mg of ibuprofen and my doctor used a numbing spray beforehand for this one. They offered me a valium beforehand or outpatient sedation at the hospital. There was definitely cramping during and after, and I did have to do some breathing exercises during. But I was not in tears or feeling like I was going to pass out like I was the first time around. This doctor was also much quicker with the process than the first.

    3. My IUD insertion was more painful than unmedicated childbirth. A heck of a lot shorter though. :) But still, I could never do it again. And I even had a second child.

      1. Same! I would rather have another unmedicated delivery than another IUD insertion.

    4. I had a C-section so I don’t think that counts as “having given birth” for this purpose, but I swear I honestly don’t remember my IUD insertions (although granted it was maybe 20 years ago at this point). I’m glad I didn’t know it was supposed to be horribly painful going in!

  14. Kat, the comment feature is still not saving username and address. For me this is making me comment significantly less, I don’t want to fill this out five times a day. I’ve tried checking the box but it forgets within 2 hours.
    Brave browser on phone, Firefox browser on laptop both have this issue!

    2. +1, I am doing it because I like username continuity enough to bother, but it is super annoying.

      1. This may be a case of specific browser functionality, or cookie settings, but sharing it fwiw. I’ve noticed that when I type in the first letter in the name and email fields my browser suggests whatever I typed in previously. I never comment from my phone or from other browsers, though, so I can speak to generality. Sharing this in case it’s helpful to Kat & team for troubleshooting.

    3. Same, on an iPhone, but weirdly once I clicked save it auto populated on the moms site, but not here

    4. Not shaving name/email on Safari or Chrome for me, either.
      Also, there is a glitch where it says “expand x reply” when it should say “collapse x reply”.

    5. I have to click the expand/collapse all button twice to get comments to collapse upon initially clicking through to a post. They start expanded (although the link label in individual threads says “Expand”).

      The text bumps up against the right frame on some reply comments, but there does not seem to be rhyme or reason to which ones. Most replies have a little bit of white space over there.

      When I click to reply to a comment, the page auto-scrolls oddly so that the reply box itself is off the page to the top.

      When I first open the main page (especially on mobile view), the list of previous posts takes up the entire window and does not shrink down into a right/left rotating ribbon until I swipe to scroll down the page. It does this on a desktop, too, but at least there is more real estate so I can actually see the new post.

      1. I should add: if I have collapsed all comments and add a new comment or reply to a specific thread, all of the threads expand themselves. This happened before the recent changes, stopped for a minute during the changes, but is back again.

  15. Winter is killing my skin. I am in that lovely stage of life where I am fighting both wrinkles and acne. What is the heaviest and most non-irritating moisturizer that will not clog my pores? I want to slather my face in something Criscolike – it is really cold and windy here – but I know how that will end. TIA.

    1. I slather my face in Aquaphor and it works really well. But I do use a small amount and my skin is very dry and not acne prone.

      La Roche Posay lotion has been working really well too

    2. Cerave. In the tubs. I use on my face at night and my hands and body as needed. 48 and in the northeast, for context.

    3. I got a Eucerin Night Cream at target that I put on after my shower (morning or night). It’s amazing. I used to wear the Kiehls face cream, but definitely prefer this one. It’s very thick but doesn’t make my face shiny and it hasn’t caused a breakout.

      1. I also use Cerave for eveything else–it’s good stuff. I don’t like the feel on my face but it doesn’t make me break out when it’s all I have around.

      2. Also if you get spammed by beef tallow content on social media, it made my face break out–not majorly, just in the usual places I get pimples when I’m not careful.

        Now I just mix it with my cerave and use it on my legs. I won’t re-buy when I run out.

      3. Does it feel heavy and greasy like some of the other Eucerin products or does it feel like your skin can breath? I’ve found some Eucerin products (the now discontinued redness relief products) are fantastic & others terrible (sunscreen).

    4. Similar stage of skin care. Counter-intuitive but I added into a toner with glycolic acid and it helped wonders with clearing out the gunk to cut down the acne component as before moisturizers would clog stuff up. Personally, I’m a fan of the tatcha moisturizer in the purple container.

      1. +1 similar to on my body where I use amlactin (lactic acid), using a face cream or serum with an AHA can really help remove the dead skin and make your moisturizer more effective. My skin is super sensitive so I use azelaic acid (as opposed to glycolic or lactic acids) serum before my moisturizer (also helps with acne and rosacea).

    5. I would start with both Vanicream and aquaphor. Vaseline/aquaphor is a barrier that will keep moisture in but doesn’t supply a ton of moisture on it’s own. Use the vanicream first (I do two layers in the winter) and then a thin layer of aquaphor before bed will seal things in.

    6. Putting an occlusive over a regular moisturizer is called slugging. I like to put Aquaphor over my regular night cream, especially around my nose, at bedtime. It really helps.

        1. Yes I do. I’m well acclimated to it though. If I thought my tretinoin was causing me irritation, I’d skip a few days, but it’s never that.

    7. I highly recommend Geek & Gorgeous Happy Barrier Cream. It is rich, but does not leave any oily residue. I am 40, have acne-prone skin and just reordered 4 tubes to tide me over this winter.

    9. Make sure you exfoliate – do it gently, but do it. I used to have problems with my skin feeling dry, yet I’d still get clogged pores and look oily. The problem was that I wasn’t getting the dead skin off, so the moisturizer just sat on top of the dead layer instead of actually moisturizing my skin.

      1. I’ve been using the Kojic Acid pads and my face has felt really smooth. Then the Eucerin Night Cream.

  16. Inspired by the canvas question, when does a coworker’s policy violation cross the line such that you should report to a manager? I am aware that a peer is doing things without getting required approvals. I don’t see it having a direct negative impact on the company. However, this person’s job is one where compliance and integrity are expected. I am confident this is intentional and not a misunderstanding. I’ve had issues with this peer before, which complicates things and makes me want to stay out of it.

    1. I don’t know but my workplace has do much red tape and ludicrous policies that you need to ignore to do your job, that it has totally warped my ability to be objective about this.

    2. Does your industry have whistleblower procedures? Issues with externally-regulated compliance are huge in my world. We have internal (and external) processes set up for anonymously reporting violations.

      If this is not something that rises to that level of formal reporting, I would find a petty way of bringing it up to someone with authority: “Jane Boss, I know Shady Shawn does not run his contracts through Legal prior to having you sign them. Does he use a preapproved template or something? Can I have access to that template so I can make my own process more efficient?”

      1. I would really not enjoy being the recipient of that messaging. Tell me or don’t, but don’t treat me like I am stupid and can’t see right through your scheme.

        1. Then add on a sentence: “If that’s not the case, are you aware he is not getting those approvals before finalizing them?”

  17. Related to the book thread above. I would love any recs for new science fiction releases you really enjoyed. You all recommended Project Hail Mary last year and my gift recipient absolutely loved it!

    I love to read but this isn’t my genre. I know there are some of you here!!

    1. Not usually my genre either but I liked a couple of older ones that I think hold up — Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (2005) and the short story collection Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut (1968). The short stories were particularly memorable — what would it be like if we could inhabit different bodies, if suicide machines were in common usage, if everyone were handicapped as needed so everyone was equal.

      Are you shopping for a high school student or for a more experienced reader? I feel like Anthem by Ayn Rand and The Handmaid’s Tale are classics for a reason (kind of mind blowing if you haven’t been exposed to those ideas/that type of literature as much).

      I hope this didn’t stray too far from your topic since I know these aren’t new. I would also be interested in learning about some more staples of the genre if a anyone has more suggestions.

      1. Thank you! My giftee is a college senior who has been reading a lot for most of college. His favorite genre has been science fiction and armchair physics.

        1. Then they may like The Three Body Problem. I loved the Murderbot Diaries and the Broken Earth Trilogy but they are both a few years old now.

          1. Thanks! I think he has recently read the Three Body Project. I know there’s a movie or series coming out based on that, and he’s been talking about it.

    2. I just finished “The Will of the Many” by James Islington and really liked it. It’s a roman empire take, with added fantasy elements (people can give “will” to others allowing them to fight with the strength of ten men, track objects, etc), and part of the plot is about one of the government factions unearthing powerful new weapons tech. It’s the first in a planned trilogy but unfortunately the next two don’t have firm publishing dates yet.

    3. I just read this super crazy time-travel sci fi book called The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch. The blurb called it “Inception meets True Detective” and that’s pretty accurate if your recipient likes that kind of thing.

      If they like gentler sci-fi, anything by Becky Chambers.

      Also the Murderbot books by Martha Wells are amazing.

    4. These are not new strictly releases, but there have been a few science-fiction/fantasy series that gave me serious food for thought over the past few years:

      – Red Company/Empire of Astalandas series by Victoria Goddard — there are A LOT OF NOVELS, fwiw, and they especially make sense when read together in chronological order, for the developmental arc both of the characters and the ideas.

      – City of Brass series by S.A. Chakraborty – an oddly hopeful allegory on the collective trauma roots of inter-ethnic violence, dressed in Arabian Nights mythology with charming and complex characters. I feel like this would be thought provoking for anyone hoping there would be more discussion on finding a path towards peace in Israel/Palestine.

      – Kim Stanley Robinson climate change novels — these may not be a formal series, but I read them as such: 2312, 2140, and The Ministry for the Future. He manages to be appropriately bleak and also somehow optimistic about the potential for science and humanism converging toward solutions.

    5. We are legion, we are bob (bobiverse). It’s 2017 but I don’t think it got as much press as other books. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson (not new but interesting physics and biology concepts). Children of Time has newer books and is a really interesting take, and the author has other works as well.

      Has he read the classics? He’s probably read Dune due to the movies but it holds up. Also, lots of people rave about Hyperion (more space opera/fantasy). Anything by Arthur C Clarke is relatively hard sci fi.

      You could also get an anthology of short stories from 2023 or 2024. It doesn’t hurt to get guys reading more diverse sets of authors and is nice exposure to what’s going on in the genre.

  18. Please help me with what to do next. I posted before: My parents contracted with a middleman company to build a modular ADU. They failed to get the contract reviewed by a lawyer and long story short they paid nearly half a million dollars. The middleman outsourced to a factory that was a scam and closed. Middleman found another factory. The new factory appears legit and had previously confirmed on the phone with me that the order exists but the house is not in production due to some missing items. Since then, we got a garbled message from the middleman saying the house will be ready early next year and zero other contact. We asked for proof of contract or delivery date, nothing. Factory picks up the phone but says we must communicate with the middleman regarding status. Everything is in different states (parents vs middleman vs factory), the contract requires arbitration in the middleman state which is on the wrong coast. The original contract was signed two years ago. Zero milestones or delivery dates in this contract. Factory 1 scam was discovered in Feb this year. It’s been six weeks since the garbled message. What should we do next? Some things that have come to mind: file a police report; hire a PI – can they get the status from the factory; ask lawyers to write a strongly worded letter; sue. What is the best path?

    1. Hire an attorney. Don’t outsource legal advice from the internet. We don’t know what states these things are all happening in, the exact language of the contract, who has been paid when, etc.

    2. Hire a lawyer ASAP. Middleman will probably disappear into the night and you want to be first in line to get paid. Whether the forum selection clause in the contract is valid will be a question for an attorney in parents’ state.

    3. Thank you. I forgot to mention that we consulted with a contract attorney who specializes in real estate. He stated that the arbitration clause is valid and stated that while they can advise us, they won’t be able to represent in the event of arbitration and we’ll need to find an attorney who practices in the other state. Understood – we need to go back to him and initiate the process and look for local representation.

      1. Lawyer up. State bar associations can be good ways to find someone who does construction litigation. If the middleman has liability insurance, it might cover loss of use in a scenario like this. Some strongly worded letters might get you results without full-blown arbitration.

    4. I have nothing helpful to suggest, other than my sympathies. What a nightmare. I’m so sorry for you and your parents.

    5. Half a million?!? You could build multiple regular-size houses for that much money.

      1. I don’t think so. I just had to get new homeowners insurance and they ran a replacement construction calculator to figure out what limits I needed. I could absolutely not build multiple houses with $500k. I couldn’t even rebuild my own house with that. Construction costs (labor and materials) have really inflated over a medium short horizon.

        1. In my MCOL area, you can build quite a nice starter home for <200k. Less if you already own the land.

    6. I don’t have advice, but a warning suggesting you continue to seek legal avenues to protect the amount your parents already paid.

      There was a pre-fab ADU company in California started by a venture capitalist (so apparently reputable), that imploded spectacularly when their largest contract fell through, then investors and lenders pulled the plug. End clients like your parents were left without much recourse since the factories had their own issues with the middleman company and little interest in engaging in any type of handholding. This is an example of how things can go wrong even when everything is handled with contracts on all sides and there’s no apparent fraud. In other words, there’s legal ris and then there’s business risk. There’s publicly available information about at least one lawsuit that entailed.

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