Suit of the Week: Brooks Brothers

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1. If you’ve tried various brands of electrolyte drink packets, can you let me know which one seems to taste the best?

   1. I’d look this up in a disability forum, they know what’s up. That said the average person does NOT need electrolytes.

      1. ??? We’re talking about healthier versions of gatorade. Didn’t realize you had to be disabled to buy a drink packet.

      2. The couple of times a year where I overindulge on cocktails or wine and still have to function in the morning? These are a lifesaver.

         When I’m in a high altitude place and my mermaid self can’t hang? Also clutch.

      3. Even in these summers?

   2. My favorite is Ultima.

   3. I’ve got POTS and take the Vitassium or Klaralyte pills instead and find it much easier.

   4. Pedialyte berry frost powder is my fave for when I need rehydrating.

   5. A lot of them have so much added sugar and other junk, but the one that I found doesn’t have all that added sugar and junk, but also tastes very mild is Just Ingredients. I used the Thorne ones for a long time but I don’t really like the flavors and Thorne has just been purchased by P&G, so they will probably turn into junk.

      1. Just Ingredients have stevia so they taste like dirt.

   6. LMNT, unflavored. Just deal with the saltiness, better than all those other weird flavors!

      1. I do this, too. It’s more pleasant than fake lemon lime.

   7. I like the cheap Liquid IVs you can get at costco. there’s a flavor I’m blanking on right now but it’s supposed to be like the red white and blue popsicles. Firecracker? Something like that. For the sugar free ones just lemon or lime is best though.

      1. I also get whatever costco has in stock from liquid IV – lemon and lime are actually my least favorite flavors (I like more of a berry flavor), but I think they’re all decent.

   8. Hydrant.

   9. I like the liquid iv ones, specifically the mango and watermelon.

   10. Vegetable broth in a carton to wash down magnesium pills with in case it doesn’t quite have enough magnesium for me.

       I don’t want my salt to taste sweet.

   11. I like LMNT if I just need electrolytes, like on a hot and long enough to need electrolytes but not all that long run, but the SIS gels are fuel plus electrolytes, and I tend to use those in actual races.

   12. Liquid IV golden cherry or Skratch raspberry lemonade.

   13. LMNT – get the sample pack to try different flavours.

       Skratch.

   14. I like LMNT the best!

2. Have we been hearing that skirt suits are in this fall? I’m not seeing any fun ones available at my usual places.

   1. Fun skirt suits? In stores? Good luck with that.

3. I have a child in college and parents’ weekend is coming up. A friend of mine, who is a mom who has a child in the same class as my kid, asked if she could share my hotel and rental car (I reserved these a long time ago because there aren’t a lot of hotels near this college and I heard that they book up right away) and we can essentially “go together” to the event. Initially I thought nothing of it, but as I get closer to the date, I’m getting a little worried that this friend is going to want us to do stuff together at the event and I’d like to focus on my kid. Our kids know each other, but they are not friends (they were not friends in high school and are not friends now, but they are friendly). If she suggests stuff (e.g., let’s all meet for lunch at X location), how can I nicely say “no” without making things awkward? FWIW, her kid is the one that’s outgoing and always had a lot of friends, went to prom, senior trips, etc. and my kid is the one who always had more trouble finding her own way and was not included in group trips, etc. Can I tell her, e.g., that I’d like to take the car and take my daughter to dinner off campus so she’ll need to Uber herself back to our hotel? Unfortunately, our hotel is not walking distance from the college campus.

   1. Respectfully, unless your kid specifically does not want to hang out with this family: this is how you make friends and sustain relationships, which leads to being included in things. Have the lunch together.

      1. My daughter has known this girl since they were 3 years old – they went through K-12th together. If they wanted to be friends, they would have been friends before now, especially since her mom and I have been friends all this time (ironically, I went to college with the mom). There’s no hanging out with families – only I am going and my friend is going – no dads or siblings.

      2. She is completely taking advantage of you and you are worried about offending her. I would never have agreed to this but now you’re stuck. Are you normally a doormat because in this situation you certainly are.

         1. Get a life, please. OP is not a victim.

   2. That was a pretty big ask of her (and you are a better person than I am). You are right to want to do things with your child (vs in a group that you’ve never otherwise been a part of). I wouldn’t have any problems saying “Hyacinth and I have plans; I will see you later tonight,” BUT BUT BUT some college are parking nightmares for similar weekends and I might Uber myself (using the car just to go to / from the airport. But not offer to chauffeur or route plan while in College Town. Your rental agreement likely requires you to be the sole driver, so she should not try to take it out at all.

      1. You’re right – the rental agreement requires me to be the driver. I did not think about that angle. Originally she was planning to go on another weekend but when I ran into her one time in person, she asked me if I was going to parents’ weekend and I said yes. She later texted me asking if it would be okay if we shared my room and rental car and we could split the cost. I frankly did not care about splitting the costs, but I thought it would be weird to say no to her. She is a truly nice person and we get along great – it’s just that our daughters are very different people.

   3. She’s already made things awkward. You can smile nicely and note that you have plans with your daughter. She’s a weird person if she doesn’t understand that she’s not part of your family.

      1. That sounds like what I will do. Thank you for the support.

         1. It’s also fine to say “I’m heading back to the hotel now if you want to meet me at X,” but I am one of those people who can take an hour to leave an event, so no one sets their clocks by me. But like offer a rider if it’s convenient and maybe say “I’ll text you before I leave the campus, but IDK when that will be” if it’s the sort of small college where everything is 5 minutes away from everywhere.

      2. This

   4. I think exactly what you said is fine. You can also say “I’ll be with my kid on and off campus during parents weekend so we may not be able to ride together a lot when we get to there. You may need to uber when I’m using the car.”

      That said, I would also plan on spending time with the friend because your kid may not want to spend the entire weekend with you.

      1. This is a good point. I will definitely be spending time with the friend separately as my kid has things they need to do as well. Maybe that will be strike the balance and my friend will know I value time with her.

      2. +1 – straightforward and clear is the way to go. She’s benefitting from you planning ahead and I would think it would be common sense that you’ve got first dibs on the car for your own plans with your child.
         Unrelated but I’d also ask your kid if they want to invite their roommate or other friend to a dinner/meal out. My parents never made the trip up for parents weekend and I always appreciated when my roommates parents let me tag along with them. You’ll also be very popular if you bring treats for your kids floor and load them up at the grocery store before you leave.

   5. I would have said no to sharing the hotel room and car tbh. At this point, I think you defer to your daughter on plans. If she is interested in doing something all together, that is fine (sounds like she will not be interested in that though). If she isn’t interested, then tell your friend that you are doing XYZ with your daughter, and you will see her later. Let her figure out Uber or other transport plans.

   6. I cannot imagine ever asking to share a very loose acquaintance’s hotel room. That’s awkward af!

      1. Right?! This is wild to me (other mom’s behavior, not OP’s reaction).

      2. This would be a very normal request where I’m from. OP isn’t making it weird, not sure why commenters are invested in doing so.

         1. Agree – esp since it’s someone the OP has known since college. I think it could be fun and feel like your old college days!
            OP, tell her that you’re planning to focus on your kid and won’t necessarily be on a schedule to coordinate rides once there, but (if you’re comfortable) sharing the hotel room is fine and you all can drive to/from the airport together. During the weekend, I think you can text her to say in the moment “I’m leaving Abbott hall in 15 mins, meet me there if you want a ride, or I’ll see you at the hotel eventually!”
            Honestly, speaking as someone who can get a little anxious around social expectations in a new situation, it might be helpful to assume that both of you are there to see your kids and she’s not going to be unreasonable in expecting you to be her bestie the whole time and force your kid to join. If she does, she’s the weird one, and you can politely decline.

            1. This is the way to go.

         2. Where are you from?!

         3. Where are you from where sharing a hotel room is normal?

            1. Every part of the world where people aren’t made of money.

      3. The other mom and I have known each other since college. So we are friends, not acquaintances. But, we have not shared a hotel room before ever, so this was a new one. I think the mom made plans last minute and no hotel rooms were available so this made sense to her and of course she is planning to split the costs.

      4. Same. And in my experience, when people ask things like this, they have not made any individual plans of their own and expect to tag along with you everywhere and for you to basically be hosting them. Which is badly different from just splitting a rental car and hotel room.

   7. I’d just split the rental costs 60:40 or something since it isn’t really an even split, and because you don’t really need the money.

      I also don’t think it was weird of her to ask. Do check the hotel room will definitely have twin beds though!

      To introduce it, if probably say hey let’s have breakfast together or whatever before we go our separate way for the day, so it’s clear that you will be going separately once there.

4. The Oppressor Orange joke made me laugh. That is all.

   1. ?

      1. It’s a joke in the text about the blue suit, since the color is called Colonial Blue, presumably named for the architectural style and historic colors.

   2. I’m puzzled by “Colonial Blue”. That color looks green to me. Maybe with a teal/emerald blue undertone, but definitely not blue.

   3. Same, lol

5. As the seasons change, I note a rising hatred of jackets with non-full-length sleeves and blouses that do. Ugh.

6. Ugh, I think I’ve got to end the relationship with my cleaner. She doesn’t do a great job, takes forever, and is not reliable about showing up on time. But is cheap.

   1. I hear you. Many a person has been in this situation. It is a pain, and often seems harder than it should be.

      I just hate hiring people in general to work on the house, for any reason. It is just a struggle these days.

      1. What would be a solid living wage in your city – enough to pay for childcare, pay for a good, reliable car and keep up on maintenance, rent an apartment not 2 hours away? Then 2X or 3X that, an a typical consulting/freelance cost.

         If you’re paying less than that, than yeah, you’re likely hiring someone who can’t get a different job, or can’t afford reliable transit, etc and you’re going to see the reliability issues that come with it.

   2. Then pay more for perfect.

      1. +1

      2. This!

   3. Ask neighbors for a suggestion. Our team has a couple of houses a day in our neighborhood, which reduces the odds they get stuck in traffic going between more remote clients.

7. Is anyone else here old enough to have grown up watching soap operas? Serial killers, spies, secret twins, murder, hospitals are for hooking up and sweeps week drama? I somehow watched the NBC ones and some of the ABC ones and some if I was late to the common TV in college. IDK how this common culture will exist going forward now that people watch screens vs TV.

   1. I once pretended to be sick at school so I could go home and watch a particularly exciting episode of General Hospital. Dr. Noah Drake still looks amazing, by the way.

   2. i never got into the daytime soaps but I remember watching Dallas and Dynasty with my mom.

   3. In grade school (!), we used to sneak to my friend’s house at lunch time and watch All My Children. She lived like one block from school, and her Mom was one of the “lunch ladies” so the house was always empty.

   4. I’m nearly old enough but didn’t really care for this sort of show at the time.

      Somehow I still got swept up in Chinese vertical dramas and the community around them for a while!

   5. Oh yes. My friend lived close to the high school so we would walk to her house during a free period or lunch to see if Marlena was still possessed.

   6. My mom watched The Young and the Restless, and I totally watched it too during sick days. That theme song lives rent-free in my head. On Instagram, there are videos of “The Orange and the Jobless” cats. They are hilarious. Also, I have an orange cat, so I swear it’s relevant to my interests.

   7. I may have imagined this, but I would swear I saw the very first episode of All My Children in 1970 when I was home sick from 5th grade. In any event, I watched it for years — during junior high I’d come home for lunch and watch it, and then in college I tried to plan my classes around it.

   8. Grew up watching Y&R. Now that I have been working from home since the start of the pandemic, I watch it during my lunch break.

8. anyone else following the NYT’s “top 100 shows” with interest? i’m curious if battlestar gallactica will make the cut but i feel like it would’ve been farther up. lots of ones i haven’t watched (or in some cases even heard about). what do you think will make the top 40? Girls? Succession? I feel like White Lotus and Twin Peaks have to be top 10. The Pitt. I wonder about some of the old greats like Friends, Cosby, etc. Wayback like Laverne & Shirley. TNG.

   1. Isn’t it only for shows from the 21st century? My (biased) money is on Mad Men, Sopranos, and Arrested Development to be somewhere near the top.

   2. I’m not following the list but I think SATC needs to be top 20.

   3. I bet The Wire and Mad Men will be numbers 1 & 2

   4. And it won’t include shows like Friends because it’s the best of the 21st century.

   5. It’s the best of the century so far and it only counts shows that debuted after Jan. 1, 2000, so The Sopranos and SATC are both out, plus all the classics. I assume the top will be the usuals like The Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Americans, Deadwood, Better Call Saul, Succession, The Leftovers, Game of Thrones, etc. Girls will be on there and probably White Lotus, but I wouldn’t be surprised if both that and The Pitt are both left off for being too new, especially The Pitt.

   6. I wasn’t but I am now! It looks like it’s only 21st century shows though? So Friends, Twin Peaks, Cosby Show etc won’t be eligible.
      I think Mad Men will be top 10 for sure.

      1. Also I think Veep will be the #1 comedy and probably top 10 overall.

         I would have had Parks and Rec higher than 50 and Gilmore Girls higher than 99. And Hacks higher than the 40s — I’m actually kind of shocked that didn’t make the top 10 (based on how much critical love it got, not my personal opinions).

         1. Hacks is genius. So is Widows Bay.

   7. I’m having a hard time with Gilmore Girls being so low.
      I’m getting a sense that a show has to be dark and irretrievably bleak and ironic to be loved.
      (I’ll just sit in my corner under my cozy blanket and watch Younger over and over again…)

      1. Me too! I rewatch it almost every fall, it’s the coziest show.

      2. IDK. I read a quote from the lead actress about how GGs has way more dialogue than other shows and that half the time she was just spurting it all out without understanding the literary or cultural references the character was making. I can’t view it the same way anymore.

         1. Ugh, I wish you hadn’t told me that…

         2. I use to love GG but rewatched recently and both Loreilais really got on my nerves this time around. I know it’s part of their characters but couldn’t get over the moodiness and bad decisions. I think watching a Year in the Life might have ruined the show for me – now everything seems like it’s framing them both for that mess.

      3. Do you like Taylor Swift too? It’s fine to have those tastes but they aren’t particularly refined

         1. I don’t actually listen to Taylor Swift, no. Though I love a good love story and sentimental music.
            “Refined” is a tricky term, no? I mean I work in opera and that has a reputation for being a refined art form, but…. I don’t particularly think so myself.
            I guess in regards to TV, I just don’t find it particularly enjoyable to watching horrible things happen to horrible people and horrible people do horrible things to each other. But, like you said, it’s fine to have those tastes…

   8. Many of the shows mentioned in the replies aren’t eligible since they started in the 90s (Sopranos, The Wire, SATC). My money is on VEEP and Breaking Bad for top comedy and top drama, though they’re not really separately ranking them. Also agree Mad Men and Arrested Development will finish high. Though I also thought Parks and Rec should have been higher.

      1. The Wire premiered in 2002.

   9. They just announced 40-21. Battlestar Galactica is 37 and The Pitt is 36.

      1. And The White Lotus is 21, so not top 10

      2. SO SAY WE ALL! ok i’m pumped that was recognized.

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