Coffee Break: Benjamin Tote
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The brand Hammitt is new to me, but I've seen readers saying good things about the quality, so I checked them out. I really like the slightly edgy take on basics like this tote — the red stripe is perfect, the rivets along the side add some interesting details, and the bright red organized pockets inside look fabulous. (I also love this crossbody and this minimal wallet!)
The pictured tote is $595, at Hammitt.com; if you're in California you might also be able to check out one of their shops in person.
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Sales of note for 3/15/25:
- Nordstrom – Spring sale, up to 50% off
- Ann Taylor – 40% off everything + free shipping
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles + extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – Extra 30% off women's styles + spring break styles on sale
- J.Crew Factory – 40% off everything + extra 20% off 3 styles + 50% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – Friends and family sale, 20% off with code; use code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 40% off 1 item + 30% off everything else (includes markdowns, already 25% off)
For those that are a bit older – if your 25 year old self could see you now, would she be happy or proud of how it all turned out career and life wise? Or would she be dismayed if your life is average? Or something else.
Feeling those feelings hard today as I happened to catch up with an old friend from the big law days. It was decades ago we’re in our 40s now. Both of us have downshifted hard to 40 hour per week jobs. Part of me was like this is what 25 year old me always wanted – to make my money in a decade as an associate, invest it, and move on. Part of me was like I used to be the 27 year old that could work 80 hours a week, come home at midnight, pack a bag, and still be up to leave for a long weekend at 6 am. Now I’m sitting here being like well if I throw in one load of laundry today, that’s only one more this weekend, and then I can be packed early next week and straighten up the house a bit in advance of a long weekend we’re leaving for NEXT weekend! Like what has happened to my life?? I went from being work hard, play hard to work just enough, spend all my time on housekeeping, errand running, and worrying about health and family! Friend was like nah that’s just what happens – in our 20s we had all the energy in the world and no commitments and felt ok living in a sty so we put all the energy into work. Now there are houses, households to manage, elderly parents, your own health and yeah it isn’t cool to change your sheets or vacuum every few months.
Heh my 25-year-old self would probably be a bit chagrined that my career plateaued where it did but she would be thrilled with the rest of it, particularly having finally figured out how to have an awesome marriage on the third try.
That said, there is no “how it turned out,” there’s only “how it is at the moment.” At the moment I am sitting pretty but there have been a lot of bumps (and worse) along the way. One thing I’ve learned is that the bad times don’t last but the good times may not, either, so enjoy the heck out of them while you’re in them!
As always, well said SA!!!!
I literally just wrote the last line down on a post-it and put it on my desk with tears in my eyes. You don’t know me, but that is exactly what I needed to hear today! Thank you, internet stranger.
this is a natural part of aging! You learn what makes you happy (taking time on either side of a getaway to make sure life runs more smoothly even without your usual routine) and you do it.
I was never that endless-energy 27yo to begin with, though.
I was already married by 25, so Young Me would be happy that I’m still married and we have children. Young Me would be disappointed that I don’t have my own book of business or work at a fancier firm, but she doesn’t know about pandemic parenting! I also don’t care about that anymore. I overshot my financial goals, so A+ there.
The real question I’m mulling is what now? I want to take advantage of my health and wealth because parenting older kids and managing eldercare issues for our parents will start before we know it.
This. I’d love an open thread/post about how to mindfully think about your goals as you move into the second half of your career. There are lots of ‘woo’ types of course/books about manifesting your dreams but I’d rather talk about this stuff with someone who isn’t going to imply my corporate job is a soul sucking drain on my life energy or some similar nonsense.
I seriously think corporette could host seminars/meet up groups for women in their mid-career to work through this and make some good money at it!
I’m only 8 years in (law) and I would love to join this meet up and learn tips for transitioning
Yes, this. So much of the advice just assumes the job is soul sucking and awful, some balanced approach to mid-career women would be amazing.
Oh, yes, please.
I am happy to be older. My life was a disaster at 25. I didn’t figure out my real career until I was 30. I have fond memories of the days I was working two jobs, going out every night, etc., but I’m glad I’m in a different place now. That said, I have it pretty easy compared to some of my peers – I’m single, no kids, live alone, so my time is generally my own.
Saaaaaame. I was a disaster throughout my 20s and honestly I was a prime massive alcohol use disorder prime example until I was 40. So yea, I think 25 me would be thrilled that all the therapy is finally paying off, I quit drinking, I’m in the best shape of my life, I make more money than I ever thought I would, and that I am not dead.
Exactly the same for me. I was very hard charging career wise and party wise. Took me until I was 44 but I am also in fantastic shape, partly due to quitting the booze. My marriage keeps getting better and better, I adore being a mother, have a fabulous job (great pay yet work life balance). Finances are good and it is looking like I might actually even get the caboose baby I was praying for after five miscarriages. 25 year old me would be pleased that it’s lined up as planned. Of course there are disappointments. 2/4 sibling relationships are write offs. Parents and in-laws are challenging. Marriage is hard work and being in the military can be really lonely and isolating. Being mommy tracked after people expecting me to be in Parliament or otherwise be very high profile has taken getting used to but I’m really fulfilled and wouldn’t change anything.
Same – I think the “I am not dead” is crucial:-)
My life is bittersweet – some incredible highs and some low lows. I think younger me would have sympathy for older me and give me a high five and tell me I’m rocking this life thing.
I love this comment. I was going down the rabbit hole thinking my 25-year old self would be so disappointed but I love this framing and want to show myself more compassion.
Same here. The challenges I have faced have really been extraordinary and the sense of acceptance I have about them would really blow 25 year old me’s mind.
Same boat as you and I agree with your friend – it’s just life. The only people I know whose lives aren’t like this are those who stayed in biglaw or banking and got to be really successful – they outsource it all and still live for work and fun. It sounds great in a way but living for work and all the client demand it entails isn’t great either. Worst of all worlds is those who stayed but aren’t hugely successful – they may have a partner title and some more money to outsource w but their lives are one hundred percent controlled by the business generating partners. IDK about you but I don’t want to be a 45 year old with a senior associate’s life.
Your last sentence is so much truth.
I think this is life. I don’t want to be the midlife person who is so career-driven that she’s working that many hours a week. I decided a long time ago that was not the lifestyle I desired.
25-year-old me would be happy with how things have turned out. I had already married by then, and we still have a great relationship. Our kids are awesome. I love our house and how we’ve made it a home in every sense. Career has gone well, although I think I’ve plateaued and don’t know how to feel about it. It’s not all perfect. I didn’t foresee having to deal with anxiety and depression, though the signs were there at 25.
My 25YO self had no damn clue. She thought apartments would be like they were on TV. And that if you worked hard and kept your head down, it would be OK. She also read Cosmo, back when they had articles about how to help your career by sleeping with your boss (or in that vein) and she thought that what if they are right?
I was really street smart. But it took some time for a first-generation person to get office smarts (like how to work smarter vs just harder, it’s a saying, but what does it actually mean you should do). Melanie Griffith’s character in Working Girl is my hero.
I think you hit the nail on the head. I had a studio/1-bedroom apartment and a cat in my early 20s, there simply wasn’t much to clean, I didn’t have to do the maintenance as the co-op association paid for that out of my monthly fees, and my parents were young and healthy. That is…not the case anymore. In addition to having had health issues myself my home is bigger and the upkeep is on us, my kid needs a lot of us, I have 2 pets, etc. I was always pretty neat but there’s a big difference between what type of maintenance a small apartment and a suburban home need – plus as you get older you typically host more. I adore hosting but cramming 15 people into an apartment is a different level of prep than hosting 20 family members for thanksgiving/christmas/birthdays.
Child of the 1980s who grew up in a very Christian family – my life is happier today than what I ever dared myself to imagine growing up.
I am now married to a woman. we have three children, a really nice house, and two great careers. I’ve also converted to a new religion.
It makes me sad for how unhappy I just accepted adult life would be as a kid.
Life is long and you can shape it in all sorts of ways! If you don’t like your life, invent a new one for yourself.
I’m so happy for you. This is lovely.
Wonderful way of phrasing it.
And good for you to get there..
I’m in my twenties but I just want to say having a slower pace of life seems like such a luxury! You may have had the capacity to work nonstop and still go out, but I imagine there wasn’t time for softer things like just reading a book or prioritizing your health. In my somewhat limited experience, a lot of quality of life is about experience of it more than the amount of things you are doing, and it’s a lot harder to take joy in the moment to moment if you’re burnt out. Even if you may be doing less, my guess is there is more meaning, care, and contentment in your life than when you had no obligations or expectations besides work and fun.
My 25 year old self would be dismayed that I’m not married with two kids. She lacked vision.
Same!
Appreciate this discussion as I’m at a juncture after a couple years post-biglaw of lifestyle jobs where I need to figure out if I’m leaning back into practice/money/etc, when I really don’t want to go back to the long hours, or continuing lifestyle jobs, even if that means the doors shut for good on a high money/power/prestige career. I both am so much happier with my day to day life, but it comes with having to pay attention to money more and have a less defined career path, so there’s not a clear cut answer.
Disappointed in all aspects but money. BUT 25 yr old me was also very regimented. It was all about Ivy League schools, law school, biglaw in a check the box way. I had no idea that people actually strive for happiness – like that was a foreign concept in the immigrant home I grew up in. So while 25 year old me would be disappointed, I sure would not want to go back to living that 25 year old work all the time and have meaningless “friend” commitments in any time off – life either.
I’m 40. If my 25-year-old self could see me now, she’d be really confused. 40-year-old me would have to sit her down and explain why she made the drastic changes she made, and 25YOM would probably be huffy about it but know on some level 40YOM is right with the tough love: “This career path makes no sense and doesn’t even align with your values. The guy you’re chasing is an alcoholic and isn’t going to change. You think you’re so smart that you don’t have to eat, and that’s ridiculous. Have fun, try to do minimal damage, and take all of this way less seriously because you’re basically in trial and error mode right now.”
At 27 I was definitely worried I was going to end up an old maid, so I think 27 year old me would be happy to see me happily married with kids, because she didn’t think it would ever happen.
IDK how she’d feel about the career – I definitely had grandiose ideas about where my career would go, but I’ve learned to pivot & also reframe my goals over time. I think 27 year old me would be surprised at where I am, but also happy that 40 year old me is happy in her career.
This is what I thought — 25 year old me would be delighted that I actually found a husband and had a kid! 22 year old me would be sad that I sold out to the man, but I think 25-year-old me was ready to understand why. I do wish I was more “impactful” but am also set up to shift to a kinder career in 6-8 years if I desire.
I think 25 year old me would have guessed I ended up just right about here — partially happy, partially unhappy with it all. I truly envy young people who can imagine glory, I think that must be a lovely experience but I don’t relate to it.
20 something me was so insecure she would be amazed at my 50 something don’t-give-a-crap-what-you-think-of-me-self.
She’d probably be more excited about my large-ish old house (we have always liked old things) than my career, and she would be amazed we left our first husband and did so well with the second!
Ha, love your “we” framing – and this we shares your sentiment on houses and second husbands!
25 year old me would probably be very happy but surprised how my life is now — I was married to the wrong person at 23 and had a kid with him before divorcing and remarrying my right person. So it was a bit of a rough ride but it ended up in a great place. And my career has turned out exactly as I wanted — I have what was my “dream job” at that age and I like it. My road to it was rougher than I would have imagined at 25, but I got there eventually. I’m only in my late 30s though, so ask me again in 10 years and we’ll see!
And I definitely don’t have the energy or stamina I did in my 20s!
25 year old me would not be impressed with my career plateau but she would be impressed by the money. Not to say I’m rich at all because I’m not but for a kid who grew up in a truly middle class immigrant home where everything was highly budgeted and there were never extras like vacations or travel just for fun, she’d be shocked that just this afternoon I googled luxury hotels in Edinburgh because hey why not.
She’d also be highly confused as to why I do multiple loads of laundry per week rather than one load every two week and why getting out of the house is such a major production though she hasn’t lived in a pandemic.
I was 25 when I met and started dating my ex-husband.
I think 25-year old me would be thrilled with my career (a big step up from retail management, which I was doing then).
I think she would be sad to learn that although I would marry that man, we would end up divorced down the road. I also think she’d be sad to learn that we never had children.
I think she’d be horrified at how I’ve let myself go physically. I’m just a mess.
25 year-old me would be chastened to realize how much is dependent on health, and how the world can change in a blink.
25 year old me was superficially successful but a bit of an idiot, and frankly I don’t give a damn what she would think about current me. I had a lot of growing up to do.
Haha good answer!
yes
Preach!
Is is a really poignant post to me because it’s my birthday. At 52 I am feeling very reflective. When I was 25, I was married and pursuing a Ph.D. and intended on a life-long career as a professor. Now at 52 I’m divorced but seeing a man who is much more aligned with my values and lifestyle. So there might be some mixed feelings there about how the marriage turned out–although to this day I am friends with my ex. That said, I have an job in administration which is very fulfilling so I think she would have been happy with that. I definitely do not have the energy I did at 25 and it’s ok! I try to romance the every day things — enjoy that walk across campus, savor my morning coffee, relish in the time with my significant other when we talk about our day in the evening.
25 year old, fiercely single, world-travelling / live out of a backpack me would think my current, 45 year old suburban mom life is super boring. But the wise, 45-year-old me actually living this life doesn’t really care. Life has seasons. I was happy and grateful for what I had then, and I’m happy and grateful for where I am now. Who knows what empty-nester me might get up to in 15 or 20 years …
“Who knows what empty-nester me might get up to in 15 or 20 years …” I’ve decided trekking in the high Himalayas is going to be my empty-nester project! We travel a lot with kids but can’t do something like that.
25 year old me would be so damn proud of where we ended up. When I was 25, I was just graduating law school. I had an 7 year old daughter and worked so hard to claw my way to a better life for us. I married a really great guy and had two more kids. I fell into a job as an attorney that turned into more than just a career but a life’s passion that I love. My husband and I have a nice house in a nice neighborhood, we never have to worry about our bank account going negative or stretching last week’s groceries through next week’s payday that was so much of my childhood and early adulthood. I also was not prepared at all for my mother getting sick and managing (and really continuing to manage) her cancer and recovery. That changed me in so many ways, some good and some bad. Same with parenting and working during the pandemic.
25 year old me was full of piss and vinegar, and scared and anxious about making ends meet, finding my way, figuring out life after a rough childhood and getting plonked down in adulthood with few tools and lots of fear. 67 year old me has some regrets about not accomplishing more in my career, but no regrets about marrying in my 30’s, having two boys who are now solid young men, the financial and emotional security that my husband provides (and that I provide to myself), and the amazing experiences I have had. Maturity is a great thing, and makes me appreciate the ups and downs more fuly.
I would not want 25 year old to see how difficult this neurological disease is for me and how much of her life will be lost.
<3. There are no words.
Thanks Curious.
Ugh I’m so sorry.
Thanks, it sucks, but life was so good at 25 so I had a good run for a while!
25 year old me would be happy with my career, friendships, and finances but sad that I’m still single and childless. Which is also how I feel, so I can’t really judge her for that.
I don’t need my 25 year old eyes to reflect my life, because I regularly marvel about how amazing my life is, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. In reality it is a very normal life, with little to no amazement, but considered how it could have turned out I am so grateful this is where I am.
I’m about to turn 40. At 25, I was just starting law school and was CLUELESS. Since then, I’ve had a highly successful eating disorder and then regained a lot of weight, worked in private practice and moved to government, gotten married, lived through infertility, had a child during a global pandemic, and lost my mom unexpectedly while pregnant with our second.
I think that 25-year-old-me would be amazed that I got married and had kids – I don’t think it ever occurred to her that we were actually worthy of such things. I think she’d be proud of what we’ve overcome to get here. Nothing is ever perfect – but life currently is pretty good.
What type of watch do you wear? I lost my apple watch in the ocean last weekend and am in the market for something new. Torn between another smart watch or analog.
I’m fully team Apple Watch. I never wore a a watch in my adult life until I got my Apple Watch at 39, and I’ve worn it every day for almost two years.
I just have a relatively basic fitbit with heart rate and step monitoring. I have very, very small wrists and the apple watches seem way too big. I used to like Skagen watches, back in the analog days.
I have a basic fitbit (which I periodically take off because it annoys me) and a Skagen I need to get repaired.
None. I have nice watches and I never wear them. I’ve learned I don’t like anything on my wrists at work because it interferes with typing. I already look at my phone all the time, I personally don’t need an Apple watch but I can see why people like them.
I actually just got an Apple Watch so that I can stop looking at my phone all the time and it’s been very effective. It’s not fun to look at a tiny screen so I don’t do it much at all and I now leave my phone a lot more because I can get calls/messages on the watch and it’s easy to go for walks without it and still listen to music/podcasts and be reached if someone needs to.
I have worn wristwatches for almost 60 years so I wouldn’t ever go without. My husband gave me a Very Expensive analog watch for Christmas a couple of years ago and I love it and wear it every day, so a smart watch is not in the cards for me. I do have a Fitbit and wear it on the other wrist.
Same. I’ve always worn a watch, feel funny without one, and have a couple of very nice watches I’ve received as gifts or inherited from family members. They mean a lot to me and I love them and very not interested in an apple watch. I already feel like my phone is an intrusive enough presence in my life without literally connecting it to my body.
My twenty something daughter intentionally wears watches because they create a point of connection with the senior level execs at her organization. I never thought about sho did or did not wear a watch until she said that.
I’m wearing Skagen and Fossil watches.
analog. I have enough things that beep at me in the world.
i have a couple of second hand fancy watches that i rotate depending on outfit. they bring me a lot of joy.
$20 timex. I don’t want to be looking at a phone just to know what time it is. And it doesn’t interfere with typing or scuff up knitwear like my metal mesh bracelet watches did.
Why is this in mod?!
I switch between a Coros Apex (which I love) and a Cartier Tank (which I also love lol).
Fossil Q hybrid smart watch, looks like an analog, but vibrates and the hands go to different numbers based on who is texting/calling. you can program the buttons to do things like make your phone ring, show your steps, take a picture etc. I love it, had it for going on 3 years.
My husband lost his apple watch in a lake a while back, I got a text 2 weeks later because I was his emergency contact and a diver found it. If you lost it in a busy place the same might happen to you! We paid them 70 to mail it to us, it still works! It was 125ft deep!
I got an Apple Watch yesterday and am trying to figure out what to do with it. Any tips on what you like it for? Besides telling time:)
I wear analog Skagen watches. They’re cute, sturdy, and inexpensive.
I have a citizen analog watch that I wear every day and I love. My partner has a smart watch and I tried on some but I just don’t like to feel that close to my phone, if that makes sense.
Another vote for analog. I haven’t regularly worn one in a couple years but if money were no object, I’d get a Shinola.
Specifically this one: https://www.shinola.com/womens/watches/therunwell41-leather-watch-09243.html
I know it’s not THAT expensive as far as watches go.
Android Galaxy Watch4. I ride horses, sometimes alone, and I bought it pretty much solely for the fall detect/SOS feature.
I have a pretty Fossil watch for court and a few cheap watches for fun. I always wear a watch and especially need them when visiting jails and prisons. I have a very expensive wedding/engagment ring and would like a watch that goes better but can’t really justify the expense.
I love analog watches. I did fitbits and other not too expensive smart watches and they were just another screen or always making me obsess over my steps. Analog watches are a nice accessory and practical and tell me the time without telling me about my inbox too! I have a simple black leather Kate Spade, a brown leather Michael Kors, a light blue sporty Skagen, and a gold plated Burberry (it was $300 on sale but looks super fancy for events). I love them all and am looking for a dainty silver or stainless steel one next!
Patek Philippe
I’ve been having a lot of tender spots in weird places: upper arms, sides of my torso, breastbone area. If I very gently press my finger into any of these areas, I have sustained pain for quite a while. If I press my finger into my thigh with the same pressure for the same amount of time, no pain there.
I have a doctor appointment next week to get looked at, but has anyone had this happen? The internet is telling me that the torso pain could be referred pain from br*ast cancer which is terrifying. It also might be fibromyalgia? Looking for any sort of anecdotal info, thanks!
Could it be something crazy? Sure. Is it more likely to be something not terrible? Yeah. Think horses, not zebras. That said, I’m glad you’re talking to your doc and not relying on doctor Google. As we get older the best thing we can do is be aware of and in touch with our own bodies. And push for an answer from your doctor.
This happened to me when I had severely low Vitamin D levels. Like, so low that I had to go on a prescription loading dose and get my levels check again in 6 months before transferring to over-the-counter maintenance daily dose.
Wishing you well. Hugs from an internet stranger.
Is it your lymph nodes possibly?
Maybe compare your sensitive spots against a diagram of superficial/surface lymph nodes?
If the pain isn’t causing you problems, I wouldn’t worry about this at all. It hurts pretty much anywhere you poke me, and it’s actually quite rare for cancer to manifest as pain. I have had issues with breast pain, and this was a point every doctor has made repeatedly when I’ve mentioned it, and I’ve subsequently had several normal mammograms.
The poking thing is so real. My husband thinks I’m nuts but if you poke me, it HURTS. I read somewhere that it might be an early sign of arthritis. I can’t claim that the source was anything legit – I do not remember at all where I saw it – but I was told at a young age I had early signs of arthritis so I’ve always assumed it was that.
Arthritis is joint pain, though, and my joints are the parts that don’t actually hurt- it’s more my soft spots than my hard spots, if that makes sense. I think I’m just prone to myofascial pain. I have lots of tender points in my neck muscles in particular and I think the breast pain is an extension of that, tenderness in my chest muscles, which my various PTs are always trying to get me to stretch more.
To be clear, mine is soft tissue too. I was told it could be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis, vs just regular old arthritis. Rheumatology is a weird corner of medicine that can mess up a lot of stuff so I just went with it (DH has gout, so I had a front row seat to MGH’s rheumatology team… mind blowing).
That’s interesting. Since maybe my 40s, I have experienced pain pretty much anywhere you poke me near my shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles. And now I’ve been diagnosed with RA.
My OBGYN told me breast cancer is almost never painful, so I wouldn’t worry about that (I have severe breast pain, especially right before my period).
So I have a habit of sometimes getting in a loop about stuff like this and then poke myself in the same spot “to check” and I think it ends up making the spot sore as a result. Maybe it’s just that? I’d give yourself permission to not worry until you can speak to a doctor.
Haha i get that but it’s almost like seams or the underwire on my bra or any sort of pressure on these spots at all is just super painful. They all generally ache at all times, but even just a tiny bit of pressure causes pain.
This sounds like myofascial pain to me. I might consider massage or other bodywork. For example, I get awful sore spots like that when my ribs are out of whack.
Those spots are some of the ones my dr tested when testing for fibromyalgia, which I was diagnosed with. (For various reasons I think that was an incorrect diagnosis, and haven’t had symptoms in close to 10 years, but still.)
This is a great bag, but calling it “slightly edgy” verges on professional water bottle territory lol
Insta ads are tempting me. Anyone here tried Ripley Radar pants?
Hi all! On a different thread I asked if anyone would share their experience using fillers to address smile lines (I haven’t done it, but am considering). Would love to hear any perspective on this and also curious if any reccs for a provider in the DMV area. Thanks!
My doctor told me the same thing a previous poster’s did–they don’t really like to fill the lines anymore, but instead inject into the cheeks. I h ave had it done–no big deal. I don’t find it painful and I like teh way I looked after. It lasts for a while. If you find the right doctor, they will go slow with how much they inject.
Sports parents: what do you do while your kid practices? Kiddo will be having evening track practice, 1.5 hours, once or twice a week. I am the transportation. Is it wishful thinking that if I can’t run/walk for some of this I could at least walk (with headlamp) and get some exercise in? Otherwise, is it just going to be wasted time on my phone? I cannot be around people doing sports and not feel the tug of doing something healthy for myself vs watching. [I can’t run on the track though — the kids have it at this time. And it might be too weird to be going up and down steps on the bleachers.]
If there’s no way to avoid sitting, at least read a book. Paper or Kindle. That’s what I’d do.
But I don’t see why you can’t get your exercise in, even if it is running the bleachers.
My dad literally did exactly this if he had cause to be hanging around at my track practices, which wasn’t a regular thing but did happen.
I bring a book and read.
Long-term (but now retired) sports mom here. LOTS of moms work out themselves while kids are doing outdoor practices. I never did because I would sweat too much, but it is not at all unusual. You can also make friends with the other moms and have social hour. I usually brought a book or scheduled an errand if I didn’t need to be onsite.
why would sweating a lot preclude you from working out?
I sometimes do this and do a run or walk around the park or area where there is practice. I also like this time for old fashioned book reading. Or phone calls. Have fun!
Can you go for a run or walk in the neighborhood? I think it would be weird to try to exercise at the track, like running bleachers, but I don’t see why it would be a problem to leave and come back.
Walk around the block or whatever. If you and your kid both have phones to reach each other, I don’t see the problem.
While waiting for kids at various things, i do some combination of:
-Catching up on work tasks like reading a document, making notes and lists, setting up simple spreadsheets, things that don’t require extensive connectivity
-reading or playing a dorky computer game for pleasure
-quick run calibrated to length of said kid practice, weather and how likely coach is to cut practice short
Which thing is picked, is a complicated algorithm involving weather, day of the week, upcoming deliverables, location and general motivation.
Why couldn’t you walk? Just be glad your kid isn’t doing the swim team during the cold months when you have to drive the kid to a far-away indoor pool and sitting on the deck is your only option.
Not a sport parent, just friends with parents who work out during their kids’ practices: walk or run around the area. Walk around the parking lot if you need to – often high schools have a lot of parking lot, like a mile lap of parking lot. Get Noxgear if you’re out on the street and it’s dark.
My daughter’s sport practices at the local Y. I either 1) go to the gym myself;2) sit in the lobby and do work or 3) go to the nearby shopping center and take care of groceries, etc.
Occasionally I use the time to catch up on phone calls (my parents, long distance friends).
I always ran on the track while my guys were practicing with their soccer team. For games I’d watch/manage on the bench but being a sports parent is super busy and I though it was a good example to keep up with my own healthy practices while I had the time. I’m no athlete but said kids never minded. I’d say if you want to run stairs, go ahead!
I use the Sweat app and just do a work out on my phone outside the building (obviously a no equipment one), or walk, or run the neighborhood. We weren’t allowed in the building for most of last year and I just kept it up. It was fine all winter, even in Ottawa, Canada but I am in the army so used to just getting on it with!
I run while my kids’ are in activities. Or I call a friend to catch up. Or I read.
I always thought it would be a great idea if someone were to offer fitness or yoga classes concurrent to kid activities. I would totally sign up.
My daughter did ballet at a studio that had adult ballet classes and sometimes it would work out so I could take a ballet class while she did her class.
Why stay there? I’d go run an errand, meet a friend for a quick coffee or drink (not sure when these things are happening).
I did a ton of walking at sports practices and yes, even ran/walked bleachers. My picky teenaged daughter never cared. If I couldn’t walk on the track, I’d walk around the outside of the high school or in the neighborhood. Some of the schools have a separate baseball field and I could run there even in the dark because it was level and occasionally lighted enough from an adjacent field. I agree about wearing lighted gear and wearing a headlamp because it’s easy to trip in the dark, especially in a new neighborhood. Walking is one of my favorite things to do while listening to music or a podcast.
I also went grocery/Target/Costco shopping and I’d bring a cooler with ice ahead of time. This won’t work on 90 degree days but normal days it is great. This is a great way to save time. You could even order pickup groceries and get them and still have time for a walk.
Nothing makes me happier than reading undisturbed so I did that a lot, as long as the car wasn’t too hot or cold. Kindles as well as iPads are great for reading in a dark car.
I often made friends with the other moms and occasionally would walk and talk with one of them.
I want to scream into the void. I’m a transactional lawyer. This month, no one is reading things. Junior people are getting p*ssy about font sizes when there are substantive things to work on. People are making mistakes that show a fundamental lack of understanding and they aren’t being supervised and since when is it my job to train my team and the other side’s team? And sending passive-aggressive e-mails. I used to love transactional work because it wasn’t the craziness of M&A or the nastiness of litigation. And now . . . time to buy a powerball ticket. I just want one competent person on the other side. Or at least some one who reads e-mails.
What’s the difference between transactional and M&A?
M&A seems to be dominated by screamers because the stakes are high.
IMO non-M&A deal work is sort of more routine transactions where both sides (all sides, sometimes) just want to get to yes. Like bond work. I’m sure there are exceptions to everything.
as in like commercial contracts/tech transactions? i’m very surprised about the juniors getting pissy about fonts thing lol i feel like i am still teaching them that formatting matters.
I don’t want to say I’m still jet-lagged after getting in from Italy on Sunday, but my assistant just buzzed to say it’s time for my right-after-lunch meeting and I was so confused because I could have sworn I was just running out the clock doing paperwork until it was time to go home in, like, an hour.
How was Italy?!
Bellissimo! Ate so much good food and drank so many Aperol spritzes along with all that wine! ;) And the villa in Tuscany exceeded expectations!
I am picturing you as the happier alter ego of the heroine in Under the Tuscan Sun, wearing a fabulous skirt and biking around. It is satisfying.
After visiting Tuscany earlier this year I’m changing the phrase “Paris is always a good idea” to “Tuscany is always a good idea.” It instantly became one of my favorite places in the world.
@Cat — I posted late last night. These are the floor-friendly wheels! https://amzn.to/3SdC6zO
Thank you!!