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Coffee Break – Maya Mary Jane

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Frye - Maya MJ (Dark Brown Brush Off) - FootwearOoh, cute heels from Frye. I like the Western detailing on the leather, as well as the “brush off” two-tone effect, particularly with the dark brown ones (pictured; they're also available in black and smoke). I'd probably wear them with trousers for the office. They were $178, but are now marked to $104.99 at Zappos. Frye – Maya MJ (Dark Brown Brush Off) – Footwear (L-2)

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)

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

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235 Comments

  1. Reposting: I am cold emailing resumes/cover letters to various law firms of various sizes. Is it typical to get no response? In the old days, I would at least get a letter (before email) thanking me for my interest and letting me know that they would keep my resume on file. Now things seem to go into a big black hole. Is this hopeless, or does anyone have any encouraging stories about hearing from someone much later?

    1. I am looking for a job now and haven’t looked in the past, but I would say this is normal. I actually get excited when someone acknowledges my package, even if it is just a canned letter, because I get so few responses.

      1. Do you mean “never,” as in don’t apply for a job that way? If so, why do lawfirms provide lateral hire information on their websites?

        1. Based on my experience in the job search (over now, thankfully), I’m pretty sure that law firms post the lateral hire information because they’re evil sadists that want to torture poor and pitiful job seekers.

        2. Unless you are a 7-year-associate with a Harvard law degree who specializes in a high profit specialty with substantial portable billables, I would bet that your success rate on sending out unsolicited resumes to law firms is going to be essentially nil. If you have the time and want to do it, then more power to you, but I wouldn’t expect much of it. You would be much better off, IMHO, spending your time networking and trying to find connections to the firms who could then pass your resume along — this I think would have better results (though if they aren’t actively hiring for a position, in this economy they may still be very hesitant).

          Of course, I’m sure some will disagree.

          1. I’m sure that TCFKAG is right that networking is better, but I think that you have to keep in mind that there’s really only so much networking most people can do (particularly if they’re new to the area/field). I’m only saying that because I know that I would hear “Network!” all of the time,, like it’s just so simple “OK, I’ll go to the networkorium and network today.” and it only added to the frustration, because I could never figure out what I was supposed to be doing to network that I wasn’t already. (The job I eventually found came from a listing on my law school’s site, no networking came into play at all.)

          2. Lyssa — trust me when I say, I hate “networking” for networkings sake. I also think when you’re actively looking for a job (and feeling the pressure of not having one or being unhappy in your current job) that the slow and lack of immediacy of the type of connections you make in networking are completely infuriating.

            My point was only that in a world of (presumably) limited time, I would place sending out unsolicited resumes almost last in my job-hunting strategies. But then again…I’m far from an expert.

        3. I wouldn’t go so far as to say “don’t apply for a job that way,” but you definitely should not expect an acknowledgment of receipt.

          1. TCFCAG, would your response be the same if you found firm(s) or department(s) that seemed to mesh well with your areas of practice and other qualifications and were of particular interest to you? How would you make yourself known to those firms or departments?

          2. A to Z, if there is a firm/practice area you know you’re interested in, you might reach out to a particular partner in that firm (especially if one went to your law school or undergrad) and see if they’d be willing to do an informational interview with you to discuss their practice area. Or else, check out the lawyers in the practice group on Linkedin and see if anyone you know is connected to them, and then see if they’d be willing to pass your resume along. Something like that.

            I mean — leaving aside all that, you could submit your resume to the hiring contact, I’m just not sure you’re going to get very far. Generally in most firms that hiring contact has no real authority to actually hire — they basically just coordinate a search when partners decide they need to hire. So at best your resume will be added to their collection for an eventual opening.

        4. I’m not saying it’s hopeless to apply for a job that way. I’m saying I don’t think you should expect to receive a “thanks for your resume, we’re reviewing it carefully!” message from most places. If they are interested you will hear from them. Otherwise, you get the Black Hole. That’s been my experience, anyway.

    3. Considering that I frequently get no response when I submit resumes in response to job listings, I would say this is pretty typical. Sorry, its the nature of the beast right now.

    4. Not in law, but no, no one responds and even if you apply online to a job posting, it’s still unlikely you’ll get a response. I’ve only had luck through strong personal referrals and my network which has led to prospective employers approaching me. It’s different than it used to be and it can take months and months to see results. Don’t give up and don’t take it personally.

    5. During my most recent job search, I would estimate that I got some kind of response about 20% of the time. This was after either emailing (unsolicited) resumes and completing online applications. Typically, even a follow-up email did not yield a response. It’s extremely frustrating, I know, but hang in there and good luck!

    6. It is tough with all the people who are OUT of work looking for a job. If it wasn’t so tough, I would have left along time ago, but I need the paycheck to live as a single person in NYC.

      Once I am married, I may WAIVE farewell to the manageing partner, but for now, I must be reverent to him. He has been stareing at me all day! What a doosh!

      Unfortunateley, no man has been abel to step up to the plate and WOW me. All the guys I meet just want either just sex or for ME to work so that they can watch TV and drink. FOOEY on that.

      I want a man who looks at me and says: Ellen, you are beautiful. I will take care of you. If you want to keep working fine, but if you don’t, you don’t have to b/c I will support you in WHAT EVER you do b/c you are my wife.

      What is so WRONG about that? I want to have a child, but do NOT want to have to be like Sandra Bullok or Charleze Thereon and adopt. NOT that that is bad, but I want my OWN child with my OWN husband. FOOEY!

      1. I’m so terrified that I am 100% in agreement with Ellen’s sentiments. Am I a troll?

        1. Godzilla, don’t feel bad. I feel the same way. I don’t think either of us are trolls.

    7. I’ve only gotten a handful of responses from applying for specific legal positions so I imagine the response rate is even worse with cold emailing. Best of luck though!

    8. We try to send out “standard letters” to applicants who don’t meet our criteria. Sometimes, though, it just doesn’t happen. Reviewing resumes and sending out letters is not billable for attorneys reviewing resumes and it’s one of our HR coordinator’s minor tasks. We use an automated system that sends out reminders but, well, messages get ignored in the shuffle and it’ll sometimes be 3-4 months before we catch it.

      OTOH, if someone contacts you to set up a phone screen, please reply promptly. A phone screen isn’t a “pity interview”. It is a mandatory first step to getting a “real interview.” I have a candidate I’m chasing down right now to schedule the d*mn thing. He’s not making a good first impression…

      1. Glad to hear about the “standard letters.” Courtesy must still fit in somewhere even in this age of e-bombardment. I say, if a firm is inviting employment inquiries through its website, it should be prepared to deal with those job inquiries in a coureous and humane fashion (I understand things fall through the cracks, however, ala karenpadi). karenpadi – how long does it take to make the decision whether to contact a candidate? Is there a procedure, or is it just, “whenever we can meet internally to discuss this”?

        1. Best of luck in your search. I am right there with you. I know a lot of people here read the Ask a Manager blog, and I have learned a lot about what to expect from her. One thing she says is something like “one day in a regular business setting equals one week in HR dept time.” For a law firm that is accepting information but not actually looking to hire, it might be a month before someone looks at your resume.

        2. A decision is usually made very quickly. We are actively hiring and really need qualified patent attorneys ASAP–ping me at hotmail if you are one and want to work in the best firm ever, seriously.

          We don’t meet internally to discuss any candidates. Instead, we have a web-based recruitment program that pings the hiring partner when a resume comes in. The hiring partner in my office is pretty decisive and usually delegates a phone screen by the end of the next business day. I schedule a phone screen by the end of the following business day for sometime within a week. If I think we should proceed, we bring the candidate in for an interview within the next week or two. All comments and reviews are entered into the web-based program (Newton Software) and are visible to everyone (except the candidate himself, if hired). Based on the comments and the partners’ interviews, a decision is made by the hiring partner.

          Sometimes, I do have offline discussions about a candidate with other interviewers–usually to clarify my thoughts and see if our observations were consistent. But my comments (and theirs) mirror those conversations.

    9. I am not in HR but routinely receive resumes.
      I make sure to acknowledge receipt of each one of them, tell the sender I forwarded to Hr and how they can look up jobs through company website then wish them luck and hopefully to have them in the team.
      Most applicants appreciate the extra time I put to write emails. But I know sometimes you really just don’t have time for that.

    10. I don’t know if you’re still reading, but I’ve sent out about 100+ unsolicited resumes (I graduated last May, still looking for full time work). I’ve gotten responses maybe 25-35%, sometimes months after I sent the resume. When I’ve sent them to alums of my school (I’m looking an a region with very few), I’ve usually gotten responses saying that they tried as hard as they could to find a place for me in their firm and otherwise offering to help me. (This reminds me, I should follow up with a few of them)

      My current part-time, per diem job is the result of an unsolicited resume I sent to an alum of my school.

  2. I like these shoes except for the fact that it looks like the tip of the shoes were chopped off.

    Also, it’s BEAUTIFUL outside today. Soaked in a little Vit D out there during lunch.

  3. All-inclusive resorts? I’m sure many of you have been to one. I usually enjoy vacations where I have a lot to do (big cities, for example), but have recently learned that my husband really really wants a beach vacation. This made me think that it might be nice to go somewhere and not have to think about anything other than getting another fruity drink.

    Good/bad experiences?

    1. Husband and I went to one of the Sandals places in Jamaica (couples only). We had a great time. That said, a lot of it was… not nearly as “fancy” as it thought it was. Like the restaurants had all these fancy sounding dishes, but the food was only alright. Yet we heard all the people around us raving about how amazing the food was. And there were unlimited drinks everywhere, but the wine was 5-10$ bottles and the liquor all bottom shelf. Maybe it’s because we’re from NY and are spoiled? Also, the towels were scratchy. Frankly, I expected more for how much it cost.

      Overall, I love the idea but wasn’t happy with the execution.

      1. Had a similar experience at a Sandals in Jamaica. The Jamaican food was excellent, most everything else was just OK, and a few things were downright bad (there was a sushi buffet on one of the first nights we were there, and put a piece in my mouth and immediately had to spit it back out. And I am not a picky eater at all). Similar experience with the liquor. And at least in Jamaica, there wasn’t a ton to do other than the activities offered at the resort (snorkeling, scuba, glass-bottom boat, and the like). We did go on one organized tour off the resort (a wildlife viewing boat trip), but I don’t recall there being a ton of other options. On the other hand, I thought the resort was absolutely gorgeous and the beach was beautiful. Oh, and our room was OK, but not amazing.

        I might suggest going on a cruise instead…they are not all inclusive in that you have to pay for booze, but in my experience the food is better (especially if you go with a nicer cruise line, like Holland America), and you will likely have more opportunities to go do stuff on your own while your husband lays on the beach.

      2. LOL, my DH had this experience at an all inclusive too, and also on a cruise. His family thinks cruise food is great and keeps trying to get us to go on a cruise with them, but he thinks I would find the food absolutely terrible. You have to remember that people coming from food centric areas like SF/NY/LA/NOLA/whatever have a higher threshold for “fancy” and “really good” food than folks that come from less food centric areas, where the vast majority of the population lives. So, on average, the food may get rave reviews, but we do not have average palates. See: recent glowing review in a newspaper in North Dakota for the newly opened Olive Garden. It all depends on what you’re used to.

        1. I pink puffy heart that Olive Garden review. I laughed so hard when I read it.

        2. Oh no. I’ve always considered myself an easy eater (in that I will try anything), but now that I think about it, living in large cities with foodie scenes has probably spoiled me quality wise…

        3. The food quality varies pretty widely depending on the cruise line in my experience (e.g., much better on Holland America than on Royal Carribean), but I would still say that the food on the cruises I have been on was superior what we had at the all inclusive resort. But YMMV.

        4. My grandma lives in a small town, Pop. 8,000, in the mid-west. When we visit her we go to the nicest place in town- the hospital cafeteria. An Olive Garden opening up would be the best (and least likely) thing ever.

    2. How much were you looking to spend? All inclusive can get expensive. That being said there is an article today on Forbes on the best all inclusive resorts.

    3. I went to a Moon Palace Resort hotel in Cancun for my bar trip. It was all inclusive, and fabulous. It think my DH bought everything throught the Costco website. They give you a wristband which is good for food, top shelf drinks and towels at all of their sister resorts. Plus, they have certain sightseeing trips included (Chechenita ruins, Isla de los Mujeres), and at those places there’s ofter a sister resort. We really enjoyed it.

      1. We’ve been to Moon Palace, Beach Palace and a few of the other Palace Resorts. We had a great time, obviously since we’ve been back several times. You can visit the other locations and still get the full service, which is nice for a chance of scenery. The food can be hit or miss, but I do like all-inclusives. W

        hen we’ve gone on other vacations, all I hear in my head is “cha-ching, cha-ching” of a cash register every time we order a drink or get food.

      2. ive been to a number of all inclusives and moon palace is by far the best. The Spa Palace is a little bit further outside of Cancun, and only for adults, and is also very nice. As another poster said, the food is just OK if you are used to a big city (NY, LA, SF, Chi), but Moon/Spa palace is much nicer with respect to everything else.

      3. I think Sun Palace was part of this.
        it was so fabulous. I cannot say enough good things about it. so low key.

    4. My husband (then boyfriend) and I went to a nice place in Tulum about five years ago. It’s a ways south of Cancun so you get fewer fraternities, and there are supposedly beautiful Mayan ruins within a short ride that we completely missed out on seeing after I pulled my lower back during pool volleyball. I am not the sort of person who plays pool volleyball with strangers on normal occasions, which I suppose can only be a compliment to the resort. We also decided to get married there after crashing a wedding in which they served tequila in hollowed out carrots. But your mileage may vary.

      1. Tequila in hollowed out carrots? That must give you excellent double vision.

    5. We went to an all-inclusive in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was brand new in 2010 (I can’t remember the name, dang it!), adults-only, and the wrist bands were good at the sister properties just down the way. It was pretty nice to have unlimited drinks and food, and the resort was nice. The food was pretty good, but you need to make sure you get reservations early for the fancy sit-down restaurants. We ended up eating the in buffet most nights, which was filling and had decent food. However, the beaches were pretty crowded when we went in late May. My husband and I have determined that the “silver platter” vacation is really not our style, and we much prefer more active/adventurous vacations. My brother and his wife, however, love all-inclusives, so I think it’s really a matter of taste.

    6. Last summer, my roommate and her friends found a deal on travel zoo for an all-inclusive in Cabo, but the fourth person backed out and she invited me to go along. 4 nights and airfare ran us around $650 each, so this was clearly on the lower end of all-inclusive resorts, but I still had a great time. It was probably the laziest vacation that I have ever taken and I litterly just sat at the pool every day and read and drank. It was amazing.

      The food was hit or miss in the buffet, but there were a couple of nights with pretty decent seafood. I thought that the rooms were decent, it was on the beach, everyone was very friendly, and it was a very relaxing vacation. I would go back in a heartbeat!

    7. We looked into all-inclusives for our honeymoon. We decided not to go because (1) concerns about the quality of food and beverages for the price, which other people have mentioned, and (2) many reviews mentioned very competitive environments in the larger all-inclusives – lobbying for extra nights in the sit-down restaurant instead of the buffet, waking up extra early to get a beach chair, etc. Basically, it sounded like it was not going to be possible to just think about nothing.

      So, if you do stay at an all-inclusive, do your research and especially focus on the time of year you’re going and how crowded it will be. I should note that we came across a lot of smaller and higher-end all-inclusives that would have offered a much different experience, but they weren’t in our budget.

    8. I have never been, but my mother is a big fan and she always reports good experiences with Iberostar (sp?) resorts.

    9. I went to Sun Palace in Cancun. it is an adult only resort. but it is very, very, very lowkey. and very expensive.
      best. four day vacation. ever.

    10. I don’t like all-inclusives. I feel like a prisoner in my resort because it is so hard to leave. The food and alcohol are usually terrible because there are no competing restaurants around.

      I found my piece of paradise–West Bay Beach in Roatan. It’s a bunch of resorts and restaurants on a beach that’s maybe 1/3 mile long. I stay at the Bananarama and they have the best bar/restaurant (the Thirsty Turtle) on the beach and the best restaurant in the entire world (the Vintage Pearl) right on the resort. So it feels like an all-inclusive because I just charge everything to the room. But, when I get bored, I can walk 50 feet down the beach and go to a new restaurant. For me, it’s the perfect compromise.

    11. Thanks for everyone’s thoughts (so far)!

      We have been on a couple of cruises — one on Carnival (hated) and one on Norwegian (was ok).

      I was thinking a resort might have more stuff to do because you’re not trapped somewhere and can go to the land outside the resort. From the things everyone is saying, that might not be the case?

      1. In my experience, I either needed to rent a car or hire a taxi (with a US$20 minimum) to leave an all-inclusive. I don’t like driving on vacation so it’s a deal breaker for me.

        I was at an all-inclusive that included a rented pick-up truck for the week (Buddy Dive in Bonaire) but that is a scuba-only destination–the only non-diving activity is a “nature preserve” featuring wild donkeys. The Scientology cruise ship doesn’t even bother to disembark.

      2. Also remember that, depending on where your all-inclusive is, it may not be super safe outside the resort area. So ask around before you go exploring on your own!

      3. I’ve actually never been to an all-inclusive resort — the closest I’ve come was an Alaskan cruise on Holland America with my parents. I thought the food on the HAL cruise was middle-of-the-road fine. Not outstanding, but not awful, and fresh-squeezed OJ every day gets them a gold star from me. That said, I’m a huge foodie and probably a food snob too, so I’d hesitate before going to one of the Club Med/Sandals/Couples all-inclusive resorts. Since I can’t afford places like the One and Only Resorts or Aman resorts — at least not right now! — I don’t see going to any all-inclusive any time soon.

        DH and I basically do what karenpadi suggested — find a beach and a hotel you like that has other stuff around that’s easy to get to. Our favorite place for this right now is the Hyatt Regency on Kaanapali Beach on Maui. The Sheraton and the Westin, also on Kaanapali, would work well too, I’m sure. We just make sure to get a package at the hotel that includes the breakfast buffet for two and go to that on the later side (so it’s really brunch), and then have to figure out only one other meal per day for dinner (having fresh pineapple and other snacks plus drinks at the pool all afternoon). You can just sign for everything within the hotel’s group of bars/restaurants/activities to put it on your room, and if you want to go farther afield for meals or activities there are a ton of other places within walking distance up and down Kaanapali on the south side of Black Rock.

        IMHO, Maui (esp. around Kaanapali/Lahaina/Kapalua) has the best food overall on the Hawaiian islands. There are individual standout restaurants in Honolulu, but I would not go anywhere near Waikiki for a relaxing lie-on-the-beach vacation. . . .

      4. I highly recommend Half Moon Bay in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It is over 60 years old and SPRAWLING! You need a cycle or a golf cart to get around. The service was awesome and they were anything but stingy. You could order food any time you wanted, unlike many all-inclusives that have fixed hours for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And there were a lot of activities. We met couples there who had been coming to the same resort for 20 years in a row. I recently heard that it was bought out by another company so I hope nothing has changed. Every all-inclusive I went to, after this one, fell short.

      5. You can definitely do things if you want or just stay and do nothing if you want. That’s the beauty of it. I went to Excellence Playa Mujeres for Cinco de Mayo last year. No wristbands, very decent food, tons of drinks, better entertainment than my Sandals trip, and a good age range. The pools are incredible and they have another location south of Cancun (closer to the ruins) and one in Punta Cana.
        I didn’t want to go off-site because it was just about relaxing and we had a room with a private pool (cool, worth the one time splurge but I’ll pass next time for better big pool access) but I saw groups go to Isla Mujeres, Mayan ruins, and Cancun’s party zone. We booked with Funjet vacations. We were able to book our flight, hotel, airport transfers, insurance, and any and all excursions in advance and they had a rep at the hotel to book activities there too. Apple Vacations, Cheap Caribbean, and Funjet all have great reputations for helping out for all-inclusive vacations if you don’t have time to book through a travel agent.

    12. Went to an all-inclusive in Mexico with a few friends a few years back. Loved it (I think it’s called La Amada). The best tip we got with all-inclusives was to make sure you get a feel for whether it’s a kid-filled, party-crazy or more laid back. The one we stayed next to had a party going on all the time. Ours was a lot more laid back and amazing, with the WORLD’S. BEST. SPA.

    13. If you go to an all inclusive expecting good food and “luxury” by a major city’s standard, you will be disappointed. What all inclusives are good for: turning your brain 100% off. No decisions about where to eat beyond buffet or dinner reservations at the [1-3] ‘specialty’ restaurant available. No decisions about where to go, because the only places you can go easily are the pool, the beach, and the bar. Nightlife? The cheesy show or the swim-up bar.

      I tend to prefer vacations to a new city with interesting culture or a national park- type place, but sometimes you just need a beach. If you bring a deck of cards and a book or two and take it for what it is, an all-inclusive can be a great escape from reality. (Also, if you scuba dive, that can break up the monotony.) Definitely check into the culture of the resort. I’ve had the best luck with adults only places. A family member has a timeshare at the Wyndham in Cozumel, and I’ve been a few times and like it a lot. Good scuba diving, food is decent, wristband gets you into the “family” resort down the way that has silly games and beach volleyball, but you can escape the screaming kids if you want to. :)

    14. We love love all inclusives. We’re so busy in our lives, its so nice to let someone else do… everything. We’ve been to some that are only so-so (like in Cancun) where its nice just to be taken care of and then lay on the beach. We’ve been to one that was AMAZING – LaSource in Grenada. They also include spa treatments, the food is incredible and fresh and delicious. Highly, highly recommended. We went for our honeymoon and have been trying to get back ever since.

  5. Home sick (again) today (stupid pink eye!) and just finished Season 2 of Downton Abbey (including the Christmas episode) and now I’m walking around my house babbling with a british accent at my dog. She’s giving me a look.

    Thanks for another excellent recommendation team Hive. :-)

    1. What took you so long????!!!! The Christmas episode was so romantical at the end. You should go make some scones. :)

      1. Honestly, I took about a week and a half off half way through episode five when the stupid “amnesia” storyline happened, because I thought that was idiotic. But then on Monday someone told me that it didn’t last long, so I got back into it. :-)

        1. yeah, that was pretty lame. Didn’t even need to happen. We needed more Lady Edith getting steamy with farmboy and getting caught by his missus.

        2. The amnesia storyline was stupid, but the Christmas special was enough to get me flouncing* around the house afterwards.

          *Appropriate use of flounce?

          2. Oh…and that Christmas episode was amazeballs. Now I’m just freaking out about having to wait until Season 3!

          3. definitely flounce.
            and I do not know whether I can last until the next season!!!!!!
            the first episode better not ruin everything that happened in the christmas episode!

          4. Amelia – I totally agree! I’m almost afraid to watch Season 3 because I’m so happy with how Season 2 ended.

          2. Don’t ask Daisy! That girl does everything wrong, wrong, wrong. Ask Mrs. Patmore. She knows.

            Daisy! Really!

    2. For your next eight or so hours of recuperation I recommend Terriers on Netflix Instant. Solid series.

      1. Loved that show!! im so sad it didn’t continue… i was dying to see what would happen next!

    3. I’m home sick too! My receptionist has pink eye but I have the nasty stomach bug sweeping the nation. I have to thank this site for keeping me sane today. I have to stay in bed. If I stand up, I pretty much throw up. I’m bored out of my mind and have spent the day reading online when my body could handle it and eating ice cubes – b/c an actual sip of water is too much. FUN!

      1. I had that too. The good news is that it lasts only about 48 hours. My doctor prescribed Zofran and it helped big time with the nausea.

    4. Do Merlin next when you run out of eps of Downtown Abbey!
      Not as pretty, but way fun to watch and it’s on Hulu!
      I started it last night & it’s so great– esp if you are also a Dr. Who fan, because there are a lot of actors from Dr. Who that pop up in Merlin.

      1. Love Merlin. This series cracks me up. It’s got a lot of the best TV tropes, including the dogmatic one who wants to ban X (Luther, banning magic-users) who incidentally, always lets the magic-users who want to kill him into his castle and often, into his inner circle to near-disastrous results.

        Also, the kid who plays Merlin? Adorkable. If I could pick a TV character to have as a younger sibling, I’d pick him. :-)

    5. Check out Sherlock next. Season 1 was on PBS last year. Season 2 is returning in May.

      I actually liked it better than Downton Abbey.

  6. Ladies, I have made an amazing discovery that solves the problem of “Theory has great jackets but terrible bottoms for those of us who like lining/have hips.”

    Solution: Theory tropical wool jackets + Ann Taylor tropical wool bottoms, in black and charcoal. The fabrics match. perfectly. It’s amazing!

      1. lol. i keep meaning to come up with a good name but haven’t been able to think of a clever one yet. so still anon, for now.

    2. i’ve also had good luck with pairing my theory jackets in the “tailor” fabric with (gasp) express editor pants in black and in a medium heather gray shade. the jackets clearly hold up better over time than the pants do, but at least the pants fit this way.

  7. Factual poll as I negotiate our small firm’s first-ever maternity policy on behalf of myself:

    If you work at a firm in any professional field, not just law, that is too small to qualify for FMLA, I would greatly appreciate it if you could reply with the state you work in and whether you practice law or other, the # of people in your firm, and what (if any) your maternity leave policy is in terms of both time off, flex scheduling, and what portion is paid and unpaid.

    Thank you!

    1. I’m watching this one carefully, because I’m not in your shoes yet, but I will be when/if I ever get knocked up. I’m in TN, total 10 employees, law firm, no maternity policy that I’m aware of (I’m the only female attorney and it doesn’t sound like there’ve been any in the past who’ve gotten pregnant). We do have Short Term Disability insurance, which I assume covers 6 weeks post baby.

      To jack your thread, I’ve never asked about it, but what are thoughts on whether, assuming no policy, it’s something better to ask about before or after the actual pregnancy starts? I think I’d be really uncomfortable bringing it up before, so I’m right now applying something along the lines of “it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.”

      1. We have one because it was negotiated with a prospective employee prior to her accepting the offer, who said she planned to have children in the next 2-3 years and would need to see the mat leave policy. I think it would be awkward to negotiate while already an employee but not pregnant but I think that’s probably case by case.

      2. Mamma Mia,

        We have so much in common, I feel bad for even posting under a different name today. Sigh.

        I really, really, really kick myself for not negotiating this when I was negotiating the job offer, but back then I was so nervous that they’d not hire me in this terrible market and location that I would have agreed to nearly everything. But at that time I had no idea I’d be pregnant now.
        That said, I think it is better to ask forgiveness than permission, as long as you produce quality work. Although “better” doesn’t equal “good” here – only not quite as bad; it is so clear I should have negotiated this when they extended an offer, and that it would have added an angle that I planned to stay with the firm long-term and likely worked to my advantage.

        1. I feel sad that you are beating yourself up about not negotiating for this. You just don’t know how that would have gone, so please don’t second-guess yourself now.

          In Chicago, at a law firm of 45 (just under when FMLA kicks in) and women here use all their vacation, then go on short-term disability for up to six more weeks. Short-term disability pays $75 per week. Staff and attorneys get the same bad deal.

        2. I seriously thought about asking when I negotiated for my job (I even floated the idea here), but I ultimately chickened out – I just couldn’t bring myself to bring it up, too worried about giving the wrong impression, I don’t know. So, I feel ya.

          Course, since I’ve been off the normalizing influence of the pill, I’m learning that my body’s so weird that things might take a while. So I guess that’s OK.

    2. We work in biotech and consulting. We are too small to qualify for FMLA (about 15 people) and did not have a maternity leave policy in place until this year. The policy is essentially:

      1) Female employees only, must have been employed at least one year, doctor’s note required
      2) 8 weeks paid (1-2 weeks paid by PTO accrual, additional paid by company)
      3) Option to take an additional 5 weeks unpaid, possibly paid by short term disability insurer if you have a medical issue that prevents you from returning (unpaid leave can also be partially paid by using PTO accrual up to 2 weeks)
      4) Health insurance and all other benefits continue through 13 weeks, failure to return after 13 weeks is considered resignation.
      5) Any options re: flex time are negotiated on a case by case basis

      1. Doctor’s note required??? To prove what – that you’re pregnant? Or that you need maternity leave? That is one of the strangest things I’ve ever heard.

        1. Seriously… the fact that you expelled a baby from your body isn’t enough to convince an employer? It would be great if the doctor’s note said “Your employee just had a baby. She needs time off, you DOOSH.” (To steal spelling from Ellen.)

        2. you need this everywhere, big law included. Its becasue short term disability covers first 6 weeks of maternity leave.

          1. I just took months of maternity leave from my biglaw firm, and did not have to provide a note.

        3. Yeah I don’t get it either. Presumably the big belly is a tip off? Or you know, the fact that at the end there’s a brand new human being?

          I think it has something to do with our insurer requiring a doctors note to pay disability coverage (part of the paid leave is covered by our short term disability insurer). But I honestly have no idea.

        5. All I could think of when I read that was the soap opera plotline where a woman desperate to hang on to a man fakes pregnancy with super realistic pillow bump, and then steals a baby to use after her labor that no one witnessed (of course, if that’s the route a woman is willing to go, I don’t think forging a doctor’s note is going to stop her.) This happens in the real world, right?

          1. I thought maybe the employer thinks women would lie about being pregnant so that they could partake in maternity leave willy-nilly. Perhaps I’ve also pickled my brain via soap operas.

      2. This makes me a bit sad – 13 weeks is the maximum? Baby is only 3 months old. If you want to go back then, fine, but to have no choice is rough. I am not in the US so have much more flexible policies here. One year maternity leave (mostly unpaid) is not uncommon.

        1. I think that short maternity leaves are fairly standard in the US — I have friends in Europe who have much more generous mat leave policies. I know in crafting this policy, my boss got advice from his attorney that it was overly generous and most companies he worked for offered 6 weeks for vaginal birth, 8 weeks for c-section and the additional 5 weeks at partial pay was overkill.

    3. Mine is just on the cusp of FMLA when you include staff, so I’ll go anyway.
      30 lawyers, 15-20??? staff
      MA, law firm
      Maternity leave = 2 months paid ‘maternity leave’ (although not sure how they classify it, some of it may be disability, but the HR person does it for me), 4 weeks vacation to get up to 3 months paid.
      Flex schedule avail. afterwards – last time I worked at home 2 days a week instead of 1 (I am at 80% and normally do 1 day at home, 3 days in the office) for about 6 months after I got back.

      1. Oh, I did not ask ahead of time (either when getting the job or before getting pg). Luckily they already had a policy since one of the woman partners had had 2 leaves already.

    4. CO. 10 attorneys. No paid leave. No official policy. Each time I’ve taken leave they just asked me how much time I plan to take off. Health insurance continues during leave. I took 4 months.

    5. I’m at a small firm, no FMLA, and we just instituted a new policy. 6 weeks paid leave, but you get the first 2 weeks when you would normally get paid, the second 2 weeks when you come back from leave, and the third 2 weeks after you have been back for one month.

  8. TJ. I have delima about applying for an opening. I have much of the skills and experience that is required for the position. My quandry is, I’ve acquired the needed skills and experience while volunteering on a large project in the political arena. Just about every career guide cautions against mentioning political afliliations on a resume. Should I do some “creative writing” in order to obscure where I’ve been volunteering or should I just put it out there and let the chips fall where they may?

    1. Well, some of my advice would depend on what (and how controversial) the political project and/or candidate was and what region of the country you live in (i.e. is your project/candidate inside the political “norm” for the region). You could describe the skills you’ve developed on a “major political initiative”, but I sort of struggle with how you could write a cover letter detailing skills acquired volunteering on a political project without specifying the political project. If you did, I almost feel like that would be weirder, making the reader wonder if you’re hiding something (making them think the political project was really controversial or something).

      But I guess, you could describe it as “I have acquired many of the skills necessary for this position while volunteering as a policy assistant in a local campaign (or political initiative or whatever most closely describes the thing.” Then go on to specify the skills, focusing on them rather then the political nature of the position. But really, unless its really controversial, I’d probably just go ahead and identify it. We’re all human, we have pasts, its unlikely that it’ll stop someone from interviewing you and if nothing else it will show that you’re passionate enough about something to commit substantial time to it to volunteer.

    2. I would probably identify it unless it is crazy controversial (ie, so controversial as to be deemed radical, such as protesting outside abortion clinics). I think if it’s important enough for you to spend significant time volunteering and developing skills, an employer that doesn’t want to work with you because of the bent of the organization you presumably worked with longterm and very much identify with the ideology of is probably not going to be an employer you feel comfortable in anyway.

    3. As someone whose entire resume is political (and whose references are all political), I would say mention it by name. But that’s the field I work in and volunteer in.

    4. It might be helpful if there’s a person who’s prominant in the community that you can tie it to. This would be best, of course, if you had helped on the election of someone who won (Assisted in the campaign of Rep. Jane Congresscritter), but even if not, tying it to some well-respected elder in town might give it more legitimacy then just a political “cause.”

      2. I like how she’s a congresscritter, not a congresswoman. I now want to use that as my term whenever I’m discussing (or writing a pissed-off email to) my own congresscritter: Dear Congresscritter X, I strongly disagree with your [pea-brained, short-sighted, and moronic] decision to support [stupid legislation taking my rights]. The ONE time I’m too busy to hie myself to my polling station…lesson learned.

    5. If you worked on X political cause, then you’re probably not 100% opposed to it. If you apply somewhere that wouldn’t even consider you because of X political cause/affiliation, then it’s probably going to be a terrible fit for you anyway.

      I completely understand not wanting to put off any perspective employers and not wanting your resume to stick out in a bad way, but I think that as long as you focus on the skills and not the cause, as the other comments has noted, you should be ok.

    6. I would be upfront about the political campaign. I like TCFKAG’s advice.

      Besides, if politics are an issue, you won’t get an interview and good riddance to bad rubbish. It’d be much worse to obscure the political affiliation and then spend a whole day in an interview where you have no hope for getting the job because it turns out that you are an elephant and the employer is a donkey (or vice versa).

    7. If it were me I’d do a little internet sleuthing first to determine if the org falls heavily one way or another. And senior staff. Political donations are all public record, so you can check out opensecrets and look. If you find a mix of folks, list it out. You can point blank say in an interview you gained valuable experience and the campaign taught you how to manage your personal beliefs in the context of others (assuming you can and will be comfortable working for an org that differs).

      If its clearly lopsided and leans the opposite way, if you have a section with “relevant skills” on your resume I would just add some of your skills there.

  9. I just read that the Doctor is getting a new companion, and Amy and Rory will be leaving the show in the 5th episode of the new season. Le sigh. I knew it was inevitable but still.

    2. I knew they were leaving from previous interviews… but I feel like the new girl is way too Hollywood looking.
      Also, I hate Matt Smith… I was hoping he’d grow on me, but he totally hasn’t. ;-(
      I still can’t wait for the new eps… and I hope there’s a lot more River Song coming up!

      1. I know what you mean about the new girl, she looks like she came from a stint on Footballers Wives. I like Matt Smith but it did take a while to warm up to him. I loved the previous doctor. I heart Amy, Rory and River. River should have her own show!

        1. Me too, David Tennent was just so adorkable as the Dr. I even liked Christopher Eccleston, the first new Dr., but in a different way.
          Matt Smith just seems to obnoxiously dirty hipster to me and as the Dr. I feel like he doesn’t uphold the same ethical standards that the Dr. should be standing for. He usually just seems confused and like he has never interacted with humans before…
          Anyway…. totally agree about River having her own show. I love everything about her & I love her hair even more…. I think though with Amy & Rory going out the door… they might start phasing her out too.
          BTW I mentioned this above, but have you watched Merlin (first 2 seasons are on Hulu)… Really fun to watch- lots of the same actors & same plot devices… I kept expecting the Dr. to pop up and be like, you silly humans think this is magic, but it’s really aliens!

    3. This is going to leave me sad all day… and then I will share it with husband and he will be sad because he likes to look at Amy Pond (which is fine, because I liked looking at Dr. David Tennant).

      And I’m with Esquared on the dirty hipster thing. Matt Smith just hasn’t grown on me.

  10. TJ:
    Now that’s it’s 80 here (80!) and I walk to work, I’m dying. This week has been terrible and gross. I put sunscreen on every day, but I’ve gotten sunburned.

    What I normally wear : AT pants, a nice shirt, cardigan/non-matching jacket, flats.
    What I wore this week: pencil skirt, a nice shirt, jacket that I left at desk, flats.
    What I want to wear this week: nothing.

    Normally, I walk the 10minutes in sneakers then switch shoes at work. This week I walked in sandals. Today, I brought a change of shirt because yepp, completely sweated through mine. I’m seriously considering getting a few sheer shirts.

    So… any awesome deodorants? Does anyone own a parasol?
    How do you deal with the heat?

    1. consider walking to work in gym clothes, or cheaper jersey dresses (not as obviously unprofessional as gym clothes), and changing at the office. i also have a straightening iron and hairdryer in my desk to address the sweaty scalp thing, and when it’s REALLY hot (like 90+) i’ll wait until i get into the office to put on makeup. i come in early enough that i don’t generally run into people until i’ve cleaned myself up, but i have no qualms explaining that i’m dressed to commute.

    2. If you’re getting sunburned, what about a big wide-brim hat to help protect your face, scalp, ears, and back-of-neck? I also find that keeping the sun off my head–even just a bandana while hiking–helps me stay a little cooler.

    3. I would walk to work in gym clothes, and consider coming in earlier bc it’s not as hot.

    4. awesome deodorant = Maxim. Available on a-zon (just make sure to type “maxim deodorant!”). put it on at night, and you’ll be dry all the next day (and the day after, probably).

    5. Thanks all!
      I’ll break out the wide brim hat.
      On that note, any suggestions for a summer hat that doesn’t scream “beach”? All the cute cloches I’ve seen are in a heavy felt fabric…which kind of defeats the point.

      I’m hesitant to go the gym clothes route because I do see coworkers on my route, but a jersey dress would be perfect.

      ……..Maxim sounds awesome.

    6. always wear a t shirt to walk to work in the summer (1 mile, dc, so it’s often 95 degrees and humid even at 8:30 am).

  11. TJ ladies – men’s shoes.

    My DH needs new dress shoes – black and brown. He currently has Aldo ones from about 2002 that have super square toes. They need to be loafers or slip-ons bc he won’t tie lace-up shoes (seriously, he leaves his sneakers TIED around the house and then puts them on). Any brand recommendations? Should we just go back to Aldo and see what they have now?

    Tx!

    1. My DH loves his Aldo Shoes from about 2-3 years ago. He had the soles on the two pairs (brown and black) he has rubberized to make them last longer as well. I think they have attractive options and aren’t too expensive – especially now that they are on Zappos and 6pm.

    3. My husband really likes his Rockport shoes. He has wide feet and they work well for him.

    4. Cole Haan? Rockport? Bostonian or Clarks? My dad has a pair of Timberland that he loves. Also Hush Puppies.

    5. My BF is Kenneth Cole’s bitch. Kenneth does make some nice men’s shoes. My BF has large feet, but not particularly narrow or wide. I think KC might run a bit big – at least for women, I take about a half to full size smaller in their shoes than I do for most brands.

    7. Heh, your dh sounds like my dh except he does not want slip-ons! even though he travels All the time. I thought he would love slip ons when going through airports. But no?

      He has Aldo shoes from that period bit does not wear them anymore because square toes are not in fashion anymore. I wish he would just stop hanging around wall street. His eyes are big but his budget is not. He is really snobby about rock port and other similar shoes but that is all he can afford in his mind. He really can spend enough to buy Cole Haans if not other high end shoes, but he won’t. He has been shoe shopping for the last year!

      I wish there was a corporate for men too!

      1. Tx ladies. Will prob order a bunch of shoes on zappos and make him try them on. :)

      2. Do you have a Saks Outlet near you? DH has found some great pairs pf shoes there. It can be hit or miss. But if he is willing to go more than once, it might just work out.

  12. Please don’t leave your purse in your car. Ever. Even if you have tinted windows and have cleverly covered it up with a sweater. Because the cunning thieves will simply just steal your new pink sweater as they grab your purse. Which contains all of your cards, your work Blackberry, and hardest to replace, your lipsticks.

    1. Oh, that’s really cr*ppy, I’m so sorry for you. And I can’t believe the thief stole the sweater, too. The police should be looking for an aspirational thief who steals not for the job she has but for the job she wants to have.

    2. Ugh I often do that especially if I am switching bags. I’ll leave the empty one in the car under a jacket or sweater. I’m sorry this happened to you and thanks for the PSA.

      1. Please don’t do this either. People may be watching you put it in there and then they break in to your trunk.

    4. On that note, don’t leave your Rolex in your gym locker while you’re working out.

      Just keep it on.

      Those locks are easy to break.

    6. My sympathy for having to suffer that violation of your property and sense 0f security.

      Last Friday when everyone was gathered in the main conference room for a meeting at my law firm, someone walked in and stole two wallets from purses that had been stashed behind desks but not in a drawer (not mine — I always keep my purse hidden in a drwaer). Within one hour the thief (a woman according to local police) had charged over $10,000 on three credit cards, including a corporate card and including $6,000 at the apple store. Times are tough and folks are getting bold and crazy. The police said a lot of law firms and other professionals’ offices had been hit by a recent rash of thefts by a local ring of professional thieves. We do not yet know if they were the ones who hit our office but we suspect it might have been someone who works for an outside vendor who provides plant services to our office.

      We had been too trusting and left some back doors to the office open during office hours. No more.

  13. I am hosting my first ever Seder this year. I’m pretty excited to make all the food I personally always want to eat. I’ve hosted other holidays (non-Jewish, anyway) but anyone out there have tips? Favorite recipes?

    1. It’s so much fun to host your first seder! It’s my favorite holiday, so my friends and I host our own and I still go home to my family’s.

      Buy eggs in bulk. It’s the one time of year I buy eggs from Costco in 24 packs. This is not a healthy meal, you will need more eggs and oil than you ever thought imaginable. Calculate how many you need from each recipe and then add at least 6 more. Same with matzo meal.

      Every year, different cooking magazines have Passover recipes. I’ve had luck with Bon Appetit ones.

      Plan and do as much in advance as possible. Set the table the night before so you can focus on cooking that day. Make whatever you can in advance – soup, cookies, etc. Prep other ingredients. Plan out how you are splitting the Haggadah – will one person read, will you go around the table? Are there parts you will skip? One year we color-coded for people, but that was a little overboard.

    2. Totally agree with coco to do as much as possible in advance. Some things that came up as I hosted my first few:

      * which Hagaddah are you going to use? (I saw that Jonathan Safran Foer just edited a new one. It’s too close to Passover this year for me to switch now, but if I were buying new I might think about it and I will definitely consider it starting next year.) I annotate my own “teacher’s edition” of the Hagaddah so that I know where to serve which dish and where to sing each song (we add some songs that my fiance and his kids like).

      * Costco sells five-packs of matzah.

      * Second buying lots of eggs.

      * Matzah balls get softer/fluffier the longer you boil them. Truly, double the amount of time in the recipe.

      * I like to put niblets on the table so that when people sit down they don’t have to wait for three hours until the first dish is served. I usually put out the matzah, olives, Israeli salad (chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, vinaigrette), hummus (if I don’t care about serving something Hametz), gherkins, chopped liver etc.

      * There are two recipes that I like for dessert (flourless chocolate brownies, which I make as a tarte, and oranges in syrup) from a book that I bought for my first seder and highly recommend. Joan Nathan, “Jewish Cooking in America.”

      * Are you going to assign specific readings, or go around the table? Who will ask the four questions? Are you hiding the afikomen?

      * Do you put an orange on your seder plate?

      * Do you even have a seder plate? It can be fun to shop for your very first own seder plate. If finances are tight, Target has a nice, spare white china one with silver rims and writing.

      * You might try a trial run setting the table (or just a very detailed list). There is stuff you won’t realize you need until you do. Mine was 12 little glass bowls for saltwater.

      * Ditto with the shopping list. Mine was parsley.

      * First night is a Friday this year. I am taking the day off. If you can, I recommend it. In other years, I sometimes did it on the weekend night so that I had time to prepare. (Not Orthodox.)

      You are going to have so much fun. Enjoy.

      1. see, I am already so glad I asked. I totally don’t have bowls for salt water. I did order a few copies of The New American Haggadah – very excited to check it out.

        1. Get Summer Roberts to read your Haggadah.

          Ha! Sorry — that was a funny episode. :-)

        2. Please report back about the New American Haggadah. I know I won’t get to a bookstore to see a copy until well after Passover, but I’d love to hear what you think.

          1. There is no transliteration, just Hebrew and English, which would be a problem for my family. Beautifully designed Haggadah, though.

  14. Ideas appreciated:

    I have a couple quotes that I find motivating (at the end of post in case you care) and I am wondering if there is any non-cheesy way to display them in my office for my own viewing. I have an office to myself with a corkboard along one wall over the desk. Right now things on the part of the corkboard near me include admin info I reference frequently and a couple of postcards. I have one of the quotes on sticky note up there, but my handwriting is not great, so it looks lame.

    Quotes:

    Start before you’re ready.
    There is nothing unwavering as a woman when she’s already made up her mind.

    1. I’ve typed the quotations, using a font I like, and trimmed the paper to a size somewhere between post-its and postcards. It’s available for viewing/inspiration, but not meant as a decoration or art. I think it’s the trying to turn quotations into art that makes it turn cheesy. If you leave the sunsets, softly focused flowers, and fresh-faced children out of it, I think you’ll be fine.

      1. I’ve done this too. I also agree that avoiding cheesy imagery is key.

    2. You should check out Etsy, specifically FlairDesignery (I used them for some wedding-related stuff). They can make custom designs for you (change the fonts, background, etc.), and then you can print out the sign (or send them to Kinko’s) on thicker paper (I think I used 80lb or 100lb) to make them more sign-like than regular printer paper.

      1. I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time! Thanks for the tip. :)

    3. You could also make them the desktop background on your computer. Then they’ll only show occasionally, when you’re not actively working on something else.

      For a long time I had “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good” as the screensaver of my iPhone for this reason.

      1. I love that line, but I’m not sure it would be as inspiring at work…

        Thank you guys much for the ideas. I always have multiple windows open, so desktop doesn’t work, but I will investigate the Etsy idea or see if one of my art director friends can help choose a nice font and layout.

  15. My office closed at 4 today due to the heat. In New England. In March.

    Also, it’s not that hot – but I’m not complaining.

    1. It is 68 where I am at 4:30pm and my school is not capable of adjusting the temperature. One side of the building is very cold and the other feels like a sauna!

  16. Recently someone commented about getting a large under the skin zit before something big. I swear I’ve hunted through all of the comments to find it and can’t find the convo anywhere. Posters had lots of helpful suggestions, including I remember toothpaste. I never break out and now I have one of those uncomfortable bumps on my jawline and could really use all of the advice. Can anyone point me in the right direction? (and does anyone know how to search the comments?)

    1. I think it was the Renee Rouleau Anti-Cyst topical treatment. I ordered it after reading about it on Corporette and its been working well on the last two cystic zits I’ve had.

    2. White toothpaste. Also, Mario Badescu’s drying lotion. Which makes me wonder…can you just use regular calamine lotion to dry out a zit?

      1. I use Neosporin a lot as well. It doesn’t dry out zits the way toothpaste does, but it seems to reduce the redness FWIW.

      2. Ditto Neosporin. I use it religiously for anything that pops up on my face!

        1. I use the highest % benzoyl peroxide I can find and it seems to make the swelling go down a bit. Just, it doesn’t do well for going out because it gets all flaky.. and it will bleach your sheets, so use white pillow cases/blankets & be careful when putting on clothes for the same reason.
          I also do Neosporin, & this Canadian version called Cuticura, because they have antibiotic properties to fight the infection & I think the moisture keeps your skin from cracking & discoloring.
          If you are dealing with a major life event, like a wedding or dream job interview, & you need it to go down asap, you can go to the derm and ask for a cortisone shot to shrink it.
          I hate cysts. Booo. I have 2 horrible ones right now that are driving me nuts & I’m totally going to order the Renee Rouleau Anti-Cyst topical treatment right now.

  17. Ladies, I could use some advice. I recently won an award that has brought me to the attention of one of the most senior people at my firm. I’m meeting with this person tomorrow for a short “congratulations” type meeting. I know I should have some questions prepared but am struggling to come up with anything as I’ve been at this firm for a long time. Any suggestions from the hive would be much appreciated, especially as this person has a reputation for being quite tough.

    1. Maybe try one of those questions that’s not really a question but that lets you show off? Along the lines of, “I want to make sure that the firm gets as much return on this award as possible. I’ve contacted [name of local publication] and [name of your law school]. What else would you suggest we do?”

    2. I’d use it as an opportunity to get insight into where the firm is going — What do you think the key challenges are for the firm? What kind of growth opportunities do you see? — or what the person suggests for you in expanding your career. I’d also be ready to answer any questions that I asked, and to pitch myself for the kind of work I wanted to do next. Use it as a moment to shine!

  18. Anyone have any Corporette-esque blog recommendations? I’m having the urge to update my blog reading list and would love to find more sites like Corporette. For context, I already read Road Warriorette and Mizhattan. I used to read Capitol Hill Style, but got turned off by the tone and unsubscribed. I love Jen Dziura’ “Bullish” columns on Grindstone and Gloss. Refinery 29 feels a little too young for me. Anything in work/fashion/lifestyle for urban professionals would be good. Thanks in advance!

    2. No help here, as I’ve been on a similar quest, but just wanted to say that I *love* Bullish! (I’ve tried the rest of the Grindstone, and also the Daily Muse, but they both feel a little too light for my career-related reading.) (That’s what shoe blogs are for.)

      1. I hate the slideshow format they use on Grindstone for almost every article and agree that they are light on content. I just go there for Bullish, which I think is amazing.

  19. Hi Ladies;
    There was a big mall opening in my city and it has GAP, BR, H&M etc. so I am excited.
    My question is for the petite ‘rettes: I am 1m59 (roughly 5’2″) tall.
    There is a DVF colletion for GAP kids and it’s hitting my country next week.
    I have no chance of getting close to a DVF wrap dress. Would it be weird if I shopped the kids’ DvF clothes for my casual office ?
    Any reader planning on doing the same (snatching DvF from Gap kids)?

    1. The blogger at ExtraPetite buys kids’ sizes all the time. I think you might be a bit tall for it, but I don’t see why you shouldn’t try them on!

    2. I got items from the Target Missoni line in children’s sizes and I’m 165cm. I think the XXL at Gap Kids is for people up to 5’4″, so why not? I’d imagine the XXL will sell out fast.

  20. Reposting to avoid moderation:

    Hi Ladies;
    There was a big mall opening in my city and it has GAP, BR, H&M and other brands so I am very happy.
    My question is for the petite corporettes: I am 1m59 (roughly 5’2″) tall.
    There is a DVF colletion for GAP kids and it is launched in my country next week.
    I have no chance of getting close to a real DVF wrap dress. Would it be weird if I shopped the kids’ DvF clothes for my casual office ?
    Any reader planning on doing the same (snatching DvF from Gap kids)?

    1. I’m 27 & 5’1. I totally considered it, but I’m way not skinny enough to pull off fitting into kids clothes.
      The designs are really cute & if you fit into them and they aren’t overly kiddy– I don’t see why not. Maybe some of the dresses could be worn as shirts…?

    2. I’m just a bit shorter than you and I sometimes buy kids clothes. I might check out the DvF collection for Gap Kids since they come in XXL.

    3. I did this occasionally when I weighed less and was a poor college student. However, I saw some of the DVF for gap clothes on TV the other morning, and while looked very nice, the prints are quite distinctive. Personally, I would be worried that someone would recognize the dress as coming from GAP kids (e.g., a coworker might have bought the same thing for her kid). But if that doesn’t bother you, I say go for it.

  21. Is anyone else having problems with Shopping Notes? I’ve discovered that for some things I have listed, the site just never refreshed its data, so I totally missed sales. Then, for some old items that are no longer available, the site still displays the price data even though it was recently refreshed. Is there a similar service that’s more reliable?

  22. where’s TCFKAG?

    Hey girl. I bought that purple Jones trench – your second choice after the grey didn’t work out. I LOVES it!

    You should be a personal shopper!

    1. If I could figure out a way to monetize virtual shopping for my on-line anonymous friends, I’d be RICH! :-)

  23. I’m on the market for a leather jacket – leaning towards a motorcycle-style but open to other ideas. Any recommendations?

      1. Thanks TCKFAG! I like this quite a bit. Willing to go up to $650. Deliberating between grey and brown.

      2. I didn’t realize that I NEEDED a leather jacket until I clicked this link. :-) Thanks TCFKAG (says my heart, if not my wallet)!

      1. This may be too late, but my Nordstrom’s Rack had the 1st Michael Kors linked jacket one sale as well as a Michael Kors that is similar to the Forzieri for 200!

  24. Venting about my boss, the a$$hole.

    Went out for lunch today for the first time in over a year. It’s restaurant week in Boston. I went with the other members of my team. At the end of the day, my boss sent me an email saying “I’m assuming you’ll be working late since you went out for lunch.” He didn’t send this message to the other members of my team.

    1. Well, obviously. You’re not allowed to actually leave your desk, let alone the building. A sandwich while working is just barely acceptable.

      No, but seriously, that is ridiculous (in addition to all the other ridiculousness). Is there an HR person in your company you could forward this to?

      Much sympathy and I hope you get a new job SOON, or a new boss (my dreadful boss quit a few months ago out of the blue.. maybe the same idea will hit yours?).

    2. Bunkster — are you familiar with the movie Hackers from the 90s. I feel like we need to call in a ‘rette hack on your boss — we can play a series of evil tricks on him until we drive him out of your life! :-)

      1. There ARE words, but they’ll probably be censored so best kept to myself.
        Sorry Bunkster.

    4. “OK, boss, but make sure you make up the time it took you to monitor my whereabouts all day and then type this ridiculous email.”

    5. Boss, so sorry, I didn’t realise we worked to our contracted hours here. With regard to the overtime I’ve completed at your request over the last [timespan] please let me know if this will be paid at the industry standard time and a half, or would you prefer I take time off in lieu?

      3. I love this, too. I ended up putting in 3 hours overtime. 1 hour at work. I then had a hair appointment. They have a 24-hour cancellation policy so I had to go and I told my boss so. When I got home, I logged in and worked until 11.

        This morning when I got in, there was an email from my boss at about 1:30 am asking me to check some numbers.

  25. Tooootally random question: when you’re by yourself, and super super super frustrated… does anyone else slap themselves? Like, whack yourself across the face? I don’t really know why I do it — certainly not abused as a child (although my mother did occasionally threaten to “slap that look off my face” and maybe do a few half-hearted slaps). Just curious if I’m alone in this weird little thing.

    1. I slap my forehead (“doh!”) or the desk sometimes, but not a full-on slap across the face.

  26. When I’m by myself and super frustrated I sometimes bite my hand. It’s really weird, and I’ve pretty much trained myself to stop doing it, but sometimes still do. I’ve done it since highschool. Mostly in situations where I’m really upset about something and there’s no one to blame for it – or I myself am to blame. That just compounds the frustration for me – if it’s another person’s fault then it’s much easier for me to be calm about. Sometimes I just grind me teeth or squeeze my hand really hard, which is a little more normal, but I’m sure the the teeth grinding is not good for my teeth. Boyfriend is the only one who has ever seen me do this, and he gets freaked out by it, so I’m guessing it’s not really a normal thing to do…how do other people deal with this type of frustration?

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