Coffee Break: Blister Cushions
There's always that rough period when the seasons change, and your feet have to get used to shoes you haven't worn in months. In the summer it's sandals, but in the winter I've had some boots and pumps take some serious bites. (And every time I'm like, how do I always forget to take it slow with new shoes?) I was intrigued to see that a product I've heard about for a while from friends in the UK is now available stateside: Compeed. Walgreens has the whole line for $9. Compeed Blister Cushions
(L-2)
Sales of note for 12.5
- Nordstrom – Cyber Monday Deals Extended, up to 60% off thousands of new markdowns — great deals on Natori, Vince, Theory, Boss, Cole Haan, Tory Burch, Rothy's, and Weitzman, as well as gift ideas like Barefoot Dreams and Parachute — Dyson is new to sale, 16-23% off, and 3x points on beauty purchases.
- Ann Taylor – up to 50% off everything
- Banana Republic Factory – up to 50% off everything + extra 25% off
- Design Within Reach – 25% off sitewide (including reader-favorite office chairs Herman Miller Aeron and Sayl!) (sale extended)
- Eloquii – up to 60% off select styles
- J.Crew – 1200 styles from $20
- J.Crew Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off $100+
- Macy's – Extra 30% off the best brands and 15% off beauty
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off, plus free shipping on everything (and 20% off your first order)
- Steelcase – 25% off sitewide, including reader-favorite office chairs Leap and Gesture (sale extended)
- Talbots – 40% off your entire purchase and free shipping $125+
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Travel question! Has anyone been to Russia? I’m thinking of going, I just want some first-hand experiences
I will be watching this! I am interested in going at some point also.
I had a friend study abroad there and it was very difficult to get the right visas. Traveling is obviously different, but from my understanding getting any sort of visa is a PITA.
Had a friend who just went for fun and the visa process was a huge PITA, but not insurmountable. He loved it though.
Yep. What are you interested in seeing/doing?
Mostly interested in Moscow and St. Petersburg, probably spending 4-6 days in each city.
I’m wondering how hard it is to travel there as a solo American, and recommendations of things to see, any tips on getting around the cities/logistics, and visas.
You’ll need to get a visa from a Russian embassy. You will also need to register in each city but if you’re staying in a hotel, they will do that for you when you check in.
Traveling as a solo American shouldn’t be too bad, but will depend in some ways on your attitude/tolerance level. There’s not a lot of pro-American sentiment there right now, but people tend to be pretty good at distinguishing gov’t issues from individual people.
If you don’t speak the language at all, it can be a little tricky to get around but the metro in Moscow is pretty comprehensive and easy to navigate if you just study the map. It’s also beautiful!
You can get between Moscow and St Petersburg by midnight train, which is awesome. I would do that over flying.
My recommendations for what to do would vary with the seasons. When are you thinking of traveling? Also, would you consider a tour group? That might make traveling easier for you.
So beautiful! In St. Petersburg, we rode the metro for a couple of hours to see some of the stations of note. Definitely worth it! And in either city, I couldn’t get over how long the escalators were to get down to some of the lines!
We went in 2006 so I can’t speak of safety issues/non-issues since then but we were in St. Petersburg and Moscow. St. Petersburg we were on a guided tour so we didn’t have to navigate subway/language/restaurants by ourselves. Peterhof Palace outside St. Petersburg was a highlight. We liked the Hotel Astoria, where Hitler planned to have his (thwarted) victory celebration.
In Moscow, we were supposed to be guided by a relative who was a Moscow native but were deserted so we had to do our own activities on the fly. Luckily, we had at least brought a guidebook. It was the hardest place I’ve visited because with the Russian alphabet, there is no way to phonetically pronounce or decipher unknown words. Hard to go the right way in the subway, absolutely no one spoke English in shops and restaurants (or they were so unhappy with tourists that they would pretend not to know), hard even to find restrooms. Clerks would literally yell when you didn’t give the right amount of currency or used big notes when purchase was small. Apparently, the customer is not always right in Moscow. And these incidents weren’t in outlying areas, but right next to Red Square or right in main downtown area. The city is immense and traffic the worst ever. Loved the Pushkin museum, loved the Moscow River cruise, so many things to see.
Definitely a hard place and sad – there’s been a lot written about homeless dogs, which are all over, that take the subway. That made me sad. But legless military veterans panhandling in a country/city with absolutely no ADA ramps or elevators made me cry, seriously, as we saw more than one pulling himself up stairs on hands and hips.
It was definitely a trip to remember and I don’t regret going but may require more planning than Italy or France.
The customer is never right in many former Communist countries in Eastern Europe. They just don’t have the customer service culture that we do in North America – I didn’t take it personally as a tourist/non-Native speaker.
Were you expecting people in shops and restaurants to speak English? Do you think Russians visiting the USA expect people in shops and restaurants to speak Russian?
I’ve found when traveling to large international cities many people speak at least workable English in shops and restaurants. So. Uhm. I would probably expect that. I speak passable Spanish but not a word of French and I’ve done just fine in Paris, for example.
Not knowing anything about the your particular experience, they may not have been yelling, but just speaking Russian — which (to me) sounds like they’re always upset, even when saying, “hello, old friend!”
I didn’t take it personally, just illustrating the relatively unsuccessful communication we experienced. YMMV
+1 to what 2 Cents said.
They may not be yelling at all. That may be the way they speak. It is a cultural difference. Also, it is not realistic to expect people all over the world to speak English even in major cities.
Of course it isn’t. But it’s still good advice to mention it when someone asks!
Take a few days before your trip to learn both some key travel phrases (please, thank you, where is the ____, etc). Also, I spent a few days learning to read and pronounce the Cyrillic alphabet and that was INVALUABLE – otherwise, it’s hard to get around because you can’t read signs or ask for directions. Just do it – you’re a smart lady, you can do it!
Finally, I don’t know if this is still the case (I was last there in 1999), but in terms of using languages that weren’t Russian, I found the most success with German, next French, and English was last.
In Moscow at least, there has been some progress vis a vis getting phonetic signage in the center of the city. And many younger people do speak some English. That said, you should absolutely learn a few key phrases and try to figure out the pronunciations as best you can.
Also, customer service certainly isn’t the same as in the US or many European countries. But I think that’d part of the experience and the fun.
I’ve only been to St. Petersburg, but it was fantastic and I would definitely recommend it. I was on guided tours (when I wasn’t working) for the three days I was there, so I can’t speak to what the experience would be as an independent traveler, but it is by far one of the coolest places I’ve been. The downtown area is beautiful with all of the old architecture and canals, and there are some really cool little cafes and restaurants (including this one place by the Hermitage that only serves varieties of pie…drooooool). The Hermitage is stunning in terms of the architecture and decoration, as well the collections; I’ve been to almost all of the major European art museums and palaces and it was one of the most elaborate that I’ve seen. The Peterhof was equally striking. But my two highlights were 1) the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood–my jaw literally dropped when I walked in, and while I wouldn’t say I’m hard to impress, I’ve had that level of visceral reaction maybe 2-3 other times total; and 2) going to the ballet that’s attached to the Hermitage.
So I would absolutely recommend St. Petersburg. That’s the only place in Russia I’ve ever been, and I had a guide to smooth over the customer service nonsense that others are mentioning, which definitely made for a different experience. I probably wouldn’t have gone if it hadn’t been for work, but I’m super-glad that I went! I was very pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed the time I got to spend there.
Oh and I never ran into anyone who spoke no English. Granted I was in 100% touristy areas, but it was a total non-issue.
Been to Petersburg on my own. I speak Russian, though, so my experience is a bit different. That said, things to know:
(1) Petersburg is separated into pieces by the Neva river. Make sure you know which side you’re staying on and are on that side before midnight, or the bridges will go up and you’ll be stuck!
(2) Many Russian college students speak English. You will have more luck with younger faces.
(3) Google maps is good in the main cities but has trouble outside of them.
(4) The food is amazing! Moscow is extremely expensive, though; Petersburg is much better for cost. Make sure to try pirozhki (little pies), pelmeni (dumplings), and vareniki (also dumplings). Caucasian food is also very good, if you’re okay with meet and dairy.
(5) It is hard to be a vegetarian and eat in restaurants in Russia. That said, there are lots of fresh, cheap veggies in shops. I definitely supplemented that way.
(6) The subway systems in Petersburg are excellent if you can figure out the Cyrillic. Buses, less so — they can be extremely crowded.
(7) Time of year matters. It is not rare for Petersburg to be under 3 feet of snow at the end of November. And it’s dark!
* Caucasian as in from the Caucasus, e.g. Georgia.
* Meat. Not meet. :)
I’ve been twice, once in college (summer of 2003) and once on my own to visit friends (summer of 2004). I learned a few Russian phrases, learned the alphabet (“bar,” “restaurant” and “phone” are all phonetically spelled), and had Russian friends/translators to take me around.
What I learned:
–Hiring a translator/tour guide is a must. There’s SO many things that are in Russian only, and it’s really easy to get turned around / confused / taken advantage of.
–Moscow feels like a really “Russian” city – the design, the Kremlin, the architecture, Red Square.
–St. Petersburg feels like a “typical” European capital, but has many holdovers of communism (churches gutted for their icons, etc.)
–Know a few key phrases and keep your dictionary handy. Many Russians I encountered either knew French, German and/or English and were happy to help as best they could (ymmv, as with any large city).
–Lonely Planet had the best guides at the time — including inexpensive places to eat, up-to-date hotel listings, etc. The best places to eat (for not a lot of money) were off the beaten path and required knowing a few Russian words/foods to place an order. Fortunately, pointing helped. As did asking to see written the amount of money owed (I can count the currency needed, but I can’t understand “73.56 rubles” spoken easily).
–No place took American dollars (as some guidebooks said). Only rubles. And the smaller the ruble bill, the better. If you change American money in country, it needs to be brand new and pristine. They’re cautious about counterfeit.
–They will know you’re American no matter what you do, so best embrace it. (All the unconscious smiling gives us away.)
–Drinking is a big part of life, and partaking in a vodka toast is a great way to make friends — and test your tolerance.
–“Vegetarian” is kinda understood, but vegan, gluten-free, celiac, etc. isn’t. Most meals are meat + potato/grain/rice + veggies. And vodka.
–Remind yourself of the metric system so you don’t accidentally order “2 kilos” of steak kebabs and get 5 lbs. for 4 people.
–Customer service at shops and tourist sites can vary, just like in the U.S.
–I traveled in country (from Moscow to southern Russia to St. Pete), and ticket agents gouged me and expected bribes for my suitcases come — and that was considered standard practice. This is when having a translator really helps (one who will go to bat for you when necessary, but who is also street-smart enough to say “just pay it, and it’ll be easier for you in the long run.”)
–In 2004, I was able to check my international luggage into a storage room for the day at Sheremetyevo.
–In 2004, there were many “security” measures, but true security varied. I walked through metal detectors that weren’t plugged in at the airport. Every store had an armed security guard. I often had to check my shopping bags in at a front desk at stores. I left my hotel key with the clerk instead of taking it with me. When I was watching a parade setup from my open hotel window, a military guy knocked on my door to tell me to close it because they were worried about terrorism (not from me specifically, just procedure).
–Anyone who didn’t look “Russian” or from Europe was treated with extra scrutiny and sometimes outright discrimination.
I am a minority, will that make it worse?
I’m not 2 cents, but from my experience traveling in Russia for several months (large cities including Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as small towns), it depends on what minority group you belong to. The people I saw who were most frequently stopped, identity papers demanded, by local police were people who looked like the could be from the Caucuses (dark hair, olive skin).
I’m Caucasian (as in white European, not from the Caucuses) and I was never stopped. I was also never identified as an American – people assumed I was from Western Europe.
There are some websites for minority travelers – like black women traveling alone – you should look up what folks have to say about where you are going because it might be a different experience than other travelers.
In 2012 I rode the Trans-Siberian railroad all the way across Russia and into Mongolia. I got on and off the train at different towns and would stay for a few days before hopping back on. One of the most magical experiences of my life.
Some quick thoughts:
-the visa situation is really not that complicated. Do your research and go through one of those sponsorship companies. Pricey but the easiest way.
-I never felt unsafe there despite traveling alone and being a generally reckless 20something: drank a lot, hung w strangers, etc. The one time I felt nervous was when I realized my train got in at 3AM not PM as I thought, but I was just able to arrange a car pickup through my hotel.
-No one speaks English and at least in the countryside, Russians will be suspicious of you. At the same time, they really looked out for me – helped with directions, etc. You’ll be surprised how far you can get with a pocket dictionary and some pantomime.
-Go to the ballet!
I am also a big fan of Band Aid’s Blister Block: http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=163404&catid=59963&aid=338666&aparam=163404&kpid=163404&CAWELAID=120142990000022075&CAGPSPN=pla&kpid=163404
It looks like a tiny stick of deodorant but it’s super effective in preventing blisters and irritation from shoes!
The Blister Block is a serious life saver when wearing strappy heels in the summer. The sticks last forever too. I bought one about 4 years ago and it’s still half full.
This is such a smart idea! I never heard of this before and just like Kat says, every year, I pull out pair’s of new shoe’s and inevetibley I get BLISTER’s! FOOEY!
If this stuff work’s I am goeing to use it. I hope they have this at Dwayne Read b/c I will get it right away. I would NOT have to have given my last pair of Fry Boot’s to my cleaneing lady if I ONLEY knew about this!!!!! YAY Kat and Kate for pointeing this out to the entire HIVE!!!!!
Have either of you used it for running shoes/blisters? I don’t get many, but if it will help with the occasional one, I might consider picking up a stick.
yes, absolutely! as do the proper socks.
alas, these J&J blister plasters are not the same as the originals from Europe, but they are better than nothing.
i also like moleskin on the shoe or on my foot.
Thanks! I usually have moleskin on standby (and I wear crappy socks) and rarely have issues, but insider knowledge is always appreciated!
Yes, try Body Glide. On really long runs,I would take a stick of chapstick. it works about the same.
I actually love my monistat anti chafing cream for this purpose (so you don’t have to buy multiple products if you already have large thighs).
My go-to is Liquid Bandage for breaking in new shoes. I keep it in my purse, and after 30 minutes to an hour of wearing new shoes (or newly broken back out for the season shoes), anywhere that is rubbing even a tiny bit gets a coating of Liquid Bandage, and it stops any new blister from forming.
However, it smells awful, and stings like crazy if the skin is already broken. But it works great. A long time ago (5-8 years?) my drugstore carried a variety of liquid bandage that was individual small packets that worked just as well and didn’t stink. It was more expensive per application, but much easier to carry in your purse. I think it’s been discontinued though, which is too bad because it was so handy.
Yes, I use BodyGlide for the same purpose.
Yes, Body Glide is much more effective and a much better bang for your buck than the Band Aid stuff. They make body glide in miniature containers now, so it’s still just as easy to transport.
I love Band-aid brand blister band aids. They’re life-changing once you spring a blister.
ISO a clutch wallet that does all these things:
-Big enough for iPhone 6 Plus
-Big enough for checkbook no case
-Plenty of card slots
-Can hold a car key or not
-Wrist strap
-100% closure like zipper full clasp etc
I’d like to buy a Dagne Dover “The Clutch” to go with “The Tote” (which I can’t recommend highly enough) but they don’t have many color options in leather.
What about this one? http://www.hobobags.com/products/sable-vintage?sku=VI-35036MER&via=55e60c1946fc14441600005e%2F55e60c1946fc144416000061. Not clear from the picture if there are card slots or not.
I love the Lauren as well, but it doesn’t have a wrist strap. Should meet the rest of your requirements, though.
I love my Hobo bags/wallets, but note that they always seem smaller in person than they do on the website. Make sure you check the dimensions.
I do like the look of the Lauren and they’re often on sale @ The Rack, but I didn’t know about quality. Sounds like I could definitely put it in rotation.
I love the Lauren, but need something bigger. Any suggestions?
Again, if willing to shill out for it, the Clutch from Dagne Dover is on point. I’m also on the lookout for a phone-case and wallet-in-one. My coworker has this: http://www.amazon.com/Majesticase%C2%AE-Synthetic-Detachable-attachment-Protective/dp/B012F71O1E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1442866562&sr=8-3&keywords=majesticase+iphone+6+plus
Oh yes, quality is fantastic. I love their colored leathers.
I’ve been looking for something similar. Not sure what price point you’re looking in, but these seem to fit your criteria:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/michael-michael-kors-large-jet-set-saffiano-leather-phone-wristlet/3753545?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=2375500&fashionColor=&resultback=1119
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/marc-by-marc-jacobs-new-q-wingman-wallet-wristlet/3855010?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=2375500&fashionColor=Black&resultback=1627
I like the looks, but sounds like they’re both too small for the 6 plus. #firstworldproblems
Anyone have any comments on Betabrand? Not necessarily the “yoga work” pants (though I am curious about those of course), but generally their style, fit and quality (I’m curvier)? There’s a new red-eye wrap sweater that I think I would love, but is it worth the price? I also think if I pull the trigger on this sweater I might on other products too, so would be interested in any reviews or recommendations.
My husband has two of their biking button ups and was very impressed. I haven’t ordered their women’s stuff but I am very tempted by that wrap! How warm do you think it is?
Their stuff is generally decent quality, pretty pricy. Their womenswear is not cut for someone tall, in my experience. They have some really witty stuff though. They do have sales, so sign up for their emails/FB and you will save ~20%.
I bought the skinny yoga pant dress pants and love them. They wash nicely and are incredibly comfortable. Just ordered the new “All Day Coat” since I was so pleased with the pants – I’ll know more once I try a second item from them.
I’m very unimpressed with the mortgage guy at my bank doing our preapproval. So far he has taken longer than he said to get back to us, glossed over things that are important, and just generally he strikes me as not that sharp. Oh and maybe he also rubs me the wrong way because he insists on only talking to my husband even though I am the one who handles most of the finances in our household. I can let that last one go. But at this point we already – foolishly – started the process with him and he has run our credit. Whether we ultimately go with him/his bank depends on the rate he gets back to us with, but I probably shouldn’t just start over with someone else because it’s not good to have the credit run too many times, right?
Start with someone else!! First of all, just getting a quote (with fees, rates, point info, etc) shouldn’t require a credit check, as long as you can give them a good estimate of your score. And secondly, all inquiries made within a certain period of time (generally you have 30 days for a mortgage) only count as 1 inquiry, precisely to allow you to shop around for a loan.
+1 Exactly this.
Not sure if I was misled but we were told that to get preapproval we would need to have credit check run, especially as we hadn’t had one done recently.
Is that true about the inquiries counting as one? I’d never heard of that. So going to another lender within 30 days of this guy wouldn’t matter at all or just wouldn’t matter much? What about credit cards? Husband and I also wanted to open up a joint card for certain expenses since ours are separate now but were going to put this off because we didn’t want any more dings on the credit report.
Credit check is required for pre approval. But, you can get “pre qualified” – aka get a good-faith estimate of rate and other terms – without having to run credit. Selling brokers, particularly in hot markets, require pre approvals if you have a financing contingency in your offer, so you’ll definitely want to ultimately get pre approved. So, we got “pre qualified” by a few lenders and then ultimately went through with being “pre approved” with one lender. Your credit is run during the pre approval process and then again by your lender during the due diligence/closing process to make sure there have been no material adverse changes in the period between running preapproval and closing.
Regarding credit inquiries, it somewhat depends. We had nominal debt and great credit. We bought a car mid stream in the mortgage process. It dropped our score by 8 points, but we had room so it didn’t have any impact whatsoever. Someone with weaker credit or more debt wouldn’t necessarily have the same result.
I really think a mortgage broker would be in your best interest. Get someone to recommend one to you – don’t just google it as many are excellent, but some just refer you to their friends for their benefit/fees.
Ugh. I’m in moderation. I hope it posts soon — find thee a mortgage broker via referral!
Multiple inquiries for a single type of loan should only count against your score once (and the drop in score from an inquiry usually isn’t so bad – a few points if you have generally good credit). So shopping around for a single loan type is fine.
The situation is different for inquiries for different types of credit (i.e. credit card versus car loan versus mortgage). I would strongly advise against applying for any new type of credit (like that credit card) until you’ve closed on the house. Not only could it affect your score, but a new application could even cause a major delay or denial of your mortgage if you do it after submitting the mortgage application. Not worth messing around with.
There is a webs!te called “the mortgage professor” with some great advice about shopping around for loans.
Can you ask the bank to work with someone else, or is he the only guy doing mortgage work there?
If he gets us a good rate, I would probably do that – good idea actually! But at this point I don’t know how much I trust any rate he gives. He just doesn’t strike me as that with it.
1000% shop around for a good rate. This is one of the single most important financial decisions you make. Do not get only one quote.
Three words: (independent) mortgage broker.
+1. We shopped around and the independent broker beat the bank/mortgage companies by A LOT. Even after I told the others about the rate she got to see if they could beat it, only one could match it after pulling some serious strings.
And, definitely, definitely shop around. No hesitation. This is probably the single most important purchase of your life. Get a book on how to get a mortgage. Or at least Google tips for getting a mortgage. Shopping around is at the top of the list; right up there with definitely do not open any other new lines of credit.
I’ve posted our horror story about the bank screwing up our mortgage because the guy handling it was an idiot, so I would say go to someone else for a second quote, because you don’t want an idiot doing this – if they don’t get their paperwork done in time, it can cost you the sale.
If you do wind up going with him, do as much as possible electronically/via pdfs as possible – far less likely to be lost than paper documents in the fax machine (as we learned the hard way).
Any chance he is only talks to your husband because the forms are written in such a way that your husband’s name and phone number are the first one on the paperwork? We ran into this issue at my son’s school, where all the forms were listed as Mom at the top, and Dad second, and we had to put a giant note on the top that said “Call these numbers in this order:”
Alternately, if you can get him to go electronic communication, setup a gmail account for the two of you that forwards to both of your email addresses. We have a Meg_and_husband email address that we use only for our banking stuff, etc, where we want both of us to be able to access it, but it forwards to our individual accounts as well.
Was this someone your real estate agent recommended? If not, ask your RE for a rec or get a rec from a friend / coworker who recently went through the process (or not — good people are good people). We had a guy who happily ran the numbers for us for so many different scenarios, answered our calls quickly, and explained anything we needed. He’s on Long Island, if you want his name.
Oh, and the only speaking to your husband part is obnoxious and enough in my book to disqualify someone. Treat me like an equal or find yourself another customer.
+1,000,000
If he wouldn’t talk to me I would tell him, ONCE, “I am the person in the household who is doing this deal, and I am the one with whom you will be communicating.” If he failed to comply he would be gone-zo.
There is no obligation to use the firm who does your pre-approval so definitely shop around so you have alternatives to use when you pull the trigger. Also, I found many of the parties in my residential real estate transaction to not be as ‘with it’ as I’d like including the attorney and even our agent.
Thanks all. I suppose at this point we can wait for him to get back to us with a number and then look to see what else is out there. We’re in a very tight market so actual pre-approval is a must and at this point I guess we’ll get it from him and take it from there. One of the places we’re looking at is a new construction and that requires a specific lender so we’re already going to have to consult with them. That’s actually what made me really regret using this bank guy because the approved lender for the new construction was asking questions about things other guy said would “make no difference.” Oh well. We’ll defer the joint CC for later.
MSJ, I think you are hitting the nail on the head – I think I’m just surprised at the dimness we are encountering all around from brokers, bankers, etc. I get that you don’t need to be Oliver Wendell Holmes to do a good job at a real estate closing but I just find it hard to trust people when I feel like they don’t get certain basic things. And yeah, the sexism doesn’t help. Though I think he finally understood that today – the last call came to me, not to husband.
Wait, what? The builder is requiring a specific lender? I thought they could only say, if you use X lender we will give you this benefit. That’s crazy.
Everyone else has already given you excellent advice. I echo waiting on the credit card and going to someone else for your loan.
Has anyone tried Betabrand? Not necessarily their “work yoga pants” (though I am interested in those, of course) – but there’s a red eye wrap sweater that I think I would love now that I live across the country from my family. Looking for any general comments on sizing, quality, style, fit (I’m curvier). Is it worth the price? Has anyone tried any of their styles?
Ooops sorry – Computer glitches. Kat, feel free to delete the duplicate if you see this/care.
I’m going to Vegas soon for a work conference and will be solo. I’m planning on doing some shopping, but am looking for other recs for fun things to do alone or in small groups, as well as some restaurant recommendations that are affordable.
If I didn’t have to hobnob with clients, I would probably spend every single free second sitting by the pool, reading a book or people watching. Drink in hand, if possible.
I do not have to hobnob (yay government work!) and will plan on squeezing some of this in. :)
I highly recommend One (the Cirque show) at Mandalay Bay.
Raku – truly, truly amazing affordable off strip Japanese.
Lotus of Siam- affordable and literally the best Thai in the US. Off strip.
The bar at the Mandarin is possibly the nicest bar I’ve ever been to.
I am trying to find an article that was posted here by a wise reader of this site about a year ago. It was an online advice column and the original question-writer was an attorney. The column was about being dissatisfied in your career, particularly as an over-achiever who has been brought up to expect great things. It really resonated with me but now I can’t find it. Does this ring a bell for anyone?
I think it was Ask Polly.
You’re right! Title is I Hate My Job and Feel Like a Fraud. Thanks!!
When someone makes partner can you say “congratulations on your partnership” or do you have to say “congratulations on making partner?” (I’m not in the legal field.)
Honestly, to me, it would be so sweet that you remembered and said something, a simple “congrats” would be fine and I wouldn’t worry about the context.
“Congratulations – what a fantastic accomplishment!”
or just
“Congratulations!”
Done and dusted.
On a related note- has anybody successfully dealt with the scars of shoe bites? After years of buying the wrong shoes I have bad scars…
I vaguely recall someone discussing a pedicure regime previously, but can’t seem to find it anymore…
Shy friend (but not super close–think coworker like) sends you a photo of the hair cut she’s thinking of getting. Picture something like Carol Brady. You think it will look absolutely horrible and age her–picture someone with curly/frizzy hair, very round face shape, who tends to dress much older than she is. What would you do? I don’t know if she’s directly asking my advice and I know she has some low self-esteem and so I don’t want to take away from something she’s really excited about. But I also hate to see someone get something that’s going to be really unflattering and superhard to outgrow. I just know this is a mistake. (Would a stylist tell her?? )
I think I would try to say something and maybe include a picture of a style that would look more flattering but still similar (like a short bob, but more modern or whatever.) I would just say something like that looks a little dated to me, but I think this style would look great on you. It’s really hard though!
Compliment+misdirection
1) I don’t think that will do anything for you. You have such great eyes and this doesn’t highlight them. (Or use something else positive about her that the haircut won’t highlight.)
2) Honestly, I think it’s too old for you – you need a more youthful style.
I would ask her what specifically she likes about it, then agree with that and then offer a suggestion. For example, she says, “I like the length because I’m sick of having long hair.” and then you can say, “Oh, yes, I totally understand. If it were me, I might leave it a little longer though to make sure I can pull it back.” or “Yeah, the length is great; I would worry that the bangs would get really irritating.”
If she has self esteem issues, frame it as concerns *you* would have – it will be enough to prompt her to consider the same stuff about herself but will come across as less confrontational. “I would be concerned about a style like that making my face look round” sounds a lot nicer than, “I would be concerned that a style like that would make your face look round.”
Just a quick thank you to the Hive – I asked for some recommendations for reading material that has been helpful to your relationships. I read “Remember the Sweet Things” last week and found it very touching. My boyfriend and I went to the last of a summer concert series that we subscribed to over the weekend, and Remember the Sweet Things inspired me to write him a little note to say how much fun I had with him at these events and a list of cute memories that I would treasure from them. He was very touched by the note and has brought it up a couple times since I gave it to him. So, thanks for the recommendation. I’m now on to “The Relationship Cure”, which is proving to be very insightful and helpful as well.
I was shocked to learn, when shopping online, that my credit card had been summarily canceled! (I learned this after calling the company to inquire why my card wasn’t going through.)
I always pay on time, rarely carry a balance, have had the same card for over a decade, and am totally perplexed as to why this would happen out of the blue. I’ve had no major changes in job or financial circumstances lately. My husband’s hypothesis is that the CC company realized they weren’t making enough money on me, and cleaned house. I do a fair bit of online shopping & returning – has anyone known this to cause problems? Any other red flags? Thank goodness I wasn’t traveling when this happened!
Do you use a credit monitoring service? I would check your credit report just to make sure there aren’t any errors or anything unexpected – companies can cancel your card if your score drops below what they think is an appropriate threshold.
Are you sure you understood correctly and you were dropped as a customer, vs. having that specific card deactivated? If the CC company got notice that your card had been used someplace that had experienced a data breach, they might have automatically canceled and re-issued.
If not, then definitely 100% check your credit report (which you should do regularly regardless).
Yup. I was told there was a “permanent hold” on the card. I inquired what that was and who put it on the card. They told me it meant that the card couldn’t be used, and they put it on. I asked why. The agent said “I can’t tell you that.” I asked if there had been any fraud, and she said that would have triggered a fraud alert and they would have called me. Again, I asked why the hold, and she said she couldn’t tell me (as in, she knew but would not reveal, not she didn’t know). The whole thing was surreal.
Could it be connected to the switch to chip based cards? Did they issue you a new one with a chip that you didn’t recieve? If so, the number would have changed as well.
Did you call after regular business hours? With my credit card, the only thing the 24 hour line people are allowed to do is mark your card as lost or stolen, activate new cards, or give you very general status updates like “card is frozen” and tell you to call back the next day during business hours to talk to a full rep.
Super annoying, but possible. My cards were frozen when there was a lot of suspicious activity over a weekend (someone was using them in Europe) but hadn’t officially been tripped into the “stolen and we’re issuing you new cards” category.
Have you used he card recently for travel? Sometimes hotels and car rentals will place holds on the amounts of your anticipated bill (plus) and this will bring you close or over your credit limit. The cc company may then issue a hold on your account until the block clears (could be 8 to 10 business days, although it should be less).
I suppose if you are buying and returning you could have gotten close to your credit limit because the returns have not all been processed yet.