Suit of the Week: COS

55 Comments

1. Will AI help me write this in a businesslike manner:

   I said I can’t do X volunteer activity this week but could next Monday. Writing back and copying in more people to tell me how much you want me to do X this week is not only going to fail to move me, it’s just reminding me that I can quit doing this at any time, like right now. Please see yourself out.

   1. Yes, but also:

      X is a volunteer-based position, and unfortunately, the urgency it requires no longer aligns with my schedule – best of luck with X!

      1. This is perfect.

   2. I would just repeat, “I’m sorry my schedule isn’t more flexible; I may not be the best volunteer for this organization right now if that isn’t workable. Thanks for understanding!”

      1. I’d take out the apology. My schedule isn’t flexible, I am not the best volunteer for this organization at this time. Best of luck with x.

         1. +1
            I really like to reserve apologies in the world for things that people are sorry about. Not to say “it is unfortunate that this thing has come to pass.”

            1. Agreed. I never say sorry for things like this. I will give one “unfortunately” if I want to acknowledge my very reasonable message causes inconvenience.

      2. Don’t apologize for standing your ground girl!

   3. As I said in my earlier email, I was available Monday. I understand that that timing is not acceptable for you, and I wish you best of luck in finding someone else to assist moving forward.

      1. Change the first sentence to end “my earliest availability was Monday.”

   4. If you want to stay involved in the future – “Sorry, as I said below, I’m only available next Monday, March 30.”

      If you want to just Get Out – “Per the below, my schedule is firm and I am not available this week. It sounds like I may not be the best match for this activity based on the need here – while I can help out next Monday (March 30) if you need me, please take me off the rotation after that.”

   5. Not only can AI tell you that but it will also
      – tell you what an AMAZING idea it is that you came to it for guidance
      – how important it is that you protect your time probably with emoji bullet points
      – then it will give you several different options to choose from none of which will be quite right and you’ll have to go back and forth some to help it help you

      so i think just coming here is saving time really :)

      1. It will add a few emdashes randomly to boot and give you something like “while everyone thinks volunteering is about X. Volunteering is really about Y. LOL.

      2. sounds like you are trying to steal some poor AIs job!

2. Ugh; don’t understand the thumb holes on anything not for ascending a mountain.

   1. While I would not wear it with a suit, I love shirts with thumb holes because they protect the tops of my hands from sun exposure.

   2. I am fine with thumbholes in shirts where I am layering for warmth or as an outdoor layer. As styled with this jacket, the sleeves look as if the model recently had bilateral carpal tunnel surgery or broken wrists.

3. Going to look at a townhouse in an area we’d like to be in in a very tough market. Are we going to hate not having a window in the kitchen?

   1. Coming from an apartment, no. If you have one now, maybe but are the other things worth it? You can add a window to a house you like. You can’t add a neighborhood if the house is otherwise perfect.

   2. Is it a freehold townhouse? If so adding a window isn’t a huge deal.

      I live in a historic row and many of my neighbors have added windows to their kitchens

   3. It depends on the ventilation in the townhouse otherwise. I rented for two years in an apartment that didn’t have a great stove exhaust fan or a window in the kitchen and I could not sear ANYTHING without setting off the fire alarm. Food smells also tended to linger forever. It got real old, real fast.

      1. It does have a new vent hood, but it’s a gas stove (more indoor air pollution)…there’s no way to add a window because it’s against the shared wall.

         1. Is it an actual hood that vents to the outside or just a blower? The blowers are NOT REAL HOODS and will not ventilate/exchange air at all.

            1. Yeah, gas stove no windows and a blower instead of an actual vented hood would be a deal breaker for me because of the smells and air quality concerns. If it’s an actual vented hood I’d consider it, but it would still be a negative.

   4. I don’t know that i’ve ever had a window in the kitchen! Ideally in my next kitchen I’d like the sink in front of a window.

      1. I think it matters more with gas than electric (or more often anyway)

   5. I have never once opened a window in a kitchen. I think the main difference is the light it provides which can be fixed with the right combination of toe kick cabinet lighting, under cabinet countertop lighting, pendant lights and overhead lights.

   6. You’re concerned enough about it to post here. Therefore, I’d say that yes, it’s going to be an issue for you personally, even if it wouldn’t be for someone else.
      Only you know whether it would be a deal-killer for you.

   7. i like to have a kitchen window if something burns or smells.

   8. Airflow matters more than window location IMHO. In my old condo, we had a tunnel style kitchen that was kind of in the middle of the space – while not much natural light, we could open windows on either side of it for a cross-breeze to clear odors.

   9. If it’s an open-ish floor plan, a window in the kitchen doesn’t matter as much. My townhouse doesn’t have a window in the kitchen, exactly, but there’s a breakfast nook right across from the kitchen that has nice big windows. Any smells (or smoke from me burning something…) goes right out the window. And the window provides great light in the kitchen during the day.

      My current SFH has a small window over the kitchen sink and it’s much harder to vent smells/smoke. The kitchen is pretty closed off from the rest of the house (used to have actual doors, which were removed before we moved in) so there’s no cross breeze to help ventilate the space.

4. Can anyone recommend a good lightweight anti-frizz product? maybe a spray? I have thin/oily/flat/straight hair but lately it looks so frizzy with lots of little hairs standing up. I’m in a humid climate. Looking for something that doesn’t weigh my hair down.

   1. I have thin hair & verb ghost oil works for me

      1. I have thick wavy/curly hair and love the Olaplex hair oil. The ghost one was too light for me so it might be a great fit for your thinner hair type. I’ve also heard good things about the Roz hair oil.

         1. I have wavy hair and think the Roz doesn’t do much.

   2. (Sorry, I didn’t realize this had also posted on the morning thread. I kept getting an error message.)

   3. try the K18 leave-in mask? you skip conditioner and apply the mask to towel-dried hair, and leave it alone for 5 minutes. Then continue to add other products and style. It’s bond repair so might be of help for all the frizzies.

      I’ve also heard spraying hairspray on a toothbrush and using it to tame flyaways. all the frizzy little hairs are usually a good sign because they mean new hair growth is happening.

5. We have a Dyson stick vacuum, and honestly, the battery life wore out very quickly, and now it barely keeps a charge. looking to replace with something else. any suggestions?

   1. It’s pretty easy to buy a replacement battery on Amazon and replace it.

      1. +1

         I did this.

   2. Supposedly the battery life is conserved if you regularly clean the filter on your stick vacuum in addition to emptying it. Mine has never been that dirty but I do make sure to knock/wipe/wash out the dust every few uses and it has lasted 12 years. Are you taking that step?

   3. Have Dyson replace it under warranty? I got my Dyson stick at least 5 years ago and the battery is still fine. Lots of use in a house with 3 children and a dog.

   4. Yeah, I wouldn’t say my battery wore out quickly but finally this year I just replaced the battery and now it’s fine again.

   5. The time honored Dyson tradition of abandoning maximum suction and speed vacuuming for 30 seconds at a time for at least 2 additional years?

6. I got a Shark Air Wrap and I need pointers. I want sleek hair (the grays are what ruin it — they have a different texture). Hair is otherwise fine and limp. What are the good attachments for this and where are the good tutorials (that don’t have a million ads on them)? I am giving myself a D+ so far in the results department, probably all user error.

7. My PIP term is up today. No one has said anything to me. HR lady who led the original meeting 6 weeks ago is out of office through mid next week. Boss is useless (I was looking before this PIP). Boss’ boss is useless but theoretically calling the shots. She also seems to hate my boss fwiw – just called him back to the office after a roughly 6-month failed “trial” WFH set up. That’s neither here nor there… anyway:

   Do I (1) say nothing and wait to be fired on their time, (2) reach out and be proactive – “I am writing to acknowledge that today is the end of my PIP term. Please let me know what the process is from here.”??

   Despite the fact I’m capital-d DONE with these people, this is triggering some anxiety, just laying in wait to be canned. I asked my boss a week ago on our weekly Thursday AM check in what I might be able to expect today and his direct words were “I have no idea.” I do have my weekly check in with boss tomorrow at 11am. No one has been added to that calendar invite and boss is still virtual (comes back in starting next week). This is all so weird. Any words of wisdom, beyond continue job searching (which I am, in earnest)?

   1. Do nothing. The onus is on them. And keep job searching.

   2. Agreed, do nothing and keep collecting the paycheck as long as you can.

   3. Do nothing, but I agree this is very weird.

      In case it helps, I was the manager in a situation where the PIP was leading to letting the person go. I was specifically instructed to write language like “you did not meet expectations this week”, “deadline was X, you were late by Y, this does not meet expectations”, “missed Z mandatory meetings, which is not performing as expected in your role”, etc. for written proof that it had been communicated to the employee that they were not meeting expectations.

      So your boss telling you they have no idea about the outcome would signal to me that they aren’t going to fire you this week/don’t feel they have enough documentation yet to fire you without fear of losing a lawsuit.

   4. +1 do nothing. If they’ve made up their mind to let you go, you’re reaching out isn’t going to change that. If they’re so incompetent they’ve forgotten they PIPped you in the first place, or lost track of who’s responsibility it is to follow up, well, take advantage of that and keep collecting your paycheck. (This wouldn’t be good advice for good leadership at a well run company – like asking your boss if you’re on track for a pip is good advice if you’re unsure at a good company! But it sounds like this place… Isn’t)

   5. Say nothing and keep the paycheck flowing.

   6. Expect to be fired tomorrow: assemble all of your documentation, get personal files off your computer, get contact information information for colleagues who can provide a positive reference.

      If/when they terminate you, ask if it can be communicated to future employers as a resignation and ask that they not contest unemployment.

      Until then, do a reasonable job and collect your check.

8. I just got an email from the school that says “scan the QR code on the flyer to see the list of participants!” The flyer opens in a new tab (PDF in Google Drive) and instead of having a URL embedded I now have to pull out my phone and point at my screen… why? UGH

   1. It is the literal worst thing ever. No to QR codes.

   2. This makes about as much sense as it does when people post QR codes on social media.

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