Coffee Break: Let It Slide Gold-Dipped Snake Pendant Bracelet

82 Comments

1. The hubs and I are thinking about staying in nyc for the long haul, and the prospect of buying a place is making me lose my mind. Is it even possible? He is insisting on some outdoor space, so we are considering places far out in the boroughs. And then there is the issue of the kiddo and having to figure out schools. The whole thing makes my head hurt. Do we have to move the suburbs? Is it possible to buy something in the million dollar range that has outdoor space and is walking distance to transportation? I feel like I might need a therapist to figure this all out.

   1. Same boat, and is the leading cause of “one and done” convos with my DH. Check out Clara Hemphill on Amazon (wrote New York City’s Best Public Elementary Schools and others for older kids). That might be a helpful starting point in terms of neighborhoods. I think finding a realtor is key. The search might take a while, but I think (hope) it can be done!

   2. Yes. Totally. It’s hard and it’s crazy but it’s doable. Someone I work with just bought a house in Forest Hills. Two floors, back yard, 15 min. walk to express train that gets to midtown in about 20 min. I think they paid well under a million (like in the neighborhood of $550K?) but ended up spending about $100K+ on renovations. The schools are good (this was a big factor for them) and there are private school options nearby, too. They looked in Woodside, Kew Gardens, and Sunnyside, too.

      You could also try Riverdale, further afield parts of BK, or Staten Island. The great thing with NYC outer boroughs is that you pay much less in taxes than you would for a NYC-area suburb.

      I am a big NYC for the long haul proponent. I grew up here, went to public schools, and couldn’t have asked for a better childhood.

      1. I love Forest Hills Gardens (and the surrounding areas in Forest Hills). I have no idea what the prices are like, but I love walking through there because it feels like you’re not in NYC-they’re like suburb houses, with real yards (albeit small ones), and yet in NYC and it’s not that far out on the E or LIRR.

         1. Forest Hills Gardens is super expensive. The homes there are easily all above $1M.

            1. Third Forest Hills! And yay for another FHer on here. While we may eventually end up in the burbs for more space, we are pretty happy in Forest Hills and could stay there forever. There are several very good elementary schools- PS 196 and PS 101. I’m told that the middle schools are not as great, but my hope is that they will improve by the time our 8 month old is in middle school. Forest Hills Gardens is very expensive- attached homes are more than $1M, but there are lovely homes south of the Gardens, towards Metropolitan, or in the Cord Meyer section on the North Side of Queens Boulevard. Even if you end up in an apartment, there are lots of playgrounds and both Flushing Meadows Park and Forest Park are nearby. There is even horseback riding in Forest Park!! Some apartment buildings have gardens (I know the Balfour does). There are lots of transportation options, as others have mentioned. The shopping on Austin St. is pretty good- I love having major chains that I can walk to (Sephora! Banana!) and we are even starting to get some cooler “Brooklyn” type bars and restaurants opening (yes, I know how pathetic that sentence is.) Also, you can’t beat proximity to EVERY major highway.. so escapes are easy if you have a car.. but you can also get by without a car. We did for 3 years. Also, the Rego Center with Costco/Babies R Us/Century 21 among other stores is very convenient AND we have a Trader Joe’s too. Yup, Forest Hills is a pretty great place. However- if, like me, you have to commute to lower Manhattan, it’s definitely a schlep.

   3. I grew up in Queens and it’s definitelly possible. I would look in Queens if you work in Midtown and Brooklyn if you work downtown. Some parts of Queens are on the LIRR, which gets you to midtown even faster and is especially nice if you work on the west side. Willingness to take the LIRR also allows you to go to Little Neck and a lot of the other towns in north Queens, where houses are big, come with back yards, and are not nearly as expensive.

   4. Oh yes, absolutely. Look in the Floral Park area. If you’re looking at LIRR, check out neighborhoods in the Port Washington line – less delays since that line doesn’t pass through Jamaica.

      If you’re open to outside of NYC, check out NJ and/or Westchester. NJ Transit and MetroNorth are a plus.

      1. If you do make the jump to the ‘burbs, I’d endorse Port Washington as a good hub. It’s a lovely town (I lived in an apartment there for a year and it was the best), the train line is quick to the city and you avoid the Jamaica crawl / switching situation. It’s right on the water (so pretty!), schools are good, and it’s pretty centrally located for stuff to do. If the hubs and I were looking to move, this would be the place I’d go. /end pitch/

   5. I love this bracelet! And it is NOT expensive either. I wonder if this is 18 Karat’s? As for the OP, Yes, you can live in NYC, but NOT in Manhattan. In NYC, You can live in Riverdale (it is the Bronx) near Roberta, and she has a great place near public transportation, and you are still in the City. Even tho it is the Bronx, it is not what you think of when peeople talk about the Bronx. There are trees, and you can even see the Hudson River! If you want I can get Roberta to call you, and she works as an attorney in-house.

      You can also find alot of places in Long Island, and that is onley a train ride away on the LIRR, and there are plenty of places on the NORTH SHORE and the SOUTH SHORE. It all depend’s on which side of Jericho Turnpike you want to live, and if you like the Beach (Ocean – yay) or the Sound (not as much).

      Sam said he was lookeing at places in Manhasset (North Shore) for a house. I hope he does not buy something cheep, b/c he is keeping his place in Tribecca, which I have never seen, but which MYRNA says is outragous. Myrna keeps pushing me to be romantic with Sam, but I just can NOT think of that yet. He has to make some kind of move first and even then, the boouger thing is alway’s on my mind. FOOEY!

      What would the hive do about boougers? Is this a show stopper? Myrna says no, and mom says no, but I dare NOT ask Dad about this yet.

      1. OP, you should definitely take Ellen up on her offer to have Roberta call you.

         1. Oh hell yes. (Thanks everyone for the optimistic posts! You really cheered me up.)

      2. You’ll have to get used to boogers if you’re planning to have kids.

   6. I feel the same way, NYC.

2. I really like Dogeared jewelry for gifts. I bought the single pearl necklace as a grad gift. Very pretty and delicate.

3. Dear Loft,
   If you are going to charge nearly $10 to mail something to me and have it take nearly two weeks to arrive, please spend some of that money and time on on having a quality control person not send me a jacket with a ginormous snag down the front of one arm (or a dress with an undone hem around half of the bottom a couple of weeks ago). Pretty soon, you are going to be off my “online shopable” list–as has already been done with the GAP (after one dress with a center seam sewn crookedly, a blazer with one arm significantly tighter than the other, and a pair of non-distressed jeans with a hole wearing through a front pocket).

   1. Ha, I once got a sweater from Loft that looked like it had been woven the wrong way – like it was as wide as it was supposed to be long, if that makes sense. Wrist band to wrist band was probably nearly 5 feet across, but it was the length of a crop top. The salespeople had a good laugh when I returned it, and discussed just hanging it in their break room as a conversation piece.

      But yeah, I commiserate with the lack of QC.

   2. I don’t have either an AT or a Loft near me. I love their clothes, but the shipping prices are crazy! Especially compared to places I can get free shipping.

4. Anyone have a favorite place for dinner in this area in NYC? I have to make last minute dinner plans. Not too pricey and with good food and no need for reservations. Any cuisine could work. TIA!

   1. Eatery
      Toloache (someone should order the cricket tacos!)
      Pure Thai Cookhouse (amazing but sometimes a long wait, so if you are literally going pre theater might not work)

   2. Taboon (No need for reservations, but they can get busy so there may be a wait)
      Bocca di Bacco
      Nizza
      Hell’s Kitchen (“progressive Mexican” — this is a qualified recommendation. I’ve eaten there a couple of times and I enjoyed it, but I haven’t sampled that many things on the menu)

      1. I will vouch for Hell’s Kitchen and Eatery. Both very good. Schnippers, on 41st and Eighth in the New York Times Building, also makes great milkshakes and burgers if you want someplace super casual and easy.

         1. I will also vouch for Eatery, as well as it’s sister restaurant Whym.

            1. Thank you all!
               These all sound delicious.

   3. I like Mario’s Trattoria, a little hole in the wall on 9th Ave between 37th and 38th (I think). Italian, not too pricey, and gets my Italian hubby’s seal of approval.

   4. La Masseria, second Toloache and Nizza. Am absolutely sick of Eatery/Whym — very oily.

5. I like the message, but my snake phobia precludes me from wearing a bracelet like this :)

6. TJ: Check out all the reviews on this Gap high-impact sports bra
   http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=94346&vid=1&pid=822434222

   I haven’t tried it but I’m going to order a few and see what happens. Idk about you ladies, but it seems like if you’re a C or bigger, you require more than just your typical sports bra. I didn’t want to shell out $50 for one so I was wearing a cheaper one and a regular bra so if this works out, I’ll be pretty excited. It’s about time too.

   1. I don’t know but those sound like fake/paid reviews. Very similar in structure and don’t mention any negatives.

      Just looking as a skeptical 34DD (pre-baby), I’m confused how molded polyester cups would provide any type of support for boobs big enough to bounce around, and the seams look like they would chafe pretty significantly.

      The best sports bras I’ve found, although expensive, are from Title Nine. If you don’t need the bounce support, the Champion line from Target can sometimes be good too. (Those are my yoga/pilates bras).

      1. Highly recommend Moving Comfort brand (Title Nine carries, but so does Zappos and the SA Elite stores). The Luna model is my favorite as a 38D who isn’t able to manage an elaborate back set-up without major contortion. Target was a no-go for me–it didn’t pass the jump in place in the dressing room test. (But boy must some Target shoppers wonder what the heck was going on in there!)

         1. Yes, moving comfort- I’m all about the Juno

         2. Juno is also really good (and looks more like the GAP style). (But requires some contortion.)

         3. +1 Moving Comfort

         4. Love the Fiona!

            Especially love the idea of front closing velcro straps. Why not on everything? Really no contortion, with standard hooks in back.

7. Thinking of you, EC MD:

   Heard the smoke from the Rim Fire is starting to affect your area, hoping you and the family are okay. {{Internet Hugs!!}}

8. Mondays, I loathe you. RAWRRRRRRRRRRR

   (not the commenter Monday, she’s cool)

   1. +1

   2. OK, I guess I will not report this comment.

      1. That’s funny. I needed a laugh!

9. For DC or Arlington readers – can anyone recommend a therapist in those areas? I would prefer someone that does CBT, extra extra bonus points if anyone sees them for overeating (but I realize that’s a little specialized).

   1. Women’s Center in Vienna, which is a hike. I’d try your insurance or ZocDoc. I believe with ZocDoc you can filter by subspecialty.

      1. The Women’s Center has a DC office, too. Never been there, but it’s listed on their website.

10. At work today wearing my newly purchased Lands End Ponte Knit Pants that I got hemmed just a tad too short. My ankles feel unusually airy.
    Based on recos from this site, I bought these and a new pair of Halogen Taylor pants, and gave both pairs to be hemmed along with a “size sample” – pants that fit well so they could match the length. But I realize now that I wear the “size sample” pants lower on my waist (they slip down a bit below my natural waist) compared to this pair (which has a smaller waist and so fits at my natural waist). So that explains why the length is now too short for me.
    So much for saving time and not trying on each pair and marking the length, etc. at the tailor.
    Lesson learned. And now to find time to go back and fix it (and pay for the hemming again!).

    1. I would always try pants on anyway because depending on the size of the bottom opening, certain pants look better at certain length.

       It stinks that you have to bring them back and incur additional cost.

    2. Other than the “flood” effect, how do the Lands End pants fit? Are you pear shaped? The Halogen Taylor pants seem to be a perennial pear fav on this board.

    3. Looks like my previous response got eaten.
       Yes, I am pear shaped and got both recommendations because my waist-hip difference is significant.
       The Lands End pants fit fine (waist/hip area), but the cut is generous in the calf area. So they fall in an almost straight line from the knee and this is not a flattering look to (usually non high heeled) me. This combined with the fabric (ponte that feels like a pair of old flannel pajamas, super-comfortable, unlined) and color I chose (sweatpant grey) makes the whole thing veer towards frump a bit for me. Or at least not conservative-office-meeting-attire.
       The Halogen Taylor pants I got for ~$20 fit great and look great, I highly recommend.

       Strangely, I also casually picked up a pair of Calvin Klein ponte skinnies in Costco this weekend, without trying on, or looking too closely (I was in a rush). I’m a Costco newbie and was shocked that these pants fit so great with so little effort!

       1. Oh, Costco is just amazing when it’s right, isn’t it? I got a desperately needed new pair of jeans (seven! for fifty bucks!) there a few weeks ago, another blind buy, and it’s made me deliriously happy.

          Best thing: easy no-hassle in-store returns. (Don’t know if this holds true for costco.com purchases, though; I haven’t tried.)

11. I posted on Friday about whether to accept an allowance from my parents for rent money, but wasn’t able to check in again until now. Thanks so much for all the kind and helpful responses, everyone, they are much appreciated.

    I think I will keep accepting the money for the time being, as my parents and I have a pretty good relationship, and my job is likely to lead to a promotion within a year or two. I’m definitely grateful to them for continuing to provide for me, and it’s nice to hear that that doesn’t read as “entitled” to other people, for the most part. Another way to think of my situation, I guess, is that I can afford my day-to-day lifestyle on my salary but cannot also afford to save much. Last month, I transferred almost exactly the amount that my parents give me into my savings account, so if I can continue to save the majority of my allowance, that sounds a little more worthwhile than splurging it all on rent.

    Thanks again.

    1. That sounds great. You might also consider tithing a percentage of what your ‘rents give you to a non-profit you believe in, to pay it forward to those whose parents can’t give to them what yours give to you. Not mandatory, but it’d be good for karma for for your promotions and such.

       1. I’ve got to disagree with this too. Your parents are giving the money to *you* in order to improve *your* quality of life. If you want to give away a portion of their money, you should simply not accept that amount of money and let them do what they choose with it.

    2. I disagree with Wildkitten re: tithing right away and karma. It’s a nice thought but impractical.

       As they say in airplanes, “put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.” You are still starting out and, until you have sufficient savings, you won’t be much help to anyone else. No need to tithe or otherwise try to assist others until you are more firmly on your own two feet financially.

12. Cute bracelet but how do snakes remind us not to sweat the small stuff?

    1. I’m going to assume snakes slide, and so the bracelet is supposed to remind the wearer to let things slide? At least that’s what it says when you click through to Neiman Marcus.

    2. If you look on the website they explain it in a lot of new-agey hippie crap to really turn you off. Okay, that may just be me.

13. Question for the hive:

    How do I deal with a coworker who is not efficient with their work? The quality of their work is not the issue, just the speed in which they work. When they can’t finish all their work in the alloted time, they turn to others for assistance who are busy with the same amount of work.

    Additionally, this person tends to work longer hours because of the lack of efficiency and can play the victim role.

    Do I address it with my coworker, with superiors, or just leave it be? I’m to the point where I rarely assist with the work they can’t complete but I don’t want to look like I’m not a team player either.

    1. If you are their manager then you should have a talk with them. If you guys are of similar rank then you keep quiet and let their manager deal with it.

    2. Agreed. If you are a peer, there is no need to address it, unless coworker asks why you aren’t helping (and to be clear, you should absolutely feel free not to help coworker with his/her work when asked). Just decline and move on to your own workload. If you are a team player and help out in every other respect, this shouldn’t be an issue.

14. I feel like a complete geek admitting this, but as soon as I saw this pick, I immediately thought that this necklace would be perfect for Pansy Parkinson.

    1. Amaaaazing.

    2. NGL, I’ve shared the link with “fellow Slytherins”

       1. I’m not a big HP groupie, but I know the sorting hat would find me a Slytherin, and I appreciate that others (maybe?) feel the same way.

15. I can’t believe what is going on in Syria, but at the same time, I don’t know if this is the West’s fight to get involved in. Things in the Middle East just seem to be getting worse and worse.

    1. I agree it’s all kinds of horrible, and will be a tangled mess for years with or without US/Western involvement. I don’t know what’s the best thing to do either. Nobody does…except for the folks who enjoy harming others.

    2. I listen to NPR religiously, but I must admit that I turn it off (to an all- music station) when a story about the Middle East comes on. Egypt, Syria, …it’s all so depressing.

16. I recently took the bar and will be starting soon at a large firm doing employer-side labor and employment work. Since I know very little about this area of law, can any of you L&E ladies recommend some reading? I’ve been planning to read through some statutes (e.g. FMLA, FLSA, Title VII, etc.), but would love to know if there are any go-to treatises or practice guides. Also, are there any areas of L&E that are really hot or controversial right now? Any trends or important changes? Thanks in advance.

    1. Read the two latest Title VII opinions out of the Supreme Court, Nasser and Vance. They are good news for employer-side (bad news for me!).

    2. Check the Nossaman website. They have a articles that are very educational. The blog and e-alerts that apply to my line of work (eminent domain) rock.

17. Pumping threadjack – I’m returning to work from maternity leave in a month, and I’m torn on what to do about pumping. I’m a mid-level associate at a small (10 person) law firm, and I’m the only female attorney there. Our offices have big glass pane windows into the hallway. My options for pumping are to ask for blinds on my windows so I can close them to pump, use a closed conference room / library, or use a server room. I think my office would be best, but by being the only person with blinds, I’m worried about signaling to the entire office that I’m sitting there topless and milking myself. The other rooms would be less convenient but more discreet. The men I work with are supportive enough, but I fear the more subtle / subconscious prejudice that might result. WWYD?

    1. Office all the way. And get a hands-free bra and a wireless headset so that you can get some work done too. If they will let you have a mini-fridge in there too, that would be even better!

    2. Anything but the server room. Bodily fluids should never ever be expelled in a server room. So I’d say def the office. Who knows, others might end up with blinds too after a while so it won’t be just you.

    3. Most of the women in my office (we seem to have an abnormal number of fertile women) buy a pretty curtain and hang it over their window. A couple of them liked having the privacy so much they just kept it there even after they stopped pumping.

       Also, not entirely bad for them to know you’re pumping. Keeps anyone from accidentally barging in…

    4. A decorative privacy screen (or two) would be nice, and you could take it down easily once you were done.

       Most women just deal with the idea that others in their office know they are pumping. I had a co-worker who made a little sign for her office door that said, “Please knock – pumping!” and had a cartoon picture of a baby. It got the job done.

    5. I had a similar office setup and went with blinds in the room. Convenience trumped being discreet, because I could get work done while I pumped (see emails, read docs) and get home faster to my baby! Also, even if you go to another room, you’d have to put up a sign outside your room along the lines of “Back in 20 mins” which indicates that you’re pumping anyway.

    6. Blinds. You need to pump in your office or your productivity will suffer and you’ll be at work for an hour or more longer every day. No fun for a tired new parent! I second the hands free bra. I pumped while on calls, writing briefs, researching . . . it was a huge timesaver. As for other people knowing you are pumping, I think that’s better than them walking by your office and seeing you are MIA for long stretches multiple times a day.

    7. Definitely go the blinds/curtains route. If you try to use a conference room or library you run the risk of it being occupied every time you want to use it, wasting time hauling stuff around, and seems like you would be more likely to be walked in once she. And I wouldn’t recommend the server room – I have a friend that uses her server room and the electronics in the pump apparently make the network switches go haywire – so you run the risk of being walked in on by the IT guy or pissing off your coworkers when you take the network down every time you pump.
       And if your coworkers are squeamish about you pumping, that’s their problem, not yours. But I suggest not sitting in you office topless, simply because it gets cold really fast – I always wore a nursing tank or cami under my regular shirt, and put on a cardigan or fleece to keep my arms warm – and sometimes 2 – one to cover my arms, shoulders & back, the other draped over my front.

       If you need blinds/curtain rods installed, you should probably ask now if your office is anything like mine it could take the whole month.

    8. Definitely office with a mini-fridge. You can put your parts in the fridge and use them again without cleaning. Definitely buy a few sets of parts as well – I had two sets, a clean ziplock that I brought them in in and a dirty one that I took them home in – much easier to clean at home. End of week, the clean bag became the dirty for the next week and the dirty got trashed. If I had to pump a third time, I’d use a set a second time (after keeping them in the fridge so they were still good).

       I highly recommend the pump-ease band for easy and productive pumping – order a size down.

    9. Agree w all above, but would also encourage you to get a lovely 36″ square silk scarf in a “busy” print. I used to tie “bib style” over my pump / bra / etc in case there was a door malfunction or some risk of unintentional and unexpected exposure. Worked like a charm!

    10. I did it in the server room. Poor IT guy and I were both traumatized when he walked in without thinking.

18. Just came here to vent and add roll-tab shirts to my list of things I’m sick of. Enough already!

    1. No offense, but curious–why?

    2. My take on roll-tab shirts: They look fussy and they force you to roll up the sleeves to exactly the point at which the roll and the tabs work best together, even if you would prefer to roll up your sleeves to some other length which looks better for your particular body and arm length. I do _not_ appreciate some designer forcing me to pay attention to a task that should be simple and uncomplicated! Rawr.

19. One thing I want to say is before getting more laptop or computer memory, look into the machine directly into which it is installed. When the machine is usually running Windows XP, for instance, the actual memory limit is 3.25GB. Using greater than this would simply constitute any waste. Make sure that vps hosting one’s mother board can handle the upgrade volume, as well. Good blog post.

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