Weekend Open Thread
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Something on your mind? Chat about it here.
I was excited, then worried, then excited when I saw these Sam Edelman shoes… it was a rollercoaster.
First, excited: the jelly shoes of my youth, back in style but in a newer shape!
Then, worried, as so many memories of blisters returned, as well as general memories involving the thought, “can I just walk home barefoot?”.
But then! I checked the reviews, and I'm glad I did, because now I'm excited. There are only 3 reviews, but they're all 5 stars — including this review raving about the comfort:
I took a chance and couldn’t be happier with these. They are so much fun and match so many different things. They are incredibly comfortable, which was surprising. I think the buckle and Mary Jane style dress them up a little bit, but you can still wear them to the pool. You can’t see this in the pictures, but they are lined with cork, which makes them very comfortable.I don’t think I’m buying any other brand but SE from now on. The most comfortable shoes, but still with edgy style.
Alrighty then! I like that the shoes are only $50 — my favorite color is (of course) this pretty light blue, but there's also a red, dark pink, and a clear for offer as well.
Sales of note for 5/8/25:
- Nordstrom – Up to 50% off select styles + 15% off fragrance (exclusions apply; ends 5/11) + give $150 in gift cards, earn a $25 promo card (ends 5/13)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your full-price purchase + extra 40% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 40-60% everything + extra 25% off
- Boden – 10% off new women's styles
- Eloquii – $25+ select styles + extra 45% off all sale
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off must-have styles + extra 50% off select sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + extra 50% off clearance
- M.M.LaFleur – Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
- Rothy's – Up to 50% off last-chance styles + gift cards give $100, get $20
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 25% off all tops, pants, jeans, and shorts + 25% off all markdowns
Anyone have recommendations for a good multi-purpose vacuum? Needs are upholstery and hardwood floors, so both a good handheld feel and good suction.
– Not interested in a cordless stick; we have one of those and it’s fine for quick clean-ups but not for thorough cleaning.
– Our current vac is a Bissell Hard Floor Expert that worked just ok for this, so not planning to just re-buy without considering other options.
I had a Shark some years ago and loved it. It’s also Wirecutter’s best budget pick: https://www.wayfair.com/appliances/pdp/shark-navigator-powered-lift-away-bagless-upright-vacuum-sak1046.html?
I bought that model or a very similar one from Costco and just love it. It’s wonderful for the price.
I really like my Oreck for both carpet and hard floors.
I have a miele C1 turbo and like it a lot. It’s great on hardwoods. It’s a cannister vacuum which I like because it feels easy to maneuver and overall less heavy. Pushing around the shark wore me out (I’m small). I like all of its various attachments for different purposes – carpet, hardwood, etc.
I have the shark one that is rated best by consumer reports. It’s on Amazon. Great suction, quiet, reasonably light. Get the larger canister one.
This punches in way above its price. Great suction and it’s easy to switch out accessories or switch the main tool between hardwood and carpet mode.
https://www.chewy.com/atrix-rebel-red-hepa-canister-vacuum/dp/1348222?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12195565633&utm_content=115868951686&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12195565633&gbraid=0AAAAADmQ2V1HYY9-Wi86BYaq9b8VU_kT6&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2tHABhCiARIsANZzDWp5kIf_l_inhRENwBqs_IckhotW77izLSnexMrT52zmZ6XsbfjAY14aAr7HEALw_wcB
Rainbow is an oldie but truly great. Water in the canister and gets everything absolutely clean. Fabulous for allergy sufferers.
thanks all! bookmarking this for weekend comparison shopping.
The Miele because it is has the parquet attachment for hardwoods so they don’t get scratched.
Shark
I’m obsessed with my Dyson animal. I have cats and it picks up all the fur flawlessly. I really hate the hype but the bagless design is amazing and the washable filter is so handy
See, I hate mine with a passion. I had the first gen Dyson which was awesome. I do like that I don’t have to cut all of the pet hair off of the beater bar, but that’s it. Can offer a smokin’ deal in the DFW area!
My daughter will be studying in Japan next January and is responsible for arranging her own travel. I have never booked a flight to Asia before–any tips? She will be flying from a non-hub airport on the East Coast at the end of winter break, but we are about 2 hours from a hub where we are happy to drop her off if she can get a direct flight. I used up all my miles on her flights back and forth to college this year, so we’ll be paying actual money. She doesn’t have status on any airline so cost and comfort are the primary considerations. What’s the optimal timing to book? And is one airline better than others for this market?
ANA code shares with United and has good service to Tokyo Narita. Most flights to Asia that are direct leave from West Coast hubs (LAX, SFO, Seattle), although you may find a few from DEN, JFK, Newark, Chicago, ATL or Houston.
And Minneapolis has direct flights
Detroit also has direct flights.
If she’s going in January, I would look on PointsGuy and figure out what credit card you can sign up for now that gives you a good points bonus, and then throw all your spending on that card for the next fiveish months, then book in Fall.
Set alerts in Google Flights for itineraries and you’ll be notified when the fare drops.
Those flights to Japan could go a long way toward basic status on any airline, so consider choosing the airline / alliance that she usually flies to college, and get her signed up for her own ff #!
She has her own frequent flyer accounts. Even with a $2,000 ticket to Japan plus her usual travel I am not sure she’d hit the $5,000 annual minimum spend for bronze medallion on Delta, and that doesn’t confer much advantage anyway. For my own work travel I’ve given up chasing status in favor of convenience.
Not these days (unless these are hideously expensive economy tickets or mom is planning to spring for business class). Status is all $$$ now, long gone are the days of mileage-based earning. My husband goes to Europe and Asia 3-5 times per year for work and usually doesn’t earn even the lowest status level, because he buys economy tickets at off-peak times and usually doesn’t hit the minimum spend.
fair, but even just regular non-status AAdvantage members get 5 points per airfare dollar spent, so a $2K flight is 25% of the way to the lowest status tier. It’s not a lot but it gets you into the priority lines for bag check, etc. and you get free Main Cabin Extra seating opportunity at check-in. There’s often a few of those seats left and having the extra space/being upfront is nice.
But how is a college student on a budget going to make up the other 75%? It seems highly unlikely she’s spending $6k a year on personal travel. I’m a big airline status person – I actually try to maintain at least the lowest tier of status on both UA and AA because I’m ORD-based and they both have a ton of non-stop options there, so I get the value even from the lowest tier. But I don’t think status is realistic in this situation.
Also economy tickets to Japan shouldn’t be $2k unless you have fly at a really peak time. Not in DC, but I regularly see flights to Tokyo for like $1,2000.
$1,200 not $12k, obviously!
Guess it depends on the usual airfare and frequency now that miles are depleted? Like a round-trip at Thanksgiving to visit my in-laws will easily go for $700 on peak days. But agree, it’s harder when you’re not also throwing affiliated credit card spend toward the project. Just thought worth considering depending on daughter’s planned near-term travels.
Forgot to specify that she will be flying in/out of Tokyo.
I generally fly United to Asia and layover through SFO.
There are direct flights to Tokyo from NYC and DC.
It would be helpful to know where the hub is. Flying from NYC is very different than ATL for purposes of what airline would be best.
I would go to Google flights and look at its recommendations for best time to book from your closest hub. Unless she is an experienced traveler and assuming she can fly non-stop from the hub, I would have her fly from the hub rather than risk a connection where things can go wrong. However, if she cannot fly nonstop, I would fly her to an airport that has multiple flights per day to her ultimate destination so that she has options if she misses her connection. (LAX, SFO and SEA are usually good options for this.)
Normally I recommend an overnight flight because it is easier to sleep but that is a balancing act to not have her on the last flight of the day out of the USA.
The nearest hub is IAD, which seems to have direct flights on United. All the flights I am finding from our local airport are connecting through east coast or midwest airports, which seems to me like they are flying in the wrong direction. Nothing on the west coast. She’s an experienced solo domestic traveler but making a connection after a 14-hour flight on the way home seems awful.
I would do the IAD to Haneda flight on United or ANA.
Haneda >>> Narita. I wouldn’t add a connection to get Haneda, but if you can get a non-stop there it’s worth paying a bit extra for.
Yes.i agree that Haneda is significantly more convenient than Narita.
The Midwest is in the correct direction for a connection to Japan from the east coast… and even a connection the wrong direction may make sense if it saves money and isn’t too far out of the way. Planes are fast so going a little out of the way is not a big deal. A non-stop is definitely nicer if you can get it for a non-exorbitant price, but I wouldn’t put too much weight on the plane flying the “wrong” way.
The best way to fly to Asia is whatever direct flight you can manage, in my opinion. Any long flight is going to be hard, even in premium classes, so you might as well minimize the amount of total travel time. If you can get any kind of more premium seat, even if it’s just extra legroom, it will go a long way for comfort.
Connecting via East Coast and Midwest is not the wrong direction. You fly up over Alaska when going from East Coast to Asia. A flight IAD>SFO is about 2800 miles and then a SFO>Tokyo flight is about 5300 miles. Total of over 8000 miles. The IAD>Tokyo flight is about 6800 miles.
I find that JAL/American Airlines runs cheaper than ANA/United. (I have status on both UA and AA and fly them both a bunch.)
Optimal timing to book is immediately if you can use airline credit. If the price drops you can get a refund. If you don’t think you can use airline credit I’d say about 4-6 months out.
Also I’m jealous of your daughter! This sounds like such an amazing experience.
This would be excellent research for her to do herself – it’s part of the experience and it will make her feel so independent. I studied abroad and everyone booked their own travel.
Also if she books it herself she will be familiar with her itinerary in a way she just won’t be uf you do it for her.
Oh, I plan to have her do the actual booking, but the stakes are relatively high in terms of both $$$ and hassle so I want to make sure she is aware of the best options. She is 18 and has never been abroad so her adulting still requires some scaffolding.
Westjet and Air Canada both have direct flights to Japan from Toronto. Might be worth the stopover in Toronto as the USD is quite high against the CDN $ right now.
When you do choose an airline, remember to enroll her so that she can build status, or at least get the little bit of a boost in service that will be connected to buying tickets direct from the airline.
In my opinion, the best way to do it is to buy a flight sold by United or American but operated by their Japanese partners (All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, respectively). Airline credit will be much easier for you to use on the US carriers (and sometimes you even get credits for delayed or canceled flights, so it’s not just about price drops). But foreign airlines are generally better than US ones, and Asian ones are particularly good. Longhaul economy is still longhaul economy, but the food and service will be better on the Japanese airlines.
My oily fine hair has gotten weird and wirey in places as I’ve gotten older and coarser gray hairs have sprouted up. I either need a spinny hair dryer or something (flatiron?) so smoothe it out. What’s the best thing out there for my situation?
I like Aveda’s control paste for smoothing flyaways and coarse grays.
For ease of use you really can’t beat the Dae ‘3 in 1 styling cream with wand’. It isn’t stiff and is basically like a mascara wand filled with product.
Keratin treatment
Has anyone filled in an inground pool with a liner? Would you be willing to share the cost? We’re considering buying a house that has a pool but we neither have the inclination nor the time to deal with a pool.
Maybe buy another house? I hear they never quite sit right, settle, etc. They are very attractive and good to have, so a shame to fill in.
I haven’t done this, but a colleague bought her house about 10-15 years ago intending to fill in the inground pool and found it cost way too much (in her opinion) to fill in, so they ended up keeping the pool. I’d call around to places that fill in pools and get a good idea of pricing before putting in a bid if this is a deal breaker for you.
This has been a nightmare for us. Not nearly as simple as fill the hole and move on. Our yard is permanently screwed up. Seriously consider another house or keep the pool.
How/where do people find blouses?
My work is business casual, so I’d like short-sleeved blouses (not shell/tank) with the function of a t-shirt (comfy, not fussy, throw it on and go), but elevated and colorful. Liz Claiborne was my go-to, but the polyester is driving me crazy, so I’m hoping to find some with <50% plastic.
Thoughts? TIA!
I am recently leaning into short-sleeved sweaters. Good versions can be found for low prices at all the familiar places – BR Factory, JCrew, Ann Taylor, etc.- as well as from knit brands.
I’ve gotten lots of pretty summer short-sleeve sweater. I love Costco clothes. Always check there first. They have amazing deals. I got this one in two colors: https://www.costco.com/ella-moss-womens-elbow-sleeve-sweater.product.4000296349.html. For $14 it can’t be beat and they have XS!
That sweater is all plastic. Will be a stanky mess.
Talbot’s has lots of nice 100% cotton or linen so does J Jill. Both have frequent sales.
Linensea on Etsy. It’s based in Lithuania. I get the short sleeved sweaters and linen short sleeve blouses there.
Short sleeved sweaters I usually buy from Boden as the quality is slightly better than at local mall brands. For ‘blouses’ I stalk Ann Taylor, Talbots, Lilly Pulitzer, Tuckernuck, and Jcrew/JCrew factory and filter for short sleeves/natural fibers. If I find something I like I tend to buy quickly, there just aren’t that many pretty work appropriate tops out there made of natural fibers. Lilly has a very cute linen blouse that I have in 2 colors from last season:
https://www.lillypulitzer.com/mialeigh-linen-top/013376.html?dwvar_013376_color=503
I would check Boden. I have been scooping up Ravello tops on Poshmark
Check out Banana Republic Factory – they have some linen short-sleeved shirts and blouses right now, plus short-sleeved sweaters.
Try Velvet by Graeme and Spencer. A lot of their clothing is natural fiber. It’s not cheap but it holds up well. I have a couple of tank tops which are 100% cotton and were about $150.
The other good place is Primark. Surprisingly a lot of their work blouses are 70-100% cotton. The quality is not as good but the prices are very low.
I don’t think I’ll be buying jelly shoes, but I do love all my Sam Edelman shoes – it’s a very consistent brand for me in terms of quality, style and fit.
Are there any good longform (ie, not Reels/Youtube) round the world travel writers left? My all time great was Jodi at Legal Nomads, for reference.
Also open to other thoughtful writing along the same lines! But looking for long pieces written by an individual who is writing about their own experiences, not about something external to their lives.
I wonder if you’d like The Sun magazine. It’s not travel oriented but each issue contains essays and an interview for non-fiction content. Some content is free online if you want to check it out. Sometimes it has nature themes; I see an essay on bird watching this month.
Stacie Flinner did a round the world trip with her husband not long pre-Covid, so while it’s slightly dated it’s still interesting destinations.
Are you interested in actual books? I tend to go to the travel section of my library and just grab whatever books look good from the shelves. Or look up “travel anthology” for collections of article-length chapters.
If you want internet-based, check out the Long Reads at Outdoors magazine. The writers are always good, and the topics are often a combo of some kind of outdoor sport and travel.
Outside Magazine is underrated for its longform pieces. I read this ages ago and still think about it all the time: https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/water-activities/raising-dead/?scope=anon
+1 for Outside
Norwegian author Erika Fatland is an extremely good contemporary world travel writer. Her Boarder – a journey around russia, and High – a journey across the Himalayas, are availble in English.
Italian author Claudio Magris – The Danube.
Swedish author Nina Burton is known for her travel writing as well. If you can read Swedish, “Flodernas bok” about three European rivers is a contemporary classic. At least one of hers is translated into English, but I think that’s maybe more of a staycation. :)
There’s a truly intrepid travel writer called Dervla Murphy who wrote south of the Limpopo. Irish lady. I loved all her books and supporting her.
PS I read her books a few decades ago and just looked her up. Delighted to read that she was well recognised within her lifetime. So, thank you for asking this question, it’s brought back wonderful memories of reading her adventures!
For the person that recommended this dress, thanks! It is great! https://www.saksfifthavenue.com/product/elisamama-feyi-abstract-cotton-shirtdress-0400021839038.html
They do not come in wide. Please indicate with reviews whether the shoes are available in widths beyond medium. Thanks!
I think you can safely assume that shoes don’t come in wide unless specifically noted.
Signed,
Narrow shoe size
Amen, sadly.
Signed, wide-footed person and lifelong seeker of wide shoes
My neurodivergent older teen is going to an end of year dance tonight (not a ‘prom’ – the kids all wanted something more casual) and just asked for help with his hair/outfit. I am trying super hard to be chill and give him space but I am so excited he’s going with a good group of friends and is getting to have this experience!
Did they have something similar? Any pictures there?
What brands of shirts/shoes are popular at his school? Maybe some cool new sneakers?
He’s all dressed and about to go over to the pre-party at a friend’s house so we’ll get photos with a big group there. Mostly I’m just excited that he’s excited! Big dances have very much been not his thing for so long so this is a big change.
that’s so cute! Thanks for sharing your joy!
How was it? Did he have fun?
Our homeowners insurance policy was just cancelled because the water supply lines to our washer are rubber. The house was a new build in 2019, when we moved in. Has anyone else had something similar happen? We’ve had zero claims on our policy since we moved in.
Related question: who do I call to replace the water supply lines? The agent recommended replacing with braided steel tubing, but I’m not sure if that’s a plumber or an appliance installer?
You just go to Lowes, buy a set of lines and swap them out. it’s no different than hooking up a garden hose. The insurance dweebs will probably want to see photos, receipts, etc.
+1, but if you’re scared of this it’s a plumber that can do it.
I am the least “handy” person on the planet, but this is literally unscrewing the old hoses and screwing in new ones (like a garden hose). And well worth the minimal money and effort. I had a rubber one burst with no warning; fortunately, I was home and my cat woke me up or the damage would have been significant.
How do they even know??? That is just crazy talk.
But it is a super-easy fix. Turn off the water in the box where the hoses connect first using the knob for that (righty tighty; it is the one that looks like a handle for your outside faucet), put a towel underneath to catch any water in the hoses, unscrew them from the box and the washer (lefty loosey) and put the new ones on in reverse.
Thanks, everyone! I just looked this up on YouTube, and it appears to be as idiot-proof as you have all suggested. I can’t believe that they canceled the policy over something so trivial, but we already found a new policy with a different agency. When I told the new agent why the old policy was canceled, she said, “Wow, they must have had a high loss year in 2024 to cancel over something so small.”
Does anyone have any recommendations for out of season clothing storage containers? Or should I just buy whatever looks good at Costco? I need to rotate winter things up to our insulated attic vs. storing under the bed or something.
I just buy huge Sterili-e bins (just make sure they fit through your attic access) and make sure the lids close properly. No overstuffing when it’s going outside climate control!
Possibly weird suggestion: A few years ago I switched to plain cardboard boxes, for breathability and easier identification, and it has worked incredibly well. Clothes don’t get the storage smell that they did when I used plastic, and smaller/labeled boxes means it’s easier to find what I’m looking for if I need a one-off item. I was able to use boxes of all the same size (Amazon subscription boxes FTW) so everything was modular. Only works if your storage area doesn’t have moisture problems or pests though.
Simple vacuum bags are great.
I like these clear heavy duty storage bags for out of season clothing (or blankets, or pillows, or…) https://www.amazon.com/ClearSpace-Oversized-Moving-Bags-Storage/dp/B0CGXT6T6G?pd_rd_w=MmTC1&content-id=amzn1.sym.ea1d9533-fbb7-4608-bb6f-bfdceb6f6336&pf_rd_p=ea1d9533-fbb7-4608-bb6f-bfdceb6f6336&pf_rd_r=WNFGAANJVM54FJRJENB8&pd_rd_wg=344gb&pd_rd_r=234aa2ef-bccd-42ef-98c5-71b57f1ec5bd&ref_=sspa_dk_detail_1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1
I read something in a book or magazine a long time ago that suggested when you are down, try spending 20 extra minutes on your appearance every day. Probably from the theory – when you look good, you feel good. I went through a breakup a month ago and am not looking to jump back in, but would like to feel better about how I look. I admittedly rush out the door with maybe a 10-min routine, so I feel like I could do a lot in 30 minutes total. If you had 20 extra minutes in the morning, what would you do?
Use one of those heated eye masks (the ones optometrists actually recommend) for ten minutes to depuff and moisturize my eyes.
Go for a walk
Planks
I have wavy hair so if I have extra time in the morning, I refresh and diffuse. I almost never do. Maybe I would do a scrub in the shower or use a shower bomb. I don’t really wear a lot of makeup by choice so more time wouldn’t matter. But not appearance wise, I would spend more time drinking my coffee.
I think half of the posters only read your last sentence!
For me, 10 minutes is brushing my hair after it air dries; 30 is either a blow out or hot rollers. Or my makeup might go from just foundation/blush/mascara to include bronzer, eyeshadow, or eye liner. I’d also probably lint roll my clothes!
Haha, I’m the planks suggester and I did read it! Planks are good for core which are good for posture. More long term looks improvement than extra hair care. I would also suggest farmers walks to improve overall walk, form, and gait, but that involves buying weights.
Or fill 2 tote bags with all the books.
I noticed that too, and was just enjoying the broad variety of suggestions! So many different ways to put in extra effort!
Do you like costume jewelry? I always feel perked up if I can add something colorful to my outfit like yellow fringed earrings. When I am in a rush, I go with small hoops or no earrings. Not sure how much makeup you do. If none, then try a light foundation and mascara. When I want to do more, I shape my brows and use eyeliner.
Well, what I skip when I’m running late – a full blowout vs pulling it up in a bun at 75% dry, and full makeup vs my 5 min “basics”.
I’m so low maintenence I’d have a hard time filling 20 minutes straight with my appearance. I’d probably break it up into 2 ten minute sessions and do some in the evening with extra hair conditioning and picking out outfits. Maybe a facial mask.
Your feet will still smell like summer of 1984 in these.
I swear I caught a whiff as the page was loading.
And be filthy. Jelly shoes always made me feel yucky.
Any recommendations for make up? I have dry skin, ageing (almost 50) and dehydrated, and what seems to be the start of rosacea. Looking for eyeliner, eyebrow pencil, and foundation with SPF 50ish. I don’t wear much make up but am trying to make an effort. Cerave and La Roche Posay are working well for face wash and moisturiser. I have a tinted lip balm which is fine for lips.
Estee Lauder Futurist Hydra Rescue Moistering foundation with SPF 45.