Coffee Break: Aztec Bangle

130 Comments

1. I’m always worried bangles will be too big or too small, though I quite like this one. I would order it, but $20 shipping for a BANGLE is outrageous, especially since duty is only $5. Nice try piperlime/fifty one.

   Since revieweing the weekend thread re: popcorn, I have been on a popcorn kick. Would it be weird to get individual bags and pop them as my afternoon snack at work? I’m leaning towards yes because popcorn is loud and fragrant, but, I really hope someone says it’s fine… And, any suggestions for a good popcorn maker to use at home, since I don’t love microwave popcorn. I’m okay with using oil, though I’d be down with a good air popper too.

   1. I swear, I know how to spell reviewing, the extra “e” snuck in because I was so into my popcorn plans.

   2. People do this at my office, and I hate it. It’s smelly, especially when they inevitably burn it. I think if you want to be considerate, you should pop it at home.

      1. Yes, why do people burn it? The smell of burned popcorn is awful and it stays for so long. Some poor temp burned popcorn in our staff lounge last week. I felt so bad for her.

      2. I do want to be considerate. I did assume it would be a no-no because it’s so loud and gives off a smell which some (like me) find delicious, others, not so much.

         Alas, no popcorn at work, because room temp. popcorn is not my favourite, it would lose its allure as a snack.

         1. I personally hate the smell of popcorn, it makes me sick to my stomach! Going to a movie is difficult for me… haha. That said, I say go for it, just try not to burn it, and close your door while you’re snacking or something. People in my office eat popcorn all the time, and while I usually have to hold my breath while I pass the smell, it’s food! If that’s what you love, go for it.

   3. Not sure re work but I just make popcorn in a pot at home and it works out well. How to Cook Everything has good instructions.

      1. I do this too and love it. You can also add a little sugar and make kettle corn.

      2. Yep, we make it in the cast iron dutch oven. Super easy.

      3. I have the HTCE Vegetarian- I’ll see if it’s in my book tonight, and if not, I’ll google the instructions…thanks for the tip.

         1. It is in there, that’s how I learned to make it! It is a great recipe. My favorite toppings: butter and truffle salt, and fresh parm with Italian seasoning.

      4. I make it at home all the time. I use coconut oil and make it in a wok.
         I use this recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_popcorn/

   4. Someone in my office used to make popcorn every afternoon. It was really annoying because of the smell – really manages to make its way through the whole office.

      1. +1. Sorry. It is really one of the worst things to make at work. That and tuna!!!

         1. I swear any microwave that is ever used to make popcorn, even if it isn’t burned, thenceforth smells like popcorn permanently. Equity’s Darling, perhaps you could bring some pre-popped kettle-style stuff with you for snacking at work?

            As for your comment about bangle sizes, I always find they’re too big for my wrists so the only ones I own came from kids’ departments! They’re always less expensive too, though of course selection is limited.

   5. I pop plain popcorn kernels in a plain paper lunch bag in the microwave. I add 1/4 cup kernels to the bag, fold the top over 2-3 times, and hit the popcorn button. It usually works really well. I add toppings (butter and salt or olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, parmesan cheese, and kosher salt) and eat then or save for later. Could you pop it at home and bring in as a snack? That would solve the smell problem…

      1. I wish I was into room-temp. popcorn, but if it’s not hot, it’s pretty meh for me. I think I’ll have to stick to popcorn at home only.

         1. If you pop it at home, you could probably zap it at work (briefly) without having the smell problem that comes with actually popping the entire bag at work.

   6. Microwave popcorn is banned at my office! Every microwave has a big NO POPCORN sticker on it. (Some people still do it though)
      I have an airpopper at home, we use it all the time. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006IUWA/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 My husband sometimes will make a big batch and put it in little baggies for snacks; while it’s not as good as fresh it is still pretty good. We usually make it without any oil/butter, but sometimes I sprinkle mine with the cheese flavoring, or drizzle it with honey and sprinkle on some cinnamon.

      1. Popcorn with honey and cinnamon sounds SO good. I may need to buy an air popper (and popcorn/honey/cinnamon) to try this…

   7. Yea. Unfortunately, while I love me some popcorn, I loathe when people make it at work. It really wafts though the entire office. I’m one whole and two half hallways from the kitchen (two total turns and then a turn into the kitchen) and I can always smell it. And it makes me angry. Are there any bagged popcorn (a la Smartfood) that are healthy? That would be a good snack. You could bag up a big bag into individual baggies if you have a problem with eating too much in one sitting. (Personally, I can’t have lots of snacks in my office because I *will* eat 8 granola bars in one day).

   8. For at home use, we have a $30 Orville Redenbacher one that doesn’t require oil. It’s very quick and easy to use. I highly recommend it.

      http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1109878/orville-redenbachers-hot-air-popper-by-presto.jsp

      1. I have this one as well, and love it – highly recommend.

   9. We have an air popper at my office. LOVE it! It’s the perfect healthy afternoon pick-me-up! I like to spray it with olive oil and then toss with salt and cumin. Nutritional yeast (find it at health stores) is also really good on popcorn. Salt with garlic and onion powders is also really good, but not for work.

2. As a follow up to the discussions last week on totes, I am looking for a professional wristlet/wallet that my iphone (with cover on it) will fit in so that I can just grab that for lunch. I really want the phone on the outside for ease of access and to make sure I can hear it when it rings. The only one I can find is at Brighton (link to follow). I have a Vera Bradley one that is really functional that I use on the weekend, but it’s not professional at all. Any suggestions? Alternately, does everyone else just use the ones where you put the phone inside, and if so, do you have problems with not hearing your phone?

   1. This is the Brighton one – Twister Phone Zip Card Case:

      http://www.brighton.com/product/small-collectibles/36956-58603-58792/twister-twister-phone-card-case.html

   2. My sister has the Michael Kors iphone wristlet, and she loves it.

      She’s 22 and in undergrad…but some of them do look professional, if you get the non-MK patterned ones, and go for a solid leather one.

   3. I use a Coach one. They come in all colors and I find them professional looking. I usually don’t hear my phone (in a wristlet on the sidewalks of NYC) but if I hold it, I can feel the vibrations.

   4. You can find these everywhere – I think I got mine from Target for $6 and it looks professional. I can hear my phone through it. Most places that sell purses will have them, but you can also get them where they sell cell phone cases.

   5. I have a leather Coach one that has an outside pocket that fits my iPhone – I usually keep it on vibrate and can feel it when it rings either way, but you probably would be able to hear it if you’re inside somewhere relatively quiet. It’s a happy yellow leather that I love.

3. “Aztec”? Are you deliberately baiting the STFU Tumblr harpies at this point?

4. Does anybody have ideas for integrating a baby into a home with a dog? I know this seems really silly, but my little baby girl dog is so spoiled, and I worry that she’ll get jealous when we aren’t paying as much attention. She’s great with kids, but I’ve had friends who have had issues with dogs who they had previously thought were great with kids, so we’d like to be proactive. We’ve thought about sending her home with my MIL for a few weeks while we get adjusted to life with baby so that we can be more confident and organized when she comes back. Is that a good or a bad idea? Any thoughts?

   1. Confessions of a Young Married Couple did a blog post on this:

      http://marriageconfessions.com/2012/11/28/introducing-the-dogs-to-wee-babies/

   2. Definitely practice with a doll. Come home with DH & a doll and act like the doll is the baby. See if you can keep it up for the whole evening. Practice teaching the dog that the doll is NOT a toy, that the doll takes all your attention, etc. Regardless of where the dog goes for a few weeks while you get adjusted to the baby, there will be an adjustment period for the dog. You might want to consider doggie daycare once or twice a week once the baby comes so that the dog has an activity to get any extra energy out (as you’ll probably be exhausted!).

   3. Several of my friends have had their husbands bring home a blanket the baby was wrapped in (before the mom and baby come home) and let the dog get familiar with the baby scent. Letting the dog smell the blanket while feeding the dog lots of treats is usually the protocol, as is feeding the dog lots of treats for the first few days the baby is home (so the dog associates the baby with good things).

   4. A couple of suggestions: While you are still in the hospital, have DH bring home a blanket that the baby has slept with and let the dog smell it. (It is supposed to help the dog get used to the smell.) When I came home from the hospital after having had my son, my husband brought in my son and I immediately greated our (ok, my) dog. I always made sure to give my dog love and a bit of time while we were still adjusting to our son. Doggie daycare (or a dog walker) is a great option, even a few times a week for those first few weeks. An exhausted dog is much less likely to cause problems. One thing that I have noticed in households that have v. do not have a dog, is that we rarely just placed our son on the floor on a blanket and when he was in the moses basket, it was always up off the floor. We always monitored our dog when he was around our son (and still do), but they have become great buddies. Now, my dog is the only one who can scare away “the monsters under the bed.”

   5. If she has behaviors that you want to correct, start working on them now. Don’t want her on the furniture? Train her to stay off now. Needs to not jump on people? Work on calm greetings. Is she completely demanding that her bowl be filled at 6:41 pm? Work on shifting her meals a bit. Yes, babies are odd looking, funny smelling, loud creatures to dogs. And a baby shouldn’t be left in a room alone with a dog unless it is safely enclosed in a crib or something the dog can’t get into. (Swings/bouncers are still at dog level). Someone once said that you should treat your dog like a pair of sharp scissors when it comes to supervising interactions with your child and the dog. I think that is good advice. Those first few months of non-mobile child will be pretty easy dog-wise. Make sure she gets some one on one time with her people and gets exercise (dog daycare is great or dog walker). As the baby gets older, make sure baby always treats dog with respect. No messing with a dog who is sleeping, eating,or enjoying a treat. No pulling tails/ears/fur. Your dog may be fine with such nonsense, but other dogs may not. This is a good blog post on dogs and babies. http://babiesandbeasts.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20MOST%20IMPORTANT%20post%20in%20here
      Sorry for the novel. Our dogs are a very big part of our family and it takes some vigilence to keep everyone safe. It’s worth it though.

      1. Agree with all of this. And even if you’re 100% vigilant, if you have a concern about a dog…do something about it. My dog was a rescue and was my baby and pretty much at my side every minute while I was home. He wasn’t aggressive but would snap sometimes (only at other dogs, had never snapped at a human) if he was startled. I thought it might be a problem with our son, but figured since I never leave them out together, it wouldn’t be an issue (and I could train him to not do that, right?). I learned that even with the best intentions, you can’t be totally vigilant 100% of the time.

         I speak from personal experience when I say it’s not fun to take your toddler son to the emergency room because your dog bit him in the face simply because they rounded a corner at the same time and the dog snapped out…

         1. Do you think there’s anything you could have done to prevent that? What would you have done differently? My dog has snapped a few times but only where it is obvious that she isn’t actually trying to bite anyone, just trying to get them to leave her alone. It does make me a bit concerned.

            1. Unfortunately, dogs are still animals and you can’t be 100% vigilant. I think the best you can do is to know your dog’s triggers and learn how to read her signals. Hackles up, growls, snaps (different than a deliberate bite), all of those are ways for the dog to say hey, back up. I think you can work with a dog to make them more tolerant of kids, but I don’t want to train my dog to not give good warning signals. We don’t even like to let our dog wrestle/play growl with us in front of our child because we want him to leave growling dogs alone.
               JJ, so sorry about your son. I am always scared of something like this happening despite our best efforts at keeping everyone safe. Snouts and toddler faces are unfortunately always at the same height.

            2. Honestly, I had made a few calls to dog trainers and never followed up when they didn’t call me back. Instead of getting busy with life and thinking that we would just correct the dog if he ever did anything (because I didn’t assume the first time would result in a bite), I would have been a lot more proactive about more training.

               We normally kept the dogs in another room when our son was out (they’re older dogs and so are perfectly content to sleep on our bed all day), but the one time it happened, my husband thought the dog was put up and he wasn’t.

            3. My sister had a dog who was a loving boy, but very uncomfortable around her growing children. They had a pet behavior specialist come out and assess the dog. The advice was to give the dog an “out” if her kids were getting too close, which she did religiously. Unfortunately, she was not in the room when her husband was sitting at the kitchen table eating (and not watching their daughter) and her daughter crawled under the table to pet the dog. Dog got startled and bit daughter on the face. The whole incident was very traumatic for the entire family. My sister found a loving home for the dog, but it was really stressful. Luckily, daughter was little enough not to realize that the dog bit her, although she did spend a few months saying “table” and pointing at the table – she associated what happened with the table and not the dog as it happened so fast. She still has a small scar on her face from the bite.

   6. You should check to see if any local animal leagues have guidance. The one near me has an entire class for prepping your pets (Cat and dog) for a new baby. At the end they give you a ‘baby noises’ CD to play around the house so your pets get used to the noises.

      1. That’s a great idea. My dog sleeps all the time, so baby noises would probably be one of her major irritants.

   7. I’ve heard you should not call your dog what you call your baby and you should not call your baby what you call your dog. This may seem obvious but we often fall into the habit of using the same sweet names for the things we love. Don’t call your dog “little buddy” if your husband is going to start calling your son that. If you are already in the habit of calling the dog “my baby” try to get other people to call your human baby by his/her name instead of “the baby.” Animals know “their names” even if they are nicknames and it can get really confusing for them. “I bought a present for the baby” might to the dog sound like “sweet, new chew toy.”

      I’d also suggest not keeping your baby and dog segregated all the time. My dog has a tendency to turn and bark right after someone passes us on the sidewalk or to pull a bit to chase after them. To avoid this, I started pulling over to let people pass or crossing the street or leaving a huge space between us. I didn’t like startling people and didn’t want it to escalate to a nip. She started getting worse. I took her to a trainer and the trainer said she was basically shy and scared and by keeping her away from the things making her scared I was reinforcing that fear. Then she would react bad and I’d get scared when people would approach us and this just reinforced to the dog that she should be scared b/c she could sense it.

      So have supervised time that you and dog and baby spend together. Don’t have dog on a leash the whole time forever. (I typed baby first and that made me laugh. Don’t keep your baby on a leash forever either.) Try to be calm in these situations. Try to show your dog you trust it with the baby. This sounds absurd, I know. But, if the dog senses you don’t trust it with the baby, the dog will interpret that as you not trusting baby to not hurt dog and then the dog will get more protective.

      Also remember that while sadly there are always tragic accidents, these are relatively rare and many many many many families co-exist with dogs and babies. You probably knew you would have a baby someday when you got a dog, right? You were okay with it then? Now you are just getting into extra worried mode because it is becoming a reality. Remember how much sense it made before.

      1. This is all so helpful. Y’all are great! Thanks so much!!

   8. We did the blanket home early for the dog to smell as well. We, too, have a spoiled pup! Our dog still sleeps in our bed with us, baby in his crib. (If you want to co-sleep this wouldn’t work, but it did for us since we chose not to co-sleep.) Our dog has ALWAYS slept in our bed with us, so we wanted to keep that time she has with just us. Dogs can feel separation and emotion – we knew the addition of our son would take attention away from her, so keeping that “time” alone with us was important to us, for her sake.

      Also – rule of thumb is that a dog and child should never be alone together (alone meaning out of an adults vision) until the child is over age 5, at least. The general idea is that kids under 5 may not always understand the dog’s cues, etc. A simple attempt to a hug a dog could turn dangerous in seconds if the dog is not interested and the child misses the cues.

      Finally, especially as our son gets older we make sure to praise him for being gentle with our dog, explaining her cues (“When she runs away that is her way of saying ‘I don’t want to play anymore’ or ‘I’m tired, leave me alone please’, etc”) We not only praise our son for treating our dog with respect, but we also praise our dog for behaving well. For example – if he is getting too close and she lets out mini-growls or keeps running away from him, we praise her, pet her, scratch her belly, all the things she loves – and tell her what a ‘good girl’ she is.

      Just like kids, you can’t only scold for bad behavior, but have to reinforce the good behavior as well.

      With our son, we stress being gentle with the dog just as much as we do picking up toys, using manners, following directions, etc.

5. I recently noticed that my scalp is becoming drier…and now I have dandruff. Curses! Any particular scalp/hair masks that work well? My hair gets oily on the 2nd day, so I have kind of a hybrid thing going on, dry scalp but oily-ish hair.

   1. I have this problem too and regular old head and shoulders seems to help. I use that for shampoo and use my regular conditioner.

   2. I think for seborrhea (dandruff, also the cause of infant cradle cap BTW) you don’t actually want to moisturize. After my last kid was born I had really bad itchy, flaking scalp. I heard there is a prescription shampoo, but with a newborn I didn’t want to take time to go to the dermatologist. So I washed with Selsun Blue every day for 2 weeks, leaving it on in the shower for a few minutes, and my case cleared up completely.

      The Selsun Blue with the green label is too moisturizing; try the red label.

   3. I alternate Neutrogena T-Gel and T-Sal. T-Gel smells like tar, T-Sal has sacycillic (sp?) acid in it. If I use both once every month-ish that seems to keep thigns under control.

   4. Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle shampoo is excellent for this- my hair is the same way. And it’s like $3/4 for a big bottle that lasts a long time. I only use it on my scalp and use my regular shampoo for the rest of my hair because I find it dries out my ends.

6. Question for the lawyers. How much information do you put on your LinkedIn page? I find that a lot of people just put the names and dates of employers, but with no description. I’m currently job hunting and would like to have more detail there, but I wonder if it’s something that’s just not done. I’m not so worried about the legal advertising part (which I know has been a topic here in the past) but more just that it might look tacky to some (because lawyers, especially in major east coast cities, which is where I am, are very snobby on these things). Should I put job descriptions? If so, how much detail?

   1. I crib from the way my firm describes me on the website.

      1. Hmm, that would work if I were still at the firm, but that was awhile back now and I’ve had a couple of jobs since then that don’t have web bios for me, and my current job’s bio really just summarizes my background instead of saying what I do now.

   2. I have basically put what’s on my resume – though rewritten a bit to be a bit more accessible and a bit less “resume”-ish. If you will. I think most people don’t put job descriptions because they’re not actively job hunting and so they merely use LinkIn as a yearbook of sorts (here’s where I’ve been) – but when you’re job hunting, its better to use it as an internet resume.

      Just be careful I think not to claim expertise that you aren’t allowed to claim under your bar rules (I’m not sure exactly what the rules are regarding this, but I’ve seen it referenced around) and I think you’re good.

      1. This is my exact situation. The benefit of using LinkedIn as an online resume all the time is that you don’t have to change it when you move into active search mode.

      2. This. And I hide all recommendations – mostly because they come from people who have no idea what I do and recommend me for things I don’t…..

   3. I put a LOT of detail in my descriptions of the jobs I’ve had, way more than on my resume. I work in public interest law, but my current position is unusual in that I’m not confined to one practice area, I do a ton of different types of cases. Also in the past I’ve held several positions short of full staff member (intern, volunteer attorney, part-time positions) and I find that describing my actual responsibilities provides a better picture of what I actually did.

7. Is anyone else so excited for Princess Kate to have the baby!? I’m on the edge of my seat.

   1. So excited even though it’s probably the dorkiest thing ever. I have had in depth conversations with multiple people about what the royal baby name will be.

      My guess is Alexandra or Victoria. With Diana as (one of) the middle names.

      1. I am ashamed by my excitement. So ashamed.

         Mostly I’m excited for what I assume will be adorable baby clothes. Though I think I will try to avoid most of the coverage because I have about a 30 minute tolerance for Entertainment News.

         1. I went on a date with a guy who made some sort of comment about how ridiculous it was that everyone got up early to watch the wedding.

            I was healthily ashamed but totally in a sorry-not-sorry kind of way since I would *totally* do it again.

      2. MOA – that’s assuming it’s a girl. I’m rooting for Albert if it’s a boy. We haven’t had a Prince Albert in a while. Though George is due to come around too.

         Although, in new levels of dorkiness, and at a risk of totally outing myself, what I’m most interested in is whether the New Zealand sheep farmers will donate a hand-spun, hand-knitted christening shawl again, as they did for William.

         1. I’d like Henry if it’s a boy

            1. …except that Henry is already Prince Harry’s name, so I’m betting they’re unlikely to name the baby that as well…

         2. Yeah you’re right – I think I’m just having more fun with the girl baby names. My guess is James or George as a boy, but my odds are on James for Kate’s brother as well as the (obvious) royal connection.

            1. Ooooh, I’d forgotten about James. I wonder what the UK betting shops have to say about this…

            2. I’m leaning against James. It’s a Stuart name, and neither James was very successful (of course, the same is true of Charles. . .)

         3. “Prince Albert” is a particular kind of piercing out here, so I kinda hope they don’t name the poor kid that.

            1. And then are the old prank phone calls “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?” “Well let him out!” Yeah, I’m old.

               I had heard Charlotte was a favorite for a girl.

               Aren’t they supposed to announce when she has gone to the hospital? I remember reading something about the timeline.

      3. If it’s a girl, I’d love to have a Victoria! That would be awesome.

   2. I’m just hoping for a girl since the rules about becoming king/queen have changed!!

      1. Me too!!! This makes me so happy, and I would love to see it put into practice so soon after the change.

         1. +1

   3. I’m pulling for Caroline.

      1. Not Cordelia? ;)

   4. @ OP Anonymous – Just a friendly note that although we all know what you mean, she’s actually a duchess and not a princess, since she was born a commoner. I know the difference isn’t actually that important but as someone whose head of state is still nominally the Queen, it does slightly irk me when people call the Duchess of Cambridge a princess… :-) (OK, maybe I’m being too Type A but I mean it well.)

      1. seriously? this bothers you?

         1. Oh, shush. Nonny’s is a much more informative comment than all the pathetic ones cooing and gasping about a celebrity baby.

            1. Why is it pathetic to get excited about a celebrity baby?

            2. apparently on the scale of pathetic-ness, getting riled up about Kate Middleton being called by the wrong title < getting excited about Kate Middleton's baby

      2. Wait a minute, I think this is actually not quite correct. She is a princess but her style as a princess is “Princess William” since she married into the title instead of being born to it (e.g., Lady Mary was born to it; Lady Grantham married Lord Grantham).

         So Duchess Kate isn’t technically correct either; instead she’s Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. If/when William becomes Prince of Wales, she won’t be Princess Kate either, but she will be Kate, Princess of Wales. Colloquially, we default to “Duchess” because that is less awkward than “Princess William” (think of poor Princess Michael of Kent) and we are not obligated to refer to her as “her grace.”

         But would love to be corrected if I’m wrong!

         1. Here is what the British Monarchy’s website says about it:
            http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/TheDuchessofCambridge/TheDuchessofCambridge.aspx

            Sorry, I don’t know how to do tinyurls….

            1. I’m not sure what would happen if William became Prince of Wales. I looked on the same website to see what it said about the Duchess of Cornwall because I know she isn’t considered to be the Princess of Wales, but the website doesn’t say anything about it. But I seem to recall it had something to do with the term “Princess of Wales” being associated with the late Diana in people’s minds at the time that Camilla married Prince Charles. Maybe that’s why Camilla didn’t take on the title.

            2. Funny that the whole family is listed by their title on the left hand side of the page, except for “Prince Harry” who doesn’t even get addressed by his proper name!

            3. Yes, I believe that it was decided that Camilla wouldn’t use “Princess of Wales” because of the association with Diana. But technically, as wife of Princess of Wales, I believe she has it.

               I also think all of these people have a zillion titles they could use – remember, William also because Earl of Stratham and Baron Carrickfergus right before his wedding – but they style themselves with one.

               According to Wikipedia (I know, but this is the kind of thing they’re usually good at), Kate’s full title and style is “Her Royal Highness Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus.”

            4. (Whoops, that “Stratham” should be “Strathearn.”)

            5. I believe Camilla cannot be princess of wales because she was divorced.

   5. No.

8. Me! I am just sad that the nature of the event means that it can’t be a huge, pagentry-heavy TV spectacle that they can schedule in advance so I can stay home at watch it live!

9. I can’t be the only one who watched this… can I?

   1. You and everyone on my Facebook news feed, apparently. :)

   2. Pretty much every serious news person I follow on twitter mentioned it.

10. I’ve been wanting to throw a really big brunch open house (inviting 40-50, expecting that 30-4o would come) for awhile now. Has anyone done this? Am I crazy? Any tips? I was thinking about having a yogurt/granola/berry bar and a bagel/lox/veggie table, and then making a few quick breads/coffee cakes in advance and serving mimosas or some other fun brunch cocktail.

    1. As long as your house is big enough, I don’t think it’s crazy at all. Brunch is a pretty easy meal for feeding a lot of people. Just don’t forget the big coffee carafe (or get the big boxes from dunkin’ donuts) and maybe a couple different kinds of cream cheese for the bagels.

    2. It’s only crazy if you don’t have room to seat all these people. The food part sounds fine.

       1. I have a big place, but I probably won’t have as many chairs as I do people. Is that a deal-breaker? That’s actually one of my concerns. My hope is that it takes on the atmosphere of a party and people get small bites, stand around and talk, and go back for more food periodically instead of doing a more formal sit-down meal.

          1. I think if you have tall tables that people can stand around, they won’t mind standing as much. People will show up hungry, so there needs to be a place to sit for some period of time. I don’t think you need exactly as many chairs as people though.

          2. Oh yeah I didn’t literally mean you need table/chair for every guest, just sufficient room in general in the same general area not too spread out in walled off rooms. The most I’d do in my house is like 15, but my mom often has 50.

             1. I do have that! I have a very open floor plan and a big living room/kitchen/dining area. It’s a great space for parties.

                I think I’m going to do it! Thanks for all the ideas. The bacon bloody mary would be a big hit with this crowd. I just might try it.

             2. Definitely do it! The big brunch parties I have attended were what you’re imagining –just like any other party where people mingle and hold their snack plates if there’s nowhere to sit. You could also make a bowl of punch so people have a non-alcoholic or sweet cocktail option with the vodka from the bloody Marys. I really like the Rosemary Citrus Spritzer on thekitchn dot com, with or without vodka. You’d have the mimosa-type fun sparkly cocktail but not have to buy a bunch of sparking wine.

    3. I’ve gone to several – they’re fun!

    4. I’d like to offer up the Bacon Bloody Mary for consideration. :) and non-bacon for non-believers. ;p

       1. Bacon poprocks on the rim go perfectly with a Bacon Bloody Mary!

          1. I am totally googling this.

       2. I’m not a blood mary fan, but I went to a new restaurant here with some friends and they have a bacon blood mary with bacon-infused housemade vodka and a piece of house cured bacon in it.

          At my Christmas brunch, I do egg casseroles (sausage and faux sausage) and hash brown casserole. I also pre-cook bacon and re-heat it in foil.

          1. Ha! got caught in moderation for h@sh, I think.

             I’m not a blood mary fan, but I went to a new restaurant here with some friends and they have a bacon blood mary with bacon-infused housemade vodka and a piece of house cured bacon in it.

             At my Christmas brunch, I do egg casseroles (sausage and faux sausage) and h@sh brown casserole. I also pre-cook bacon and re-heat it in foil.

    5. That sounds like a lot of fun and would not be too stressful if you can make the food ahead of time. Coffee takes a while to brew so you may want to have two pots running. Could you borrow some chairs for the occasion? Even if 30-40 people come, they likely would not all be there at the same time.

       1. Good idea. People always want to bring something — I can tell them I need chairs and coffee!

    6. How do you make this many friends, all of whom would come to your house? I like to think I have plenty of friends but certainly nowhere near 30-50. /no snark, just wondering how adults make friends

       1. Well, they’re not all my best friends, of course, but I like to have a wide social circle. I have a smaller group of close friends and then friends from work, volunteering, book club, classes I’ve taken, etc. It probably helps that I love to plan events and invite people to things!

       2. I think it’s partly being old enough, and partly having different experiences that result in different friend circles. I’m always guest-listing way more people than can fit into my house for a dinner party and then have to prune my list.
          Lets see, we have – my best friend and her family, another mutual close couple friend, my friends from previous job that I’m close to, DH’s friends from grad school and spouses, two or three sets of parents whose kids are in the same class as mine and we do stuff together often, my friends from my once-weekly hobby and their spouses/kids, extended family (mom’s cousin who lives close by, spouse and 3 kids, and DH’s cousin and spouse who live close by), and so on. Not even counting immediate family (parents/siblings – most of whom live away from us) this ends up being a large number (50).

11. Repost from earlier: I’m filling out a job application that requires you to list your references and their relationship to you. How do I describe the following relationships:

    a. My former second-line manager? She was my boss’ boss, until I was promoted to a different department. She is no longer in my management chain, but we have continued to work together on discrete projects.

    b. A senior attorney in another department who has “managed” me on long-term projects, but is not in my day-to-day management chain?

    1. It’s probably fine to keep it general and write “manager” for both, but if you want to be more specific:
       a. former supervisor
       b. colleague/project manager

    2. I’d just put supervisor on both. It’s not untrue and it gets to what they really want to know (i.e., can this person provide feedback on what kind of employee this person is, and what the quality of her work is).

    3. Thanks Susie and TBK!

12. Reposting from morning thread: I am seriously considering setting up a business on the side to take advantage of what I’ve discovered is a pretty good skill that has helped a lot of family members and friends. Can anyone recommend any books to help navigate through setting up a small business and a website?

13. Have any of you ladies experienced a large amount of twitching, in different parts of your body? I currently have major twitching on my eyelid, which isn’t that unusual, but I’m also getting them in my cheeks, arms, and legs. I don’t really want to take off to go to the doctor, but they’ve been happening daily for a few months now, so it’s becoming more annoying. Also, DH says I twitch constantly during sleep, but I’m not sure they’re connected, as that seems more normal to me.

    1. I’d go to the Dr. but could be stress. Do you exercise regularly?

    2. I’ve heard that can be related to lack of potassium.

    3. I get the eye twitching thing sometimes too. My doctor said that quinine would make it go away. You can get quinine through tonic water (I mixed it with OJ to make it palatable, unless I felt like mixing it with something alcoholic). You can also get it in the pills that they sell for leg cramps at walgreens.

    4. I’m currently having lots of twitching around my eyes, like directly below my lower lashline. I haven’t seen a doctor about it, but I did mention it to my nurse practitioner mom who says it’s probably stress? I’m…not sure what to do about it. It’s super annoying, though, I empathize.

14. After 8 months at my new firm, I was given a 30% raise today, without me asking for it. I was going to wait until the 1 year mark to ask for a 20% raise, but I’m thrilled that my boss recognizes my good work and was more generous than I would have expected!

    DH is away, and I don’t feel good about sharing with my friends, so I had to come here to celebrate. I’m also thinking about celebrating by getting this bag I’ve been eyeing. Thoughts?

    1. I’m not having luck posting the link, but it’s the Michael Kors Large Miranda Pebbled Tote in Gray.

    2. Congratulations, what a great affirmation of your skills and hard work!

    3. Congrats! What awesome news. And if the bag makes you happy, get it!

    4. Yay! Hug’s to you. I am printing out this bloog post to show the Manageing partner! Mabye be will raze my minimum draw some more! But even if not, it is GOOD that we women are finaly being apreciated! Yay!

       Sam texted me 8x since lunch. Myrna says he has the hots for me. I am not interested in meaningless sex and he know’s that! Mabye he is THE ONE?!? If he marries me and we have a baby I get $50,000 from grandma Leyeh! Yay!

       I do NOT want to be fooled again. Alan fooled me b/c he had sex with me but did not marry me. FOOEY! I won’t make that mistake with Sam. No way will he see me naked w/0 a ring. YAY!!!!!

    5. Congratulations !

    6. yes to congratulations, and yes to the tote!

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