Coffee Break: ‘Tenice’ Pointy Toe Pump

78 Comments

1. Pretty but alas too high.

   1. Yay! More Ivanka, and these are ONLEY 3″ heels! They are NOT to high for me, and the manageing partner thinks the Judge realy like’s me with 4″ heels. But I will get these anyway, b/c they are closed toe. DOUBEL YAY!

      Myrna is comeing over and we are calling in for Deli tonite. She needs to regain her strength from the Tryathelon so we are eating alot of MEAT and protein! YAY for Corn Beef! I am also getting a Spinich Knish and a Dr Brown’s Cream Soda (diet) b/c the manageing partner wants me to keep my tuchus in check.

      If the HIVE loves Corn beef, let me know. YAY!!

      1. Ellen, for what it’s worth, I am a big pastrami fan, but eating too much of it is harmful to my tuchus, and the rest of my body. I recommend that if you want protein, eat turkey white meat or fish. There is little to no cholesterol in it, which, over time, can clog your arteries. I enjoy reading your posts, and look forward to finding them each day! Yay!

2. Those are pretty neat. I would also love if they were half an inch shorter…

   Because I’m not sure who to brag to in person, I’m going to do this here: I’m up to TWELVE consecutive dead hang chin ups!

   I recently started a new BigLaw job, and heartily recommend buying a pull up bar to anyone considering it. It hangs over my bathroom doorway, I do a couple every time I pass and devote a total of maybe an hour a week to it. My posture is so much better (computers definitely weaken your back) and I’ve put on a bit of muscle mass.

   1. That is pretty badass, congrats!

      1. Thanks!

   2. Congrats!

      I have never done one in my life. It was my understanding that maybe that girls could do them but after puberty we really weren’t designed to do them (so on those presidential physical fitness tests, I could always do the flexed arm hang, but that was tough while all of the others were pretty easy).

      How do I scale up to this (from doing old-lady pushups now where I am on my knees and not toes)? Or is it as simple as just start doing it?

      1. I think if you can still jump or climb up and hang even for a second, I’d work up to hanging for 1o seconds, and then starting to lower yourself down, rather than letting go of the bar. If you can’t hang yet, you can do them at an angle hanging from a bar maybe 3 feet off the ground with your feet on the ground, so it’s like you’re almost doing an upside down pushup.

         Once you can hang from a bar and lower yourself down slowly, start stopping halfway down and trying to go back up just an inch or two.

         Once you can do even half of a chinup, doing a full one and then three and then five is really not that big of a jump.

      2. You can totally work up to it — I did! We put a pull-up bar up in a hallway door in our apartment. It wasn’t high enough to do dead-hang pull-ups without bending your knees, but that was fine and even helpful for working up to it. I just started by jumping to give myself an assist, did that a few times in a row every other day, lowering myself as slowly as possible. As time went on, I didn’t need the jump assist. Once I could do pull-ups from that bar (so, not dead-hang), I started working on dead hang. Best feeling of accomplishment ever!!

      3. I could hang for a second, and now, maybe five seconds. I use my son’s bar and he thinks it is funny.

   3. What pull up bar did you buy? And is it one of the ones that screws in the wall? I’m in a rental and have been interested in getting a pull up bar, but I’m worried about doing damage to the walls using the ones that just go over the doorway.

      1. I can’t find mine online, but it’s something like this: http://www.xeniors.com/2012/09/26/finally-a-pull-up-bar-that-wont-hurt-you-or-your-house/ I added additional padding on the bottom of the black plastic bar resting on top of the door frame (felt furniture feet pads) and am sure not to ever jump or do any really dynamic movements on the bar, and everything has been good.

         BUT, especially if you’re short, don’t put it in a doorway and forget it’s there and then try to close the door, as that will mess up your door. Now that my 6’4 fiance lives with me, it’s not an issue, but I nearly gouged my doors pretty often before that.

      2. Ours goes over the door (bought it at Sports Authority or similar). It leaves black marks on the sides of the frame but I think they could be easily scrubbed off or painted over.

         You didn’t ask, but neither myself nor my 215lb SO have had an issues with it being stable. The only issue we have is that the cat and dog like to walk underneath us during sets of pullups :)

         1. One benefit of the over-the-door style is that you can find versions that the bar at or even above the actual level of the door frame. It’s nice for 5’4 me but pretty much necessary for 6’4 fiance. Plus they have several grip options. Most people find the underhand chinup grip or the parallel grip easiest to start with, as it uses more arms than back, and you can later move up to a pullup grip without changing equipment.

         2. For the black marks, we put socks over the foam at the ends — no more black marks!

   4. Congrats!!!! I am SO impressed. I can do a lot of pushups (standard ones, not on my knees), overhead presses, and other exercises that tend to work your shoulders, chest and back, but I still can’t do a chin up. I can’t seem to progress past hanging for about 15 seconds, even after a couple months of trying. I only try at the gym though – maybe I do need a pull up bar at home!

      1. If you have a strong back, I wonder if starting with an overhand pullup grip would be easier for you…. even though traditionally chinups are easier, especially for women.

         You can also get an exercise band and make sort of a hammock around the bar that you step in so it takes part of your weight off. That might be an idea if you can already hang and aren’t having success with negatives.

   5. That’s awesome! You’re making me want one.

3. I love the shoes and love love love the trend of having some kind of ankle strap. It makes the shoe so much more comfortable. Not in love with the Trump name, even though I know she can’t help it.

   1. She can’t help it, but she certainly is choosing to be associated with it.

      1. That’s her name. [And google the father in law: kushner isn’t any great trade if you judge a name by others in the family.]

         I am really pleasantly surprised at how she hasn’t done a Paris Hilton / second generation celeb trainwreck.

         1. She has voiced support for her father and defended his comments (saying the media “twisted his words” etc), which has really put me off ever buying anything from her brand again. I had no problem with her previously, and I agree, it’s nice to see a celeb spawn actually working hard for a living.

            1. Exactly. Also, you don’t have to name your clothing line after you. That’s a choice.

      2. its her name! why would she disassociate with it?

         And as someone who generally only wears high end designer shoes, her shoes are great low-priced alternatives! I have 3 or 4 pair and really do like them.

         1. She has a great product, but it sound so much more appealing f she would call it something else or drop the Trump and just be Ivanka. Ignoring her father’s campaign, it sounds nicer when brands don’t have the same name plastered all over different types of products. It make them sound like the Walmart for apartment buildings, men’s suits, gambling, bottled water, women’s shoes, hotels, etc.

            1. Ahhh – missing the edit feature!

   2. I agree – I love ankle straps. So comfy!

4. Any tips for choosing a good real estate lawyer to do a home purchase? Our agent recommended a couple, but anything I should look out for specifically? TIA!

   1. Capacity/ability to close quickly (if that’s a concern)

   2. Honestly, I would just read reviews and make sure they’re reliable and communicative. Unless you have a unique need or are maybe purchasing out of foreclosure or something, it seems like pretty formulaic work, so I’d focus more on finding a personality fit and price.

5. Wifi questions. It’s been years since we set up our router. We know our wifi sucks, but honestly, I have no idea whether the problem is mostly the router, or mostly due to the physical setup of our house… or even if it is the router, what to buy to replace/extend the signal. Is this something I’m supposed to figure out myself, or do people hire pros for this?

   1. I guess it could be 3 things going on (and I’m speaking as a non-techie person, so YMMV):
      1) The signal is too weak for your size of house
      2) You’re putting too many devices onto it
      3) Your internet sucks to begin with.

      #1 and #2 can be solved by getting a higher end router. I can’t remember exactly what specs to look for (would probably google), but I do remember when I purchased mine, I paid more for one that could handle more devices and had a larger signal area. I’d check if it’s #3 by plugging your device directly into your modem (not router). If it’s your internet speed, there’s not much you can do except upgrade your service maybe.

      1. Yeah, the computers plugged into the router with ethernet cords work fine. I know my house is too spread out to get a good wireless signal everywhere, but the reach is so limited that it’s ridiculous.

         1. I just replaced an old router with a TrendNet, bought off Amazon. It made a big difference in my old house:

            http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Wireless-AC1900-Gigabit-TEW-818DRU/dp/B00HKEI3DA/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1437683649&sr=1-1&keywords=Trendnet+router&refinements=p_36%3A9000-13000%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A2224371011%2Cp_89%3ATRENDnet

      2. As another non-techie person who gets tasked with fixing the router in our house, agree with the above. Run a speed test (I usually use speedtest.net) while on wifi, then plug directly into the modem and run it again. If the wifi is significantly slower, it’s your router, not your internet in general. If the signal is weak in areas of your house, you can buy signal boosters. If it’s #3, well, not much you can do except pay to upgrade your service or hope that Google announces they’re bringing fiber to your area and all the local companies boost their speeds for free to compete:-)

         1. And by signal boosters, I mean boosting the range, not speeding it up.

         2. Agree with checking speedtest.net. You can also download various apps that tell you the wifi signal strenth for an iPhone or Android, and then wander around your house checking the strength in various rooms that way.

            If your router has antennas on it, try speedtest.net with the antennas pointing in various directions. If it doesn’t, it probably has intenal antennas, so you could try moving it around the room it is in and things like putting it on top of the bookshelf or turning it around to see if that helps.

            Is your house older, with plaster walls instead of drywall? Or has it had an addition on it? Our house is very old and has had 2 additions, plus has solid wood doors. Our signal gets much weaker every time it has to go through a wall or door, to the point where it doesn’t work at all in the farther addition to the house – not because of size of the house, but because at that point it’s bascially going through 2 walls that used to be exterior to the house so they have tons of material in them like old cedar siding. The signal strength also gets cut in half at least every time my husband closes his office door, and goes way up if he opens the door and then sits where the router is line-of-sight through an open doorway. All the claims about reaching x thousand feet are through open air – any solid surface cuts that down significantly. So moving the router to another room or even closer to the doorway could help.

            Last, is your network name the generic one the router came with and is it not password protected (or is it something like: nework name: Linksys or Netgear, password: none, password or name of network?) If so, you may very likely have neighbors tapping into your wifi (accidentally or on purpose), and you should change the network name to something specific and change the password to something that isn’t the network name.

            1. Oh, and in regards to hiring a pro – you may be able to get help from whoever is supplying your internet, if you are willing to sit on hold forever to talk to them and then wait at home for their tech person to arrive. When we called about our internet speed, we got a free upgrade to a new wireless router and someone to come help hook it up. My husband is super tech-y, so he didn’t need the help, but the tech was able to give basic advice like “the antenna on the router is over here, so face it that way”

            2. Our house has super thick plaster and heavier, thicker beams than most houses of even the same vintage, so that’s definitely a factor.

      3. Thanks for all the advice. I just got a recommendation for a router from one of my techie coworkers, and it’s under $40, so worth a try. I just didn’t want to mindlessly replace the router if there was no chance of improvement. As it is, I’m not expecting miracles.

         1. Which one did you get? I need to upgrade mine too.

            1. I ordered an Asus but I actually just canceled the order because I want to look around a little more. He recommends Asus or Netgear.

            2. Wirecutter has recommendations.

   2. If what you have is quite old, then any new router will have a better range because it will use a faster protocol. There are various things to look for, like dual or tri bands, which can help with performance if there are a lot of users in your household. You can also get one with a removable antenna and just get a better antenna. You can also get another device to repeat the signal, if you have a giant house and need to extend the range very far. I would start with buying a new router and would task one of your kids to do it – it’s very easy, you can send them to an electronics store and they will figure it out even if they know nothing about technology.

   3. Tesyaa, BB gave good ideas. As to actually buying one, I read the reviews on amazon. Most are sufficiently down to my (very low) tech-speak level and are understandable. (C-net has good reviews but some tech-speak goes right over my head.)

      I got one that had very high rating 4.5+ and millions of reviews. Avoided ones with connection or other issues. My college student daughter (less tech savvy than I) installed it herself which is saying something.

6. I’m leaving Big Law and now that I (hopefully!) have more free time I want to start a blog about travel & food, two of my favorite topics :) Any good ideas for blog names ? I came up with Passports & Pastries which I thought was cute and creative but alas there are about a zillion blogs with variations on that title. So I need something more unique.

   1. Curious – is the blog to have a writing outlet or to monetize? If the latter, it seems that blogging is going by the wayside of Instagram and the like. Curious how you see it.

      1. Mostly to have a writing outlet. I wrote fiction years ago and would love to get back into it (especially because I will likely take some time off in the next couple years to stay home with a baby), but after almost 15 years of a college science degree, law school, and practicing in Big Law, I feel like the creative side of my brain has been completely shut down in favor of the analytical side. If I tried to write fiction now I wouldn’t have any idea what to write, so I’m hoping that writing about particular subjects (for which I have lots of ideas of specific topics) will get the creative juices flowing again and make it easier for me to write. Also, it will be nice to have recaps of our trips and favorite restaurant experiences recorded for posterity.
         If I get a readership and end up getting free trips or meals out of it someday that would certainly be awesome, but I don’t see it as a way to bring in income.

7. Bay Area folks: I’m looking for a new hairstylist anywhere in the area (slight SF preference, but willing to go elsewhere for someone good). Under no circumstances do I want to pay more than $100 pre-tip and I’d really rather be under $50. In particular, I’d like someone who will give me good advice on what kind of cut will be flattering on me while taking into account my relatively low tolerance for daily hair maintenance (I’m prepared to blow it out most days, but don’t always have time) and who will deal effectively with the apparently somewhat unusual growth pattern on the back of my head (the last two people I’ve tried haven’t done well with that part). Thanks for any and all suggestions!

   1. In my experience, you can’t get a cut that cheap if you want someone who will know what is flattering on you. You can get a cut that cheap if you tell them exactly what you want, or a cut more expensive where they figure out what is flattering. I also just want the stylist to tell me what will work, and find that if I try to get that for cheap I don’t get it at all.

   2. I am in San Jose so it may be too far. My stylist is Leslie at Do or Dye Salon on Meridian in San Jose. I have short hair and cuts are $35. I have a number of friends who recommend Travis at the aveda salon in Santana Row. I think he’s under $100 for a cut.

   3. Amy Lynn Beno at Veer & Wander

   4. Deborah Reid Graves out of Avenue Styles in Burlingame. She charges less than $100 for a cut (closer to $60, in my experience), is a coloring specialist (so natural–seriously, a genius) and I have never seen anyone, man or woman, curly or straight-haired, come out of her chair not looking absolutely amazing. Her number is 1-650-579-4819, and I post it only because she does all of her own booking. She’s organized, runs on time and you come out without an ouchy wallet. Even though I have moved to Boston, I still go back to get my hair done by her a few times a year. I make the time. She’s worth it. FWIW, I have been going to her for 8+ years now.

      Oh, and she understands when I tell her I just need to read trashy mags, could we please not talk for a bit too. Bless her. THE BEST.

8. Has anyone seen a necklace similar to this, but at costume jewelry prices? I really like the shape. http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/kismet-by-milka-eter-diamond-pendant-necklace/4035600

   1. Search Etsy for pave crescent and some will pop up. There were many that were similar in color and shape to the one you like.

      This one isn’t quite the same, but a similar shape: https://www.etsy.com/listing/202001141/pave-diamond-crescent-moon-pendant

9. Is there anything to do for a couple hours around LAX while waiting on a friend to pick me up? Never been before. Do they have anywhere I could stash my carry-on? (I’m thinking lockers…but maybe airports don’t have those anymore post-9/11?)

   1. Well there’s a museum nearby in the Imperial Terminal… http://flightpathmuseum.com/visit-us/visitor-information/
      Maybe check http://www.lawa.org/welcome_LAX.aspx?id=1616

      Also quite a bit of shopping in LAX itself.. particularly in the international terminal

   2. Well, I’d definitely take a cab to the In-n-Out on Sepulveda, if I were you, no matter what your time frame.

      If you have 4 hours or so, and it’s not rush hour, I’d take an Uber up to 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica to shop and sightsee. It’s about 20 mins away, no traffic, but much longer with traffic.

      If you have 6ish hours, I would rent a car and go to the Getty Museum.

10. I’ll have a little over more than a week off between this clerkship and the next. There’s a move involved, but I’m hopeful that all the unpacking will be done quickly. I’m too broke to do any real traveling. Any suggestions?

    1. cheap travel? do you have friends/family in places that are hard to get to on a regular basis, but with whom you could crash for a week?

    2. Go on vacation in your own town! Go to any touristy destinations, go to brunch, have a glass of wine and read a book at 2PM on a Wednesday!!

       Go to a movie! Make a picnic! Hike local trails. Pinterest out fabulous easy meal ideas. Catch up with friends you haven’t seen. Organize your closet.

11. I bought these in the NAS in the gray and really like them. They were the first NAS item I saw and knew I wanted. The heel is really reasonable (at least for what I wear). I have a high instep and there is no elastic or give in the strap (it’s a faux tie) so I had a little trouble getting my foot into the shoe, but once I did, it’s very comfortable. Like many here, I like a strap – otherwise, it’s hard to keep it on. I haven’t worn them to work or church yet, but I will!

12. Thoughts on these two? My mom got the latest Samsung and I was stunned by the quality of the photos. I’ve been frustrated with my iPhone lately, and I’m considering making the switch to Android.

    Anyone made the switch from iPhone to Android? How did it go?

    1. I switched from an iPhone 4 to a Galaxy S5 in March. Some of what’s wowed me has no doubt been moving from a relatively old handset to a new one. The S6 was about to come out when I bought mine but I chose the S5 due to the removable battery.
       The only real issues I had were having to choose a podcasts app since I was using the Apple standard one (I use PocketCast) and that the photo-to-postcard app I used on Apple doesn’t exist on Android and I haven’t yet chosen which competitor to use

       1. FWIW, I’m a Stitcher devotee for podcasts.

          1. Beyond pod is my favourite.

    2. I switched around Thanksgiving from an iPhone 4S to Samsung Galaxy S5. It’s okay. I was sick of my iPhone having no space, thanks to all my pictures, so that I wasn’t able to do updates or install any apps (I had, like, none). I’m not a mac person; I use a PC at home (though I have an iPad), so I’m not one of these seamlessly interconnected Apple people. I chose the S5 because the S6 seemed too big, and cost money (versus was free with my contract renewal); the features didn’t seem all that different between the two models otherwise.

       The Samsung is fine. I forgot that Android systems feel like they take more steps to do anything than iOS does, but that doesn’t bother me so much. The camera was better than my iPhone camera was but it doesn’t take pictures fast enough, which irritates me. (The camera is basically my top feature, as my phone = family camera.) Otherwise I find it about the same; I’m not a heavy app user, apart from my podcast app and the QR scanner.

       Next re-up, I think I’ll go back to Apple. Everything on the iPhone is a little less complicated and I think the camera will be better. Plus once in a while I liked using facetime for kids and grandparents, or kids and traveling parent.

    3. I switched from an IPhone4S to a Moto X (Second Gen) last year. I am a total Android convert. The things I like:
       1. I have complete control over everything. No stupid Apple Maps or Apple Weather or Apple Stocks hanging around and taking up space when I don’t use them or have other preferred apps for those functions. I didn’t love the standard interface my phone came with, so I downloaded an entirely new one (Aviate Launcher) that is much more intuitive to how I use my phone. I love that flexibility
       2. Stuff updates faster. Because Google is less controlling of their App store, updates to my apps push through much more often, so bugs or quirks get fixed a lot faster.
       3. My phone was a million dollars cheaper than the IPhone6
       4. This is specific to Motorola, but I cannot say enough nice things about their replacement policy. They have a standard rate for ALL fixes (it varies by phone) and will overnight you a replacement for an extra $25 (!). I dropped my phone, shattered the screen, and received a brand new one two days later for $150 TOTAL. My local phone place quoted me $275 to fix it and a new one would have run $325 on Amazon.
       5. SO. MUCH. STORAGE. SPACE.
       6. I use a lot of Google apps and products, which just play better with the Android universe.

       What I don’t like:
       1. Switching is a giant pain if you frequently use iMessage. iMessage runs on some weird parallel non-phone network, so it doesn’t automatically realize that you switched phones and change your settings from imessage to text. And for some unknown reason, it takes Apple 45 DAYS to completely switch over, so I had people trying to text me and it disappearing in to the iMessage ether for a month. It sucked.
       2. There are some other weird quirks in the way that Iphones handle pictures so sometimes pictures I’m sent from IPhones show up weirdly.

       So, basically the only problems I had were in interfacing with the IPhone world.

13. I’m feeling old. Trial work is so much more exhausting than it used to be!

14. I need some styling help. It may be too late for this, but I thought I’d try. I just got invited to an event featuring a bunch of CEOs, and one of the CEO-panelists is the CEO of my company. The panel is from 1-4, and then there is a “black tie gala” from 5-8. Well, I’m 33 weeks pregnant and I don’t want to go spend a ton of money on an outfit. I recently got a really cute dress from Pea in the Pod (link to follow) and I’m thinking maybe I can make it work with some nice black heels, and a “fancy” wrap and some jewelry. Yes? Or should I just bite the bullet and go buy something fancier?

    1. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/473581717042462682/

       1. I like the dress but it doesn’t say black tie gala to me. Are there any maternity stores where you could get a cheap black cocktail dress even? The dress you linked to looks like a beach dress to me.

       2. No this won’t work.

       3. A lot of leeway but this is not black tie. Does the Pea in the pod have anything dark solid colors? Or you could dye this black?

    2. I haven’t been in your situation, but I’m thinking this another one of those situations where you’ll get some leeway because you’re pretty far along in your pregnancy. Good luck!

    3. There’s only an hour between the panel and the event, and the panel starts at 1pm?? I think there will be a lot of people at the event who aren’t really in black tie because an hour isn’t very long to change and do hair and makeup…plus I think a lot of people would feel weird in an evening gown at 1pm. So I think ou get leeway just for that reason on top of the fact you’re pregnant. I think a plain solid color short dress would probably be fine with nice jewelry. Or some black pants with a sparkly top?

       1. Or, because of the factors I mentioned, I think you could maybe make the dress you posted work.

15. You get a pass since you’re pregnant but I don’t think you can make that dress fit into black tie wear. What about a black wrap that you can also dress down?

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