ByKat Hours Updated
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Coffee Break: Oval Opal Signet Ring

Pinky rings: yea or nay? In the vein of “I'll bet Jacqueline Onassis wore one,” I kind of like them — they have a spare elegance with a hint of mob-guy toughness. This designer, Jacquie Aiche, has a ton of pinky “signet rings,” but I must say I always thought a signet ring was meant to be engraved with a crest or, failing that, a preppy monogram — still, I like the fire in the opal here too much to not post. The ring is $190 at ShopBop. JA Oval Opal Signet Ring Psst: here's our 2015 discussion about whether midi rings are appropriate for the office. This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Sales of note for 12.13

  • Nordstrom – Beauty deals on skincare including Charlotte Tilbury, Living Proof, Dyson, Shark Pro, and gift sets!
  • Ann Taylor – 50% off everything, including new arrivals (order via standard shipping for 12/23 expected delivery)
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Eloquii – 400+ styles starting at $19
  • J.Crew – Up to 60% off almost everything + free shipping (12/13 only)
  • J.Crew Factory – 50% off everything and free shipping, no minimum
  • Macy's – $30 off every $150 beauty purchase on top brands
  • Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off, plus free shipping on everything (and 20% off your first order)
  • Talbots – 50% off entire purchase, and free shipping on $99+

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

131 Comments

    2. Yes to signal your allegiance to the “family” and as a warning to all who would seek to cross you.

  3. I love opal signet rings. My mom has one and it’s gorgeous. That said, she doesn’t wear it on her pinky. Pinky rings, to me, just look like the ring was too small for the correct finger.

    1. I am going to be a voice of dissent. I love pinky rings when styled right. This ring is gorgeous!

  5. For those of you with nannies that you pay on the books, do you also carry workers comp insurance on them?

    In my state, it’s optional. But I’d like the nannies to drive and we are one car accident with an underinsured motorist away from disaster, I’d think (and even without driving, they can slip and fall at our house).

    Our nannies are generally teachers who work for us in the summer or at night / weekends, so they do have their own health insurance generally.

    Am I being overly conservative? I have to pay the nannies on the books b/c of the type of job I have.

    1. I would totally have it. My rule is “I buy insurance to cover losses I can’t afford to cover out of pocket.” Which certainly includes a serious injury to the nanny.

    2. My homeowners insurance policy includes WC for household employees, without my even having to ask for it.

      1. Mine has it for occasional employees like the weekly cleaning lady or an occasional handyman. I’d have to get a rider for a full time nanny.

    3. Yes! Required in my state, but even if it wasn’t a) it’s the right thing to do and b) I’d want this kind if thing covered under workers’ comp and not litigated outside of workers’ comp.

  6. I like a pretty pinky ring. This ring is lovely for any finger. Well, maybe not the thumb.

  7. Unless I’m missing something, I absolutely can not imagine Jacqueline Onassis wearing a pinky ring.

    2. Haha yeah I read that and was very confused. Especially given this qualifier: “they have a spare elegance with a hint of mob-guy toughness.” What?! Haha! Jackie O was resilient, yes. Mob-guy tough? Haha no, no ma’am.

    3. She wore one! I think it was a small emerald JFK gave her to honor their son who died in infancy. (I watched a whole thing on her jewelry once..)

  8. Tips on how to deal with kitchen fumes when you don’t (and possibly can’t) have a fan that vents to the outside? So far, the best that I’ve managed is opening the windows that are about 8 feet away in the dining room area and putting one of those box fans in front of it when I cook. This is in addition to our recirculating hood. I feel like the smells still linger though, and I still can’t properly sear anything for fear of smoke.

    1. Cross-ventilation. Open more windows. Make sure the box fan is sucking hair from your home and pushing it outside. If your range hood doesn’t vent to the outside, it’s kind of pointless.

    2. Honestly, when we had that issue, we simply did not sear or broil food. And we always crossed fingers nothing burned. A ceiling fan in the kitchen did help a bit to dissipate odor though.

  9. Am a freelance writer and my 2 biggest clients have closed their businesses in the past 2 months (one had the owner die, the other was bought by a bigger company who has no need for a freelancer). I was so much loving my life as a freelancer and suddenly it feels like the wind got knocked out of my sails. After 3 yrs in business, this is the first time I’ve really worried about income and it’s just got me feeling defeated and tired.

    How do you get the spark back in these kinds of moments?

    1. IDK but check out caphillstyle and the article on ghostwriters — I would totally do that as an extra source of income (and none of it is attributable to you / will dilute your brand).

      1. This makes me wonder which of the big-time bl0ggers I follow have ghostwriters/ghostphotographers.

          1. Honestly? Most. I’ve written for some huge websites, book chapters, etc. and even some things that shouldn’t have a ghostwriter and you’d be shocked.

    2. So sorry to hear and really stinks both at once. I know you didn’t ask for resources, but just passing along a few ideas since it sounds like it’s been awhile since you’ve had to market. Get your info on Upwork (that’s where the publishing company I work for looks for new talent). Linked In also has a new(ish) freelancer service to connect folks. You didn’t say what type of writing you do, but other good places to reach out to are associations that serve the audience you were writing for, especially if it’s at all niche. If you’ve done any custom publishing work/branded content, then it also might be good to reach out to agencies in your area (again, really good if you’ve done something niche–like healthcare, tech, education–although some of those places truly churn folks and are taking such a big cut that the pay may not be so hot). If you have any sources that you’ve interviewed frequently in your gigs or perhaps the employers’ competitors, it might not hurt to let them know you’re available, too. Not the same, but when I left my job as a long-term editor to start a position in an entirely different industry I was shocked how many of our advertisers and sponsors reached out to me to see if I would write for them (would have been inappropriate for them to approach or me to approach them when working there). You likely have more connections than you even realize. And don’t let the talk of blogging ghostwriters distract. There are real editorial projects all around for professionals that will pay decent and often good salaries. I work with many folks who are in them–a lot of freelancers I encounter now (and are friends with from past jobs or projects) have been writing for a few well-pay clients for more than a decade. Hang in there. At three years, you’ve managed the tough stuff already–figuring out tax implications, learning how to stay motivated when so independent, navigating the tricky landscape of pleasing your editor while ensuring content meets your own standards for what is right–this is a small blip that you’ll get past in no time. The freelancer’s life is sometimes feast or famine. Just time to move onto the next restaurant. Hopefully this one is just as great if not better than your previous ones. (Bright side is you’ll be gaining an even bigger stable of reference which will make future hunts easier, too.) You’ve got this.

      2. Wow, what a useful post. Thank you for being so thoughtful.

        I am on a leave of absence, but have training in medicine and basic science research. Someone recently recommended doing some writing on the side, but that is a black box to me. Your post made me wonder…..?

  10. Not sure if others here watch this show but man, does it help to show how childhood trauma and past relationship damage carries into new bonds and new struggles! For the first time in any season, I’m really rooting for all 3 couples!

    2. Mundane in the grand scheme of online dates, but I got cornered in a booth at a Cajun restaurant in Manassas for 2 hours by a man-child who lived with his parents and only ate chicken fingers and fried potatoes. I barely got a word in edgewise for the whole ordeal and I swear to God the waiter was ignoring my panicked attempts to make eye contact and request the check.

      1. Oh dear.

        A guy once told me he hates “homeless bums” who “couch-surf and don’t have jobs.” Offensive to me, but when he told me that he, in fact, was sleeping on his brother’s couch and didn’t have a job (and wasn’t looking) and didn’t catch my sarcasm about how yeah, sometimes things just come up that leave us in undesirable situations, doesn’t mean everyone’s lazy, I decided that was that and faked sick.

        Another guy told me Nazis had some good ideas. “But I’m like, totally not racist- I wouldn’t have done what they did to the Jews, but we do have too many dumb people.”

        Another guy wore one of those stylized late 80s wolf shirts- the blue ones with like, clouds and wolves standing on rocks and sweatpants. I try not to judge people by how they look, but dude, put in some gd effort.

          2. I used to share an office with a guy who would wear a shirt like that on casual Friday about once a month. It was not a good look and definitely not a good office look, even on Friday.

    4. One guy made up nearly every basic fact about himself and I believed him for four months. We were talking about moving in together when I caught him in a lie and it all came out. Is it still catfishing if you see them in person every day? (At least he wasn’t married. Could have been a lot worse!)

  12. Why do people ask about when someone is going to have a baby?! With millions of women who struggle with infertility, many whose partnerships aren’t as stable as they look, some who have medical conditions that make it not a good idea to become pregnant (everything from endometriosis to needing to be on mental health meds that they shouldn’t go off of and can’t be on while pregnant), to those who just don’t want to become parents, there seems to be zero reason why anyone ever asks this question. Yet people still do… arg!

    1. I feel you! And it doesn’t get better once you have a kid. I hadn’t even left the hospital before people started asking about our (non-existent) plans for #2. I wonder if people stop asking once you have a bunch of kids, or if even the Duggars get asked when #20 is coming.

      1. This happened to me as we were gathing our things to leave the hospital with #1 (and I was probably leaking from everything on me that would leak or drip).

    2. They stop asking after you’ve had 3 and start snickering if you opt for 4 or more.

      1. And start making jokes like “You know what causes that (pregnancy/baby), right?” like they are the first one to ever think of it.

    3. I’d be tempted to go TMI: “Approximately 9 months after I have unprotected sex during my fertile period. Did you want a text alert when that happens?”

      It’s a lazy way to make conversation.

      1. Love this answer! Similar form of TMI (but non-sarcastically)- when a friend was TTC she would actually text a group of close girlfriends before having unprotected s*x while ovulating so we could wish her good luck!

    4. So I do not want children but people ask me this all the time and I respond with this. I am sure they think I am not able to get pregnant but the other line I hate is: Me: I am tired today. People: WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE KIDS.

      I get it’s different levels of tired. But these people do not usually have small children. I like to say, I am going to wait to have another conversation with you when you realize some people do not want or CANNOT have children. mmk

      1. Same. I don’t want kids and I used to get so much judgment for that decision. I don’t lie and outright say I’m infertile but when people ask I now say something vague like “we’ll see what happens.”

  13. What’s the Wet n Wild mascara everyone was raving about the other week? Or if anyone else has a cruelty-free drugstore mascara recommendation, I’d love to hear it! I need a new mascara and I can’t find the thread. Thanks in advance.

    1. That was me. It’s the Wet N Wild Max Volume stuff in the hot pink tube with white ink. Hope it works for you!

    2. I am loving the newest L’Oreal one, Voluminous Lash Paradise. It’s a dupe for Too Faced Better than Sex, but is even better in my opinion

    3. Or try Boots at Target. I have the Exceptional Definition, I think – in a blue tube.

  14. Paging the color experts from the other day.

    I have long been confused about my coloring.

    I have dark brunette hair, lightish blue eyes and quite pale skin that tends toward pink. I don’t typically tan very well but I burn like a champ. So, a winter, right?

    However, my hair gets reddish highlights in the sun. My grandmother was auburn haired and my daughter is a redhead. In addition, my blue eyes have golden specks in them near the iris. This caused a personal shopper I was using to pronounce me an autumn.

    In terms of colors, I prefer off white to white, but look like hell in rusty or yellowish colors. My best colors tend toward dusty blue or dusty rose. But I also look like hell in fuschia – it makes me appear even ruddier, which is the last thing I need. A very dark forest green or a medium teal are probably my best colors, though I think these may be universally flattering.

    I cannot figure out what colors I should wear!

    1. Just get the Color ME Beautiful book. It has swatches. There is a green and tealish color in there for everyone. The ideas in it are helpful.

      Or you could go to a paint Store and also get color swatches, but CMB lays them out better.

      I don’t wear all Winter colors and when I go off-season, I try to keep those colors away from my face or add a good color in a scarf or earrings. It really does help.

    2. If I had to guess, you’re a summer.

      Best neutrals: Navy, off-white, gray, substitute black with charcoal gray
      Best colors: Spruce green/teal, lapis blue, raspberry or deep rose-y pinks, plum, burgundy, turquoise, aqua, dusty lavenders (not the super pale pastels, but something with more depth), coral, deep inky blue, greens that have a lot of blue in them

      1. But if you take the quiz on the website, as soon as you put in that you have dark brown hair, the only choices left are autumn (if you’re warm skinned) or winter (if you’re cool skinned). That had me confused too.

    3. There’s an (I think) Australian style blogger who writes a lot about color – which she spells “colour” – and how it has evolved beyond CMB. She uses a methodology that incorporates tone (warm v cool), contrast (high, med, low), and intensity (clear v muted). It sounds like you’re cool, high contrast, and muted, which didn’t exist in CMB.

      https://insideoutstyleblog.com/category/colour-guide

    4. You sound like me: dark hair, auburn highlights in the sun (family members have red hair), light skin with a reddish tint. My eyes are hazely green though. I find I look best in bright colors and classic colors: navy, red, black, white, most shades of blue, a few shades of bright pink/fuschia. I look terrible in basically anything described as an “autumn” color, and pastels tend to look a bit washed out on me (particularly pastel pink).

  16. This is a bit of a long shot, but does anyone have ideas of things to do in or near Brasilia? I am headed there for work in mid-July and was thinking of adding up to a week beforehand. I will be traveling alone. Thanks!

  17. I am about to replace all of our towels. I am leaning towards some Restoration Hardware ones, based on Kat’s old post here: https://corporette.com/best-towels/

    Some questions:

    1) Should I become a Restoration Hardware member? Each bath sheet is $15 cheaper if I’m a member, which is $150 savings if I buy ten towels, plus a little discount on the other, smaller towels. I don’t regularly shop RH. Is anyone a RH member that can speak to whether it is worth it?

    2) How many towels do I need? Household is me, husband, two toddlers. I’d like enough for us and to have a couple of clean sets when guests come. I think ten sets…?

    3) Anything else I am overlooking about this purchase? Any advice?

    1. 1. This is a math problem. Is the membership more or less than the savings on the towels?

      2. I feel like ten sets is a good number for four people. I always end up with extra hand towels so maybe fewer of those?

      3. You didn’t mention color, but I am Team White Towels all the way. Easy to launder, don’t fade, feel spa-like to me.

      1. Any tips for keeping white towels white? I feel like mine have developed some sort of ingrained makeup stains that don’t come out in the wash.

        1. I like OxyClean and hot water.

          Also, I use black hand towels for just that reason.

          1. So I guess that means I am Team White Towels for only part of the way… ;)

        2. I use cheap washcloths for cleaning my face so my nice white towels don’t get stained.

        3. I have used oxy clean and hot water and bleach and everything else and mine still yellow. So now I get other pale colors like cream and light gray and it still feels plush and neutral but they look great year after year.

    2. I’d buy 1-2 sets to see if YOU actually like them, before buying in any more. I find I actually like my cheaper Target towels more than any of the plushier ones I’ve had/tried. The target ones actually soak up the water (and dry me off) instead of just pushing the water around (like I feel the plushier ones do).

      1. Target has amazing towels! They stay fluffy for much longer than all the expensive towel brands I’ve tried. Also +1 to don’t buy 10 sets until you know you like it.

      2. Yes, I prefer lighter, more absorbent terrycloth towels. I also use peshtemal towels and love them too.

    3. So we have a bunch of the threshold by target white towels that everyone in the family uses (two adults two teens). Then we have one set of lands end towels that we keep in the master bath that are supposed to be only for DH and me. However my towel often gets swiped by my son. I guess that means that the lands end is nicer than the target, but not by a huge margin.

      All of these towels are white and we do bleach them. Except for a couple of older ones, I’d be fine using any of them for guests.

      I have black washcloths that I use specifically for washing my face. I bought some cheapies on Amazon. I just ordered another 12 in a n aqua color because I think it will look better in my bathroom.

      Hand towels are all white and are mostly the same target brand, though we do have some thinner ones for working out (we have two exercise machines)

      Last, I have two black bath sheets I ordered from Amazon. These are used for when I handwash my sweaters and need to roll them up to remove excess water before laying them out to dry. Most of my sweaters are dark colored and this works better than getting white towel lint on them.

    4. Not sure if you are looking for towel recs, but Boll and Branch towels are super fluffy and have held up well for me (also organic and fair trade). You can also get neutral/close to white colors that don’t stain. I’m not a huge fan of their sheets, but the towels have been great.

      As for the sets…10 feels like a lot to me, but I also don’t have kids. Our 2 person household has 3 sets of towels, and really, we only use 2 on a regular basis.

    5. I got these towels from Rejuvenation that I’m OBSESSED with – the organic 600-gram hydrocotton waffle weave bath towel and hand towels. They’re spendy little suckers ($32 each), but I feel like I’m at a spa when I use them.

    7. I have RH towels– both the dark and light grey have held up beautifully so far. Going on 2 years.

  18. I happened upon an old post on here about when to wear pearls. Most of the advice was that a single string of tasteful pearls is always ok, but I’ve noticed that pearls were more common back with Kat wrote the post (2012 or 2013) and I haven’t seen them much lately. Are they classic enough to still work? Or do they read too dated/formal/stodgy?

    1. I feel like “a single string of tasteful pearls” is age-dependent in that a single strand of small pearls is a very young look (to me they say “college graduation gift”) and by the time you’re my age your pearls should be approaching gumball size.

    2. Ok I wear them every day but that’s me. I don’t wear dainty little ladylike strands. I buy almost all of mine from kojima Pearl (no affiliation, happy customer) and they are in no way traditional.

      I think there are regional variations to this as well. I believe in the South, women often wear a nice strand of pearls every day for their whole lives.

      I really think they’re about as classic as diamonds, personally.

      1. I agree – pearls are forever classic, like diamonds. I have a three strand that I wear with suits that makes me feel extra lawyerly. My very favourite earrings, which I am wearing right now, are large (11 mm) black Tahitian pearls on pave diamond hoops.

          1. Thank you. They were kind of a windfall – after my dad passed away, I got a random cheque as his work pension fund was involved in a class action…so I bought them and now I think of him every time I wear them.

    3. I think I have solved this problem by having non cultured pearls (or whatever you call the unusual shaped ones). They are pearls, so by definition a bit stodgy and can help make an outfit seem a bit more conservative, but they are a little different so you don’t have to worry about them being the right size or in our out of style for your age. Its my take on classic but different (which is the land I tend to inhabit clothes-wise I think) – or at least this is what I tell myself.

      Mine were a gift from my grandmother who has now passed away so I’m wearing them regardless of what other people think.

      1. I think they are called baroque pearls if they’re roundish but not super round. Sea pearls like South Sea and Tahitian also tend to have a slightly drop shape.

      2. This is not what anyone asked for… but I can’t resist sharing my passion. Sorry!

        Virtually all pearls on the market are cultured and have been for a century, no matter if freshwater or saltwater pearls.

        Weirdly shaped pearls in non-white colors seem more in fashion now than the standard round whites. Partly because plastic white rounds are so well-made now that they are practically indistinguishable from real whites (but really, even genuine white pearls have usually been tinted white).

        It’s impossible (or maybe not that usual?) to fake the luster and iridescence of non-whites and non-rounds. So I guess it’s a prestige issue – non-round non-whites are signalling that your pearls are genuine. Esp. strong colored (not necessarily dyed) ripple pearls can have awesome iridescence. Trying to decide on a new strand of ripple pearls for myself right now…

    4. I don’t think pearls ever go out of style for work, but I’m Southern, and I love pearls. I’ve got a classic strand, a baroque freshwater strand, two solitary pendants, a coin pearl strand (well, coin pearl and chain intermixed), a large pearls on leather adjustable necklace (this is the coolest), and I’d sell my soul for a black Tahitian strand, or even a Tahitian solitare (my mother has one and wears it every day). If I can’t be at the beach, at least I can wear something from the beach.

    6. I am Southern too but have had several older women in my profession in other parts of the country express appreciation that I wore pearls during the day at work. “Such a classic look, and diamonds really should be for nighttime.”

      I love pearls and wear either teardrop cheapies or nice large studs almost every day. They go with everything.

      I also have a very hard and fast life rule, that is tested and tried and true. Always wear pearls to the Emergency Room.

  19. I don’t know, pinkie rings are just tiny delightful rings! I love them a lot! More rings for every finger!

    1. Thanks! I am going to the beauty counter this week. Will be trying all the colors. Fingers crossed!

      (I’ve been using Dior Lip Glow 001 and used to love it because it came close to giving this effect but for some reason it hasn’t been working for me lately).

      1. I wrote to you late. When you’re at the beauty counter check or Laura Mercier sheer lipsticks, specifically Healthy Lips and Tender Lips. If you lean Plummier

        1. Oops
          If you lean plummier there is also a shade called Plum in the glossy lipstick.

  21. I just completed a small job on a ridiculously short turn-around time for an internal client who happens to be my boss’s husband. It’s extremely slow in our department and I was glad to have the project, but I felt a little bit of pressure, because I know they talk shop over the dinner table.

    Turns out she’s just amused and exasperated with him, because he’s apparently very good at getting people to drop what they’re doing and help him with whatever he needs. She’s a great boss, and it’s interesting to see the dynamics :).

  22. I was you over one year ago, except 36 and single for almost 5 years straight. I want to offer some advice that I mean kindly as someone who has been in your shoes: lower your standards in dating.

    I took a chance meeting a man on OkCupid who did not have a university degree, after years of requiring a grad degree. My fiancé has a culinary arts degree and builds luxury homes for a living. He has renovated much of my (our) house. He cooks me incredible multi-course gourmet meals. He washes clothes, dishes, and floors. He cleans gutters. He makes beds. He helps my parents. He gives amazing hugs. He is endlessly playful and kind with children and animals. He is generous with his money. He is so much more than I ever wanted and I would have screened him out for his “lack of education” when he knows me than me about pretty much EVERYTHING including how to keep me sane.

    Good luck.

    1. You are so lucky to be a fieancee to a guy who can cook! I love to eat but can NOT cook, so that is what I want in a man. And he clean’s too! Yay! My Alan did none of this. Not only did I have to cook, but I had to clean up after him. FOOEY! If your fieancee has a brother who is like him, let me know! YAY!!!!

    2. A lot of single women don’t require their dates to have a graduate degree. And this morning’s OP didn’t ask for dating advice. I know this post was well-intentioned but it’s exactly the kind of “smug married” thing people were talking about in that thread.

      1. I think there was a post a day or two ago about the right “standards” to set for OK Cupid and the like that she may be thinking of. In response to that thread, this seems like a sweet and inoffensive input.

        1. Really not trying to be snarky, but I don’t think so- she titled it “for the AM poster who was asking about being single.”

        2. She specifically states that she’s replying to the poster from this morning.

    3. She was not asking for advice on how to find a partner. She was asking for advice on how to deal with the feelings that come with being single when you don’t want to be. Can nobody around here read?

      1. Yes, generally, can we all just agree that it isn’t fun to be single? When you are single and looking, it seems like the entire world is paired up, and feeling different or behind at any stage in life is unpleasant. I don’t know if she got any good responses, because I don’t know if there are any. It is unpleasant. You don’t have a choice, of course, other than to keep going, keep building a successful life for yourself, keep trying to meet people. Get comfortable taking care of yourself. So you have to talk yourself into it, and some days that seems fine, and other days, it seems painfully lonely. Some days you want to cry for what seems like no reason. The answer to the question is the same as the answer to any question about how to get through a rough time–just keep trying. The other thing I will say, which may or may not help, is that it does get better as you get older. Someone mentioned earlier that by the time your 2oth high school reunion rolls around, a lot of your peers will be divorced. This is true, and it removes the feeling of “otherness” which exists when you are single in your late 20s and early 30s. Loneliness is real, and it is a bad feeling. You can try to distract yourself from the loneliness by keeping busy (work, hobbies, friends, shopping, decorating, exercising, cooking, whatever), but it will catch up to you. And it will feel bad. You have no choice but to fight against the bitterness and keep trying.

    4. I thought it was a great post, and really appreciated it. Your husband sounds perfect to me.

      Well done.

      1. +1 except I think the advice should be to modify your standards or expectations rather than lower them. Going out with someone without a college degree or whatever else is on your checklist isn’t lowering your standards. It’s just comes off arrogant to me.

    5. I had a similar experience with my now-husband. He’s an artist and I agonized over the education, prestige, etc issues while we were dating. We almost broke up because I had a rule that I wouldn’t marry someone without a graduate degree and he didn’t get into grad school.

      He is an incredible dad and husband and has all of the skills I don’t have with my advanced degree (I lack many practical life skills, having spent most of my life in a library or the professional equivalent). We compliment each other very well and make a great team because we are so different. Nobody’s perfect, but I am very very glad that I didn’t follow the Rules and limit my dating pool to MBAs, JDs, and MDs.

      1. AUGH stupid typo! I know the difference between complement and compliment!

    6. As a single person who gets this advice all the time, it’s exasperating. I am not going to nor should I lower my standards, I set them for a reason because I know what I want and what I’m worth. If you’re telling your single friends this, PLEASE STOP. Maybe re-frame it as shift expectations or be open to “the one” appearing in a different package. But stop telling people to lower their standards because what they’re hearing when you say that is that their standards should be undercut or devalued because they desire a relationship. It sounds like your husband is great and I’m sure you don’t feel like you had to lower your standards to be valued in your relationship.

  23. I desperately wanted to take a sick day today (mental health day/PMS/I really just didn’t feel well) but had a presentation that was scheduled for two months that had to happen today (presenting at a monthly meeting that’s canceled pretty often).

    They ran long, I got five minutes to present, and half of the group got up and left partway through. Really an excellent self-confidence booster that people couldn’t sit through a f-ing five minute presentation. I just want to go home but now I’m at work where my boss is treating me like I’m his intern for no discernible reason. I would have gone home after the presentation except “we” are presenting tomorrow (read: he’ll stand there while I present). I’m generally on good terms with my boss but this week has been across the board terrible already so I’m pretty much done. I can’t take tomorrow off, and probably not Thursday or Friday, either. Maybe most of Thursday, but I have a meeting scheduled in the AM. If I’m taking the day off, the last thing I want to do is still have to get up early.

    :( :( :(

    1. I’m sorry. That really sucks. I hope you do take most of Thursday off even though you have a morning meeting.

    2. I am posting super late but I hope you CRUSH the presentation tomorrow, your boss apologizes for being an @ss, and then you leave at lunchtime and do something relaxing (manicure, fancy coffee and pastry, read in the park).

  24. Paging the poster who wondered how to dress in DC’s swamp heat & others who deal with it: anyone tried “Dry”? I saw this article this a.m. https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/07/26/how-to-deal-with-the-sweat-under-your-hair-during-a-hot-humid-summer/

    Was wondering if it works well (I’m a naturally curly haired lady who accidentally got a bob that needs to be blown straight regularly — and no, the cut wasn’t planned, was supposed to be longer but the hairdresser didn’t listen …)

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