Coffee Break: Tumi

125 Comments

1. I just bought a few really nice bottles of red wine – Petite Sirah and a couple blends. What would be your ideal dinner to drink it with? Not vegetarian/no dietary restrictions.

   1. This is probably kind of 90s, but my mind went to a lean cut of steak served with blue cheese, maybe some caramelized onions.

      1. This, and I really think anything, Italian, Greek, Mexican, etc.

   2. A platter of fancy cheese, spiced nuts, grapes, sliced apples, and fig jam. Maybe some goat cheese on Trader Joe’s fig and olive crisps.

   3. Basically any dinner. My dinner tonight might do: pan seared chicken breasts (skin on) with a piquillo romesco sauce and pea shoot salad with shaved radishes and lemon salad dressing.

      Alternately, grilled octopus marinated in lime juice and spices, with warm marinated olives and salt-baked new potatoes topped with harissa garlic aioli. For dessert, dried figs and a blue cheese.

      You want foods with bold, intense flavors to hold up to the grape.

      1. can i come to your house for dinner?

         signed,
         having another sad salad for dinner

         1. Sure! Meals on the table at 7:45.

            Tonight’s dinner is from the Bon Appetit Food Lover’s Cleanse cookbook. It’s not… quick meals. Or easy meals. But they are pretty darn healthy, and still luxurious enough to make me feel like I’m not missing out.

            The second dinner idea list is cribbed from some of my favorite small plates at a local tapas spot.

            Throw some black beans and corn on that salad, crumble up some pita chips, toss on a quarter of an avocado, and sad salad becomes fiesta salad!

            1. ooh this cookbook looks great. have you ever done the cleanse itself? thoughts? thinking of ordering the book…

            2. Yep, I did it for a couple of years before the cookbook came out, when it was just January and on the website. It’s a lot of prep work, and calling it a cleanse is slightly offensive since that’s what your kidneys and liver are for, but I really liked the food and most of the recipes (not into anchovies unless they’re in a sauce, and they featured heavily one year).

               What I love about the cleanse is that they give you a complete shopping list for each week, and the recipes are created so that you use up ALL the bundle of vegetables you buy by repeating ingredients and using the leftovers in lunch salads. The shopping list includes all of your ingredients for snacks, even, so you literally don’t need to think about planning anything except what’s on the list (and coffee/tea, if that’s your jam). What I hate about the cleanse is that I finally had to throw away my 5-year old bottle of walnut oil when it went rancid, because I just don’t use walnut oil often enough, but it was crucial for a couple of recipes, and tracking down a couple of ingredients was a pain in the butt. And you really need to clean out your fridge to make space before you start, because you buy a LOT of leafy greens.

   4. Bone in lamb, and your veg of choice.

      1. Yes. I love lamb with a bold red.

2. I’m in search of what is apparently a unicorn and looking for help! My husband needs new (casual) shorts. He is 6’0 and wants shorts that come down past his knees (so he needs an inseam of 13 – 15 inches). He does not want cargo shorts – no big pockets. We’ve both searched and come up with very little. Any suggestions? I know this isn’t as fun as some of the shopping requests that get posted here :)

   1. He can go back to 1996 and get JNCO shorts.

      1. snort. I know it’s kind of mean but it’s true they just aren’t in style right now and that’s why you can’t find them.

         1. Yeah, I can’t envision shorts that are past the knee except for the denim ones or ill-fitting ones on someone short. Vineyard Vines sells summer shorts by inseam – but I doubt that long. They come in both preppy and non-preppy colors :)

   2. Not the most fashionable maybe, but I think your options may be limited in this category: https://www.target.com/p/dickies-174-men-s-relaxed-fit-flex-twill-13-cargo-shorts/-/A-51205256?preselect=51173132#lnk=sametab

      Also if you just punch “15 inch inseam shorts” into google, you should get a few other results.

   3. Lands’ End Tall? My husband is 6’7″ and likes them shorter but they have so many customizable lengths, I would start there. As an aside, shorts that are past one’s knees are basically pants….so maybe check the yoga companies for male capris or the wilderness brands for the convertible zip-offs?

   4. Have you looked for Big and Tall versions of bermuda shorts? Here’s one example: https://tinyurl.com/yc868k67

      1. I had but hadn’t come across that particular one which might work! There was one linked in the sidebar too that looks promising. Thank you.

   5. I am having trouble envisioning what these are and where you would find them, aside from Anonymous’ suggestion for him to get into a time machine back to the 90s.

      I take it he wants these for casual purposes. There are companies that make “joggers” or capri length pants for men. Unless there is a good reason he wants his knees covered like terrible scars, I’d suggest he be more open minded and look at modern options. My husband has shorts that are roughly knee length from stores ranging from J Crew to Boss that actually look stylish and like they are made for adult men to wear.

   6. Tell your husband that if he wants to wear shorts then he should commit to shorts. If he does manage to find some that come past his knees he will look ridiculous.

      1. He will look ridiculous if he is able to find short’s like this. Why don’t you buy him a pair of ladies’ coulottes from the plus sizes. It won’t look any worse then what he is proposing to wear! FOOEY on Men that make us find silly clotheing for them, then BLAME us when peeople laugh at them for looking stupid. When I was dateing my ex, he insisted that I buy his clotheing and then dress him, but he had VERY particular demands and he just looked dopey in clotheing made for tall handsome men (he was short and squat with a gut — FOOEY!) Then he yelled at me when other women giggled at him when he was out with me. The women were giggeling b/c they could NOT beleive that someone as cute as me could be dating (and sleepeing) with someone that looked like him! They were ultimately right, tho at the time, I was very needy and felt incomplete w/o a man (which he technically was). DOUBEL FOOEY!

   7. Search for “3/4 shorts” or “3/4 pants.”

      1. Thanks – I didn’t know this was a term. This is the sort of answer I was hoping for.

         1. Can I ask why he wants to wear capris when there are perfectly nice knee-length shorts for men?

            1. He is self-conscious about his legs/knees but doesn’t want to wear jeans during the summer. He has some shorts now (that are very old…perhaps from grad school) that just barely cover his knees and he likes those. That style is certainly outdated now, but it’s what he likes to wear. (That doesn’t seem outrageous to me but others on this thread seem to disagree!) He just wants some replacements.

            2. He could also try a lighter-weight fabric than denim for pants (seersucker, linen).

               Barring anything else, he could always take a pair of pants where he otherwise likes the fit and have them hemmed to the length he likes.

   8. I would try Lululemon

      1. would have never thought of that and they do have some good ones – thank you

   9. Prana does lengths: https://www.prana.com/bronson-short-11.html

   10. Your husband is obviously free to wear whatever shorts/capris he wants, but I do wish more men in general would wear shorter shorts. Men often have very nice legs and I don’t think that aspect of male beauty is highlighted enough! Show some skin, gentlemen!

       1. I prefer long, loose shorts on men. Not capris or the silly shorts basketball players wear, but normal chino shorts. Shorter shorts give me flashbacks to the 1970s.

          1. I’m a firm proponent of the 7″ short for men. Anything less than 5″ is too short (5″ is pushing it for a lot of guys, even) but anything longer than 10″ is too long. I might be biased because my SO has great gams and only wants to wear 11″ shorts, but I keep voting for the shorter ones.

       2. Agree. Remember OP shorts in the 80’s?

          1. I mean, agree with BaconPancakes. Maybe chino shorts that aren’t so baggy would be a good look too.

          2. Ugh, yes. No thank you.

       3. Yes to short shorts! Or maybe not super short, but definitely above knee and more fitted.

       4. I’m with you. Bring it on basketball shorts from the 70s! I’ve actually hemmed some of my husbands shorts since a shorter style is a bit more in these days.

       5. I do like a nice pair of gams on a man.

          1. Gams. Gams? Gams! Gammmsssss.

       6. disagree, but this does seem to be a style here in the south. Man thigh is just not attractive to me. To me, the perfect length is right above the knee.

       7. Oh, yes! I noticed my husband when he was wearing tennis shorts. Mmmm mmm. Married almost 20 years.

   11. If he’s willing to budge a little on the 13-15″ inseam, then Gap has a nice selection of 12″ inseam shorts and Old Navy has a lot of 10″ shorts available in a Tall meaning an 11″ inseam. I think the only option for 15″ shorts is Dickie’s work shorts (they don’t have cargo pockets). Or maybe get some crop pants and hem them?

   12. Asos Tall shorts (come almost to the knee for my 6’4″ husband)
       Nautica shorts are long ish

       1. Asos Tall is a gold mine – looks like it will be good for him for many clothing items. All his height is in his legs, so it’s hard to find pants that are long enough, etc. Thank you!

3. Reposting: what are your best tips for surviving the same day in-and-out work trip? I travel for work but I’ve never done this before.

   1. You mean flying out in the AM, flying back home in the PM? I wear a more comfortable top on the departing flight. I change tops and put on make-up once I arrive at the destination airport. I give myself permission to get through the day as far as food/drinks – for me that means having two cups of coffee when I normally drink one and having granola bars/fruit/airport yogurt for meals.

   2. Except for the early wake up these are my favorite! 1. Bring extra underwear and toothbrush, etc, juuuust in case there is an issue with your travel home. 2. Don’t forget to pack changers. 3. Nap on the plane.

      I generally travel in my work clothes, but wear flats and bring heels.

   3. Pack super lightly, definitely carry-on only. Make an effort to drink more water than normal. Plan a small “treat yourself” indulgence either for the flight home or for when you get in the door – like a book you’ve been excited to read, a bar of nice chocolate, or a quick face mask for while you get settled at home.

      Before you leave, get everything you need ready for the next day so you don’t have to do it when you get home and are tired/wake up early to do the next day.

      1. Because of the meeting I’m traveling for, I’ll only be able to bring one work/tote bag — thinking my OMG.

         1. You don’t need more than that.

   4. Call me crazy, but I don’t so anything different for this than I would for taking the bus to work. I do a flight like this 1-2 times a month.

      1. This is what fold-up flats are made for.

   5. I do a decent number of these trips (like, traveling to rural parts of state to do depositions or court hearings that don’t necessarily merit over night trips.) Hydration. More than you think. Packing snacks. Nothing wrecks me faster than going going going all day without water/food, which is easy to do when you’re traveling like this. I’m fine for a most of the day, running on adrenaline, but then I crash really hard either when I’m traveling back or immediately after. I really start “planning” a few days in advance, if possible. Make sure that I eat and sleep well so that I’m not already feeling worn down. Do yoga the day before so I’m not starting out stiff and grumpy.

   6. Thanks for asking this question – I have my first out-and-back trip coming up and am not looking forward to it. :-(

   7. If I am traveling alone and meeting people later, I put my makeup on when I get the destination airport.

   8. I pack a just in case set of stuff in a carry on – basically comfy shoes p, change of underwear, maybe a second top, basically an in cas of an emergency need to stay overnight p, I have some stuff. It’s hapoened enough to not feel like overkill when you’re banking on the last flight of the day.

4. Suits: worth watching? I never did watch it and now with all the Meghan Markle stuff I’m like HMMMN.

   1. I just started watching it and I’m hooked! It helps that I can download the episodes off Amazon (free for Prime subscribers) and watch them on the train to and from work. Maaaaybe I did start because one of the actresses married a prince and it got me a bit curious, but I don’t care, I’m watching a show I like, her character is rad, side-eyers gonna side-eye.

   2. The first 3-4 years of the show were great – sharp characters, excellent snappy dialogue, gorgeous clothing. You have to massively suspend your disbelief (I like to pretend that they live in a world where “lawyer” means something completely different than it does here), but it’s doable because it’s so fun.

      But be warned, it has really drifted downwards lately (and honestly, MM’s not a great actress when the writing’s not spectacular). We’re still watching, but it’s sort of painful now.

   3. The first few seasons were the best, once Gina Torres left the show got really dumb and I stopped watching. But it’s worth it to check out the first 3 seasons or so.

   4. I watched it a few year’s ago when she was NOT famous. I think you should try it, but with the new understanding and thought that she gave all of that up all to be haveing s-x every day with Prince Harry! What a fairy tail ending!!!!! YAY for her!!!!!

5. In light of “me too” and other celebrity issues it made me wonder if we can still appreciate someone’s art/food/music/acting while still despising them as a person. I guess part of the issue is we don’t want our money going to someone who is a bad person and by listening to their song on the radio or streaming their movie we are contributing to their income stream. But, let’s say we had a movie on DVD already so the actor isn’t going to benefit whether we watch it or not. Is there anything wrong with saying this is a damn good movie and I’m still going to watch it even though person X is a misogynistic jacka$$? I don’t see anything wrong with it personally but I feel like others are preaching for total boycotts.

   1. Watch what you want. Who cares? If you have liberal friends keep your mouth shut about it because they need a reason to get mad and protest these days.

      1. This. I still watch reruns of the Cosby show and Roseanne when they’re on; I don’t particularly care about their views of women or blacks.

         1. I will NEVER watch the Cosby show again. I never really liked him, but after what he did to Andrea Comstam, drugging her then haveing NON-consensueal relations on her when she was half asleep, is NOT forgiveable. FOOEY on men that take advantage of us sexueally when we are NOT able to resist their advances. The mere thought of any man huffeing and puffeing on top of me when I am asleep is GROSS! TRIPEL FOOEY!

      2. God, you’re right! I mean, silly ol’ liberals getting upset about sexual assault and blatant racism when their time could be better spent… um? complaining about the absence of prayer in school?

      3. Eyeroll

      4. don’t feed the t r o l l

   2. I think that it’s impossible to be completely “pure” in everything you consume, including media. I also think it’s important to make ethical choices that are consistent with our values. I think sincere, well-meaning people will disagree about what these choices should be, and, among friends, it can be worth giving one another the benefit of the doubt. In general, though, if we’re going to chose to watch the Cosby Show or Woody Allen movies or whatever, I think we should be willing to acknowledge the ways that’s a fraught decision and be willing to listen without defensiveness when people–particularly people in the affected demographics–voice their feelings.

      1. That’s why I’m posting. I want to listen to the other side. Unlike the anon above, I do care about the celebrities’ treatment of women and blacks. I don’t think watching shows and movies already made make a difference towards that though. I can distinguish a character someone played from their real person.

         On the flip side, I can understand someone not even wanting to look at someone that they knew was that type of person.

   3. I don’t think there’s a problem with watching movies you already own (or pick up second-hand), but I might not enjoy them anymore, particularly with someone like Woody Allen or Louis C. K. whose work is strongly expressive of their personalities. I don’t want to hang out with them, and watching their stuff is too close to that to be fun for me.

      I would also ask myself, in light of what I now know about the jerk in question, whether his work is itself an expression of his jerk-ness and in particular what influence (if any) it will have on me. Do his movies romanticize controlling relationships? (cough, Hitchcock) Does his music objectify women? Is his “art” really just gussied-up p0rn? And what’s the risk that his terrible attitudes seep into my subconscious or shift my perception of “normal”?

      TL;DR you should still feel free to enjoy misogynists’ work, but take another look at whether you really want to.

   4. It depends on the person and the show/movie. I can’t stand the thought of watching Cosby because he was pretending to be the perfect wholesome dad on TV while acting as a predator in real life. Knowing what I know now, the idea of watching him in the show I loved as a kid makes my skin crawl. On the other hand, I am boycotting Scientology because I don’t want to give them any of my money, but I’d still watch A Few Good Men if I already owned the DVD and my watching it wouldn’t generate revenue.

      1. I struggle with boycotts too because I don’t want to punish all of the other actors. If the bad actor wanted to do something good, he/she could agree to refuse all residuals so that the others could still get them and we could consume guilt free.

      2. I agree that it depends and also think it’s a personal decision. I think the distinction OP makes between something that will profit someone now vs. something older is a rational one but it’s also so much more complicated when you factor in things like residuals, for example. But residuals don’t just go to Cosby, here, they go to other people who worked on that show who didn’t do anything wrong, necessarily. I mean I’m not about to stop watching Seinfeld reruns just because some portion of that benefits Steve Bannon. But you do you. What I think is more complicated for me with shows like Cosby, for instance, is that it was genuinely a show that preached positive values. So I wish that there was a way for it to be separated from the “artist” so to speak because I think society could really benefit from the Huckstables right now! It’s just too bad that Cosby ruined that, at least for the time being.

         Oh and I’m fairly liberal and don’t care what anyone watches. That’s the whole definition of liberal. I just have no interest in supporting certain things I find objectionable but that’s how these things work in the free marketplace of ideas.

   5. I don’t think it’s a problem, if watching these things is still fun for you. There are definitely movies that are at least partially spoiled for me by what I know about the people involved, which fall into roughly three categories:
      – things that are personal expressions of the bad person (comedy is in this bucket for me)
      – things that resemble the bad person’s real-life sins (Woody Allen’s character dating a high-schooler in “Manhattan”), and
      – things where I know there was abuse involved in the production (watching “The Birds” *is* watching Hitchc*ck throw birds at Hedren without her okay)

      I always take what I know about an artist into account when I think about their work, so when I find out that someone is a misogynist I take another look at his work to see if it falls into the middle category, and in particular whether I think it’s likely to influence me. Does this creep make movies that romanticize stalking, and what effect will they have on my perception of what’s normal in relationship?

      TL;DR watch them if you enjoy them, but be open to not enjoying them anymore

      1. Oh, my earlier comment came out of mod while I was writing this one, oops.

      2. The one that got me really wondering was Morgan Freeman who apparently has been a bit of a creep. I will still love Shawshank Redemption though.

   6. Personally, I don’t have a blanket rule. But in many cases, what I know about the artist distracts me while I am watching/listening, and ultimately I don’t enjoy consuming their product anymore, so I stop.

6. I like my Sketchers, but I LOVE this Tumi backpack.

   1. But . . . I love my Sketchers.

      1. Thats because you dont have a Tumi Backpack.

         1. Ohhhhhh

         2. +1000 (also the subject for the Skimm email “But I learned French for you.”

7. Super simple, but I thought I’d share my current lunchtime meal-prep because it’s really working for me! Bean salad!

   I make a big batch and portion for the week, but dress a portion the night before I bring it to work, so it doesn’t get mushy. I put a little arugula on the side and mix it in when I eat it. I find homemade regular greens-based salads unsatisfying, and this is really working for me. Here’s what I’ve made so far. No recipe, so simple!

   – Black beans, bell pepper, corn, cilantro, tomatoes, lime/olive oil
   – White beans, sugar snap peas, dill, roasted carrots, walnuts, kale/parsley pesto
   – White beans, farro, tomatoes, basil, walnuts, lemon/oil

   1. Ya don’t fart all afternoon?

      1. LOL not that person, but if you’re used to eating vegetables it doesn’t case any distress.

         1. Hmm, I eat tons of veggies but beans are destructive. I couldn’t do this without massive farting.

            1. I was recently at a conference in the Southwest and every provided meal was “Southwestern.” I eat a lot of veggies but mother of god, I could have powered a small blimp.

   2. I’ll add mine for variety: chickpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, dill, feta and olive oil. Sometimes with avocado and/or greens, if i have on hand. I basically eat this all summer.

8. Are khakis ever fashionable (or even available) for women or is that something people wore 20 years ago? If it helps, I lean formal for work and preppy otherwise; if I had my way, everyone would wear a dark suit daily and there would be no business casual.

   1. The slouchy, distressed chinos you might find at Anthro are OK, especially if you roll them to ankle length. The kind we wore for “business casual” in the 1990s are extremely uncool now.

      1. Yeah, I think the new version is slim ankle pants. Which I still have not embraced because I don’t know what shoes go with them.

         1. Flats.

      2. The Gap has some cute Girlfriend Chinos right now. I don’t know if I would call them cool, but their not unfashionable and can be cute styled the right way.

   2. I keep a pair or two of khakis as a work uniform for certain events where nothing else will really substitute. My prior firm used to take part in a volunteer day that involved getting sweaty and dirty. Yet we were still supposed to look business casual. I’d wear khakis and a fitted polo. I keep khakis and polos for work golf events too. For personal golf stuff, I wear cute skirts or shorts. For a firm event, everyone seems to be in khakis and polos.

   3. I have never figured out how to make khakis not look like a retail uniform, personally. I would wear non-khaki chinos. But if someone knows the secret please let me know!

   4. I would look for chino fabric in a more modern cut. I have a pair that’s a slim cut that works for business casual without giving that golf vibe.

   5. I wore khakis when I was an intern at a small aerospace manufacturing company. I had asked the HR person on the phone what most people wear to work, and he said “most of the guys wear khakis and a polo” (which was also my first clue about how few women worked there)… so I wore khakis and a polo for most of the internship, sometimes dress pants and a blouse but was usually told that I was too dressed up.

9. Non native English speaker here. I always try to triple proof my emails/work products but sometimes I do make mistakes (e.g., forgot to add “the” in front a noun, didn’t use plural form etc.), will it undermine my credibility? Sometimes I go through my sent folder and beat myself up for making those silly mistakes and it is not helping my confidence.

   Also, do you automatically discredit someone if they speak with an accent? I have an accent that I am trying to get rid of. My husband said it is almost gone but when I am nervous, which happens a lot when I talk to opposing counsels, clients and/or partners, I tend to let my accent come out. I get anxious worrying about it, which in turn makes the whole thing worse. :(

   1. Really? No, I think more highly of you that you are literate in another language! Losing your accent shouldn’t be a focus – I say be proud of yourself – it’s amazing!

   2. I don’t are at all about accents. No decent person should. Mistakes in written work- is it a court filing? Formal correspondence? It doesn’t look great. An email? Don’t much care.

   3. Personally, I do not care about minor typos and I do not automatically discredit someone if they have an accent. I may need to ask that person to repeat themselves sometimes, but I don’t think less of them because of it. If the typos really bother you, maybe ask a peer to give your email or work product a once over.

      1. I admit I sometimes judge native speakers’ mistakes, but I literally never judge people’s mistakes in their second languages. I once gave a speech in Mandarin about how crazy it is that some people think that giving children discounts causes autism (dazhen = offer a discount; dazhe = give an injection), so I know I need all the mercy I can get.

         1. I once interviewed a lawyer who said she stopped trying to speak Spanish with clients when she accidentally told one she was his avocado.

            1. Haha, even after living in a French speaking country for years, I still think avocado when I see or say avocate.

   4. You’re never going to please everyone so just do your best.

      Accent – totally not an issue in my line of work (large public university).

      Typos in emails – Everyone has their own pet peeves. Mine are your/you’re and their/there/they’re. If you’re paying close enough attention to notice small mistakes you’ve made in the past, your emails are probably quite a bit better than most.

      Now I’m proofreading my post. It’s almost inevitable that I’ll have a typo in a post about typos.

   5. Native English speakers make those mistakes too. I would not think less of you, particularly in email. Most people are rushed when writing emails and typos are common, particularly if written on a smart phone.

      I absolutely do not think less of people that speak with an accent. I don’t think they are less smart or anything like that. However, I will admit that I’m someone who really struggles to understand some accents and that makes me nervous and makes me procrastinate calling that person. I will use email instead where I can. But, I have some diminished hearing in one ear and ADHD which makes it harder for me to fully concentrate on a conversation. I recognize that this is a ME problem and not a YOU problem.

   6. I think you’re being too hard on yourself. I constantly make mistakes in emails because I’m typing too fast or fail to proof well. If anything, it’s probably just consistent with others’ typos and makes you look like a native english speaker.

   7. Also, do you automatically discredit someone if they speak with an accent?

      Never. I’m envious/impressed that you’re multi-lingual while I speak one language and constantly feel limited re: travel. I’m super awful at learning languages and it intimidates me, so I’m always impressed and empathetic and grateful for those who have made the effort.

   8. No, the accent does not count against you. I think, Wow, if she is this smart in my language, what must she be like in her own?

      The emails …I’m a good judge of writing voice (an editor), and I can usually detect when I’m reading someone who does not have English as a first language. Not only do they get all kinds of free passes to make mistakes, they get extra points for being able to communicate in writing in a second or third or fourth language.

   9. In my industry we absolutely do not judge you on your grammar or accent! I’m used to working multiculturally (recent meeting had Italian, Sri Lankan, British, Indian, Chinese, and American participants), and listening closely to understand someone regardless of accent. When I’m in a meeting with someone who speaks accented English, my only thought (besides the actual work product) is how amazing they are to be able to conduct business in a language not their primary! Go forth and be proud of yourself.

   10. I will disagree – I am not a native speaker myself and I’ve never lived in any English speaking country (although my work is conducted mostly in English). I do make some mistakes/typos, etc. Almost any time somebody on this site disagrees with my comment, they start their reply by being judgmental about my poor grammar. Of course, it may mean that I’m good enough to pass as a native speaker, at least in writing :)

       I turn to some trusted people to proofread important documents, but I am definitely not doing it for everyday e-mails, blog comments, etc. Doing it on the daily basis would place to much burden on these people, though. If I had a secretary, I would make use of more proofreading (I don’t know what is your situation and what kind of resources do you have).

       When it comes to accent, I have an annoying trait of tending to mirror the accent of the other person. My usual accent is American with a hint of the accent of my country of origin, but after spending a day with a British colleague (or even watching an episode of some British TV series) it is more British than American. Go figure… I just gave up.

       I also live in the country B (as in I was born in the country A and it is my native langauge; I speak English which is not spoken in country A nor B). It is my second foreign language and I am fluent, but far from being perfect in terms of grammar or accent. Of course it depends on a person, but I do get judged and perceived as less intelligent by some. I know myself that I am not at my sharpest when I speak this language (disucssing academic research in your third, newly acquired language is hard, I am more of a badass in my native language or English :)).

10. Two people in the office next door are reading emails aloud to one another in increasingly loud and angry voices. I am both spellbound and annoyed.

    1. Haha what are they about??

11. Repost since I posted late on the morning thread:

    Has anyone participated in a clinical trial before? Are you glad you did? If so, what did you wish you’d asked beforehand?

    I was invited to participate in a clinical trial for a new permanent contraceptive. It is clearly a huge decision, both because it is permanent and because the process is not yet FDA approved. The commitment is for 5 years of observation and followup. I’m leaning towards participating, but would like to make sure I think about all the angles before deciding.

    I am completely certain I don’t want kids. I also struggle with current available contraceptive options (I can’t get an IUD, Essure isn’t recommended for those with metal allergies or autoimmune issues, and while I take hormonal birth control, it is not without unpleasant side effects).

    All study participants receive compensation, and all participants will receive the treatment – no placebos. I can use my current birth control method until the study verifies that the the tested method is effective.

    1. No, but I’m really interested in this trial! Can you share any details about what the contraceptive is?

    2. no advice but curious what kind of thing it is! (inserted device, pill…) Good luck!

    3. I’m intrigued about how this works. Do they give you the implant/do the procedure and then watch for the side effects? I assume you aren’t expected to risk a pregnancy from your last sentence.
       My husband got snipped and I’m done having kids, but would maybe consider participating in such a trial if I was a candidate.

    4. Not FDA approved, but the CT will probably be used to support approval, so it will have FDA oversight/approval of the protocol.

       I’d probably do my best to understand what they are trying to study (efficacy or safety) and what the data will be used for, what are my responsibilities (appts, diet, reporting, etc.) as a participant, what are the indications that things are going wrong. But I also work in Medical Device regulatory, so I’m probably not your average consumer here.

       There is an ethical obligation to make sure the patients in a study are as safe as possible. If it’s a large scale study, then there have usually been some preliminary trials on the safety (dosage, major contraindications, I think).

       Is the trial listed on clinicaltrials.gov?

    5. I am confused. Is this study for safety or effectiveness? If you use another BC method during the study, how will they know whether the method being studied is effective?

    6. The product is called FemBloc. The concept is similar to Essure, where a physical device is inserted in the fallopian tubes to cause them to scar and seal up, except they are using a degradable gel. This means that there aren’t foreign bodies inside your body long term.

       The study is to confirm long term efficacy of the product. You use backup birth control until the tests indicate you are no longer fertile. Testing for that is the same as with Essure or tubal ligation.

       The trial is on clinicaltrials .gov and definintely has FDA oversight. Anyone who is curious can look there or at Fembloc .com.

       1. I posted a longer comment on the previous thread but short answer: if it’s a Phase III or IV i’d go for it for sure.

    7. I did participate in a trial, but only because I had a condition that was debilitating and I had no other options. Absent that, I would not risk my health. There are lots of medical device trials and approved devices that have caused long term problems — look up TMJ implants and cervical mesh.

    8. I would do it, especially as I’ve had similar issues as you with current BC options including the IUD and support effort to develop more non-hormonal BC options. The science is sound, and it isn’t likely to trigger any problems or get into your system. I would think about what would happen if you did get pregnant after the gel degrades and possibly the scarring isn’t effective, but that’s probably not a huge risk. Full disclosure, though – I work in biopharm and am very familiar and comfortable with the care that goes into clinical trials. They aren’t going to test something they don’t have good reason to believe is safe and effective. Do ask questions about what happens if you have a problem or if it isn’t effective. They should be able to answer that in detail.

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