This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Last Call has a number of colorful pearl studs from Majorica, and I'm liking them for a fun take on pearls. A Tahitian pearl necklace is on my bucket list, so I'm ogling these 8mm pearl stud earrings — beautiful. They were $56, then marked to $45, but with today's 30% off they come down to $31.50. Majorica Tahitian Pearl Stud Earrings
(L-4)
Sales of note for 9.10.24
- Nordstrom – Summer Sale, save up to 60%
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Bergdorf Goodman – Save up to 40% on new markdowns
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- White House Black Market – 30% off new arrivals
Some of our latest posts here at Corporette…
RSS Error: WP HTTP Error: cURL error 60: Issuer certificate is invalid.
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
cavity maker
Im gonna be in Boston next Sunday for the day. I have some commitments through Saturday, but have Sunday free. Any suggestions on something fun to do? I’ll be staying somewhat central.
Anonymous
If its not freezing, the Freedom Trail is fun because you can go at your own pace and see as much or as little as you want.
Fanueil Hall / Quincy Market is fun, but usually packed.
hoola hoopa
Boston highlights for me were the Freedom Trail and food. I can’t remember the name of the places where I ate, but I definitely recommend eating. In particular, my region simply doesn’t have the level of Italian cooking that you can get in Boston.
Anonymous
North End for Italian! Also check out the Mapparium of you have time.
cavity maker
I will see if I can make this work! thanks for the suggestions. A walking tour sounds really great, but I am unsure how I will be able to handle the weather.
Brant
are you museum-y? outdoors-y? shopping-y? For wandering, I’d have brunch in Cambridge or the South End and wander around/shop. If you’ve never been to Boston before and like shopping, I’d change that brunch to Newbury st.
If you are into museums, the Gardner museum is pretty unique and a good use of an afternoon. The MFA is great, too.
Manhattanite
Gardner museum is probably the best museum in Boston.
cavity maker
Thanks fort eh suggestions. I am more of a museum-y/outdoors person. So, I will definite see if I can make the Garner museum if it’s too cold for me to consider a more outdoor option.
anon
In addition to what has already been said, off the top of my head… If you want to Sunday Funday, watch the NFL playoffs at a sports bar in Southie or have a drink/meal at Legal Harborside and check out the beer hall at Harpoon Brewery. If you want to do shopping and brunch do 1) Newbury st 2) the south end or 3) Charles St/Beacon Hill. If you want a museum and a bite to eat, strongly suggest the Isabella Gardener museum. If you haven’t been to Cambridge, wander around Harvard square.
Anon
Saturday Funday: Pats play at 3:30. Conversely, if you have no interest in that, steer clear of many of the downtown bars.
excellence
430
cavity maker
great ideas! Thank you!
Blonde Lawyer
Anyone else getting inundated with client calls today? Everyone is calling to check on their case. I’m sure it has to do with people getting their affairs in order for the New Year but it is kind of funny.
Anonymous
Yes. I think every client I have has called with some kind of status update.
Uggh. Getting really annoying, especially since not a whole lot was happening in the two weeks prior to today, so I have no update!
Anonymous
My partners. “Hey, associate, what’s the status on this, where are we on this, have you seen this document?”
Oh, gee, I dunno, boss. Same place we were 2 weeks ago, I assure you. Nope, I haven’t seen that document. No, no, no the court didn’t grant our motion last week.
Anonymous
Does anyone have recommendations for a great hair dryer?
MNF
Just got a BaByliss Pro for Christmas. It’s cut my dry time by ~1/3 to 1/2 and was relatively inexpensive.
Cat
seconded – I got a BaByliss on the recommendation of someone here, and have also recommended it to others for the same reason. Available on A m a z o n for $40-50 I believe.
Anonymous
GHD Air is a nice one. I got it about a month ago and so far like it a lot.
Fishie
Rusk – got one on Amazon for roughly $80 several years ago. Still kicking and gets super hot (warm setting is good too). Long cord. Love it.
christineispink
http://www.sephora.com/blast-ceramic-ionic-blow-dryer-P385691?skuId=1589027
I got this Sephora one after I used it at a friend’s house. She had done a lot of research beforehand. It dries my very thick, very voluminous hair much more quickly than any other dryer I’ve used and it’s so SLEEK, much less flyaways. Somehow, magically, my hair takes much longer to get “oily/greasy’ looking after I use this dryer. Amazing.
biglaw q
I know a common theme is that most everyone hates biglaw, but as someone who is very unhappy as a young associate and considering leaving for a small firm, I was wondering if there’s anyone here who left biglaw and wished they hadn’t. I know the money won’t be as good but other than that (major) issue, it’s hard to see myself regretting the move.
k-padi
I left a 100-attorney “boutique” (niche area of law) for a 3-attorney practice. That was a bad idea. After a miserable year, I am now in a 20-attorney boutique and much happier. I have support staff again, personalities are “neutralized”, and I have more than two attorneys to bounce ideas off of.
From a financial perspective, if you need to get out of big law, don’t go to a super tiny law firm unless you have a salary and a 401k plan and adequate dental/vision/std/ltd/life insurance.
kc esq
I have been in both biglaw and a small firm and I prefer biglaw (where I am now), although I am in a practice and a group with a conscience about work/life balance at this point. At my smaller firm, making your hours was stressed more than it has been for biglaw. I still worked a lot, although, I will say, the small law partners tended to keep more regular hours that I could plan around. The only benefit was that I felt that I actually stood a better chance of developing business because the billing rates were not so astronomical.
My philosophy is that if you’re going to switch firms by choice, you should do it for a reason other than just size, like focusing on a certain specialty. Because there are crazies everywhere and you won’t know for real until you start working there.
Bingo
I was never in Biglaw, but I was at a 50-attorney firm and left it for an 8-attorney in house department. While I still think it was the right move for me, there are some things about the law firm that I miss. I definitely had more exciting substantive work, and more attorneys to learn from and bounce ideas off, and more diverse work. But I also had long hours and little sympathy for family priorities. I think that in another 10 years, I may go back into private practice, but probably never at Biglaw.
MaggieLizer
It really depends on the small firm and what you’re looking for/trying to avoid. I started in midlaw and moved to biglaw, and I think it was the right move for me overall. My previous firm had all of the negatives of biglaw (hours, canceled plans, little substantive work for juniors/mid-levels) but none of the positives (flexibility when it’s slow, good bonuses and raises). Basically, I worked more doing the same type of work for less money. I really miss the mentoring in my former firm, but my current firm has some formal training programs that have been really helpful. If your firm offers any formal training programs, I’d recommend taking advantage of those before you move.
Dansko Ona
Can I wear the dansko ona ankle boots with skinny jeans?
I’m looking for comfortable weekend shoes that I can wear with skinny jeans, leggings, and socks. I’d prefer no heel, but pickings for flat ankle boots are slim.
Dansko Ona
http://www.zappos.com/dansko-ona-black-nappa-leather
Shopaholic
Try the Sam Edelman petty ankle boots.
Pink
I know the internets love the Edelman’s Petty, but I discovered for my foot that these just weren’t comfortable. FWIW I love LK bennets, have wider than normal but not usually a wide sized shoe feet and the Pettys pinched. A previous Edelman shoe I had did not pinch (but the zipper always slipped down).
nutella
But did you know the Petty boots come in wide?
S in Chicago
+1 million. I have difficult feet and my petty boots are awesome. One of the few non-sneaker shoes I would consider wearing for any sort of serious walking day–airport travel, city exploring, etc. They don’t just look cute, they are super comfy.
OP
Thanks for all the reviews. I initially eliminated the petty because it had a heel, but I’ve been eyeing it again since I gave up on finding a flat boot that I liked. I’ve been hesitant because it doesn’t *look* comfortable. I’m looking for sneaker-like comfort. I too have “wider than normal but wide is too wide” feet and like a roomy toe box for my claustrophobic toes.
Clearly I should just try it already.
rosie
Certainly try them, but I need a wide toe box (but have a narrow heel) and while these boots are fine with tights or very thin socks for a bit of walking and everyday wear, they are definitely not sneaker comfy for me.
OP
Thanks!
anonymous
I think you could wear with skinnies and leggings. They look comfy, and the reviews are good too.
Anonymous
The way the toe point up at the front of those makes them look kind of frumpy and unstylish. I would opt for a boot that does not curl up like that and does not have such a clunky looking sole.
OP
I appreciate your frankness.
Anon
I’m not a big fan of them, looks-wise. I have a pair of Gentle Souls that I really like, but they look more like motorcycle boots. Maybe check out Clarks or Born?
OP
I don’t like hardware on my own feet and don’t like what Clarks or Born have right now in low heels. They were my first stop ;) But Trotters actually has a petty-like option that I’m going to try out.
Trixie
Try the “Malcolm” by John Fluevog. Online, unless there’s a store in your town. I love them so much, I had to buy black and brown! Don’t know if they’re in the winter sale, but it’s worth a look.
OP
Thanks!
Anon
Student loan question: I have four student loans from law school that were with Sallie Mae, but are now serviced through Navient. I started my snowball-esque payment method last year, where I eliminate one loan at a time and use that payment to apply to another until that is paid off and then so on and so on. Worked fine with Great Lakes, but Navient will not let me target one of my four loans via online payment. When I called last week, I was told that I would be charged $14 to make the extra, targeted payment on this one loan by phone or I could make the payment online and then email Navient to direct my payment to this specific loan. I did this but have not heard back from Navient re whether the amount was directed to my specific loan. Can anyone offer any advice or similar experiences? I will call back to get more info and keep talking to Navient, if necessary, but wanted to see if anyone here could give some insight. I would just like my loan servicer to let me pay off the loan I would like to pay off. Thanks.
cbackson
When I first got my loans through Sallie Mae, the only way that I could target a specific loan was to pay by check and include a note on the check indicating which loan to direct the extra payment too. It was far less convenient, but I wonder if they would accept that (admittedly low-tech) method still?
(separately, I just paid off my Navient-serviced Sallie Mae loan today!)
Anon-OP
Congrats!!! A check is a good idea. Thanks.
Anon
Not much to offer on the practical side, but if you are having trouble getting straight answers from the company–file complaints with your state’s financial regulator and/or the CFPB. Lots of interest in the student loan area these days, and sometimes interest from a regulator has a way of getting some action.
Gail the Goldfish
Extra payments to Sallie Mae/now Navient are the bane of my existence. Based on some previous threads here, I started out with the assumption that trying to pay it online to a specific loan would not be successful and just send them a physical check with a letter explaining to them how to apply it every month, which is what their website says to do. Every month, despite very clear instructions, they screw this us, either by splitting it between multiple loans or treating it as an advanced payment and advancing the due date. I used to call them and tell them how to fix it, but now I just send them an email through the website correspondence feature. I am fairly certain they purposely screw this up since they have incentive for you not to pay off your loan early. I’m keeping a record of all my “Hey, you messed up again” emails and will eventually send these to someone (CFPB probably) in the hope it may help just a little.
Another Lady Lawyer
Not sure the Navient customer service person knew what he/she was talking about or maybe that’s just the deal if you want to include that in your direct debit? I have my direct debit set up for a bite more than the amount I owe and then, per snowball method, log in every month and pay my snowball amount online (there’s a reminder in my calendar). If you do it that way, it will give you a little reminder that what you are paying will be in addition to your monthly direct debit, but it will let you allocate among your existing Navient loans (just tried to make sure it still works and it does!). Kind of a pain to have to log in every month, but easier — for me at least — than writing a check!
Anon-OP
This is exactly what I tried to do, which I was able to do with my Great Lakes loan(s), but for some reason I am unable to allocate to a specific loan via Navient. But I was hoping that perhaps the customer service person did not know what he was talking about, so I will try again online and, if necessary, by phone.
Another Lady Lawyer
Not sure you’ll see this here, but hoping so — it makes it LOOK like you can’t, until you get to the last step. You put in $100 payment that looks like it’ll apply to all of them, it pops up a window that tells you that it’ll apply in addition to your monthly and then it takes you to a new screen that pops up all of your loans and lets you allocate dollar amount to particular loans. Hope it works for you!
In House Lobbyist
Speaking of Navient, did anyone else get a refund check from them this week relating to late fee application? I got one which I thought was odd because I paid off all my Sallie Mae loans about 3 days before they switched to Navient. And paying off the loans in full was such a hassle because I had multiple loans government and private. It took over an hour on the phone to deal with them.
Anon99
I got one, and I paid off my last loans in 2008. I had never even heard of Navient until this thread.
Anonymous
Can anyone compare the fit/sizing of Brooks Brothers pants, dresses, or skirts to current sizing at places like J.Crew, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor? I’m looking at the BB clearance but don’t know whether to trust the size chart (especially since I normally have at least two sizes difference between my tops and bottoms due to my very pear-shaped body).
Cat
In Red Fleece, I wear one smaller than JCrew in pants, but same size as JCrew in skirts. In regular BB I usually take the same size as JCrew.
ETA – also a pear
BB
For skirts, I am a 12 in all of these stores (32″ waist). Make sure you pay attention to the descriptions though – slim fit may be different than classic fit. I have never had luck with BB pants though. None of their cuts fit me well. I have very muscular thighs/butt, so not sure if that’s the issue.
AIMS
This. I just bought two pairs of pants from BR in the same size (Martin and Jackson). The Jackson is loose and the Martin is tight. BB has similarly different fits.
I don’t think their sales are final but stuff tends to sell out fast so if you’re unsure, order both sizes and return one (or both). If you have amex, you can get free returns by signing up for shoprunner which is free with your card.
Negative Upward Feedback?
Hi all. I have been asked to give feedback for an individual I work with. Our roles are slightly different and we have different reporting chains. S/he is ranked significantly above me. S/he is frankly a nightmare to work with – absent family financial obligations on my part, I’ve been tempted to quit on numerous occasions. There is an insidiousness of her/his work style that I want to flag – think numerous emergencies requiring that I work all nighters – always on Friday or Saturday – and then taking weeks to respond to my “urgent” Sunday morning delivery, then expecting me to work another all-nighter to re-do my work based on details that s/he never initially gave me…even calling my boss if I do not drop everything for his/her pet project, etc.
My question: is there any way to express this insidiousness of his/her behavior without just sounding whiny about being forced to work weekends? The timing is just SO suspect; I almost feel like I am being harassed but I don’t know how to express this w/o sounding emotional.
TIA for any advice – even if that advice is just to lay low and not say anything negative.
Voice of doom
I think there are many ways being honest could blow up in your face, and small odds it could improve your situation.
Ellen
Hug’s to you. It is alway’s terrible to have to work for some one who is a doosh, or even to have to provide feedback for some one who is NOT in your reporting chain but you do interact with. The best advise I can give it to tredd very softley. When I was workeing in DC, I was only an intern, and had to put up with some real loosers who I was hopeing would either give me a job or at least a recomendation for a job. Those guy’s did nothing but 1) look out the window; 2) evaluate the sexyness of women, ranking them from 1-10, and 3) make strange sucking noises whenever they walked past me (as if I were some sort of object for their affection that would respond to that sound). Well, I maintained my cool and ignored all of it, even when they asked me out after work. The last thing I needed was to go out with these guy’s and get drunk. FOOEY!
So when the big boss came in and asked me how thing’s were goeing, I kept my mouth shut, even though I would have alot to say if I had a mind to say it. As it turned out, I am glad I never got a permanent job in DC workeing for them (or the other place’s) b/c I am realy a NYC gal at heart, and am at home here, even if I wind up stepping in poopie here on my sidewalk once a week. DOUBEL FOOEY on peeople that do NOT curb their dog’s and clean up after they make poopie.
I did want to thank the HIVE for recomending I get the dishes. I showed Rosa the pattern and she is considering getting it also, b/c her kid’s have destroyed alot of her dishes after 5 year’s and she think’s we could share dishe’s if one of us broke one or 2. Dad think’s it’s OK too b/c he want’s me MARRIED, and if he has to pay for dishes to get MARRIED, he is willing to do it. I told him about Myrna’s brother, and dad say’s I should cook my wedding chicken for him. I told him it was a disaster, but he said try again b/c Myrna’s brother makes money and may want me to bear him children right away, which will make Grandma Leyeh happy. I think Grandma Leyeh is mad that I am NOT already married, but she did say NOT to settle for just any schmuck, and that is all that has come lookeing. Even the manageing partner’s brother wants to marry me, but he is old enough to be collecting Social Security, tho he claims to be very virile, and wanted to proove it to me personaly. I said no thank’s. Having Sheketovits huffeing and puffeing on top of me was all I could handel, and I can hear him huffeing and puffeing thru the wall with the women he DOES bring home for sex. I do NOT know where he find’s those women (or who or where they have been) but I do NOT want him with me sexueally. TRIPEL FOOEY on that!
Muppet
Is your feedback going to be anonymous — as in, combined with a sufficient number of other people giving feedback so that your comments aren’t clearly attributable to you? If so, I think you could say something about poor delegating, time management, or credibility that would be reasonable feedback, without sounding whiny.
roses
I have not been in this situation and certainly am not a workplace dynamics expert, but I think the answer to this largely depends on who is asking for the feedback – is it someone who you consider to be rational and/or someone who might have gotten complaints about this person for someone else? Or is it someone that is close to the nightmare worker that could use it against you?
If you think the person is rational, I’d say something like “I feel that X could be better at managing – I find myself having to work on non-emergency projects with virtually no notice, and X has asked me to re-do work to include details that s/he did not initially request.” Leave the weekend work out of it; frame it as being inefficient and harmful to your ability to complete other projects.
hoola hoopa
+1 I’ve seen this work both ways, and framing it this ways is, IME, your only approach if you’re going to do it.
Also, you should strongly consider Voice of doom’s point.
Either way, you may want to brush off your resume.
Mpls
Objectively, it sounds like this person has really bad project managements skills (like roses said). Lots of last minute deadlines, some of which could be avoided with better communication and information.
Could you frame it in a “I’d like to be able to do good work on this/these project(s), but the constant fire drills are making it difficult. Is there a way to address this?”
Alternatively, is it possible that the last minute stuff and the incomplete information is client driven (assuming an outside client and not an internal project)?
West Coast
I would give feedback, both positive and constructive. If you do it well, you could potentially make positive changes, and also show off your skills as a developer. There are a few different formulas to give feedback and, in your case, I would look towards the following:
-The situation and their action–be very factual and clear, try to tell the same version that they would.
-The impact on you and how it made you feel (you can hedge a bit here with empathy if you think it is needed, e.g. I understand the last minute change was potentially because of new information that s/he just received, but I did have to work through the night to incorporate this. While I don’t mind working through the night from time to time, it did negatively impact my productivity the next day. ) Don’t hesitate to be ’emotional’ here; it adds power because no one can debate how it made you feel. e.g. When I didn’t hear any response for three weeks on a urgent project that I gave up a weekend to complete, I felt like my contribution and work feel unimportant and that I don’t matter, or, the challenging nature of the projects we work on make me excited and feel like I am an important member of the team.
-What you would prefer to have going forward / what should stay the same.
What to avoid:
Being general, e.g. s/he has poor time management, s/he doesn’t explain things clearly.
Only giving constructive feedback without positive.
Although it seems like there may be other things in play, try to give him/her the benefit of the doubt; it may be the case that they are getting last minute updates / requests as well, or are a newer manager and do not realize that they need to structure their day so that delegation comes earlier in the day and not the end.
Anon
I’m in academia where it’s much harder to fire someone, particularly due to giving negative feedback about a senior person, so there’s that grain of salt. That said, things to consider:
– Does this person have sway over your career trajectory? Do they promote you? Review you? Determine your salary?
– As a manager, I think one of the most important things you said is that you receive these fire drills, do the work, and then nothing happens. Is that because there really was no urgent deadline, or because she just did not give you feedback about it for some time? That is an important distinction. If she’s creating fictional emergencies, someone needs to know about that. If she is using the work you give her but not passing along to you the result or feedback for some time, that’s something you could just address with her.
– I’d keep the feelings out of it. Stick to the facts. For example, “On several occasions I have been given very short, unanticipated projects with next-day deadlines, at times over weekends. After I completed the work in a timely manner and submitted it to X, nothing was done with my work product for several weeks, leading me to believe these deadlines were unnecessarily short. While I am happy to work on tight deadlines and over weekends when necessary, my productivity is negatively affected by these seemingly unnecessary fire drills, as I must drop other high-priority work to complete these last-minute projects according to the assigned deadline.”
If I received this feedback from a subordinate I’d know I either needed to loop them in more so they understood the need for these short deadlines, or take a good look at my own work-prioritization. As a manager, if I received this feedback about an employee, I would wonder why they were not keeping their colleagues apprised of the need for these deadlines or I would wonder about their time-management skills. I suppose if this is a law firm and the deadlines are client-driven there isn’t much anyone can do about it, but it would make sense to me to keep you clued in so that you at least know why you are being asked to do these things. Good luck!
Tahitian pearl hunter
I was in Hawaii last summer and was on the hunt for Tahitian pearls only to discover how crazy expensive they are! After a lot of sticker shock, I found a $20 long strand (imperfectly round but still quite beautiful) at an ABC store. Just a little PSA for anyone else on that hunt.
Idea
I actually thought for a split-second that you had been hunting pearls in their original oysters, under the ocean, until you found a long strand.