Coffee Break: Dakota Satchel

47 Comments

1. How are you all cleaning hardwood floors? I bought a Bona hardwood cleaner, but I find that it makes my floors slippery. I’m sure I’m doing something wrong, but this is my first time cleaning hardwoods (as opposed to LVP, carpet, or tile).

   1. Yeah, I didn’t like Bona. I dust mop them first, then wash with the classic – Murphy’s oil soap.

      We don’t wear shoes in the house, so I don’t wash very often. Dust more frequently.

   2. I like Method Wood for Good and the kind of mop that is big and flat with a removable terrycloth cover. Vacuum or sweep and then Swiff before mopping.

   3. I don’t like Bona or Murphy’s. I only use Pallmann.

   4. Caveat that I have 100 year old hardwood floors, so I mostly vacuum with a non-rotating head and occasionally use method almond spray and a microfiber mop.

   5. I vacuum and then wet mop with a very dilute solution of Mrs. Meyer’s All-Purpose cleaner – 1/4 cup per gallon of water. My floors are sealed with polyurethane.

   6. Per large mop bucket of hot water: about 1/4 tsp ivory dish soap, about 2 tablespoons white vinegar, and a few drops of whatever smells good essential oil. Makes the house smell clean, instead of the house smelling like cleaning product.

      1. Do you rinse off the soap after?

      2. Same here, although we use a few drops of Palmolive.

         To the other poster: I don’t bother to rinse after. It’s such a small amount of dish soap diluted in a couple of gallons of water that there aren’t suds. I don’t notice any residue after the floor dries nor is there any noticeable build up over time.

2. Just wanted to share what ChatGPT says about bra washing:

   Most experts recommend:

   Wash a bra every 3–4 wears

   (or about once a week if you rotate between a few).

   Why not wash after every wear?
   • Bras lose elasticity faster with frequent washing.
   • They need time between wears for the elastic to “recover,” which keeps the fit better longer.

   Wash more often if:
   • You exercised or sweated heavily
   • It is very hot/humid
   • The bra is a sports bra (those should be washed every wear)
   • You wore perfume or lotion that transfers to the fabric

   Wash less often if:
   • You only wore it for a short period
   • You did not sweat at all
   • It is a lightly used lounge bra

   Also, bras should be replaced every 6-12 months.

   1. that is hysterical. I’m wearing bras I’ve had for 10 years. They get downgraded over time but I’m not going to throw away a $100 bra every 6 months, lol what.

      1. lol what bra company marketing material did it pull 6-12 months from?! My bras hold up 4-5 years.

   2. Please, spare us the posts from ChatGPT. We can all do that if we prefer. We come here because we want to hear from humans.

      1. so much this. I can Google and I can ask the chatbots. I come to this place for other things.

      2. It was clearly shared in the spirit of bringing some levity to our days. I, for one, welcome that from whatever the source.

         1. But, like, it’s not even amusing.

            1. Perhaps you are just not in the mood to be amused today.

            2. I agree it’s not amusing. It’s just a bland AI answer. But hey, maybe it will help some readers improve their hygiene!

         2. I do not. Don’t waste my time with AI slop – that’s not levity.

      3. +1

   3. It’s ok if the bra loses elasticity over time and needs to be replaced. It’s not meant to last decades. Please wash your bras!

   4. This is a very ChatGPT answer.

   5. Huh? I wash mine every time I wear it. No dryer. They last years.

   6. Alternatively, I am a larger size bra person (38gg). Mine do need to be replaced more frequently, unfortunately. I assume it’s because they are providing more support? (Yes, I buy high quality brands).

      Lucky those of you who have bras lasting 10 years. I’m jealous.

3. I am bad at prioritizing sleep. I understand why but I don’t really see or feel a difference between 6 hours and 8 hours. if you’ve gotten better, how have you done it?

   1. If you don’t see a difference, it is actually possible your body is ok with 6 hours, for what it’s worth

   2. No reading at night. I’m a big reader (100+ books a year) but I can’t pick up a book, especially fiction, at night because I’ll stay up until it’s finished, even if it takes me until 3 am.

      That said, if you don’t see a difference between 6 and 8 hours, maybe you don’t need that much sleep? Some people don’t. I’m not functional if I get less than 8 hours and feel much better with 9. I’ve always had really high sleep needs since I was a kid and now I have kids who have really high sleep needs so there’s clearly a genetic component to this.

      1. I sleep faster if I do read, but Instagram will keep me up way too late. But even if I prioritize sleep, it’s no guarantee that it happens. I’ve always been a bad sleeper.

      2. Glad I’m not the only one with this problem. “Just one more chapter,” I say to myself. An hour later…

         (Books now have to be started on weekends only)

   3. The data supporting sleep, such as it is, is population level data that is averaged out across all individuals. Your impression of 6 vs 8 hours is individualized data that is more likely to be useful for you.

      1. yeah, if you don’t feel a difference of 6 vs 8 hours, maybe it’s not a priority for you. I hope that means you wake up well rested after 6, as opposed to unrested after 8 though! And I would also make sure you check for a consistent amount of time (e.g. getting the recommended amount of sleep for a month) as opposed to trying it once and then dropping it.

   4. Some people only need six hours.

   5. The specialist I saw had me focus on the morning more than the evening. The main advice for evening was to avoid blue light by using warm lighting and shifting the light spectrum of any screens to warm at night. I think I’d already worked on eating times and no coffee after noon and not exercising right before bed.

      So the main focus was on waking at a consistent time and getting sunlight at a consistent time in the morning. Step outside for a walk, take coffee on the porch, open the curtains wide, just whatever gets enough sun to send the “daytime” signal to the brain. They said that the more consistent I could be in the mornings, the more likely I would be to start to feel sleepy at whatever time my body felt the need to sleep given the wake time.

   6. You didn’t really specify… Do you feel rested? Or are you exhausted and feel like you need more sleep?

      If you aren’t overly tired or trying to solve for other symptoms, and feel like you wake up refreshed, there’s not really any reason to aim for more sleep.

   7. I almost never sleep more than 6 hours, even if I don’t set an alarm clock. The only time I get 8+ is when I’m sick. You probably just need less.

4. Very, very niche question, but would love to brainstorm any and all ideas. I have a former student who has won a prestigious fellowship to study in Wales for two years, and I’d like to get her a celebratory gift. Nothing big or too personal, but ideally something that would be nice to have with her in Wales. Thoughts?

   1. Umbrella.

      1. Or a packable raincoat.

   2. Hot water bottle? High quality scarf/gloves or an anorak?

   3. One of those adapters that also has USB chargers

   4. What a lovely thing to do.
      As the student, with picky tastes, I would have loved to received a thoughtful card or maybe a small guide book either to the language or niche trips around the country. Or a really nice pen–even the pen that writes when wet and waterproof notepad would be fun and useful.

      1. Rite in the Rain!

         https://www.riteintherain.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopyiBRzJ7IhuuX2dKsDXMX80-3vvA1CqZLuntJEirOWZlXEwe9o

   5. Book of Dylan Thomas poetry. Any movie with Richard Burton or Anthony Hopkins. Burton’s or Hopkins’ memoirs. The Welsh flag is also really cool (it has a dragon on it). There is also a town in Wales with a really long name, like more than 20 letters. They probably sell little faux town sign names.

   6. To bring with her, I would get her a gift that has nothing to do with Wales, but a nice cozy remembrance of home.

      She will be surrounded with all things Wales for two years, and those things will be local, more authentic and cheaper than what you can get from afar.

      To get her something Welsh, you could get a “Gavin and Stacey” dvd box set, or maybe a Rhod Gilbert stand-up routine dvd. The miners’ strike “Pride” movie is set in Wales, as is Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. You could get a Bryn Terfel opera CD, some Welsh men’s choirs singing carols, or a Roald Dahl collection.

5. Wearing a trench coat today and I feel like the man from Curious George, minus the yellow hat.

   1. A trench coat makes me feel like I should flash someone, or that someone is expecting me to do that.

   2. I feel like I’m wearing a bathrobe every time I’ve tried a trench coat. I can do a very long puffer, a belted wool coat, but not a trench. I’ve decided it’s okay to just let others wear some styles.

Comments are closed.