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Updated: Oct 30, 2018 72 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Tapping Neck & Shoulder Massager with Heat

Coffee Break

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.

We've been gifted a few different massage products at Casa Griffin– one for feet and toes, one for the lower back — but I'm one of those people who carries all my tension in my neck and shoulders, and it's tough to get into that area by yourself. I bought this product a while ago and while there are drawbacks (namely: it is SUPER loud and distracting, so you cannot watch a movie or read a book while doing it), it does get into my neck and shoulders far better than any other product I've tried. I've also used it on lower back pain and hip pain, although I don't think that's the intended use. (Can't believe I forgot to mention this in yesterday's discussion of the best ways to relax after a stressful day!) It's on sale for $129 at Brookstone. Tapping Neck & Shoulder Massager with Heat (Has anyone gotten one of those massage chairs or any other similar product you really like? Do tell…) This post may contain 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!

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Comments

  1. F in SF

    I’m looking for a new pair of boots for walking to work and need some help! What do you think of these? I work in tech so it’s pretty casual. Not sure about dropping like $300, but these are lovely…

    http://www.lastcall.com/Aquatalia-Teri-Zip-Pleated-Back-Bootie/prod46110273_cat7270010_cat5980029_cat5730006/p.prod?icid=&searchType=EndecaDrivenCat&rte=%252Fcategory.service%253FitemId%253Dcat7270010%2526pageSize%253D30%2526No%253D0%2526Ns%253DPCS_SORT%2526refinements%253D4294926193%252C4294926230&eItemId=prod46110273&cmCat=product
    http://www.lastcall.com/Stuart-Weitzman-Jitterbug-Leather-Moto-Boot-Boots-Booties/prod46550136_cat5980029_cat5730006_cat000001/p.prod?icid=&searchType=EndecaDrivenCat&rte=%252Fcategory.jsp%253FitemId%253Dcat5980029%2526pageSize%253D30%2526No%253D0%2526refinements%253D&eItemId=prod46550136&cmCat=product

    • Bonnie

      Both companies have good reputations. IMO Aquatalia tend to be more comfortable and waterproof. They’re marked down to $233 today and will likely go down even more over the weekend or on Columbus Day.

    • pugsnbourbon

      D@MN I love those moto boots. I have no experience with either brand, unfortunately, but those are so cool.

    • traveler

      Those are great, classic Aquitalia booties. The quality is excellent, and if you care for them, they will last for years and are timeless. They are also well made, waterproof, and very comfortable. I find them more comfortable than SW’s.

      I have a couple pairs of Aquitalia boots, all purchased after stalking on deep discount, and I am going to buy the black pair you linked to. Thanks for this!

  2. Supreme Court argument

    I recently moved to DC and would like to attend a Supreme Court oral argument. I don’t care about which one it is, and I’ve heard that my best bet is to attend a non controversial case. Any tips on getting in? I’m not a member of the Supreme Court bar. My husband would like to attend as well (we’re nerdy like that). Can one of us go really early and save a place for the other? Any other tips I should know about? Any advice appreciated!

    • nutella

      There are two lines: one that rotates through for a brief few minutes and one that sits for the entire time. The one for the entire time is first-come-first-serve, so you would not be able to save a spot for someone else as only the first 20 or so are guaranteed to get in. You might be interested in the one that rotates through, though. You can check out the Court’s w3bs#te for scheduling.

      • OP

        Thanks, I saw that about the two lines. If we wanted to attend the entire argument, any sense of how early we would have to get there? (I’m talking about for a low profile case).

        • Catters

          I’d say 6am to be safe, 7am to take a risk – you should be able to get there later than that, but honestly you never know when a couple of school groups will be in town and in line for oral arguments early.

        • Samantha

          If you’re very averse to waking up early, there are services you can hire to save a spot in line for you. Google “DC line standing” – seems like the average rate is $50/hour for Supreme Court arguments.

  3. Casual wear

    What do you all wear on the weekends? I have a great work wardrobe and find myself going to the same few outfits on weekends. I’m in my mid 30s, have two young kids, around a size 6. I’m talking about for going to the park, for brunch, grocery shopping, etc. I tend to fall back on dark skinny jeans and a plain colored top, but that gets really boring. I live in the northeast. Links to specific clothes a huge plus. Thanks.

  5. Anonymous

    I’m expecting a baby this winter, and when I come back from my 12 week maternity leave, I’d like to work at home a couple of days per week. My commute isn’t horrible (~25 minutes each way) but not doing it twice per week would give me back some time, plus my work is well-suited to WFH (very solitary, requires a lot of concentration, doesn’t require any technology besides a laptop computer) and I’m hoping I could use the short breaks I already take during the workday to throw in a load of laundry or start dinner instead of surfing the Internet. I usually have a few meetings a week, but they tend to be on the same days and when I make the request I’d let my boss know I’m flexible (i.e., if I have no meetings I normally work from home on certain days, but I’ll come in for meetings). My office is not a traditionally high-stress (or high-paying) industry and we’re generally very big on work-life balance (people take all their vacation time and duck out in the middle of the day for doctors’ appointments and for stuff at their kids’ schools) but nobody works from home on a regular basis so I need to discuss this in advance with my boss, I can’t just do it and see if people push back.
    When is the best time to ask for this? Before going out on leave? How far in advance? While I’m out? My formal leave arrangements are all being handled directly with our big, impersonal HR dept (although boss is aware that I’m having a baby and how much time I’m taking off) and I want to make the WFH request first to my boss and only involve HR if he thinks it’s necessary.

    • Maddie Ross

      Can you/do you ever work from home on the weekend or in the evening? Is your office/job set up to accommodate that? If working from home is ok, just not something people generally do on a regular basis, I might start with just floating a question to your boss about it. Not a hard ask, but a question about whether it would ever be ok. And then judge your next steps accordingly. Since it sounds like you’d be coming back either way, I probably would wait until you’re closer to coming back and have an idea of specifics before you make an official ask.

      • OP

        I almost never work evenings or weekends (job is very 9-5 even though I’m salaried and don’t clock in and out) but when I do it’s always at home. Like I said we don’t really have a WFH culture but it’s certainly logistically feasible. Yes, I’m coming back either way.

        • Maddie Ross

          I ask about whether you work from home now, as it generally seems that places that are already set up for that (with laptops, appropriate security and VPN networks, cloud-based phone systems, etc.) are generally more flexible about it. If your employer will need to spend time/money to get you setup, they may be less inclined to allow it.

          • OP

            I guess it’s not really set up, but I also don’t think they’d have to invest money to allow me to WFH. I can set my office phone to ring through to my cell phone and I seriously never get non-spam calls anyway (I think maybe…one? in the last 6 months. I only communicate with people internal to my org and everyone uses email). Security is not an issue, we can work from our personal laptops and don’t have a file system or anything like that I’d need a VPN for. My work is basically just drafting documents in MS Word and emailing to my boss so he can edit them. I already have work email on my personal laptop and phone.

      • anon

        This. You will be more successful if you set it up before maternity leave and get in a groove/get approval for it generally, not as a concession to family time.

      • OP

        Hmm. I guess I feel like I have a reason for it after the baby (everyone knows that a new parent is pressed for time and a few extra hours a week can make a big difference, right?) but right now I don’t have any reason, and I feel like my boss’s reaction might be “Well…nobody else in the office does it, what makes you special?” After baby, I’ll have something tangible that sets me apart from everyone else (other people have kids, but nobody has kids who aren’t school-age). I’m not really worried about a “concession to family time” — our office is super, super family friendly and I feel like the request would be more likely to be approved, not less, if it were seen as a concession to family time. I also feel like it will be more likely to be approved if it’s part of a maternity leave thing, because they might fear me leaving if they say no (although I won’t).

        • anon

          I had some pretty bad leg/foot swelling so my OB recommended I stay off my feet for the last trimester of my pregnancy. I requested and was granted wfh two days a week, which I transitioned to three days a week toward the end.

          That meant that when I was coming back from leave I had already demonstrated that I could wfh efficiently and they let me do it for a while as part of transitioning back to work.

          tl;dr I agree with Godzilla

        • Thistledown

          Could you try a few one-off days, just to see how it goes? Maybe on a day you have a doctor’s appointment in the morning, if you could work from home for the rest of the day. That could help demonstrate that it would work smoothly when you make the bigger ask.

    • Stati

      I would wait until about a month before your maternity leave is over to make a formal proposal outlining what you want. You could certainly float the idea to your boss now just to get a read, but I think it would make more sense to ask once you know what you really need. For example, your childcare plan may change. Baby may have a wacky sleep schedule or require more frequent md appts. Not sure if you’re married/with a SO, but their schedule may be able to flex some to accommodate yours.

      The other upside to waiting – in my opinion – is that there’s less of a strain of re-arranging workload as someone/the team has been covering during your leave. It would be an easier transition back in, I think.

      Others’ points about setup/technology, etc are well noted.

  6. Anonymous

    Has anyone here done an Oceania cruise? Friends of ours went on one and said the food was excellent. The mediocre food on cruises is a big reason DH and I avoid them. But these friends aren’t really foodies and (this probably sounds snobby) I’m not sure I really trust their opinion. If anyone here has gone on Oceania and can share their take on the food, especially as it compares to the “regular” cruise lines like Princess and Royal Caribbean, I’m curious to know.

    • Anonymous

      Have you actually been on a cruise and thought the food was mediocre or have you just heard that? DH and I like food and we thought the dinner on our Carnival cruise was pretty good. Lunch was mediocre

      • Anonymous

        I have been on a bunch of the mainstream cruise lines (Holland American, Princess, NCL, Royal Caribbean) and thought the food was edible but not great. Granted, this was mostly 20-25 years ago as a preteen and teenager with my parents, so I can’t say I’m an authority in what they’re doing currently. I’ve never been on Carnival, although that line is generally cheaper than some of the others I listed. DH and I did do one cruise together less than a decade ago (on Princess) and although the food was ok, it was mediocre enough that I don’t think we want to cruise again unless we can find a line with significantly better food. That cruise was to Alaska, so we cared about scenery way more than food on that trip, and it was fine, but unless we’re going to a destination just to see something very specific like wildlife, we’re “travel to eat” types – not that we are eating in Michelin-starred restaurants every night or anything like that, but really delicious meals are a big part of an enjoyable vacation for us.

    • Tetra

      I have done an Oceania cruise, but I have never done any other kind so it’s hard to compare. I would say the food was very good, and much better than I expected for a cruise. My parents did a Regent cruise and said that Oceania was just as nice, and a lot less expensive.

    • Baconpancakes

      I’ve been on a few Holland America cruises, which has a reputation as the best cruise line for food, and while it was objectively good food, I can find consistently better, more interesting food on shore pretty much anywhere I go. (Including Iceland, which has a reputation for terrible food!)

      If you’re someone who searches out the talked-about up and coming spots, hidden gem cafes run by the same family since 1850, or the best bartender in town when you travel, you’ll be disappointed. If you just want nice food, you’ll probably be fine.

      And to the foodie/snobbery note, yeah, it is a bit snobby, but it’s ok. I get lightly made fun of every morning making my pour-over in the office kitchen instead of drinking the provided Folgers, but I also don’t have to drink gross coffee.

      • Anonymous

        I don’t think Holland America has a reputation as the best cruise line for food. In the non-luxury market, Celebrity is definitely better (I’ve been on both HAL and Celebrity) and luxury cruises are all supposed to be much better, although I haven’t been on one. My parents are pretty choosy about food: their favorites are Oceania, Seabourn, Windstar, Azamara and Paul Gauguin and they go on Celebrity when they have to go on a “regular cruise.” They’ve been on Holland America too and don’t particularly care for the food on that one.

        Agreed with your point about local food though. From what I’ve heard from my parents, the cruise lines they like offer fine dining at sea, but apart from maybe a theme night or two you’re not going to get food that’s really tied to the destination.

    • Blonde Lawyer

      I did a Norwegian cruise and I was really impressed with the food. I can’t have gluten/dairy though so my food was often made separate from the rest. I had to pick my dinner the night before. My husband had the normal food and he also seemed impressed with it. We are pretty food snobby. We haven’t been to a chain restaurant in a very long time.

  7. Waiting

    LADIES!

    I finally heard! Skype interview this week. I’ve never done one. Give me all your wisdom, please!

    • s in chicago

      Practice with friends. Raise your computer screen slightly up–it’s a much more flattering an angle. Make sure you have good lighting around you (not behind you), if you wear glasses be mindful of glare. test audio with a friend to see how far away you should be to sound clearest.

    • Anonymous

      Make sure you wear a full interview outfit on top and bottom. I’ve heard of interviewers actually asking candidates to stand up during the interview to check — which seems totally inappropriate, but it happens.

    • Anonymous

      There’s a lot of advice online about doing Skype interviews, make sure you are in a room with good light, do a test run so you don’t have shadows on your face. Put some books under your laptop so it’s at eye level. It’s good to be in a room with some amount of furniture, reduces echo. Have a clutter free background. Regarding makeup that looks good on camera or jewellery, look online for advice and good luck!

    • nutella

      Yes to wearing a full interview outfit. That story about checking is definitely inappropriate, but what if you are excused to go get something and it shows? Otherwise, I do think it puts you in the right mindset for the interview, much like those studies where wearing a labcoat increased people’s focus and attention. Test it out beforehand for other things: make sure you don’t have a weird echo, your background is not distracting, you have proper lighting, no other noises, you know how you will fit in the frame before you join, etc. Because you are on camera, appearance and what’s on screen is noticed much more than in person, so looking down at your notes will be more obvious when your eyes divert. Prop up any important notes you may need to reference. Same goes for hand gestures – keep them out of sight. If you are doing this on your home computer, it may also help to prop up your laptop so that you are not hunching over to be in the camera. Finally, indicate you are understanding with nods and smiles, not by saying “uh huh” as many of these programs block out speech when someoneone is talking like a walkie-talkie, making those subtle ‘understanding’ cues seem like you are interrupting.

    • Anonymous

      If you don’t skype regularly, make sure you do a trial run with a friend! I had a google hangout interview that started off very rocky because I couldn’t get the darn thing to work properly.

    • Carrots

      I get distracted by the video of myself in the bottom of the screen sometimes, so I have little post its with arrows on either side of my camera on my laptop to remind me to look at the camera, not at myself in the bottom corner.

    • Anonymous

      Make eye contact by looking directly into the camera, not at the image of the other person on the screen.

    • Anon

      Make sure your lighting is good (as someone who frequently conducts Skype interviews, there’s nothing worse than a totally washed out or terribly backlit video interview) and that the angle of the camera is flattering and feels comfortable for you (typically, I prop up my laptop on a few large books so I can look at, rather than down, at the camera).

    • Mermaid

      Congratulations! If you’re Skypeing from home, and you have pets, I recommend you confine them to another room during the interview. Especially if you have a dog that goes into a loud barking frenzy everytime someone walks past your house. Ask me how I know this.

  8. Aurora

    Top tips: Do a dry run – practice your makeup, clothing, body language, speaking, background, and lighting ahead of time if you can to make sure everything is in working shape and nothing looks really awkward. Probably obvious, but pick somewhere quiet with nice lighting and a non-distracting background.

    Make sure the camera is at eye level or a little higher. This might mean putting your laptop up on some books or otherwise elevating it, but the up-the-nose shot is not a great interview look for anyone. As much as possible, maintain eye contact with your webcam, not the screen.

    Speak a little more slowly and clearly than your normally would, and take an extra beat or two after the other person stops speaking to account for lag. I’m the type of person who is a fast talker and likes to jump right in the second someone else gets done speaking, but this type of interrupting can be a lot more awkward on Skype than in person, so I try to smile, nod and say “mmhmm” while counting to 3 in my head to make sure we’re not accidentally talking over each other.

    SO excited for you! Good luck!

  9. Less Than A Year

    Just reset my password at work to something very similar to “LessThanAYearToGo,” which is a nice reminder every time I have to type it in that I’m on the downswing of this awful job.

    It’s the little things.

  11. Thinking of Equity

    Ladies — after 3+ successful years as a contract partner, I’m up for equity partner at my regional MidLaw firm. And I’m trying to figure out if I want it. This isn’t a conversation to have at work since I’m supposed to be 110% gung-ho. I’m not sure any doubt will be received well.

    So. Any advice or resources as I try to figure out pros and cons? I’m trying to think of people to talk to, but since many firms (like mine) don’t outwardly distinguish between equity and non, I’m not sure where to even start!

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