Coffee Break: Under the Sea Card Holder
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I'm sure I've seen the brand Radley around before, but I haven't really focused on it — and certainly not on the many cute patterns and designs, including for card holders, wallets, and totes.
I could do without the Radley dog everywhere (why is it under the sea?) but it's so hard to find cute but sophisticated designs like this these days that I'll take it.
This lovely small card holder is available in two shades of blue, the light one pictured as well as a darker navy for $48. The brand has a number of more sedate purses, backpacks, and totes on sale for 50% off — take a look if you're on the hunt.
You can also find the brand at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. (Nordstrom even has some bags with this print, including a tote and coin purse, but not the card holder.)
(Psst: here's our last discussion on who's still using business cards.)
Sales of note for 9/26/25
- Nordstrom – 7400+ new markdowns! Also: 6x points on beauty.
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale, plus $20 style steals
- Banana Republic Factory – 40% off everything + extra 15% off
- Boden – Sale now up to 50% off PLUS an extra 10% off
- J.Crew – Extra 30% off sale styles, plus up to 50% off layers they love
- J.Crew Factory – 40-70% off everything + extra 20% off $125+
- Nordstrom Rack – UGG up to 40% off
- Rothy's – Up to 50% off last-chance sales
- Soma – 6 panties for $36 — readers love these no-VPL panties (and these PJs)
- Talbots – 40% off one item, plus 30% off everything else
- White House Black Market – 30% off all full-price dresses, and $50 off $200+ purchase
any sudoku players here? which are the best books?
I am going to take a “staycation” later this month. Thinking I’ll block my work calendar from a Friday through the following Weds. I will still check email and handle any major blowups (law firm partner). I could use some low-key time away from the physical office. Currently am thinking I will take a long walk/gentle yoga class every day, read 1-2 books, finally clean out my handful of “misc.” boxes in my garage post-divorce, and maybe cook a couple good meals/see a movie with a friend. I will likely mostly hang out at home. Any other ideas to make this a calm and nice time?
Partner or not, checking email and handling blowups is not a break.
She’s taking what she can get. Perfect, as always, is the enemy of the good.
I would schedule a hair appointment, if you need one. I always feel refreshed when I have my hair done. Massage could be nice too.
Nature. Just find the nearest hiking trail near you and spend a morning there sans phone use
agree, massage! if you can go to a museum or enjoy tasty happy hour appetizers/drinks somewhere.
I don’t think cleaning and cooking is a good staycation- part of what makes a vacation rejuvenating is not doing chores. Can you focus more on eating out or ordering delivery, going to a day spa or museum – just purely recreational, non-productive things?
That’s you. Going through stuff I’ve been avoiding and getting it done is an excellent use of a staycation. Stop judging this person for their plans. They’re actively using their time to make their future self less burdened.
I’m not judging or projecting my values (values?)! She asked for advice on how to make this calm and a nice time, and I am offering suggestions based on my experience. I realize my experience is not universal.
Right? lol.
For real, and fwiw I completely agree with you. Save the chores for another weekend and spend the staycation like you would an actual vacation. I’d probably spring for a couple nights at a local hotel and enjoy room service and the amenities.
Nonsense. I’d rather cook, clean, and organize than waste time at a museum. Stop projecting your values–this person is trying to get her personal life in order.
I think you’re the one who is projecting. OP never said that was her goal, just that she wanted time away from the office and for it to be calm and relaxing. This person is correctly pointing out that doing chores isn’t calm and relaxing – I fully agree.
Agreed. If you want it to feel relaxing and restorative, get out and do something you love on most or all of those days.
Agree.
I think there’s a difference between home projects that require a chunk of time and focus (like, going through your entire closet or garage) vs. spending a vacation day scrubbing the bathroom. The former category provides me a lot of self-satisfaction to complete, as opposed to the feeling of “Sisyphus completed yet another recurring chore.”
I think time outside in nature is most restorative, though – exploring a local botanical garden? Long bike ride? Long patio lunch? It doesn’t have to be ‘outdoorsy’ just ‘outsidey.’
Interesting. I feel the opposite. I’ll scrub a bathroom listening to a podcast and feel awesome afterwards. But decluttering or organizing involves a level of thinking and decision making that makes me wish I was at work. It’s so draining. Im always exhausted and frustrated after.
I think you are fairly unique.
yoga every day and seeing a movie with a friend are not chores. Cooking is fun for some. And sorting out boxes is maybe not fun, but having a better organized garage space can have long lasting payoff.
I think people can legitimately have different feelings about what constitutes relaxing and restorative particularly with “chores.” I find I can lean into relaxing at home more if I take time to knock off at least one looming task. i find cooking is more fun and relaxing than ordering take out and often the food I make myself tastes more satisfying to me.
The lazy genius has a podcast episode on the 7 different types of rest. I’ve listened to it multiple times when I am just overwhelmed and lost and it helps me find my focus and rest ‘smarter’ (this sounds counterintuitive but it’s really great and help me ease into the relaxation I need without guilt).
Thanks for this, very helpful!
Read your book at a coffee shop, get lunch at a nice restaurant (or take advantage of happy hour deals), walk through a nature preserve, go to a museum, leisurely shop at the fancy grocery store or butcher then cook an elaborate meal with a glass of wine, take a day trip to a cute town. Pick a few long movies you can never find time to watch and have a nightly showing with tea or a drink.
If you want to be productive then only do tasks that can be completed in an afternoon. Your break won’t feel restful if your house is a mess for multiple days. Clean out one box then stop for the day- don’t leave items strewn about because you lost steam.
When I do something like this I like to binge watch a new to me show that I have been meaning to watch. Then I ‘accomplish’ something but also give my body the deeeep ‘veg out and do nothing’ rest that it needs when I take time off when I’m burned out.
Don’t underestimate a puzzle. Big fan of 1000 piece puzzle plus streaming a very second stream watchable show – The Wrong Paris was great for this. Also, I’d just book a day at the spa, or some other activity that will keep you away from your phone.
I make this Smitten Kitchen gnocchi recipe when I have extra time on my hands and want a fun cooking project: https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/01/gnocchi-in-tomato-broth/
It’s made an appearance during graduate school after I turned in my thesis and in breaks between jobs. Enjoy your time off!
I need structure on staycation days, otherwise I get decision paralysis. I pick 4 things a day: 1. a small chore I have been meaning to do like one misc box clean out 2. something indulgent I have been wanting to do like watch a movie, go try a new breakfast place, get a massage. 3. Movement of any kind (stretch, walk, dance class, bike ride). 4. Be outside for a while (this can be the same as 3, like a hike)
+1 – I like this structure and it’s largely what I do on Sundays. I do my small chores (laundry/groceries), get in a workout, do something leisurely/fun (read a new book, see a movie, get a pedicure, etc.), and prepare a yummy dinner/meal plan for the week so I can start my week calm and peacefully. One of my best days recently featured watching a TV series my teens and I both like, then making dinner and dessert with them.
I have a new manager who has set up one-on-ones to discuss the office, what management could be doing better, etc. Is there any value in being honest in those conversations? She’s very smart, but she’s an internal hire and I think it’s evident what the problems in our office are (and I’m worried about being seen as a critic).
I think it depends on what issues you’d want to bring up. If you’re just going to bring up small nitpicks, I’d skip it. If it’s something worth bringing up, I would phrase it as “here’s what I think really works and here’s what I think could be tweaked.” Better yet, “here’s what I really appreciate and I could use more of that with X and Y.”
the way to not be seen as a critic is to offer solutions alongside complaints, and to mention it once or twice but then let it go unless it’s significantly impacting you.
That’s good advice. I think my concern is sort of with the “significantly impacting” part, so maybe more context would be helpful. Our office has gone through a lot — there have been some significant departures over the last year, and I think I’m about six months away from seriously starting to look for other jobs. I think the new manager is a good person and making a show of support, but I can’t tell the appropriate move is to unload or to offer 2-3 solutions that would make my life better and leave it there.
I think “unload” is pretty much never the right option; but when everyone knows there are significant issues and a new leader is asking to do 1:1’s with this framing, I have seen people try the tight-lipped, “everything is fine” strategy, and it backfires – it can come across as petulant, I don’t trust you, etc. Your 2-3 ideas that would make your life better is a safer choice.
You can also turn the question back, as long as the overall tone stays thoughtful/engaged/curious (not venting & not “I don’t want to talk about”). So something like: “You probably already know this, but it’s certainly been a rough 6 months. The salary freeze is definitely demotivating (*rueful shrug*) and we’ve seen 3 of our 5 senior analysts leave for greener pastures recently. One thing I’ve been wondering about is how much SeniorLeadership knows about what our team does; is there anything we can do to help give you whatever you need to show them our value in x, y, or z?”
As a people manager who has seen a lot of organizational chaos recently, I’d pick the couple of things that would significantly improve your life, and that your new manager can hopefully actually help you achieve.
For us, there’s one adjacent org with a lot of power, and they cause a lot of stress because they try to do everyone else’s job, but not their own. This has been a source of ongoing frustration for several years.
Realistically, I can’t solve that, and neither can my new manager. What we CAN do is hold firm on our own responsibilities, goals, etc., and equipping our grandboss to speak up for our team to exec leadership.
Sometimes this friction shows up in ongoing work for my team, and there’s a few actions I can take in the moment to help, so it’s worth surfacing those to me (a fair portion of it is just using my senior title to back my team up when their peers are being difficult).
I think it is rarely the appropriate move to unload.
I agree, unloading is not the right move. Suggest a few things, but you want to cover a)how this impacts you b) why this should be a priority for your manager and c) what solution you propose.
I empathize also with feeling like you’re on the way out, but I remind myself that I don’t have an offer yet, so it’s worth investing even though I’m also tired…
If there are areas where you can say “we should do this” instead of just saying “we shouldn’t do that” it’ll probably be better received.
i know that variations on this question come up a lot. In my experience, so long as you don’t sound crazy or unrealistic it is a real opportunity to share real information so long as what you are sharing is something a person could actually facilitate. For example, my current employer didn’t start covering new hires for insurance until after 90 days. When I had an introductory 1.1 with the new CEO, I flagged it… said it is one thing if you are hiring a class of new analysts right out of college who are still on their parent’s but if you are hiring experienced professionals with families it is really a hardship and three month’s of a family cobra at one’s old employer really cuts down any sort of pay increase obtained with new position. Guess what? they changed the practice.
May your pillow always be the exact right temperature and may all your appliances last until you decide you want to upgrade them. In other words — bless you!
to the person studying to be a therapist as part of a phased retirement – i love that idea! are you hoping to get a job with an institution or just offer your services independently? did you consider anything else for a self-phased retirement?
I know a couple people that transitioned into being therapists mid-life, as a total career change. One had a friend that she partnered up with and they did private practice in a popular ring suburb of a major city. The other I believe worked for local government / social services division of some sort initially, and burned out quick and went to private practice.
My office smells. Like food, stale carpet, I don’t know. We rent and there is no way my employer (nonprofit) is going to invest. I have a door (lawyer), share a wall with the small kitchen. My prior workplaces banned scentsy or candles or air fresheners. This employer doesn’t ban them but I also don’t just want a bunch of perfume. Is there any scent-removing product I can work? Any surface cleaners that help reduce odors? I have my door closed a lot of the time, I don’t want to give anyone a headache, I am practically getting one myself as the stale/other people’s food/etc. just reeks.
I hate scents and LOVE the bad air sponge.
Could you get an air cleaner for your office?
I’d come in on a weekend or stay late and spray the carpet and any other fabric surfaces with Febreze (assuming real cleaning is not an option) and then put a FreshWave odor absorber or two in my inconspicuous spots. Give it a few days and see.
this weekend before you leave, set out a bowl of white vinegar somewhere (or multiple places) in the room. i’ve also heard about baking soda in carpet but i’d google that one first.
Both of these work, although you have to vacuum the baking soda out of the carpet after letting it sit long enough to soak up smells (a weekend would be reasonable length of time for that).
Vinegar might add its own smell, so another alternative long-term is charcoal briquettes in an open basket. They don’t add odors of their own but they absorb smells over time.
You could hang a charcoal bag in both the kitchen and your office to absorb odors.
Plug-in air purifier from Amazon (open it before you plug it in to remove the plastic bag around the filter; I have one by Levoit that is about $85, but there are smaller versions) and OdoBan spray spritzed around the air and on the carpet. Both really do work. I have never found vinegar to work on serious smells. A candle might also help unless they are banned in your office.
Febreeze. But not the domestic stuff that’s essentially a perfume spray- you want unscented commercial febreeze that actually kills smells.
Consider an air filter with a charcoal layer. If it’s loud you could run it overnight.
Coway air purifier.
https://cowaymega.com/products/airmega-200m
This might not be appropriate for your workplace, but I would bring a spray bottle full of inexpensive vodka, and then late on Friday spray every soft surface in your office. It does not need to be soaking, but there needs to be a decent layer on everything.As it evaporates, it will neutralize any odors.
how can i turn off notifications for unknown senders? the junk texts are out of control and i hate being distracted by them. or is there a way to make “favorited” numbers behave differently?
there is literally a slider in the iPhone menu that says “screen unknown senders” with a toggle.
My phone is a couple of years old and does not have this option. Seems that it’s a feature with iOS 26 for sure, but not sure how recently it was introduced.
My phone is also a couple of years old. You have to drill down but I have the option.
PSA if you have a bunch of generic glass vases from the florist hanging around, cluttering up your house: Give them back to the florist. I just had a birthday party including a bunch of floral arrangements for the tables, and although I could have kept the vases I didn’t want the extra clutter. So I called the florist and she is delighted to come to the house and pick them up, along with a bunch of other vases I have no use for. Win/win recycling/decluttering moment!! Yay!
if this trick doesn’t work, here is internet permission to toss them in the recycling. Just because the cheap glass is molded into a vase doesn’t make it any different than an empty marinara sauce jar.
Good for you!
I generally post stuff like that on my local buy nothing group and then after 1-2 days it either gets donated (Goodwill) or trashed. I try not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good when it comes to decluttering – I have ADHD and the ‘must find a perfect home for everything!’ tendency leads to insane amounts of clutter.
That’s actually incorrect. It’s not the same glass as a marinara jar and in most cities, putting anything besides bottles and jars in your recycling will contaminate the whole lot because it has a different chemical composition and melting point.
good to know! half the time the trash trucks take both our recycling and trash away so…. I’ve gotten a little lazy about the specifics.
It definitely depends on your city. Every city has their own list of what they do and don’t collect and it changes as the markets change, so it’s worth looking up every now and then. Mine sends a list in the mail every year, but you should be able to find it if you google your city’s recycling program for what you can and can’t recycle.
Where I live, this is what the trash trucks do if there’s a pattern of a household repeatedly including trash in the recycling!
lol I guarantee the Philly recycling trucks are not inspecting or remembering what an individual house has buried in the Trader Joe’s bags on the curb- they do it for the entire neighborhood at a time when short staffed.
But noted on the glass type!
This is not correct.
Many, many florists take back vases though; if it doesn’t work, just try another one!
This is called “wish-cycling” and to actually reduces the amount of material than can be recycled.
Just curious if anyone in the Boston/nyc region can suggest anything better than canyon ranch Lenox? That’s 45 min away from my MIL and she’s turning 80 soon…