Coffee Break: Polo Blaze
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There is a lot of good buzz around Ralph Lauren's new line for bags, and particularly this bag… and I can see why. I like the interesting curved flap and the interior zip pocket… and I appreciate the thoughtful details, like a flat base for stability, magnetic snap-flap closure, and comfortably long shoulder straps.
The red is gorgeous, IMHO, but also available in black and brown (all smooth leather) for $598 at Nordstrom and other retailers. There's also a smaller version and a larger version.
Sales of note for 9/25:
- Boden – Up to 50% off sale + extra 15% off (I'm trying to figure out which color(s) of this sweater I should order…)
- Ann Taylor – 25% off the weekend collection and extra 50% off sale section
- Anthropologie – Extra 50% off sale!
- Athleta – Lots marked down to 40% off; with an Athleta card you get an extra 20% off.
- AYR – Archive sale, up to 60% off
- CVS – Epic beauty sale
- J.Crew – Fall styles start at $39
- J.Crew Factory – 40% off new arrivals, extra 20% off orders $125+
- Nordstrom – over 9800 new markdowns
- M.M.LaFleur – Labor Day Sale Event, save sitewide! (Try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off on other items)
- Nordstrom Rack – Extra 40% off select clearance
- Talbots – 40% off one item, 30% off everything else
- Theory – End of season sale is on!
is a khacki colored trench a rain coat or a fall jacket? l
Both?
I prefer a darker color personally, but if it’s lined then khaki is absolutely appropriate for fall.
There was a morning question about losing weight without becoming obsessed with it. The only way I’ve ever been able to do it was when I had a health issue that meant I couldn’t eat wheat. Not gluten, wheat itself was the issue.
Now I’m better but I should still limit the amount of wheat I eat. I’m thinking of continuing the no-wheat as a diet/weight loss thing. I think it works because it prevents me from eating most snacks, pizza, pastries etc. Idk if this is crazy or not, but it works for my brain. Easiest weight loss ever for me. When the health issue was worse I lost weight just because there were so many restrictions on what I could eat.
I just got diagnosed with arthritis and am contemplating a diet to target chronic inflammation. I know that is going to be my entire personality for a bit.
Honestly it was not as bad as I would have thought! I felt self conscious about ordering adjustments in restaurants, but all those atkins people way back then did us a favor, no one has any issue serving a burger in lettuce instead of on a bun.
It also helps to reframe as what you can eat. At work breakfasts I can still eat yogurt and fruit. I can still eat rice, potatoes, oats. There is plenty there to work with. Rice and potatoes are also staple foods.
In my case I would shortly feel the effects if I ate anything I wasn’t supposed to so it was very self-enforcing.
My mom did this (revamped her diet on the theory that she had some dietary arthritis triggers), and it was annoying for a while to her children. But it made such a huge difference for her that we kind of had to reassess our bad attitudes.
I don’t know. My MIL was absolutely thrilled when my sister in law was diagnosed with celiac. Another excuse to demonize food AND police everyone’s eating at family gatherings truly brings her joy. I find that disordered. I seriously suspect it’s the motivation behind a lot of gluten avoidant people. Why not just control your calories without making gluten a problem of it isn’t? I get super annoyed by gluten free people who make exceptions when it suits them but expect us all to make them gluten free food.
I didn’t comment this morning by life of a GLP-1 is magic for me. I’m effortlessly eating well. I always ate well but often too much and pushing past hunger was a huge part of my life. Ives lost 25 pounds. Now you can see the muscles that hid under 25 pounds of fat because I’ve always strength trained. I LOOK fit enough that no one lectures me on food or wellness, like the horror that is gluten the moral failure that is cheese. When you have an average body you get shamed. When you look noticeably fitter than the shamers they back off. Thats my experience. Not saying anyone else should take it.
I will avoid talking about my glp-1 usage irl. I will straight up lie and gaslight anyone who asks point blank and whom I don’t think deserves to know. This weight loss has been the ultimate check mate to the wellness police. Especially my mother in law- I can eat whatever I want in front of her now.
Before you chime in: yes, resident troll, I hear you. You think I look old, ugly, like a cancer patient and you can’t wait for me to get deadly sick as a cosmic comeuppance for what you think is cheating at a game you had managed to win before glp-1s came along. I get that. You do you.
I am diagnosed celiac and absolutely do not cheat because it’s bad for my health and makes me physically miserable. However, I also recognize that the diagnosis does help me not eat delicious treats that I otherwise would. I still wouldn’t wish it on anyone because it is limiting in my ability to dine at some restaurants. So it’s a blessing and a curse.
Your experience on a GLP is what makes it sound appealing to me. If I lost about 15 pounds, the muscle that I go to the gym consistently to build would be visible and I think I’d then have the physical look that I want. Good for you for getting it and enjoying it.
I’m here for this take.
Celiac is a big deal. It’s not the kind of thing where you would want to rely on food policing for shared meals (vs. certainty). I’m sorry your MIL is being weird about it though.
There are very few contexts in my life where I would tolerate food shamers these days. It used to be a big thing though so I know it’s hard to just opt out of in some circles. But other times it’s okay to make people regret that they said anything; they started it.
Looking for wide-legged, mid-rise navy and/or camel pants for work, ideally not over $100 or so. Somebody posted some from Banana Republic Factory the other day, but those don’t have great reviews. Any suggestions?
These aren’t wide legged but they are the most mid rise pants I’ve found recently. https://www.anntaylor.com/clothing/pants/cata000014/jayne-trouser/829129.html?srsltid=AU7gw4VmGpFmT4AUKnpFrBvNLoNAUp1YvRhXBHLwGV3LVccf_eaUJJuO
OP here – clearly I should have looked through today’s entries before asking my question!
This would be so much nicer if it did not have the logo! I am so incredibly tired of having brand names on basically everything, especially when they are gold embossed.
Do any of you have suggested articles or Substacks or resources for things like understanding optimal lab values for women? A lot of what I see out there misses the mark – it’s either full-on MAHA “don’t use sunscreen ever to maximize your vitamin D” or old-school guidance from medical societies that is based on what’s appropriate for men or doesn’t align with what women actually report in their lives (things like “pain control isn’t necessary for IUD insertion.”) Who out there is actually writing about evidence-based, current guidelines for women’s health? For example, returning to vitamin D, my levels are technically “normal” at the low end of my lab’s range, but it’s my understanding that more recent research may be suggesting that the optimal levels for women are much higher.
My younger medical providers are actually pretty on top of this. So that doesn’t help you if yours are not, but it’s nice to know they exist in the world at all these days.
I started seeing a dietician this year, and she was the first medical provider I’ve ever had who walked me through my labs in depth, compared current results to prior ones, looked at changes were it wasn’t actually out of range but a shift from my norm, etc. We do virtual appointments, so you may be able to find one in your area that can fit in easily.
Todays earlier post about what to say when someone says something condescending at work got some push back in the comments. But what do you do/say if someone says “you’re intimidating” or some other obnoxious comment? Ignoring it is not always the way to go. There are definitely people who back down when you stand up to them a bit.
When it was something inappropriate I have gotten good mileage out of “what a weird thing to say” – curious if others have not found that to work.
Depends on the scenario (is this a boss offering feedback as part of a larger conversation or a junior employee making a faux pas)? For obnoxious sexist comments, I’ve had some luck with “yeah, that’s something a lot of women in the workplace are used to hearing.”
Haha, how about “thank you.” I have no respect for the “what a weird thing to say” or “what an odd comment” contributors.
If you want to be intimidating, be intimidating. No need to sprinkle in doses of passive aggressiveness.
For those of you who read the Cornell Jane Doe’s statement from 2024, can you explain to me how any of it was illegal? From her own testimony, it doesn’t sound that she was incapacitated or non-consenting. It actually sounded very voluntary. There were also many points at which she said no to kissing or touch, and the guys respected her boundaries. It seems like a huge leap from what actually happened to what is being represented.
By the same token, the first two guys were dry heaving, vomiting, falling asleep, and she sounded like she was quite a bit more of sound mind than either of them in the beginning.
I say this as someone with a college experience that was similar, although perhaps more cut and dry (non voluntary consumption and very vocal dissent) that was handled very poorly by our Title 9 office. My fear is that cases that are nuanced, but do not get treated with nuance, can backfire and make it harder for other victims.
Hard cases make bad law, but in this situation, a bad law has made a hard case. What happened was clearly morally wrong and feels like it should have been illegal… but it’s not actually clear to me that it was, according to NY law. I hope that NY is working on changing that law.
But even if they changed the law about voluntary consumption, she still had her mental faculties. The men were equally drunk. It seems like people are saying that anyone who has consumed alcohol cannot consent, but if that were the case, the men would not have been able to consent either.
If the men respected her boundaries, why couldn’t she get up and walk across the room to get her phone, call a friend, or leave?
She could have at any point. If you read her 2024 statement, there was no physical coercion. It isn’t being alleged that there was coercion, but that by virtue of having consumed ketamine, her willingness to be there could not actually have constituted consent.
The idea of “gang rape” sounds very different from what she initially described.
Yes, not even close.
I have a day off tomorrow and my plan is to rot on the couch and watch tv (the last few weeks have been tough and have included a family member hospitalization, tons of sickness and a major work project… my brain needs downtime). Any show recommendations? I don’t like reality tv and don’t want something depressing or really dark (a little dark is ok). Thanks!