Suit of the Week: Rebecca Taylor
For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.
I like this feminine suit from Rebecca Taylor. Love the ruffles on the blazer and the skirt, as well as the darts on the blazer and the little belt in the back. The wide lapels are a nice touch, also. The jacket (Rebecca Taylor Three-Button Essential Blazer) is $375, and the skirt (Rebecca Taylor Ruffle Bottom Essential Pencil Skirt) is $245.
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Sales of note for 12.13
- Nordstrom – Beauty deals on skincare including Charlotte Tilbury, Living Proof, Dyson, Shark Pro, and gift sets!
- Ann Taylor – 50% off everything, including new arrivals (order via standard shipping for 12/23 expected delivery)
- Banana Republic Factory – 50-70% off everything + extra 20% off
- Eloquii – 400+ styles starting at $19
- J.Crew – Up to 60% off almost everything + free shipping (12/13 only)
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off everything and free shipping, no minimum
- Macy's – $30 off every $150 beauty purchase on top brands
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off, plus free shipping on everything (and 20% off your first order)
- Talbots – 50% off entire purchase, and free shipping on $99+
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…
Cutesy wootsy.
I liked this initially, even though I’m not big on three-quarter sleeved suits, but I don’t like the exposed zipper on the skirt. I think it looks weird when it’s part covered by the jacket, especially.
Oh, I liked this until you said that. You’re right – the exposed zipper is just awful. Too sexy for work, and it looks weird with the suit anyway. WTH, designers?
I also think the slit on the back is a bit too high (though maybe just for this particular model) – it seems perilously close to revealing The Business if she takes a wide step.
You can get a slit stitched down some, but exposed zipper – ugh. That is never ok at work in my book.
I agree. Far too sexy to wear to work. The men would be staring at my breasts. They do that anyway, but this would almost give them license to do so and I do not want to do that.
Susan/Ellen, I feel like you’re not really putting the effort in anymore. Where’s the passion? Where’s the capslock?
Agree, Susan/Ellen/Laura has been in a huge slump. If you are going to bother posting Susan, find your passion. Remember what it was that brought you to the site in the first place, made you want to share about the bald men objectifying you, your problems being so pretty and looking like a younger, prettier cameron diaz. It was hard been so pretty and successful. Recapture that. You didn’t even address the exposed zipper.
Ha Cfm! – I just lol’d rather loudly, catching the eye of the records guy going by. Classic.
Your right, but Kat doesn’t like it when I get to emotional. She wants to maintain the integrety of the sight, so that is why I have been a little reserved. I like the sight ALOT, so I am doing what Kat wants. Meow!
Cfm I started laughing really loudly myself. Luckily I’m at home, but I think my cat is confused. Too funny!
Jas, CFM, SF Bay, you guys are ‘off the hook’. I’m plotzing, lol!
What a shame. The suit is adorable except for that zipper.
I don’t like the skirt at all. I’d get the jacket only, put a shell under it, and pair it with a black pencil skirt or black slacks. I’d put my hair in a low bun to offset the frilliness of the ruffles.
ditto ditto ditto.
I do like the jacket – it’s a shape that’s enormously flattering on my weirdly shaped torso. I’m not crazy about the ruffles on the bottom of the skirt – it looks like the slip is hanging out.
I agree. I like the jacket – including the ruffles. I don’t particularly like the ruffle on the skirt.
I’m thinking of combining this jacket with the Nordstrom skirt AIMS posted below.
what about your torso is weird? i ask because I am a total apple shape and am always looking for something that works for me… :)
I have a rather long torso, with big hips, and a big ribcage – and what I find is that this defined waist is really flattering in emphasizing that I actually have a waist.
Not sure how well it would work for an apple shape.
I think this may a bit too cutesy wootsy for my tastes.
Nordstrom has a different version of this with less ruffle that I like much better. I think I am generally leery of too much ruffle at work, and from afar the ruffles on the jacket here look a bit messy, too, imo.
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/rebecca-taylor-femme-boyfriend-blazer/3154900?origin=category&resultback=170
PS: my link probably won’t work, so for those curious, you need to copy & paste or it will just take you to the Nordstrom page.
The jacket on the one you linked is very ugly though. I think it is hard to make a jacket that has double rows of buttons look nice with only one row.
I thought that jacket was cute. Let’s try more “it’s not my style” or even “I dont’ like it” instead of “it’s ugly.”
Just a thought.
Hmm, my thinking here was that since this is a fashion site, it might be helpful to have others know that people think that this type of jacket is not very pretty. I think I would prefer to know that someone thought X item that I was wearing was ugly — I might buy it anyway because I disagreed.
Also, “it’s not my style” is a bit too weak to use here — the one that Kat selected is not my style either, but I don’t think it’s ugly.
And if you’d actually said “I don’t think this type of jacket is very pretty,” then the rest of us wouldn’t think you’re incredibly rude. Just a suggestion; I’m trying to be helpful, and I thought you might prefer to know that telling someone that something they like is “ugly” is a mark of bad breeding. But you should feel free to continue to do it anyway if you disagree. I’m sure it’s a helpful trait that will serve you well in your chosen career.
I hate to get anal retentive about semantics, but I think there is a difference between saying “it is ugly” versus “I think it is ugly” One implies a statement of fact, the other an opinion. It’s minor, but not so offensive.
Early threadjack….
How do you all manage to eat a reasonably healthy, reasonably inexpensive dinner?
I’m feeling less than adult-like in my ability to manage my life. Specifically, I (and BF) can’t seem to get organized enough to regularly eat dinner at home. Our hours aren’t too crazy — I try to leave for work by 8pm and get out of the office between 6-7pm and his are about the same, but then we typically hit the gym (or a DVD at home), so we’re not done til about 8:30. And inevitably we end up eating out — which is getting expensive and boring, not to mention counteracting the working out — even ‘reasonably’ healthy and inexpensive meals add up.
I know common wisdom is to prep food during the weekend and/or have quick meals on hand — I’m just struggling to come up with something that’s more reasonable than a veggie burger and salad (last night’s dinner!).
I managed to do this in my pre-lawyer days — but I didn’t workout frequently and had a schedule that was a little more amenable to being prepared to make dinner.
Any suggestions? Or just commiseration so I don’t feel like the only bad ‘grown-up’?
You could do a crock pot dinner, throw everything in the crock pot in the morning and come home to good food. A whole chicken, pot roast , bean soup come to mind readily. I’m sure you could google crock pot dinners and come away with a boat-load.
Try crockpot365.blogspot.com
I eat a lot of salad from a local salad bar chain, a lot of Chipotle bowls (you have to really watch what you get at Chipotle because some combinations are quite healthy, and some pack a ton of calories – nutrition info on chipotlefan.com), a lot of stuff from the Whole Foods salad bar, and a lot of organic frozen meals or pizza from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, with fruit or yogurt for dessert (sometimes with a couple pieces of chocolate). I can usually keep dinner around $7 with these options. Since I always bring my lunch to work (salad, made in one of those containers that stores dressing in the lid), that amount works fine for me.
I find it’s easier to bring lunch to work and eat dinner out because I am usually starving by the time I get home and will devour anything that’s available. After eating dinner, I have plenty of energy to prepare a salad for tomorrow’s lunch.
You are definitely not alone! I find that if I do not prep ahead of time, then I will typically not cook dinner.
What I’ve tried to do is plan to cook 2-3 dinners at home a week (and have leftovers for lunch), and plan for microwavable meals (or something comparable – NYC folks should check out FreshDirect’s 4 minute meals) the remaining nights. This way I build days into my week where I don’t really have to cook, but am still eating healthier.
Also, I’m not ashamed to buy shortcuts (broccoli florets in a microwavable bag, already marinated chicken, etc.). More expensive than buying a whole head of broccoli, but I’ll pay a little more for the convenience.
And, I’ve become obsessed with my slow cooker (aka, crockpot). I’ve made pork shoulder, refried beans, chicken parm, lasagna, etc. in it. Love that thing.
My new faves are casseroles with polenta – it comes in tubes like sausage and is not refrigerated. A tube sliced into 18 slices can be made into a layered dish in a 9×9 pan. Last week we did an Italian one – jar spag sauce; sauteed garlic, red pepper, green pepper, frozen artichoke hearts; chopped Canadian Bacon; and shredded mozz cheese. And a Mexican one – 1 (or 2 I forget) cans of drained black beans, sliced avocado, cilantro, jar salsa (red or green), and monterrey jack shreds.
Probably best to assemble right before baking but it wouldn’t be a biggie if the ingredients were pre-prepped. (Of the things I described, only the veggies for the Italian one and cilantro for the Mexican required any prep). They are very forgiving with respect to quantity and ingredients and accept a lot of whatever you might have around – I think I put a very ripe tomato in one of these. Spinach would have been good in Italian. Just use less sauce than you might think. 350 with foil until bubbly – 1/2 hour or so. Take the foil off and let the top layer of cheese melt. Viola – dinner and leftovers.
My husband and I take turns preparing dinner the night before. In other words, cook Monday night for Tuesday’s dinner. It’s not ideal: we rarely eat anything freshly prepared. However, lasagna, stir fries, fritada, chicken are all relatively good reheated, and it’s healthier and cheaper than eating out.
Like you said, making stuff over the weekends is important. We experiment with different kinds of casseroles–various lasagnas, a polenta thing (failure), and enchiladas (not too healthy, but yummy). If we make a larger pan, we have food for several dinners and maybe a lunch or two.
I also think it’s helpful to plan your meals a bit so you have the ingredients you need to throw something together. That way, it’s not “well, as long as I have to go to the store to get x,y, and z, I might as well just eat dinner out.” If you keep frozen ravioli in the freezer and always have some veggies on hand, it’s not too time-consuming to get dinner together quickly. I really like homemade pizza, and it’s easy if you use the premade dough–we usually have whole wheat crust with some combo of veggies and cheese. I like to think that’s not too unhealthy.
Stocking your freezer is good, too. When I make soups, I usually freeze a couple of servings because we don’t eat a whole batch at once, and then we can just take it out of the freezer midweek and have it after it defrosts. We also generally keep a lasagna from a little market in the freezer, too.
It’s easier if you don’t care about eating meat. I keep frozen veggies on hand, particularly broccoli, peas, green beans (esp Trader Joe haricots vert) and spinach (the kind in a bag, not in the box). I’ll make pasta (always the Barilla protein pasta, not whole wheat, the protein stuff has egg or something in it and is much more satisfying than regular pasta), then nuke some broccoli or green beans for a couple of minutes, then sautee the veggies in olive oil, garlic, and a bit of hot pepper flakes. When the pasta is done, I drain it and then toss it in the hot pan to with the veggies – seems to make the whole thing hold together better. Sometimes I will add chopped walnuts or chopped olives to the sauteeing vegetables. Another thing I like to do is drain some canned black beans, heat briefly with a bit of olive oil, then throw in some salsa (I like the “southwest style” that has some corn, beans, and pepper chunks in it) and let it simmer so it thickens. Meanwhile, make polenta – if you are just making a small amount it takes about 5 minutes. Serve the bean + salsa over the polenta and add a bit of cheese. Another thing I like that may sound crazy is the protein pasta with peas and a chopped up breakfast sausage (ready cooked that you just have to nuke for a few seconds). It sounds weird, but the spices in the sausage somehow “go” with the peas. I can get all these made within 20-30 minutes – I’ll start the pasta water boiling while I’m in the shower when I get home from the gym.
It takes a bit longer but pizza can be good and easy – buy a crust or Boboli, throw on some grape tomatoes, olives, fresh basil is good, and shredded mozzarella + parmesan or romano. I also like sliced shallots or onions. This will bake in about 10 minutes.
I don’t really have any ideas for meat, but picking up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store might be another quick option. For quick cooking, frozen chopped onions also are a big timesaver. If you are cooking with them, there’s no big difference between frozen and fresh, plus you don’t have to chop, plus you don’t have half an unused onion moldering away in your kitchen. I also use jarred chopped garlic, again, I probably wouldn’t use it in something not cooked, but for cooked things it’s fine.
If you really don’t want to cook, some friends of mine love the prep-your-own meals places (I think Dinners by Design is one place). You can assemble several different dinners, store them in your freezer, and just heat when you need them. I think most of the recipes are amenable to being portioned out for 2 people. Cheaper than a restaurant, not quite as cheap as “from scratch” but then again you don’t need to buy all those spices and other ingredients you’ll use a pinch of and never use again.
The pasta + veggie sausage + peas isn’t weird at all (to me!) — I do something similar with the Morningstar veggie crumbles. Yummy.
I like the black beans/salsa/polenta idea. Have you tried black beans + sweet potato + chipotle salsa — yum!
I like the sweet potato idea. This winter I did regular baked potato with some chili beans (the canned flavored kind, I do not fear canned food) and a bit of cheese. Somehow your sweet potato-black bean-salsa idea sounds more “summery!”
Oh, one of my favorite summer “salads” – rinsed canned black beans, grape tomatoes cut in half, chopped avocado. Mix with red wine vinaigrette – delicious!
Your veggie sausage/peas combo reminded me–we have mac and cheese with peas and soy hot dogs (I don’t eat meat) mixed in. Throw in the frozen peas when the pasta is almost, cooked, drain, add sauce and hot dogs…heaven.
Agree dinner is much easier if you don’t care about eating meat. My husband and I typically get home from the gym and make some sort of egg white scramble that we eat in tortillas with spinach or tuna melts in the toaster or some kind of chicken sausage or turkey bacon (usually pre-cooked so all you have to really do is heat up) with eggs. Dessert is fruit and/or yogurt.
I try to plan meals using similar ingredients for the week – roast a chicken and vegetables on Sunday, for example. Then Monday will be leftover chicken and vegetables. Tuesday might be chicken quesadillas with salad. Wednesday might be chicken and vegetables tossed with pasta.
I’m fortunate in that neither me nor my husband minds eating the same thing for a few days in a row, and neither of us minds leftovers. We also have sandwiches at least one night a week (usually something like deli turkey with lettuce/tomato) with a bag of steamer vegetables.
When I have a free evening to cook, I always try to make something that will stretch at least one other meal.
As much as I love my crock-pot, I can’t use it during the week – I’m gone at least 10-12 hours at a time and most of the recipes are for 6-8 hours of cooking time – I can’t risk getting stuck at work for 11-12+ hours and ruining dinner. But I love it for an easy Saturday cooking stint!
Put the crock pot on one of those timers that people use for their lights when they are out of town. I believe I saw this trick on Alton Brown’s show, but haven’t tried it myself yet. I am guessing it would be better if what you are cooking doesn’t have meat, but basically you just set the timer so that it will start cooking 4-5 hours after you leave the house.
Alas, this doesn’t work, b/c you can’t set the timer on the crock pot unless the crock pot is “plugged in” (which it isn’t if you use a separate timer). I think most new crock pots now have a built in delayed start timer – unfortunately, mine is 6 years old and I can’t justify getting a new one just for the timer feature.
A crock pot costs like $30 and you’d use it every week – seems like a justifiable expense to me, esp. when you factor in saving money by not buying takeout! You could donate the used one to a shelter or soup kitchen.
I use a light timer with my crock and I don’t understand why it wouldn’t work for you. You set the timer so that it turns on 7 hrs before you get home, plug the crock into the timer, plug the timer into the wall, and set the crock on “low.” It won’t actually turn on until the timer tells it to turn on. Maybe I’m not getting why this doesn’t work for you?
Depends on the type of model you have. A newer computer model, sure; the older ones with a manual setting work with a light timer just fine. And, as you say, the newest newer ones have a delayed start feature built in.
Great tips above, and also keep a reasonably stocked pantry/fridge. Dinner isn’t so daunting if you have canned tomatoes, pasta, jarred roasted red peppers, parmesan cheese (combine those things and you have a quick pasta dish) etc. that you can turn to.
About once a week, my quick dinner is sauteed assorted veggies (either fresh or frozen, depending on what I have) and made into a quesadilla with low-fat refried beans and a small amount of cheddar cheese.
Make friends with your crockpot. Check out Real Simple’s website; most of the recipes take 30 min or less.
My go to’s: tacos with store-bought shells or tortillas, skillet pork chops and a steamed veggie, pesto pizza with pre-made crust (Boboli) or dough (Trader Joe’s), Mediterranean pasta salad (some type of pasta, bits of mozzarella, tomatoes, cannellini beans, wilted spinach or arugula, top with parmesan).
I always make a soup or stew on the weekend so I have it throughout the week.
Just a quick thanks to the helpful replies!
I think part of my hangup in this is that BF is now factored in. When he’s out of town, I’m much better about eating in…
He’s more focused on getting protein (I’m vegetarian, he’s not and “struggles” with the concept of protein being found in things other than tofu and eggs, despite the numerous articles I’ve sent him on the subject!) — so while the whole wheat/protein pasta + veggie and/or salad is great for me, he starts harping on BOTH of us getting more protein.
And he’s remarkably unhelpful in planning and shopping for meals — he’s great making food if it’s around and is unofficially in charge of breakfast and lunch on the weekends as well as coffee in the morning. Stubborn me doesn’t want to do it myself for fear of setting a precedent re: cooking/domestic duties. Perhaps we need to strike “I plan and shop/he hauls it up and puts it away” and “I prep or cook/he cleans up” deals.
For a quick evening meal with plenty of protein, how about a big omelet to share, veggie sausage for you/pork or turkey sausage for him, toast or oatmeal and fruit? We do breakfast for dinner all the time because it is fast, cheap, and delicious.
Buy some quinoa. It’s a “perfect protein.” Good enough for NASA should be good enough for him. (Just get the pre-rinsed kind so as to not waste time washing and soaking).
You can cook it any number of ways, but it’s really delicious baked with some veggies and a bit of goat cheese or as a “salad” with some cucumbers, tomatoes and avocado. If you want to make it more guy friendly, use chicken broth instead of water to cook it. My carnivore SO loves it.
In addition to the great tips above, maybe get yourself a fun cooking magazine or sign up for a “dinner tonight” type newsletter. I like Everyday Food from Martha Stewart. It’s the size of a tv guide and very quick and easy. Makes me excited to cook dinner. It even has one of those here’s what you need to buy for 5 nights worth of dinner and then 5 quick weeknight recipes features.
I am also a big fan of Trader Joes — a lot of their stuff is great to have on hand. The veggie gyoza and the multigrain veggie lasagna are my frozen staples. If I don’t feel like cooking, I get a salad and that makes a full dinner (and not too unhealthy, either). Plus, they have a lot of stuff pre-prepped, so another time saver.
I make a lot of quinoa with lime juice, black beans, almonds, green onions, cilantro and feta. yummy.
I agree with the suggestions to pick a source for 30-minute meals, like Real Simple or Everyday Food or a cookbook. Then, sit down with the BF together and identify a few meals you’d both enjoy and can be tinkered for meat vs. meatless. (You could get the book/magazine, grab some coffee, sit down together, then go to the store on a weekend day.) Get all of the supplies, cook those that week, and identify what you’d eat again. Save those recipes with any notes and create a meal list somewhere. Repeat, adding to the list of “keepers”. Eventually, you will have a list of about 20-30 meals you both enjoy and know how to make. From there, you can try to also figure out what recipes are good matches for a single week based on common ingredients, so you are limiting the leftover ingredients that get thrown away. It takes a little focus, but within a few weeks, you should have a decent stable of dependable recipes that you both enjoy and can individually shop for or prepare based on your schedules. Additional creativity can come on the weekends or when you have more time.
The point here is to have the meal list (I actually keep it in my Blackberry) so you don’t have the excuse that you can’t think of something to make.
My husband is a T-rex, too. He turns his nose up at dinners that do not include meat. I am fine with eating meat, it’s just a little annoying to have to adapt pretty much every recipe to include it. I cannot imagine what he would think of tofu… so I’ve just accepted that I need to have meat in the fridge or freezer for him in case he wants to grill something.
He is also not a good grocery shopper, and not the greatest cook. I do the grocery shopping and cooking, and he does all the clean up. It’s been working out pretty well so far.
Also, I am not sure where you work/live in relation to a grocery store, but I make a quick grocery list on the mornings I know I want to cook dinner that night, zip to the grocery store over lunch and take the groceries home (or leave them in my car when it’s cold out) and prep a couple things, then come back to work with something for lunch that I grabbed at the grocery store while I was there. In order to have enough time to accomplish this, I take a later lunch when it’s not rush hour and make my grocery list in the order of the way that I walk through the store, so I don’t have to back track.
I cook two times a week during the work week and Saturday and Sunday nights. That seems to make enough food to get the two of us through the week.
I know that she’s the queen of cheese, but Rachel Ray’s 30 minute meals are actually really good and easy. We have a few of her books (from whn she just did that one show on the food network) and there are probably a dozen of her recipes that we do over and over again (their easy to change up, too, in my experience).
It also helps to keep a lot on hand- figure out what your basics are- cheese, bread, pasta, meat, etc- and find ways to keep as much as possible on hand, freezing if necessary. (It helps me to avoid a lot of processed/convenience foods, which aren’t as open to use in many things, and mostly buy things that are very basic.)
Also, there are a lot of very quick meals that can be made with eggs.
I used to try to plan ahead, but the food would always go bad because I wouldn’t feel like making whatever I’d purchased on Sunday once Wednesday rolled around. What I do now is browse recipes/food blogs on my phone on my way home, and then stop at a small grocery store near my apartment and grab 2-3 ingredients before heading home. Or if you have the option, go to fruit/vegetable stands or farmer’s markets near your office (a lot of cities have these in the financial districts in the summer) and pick up a couple of ingredients at lunch.
It helps to have staples like oil, vinegar, spices, butter, pasta, salsa, etc. on hand. Then you just have to add some fresh ingredients and you’re all set.
And FWIW, Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food app (and website/magazine) is really good for quick healthy dinners.
I don’t know if you eat fish, but this recipe makes a weekly appearance in our kitchen. We put a bag of Trader Joes frozen seafood blend into the fridge to defrost in the morning and it’s ready to go when you get home. You can easily sub in different kinds of veggies (asparagus, green beans, etc.)
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2011/01/05/quick-braised-cod-vegetable-broth/
Also super-easy: MYO burritos or fajitas. Early in the week, saute some peppers and onions in fajita seasoning. then you can assemble your own fajita: shredded chicken for him, refried beans for you, jack cheese, onions and peppers, nuke in the microwave, add salsa. Total prep time: about two minutes.
You are definitely NOT the only one that struggles with this. I still stress about making it to the gym and eating well on the same night. Definitely not easy but some things to consider:
1. I’ve found that having a snack a few hours before working out will keep me from being super hungry when I get home so I can force myself to start cooking at 8:30 – 9.
2. Pasta is a good quick meal, especially if you buy low-sodium tomato based sauces and throw in some frozen veggies.
3. Grilled / Pan fried chicken or fish filets cook up relatively quickly. Can be paired with quick cooking grains like couscous or polenta and a salad.
4. If you can make time to cook a Sunday, try roasting a whole chicken (can use leftovers for sandwiches/salads) or making soups or stews which are a good way to get a lot of vegetables in.
5. Have some back up frozen meals from TJ / Whole foods for days that are really hectic. It’s okay to not want to cook some nights.
6. A good alternative to veggie burgers are portabello mushroom sandwhiches with red peppers and mozzeralla. You can buy canned red peppers or TJ’s has a good red pepper spread.
GOOD LUCK
Another “new” best friend is Fire Roasted tomatoes – another variety of canned tomatoes that have a lot of flavor. They are not terribly hot, not terribly smokey – just good.
Also 90% of what we buy from week to week is the same. Rather than scribble out a new list each week, I created a form (organized by general department (produce, dairy, bread, etc) that is on the fridge. I’m the only one who remembers to circle things as we use them up, but on Sunday I think through what nights we will be home, circle everything that needs to be circled, and — voila — hand it to DH, who goes and shops. I had to “train” him about which brands, etc, but he accepts that if I am responsible for deciding what we will eat from day to day and for preparing it, he can do this. The fact that the list is in order and not scribbled in my shorthand has helped a lot
I third the crockpot idea. If you throw in some chicken breasts or thighs (4 thighs feeds 2 people) with some tomato sauce, salsa, or any sort of prepared sauce (like TJ’s simmer sauce, curry sauce, ANYTHING) and some appropriate seasoning (chipotle seasoning, curry powder, even garlic and an onion) you will wind up with a hot, satisfying and delicious dinner. If you buy a crockpot with a timer (or buy a separate timer at a hardware store), you can set your pot to start cooking so that it’s all ready for the minute you are ready to eat. All you have to do is add some rice (or quinoa for the healthier-minded) as a base for the final product and that’s it. And if you want to get really fancy you can buy a cookbook of slow cooker recipes and go to town.
The crockpot changed my life. I never cooked and now I use my crock at least once (and sometimes up to three) times a week. I also use it to make soup during the weekend, which I then freeze in single portions and eat throughout the week.
We make weekly meal plans, for Mon-Fri, so we know what to have defrosted the morning of. I’ve recently subscribed to Real Simple and Eating Well which have had some great recipes of late. It’s not perfect – sometimes the last thing we want to do it cook – but it helps a lot.
Also, part of our Sunday routine is the weekly farmer’s market. Sometimes the things we get there really inspire us and make us want to cook that week.
You know what? There are extended periods when I only get to the grocery store once every month or two, if I’m lucky. I pick up yogurt and fruit at the convenience store in my work building. I have 3 homemade lunches delivered once a week that are fairly well-balanced and healthy (made by an entrepreneurial local chef guy and, even with delivery, reasonably priced). The take-out dinner delivery guys know me by name. If I’m not eating out, I’ve found some healthy, not-expensive delivery options (vietnamese is my favorite – grilled fish, herby salads with pickled carrot, pho, fresh fruit, fresh fruit icees) that I call to place my order with when I am on the way home at 9-10ish, and it arrives shortly after I’ve arrived and changed out of work clothes. It works fine. About the last thing I feel like doing after a long, crazy day is figuring out something to eat and cooking it, and during busy periods I want the portion of my weekend when I’m not working to be fun and relaxing, not busy running errands and meal planning. Anyway, outsourcing works for me. I used to feel like it was a failure to not be able to keep a well-stocked fridge and cook for myself, but I got over it.
I usually make something monday or tuesday night I can eat all week. I’ve also discovered that omelets are quick and easy, as well as a couscous dish I really like. The couscous dish is basically this one: http://www.food2.com/recipes/couscous-with-carrots-and-raisins except I stir fry some chicken (I guess you would call it stir frying–heat oil in pan, add chicken, cook until done). It literally takes about 15 minutes start to finish, and works for vegetarians and non. Just add the chicken for the meat eaters separately.
Oh, and shrimp and grits. I eat a lot of shrimp and grits. I don’t know if grits qualify as healthy, but it’s quick and easy if you keep frozen shrimp on hand. Again, I just cook them in a pan (just takes a couple of minutes) and throw them on top of grits. It’s better with a sauce, but if I’m feeling lazy, I just skip it (For the northerners that have never tried this, trust me when I say the combo works. I had a guy at my last job from New York who could just not understand why you would put shrimp with grits).
One thing I’ve found useful is to “think outside the box” a bit and eat some nontraditional, but still tastey, dinners. For example, sandwiches. I make one called Morroccan Carrot and Goat Cheese Sandwich from epicurious frequently. If you buy an olive tapenade instead of making it, you can marinate the carrots the night before (or longer, they’ll keep all week just fine) and it takes no time at all to throw together. I serve it with a bean salad or sauteed veggies and your boyfriend can put meat in his if he likes. Same with pancakes: if you make them savoury with grated veggies (carrot, zucchini, or kale are all good), leave out any sugar and vanilla and serve them with tomato sauce (like Mark Bittman’s Quick Tomato Sauce) you can have them on the table in about half an hour and they don’t require anything more than a moderately stocked pantry. Another staple is sauteed greens with garlic and a poached egg over toast or polenta, a bit of a modification of eggs benedict.
Also a vegetarian here with a carnivore Bf. We do not do significant meal shopping or prep during the week at all.
If I am not traveling, we do fruit & veg shopping on the weekend, then prep (wash/chop/cut/roast) before putting in the fridge, so it’s all ready to go for the week. We’ll also grill whatever meat he wants in multi-meal amounts such as 4 sausages or 2 lb flank steak, then freeze and keep for reheating during the week.
I’ll often buy a bunch of stuff (potatoes, beets, carrots, fennel) and just toss it on a baking sheet in a 415 degree oven for about 40 minutes, then put it in the fridge to use on salads, as a side dish, or in omelets during the week. If it’s summer, I’ll put corn and zukes on the grill to add to black beans for a simple salad, or top with cheese in a quesadilla, etc.
We keep bread, nuts, black beans, canned tomatoes, corn tortillas, salsa, eggs, and a bunch of different cheese in the house at all times.
On the weeknight then, I will pull out a veg sausage, he’ll have the real deal, add some goat cheese, walnuts & arugula to my pre-roasted beets to make a salad, cut some bread and dinner is ready to go.
The other things we do are egg-based dishes like french onion tart, leek tart (like a fritatta) and homemade soups like split pea. All of these can be thrown together in about 30 minutes, but need baking/simmering time that is more than a weekday can handle. We’ll chat through what we want on the way to the store on the weekend, I’ll prep one or two of them on the weekend, and he’ll do the dishes.
We also keep a ready supply of trader joe’s burritos and beer for the nights when all the best laid intentions go to he11 in a handbasket.
Such a good question! Lots of times magazines like Good Housekeeping, Real Simple and Redbook will have quick and easy dinners to throw together. They are usually reasonably healthy. Also check NY Times archives for the recipes that were “thrown together” by one of their food reporters – the recipes are about a sentence long and are specifically short so you are making quick things with fresh ingredients. I forget the name of that column!
I love to invent things to cook. I never write things down though. (Warning, Self-promotion ahead!) So I started a blog to try to keep track of things. http://www.actfastchef.blogspot.com. It isn’t much, but I bet you can find some really good blogs out there that have really good and quick recipes!
I find it’s easier to eat one bowl meals (even if it takes a few pans to prepare). I’m also a veggie with a meat eating husband. This is my basic approach.
Veggie + starch + sauce/flavoring + protein (let your BF prep his own protein on the side and add it in)
Use whatever veggies you have on hand (including frozen) and stock up on flavorful sauces/condiments that are shelf-stable or can sit in the fridge for a few weeks (Trader Joes is great for this). Also stock up on the starches that you like.
So this model can create meals like…
broccoli + pasta + olive oil & parm + chicken for your BF
mixed veg + rice + terriyaki + beef for your BF
pepper & onions & lettuce + tortillas + cheese/salsa + shrimp for your BF
peas + pasta + tomato sauce + chickpeas
peppers & pineapple + noodles + thai curry sauce + chicken for your BF
mushrooms & onions + crepes + cheese sauce + steak on the side for your BF
I haven’t read all of the responses so apologies if this is a repeat. I’m a big law associate, workout about 4-5 times a week and eat as healthy dinners as I can. Here are some tips:
1. Work out in the morning. That way you can get home earlier and have more time to prepare dinner.
2. Microwavable baked potatoes = amazing. Low in calories (assuming you don’t load yours with cheese and sour cream), filling, healthy, nutritious, cheap, quick, easy!
3. Homemade healthy pizzas – whole wheat crust, then put things like spinach, mushrooms, mozz cheese, tomatoes, etc. Pop in the oven for like 20 minutes, bam!
4. Veggie chili! I made a huge pot one time (you could make on the weekends) and that would definitely last a few meals and then some.
5. Scallops. Incredibly easy and fast to prepare, and also, not expensive if you buy frozen!
:)
I like this suit! I think the Bloomingdales version is much more appealing than the Nordstrom version. The blazer has better shape and the ruffles seem more fully exploited.
Love the jacket especially the fitted shape. The skirt, not so much with the bottom layer of ruffles. That’s a bit much for me.
Threadjack
I had an interview today with a company for a position that I believe I would enjoy. The problem is that the most I will be paid based on the amount budgeted for the position amounts to about 60% less than what I currently make and is too much of a pay cut for me to accept. I did not know this before the interviewer–the position I interviewed for typically pays about 30 % less than what I currently make. So I was expecting a pay cut in the 30% range.
Anyway, the interviewer has asked that I email her my references. Since I won’t be accepting the position, I am not sure whether to send them to her. My references are the partner I work for and the of-counsel and a fellow associate with whom I work. The fellow associate knows i am looking but the of-counsel and partner do not. I have already told the interviewer not to contact the partner until an offer is at hand. I could talk to the of-counsel and I am sure he would keep the fact that I am looking confidential and would serve as a reference. But I don’t know if I should risk it as it may affect the work I receive from the of counsel. Given that I already know that I am not in a position to accept the position should I bother with the references? If not, what are your thoughts on how to communicate this with the interviewer.
I think that you ought to just go ahead and withdraw. No reason to let them waste any more time on you, as well as dealing with references. Just send an email or something saying I have realized that this job is not what I am looking for (you can say that the $ is an issue if you want; either way is fine), and I would like to withdraw my name from consideration.
Good luck on further searching!
Thanks for the input!
I would certainly tell them the money is an issue. I don’t suspect they’ll be able to come anywhere near the salary you need to be at, but it could help future candidates since you are withdrawing anyhow. Plus, it will make them not feel like they wasted their time interviewing you, only to have you withdraw (seemingly) out of the blue – I’ve always felt better when candidates have been honest.
Forgot to add that I would not provide the references. Good luck!
I agree that for their purposes, it’s nicer to tell them that money is the issue, and I would say to tell them. But I know that some people are really uncomfortable discussing money, so if you don’t want to, I wouldn’t sweat it.
i would not provide references. reply to briefly and politely state that you wish them luck in their search to fill the position, but that you have decided to pursue a different direction and would like to be withdrawn from consideration. no need to provide references who are the people you currently work with/for, and for a job you are 100% sure you will not take.
*the above is based on the assumption that there is no room for negotiation on the salary… which seems accurate given the budgetary limits.
Thanks for the advice!
np, and good luck in the job search!
Hi ladies,
Long time lurker first time poster here. I have quite the situation and would love some advice. I currently work in mid-law and well, let’s just say I’m unhappy. Recently a position opened in a field of which I am passionate about (think DA or PD)- the first opening at this office in YEARS due to budget cuts. So I applied and I have an upcoming interview. For several reasons of which I won’t list at the risk of outing myself, this other job opportunity is most likely mine to lose.
The conundrum is this: I’m 4 months pregnant. They’ll likely figure this out at the interview- I may be able to hide it under a blousy top but it’s becoming more obvious by the day. If I get the job offer, I would accept in a heart beat, except that leaving my current job means giving up on paid disability leave for maternity leave (the laws in my state you have to work at your employer for one year to qualify). It also means giving up on my health insurance, which I currently have a high deductible HSA that has just recently been met so from here on out everything is covered (essentially free) such as all of the upcoming u/s, dr. visits and the hospital stay. So I would basically be stuck with paying the deductible w/out the benefits.
To avoid all these issues, I’d ideally like to start the new job after maternity leave but that won’t be for many months. How do I bring up these issues to potential new employer? Do I wait until after the interview and have the job offer in hand? Do I bring it up in the interview, just in case it is not feasible for them to hold off on filling the position they can give it to someone ready to take it (but I still want it!)? What if they ask me about it because I am showing?
Whenever I bring it up, HOW should I bring it up? What is the best way to approach the negotiations that they might actually consider letting me have 8 months or so before taking the job??
And if they can’t do it, do I suck it up take the unpaid leave and oh well about the insurance for the chance to do something I love? Or wait until another opportunity comes along?
These things keep me up at night. Thank you for any and all advice!
I suggest bringing it up in the interview. I don’t think they can ask, even if they notice, and you’ll have a better relationship with the new job (assuming you get it) if you’re up front.
You may not get the job as a result, but if you don’t get it with being honest, you’d be in a bad situation anyway if you sprung it on them after the offer or after you showed up.
Having never been pregnant, I haven’t been through this. But you presumably will have some time with someone who is more “in charge” of the process (as opposed to a pure evaluator). I’d say to him/her “I wanted to let you know that I’m ___ months pregnant”. This is my dream job. I would love to make this work so I want to work with you on how to do that.”
It’s a tricky situation and I am not sure what advice to give except that I don’t think it is reasonable to expect for this new job to hold off hiring you until after you take paid maternity leave from your current job. If you are 4 mos. along, and take, let’s say, 3-4 mos. leave, that means the position will go unfilled for 7-8 months. Unless this is an organization that hires “classes” on a Sept. type schedule, I would assume they would want you to start within a month or two at most.
I also want to point out that it’s not entirely fair to your current job to take advantage of their generous maternity leave and then quit. I think doing something like this, and the perception of women doing this, really hurts other women because employers do not like feeling taken advantage off, and, for better or worse, that’s what you would be doing.
Your new job may not perceive you doing this sort of thing in a very positive light, either, btw. I would start off just trying to feel them out in terms of when they would expect you to start, etc., without discussing the specifics until you are close to or already have an offer.
I disagree that taking the maternity leave the company you’ve worked for offers is “taking advantage.” It would not make me think anything negative about the woman doing so.
Waiting until you recieve a bonus to leave is a widespread and standard practice. This is really no different.
I thought of that, too–and I’m not sure of my opinion. I did file a few health insurance claims right before leaving my last job, timing them deliberately, and I know that falls into the same category. But I will point out that it’s a pretty big difference in degree. Several months of pay without working simply represents a much bigger expense for your employer than does one bonus–already earned on merit–or a doctor visit or prescription that you needed but hadn’t gotten around to for a while. I wonder if it comes down to the question of what one is entitled to…and I’m not sure.
I agree with you Arachna.
I completely agree with you, Aims. This sort of thing holds women back.
Yeah, it would be way better if women could just pop those babies out, hire a wet-nurse and round-the-clock nannies and get back to work the next day! That would really make things much better for women, to encourage them to abandon their families and new babies for their jobs, and not let on to anyone that, you know, women WANT to be with their kids or newborn babies NEED to be with their moms. I’m sure completely de-emphasizing the maternal-child bond and the need for recuperative time for mothers after giving birth wouldn’t have any unintended consequences or anything.
This is basically what the military-industrial complex wants. No familial bonds, no time out from the work force, just a vast army of worker-consumers, from birth. Don’t get me started (I’m not being sarcastic, I really believe this is the big picture of where our society is headed).
I don’t think the original posters plan will work, and I don’t see a moral problem with sticking around to get the insurance she has already paid into, because the new employer isn’t going to like it.
I think the point at which you should bring it up depends on whether you would take the job regardless of whether the leave situation works out. If you would take the job anyway, I would wait until after an offer because I wouldn’t want any reason for them not to give an offer that wouldn’t affect my desire to work there anywhere. If you would not take the job if the mat leave didn’t work out, then I think you should ask about it in the interview.
Please forgive the atrocious use of pronouns and the typos in my post. My brain has clearly turned to mush after outlining all day.
I’d get the offer first, then negotiate the start date.
dont bring it up! wait until you have an offer then try to get it to work out and go from there.
Also, they will not bring it up. they are not allowed to. And, for what its worth, at 4 months, you might think you are showing, but no one — and especially those who dont know you — can tell.
I disagree about waiting til you have an offer to bring it up. Its very possible they will be upset at being “misled” (fairly or not) and would feel like they can’t withdraw the offer, but also will fire you the first time you screw up. Think it doesn’t happen? It does. Have seen it happen to a friend.
AIMS made this point, but I was going to say the same thing – regardless of whether your new job waits or not, your current firm may not look too kindly on you taking a paid maternity leave and then quitting. Regardless of whether it paints women as a whole in a certain light, the legal community in a given city is surprisingly small and partners or coworkers won’t hesitate to talk about you in the future…probably in not-so-nice terms.
All that aside, I’d wait until you receive an offer to bring your pregnancy up at all.
Well, thank you all for your advice. Seems like I still have a lot of soul searching to do.
Regarding the maternity leave issue- I may not have made it clear. This is not employer paid maternity leave I’d be “taking advantage of” it’s simply the state run disability program that I would qualify for after being at this job for a year. This firm doesn’t offer any more than that (I want to say though I’m not positive it’s 12 weeks at 60% of your pay).
You bring up these issues once you have a job offer, and not a moment before. For now, focus on the interview. You’re worrying about scenarios that may never come to pass.
If you’re visibly pregnant, you’re only giving them a legal reason to discriminate against you by saying you wouldn’t want to start work until after you have and care for the baby. If it’s not visible (and at 4 months, it may not be, especially if it’s your first), then you’re exposing yourself to being discriminated against for no reason.
I totally interviewed for a job while 4 or 5 months pregnant, and I didn’t mention the pregnancy until after I got the job. It was a very part-time adjunct teaching position. If you can swing it financially, I would take the better job over a crappy job with better benefits. I recently changed jobs to a part-time job with no benefits, but in my desired field and is a professional position. It is definitely a pay cut, but it’s worth it to me to be home for my child after school.
Honestly, once you have children (if you don’t already) money takes a back seat to being there for your kids. For full disclosure, I’m NOT the breadwinner, so that makes things a bit different. Especially as our insurance is through DH.
$1500 for some car repairs – grrr. Sorry, needed to vent.
I hear you. We just spent $800 in vet bills for our dog.
$1600 for emergency surgery last week for my dog who ate a lint roller sheet. This is the 2nd emergency surgery (at about the same price point) in the 9 months since I adopted him. Love him to pieces though.
Hi all- has anyone here been involved with developers to help build a custom case management system for their organization? I’m trying to convince my organization to buy an off-the-rack system so I don’t have to sit at my desk all day making flow chart after flow chart of every type of case we do and am wondering if it’s really really worth it to spend ~2 days a week working on this project for who knows how long before we can get it rolled out. Does anyone have any thoughts? We have absolutely nothing in place now (unbelievable, right?) and feel like something within 2 months is going to be better than some indefinite amount of time for the custom system we’ve been waiting on since 2009. I was just wondering if anyone had any insight to share.
Sorry, I’ve never done that, but I can’t imagine trying to develop one from scratch, are they sure nothing out there will work for your firm? We use Time Matters Practice Management Software by LexisNexis, it seems to be pretty flexible and adaptable.
There is a good software program out there for us, but it’s really hard to convince people that we’d be better off going with an off-the-rack system. We are getting a very expensive, custom enterprise system for the organization and the thoughts are that all departments should be a part of that system. This takes a lot of time and none of the attorneys out in the field have easy access to files. None of the attorneys have access to any reports, and if we have to do a report, it can be a several day endeavor.
I am on the other side, in consulting for development of custom systems.
My short answer is that unless your firm has unique processes, your investment in custom development will likely be more costly (in time and resources), and result in a less-powerful application than one you can buy off the shelf and customize.
I can tell you what I’ve seen from my 12+ years in the business:
My question would be ‘Why is your firm doing custom development rather than buying off the shelf?’
We find three reasons our customers do this: a) the firm’s needs are distinctly different b) the company is innovating and distinguishing itself with technology c) the firm wants to save $$$
I’d expect a law firm is not technologically distinct, nor needing innovation (like a utility company, smart phones). So I expect they are choosing to do this is (c)-to save money. This is typically a fallacy, for the reasons below:
1) Coverage: custom building software from a bottom-up model can result in missed use case or missing steps in process flow. Legal software firms move from the generic, allowing you to customize to your specific scenarios rather than the other way around. Missed use cases result in rework–>more $$.
2) Cost of resources: Is your firm calculating the hours that you are investing going over these flows? What about the hours the developers spend building the flows? Generally IT hours are not tracked by project–that’s what makes many companies believe custom is the ‘cheaper’ option).
3) Quality If your developers are new to building legal software, expect bugs, rework, testing by you and others. That all comes at a tremendous cost. Off the shelf software does involve upfront licensing, consulting and hardware costs, but these are FAR below what it costs to build custom, and the quality is much better.
3) Cost of OnGoing Maintanance and Support: How large of an organization are you architecting this application for? Can it scale? Will your firm scale? If you have lesser-skilled developers, you can easily get code that is difficult to make changes to, and is extremely expensive to maintain on a long term basis. There are not quarterly or yearly releases, no standardize training (you will need to build your own) and no HelpDesk that is formally set up in case you need to call for help.
forgive all the typos–>late, multi-tasking
Thanks for your insight. The issue is that we already have an enterprise-wide CRM system in development and IT feels like we shouldn’t pay any more for an additional system on top of what we’ve already spent. As you mention, there are a lot of hidden costs having attorneys spend hours developing these flows and waiting for months for the final product to be complete and ready for use. It would be one thing if we had a basic system to tide us over, but right now we have absolutely nothing.
So I have a serendipitous issue right now. I’m actually at my lowest weight in 10 years, through no actual effort of my own. I do work out and I try to eat healthy, but I haven’t changed anything recently.
And, actually, because I’m more fit now I’m at a size right now that I haven’t been at in about 15 years. So I don’t have any clothes at that size. I’m pretty psyched, but I don’t think I can sustain it and I’m not sure I even want to try very hard, although yesterday I had a slice of cake and my weight didn’t change at all. I’m guessing my metabolism has just sped up, however briefly.
Anyway, I’m not looking to buy new clothes right now, especially since I’m not sure I’ll be maintaining this weight. It’s not like the larger size isn’t right for me, either. So, right now I’m just cinching in my nice trousers with belts. I may try to belt my dresses in, too.
Does anyone have any other wardrobe recommendations?
Consignment and thrift. If there’s a good consignment store near you, and you find some items you like, you might also be able to sweet-talk the employees into giving you a heads up if things in your size come in.
I do really well at thrift stores for jackets, less so for pants, which it sounds like is your issue; perhaps you could get some skirts as the weather is getting warmer? At $3-4 a pair it’s worth spending an hour sorting through the racks.
If you end up returning to your usual size, you can just donate stuff right back to the thrift store.
I get some things on ebay, my weight goes up and down so much I can’t buy new things every time I change a size. Look for brands you are familiar with so you know how they will fit, and some sellers put pretty extensive measurements on the description. Skirts are are more forgiving of weight fluctuations than pants. Alot of things on ebay are new with tags. Good luck!
Funny, I’m in a similar position, and was thinking of posting this question! Through upping exercise, and cutting out sugar and wheat, I’ve dropped about 10 lbs. since the beginning of the year. I haven’t been at this weight in a while. It’s great, but my trousers look *horrible* on me. I’ve been cinching them up with belts, and then the back gets all bunchy and weird. I just finally sucked it up and bought a pair of my standard jeans off ebay in a smaller size – but they’re a little small! It looks like I’m exactly between sizes right now. I’m planning to take a bunch of summer skirts to the tailor – hopefully, if they’re taken in now, they can be let out if my weight returns to ‘normal’ (though I much prefer my current, fitter self.)
If you want to be able to leave tops untucked (and don’t want belt-bulge), you could try a belly band intended for maternity wear. The “B Band” at Target is pretty good.
Am going in for an interview tomorrow and was sent an application to fill out. It requests starting and ending salaries for all previous positions. I don’t remember for some of the positions and frankly, I don’t see how it is any of their business. Is it OK to leave blank? I started in a low-paying field, transitioned to mid-pay, and am now in a management position for a private company that pays $40,000 more. I’m worried I’ll end up undoing any negotiating power. I also don’t want to tell them what I currently make since I know I’m a bit underpaid (everytime my company does an industry assessment I end up getting a bump in pay). HELP!
I had a similar problem last fall when I was applying for jobs. Just put ballpark estimates for your earlier positions. I started at very low-pay, too. And you can go slightly higher on your current job.
I’d actually been laid-off. I rounded the salary on that up about $1,000. And I still got higher salary for my new job (about $6k more).
You can still negotiate.
They probably just want to see if you progressed/got raises, or are trying to mine data on what their competitors pay. I think it’s ok to leave it blank. I have left these blank in the past – if they insist they’ll specifically ask. Also, most likely it’s something that HR sees in order to determine how much to offer you, not the people who will actually make the hiring decision, so it won’t negatively affect your chances of being hired.
Have to share/vent/ etc – I’ve been desperately seeking a transfer to another department to get away from a nasty supervisor. My employer wouldn’t even think about it, and several times put in writing that it was my responsibility to make the supervisor situation work. I like (not love) my employer otherwise, and there are some financial advantages to staying, but it seemed like an impossibility to both stay and be happy.
So I started looking for a new job, and got excited about a couple possibilities, but nothing really happened with any of the leads. I was just getting ready to send out applications to a couple decent-but-not-perfect jobs this week, feeling like there was no other way out.
Today, my supervisor’s boss sat down in my office and asked what could be done to make my situation better. I suggested, again, that I would be open to moving to a different section. He asked if I was looking at other jobs, and I said yes, that I would certainly leave if I continued to work for my supervisor. As he was getting up to leave, he told me not to accept any jobs before talking with him, and that he was going to talk with other departments to see where I could fit. Hallelujah.
Right after he left, my cell phone buzzed. I had a voicemail from the recruiter at one of my exciting job prospects, asking for a writing sample, school transcript, and suggesting that there was an even more exciting job she was considering for me, and could I call her back to schedule a time to meet.
I feel simultaneously accomplished and scared. But mostly just scared that nothing will happen, just like nothing has happened for the last six months…keep your fingers crossed for me.
I think that YOU have to do what makes you happy. And if that includes looking at other jobs, then I say go for it. Best of luck!
I realize its late in the day for a threadjack, but here goes. I have two issues that I’d love folks perspective on: Graves Disease and Weight Watchers.
Anyone have Graves? What treatment options did you do?
I am on anti thyroid drugs and have gained 10 lbs in a short time. I am 5’9 and went from 150 lbs to 160 lbs. My clothes no longer fit. I just joined weight watchers. I guess I used to eat a lot because I inputted my breakfast and lunch and am almost out of “points” for the day. Guess that’s why I’ve been gaining weight!! Before the diagnosis I could eat what I wanted and maintain my weight. I am very active and eat healthily but sort of a lot (2,000 calories a day about; usually burn about 500 -600 in exercise.)
Just would love to hear any perspectives from Corporettes re WW. I joined and paid because I am very goal oriented and type A and I think since I am paying I will be more disciplined. I’d appreciate reading about any body elses experiences.
did ww 4 years ago and lost 25 lbs, going from about 165 (@ 5’9″) & size 10 to 140 and size 6. Have crept up a bit over the years (maybe 8 lbs) but know what to do to take it off if I want to be serious about it. Did it with my DH and he lost about 40 lbs. The thing about WW is that it teaches you a new way to eat and think about food. You don’t have to give up any given food, but you become much more selective about the *quality* of your splurges. For example, I never used to turn away from the supermarket b-day cake brought in by someone celebrating at the office.
Was it ever really good cake? No – so I learned to pass on it with the promise that I WOULD treat my self – occasionally, of course- to the really good stuff from my favorite bakery. That way you aren’t deprived and crave stuff even more. I learned how to fill myself up with more fiber and smaller, more frequent meals/snacks that allowed my body to rarely feel the extreme hunger which would always make me overdo. Finally, I learned how to stop eating when I FIRST felt fullness – not when everything was gone from my plate. WW was a good thing for me and DH – it isn’t a diet, rather a new way of eating for (hopefully) the rest of your life.
OK, now I’ve inspired myself to get back on the wagon!!
I’ve been on weight watchers consistently for about 2 1/2 years, and I’ve lost 105 lbs to date. I really can’t recommend it enough. I, like you, am very much type A, and the points tracking appeals to my list-making nature. I love that there are no restrictions on what you can eat, and I’ve learned a new way to cook and eat that has worked for me. My husband has also lost about 70 lbs, and he’s not actually following the plan, just eating what I do in similar portions.
Hey Anon, I don’t know if you’re still checking this thread but I’m a current WW member. I’m 5’5″ and I went from 172 to 155 in 6 months. This led me to wash and dry my wool coat at home in order to shrink it because it was just too big and I didn’t want to buy another, lol (which I don’t recommend others doing, the sleeves are just a little too short now). I am really appreciate of the network and support I get through attending the meetings and tracking my food (although I’m really bad at tracking). I agree with ks – you start to evaluate the quality of the food that you eat and it leads to better decisions. Even when I don’t track, I’m so used to eating a certain way, making sure I get my proteins in and not overdoing it that it really has become a lifestyle change for me. I actually feel nauseous when I consume junk food now. Of course we all “know” that we’re supposed to eat right but WW really does provide the tools to actually “do” it.
I love seeing how my weight has steadily declined and on the weeks I don’t track, I do see a bump up. Tracking has also led me to realize that my body does not do well with white carbs – I either maintain my weight with exercise or gain weight with no exercise. Interestingly enough, I also learned that I retain water during my period, which I didn’t realize before. So every four weeks, I see either a gain or steady weight, followed by a significant drop the following week.
Advice I’d give to new members: don’t become scared/paranoid of food. In the beginning, I’d routinely not finish my daily points values because I was scared of going over. Do use your weekly allowance points. Yes, I have eaten cheesecake and still lost that week. Also, fried chicken and *still* lost. It’s a great program and I’ve finally reached the point where I’m not ashamed to tell people about it. My mom’s been doing it with me and she’s lost 12 lbs, which is awesome. Good luck to you!
Longtime lurker, first time poster, and I saw this. I too have Graves’ disease. I was diagnosed back in the beginning of college; I was actually a college athlete and with Graves as well I was eating whatever I wanted and was rail- thin (5’10” and 95 lbs at one point). I spent the usual 3-4 nights a week in the emergency room for the Graves’ symptoms (which the doctors blamed on stress and never tested me for years) and had the heart problems and the eye problems and the skin problems etc. that all come with it. I got RAI a few years later and I was a high of 170 lbs soon after, but after some synthroid I have stabilized somewhat. In the past 6 years since RAI I have never quite gotten the synthroid dosage correct, so my weight has been a yo-yo. I am just now getting stable and have been maintaining a consistent weight of about 140-150 and I am completely happy with it — the stability matters way more to me than being thin. So, I totally hear your struggle.
I used to be a tomboy before all of this, but ever since I am a huge fan of dresses. I wear either a shift or heavy jersey dress nearly every day, usually with a cardigan and a belt (tights in winter). This allows for a lot of “give” — I have skinny dresses of size 4, and dresses all the way up to size 10. I generally find a dress that fits perfectly and tightly tailored to the body, and order one size up instead — it still has the same “shape” and is just slightly looser on my skinny times, but still works for when I gain a few. The belt/cardigan (or jacket) over it helps hide looser fabric or fit, or any bulge that may happen.
As far as diet goes, I don’t diet still. I just don’t have it in me. I am not discplined enough. However, I do eat many small meals — I have found that helps. I have a something like granola with yogurt for breakfast. I keep dried fruit or a healthy snack at my desk, usually have a salad for lunch. I have a mid-afternoon snack, and then a healthy dinner. I have almost completely cut out red meat and never use iodized salt (because, as you know, iodine is bad for us! sea salt is our friend with Graves’!). There are certain foods that are good to eat for immune health that I focus on, like sweet potatoes. I also don’t have much of a sweet tooth, never have, but when I do I usually take care of it with a small piece of very high quality chocolate (Godiva gems, ftw).
So, this isn’t a WW post, really. But the reason that I don’t diet is because any metabolic and autoimmune disorder, at least in my case and my best friend has lupus, your body reacts differently every day. I need different foods/different calories depending on how much sleep I get, what time I exercise, etc. because that all effects our very shaky and easily shifted metabolism. I have found that any strict diet doesn’t work at all for my health. I just listen to my body, only eat when I’m hungry, and put as many healthy things into it as I can.
Not sure if this is helpful, but if you have any other questions please just ask!
Thanks Graves Girl and the WW posters. I am a former college athlete too. I have never been a dieter, or at least not a good or consistent one, either. But I REALLY do not like my pants not fitting. I have had to wear skirts or dresses only. I appreciate the posts. Thanks so much. Yesterday (Day 1 on WW) was fine. And this morning I ate a delicious egg white omlette with asparagus and red peppers, along with a corn tortilla and berries. And I am not hungry.
I’ve tried WW, and my mother (a corporette type herself) has been on and off it for the last 25 years. I think it works well if it meshes with your eating style, and not so well if it doesn’t. My mother has lost a lot of weight on it over the years, although she always gains it back, and finds it much more intuitive than a lot of other diet plans. At this point she seldom needs to consult the materials to add up her points, she has memorized the points for everything she eats regularly.
I didn’t have much luck with it, mostly because I found it really difficult to figure out how many points were in a given dish. It’s very time consuming to figure out the points value of homecooked meals involving more than a couple ingredients. There are WW receipes, but they rely heavily on meat and processed ingredients like “fat-free cheese”. Since I don’t eat much meat and won’t eat processed foods and I love to cook, it wasn’t a good fit. This was their old system, though, and their new system looks like it might work a lot better for me.
Oooooh, I love the little ruffle detail on this!
threadjack.
I’m doing research with a couple economics professors, but have never taken a class with either. Do I refer to them as Dr X or Professor X when writing to others about my experience? I always though professorship was more prestigious than a doctorate, but some professors (lecturers?) don’t have doctorates.
Also… lately I’ve been reading this site only for the comments (actually been pretty disappointed with the fashion these few months). I love reading about everyone’s (female) experiences, whether they’re of law school, office politics, or fabric preferences. .. Is there any other forum that has a similar community? I’m sorry Katttt :(
I’m in school and I call everyone with a doctorate “Dr.”
It’s not Kat’s fault. Clothes everywhere are disappointing. She’s picking through the stuff that widely available.
I’m in engineering and even though all of my professors have doctorates, I refer to them as Prof. X instead of Dr. X when speaking. When I write about them to others, I go either way. If it’s a formal situation, I refer to the professor as Dr. X, otherwise Prof. X. Just my preference – I find Dr. X too formal.
Only refer to him or her as Professor X if the Professor is the leader of the X-men. Pro tip. ;)
I think this is a regional thing. I’m an econ professor in the South, and folks here tend to use Dr. When I taught in California, folks used Professor. And in some schools in the Midwest even the PhDs are referred to as Ms or Mr. You can’t go wrong with Professor, whereas you can accidentally offend officious types by referring to a non-PhD as Dr.
Quick “Thank You!” for the great advice on what to wear in Alaska for an interview, followed by a drug and alcohol test, medical check, and criminal records check including fingerprinting.
The warning about the gravel on the roads really helped! Never would have guessed about that and the right shoes made all the difference.
Thanks, ladies!
PS — My schedule was booked solid, so I had no time for a meet up even though that would have been wonderful!
The hotel was kind enough to send a sandwich up to my room for the 10 minutes I had between appointments. (“Just go up to your room and relax, it’ll be there by the time you’re changed!”)
Yay! Hope you get the job!!!
Off topic advice needed!
I accepted a law clerk position on Monday, but today I was offered another position that was my top choice. I had been waiting more than a month to find out if I got this job. Any suggestions on the best way to tell the other firm I took another position?
Is the law clerk position with a judge? If so, I think it’s usually reasonable to tell the firm you accepted a clerkship, but you still really want to work for them, could you defer until your clerkship is done. If they won’t let you, I can’t imagine they would be anything less than understanding and you can apply again at the end of your clerkship.