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Tuesday’s Workwear Report: Textured Collarless Jacket

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

In this Zoom-based world, I’ve been keeping one black and one navy blazer on hand at all times to throw on for video conferences. Honestly, I think I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve put on a full suit since March, and I’ve had multiple court appearances and depositions.

This textured collarless blazer would also be a great option to have on hand. It looks like a good length for wearing with either dresses or pants. I would probably wear this over a jewel-toned sheath or with a bright pencil skirt.

The blazer is $249 at Club Monaco and available in sizes 00–14. Textured Collarless Jacket

This collarless blazer from Theory is more affordable at a sale price of $158 (marked down from $395); it's available in 00–18. For plus sizes, Eloquii has this relaxed black blazer; this Bagatelle jacket has a closer silhouette to the pictured style but is in a white/black tweed. 

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Sales of note for 12.5

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319 Comments

  1. Should laser hair removal be done at a dermatologist’s office or is a personal recommendation to a non-physician setting type of place ok? I’m sure the latter is probably ok but not sure if there are resounding reasons to go one way or the other.

    1. I had it done at a medical spa. A cosmetic dermatologist oversaw the sessions but it was performed by a technician. It was done on my upper lip (zero regrets) so I wanted to be sure a doctor was supervising my treatments. But honestly, a non-physician would be okay for this.

      1. More questions please – did you have to let the hair grow-in before you could get the treatment? I’m guessing yes but am worried I’ll look like one of the village people if I let my upper lip hair grow ( have it threaded when I get my brows done) Also, did you just have your upper lip done? I’ve heard they make it expensive to just have it done in one area – would you mind sharing the cost – ballpark is fine – how many visits? TIA! Been wanting to to this for a long time!

        1. Not “BeenThatGuy” but you don’t let your hair grow in for laser, you actually are supposed to shave that morning (if you don’t, they’ll shave the area for you) – the laser targets the darker color of the hair so if the hair is above the skin it just fries it unnecessarily. I’ve done my upper lip as well and the prices can really vary – I think it cost me $300 total with a groupon and took 6 sessions, but I’ve since moved and the new place I go to charges by time, not area, so it would be probably $125 per session.

          1. Thanks for the info. You’ve had to go back? I thought it was permanent?

    2. My own experience was at a medspa run by a cosmetic surgeon. But the sessions themselves were done by a technician. I did my legs years ago and I just chose a place with good reviews from the offers on Groupon.

    3. I went to a medical spa and a non-physician did it with great results. I have dark skin and dark hair, and they had the right type of laser for that. I met with a physician at the beginning who asked me some questions (was concerned I may have undiagnosed PCOS) but never saw him after that initial consultation. They did a small test spot with the initial consult to make sure I would not experience burns.

        1. I also have PCOS and have had great success with laser hair removal. I just went to a well reviewed place that came on a personal recommendation from a friend.

    4. These days, a doctor’s office may be the best choice because of COVID-19 concerns. Personal service providers are taking precautions, but I think most physicians’ offices are likely more stringent.

    5. Having been to both, and YMMV, the derm office had better and more state of the art laser hair removal machine than a Groupon med spa. It’s always a technician though who actually does the treatment, I’ve never seen the actual MD derm do the laser hair removable.

    6. I went very cheap with my laser hair removal through a salon-like place and had good results. Check in advance the specific type of laser machine they have and then read about its effectiveness online for your skin characteristics. I’m very pale with a mix of dark and very blond/unpigmented body hair. The laser was very effective on my dark hair, as expected. I didn’t do anything on my face, sensitive parts, which I would view as much riskier and not worth cheaping out on.

  2. How many of you are actually dressing smartly for video conferences? I’m always neat and tidy, but I’m wearing tees and sweaters, as are most of the people I’m Zooming with. Pre-pandemic we dressed on the smarter end of business casual.

    1. I dress up every day. It is my creative outlet. So sometimes jeans and a nice top, but usually a dress. For Zoom calls, I usually put on lipstick.

    2. I always dress up when I have a status conference or something on Webex or Zoom, b/c the opposing council can always take screen shots of the video, and if I am not at my best, Dad says they can use this against me in the future when I am manageing partner, or on the bench. While I would love to be more of a schlump, once you are on video, that picture cannot be erased. Also, I NEVER have any food visible on the video. I only have water (not carborated), because I do not want to burp in front of people. I never do anything on video that I would not do in person, whether in court or in a depo. No one should be sloppy on video. Even if it is audio only, you do not want to drink or burp b/c they can hear all of that on-line.

    3. I’m usually in a t-shirt with no makeup. At the beginning of this I would at least wear makeup for my video calls, but as time has gone on, I have been less and less committed to that. Every time someone suggests a blazer or dressy Zoom shirt I am surprised…and wondering if I am doing something wrong! But my colleagues seem to be mostly doing the same.

    4. I throw on a blazer on top of my pajamas for video court appearances. For everything else, I just stay in my pajama shirt (a plain gray or white T).

    5. I’m with you, Ribena – mostly t-shirts, and if I’m being honest rotating through the same 4 shirts.
      I do wear lipstick and eyeliner/mascara on Zoom, because otherwise I look like I’m dead.

      1. Yes – I might wear casual clothes but I will put on eye make-up and lipstick. Almost to stage make-up levels.

        1. That’s how I think of it too. They’re really only going to see like the top 1/3 of my shirt so the stage makeup so I show up clearly on Zoom is more important.

      2. I would wear eyeliner, except that I have thick-framed tortoiseshell glasses which seem to do the same job!

    6. I feel strange about this, because logically to me, if I need to dress one way to go into the office, I need to dress that way to WFH. If people can see me, what is the difference? But I feel uncool and out of touch when I see colleagues showing up in t-shirts with wet hair!

    7. I’m 7 months pregnant, so I wear maternity maxi dresses every day and throw on a blazer or sweater blazer for Zoom calls. Most people are less formally-attired than I am (tshirts, etc). Sounds like you’re fine.

    8. I have Zoom calls fairly infrequently (this week is a big week and I have 5 of them) and you can’t really see my clothes on them (I have an i p a d stand and use that for my calls) but if I am wearing a tank top I throw my jardigan over my shoulders. I do wear makeup on them because it shows up more than my clothes.

      My DH has zoom calls every day – he puts on a polo shirt for the external calls and stays in his t-shirt for the internal calls (he is in tech).

    9. My office is acting like yours. At the beginning, people wore tops that I’d seen them wear to work before. Now, it’s noticeably more casual as in it’s clear people are wearing tees and casual knits, although the amount of skin being shown is still conservative (no sleeveless, crewneck or high vneck tops, etc).

      I don’t hate it.

      1. +1 I don’t do a ton of zoom, but when I do, definitely casual but still mindful of inappropriate, like no low cut or spaghetti-strap tanks.

    10. Our org is business very casual in the office and business formal for client meetings and presentations. Most businesses in our state are WFH until 2021 or beyond, but our org has kept its offices open because it’s run by a bunch of clueless old lawyers who think they can intimidate the virus into submission. Right now we are about 75% WFH and 25% in office. I am WFH indefinitely.

      For internal meetings and meetings with external (non-client) partners with whom I have a longstanding relationship, I wear a solid-colored t-shirt with styled hair and mascara and lip gloss so I look halfway alive. For client meetings, presentations, and virtual conferences, I wear a blazer and makeup.

      1. This sounds kind of weird, but I find I pay more attention to the background behind someone on Zoom (what does it tell me about their style, home life, etc) than I do to what they are actually wearing.

        1. I would love to have a credibility bookcase, but there is nowhere in my house that will accommodate a bookcase and a desk at the right angle.

        2. I was really distracted last week on a call trying to figure out whether the person I was talking to was sitting on a chair right up against a couch or whether there was a couch cushion leaned against the wall behind him. He very clearly wasn’t on the couch.

          Also can’t get a credibility bookcase behind me anywhere in my apartment, so right now it’s looking out over my living room (loft apartment) and people can see my gallery wall behind me and the stairs to my room. Or, recently, my dog on the couch, silently hurling toys off the couch without my noticing.

    11. I am getting dressed smartly every day. It is not always dressy (certainly not as dressy as when I went to an office in suiting separates), but it makes me feel put together. It’s also a good creative outlet for me. I missed my clothing and felt it was being wasted. I love the pretty things I own; it makes me happier to use and enjoy them.

    12. We’re back in the office now (sob) but I don’t think I “dressed up” for a single Zoom while WFH. I didn’t even wear makeup for a lot of them. However they were not external calls or with clients or anything.

    14. Covid-15 situation here that seems to be permanent (vs a blip that I’d overcome). NOTHING FITS! My weight gain is my my abdomen and thighs, so no bottoms fit and I was mainly a dress-wearer, so no dresses fit, either. I am wearing North Face Aphrodite shorts, rotating through three colors. Thankfully they have an elastic waist, which I find more comfortable for sitting. Ugh. I know I need to shop, but these are not shopping days.

    15. Blessedly, I only have one client who insists on video calls (weekly), and even then we’re all in casual knit tops but looking presentable.

      For our internal calls, even the senior partners are wearing t-shirts and ballcaps! So, sure, me too!

    16. I’m in the middle – I need to get dressed and out of PJs to not go crazy at home, so I’m showering and doing hair/light makeup, but both are less done than when I was going into the office. I switch between jeans and athleisure – tops are pretty neutral (eg., grey or white sweatshirts that aren’t obviously sweatshirts with normal jewelry). My org went bed head originally, but has trended toward polished but at home, and I think I’m right there

    17. I absolutely cannot stand wearing a bra so it’s tee shirt and sweater for me all day every day

    18. My company is global and academia adjacent so my meetings usually have participants for whom it’s fairly late at night or super-early in the morning (the US). I joined just as shutdowns started to happen, and people have told me that zoom meetings used to be no video, but now activating the video is now very common because we aren’t traveling and it helps with connections. I think people just kept wearing what they wore pre-video all the time, and it’s been pretty casual.

      I now have a real resistance to any tops but pullover style; can’t even make myself put on my silk shells unless I am doing an external webinar or presentation. I do rotate the same shirts on a much more frequent basis, and I’m avoiding patterns, which is sad to me! My WFH pants are almost exclusively Athleta joggers and the Trekkie hybrid crops with stash pockets. I wear mascara, sometimes foundation, and I’ve settled on wearing earrings as signaling “dressed up.” I have some Quince tops on the way based on one of the posts here, and I’m hoping they’ll serve as my “plain, comfortable, professional” go-to tops.

    19. I’m currently between jobs, but when I do get a new job I’ll probably buy some professional-looking blouses to wear with my yoga pants for Zoom calls.

    20. Lawyer here. My Zoom meetings are court proceedings of one kind or another, so I wear colorful blazer and popover for court hearings and comfortable but business casual silk shirts for mediations and depositions.

    21. I wear t-shirts most days (almost always a v-neck t-shirt from Target, which I have in a ton of different colors, sometimes a t-shirt with “When In Doubt Go to the Library” or “When There Are Nine” with RBG’s face) or a casual/Old Navy type blouse or, rarely, a casual dress. On the bottom, though, I am almost always in joggers, a skort, shorts, or a maxi-skirt. I don’t dress up for anything except when I’m on an interview panel or attending an important external meeting, at which point I put on a nicer shirt and maybe lip stain.

    22. Late reply but yes. I wear one of my work tops and some jewelry, and I do my hair and makeup. I’m starved for human contact (I do have other humans in my home but I’m sick of them, and I am married to one and birthed the other) so I want to look my most professional and approachable at the same time.

      I wear jewelry because I love my jewelry and have no other occasion to wear it. Same for my work tops.

      Like newscasters, what I’m wearing on the bottom may have no relation to what I’m wearing on the top!!

  3. Did the hive read about Molly Coleman from Harvard Law School? She graduated, but is postponing her bar exam and her wedding b/c of Covid 19. I think she is very smart and she is very much an advocate for women. Read this!
    https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/asked-and-answered-podcast-monthly-episode-131?utm_source=salesforce_252364&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=salesforce_252364&sc_sid=00377523&utm_campaign=&promo=&utm_content=&additional4=&additional5=&sfmc_j=252364&sfmc_s=45013433&sfmc_l=1527&sfmc_jb=1&sfmc_mid=100027443&sfmc_u=7969802

  4. What are some good container plants for a small patio? I need to brighten the place up, but I don’t know much about gardening or plants. I live in the Bay Area and get abundant sun in the summer and cool foggy days in winter (some cold). I’m not that interested in succulents but would love flower recs.

    1. Too late in the season but nastursiums should be on your list for next year. They are cheap and cheerful, just grow them from seed.

      1. Plus nasturtiums are an interesting spicy addition to salads. You can eat the flowers and the leaves.

    2. Depending on how much sun is considered “abundant”, several types of orchids may fit the bill. Dendrobiums, epidendrums and vandas can handle quite a bit of sun, as can many intergenerics. Stay away from phalaenopsis (what you’re most likely to find in the grocery store). They can’t handle much sun. If it stays cool enough, Cymbidiums might also be a good choice, but I don’t have much experience with those. They cook where I live.

    3. I’ve had amazing luck with cockscomb. I bought mine from Baker Seed online for $3 and it has been a fabulous flower with coral-reef like blooms. It thrives with lots of sunlight and heavy watering (I water mine almost every day or every other day and it LOOOOVES it). I’m in the SEUS and it’s pretty heat tolerant as well. What I like about it is that once it’s bloomed, it blooms from spring-early fall. So I get months and months of enjoyment out of them. I also got some celosia (same thing, slightly different than my baker’s seeds) at Lowe’s and those are also fabulous– mine actually came back from last year– they’re not supposed to do that but I guess it self-sowed.

      2. So that’s what those are! I always thought they looked like brains, but coral is also a nice way to describe them :)
        Maybe I’ll try these as I am a notorious overwaterer and also in the SEUS.

      3. Yes! After I submitted it, I was like, “oh that’s going straight to mod.” It’s because of the resemblance to a rooster’s comb, I believe. It’s really such a gorgeous plant. Mine are deep rose red, orange, yellow, sherbet rainbow–so pretty. The ones from Lowe’s though must be a different variety because they look more like little gnome’s hats.

    4. Coleus is super easy for containers – it doesn’t flower, but there are different varieties with really vibrant foliage.

      I remember reading an article that said containers should have a “thriller, a filler and a spiller.” So, one plant that’s a real showstopper, one that adds fullness (the coleus would work for that) and one that would grow and trail over the side of the planter (drawing a blank on options there).

      2. I use English Ivy as the “spiller” in my containers. Sweet potato vine – black, green or variegated – can also look good.

        I have a consistent problem with the “thriller” in my containers taking over the entire container. Experienced folks, how do you keep the plants in a container in balance so one doesn’t completely overtake the other two? Should I be pruning?

      3. It’s been a rough, hot summer on my container plants but my Mezoo Trailing Red succulent (had to google that!) has been thriving. It makes me so happy. I used it as a “spiller” in both my railing baskets and my hanging baskets and it is pretty much the only thing that still looks good. It doesn’t really look too much like a succulent and it’s consistently bloomed all summer.

    5. They sell plants at Trader Joes. They are cheap and then you won’t feel so bad when you kill them. That’s my attitude, at least. Brown thumb here.

    6. If you have higher humidity and are looking for low maintenance plants (green leaves rather than colorful flowers), I would give pothos, maranthas, calatheas, ctenanthes, hoyas, peace lilly a try. If you want more color, try anthuriums, i found them difficult to kill. All of these should benefit from plenty of bright, but not direct harsh light, will do fine in moderate light, too. I would recommend watching a few videos on YT from Planterina. She has some good tips and covers this topic in several videos.

  5. I’d like to try a weighted blanket. I definitely need that sense of being “swaddled” at night. But it had never occurred to me that there would be different weight options. Seems like the lighter ones, 15 lbs, make the most sense, but I thought I’d ask the hive. I’m a little heavier than 150 pounds (one buying guide suggested using your weight divided by ten as a rule of thumb), but not much – and I’m somewhat petite. Thanks!

    1. I’m your weight and went with 15 lb. It seems heavy enough to me! I was even a little intimidated at first, but I do think it helps me sleep by encouraging my muscles (where I often hold tension) to relax.

      1. +1. My husband has a 20lb and it’s too heavy for me.I also suggest getting either a “cooling” model or one with a removable cover. They can get warm .

        1. I picked one that was cotton and filled with glass beads and that was cool enough for me.

          I think I probably should be using a cover but have just been placing it over a sheet so far!

    2. I have one and went for a heavier weight — was in between the options for weight/10 — I regret it — its too heavy for me. So I think you are wise to go with the 15 lb one.

    3. I’m also about 150/160 and purchased the 15lb one. It’s heavy enough lying on my back but something I didn’t expect was it’s way too heavy to use if I’m on my side. I’m a side sleeper so I basically can’t use it for that transition to sleep. Something to keep in mind.

    4. I have different opinion. I am 5’1″ and about 120ish. I have the 25lb Gravity Blanket and love it. I tried a lighter weight 15lb one and it was too light to make any difference in my sleep. The 25lb one is so snug and really helps my restless legs. I have to say my children and my husband think the 25 lbs is a little excessive, but I really like it.

    5. I wish I’d gotten a 17 pound weighted blanket- I also have a 15 pound (~10% of my weight) and I’d like just a little more weight, but I do sleep better with it and miss it when I don’t have it. I find it really relaxing. It’s a little warm in the summer, but if I only have it plus a sheet I’m almost never too warm except the absolute warmest nights of the year.

      My family calls it my Crazy Person Blanket.

  6. Hey, we are back and I wanted to thank people for the recommendations! Due to convenience since we stayed near 1st, we ended up getting:
    – Berenato’s sandwiches or hoagies for beach lunches (fresh and great)
    – Island Grill takeout twice (once for fish dishes and once for burgers, both solid although OC really needs to learn how to grill or blacken fish rather than just broil or deep-fry…).
    – Piccini’s pizza takeout, great so we could each get our own personal pie (lots of topping choices) for a reasonable price

    As far as masks and distancing go… mixed bag. I can see why the spread among teens and 20-somethings is picking up steam.
    – Masks generally – very few to be seen unless you were going inside (or waiting close together outdoors, to get food at the places we went). This didn’t bother us given we were able to stay far apart the rest of the time (like home, we mask up outdoors only when we can’t stay appropriately distanced). Didn’t spend time on the boardwalk so that might have been worse as far as masks in denser areas.
    – Easy to distance on our stretch of beach, anyway. There seemed to be a good instinct for everyone setting up their ‘camp’ a good 10-15 feet away from everyone else, rather than the “oh there’s a square yard of beach next to you, great” *plops down* density from Before Times. Fortunately it was mild weather, which helped by making even the hot stretch of sand (that never gets damp from the tide) relatively comfortable for sitting.
    – That all said… there were plenty of large groups we saw, particularly in the 18-25 set but some huge extended family setups, clearly staying together and going to house parties, etc. That part was disappointing in general, even though posing no immediate risk to us since we never got too close.

    1. OK? Yes, there’s a pandemic and it’s not going to end anytime soon thanks to this. Thanks for the reminder.

        1. We don’t need a play by play of someone’s trip during a pandemic. Put a “content warning: social pandemic travel” in the top thread and I’ll collapse it next time. I get that my post is pretty rude, but does no one else find it jarring or irritating to get updates on just how bad the lack of social distancing is on these social trips? You posted here about a trip, stirred up a debate on that thread, and now feel compelled to report back that yep, lots of large parties were there! It’s just another reminder of how much we’re all f*cked.

          2. I don’t find it jarring or irritating – I like knowing that it is possible to go elsewhere and still social distance, but that you need to watch out for others in some locations. I live in an area where everyone goes to Ocean City so it’s relevant to me. If it really bothers you though I think it was pretty evident from her handle, not sure why you need a content warning.

          3. I find your post and level of rudeness pretty jarring TBH. You don’t need a content warning, you are not at risk of suffering a PTSD induced attack at reading about mask compliance. You can skim the thread and quickly tell that it involves travel and masks, so scroll on. This kind of rudeness is what makes these threads so volatile and unpleasant in the first place.

            I personally think it’s sort of interesting– disheartening at times, but interesting– because it’s information that I can’t get from sitting at my desk in my apt reading the NYT. Yes it’s just anecdata but it’s still info about how others are behaving and responding.

          4. You couldn’t read the name she chose and the first sentence and then decide to skip reading instead of taking the time to read and then be rude. This one’s on you. Maybe a meditation might help.

          5. This is a you problem, not an everyone-else problem. You have obviously lost all perspective and sense of proportion if you genuinely feel triggered by this to the point where you have to post multiple aggressive-then-defensive posts about it. Take a break from the board; it will help a ton. And maybe try meditation, yoga, walks in nature, therapy, medication or some combination of those to deal with your negativity and doom-and-gloom outlook. That isn’t healthy for you and it is sure as sh*t getting tiresome for the rest of us.

          6. This poster said “irritated” and “jarring,” not “at risk for PTSD breakdown” and “triggered.” People need to chill.

          7. I’m one of the more hyper-prepared, super-cautious people on here, and even I agree this poster was rude bordering hostile, and added nothing to the conversation.

      2. I am not seeing how staying 15 feet away from others outdoors and getting takeout is cobtributing to spread. I believe she posted before about how OCNJ was within no-stop driving distance.

        1. Yes thanks – I posted last week about the measures we planned to take to have a safe 1.5-hour drive long weekend, including staying in our house (alone) and staying distanced at the beach, and asked for takeout recs. People were really helpful so I wanted to report back with anecdata in case others were considering a similar “get me out of the house safely” getaway.

          The bottom line – it was easy to stay distanced ourselves, but disappointing to see large groups contributing to the persistence of the pandemic.

          3. Counterpoint, I didn’t find it helpful. What you experienced on one trip just isn’t going to apply to others in this rapidly changing situation, but I see a risk in people here saying “oh see, this rando on Corporette did it and it was fine” and getting overconfident in their own plans. To each their own, but it’s something to think about.

    2. Thanks for the update, I am really interested to read about what people are doing. I’ve been going to the office since early May, and more and more things are becoming available in my state. I’ve not done any beach time yet, even though my state has opened up both the shore and internal water options, as I figured I’d leave it for people with children and/or no air conditioning. But, as kids are returning to schools now, this is something I want to consider.

    3. Another thanks for the update! I personally like reading about these updates from vacation spots – gives me a general idea of how everything is going outside of my (and the overly cautious Corporette) bubble. I’m planning to take a beach trip at the end of summer so it’s good to know that distancing on the actual beach wasn’t a problem.

  7. Someone tell me this gets better……?

    I’m working through the Intro to Yoga sessions on Peloton , just two days in. I know I’m not flexible. But WOW. Last night some of the most basic of moves in my beginner 10-minute flow, even with yoga blocks, still were a struggle at times.

    Can someone tell me it gets better and I should stick with it? Or is yoga just always going to be extra hard for some people? I acknowledge I’m pretty out of shape these days, and I’m doing more than yoga to get to where I want to be, but my inflexibility on blast last night was downright laughable.

    2. Be very gentle. Many people will always be less flexible than others. Flexibility can be a mixed blessing (ask anyone with a connective tissue disorder), so it’s better not to compare but just to make slow progress so that you can feel more limber and comfortable; I think that’s a better goal than being able to achieve every pose.

      1. Ha, this is me. I have ‘mild’ EDS which a orthopedic surgeon diagnosed and am now getting gel injections for my wonky knees in addition to my early-onset arthritis in other joints and myriad other issues. But hey – my hamstrings, fingers, and toes are all SUPER flexible.

        1. You get it. I used to be stiff and kind of idolized flexibility. But it turns out I was stiff because I was constantly keeping my muscles in tension to hold myself together. Now I’m weak and can rock those yoga poses, but it’s not actually better. So my perspective has changed a bit!

    3. It gets a lot easier, even for the inflexible (like me). I am never going to be balancing on my elbows with my feet on my head or anything like that. But my joints definitely feel more open, which lets me bend farther. Stick with it – it gets more enjoyable!

    4. It gets better! I dabbled in yoga during high school and college (15 years ago), then took 10 years off, then restarted during quarantine with Peloton. It literally has taken me until last month to be able to do a full sun salutation with a flowing upward dog. And I’d say that’s like, really basic stuff. You might also surprise yourself and some more difficult poses are easier for you. The thing I love about yoga is that you do as much as you can and no matter how little you do, it’s still good for you!

    5. Agree – it will come. I’ve been doing it off and on for a few years and can definitely feel a difference, but also see where it’s just the way my body is built.

    6. I second the “mixed blessing” idea. I’m several years into coming back from a really devastating injury and I’m a lot more flexible than I used to be. Why? Because I can barely work out at all. Used to be, I’d run 25-30 miles a week and then be super tight in yoga class. Now I’m at a fraction of that, and it’s great that my muscles aren’t taking as much of a beating as before, but it’s also sh-tty that my muscles aren’t able to be taking a beating like before. If that makes sense. But as someone who’s practice yoga for years, I would also suggest that you do it not just because you want it to make you more flexible, but because you like the flow, you like the breathwork, whatever. It’s about a lot more than flexibility.

    7. Both, actually! It will get better, but also, different people have differently shaped bodies (duh), so if your arms are on the short side, it’ll be harder for you to reach your feet with your hands or whatever. But practice will totally help!

    8. It gets a lot better. I do 25 minute vinyasa sessions through Down Dog and have recently moved up to Beginner 2 after doing them regularly since March. I will also note that for the first 10 minutes I’m usually still quite stiff – I can’t get my heels down in downdog or my whole hands down in forward fold until I’ve been going for 15-20 minutes.

      1. I’ve been doing weekly yoga for almost 3 years and still can’t get my heels all the way down in downdog. But I also had a physical therapist tell me in college that I had the tightest hamstrings she’d ever seen, so I just acknowledge maybe that will never happen.

    9. Both. It gets better AND yes yoga is just harder for some people. But it’s so good for mobility and unlike running or other high impact exercise, will serve you very well as you age. Be extra gentle as you’re starting out, breathe, and maintain mind muscle connection as you go through the asanas.

      1. I think “gentle” is key. Yoga injuries are no joke (especially combined with aging), but I feel they often stem from competitiveness.

    10. It absolutely does get better and maintaining consistency in your practice is key to having it get easier, along with not pushing yourself to do too much too fast. I don’t think daily yoga may be the best choice if you are brand-new to this and have never done anything like it before. Even if you are only doing a 10-min practice. Every other day might be good and then you can ramp up to daily. Also, a lot of beginners jump into tough practices right away and end up feeling like it’s too hard, or they hurt themselves. I’m not familiar with the Peloton Intro practice but some “beginner” practices don’t focus enough on basics before moving into the cool-looking (but tough) poses. I’ve seen products that take people into advanced inversions in a “beginner” practice (probably because inversions make such cool pictures on Instagram). Good way for people to really hurt themselves. I have worked through the Down Dog free beginner practice and am into the regular app practices now and don’t feel like they’re too much for me, but I will say the “beginner” practices can be rigorous, depending on the pose flow. I took a couple of years of beginner to intermediate in-person yoga classes pre-Covid and we didn’t do some of the poses I’ve seen in the “beginner” flows in the paid Down Dog app until I transitioned to an intermediate class. Always remember, you can modify any pose so that it is doable for you, using blocks, bolsters, straps, etc. There’s a difference between pushing yourself a little to build fitness and pushing yourself past the point where you’re going to get injured.

      I think a lot of people get attracted to yoga because it looks easy – when someone who has been practicing for years and has a smooth flow and can hold poses eternally does it on Instagram or YouTube. It is a lot harder than it looks. It’s different movement and control than the aerobic exercise most of us are used to, which is why it also feels different and nets different results. It’s a completely different kind of strength and fitness. Which is also why it’s valuable. I do yoga on the days I don’t lift to maintain flexibility and resiliency and I think it really helps me not get injured, or feel as wrecked the next day, when I lift. I also get a lot of mind/body benefit from it. However, it’s not for everyone and so after you try practicing every other day for a couple of weeks, and you’re still struggling? It’s okay to quit. Pilates may be something to check out as it also offers lengthening and flexibility but the movements are different and many people find them easier and more effective.

      1. On this topic, Tim Sensei’s foundations series and the first week of his 30 day challenges are actual basics classes. They really changed my practice in a good way after three years of twice weekly Core Power flows.

    11. Something encouraging my yoga teacher would tell us in the Before Times: “Every side is different!” I.e., you can do things with your left leg you may not be able to do with your right. Best of luck – it’s a fun journey!

    12. I’m really inflexible too. I’m slightly more flexible then when I started yoga, but still less than average. Honestly, I don’t care. I feel so much looser with yoga and have a lot less back issues. I’ll never appear on the cover of Oprah magazine doing yoga next to Gwyneth Paltrow, and I’m ok with that.

    13. Yes, definitely. I committed to a weekly class for 12 weeks, with the agreement (with myself) that I’d quit if I hated it. 8 years later and pre-pandemic, I was in hot yoga flow classes 2-3 days a week. So give yourself a good chance!

    14. It absolutely does get better. I also find from my various start and stop attempts at yoga over the year (I now have an intermittent but sort of regular home practice) that a lot of classes called “beginner” or “intro” really are not, or the teachers don’t know how to give correct modifications for true beginners who have less flexibility. If you are open to trying something else, I really recommend Glo dot com for yoga overall, and they have several really fantastic teachers and programs for beginners. I believe they have a free trial and total it is only $18/month.

    15. As a pandemic project, I decided to up my flexibility. Literally just 15 minutes a day of very basic stretches and within 3-4 weeks it all kicked in. Good luck and persevere :)

  8. What little things are you doing to bring joy into your days right now? Thought it might be nice to create a collective list since there are probably a few of us who could use ideas on how to find more joy right now. I’ve been buying myself cut flowers, painting my nails bright colors, and trying to enjoy summer produce.

    1. I am scouring my YouTube suggestions to find one new song I like per day, intentionally avoiding popular/radio-friendly genres.

      1. You didn’t ask for suggestions, but Alanis Morrissette has a new song out and a fun video with all her kids in it. Liked the song and video.

    2. After being recommended it 1,000,000x on this site I am finally watching Schitt’s Creek and I love it. We are in the midst of a move which has been stressful so it’s been a fun, light thing to have on while organizing and to improve my mood. So that’s my main little joy thing.

      I also go get a latte a couple of times a week which sounds so silly but I look forward to.

      That’s all I got.

      1. I take my pup to dog daycare a few mornings a week (to support the business and socialize him), and there is a lovely bakery right beside it. Once a week, I pick up a treat there. I’m always amazed how much I love going there (masked and I’m in a city of 3 million with an average of less than 20 cases a day).

      2. Ewwwwwww, Daviiidd.

        My garden is bringing me joy. My cherry tomatoes are going overboard and it fills me with (mild) delight. I also have a number of internal conference calls scheduled during the week that are informal check-ins, so I am finding them a perfect time for a brisk walk around the neighborhood — I try to take different streets than my usual routes and notice the scenery. Even a mundane change of scene is helpful.

      3. There are so many SC quotes from David that are relevant for our current situation . . . “I’m trying not to connect with people right now,” and “Very uninterested in that opinion” come to mind. It’s soooo good!

    3. My Saturday farmers market trip is the highlight of my week, and right now is the summer bounty, so I’m buying a massive amount of fresh, local produce, plus some meat, cheese, and bread there. It’s a little easier to be okay with all this at-home time with good tomatoes, and I baked the best cherry pie of my life last weekend. And once a month, there’s a local distiller at the market, so I’ve been picking up local booze – pink gin most recently – when it’s appealing.

      1. Which market has a local distiller?! The greenmarket is the highlight of my week as well, though pink gin would make it better.

        1. I go to the Inwood greenmarket (upper Manhattan), but I think there’s a rotation between several of the markets. It’s a special “grain” project, so there are local grains – flour, cornmeal, oats, dried beans (which are not grains, but whatever) – at one stand, and a local distiller at another. Pandemic rules mean no tasting, but still, I’ve discovered several new favorites there, including my husband’s go-to whiskey, Breuckelen Distilling’s 77 New York Wheat. The pink gin is Gin Pig from Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery.

          1. Wow thanks! They don’t come to my market but I’ll check and see if they come to another that I could bike to…

      2. After seeing a link on C of J recently, I ordered Seemore Sausages. I have been soooo looking forward to them, and they finally shipped yesterday! I can’t wait to try them, and I sure hope they don’t disappoint!

    4. I changed which hand/fingers wear my engagement ring and wedding ring (it’s an anniversary band). Small change has made me notice the rings so much more, and I love them! It’s fun to appreciate them and feel like they are “new” (20 years of marriage this week, so not new!). I am generally also wearing fun dangle earrings, because I like how they look on Zoom. Necklaces that I don’t usually wear are also getting more use. It is fun to have a “new” look from my jewelry box.

      I moved artwork around in the house. I didn’t like the art hanging behind me on Zoom calls, so I took two framed items from another room and put them in my office. Just moving stuff around makes me notice it again. Great refresh.

      I cut my hair! I have curly hair that should be chin length but had grown past my shoulders. I was feeling really torn about wanting a cut but not feeling it was appropriate to take risk for my hair. Yesterday I just grabbed kitchen scissors and cut in front of the mirror. It looks great! What a liberation. Feels like a very pandemic thing to do :)

      3. Agree with art! I re-hung some artwork in my house. We have been living here for 9 months but with our plaster walls I had been avoiding doing it.

      4. Congrats and yes on the dangle earrings!! I didn’t wear them to work much because I was kind of a post earring person in the office, but on Zoom I’m a dangle earring person. Who knew?

    5. Going out in the boat and swimming. Watching my dog swim out and the joy on her little face.

      Kiss x Rebecca minkoff press-on manicures with a matte finish.

      Making myself a sandwich or wrap with all of the fixings for workday lunches.

      Recess on Disney +. Disney channel original movies from the 90’s like Zenon girl of the 21st century, Boy Meets World, Parent Trap, Lizzie McGuire.

    6. We did a CSA box for fruits and veggies, and I did a major online shop to stock our pantry with good quality ingredients so we are less reliant on the local stores, which have been really picked over. I also did a wine cellar restock with wines from small U.S. producers.

    7. Making meals I really want to make.

      Ordering fun shrubs and cocktail syrups to make a refreshing summer drink, with or without booze.

      Early-morning beach yoga. Socially distanced, a great workout, and a way to calm my mind among all this craziness.

      1. I’m also putting more effort into cooking cool things that I’m excited to eat, and alternate cooking sprees with takeout to treat myself and to not have to cook.

    8. I love cookbooks and often read them as books, so I’m actually using this time to make all those dog-eared recipes :) It’s fun to take a couple days each week and make something different.

    9. I care not one whit about sportsball, and have decided to be intentionally grateful that this fall I don’t have to listen to my next door coworker – who has a voice so loud I question his hearing – hold forth on football theory to anyone who will listen for 25% of the day.

      I’m sure there are topics he’s grateful he doesn’t have to hear me chat about, too, but at least I try to keep it down :)

      1. YES. I don’t have a coworker who does this, but I hate football and the ability to go a whole season without having to hear about ANY of it will be amazing. It will be great to go to a socially-distanced backyard get-together without the inevitable football discussions.

    10. Buying flowers each week
      Swimming daily in condo pool
      Playing scrabble on my phone

    11. I am loving my flower subscription — every two weeks I get a new bouquet and I put it in my WFH office. I also bought a couple of much nicer vases to show them off instead of generic glass vases.

      Driving to more “exotic” bike trails for cycling instead of just sticking to the ones around my house which are convenient but busy and over-familiar. Spent a LOT of money on some super premium bib shorts, so not a little thing but give me joy every time I put them on AND return from a ride….

      Spices from SpiceWallah, since I’m cooking a lot of instant pot Indian food.

      Got tired of Whole Foods always being out of 365 dark chocolate Almond Butter cups and I’ve been ordering the Chocolove 50-count changemaker boxes of milk chocolate almond butter cups directly from the company. They taste better, end up being cheaper, and customer service at Chocolove is spectacular (they once called me to apologize because they’d just sent the last box out and wanted to know if there was an acceptable substitute.) They won’t ship if the temp is over 90 degrees anywhere along the route, and the last time I ordered I got a kick out of trying to gauge the right window of temperature for the journey — would I run out? How long would I have to wait?

    12. +a million to cut flowers.
      We’re redoing our bedroom – I painted it last week and the difference is just amazing. New shades, new bedding, tearing up the carpet, etc.

    13. Baking! I’ve made baguettes, macarons, chocolate croissants, among other things.
      I also go on an hour-long walk once a week during the work day with my husband, we often grab an iced coffee at the shop along the way.

    14. I have been gardening (literal) obsessively and now my tomatoes and string beans and cucumbers are coming every day and it’s a joy.

      During the onion crisis I was so glad I had big clumps of garlic chives (which are like hard scallions, more oniony than garlicky) and I was able to rely on them.

      I’ve cooked a lot during covid and I’m on an Indian kick right now and having a lot of fun with all the spices. I even bought some of the more specialty ones like amchoor and fresh curry leaves.

      My sourdough starter went on vacation with us (an isolated cabin 2 hours away) and seemed to love the air and water there, so she’s making amazing, amazing boules since we’ve returned.

      Lastly, I’m trying to save money but I looked at the NAS with an open mind and honestly didn’t see anything I wanted to buy. That’s actually good news for me!

    15. I definitely second painting my nails! I still try to give them time to breathe between coatings, but I’m definitely painting them more often than I usually do.

      I’m also trying to exercise as much as possible, I find I’m in a generally better mood when I’m moving my butt on a regular basis.

      We’ve also been experimenting with spice blends and fun cheeses you have to order because they’re not available in stores around here. We got the 3-pack from Flatiron Pepper Co. and have loved all of them (dark n smoky shrimp scampi was a revelation!). I’m not normally a gouda person but the stuff from Cheese Bros. has been fun to try; Tres Amigos is my favorite, the sriracha honey is good too, the bourbon gouda is, uh, interesting.

    16. Books. So many books. Including a lot of escapist books I usually don’t binge on. I read the new Twilight book. It was just as bad as the rest of them but I also read it in 3 days so there’s that.

      Flowers. My local grocery store has started having Trader Joes-priced bouquets so I’ve bought two of those each week, one for my kitchen and one for my living room.

      Walking the dog and listening to an audiobook. This is more joyful to do when it’s not super hot because I live in an area where everyone wears masks outside, even when it’s easy to social distance.

      Puzzles. This was more late winter/early fall thing, but I’m excited to start them again in the fall as the weather gets cold and rainy. Need to buy some before they’re all bought out again!

    17. Getting flowers from the Hmong pop-up tents on the side of the road or in the gas station parking lot. I stop any time I see them, wearing a mask even outdoors of course. Ultimate in small, family business support and the flowers look lovely at home.

  9. I’m going to have a breast reduction. I’m currently a 34G and want to go down to a C cup. If you have had a breast reduction, what sizes were you before and after? Are you happy? My husband does not care about the size I choose (bless him) and does not want to weigh in because it’s my body

    1. I have been considering the same (currently 32GG). It has been helpful to lurk at the r/reduction sub-Reddit. There are lots of before and after pictures and frank discussions on the topic. Good luck!

    2. Following with interest. I’m on my husband’s insurance and my friend works at the same employer. When she had hers done, her insurance required her to have a documented 6 months of a cardio regimen to show that exercise/losing weight wouldn’t fix the problem. If I recall correctly she had to prove her time in the gym with gym records or something. This was over 5 years ago now. I have no idea if it is still a requirement but the hoops to jump through for insurance coverage sounded insane.

        1. For her height, probably but not by a lot. I get that some people just gain weight in their boobs but that doesn’t change the fact that the weight in the boobs is causing them back problems.

    3. This isn’t the question you asked… I was a 32DD before pregnancy and found that my body looked very proportional; postpartum, I’m a 34D and, with more weight in my hips and stomach, look vaguely triangular. Dresses that fit my hips bag in my chest. I’m a runner and don’t think the weight of my chest is a problem at all.

      Consider your overall measurements and what is proportional.

    4. I had the surgery when I was 19 – so about 17 years ago at this point (hard to believe it’s been that long). I went from about that to a B/C (ultimately the surgeon made the decision on cup size). The first few days afterward were very painful. I remember waking up from the surgery and thinking this was the dumbest thing I’d ever done, but it took only a few weeks to realize that it was actually great.

      There are some days when I think “huh, wow, maybe I wish I still had bigger breasts” but they’re few and far between. I don’t think the surgeon would have gone to anything bigger than the small-ish C/large B that I am now.

      1. I wish I had pushed back on my surgeon and asked for a small C instead of his idea for a large C. That large C at age 18 ultimately slid back into a D and beyond once. If you tend to gain weight in your boobs, go smaller. I’m now back in DD territory in my early 40s and even if I lost 20 lbs, I’m not sure I would get back down to the C. I also found that my band size permanently increased from 34-36 up to 36-38 post – childbirth thanks to my ribs expanding.

    5. This also isn’t what you asked, and I haven’t had a breast reduction, but I have had a tummy tuck and a facelift and my rule for plastic surgery is take whatever recovery time the doctor tells you, and double it. It’s much better to be happily surprised that it’s quicker than you expect than the other way around!

    6. HI! You’re me about 2 years ago! I went from a 34G to a 34C/small 34D. Frankly, I was probably even larger before but was in denial of how poorly my bras fit.

      LIFE CHANGING. Best decision I’ve made. AMAZING, Amazing, can’t say enough good things.

      As a note, they removed at least 750g from each side which is a LOT. I had a female surgeon I trusted and asked for ‘as small as she thought appropriate’. Based on my frame (5’8, 160 lbs+/- 5, reasonably muscular, size 6/8, narrow ribcage), she thought that a 34C/D would be very appropriate. She adjusted to make sure they looked good and corrected a major asymmetry. It’s fantastic and I love how I look now.

      Biggest change: I didn’t realize that my sports bras were so intense that I couldn’t really breathe deeply because they had no stretch – they COULDN’T because I needed them to firmly hold my chest down. Also, did you know that the headaches I had every day weren’t from my computer, they were from the weight of my chest! It’s seriously the best thing ever.

      FWIW, I had surgery on a Wednesday, went back to work on Monday and was 100% fine. I was discouraged from heavy lifting/exercise to ensure I didn’t have any complications but after 6 weeks or whatever, I was better than ever!

      1. It sounds like this was definitely the best choice for you, but I regret ever settling for bras that fit poorly; there is always a bra that fits out there.

  10. I have started running after signing up for a virtual 5K with friends. I got some new running shoes and went to the store once to order and once to pick up when my color size width combo came in.

    I noticed one thing (two actually), which my sheepish spouse confirmed. Is there a thing among runners to get implants? Like I could not be that lean and have all my body fat conveniently located in my boobs. Not to mention, the altitude was remarkable (my guessing everyone is 40ish and gravity takes a toll). If that isn’t it, I can’t imagine a running Wonderbra, but maybe that is it? I am noting this now that I run, not in every female runner but more than I would have thought.

    1. Um, no, it’s not a thing. It sounds like you are watching the opening credits of Baywatch, not running.

    2. There’s not some secret underground movement for runners to get implants (of which I am aware at least, and I’ve been a serious runner all my life). That said, many women who take their body image seriously run, so I’d say there are probably a disproportionate number of implant getters who are runners. A good bra cannot be discounted either.

    3. I have somewhat noticed this by a woman I used to work with. Originally, I thought she had had reconstructive surgery. But her running crowd seemed to be women who had become distance runners and kept it up post kids and I suspected that after having/nursing kids took a toll and they were in a sport that made them leaner, they just decided to do something that made them feel good. Not as a group, but I find that when something becomes typical and you have friends that have done it and know just how it has gone for them, you are more likely to take the plunge if you were already inclined to and hesitant. Could be tattoos, tummy tuck, gastric bypass, or any number of optional things that people do feel makes them happier or have better lives. I don’t think I’d do it personally, but I think maybe it is more noticeable with runners b/c they are so very lean otherwise.

    4. Lol, I’d say my chest is more noticeable when I run – tight sports bras push things up and create cleavage that isn’t usually there, and they’re more noticeable because they’re still bouncing a bit. I’ve never thought about this, but yeah – can see how you’d think this.

      1. LOL — I may need the name of the sports bras you use. Mine mush everything so that they are flatter than flat. I joke that they are like a chastity belt in bra form.

        1. I am not curvy and I love the Puma sports bras from Costco. I think I got 2 on sale for $15.

          1. I got the same set! They do push things together and are fairly low cut, so if I ever ran with no shirt over the bra, it would probably look very interesting.

          2. hahahah they’re my uniform this summer for running outside (literally wearing one rn) and I don’t wear a shirt. I am not blessed enough in that department for it to be too revealing, luckily for me since it’s so hot out!

        2. I have some old ones from Victoria’s secret that are encasement bras rather than smushing bras. I hate their stuff normally but the sports bras are pretty comfortable.

      2. I’m the anon above and I wear the lululemon energy bra – I’m a b/c cup and it’s pretty low cut, so it definitely creates cleavage. I also like the support level.

      3. Same. Something about certain sports bras I own and wear definitely pump up my cleavage even when I’m not trying.

    5. In my local running and triathlon club, there is a definite subset of folks who are more appearance-oriented than others – outfits always match, hair done, tanned and, yes, implants. To each their own.
      All the money and cosmetic work in the world and I’d still look goofy as hell, so it’s not my thing.

      1. My ideal look for running is “invisible” because am a red-faced huffing-and-puffing mess and one foot doesn’t land or move with any elegance. The last thing I want is to be more noticeable (except to cars — hence an orange or neon tee; please don’t hit me).

      2. People still tan? I figured that fitness-minded people would not still be doing that. Leathery skin in a few decades is not what I want (never mind the melanoma risk).

        2. I’m the 11:01 Anon
          Spray tan – most definitely! It’s certainly a thing. All the sunscreen in the world won’t prevent some degree of tan lines when you do long, outdoor workouts in the south.

          1. Or in the North with this crazy hot summer we are having. I wear SPF 50-75 though I’m not amazing at reapplying. I have serious tan lines from my life vest paddleboarding.

      3. This was going to be my response. Runners’ shapes and sizes run the gamut, but there’s definitely a subgroup of real housewives who run. This got me thinking: with the right bra, mine could be mistaken for implants. Now I want a running tank that says “They’re real!”

    6. I’m also going to go out on a limb and say there’s a not insubstantial number of post-mastectomy women runners out there.

      1. I’d say my reconstruction friends just keep wearing their normal clothes. Then there is the running-in-sports-bra trend. I am 50ish and a pear and can’t imagine running without at least a tank top on (but often a sleeved top b/c I don’t want the sun to touch my shoulders for skin cancer concerns).

        1. I live in an area of the country wherein it’s often 85 degrees by 8 am. Yes, I run in a sports bra.

    9. I’m a D cup, and a sports bra that just smooshes/flattens the boobs is not sufficient for a high-impact activity like running. My sports bras don’t have underwires, but they do have a lot of stitching and stiffness and individual cups to hold the girls up and minimize movement. And a functional sports bra that makes you look good will be a lot more popular than one that doesn’t.

      I like the Anita High Impact sports bras from Amazon.

  11. For the people here that are anti-makeup, no need to comment.

    For the people that are, I just wanted to say that I have been using Revitalash since COVID started and my eyelashes have gotten super long. With mascara, my eyes look amazing over my mask. I had previously used Latisse, but it turned my eyes purple and gave me dark undereye circles. Revitalash doesn’t do that. I didn’t really expect it to work as well as the Latisse, but I am pleasantly surprised!

    1. Thanks. This is a rec I have been looking for but never remember to ask for. My lashes are dark but a bit stumpy. I think this could be a great enhancement for me specifically. And I don’t do much but a 5 minute makeup routine pre or post Covid.

    2. same!! I stopped eyelash extensions during COVID and decided to use up the lash boosts I had around the house. I don’t know if I’ll go back to extensions. Also I’m surprised at how long one tube lasts. I’ve been using Revitalash at least 4 times a week since March and am still on the same one.

    3. I had similar results with GrandeLash! I didn’t think it was doing anything until I put on mascara and my eyelashes brushed up against my brows.

    4. Any thoughts on Neulash (I think that’s the spelling)? In my annoyance over losing out on the Laura Mercier caviar sticks yesterday, I saw them in the NAS…

    5. Have you noticed any orbital fat loss? I quit eyelash growth products because I definitely saw hollowing, but man do I miss the lush lashes.

      1. Whoa this is the first I’ve heard of this – can you talk more about this? Did the orbital fat come back when you stopped using? I’ve used Latisse and as long as I use in the morning and wipe off the excess on the bottom there is no discoloration or undereye darkness.

      2. I haven’t noticed that! If it comes back when you stop using, then maybe give it a try and see. Like I said, I haven’t had the same problems with it that I did with Latisse. My eyelids were a scary purple with Latisse.

  12. Very frivolous question— Does anyone have favorite Spotify playlists for working out? I like upbeat music that’s pop, hip hop, or EDM. I don’t like rock music. I listened to “Feeling Myself” for quite a while but am starting to want another one or two to mix in.

    2. I’ve recently enjoyed Latin Cardio, 90s summer hits and US Summer Hits of the 10s.

    4. I like the Cardio playlist on Spotify for running. If I’m lifting I’ll listen to Beast Mode or Rap Caviar, but those are hit or miss.

    6. I listen to one that is called Best Hip Hop Running Songs that is fun to run to!

    7. Thanks everyone– I’ve sampled a few of these already and they sounds great. Can’t wait to change it up.

  13. In search of new Spotify playlists to stream while I am working (and not on calls, obv). Definitely a YMMV type of thing, but hit me up with your favorite playlist; I need to check some new ones out. My own Work playlist is light classical but am bored to tears with it.

    2. All Out 80s by Spotify
      90s Workout by Spotify
      All Out 00s by Spotify
      Vinyasa Flow by Spotify (for yoga)
      The Beats Per Minute playlists are usually pretty good for me; depends on what I’m doing. The Just Get Going! 155 BPM is good for gym cardio, as is Born to Run 150 BPM.

    3. In my old “study music” folder:
      Stress Relief
      Coffee Table Jazz
      Peaceful Piano
      Productive Morning
      Peaceful Guitar
      Chill Tracks
      Chill Lofi Study Beats
      Lush Lofi
      Jazz Vibes
      Acoustic Covers
      Summer Acoustic (changes with the seasons)
      Deep Focus (a popular one but I got much more mileage out of the lofi and acoustic selections on this list)
      Folk Pop
      Lo-Fi House (my thesis brought to you by this one)
      Piano Ballads
      Nordic Folk

    4. I laughed seeing two play list questions in a row!

      I like Acoustic Covers of Pop songs and honestly have been streaming Taylor Swift’s new album a lot.

    5. Ooh I’m going to check these out. Today I have had Paris Jazz and also the Mumford & Sons Radio on.

    6. My favorites for when I need to concentrate are the Black Panther score (all instrumental) and Best of Star Wars.

    7. Bach Cello Suites – Yoyo Ma [that’s how the playlist is spelled on Spotify] is my go to

    8. Happy Folk.
      Acoustic Favorites and Acoustic Covers.
      Coffeehouse by Starbucks.
      Your Favorite Coffeehouse.
      Mood Booster.
      Sunny Day.
      Winter Sounds.
      Hamilton. Always Hamilton.

  14. I have a new-ish employee I onboarded during Covid (my first at this org though I’m an experienced manager). She’s young and has only been working for a few years but is pretty proactive and has shown decent judgment. Our org is now 100% WFH and likely to continue that way for at least 6 months.

    Ordinarily I have a check-in once a week with staff members, plus make time for them informally whenever they need. However, I set up a daily 15-min Zoom check-in with my new employee when she started…since I wanted to be as available as possible for her and it’s hard to informally stop by in the same way you would in an office. 

    Generally our call just lasts 5 – 10 minutes, some friendly chat, she’ll ask a few questions if she has them, and I’ll answer/explain things as part of onboarding/describe some tasks I’d like her to take on. Communication at this org is a mess even in normal in-office times, and I think it would be hard to join an org at a time like this where she is the only person who doesn’t know everyone else who joined pre-Covid in office days, so from my perspective the frequent meetings have been helpful, and I hope for her too.

    Now over a month in, meeting every day feels excessive, so I’d like to bring down the frequency…wondering if anyone has good ways to keep communication good and regular without formal (video) meetings. I would not care as much about this if she were more advanced in her career…I think she still needs oversight and I don’t want her to be disconnected from what’s happening.

    1. I think it’d be helpful to still have a regularly scheduled check-in – less because of her seniority and more because she joined the org fully remote while everyone else already knew each other. I’d just scale it back – to Mon/Wed/Fri initially, then maybe to Tues/Thurs if that still sounds excessive.

    2. Maybe the other way to take this would be to keep it daily but make it for your whole team. We have a daily catch up at 11 that usually gets a few of us dialling in, with a mixture of life chat and work chat.

      1. Thanks! I explained poorly but she’s my first and only direct report at this org…otherwise I think this would be helpful. We aren’t part of a larger team and I likely won’t be able to expand my team soon due to budgetary issues.

    3. Does your office have a good culture around chat? We use Slack extensively in my office and I regularly pop into teammate’s chat with a bulleted list of need-to-know things if I can’t meet with them that day. We have a daily virtual stand-up with the broader team where everyone puts in a list of 2-3 things we’re working on for the day, reminders about PTO, etc. That’s usually enough detail for someone who might need more detail to ping that person separately or start a thread about an item on the list that requires deeper collaboration. I also have an early-career person reporting to me, and I’m just more diligent about following up with her if I haven’t heard from her. So, maybe reduce your meetings to 1-2x/week and do the rest on chat? We also have various collaboration tools that allow tagging, so I’ll tag someone with CC: NAME if they just need to know that something is moving forward or changing that might affect them in the future. Since our culture is so chat-heavy, we have pretty established norms about which types of communications require a response or action vs. FYI to a select few or the broader team.

      1. This is a good idea. Maybe move the call to once a week, but using chat encourages her to ask the kind of “drop by” questions as they come up, rather than feeling she needs to formally keep them until your next 1:1 meeting.

        1. Yes, use chat! Teams is invaluable for our small team, and we had two 1L interns and a new attorney (brand new) start this summer. We do calls MW and as needed and chat every day.

      2. Thanks…chat has not been used a ton from what I can see, but we do have a platform I can use with her!

    4. Yes I’ve always done this with new hires. First few days spent mostly together. Then a real project and daily check ins. Next project is ask me any questions any time but at least twice weekly check ins.

      I’ve never gone more than a week without talking to a direct report if I can help it.

    5. I’d still keep a regular check in, but consider changing the format to 30 to 60 minutes once a week or every other. Format could be something like what she’s been working on, and then you can give any feedback and discuss what’s coming down the pike. This is the format my boss uses with me, and I use with my direct reports. Some meetings don’t take the whole time. But I think it’s important since it gives accountability to work progress and creates a regular communication ease that will make any challenging conversations at any point easier (bad work product or if the employee is seeing problems with anything). It also gives a regular chance to provide praise when appropriate–which is easy to overlook in the day to day. All of these things help keep an employee connected, and not just new employees.

    6. I’m your staff, ie I also joined during Covid, although I’m not my supervisor’s only direct report. We do check-ins every other week so personally I think daily or even multiple times a week is excessive. I’d do weekly and and encourage her to reach out in between if she needs to.

  15. My peloton arrives today. Any advice for a newbie (although I’ve taken spin classes before)? I’m currently in terrible shape and hoping to turn that around.

    1. Not Peloton-specific, but I find it helpful to really pace myself in the first few workouts in something new (and to resist the urge to go hard because it’s new/exciting). Otherwise, I’ll end up so sore or miserable that it’s hard to get motivated for the next round. If you’re out of shape at the moment, starting slow will help you stick with it for the long run – or at least it has in my experience.

    2. Go through the set up videos to make sure you’re handlebar and seat height are correct. I’d also go through that again in a week or two after you’ve settled in to confirm a good set up. There’s a whole series on the bike for people totally new. I really recommend trying a variety of instructors, which you’ll hear from everyone. But every person I know with a Peloton has different instructors they gravitate to, and so make sure you try them all. True beginners (like, without significant spin experience) tend to like Hannah C. – she goes slow and gives lots of tips about form.

    3. First, make sure your seat and handle bars are in the right position. There are some fantastic you tube videos for this (a simple search should get you there). Don’t be discouraged if clipping out is really hard at first. There are some adjustments you can made the pedal to make it easier, but they generally come really tight.

      Do the beginner ride series for a few days so you get a feel for it.

      Try some intervals and arms classes at first if you really want to get a 30 min ride in but want an easier ride – I find the breaks to do the arms portions a good rest, especially on days when I just don’t want to work as hard as others or when I’m coming off of a hard ride the day before.

      Other than that, I’m going to put a plug in for Cody Rigsby’s rides. Just like a normal spin studio, you’ll hit it off with some instructors more than others. When I’m just looking for great music and to have fun/laugh, he’s my go-to. If he’s your cup of tea (seems to be with most, but admittedly not all), try some of his rides, which are pretty low pressure but outstanding/hard in their own right, as you get acquainted with the bike. Enjoy!

    5. I’ve had mine for a few months now. In terms of accessories, I have a hand towel on the bars and a fan blowing on me when using it. In terms of classes, I took a few 20 minute beginner classes but didn’t feel the need to do the full-blown beginner collection Peloton has. I tend to check the playlists and look at the metrics before settling in on the class I want to take. There are some instructors I don’t necessarily love (Hannah C. being one of them… to me, always just feels like an advertisement for her other classes (“check out my [xxxx] for [xxx]”)).

    6. I did the Mastering the Basics of Cycling program, which I found to be a helpful on-ramp. It helped me get acquainted with the bike and different kinds of rides, and it exposed me to lots of different instructors so I could find my faves. It also felt accessible for a range of fitness levels.

    7. I’m plus size and was extremely out of shape when I started on Peloton. Start with the beginner classes. Start with the lowest metrics suggested in the beginner classes. Then ramp up as you feel more comfortable at those metrics. Once you’re at the top of the range of metrics, move to advanced beginner, and so on.

    8. Be prepared for your cr0tch to feel bruised after your first 5-10 rides. This is completely normal and my friends and I have running jokes about it. I have been spinning regularly for over a decade, but any time I take 2+ weeks off for any reason, the cr0tch bruise feeling comes back when I get back on the bike.

      I suggest you start with shorter classes (10-20 minutes) and try new instructors. By doing shorter workouts in the beginning, you’ll feel like you accomplished something without killing yourself and not wanting to do it again. Once you’ve done say 4 15 minute rides in a week, do 4 20 minute rides the next week or two weeks. Then move up again.

      Like others have said, we all land on our favorites, but even once you find a few you like, I encourage you to keep trying different people and mixing it up. Different instructors focus on different things, and you can learn a lot.

      Enjoy your bike! Mine arrived in June and I love it!

    9. wherever you put it, make sure you have room to fully extend your arms on both sides while seated.

    10. Once you’ve set it up and done some of the beginner rides, find the “All For One” rise from July 4, 2019. It’s a great way to find instructors you like and better than the necessarily stilted one from this year. I also really like the Artist Spotlight rides a lot, and find them motivating.

  16. There is no ammonia anywhere in my city. I use it for cleaning and the kids’ science project that is growing crystals on charcoal. Not at grocery stores. Not at big box stores. We have bleach! But no amonia.

    1. Try hardware stores and smaller ones, not the big box. Dollar stores might also have some of the generic cleaning supplies.

    2. Rice vinegar and orzo finally came back in stock here after being MIA since March.

        1. I recently tried orzo after too many years of mistakenly thinking it was rice. SA is correct, it’s wonderful.

        2. Harrrrrdddd disagree. Orzo is the worst pasta, it’s basically rice. no no no. This might be the first time I’ve disagreed with you SA.

          1. Yes! Orzo is like less healthy rice that doesn’t taste better to make up for it. Right?

        3. I think that for Italian dishes, orzo > rice. For Asian dishes, I can’t imagine anything but rice. Starches are so hyper-specific!

        4. Love orzo. In my experience it’s easy to over-salt so I add much less salt to the cooking water than I would for spaghetti or penne. But other than that it’s superb. And yes, I haven’t been able to get any since March.

      2. These are so random. I don’t think any of our shortages were half this funny (flour, pasta, tortillas, eggs, yeast, meat, TP, wipes).

      3. Funny story: I’m pregnant and was in my first trimester cravings + nausea period in March/April. Was getting all of our groceries delivered (still am) and worried that stores would run out of what I wanted, so one order was 4 bottles of rice vinegar, 4 packs of my preferred tofu, and 4 bags of assorted Tate’s chocolate chip cookies. Maybe some cucumbers. That was it.

        It got delivered to my neighbor (who texted the rest of the neighbors until she found out whose it was). Needless to say, she figured out I was pregnant :)

    3. I was in the neighborhood Mexican market the other day and they had pretty much everything I haven’t been able to find at the big box stores and the supermarket.

      1. Same, early on, the Asian grocery was fully stocked while the supermarket shelves were empty.

    4. We have had a hard time getting any kind of good flour. We can get the grocery store all purpose sometimes now, which I’m grateful for, but I want the really nice King Arthur bread flour. Can’t even get it from their site. The bread baking craze that started because bread wasn’t available for a while has wiped out the mills.

      I finally got some KA bread flour last week and I hugged it like a baby.

      1. For an eighth-grade health class project, I literally had to carry around a 5-pound sack of flour for a week and pretend it was a baby.

      2. I got a small mood boost a few weeks ago when I went to Whole Foods and there was finally all the different types of KA flour in stock: all purpose, organic, bread, cake, self rising. It was like like a “it gets better” reminder :)

        But on the other hand, for some reason all the Whole Foods around me have been out of plastic wrap and freezer bags for a month.

    5. My grocery store has been out of lunchmeat, Pepsi Max, and couscous for a few weeks. My 5 year old loves couscous. We finally got baking powder.

  17. I had sinus surgery for a persistent infection and a deviated septum. Afterwards, things were better then took a turn. I went back to the doctor and he extracted what seemed like giant congealed mucus slugs (almost like tentacles) from each side of my nose. He said that they weren’t left-over packing. What were they? I was too shocked/horrified to ask at the time and Dr. Google hasn’t yet yielded an answer. But OMG I feel so much better now. I just want to know if that nasty gunk will come back and what it was and it’s like I’m freaked out but can’t look away, like a good horror movie.

    2. Can you call and ask your doctor? Does his practice have one of those “ask the nurse/nurse practitioners” numbers that you can call and leave a message? My practice uses MyChart and I really appreciate the ability to just ask a non-urgent question through the portal and have them get back to me.

    3. I’ve had 2 deviated septum surgeries. This is normal, it was likely a plug from the gunk that couldn’t come out immediately after the surgery due to the inability to blow and the inflammation. In my case, it has come back because I have chronic sinus issues the 2nd surgery didn’t fix, but in a normal person it shouldn’t return.

    4. Were you unable to blow your nose or use a nasal rinse for a period after the surgery? I would bet it was just what it seemed like: a giant plug of snot that had built up. If you’re now able to blow your nose, do that at least daily. I would check with the doctor about whether you’re able to do sinus rinses, but that might be a good option to do periodically as well.

    5. Totally normal, happens in 100% of sinus surgeries! It’s a mix of blood and snot.
      When I worked for an ENT, he would always have people come in at 1 wk and 3 wks post-op so he could take clean them out. He joked he spent all that time in med school to become a professional nose picker :)
      Ask your doc about when you can start doing gentle saline rinses; it depends on the surgery and the surgeon when they’re comfortable with you doing that.
      Best wishes for your recovery!

  18. is anyone knowledgeable on vaccine development? i know that the Covid vaccines are being developed in ‘warp speed,’ but what exactly does that mean? Which part is being done faster than normal?

    3. A key aspect is that there are so many many scientists working on the same thing at the same time. So it’s not like usual when a couple different vaccines may be being developed for an issue. There are literally like 10 plus different vaccines for Covid-19 in development around the world. This alone dramatically increases the timeline as the chances that an effective vaccine are found increase with the greater number under development. Also, regulatory authorities and ethics boards are giving top priority to the issue so there is very little ‘waiting in line’ for various approvals required at various stages. The downside of some of that is that there are likely other medications/vaccines etc where the development has slowed significantly as resources are pulled to work on coronavirus.

      I don’t have concerns about vaccine safety even on an accelerated schedule because the authorities in so many places will be reviewing the vaccines in addition to US before they are used on the populations in those countries (Europe, Australia, Canada etc).

      1. I’m as pro vaccine as they come but I don’t understand the blase attitude re: safety. There is zero way for a vaccine to have tested long term effects on this timeline because there isn’t enough time to test out long term effects. Tons and tons of vaccines/medicines have been approved by the countries/continents you mention that years later they found out had horrible unexpected side effects and that was after going through years’ long approval process.

        If I were high risk I would absolutely get the vaccine but I am not planning on getting one and won’t have my kids either. I’d hate to find out in 20 years that I vaccinated my kids against a vaccine statistically shown to be of relatively low risk to them and ended up accidentally sterilizing them or something because vaccines were rushed to market.

        1. +1. I get vaccines, my kid has gotten every vaccine he’s eligible to get but we’re not getting the Covid vaccine until it’s been around for at least a year. Different situation but my grandmother was on Vioxx and ended up having multiple strokes (which is why it got removed from the market, after it had killed or hurt a ton of people). Medical researchers are not infalliable and unfortunately, because pandemic response has become so politicized (and there’s so much money involved) that I think drug companies are prioritizing speed over effectiveness and/or lack of harm. The rapid development process is likely to give us a vaccine that at best, is not that effective and at worst, is not that effective AND also has devastating side effects. I am not a “Big Pharma” conspiracy theorist but you can’t deny that the profit motive in medicine has lead, in the past, to questionable decisions and medical products coming to market that harm or kill people. In this case the stakes are so high there’s not much incentive for researchers at the companies who have already been promised BILLIONS of dollars by the Trump administration not to cut corners. No thanks. I’ll wait.

          1. The front-runners are mRNA vaccines, which are a whole new type of vaccine that’s never been on the market before. There were fatal inflammatory responses in animal trials of other mRNA vaccines. The whole concept terrifies me, especially the type where the mRNA actually replicates in your cells (instead of just prompting your cells to produce the antigens). I don’t want to be a guinea pig for something that could kill me in the short run or cause cancer or autoimmune disorders or who knows what else in the long run. I’ll wait for a conventional vaccine that contains the antigen.

          2. My attitude is that I am happy to get a vaccine after my doctor and her staff do. That is when I will feel it is safe.

        2. +1 I have never said no to any vaccine I have ever been offered, but I will not be getting this one.

    4. One of the factors is they are starting production before phase 3 is finished (so if the vaccine does not pan out $$ will be lost producing a worhless vaccine). Overall, it seems that the entire pahse 3 is being compressed. I don’t fully understand how efficay will fully be evalauted if it is only evlauted over a short period of time. If you only test for 6-months you have no idea how much beyond that period the vaccine will be effective. And if CV19 proves to have seasonality you are not really evaluating that by having a short phase 3.

  19. Can anyone comment on the sleeve length of these jackets? I’m interested but my arms are quite long and I hate too- short sleeves (won’t even consider those designed to be 3/4 length, bothers me way too much).

  20. Just want to share some gratitude with this board and an apology. I posted a very grumpy reply to Lauren B’s comments on the looting in Chicago last night (which I think Kat kept in mod; thanks Kat) but then read on and found myself very much in agreement with her on science-based approaches to coronavirus, which then made me regret being so hasty. I know we are struggling to figure out how to hold this space in coronavirus, but it was so helpful to be reminded that I can vehemently agree with someone on one topic, vehemently disagree with them on another, and still respect them. I need that so much right now, and I’d venture to say our country does, too. Thank you to all the regular posters who share their lives here, and LaurenB, sorry for my lapse in grace.

    1. One thing I like about LaurenB is that she has opinions. Sometimes I get tired of talking to people who love to say “well the options are _____” or “some people would say ____”. No, I want to know what YOU think! I’d rather talk to someone with a controversial opinion than someone who can give me a detailed list of viewpoints A-Z.

    3. I respect the hell out of LaurenB for always speaking her mind and seeming totally unfazed by some of the mean things people say to her. I sincerely aspire to develop such thick skin.

      1. Me, too.

        I like that she’s really blunt and no-nonsense. Often I wonder how much of the criticism of her is that people want women to be softer or care more about their opinions of her, and she’s amazingly DGAF.

        1. I think that’s 99% of it. I respect her for not letting herself get hounded off like some of the other regular posters.

    4. Another fan of LaurenB and her authenticity and honesty in who she is. I don’t always agree but I respect you!

  21. When you’re interviewing, how much weight do you put on someone being a good interviewer or not? We have a strong candidate who has a special/unusual skillset. He was very ramble-y when answering “elevator speech” and “tell me a time when” questions. I think he is good at his job and the skillsets he uses regularly, but has not interviewed for a while and perhaps has not prepared to answer in a typical interview way.

    1. Even in a non-public-facing technical role, organized thought and the ability to communicate are essential. We hired an interview rambler for a technical role and it was a total disaster. He did not document his work, went off down irrelevant rabbit holes, and created all sorts of problems.

    2. Honestly, after being burned by a few good interviewers with terrible skills and/or attitudes, I’ve stopped asking typical interview questions. Give me a bright, curious person and I can train them on business acumen. I wouldn’t worry if he checked your must-have boxes.

    3. IDK but I have a kid on the spectrum (ASD1) who is very bright and I worry about this exact thing. She is competent. If she were a guy, I feel like some dorkiness is allowed, esp. in sciences or numbers-based fields. I feel like for women, there is a “must be able to ace sorority-rush” demands for chit-chat skills and answering things on the spot (like a Miss America “how would you achieve world peace?” Q — my kiddo would just shrug and say “I don’t know” vs playing the game with a pat answer like “I would encourage people to read a newspaper from another country so that they would know more about the world and what other people are going through.”).

      1. Women are allowed to be dorky, too. Sometimes it even makes people think I’m smarter! She’ll be ok. :)

    4. I’ve come to appreciate less polished interviewers whose answers still show their experience/intellect. After a lot of interviewing in a past role, the folks who are so smooth that it’s all cocktail party conversation now make me nervous as I found that they tended to be the group that often failed to live up to my perspection of them from interviews upon hire. If he had good answers but delivery was poor, I wouldn’t knock him too much.
      I’m a lawyer and am frustrated by how often interviewing is very cocktail party conversation/proving you “fit in” focused.

      1. I don’t think smooth talk automatically means you’re bad at your job. I’m normally really the awkward type but I have prepared for interviews enough in the past that now I’m pretty polished at them. But I agree that its a balance.

        1. I am very very dorky and socially awkward but I was also a competitive debater through high school and university, so in that environment I’m pretty good.
          That’s always the tip I give to people who are still in education – join the debating society!

    5. It depends on the role. If the person being interviewed is public facing or otherwise in a role that somewhat replicates an interview setting (client pitches, etc), I’d perhaps put more weight on the ‘interviewness’. If the true job responsibilities don’t require much ‘presentation’, I would focus more on the alignment of the skills that they would use on a day to day basis.

    6. I don’t really care about someone’s elevator speech, unless that’s a main part of the job. I am primarily looking for experienced people who have the drive to get stuff done on their own.

    7. If someone is awkward in person but had a knock-out cover letter, I’ll view that as very different from a person who is awkward in person and rambling/sloppy in the cover letter. Communication and soft skills matter SO much and there tend to be a lot of qualified candidates in my industry. Why would I select one with equal technical skills, but red flags about their ability to work well in teams and communicate expectations/findings/etc? You can train people on the technical, but not so much on the “getting along with others” in some cases…

    8. Agree with the other posters about “depends on the role” but I learned over time that if I haven’t interviewed for a while, I kind of blow my very first interview even if intellectually I know the process. It could just be rusty skills. Recently I went on the job market and had a friend in the same domain do a mock interview with me first to avoid this. And I’ve definitely had a few hires that knocked the interviews/applications out of the park and didn’t work out at all in actually getting the job done.

    9. Is this a position in which he would be presenting off the cuff often? If not, I kind of discount rambling. If he has a relevant experience and this isn’t related to a job function, I don’t think being bad at interviewing should be the kiss of death. Otherwise, I think it’s just too easy to look for people that we like and wanna be friends with, as opposed to the more broader would they be good at this job

      1. I think it also matters if the rambling is from nerves or from a complete lack of nerves. People who are nervous in interviews are sometimes conscientious as employees (and much less nervous once they adjust to their new position). But if someone is rambling because they’re already relaxed, casual, and like to hear themselves talk, I think that’s more of a red flag.

  22. With so many of us being Peloton riders (or off the bike users), I created a hashtag for us (#corporette). Feel free to add it to your profile and we can support each other in the classes.

  23. Hi Hive! I’m looking to have a sentimental piece of jewelry recreated. It’s a simple chain with a few pearls and metallic beads on it. I have a clear picture of the necklace to show what I want, but I’m not sure how to approach jewelers about a custom piece. It’s simple enough that I’ve found similar pieces online at bigger shops and on Etsy, but I want to copy the exact spacing of the pearls and material of the chain. Does anyone have recs for how to find a jewelry shop that can do this?

  24. I’m reading a book on my kindle but sometimes read it on the kindle web version on either of my work computers. Whenever I log in on a different device, I lose my place in the book. Is there anyway to keep things synced up?

    It’s for a class I’m taking, so being able to read a chapter here and 5 pages there is crucial.

    2. I have the same problem and keep a post of my last page read, so I can manually update my place when I change devices.

    3. I would contact Amazon about “sync to furthest read” not working. Also, you can add a digital bookmark, and then see it on other devices. I think.

      1. +1 to the bookmark, and make sure your kindle isn’t in airplane mode (I keep mine in airplane mode to avoid depleting the battery). Maybe close the book and reopen it in your kindle when it’s connected to wifi to see if that forces it to sync?

    4. I’ve had the same problem with the web version and I use the kindle app on an ipad, not an actual kindle. I just kept track of the page number, but I agree that it’s worth reporting the bug since it seems to be common (in my case, I think sync to furthest read would work in one direction but the other- ipad to web browser but not vice versa? or sometimes it would randomly sync up days later and put me in the wrong place again so I just stopped trying).

  25. Might be a little late in the morning for this, but here’s an update on the gaiter type from the discussion yesterday. It sounds like it was NOT fleece after all:

    “Meanwhile, a breathable neck gaiter, well-liked by runners for its lightweight fabric, ranked worse than the no-mask control group. The gaiter tested by the researchers was described in the study as a “neck fleece” made out of a polyester spandex material, Warren said.

    “These neck gaiters are extremely common in a lot of places because they’re very convenient to wear,” he said. “But the exact reason why they’re so convenient, which is that they don’t restrict air, is the reason why they’re not doing much of a job helping people.”

    https://www.sfgate.com/lifestyle/article/Wearing-a-neck-gaiter-may-be-worse-than-no-mask-15475153.php

    1. My 3-ply pleated cotton masks don’t seem to restrict air much — a lot blows up towards my eyes even though it’s not going straight through the fabric in front of my mouth. The few times before I scored masks this spring, I used a 4x-folded buff over a fleece ear-warmer band and felt like it was doing a good job of containing my breath. Once the cotton ones get damp (hello, 90 degree temps + 90% humidity), IDK how well they do.

    1. I don’t know that it will make you look bulky, but I suspect it will be too much blouse for tiny little you. Which is a shame because it’s gorgeous.

      1. Yes, I am your size (or I was before babies), and I would be swallowed up by that shirt.

    2. Look at the blue picture. Those dolman sleeves are kinda extreme especially on a shorter person

    3. If they have petite sizing I’d say yes. But without it I’m around your size and I think for me, it might look too bathrobe-y on top.

    4. I would not buy it because it’s 100% polyester, not sure if that’s a factor for you though.

    5. I’m an MMLF fan but would not recommend this for you. I’ve tried on in store and I got lost in the fabric and I’m a bit bigger than you.

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