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Wednesday’s Workwear Report: The Military Blazer Jacket in Tweed

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A woman wearing a maroon top with maroon blazer jacket and dark blue denim pants

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

Ann Taylor is absolutely crushing it with the latest batch of blazers for this fall. There are tweeds, checks, plaids, and solids of every color. My favorite of the bunch is this “windsor wine” tweed number, which looks so beautifully autumnal that I’m ready to order a pumpkin spice latte and start a Gilmore Girls re-watch. 

The blazer is $198 at Ann Taylor and comes in sizes 00-18 and 00P-16P. It also comes in “pale sandalwood.” 

Are you a fan of burgundy, wine, or purple for suits? We're in love with this Ann Taylor suit, and this affordable Anne Klein suit also looks great. On the darker, wine-y side, there's this Banana Republic Factory suit in “bright wine,” Eloquii suiting in maroon, this Reiss suit in berry, M.M.LaFleur in “wine,” and this reader favorite suit under $75 in wine-y red. On the lighter side, Banana Republic has suiting in a violet lavender, and M.M.LaFleur has a pretty stretch tweed in lavender.

Sales of note for 8/21/25:

  • Ann Taylor – $20 sale types (select styles), 25% off tops and sweaters, and extra 50% off sale
  • Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
  • Boden – 10% off new womenswear styles with code
  • Dermstore – 20% off the Anniversary Edit
  • Eloquii – Extra 50% off all sale
  • J.Crew – Up to 50% off late summer styles, plus extra 50% off all sale styles
  • J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything and extra 15% off $100+
  • M.M.LaFleur – Up to 70% off new markdowns – try code CORPORETTE15 for 15% off.
  • Neiman Marcus – Last call designer sale! Spend $200, get a $50 gift card (up to $2000+ spend with $500 gift card)
  • Nordstrom – 9,800+ new women's markdowns
  • Rothy's – Ooh: limited edition T-strap flats / Mary Janes
  • Spanx – End of summer sale
  • Talbots – 25% off your regular price purchase, also, end-of-season clearance
  • Tuckernuck – Sample sale, prices up to 70% off! (Including lots of this bestselling work dress marked to under $75)

280 Comments

    1. I really like this pick. I’m full remote but am thinking of waiting for it to go on sale… I go to enough events to make it worthwhile.

    3. I buy AT regularly because they carry small petite sizes (I’m 00P, and even AT is sometimes too big in the hips), but the amount of artificial fibers is off the charts. I feel like I’m wrapped in plastic. Incredibly frustrating.

      1. The shell on this is actually %100 cotton. I’m stalking it to snatch it up during a sale.

  2. I’m realizing I have 8 extra days of PTO for the rest of the year. I have a week+ trip planned (days already taken off) and we close between Christmas and New Year. I also went on a 1.5 week trip earlier in the year. We can only roll over up to 5 days, and they expire at the end of Q1.

    Do you take days off from work that are not for traveling or a trip or something specific like that? I was thinking I could take for example the week of Thanksgiving off, but I don’t have anything in particular planned and that feels odd. If not I’m tempted to take every Monday off.

    1. Yes, of course it’s normal to take days off even if you’re not going on a trip. I would do some long weekends if I were you.

    3. 100% yes to taking off days when no trips are planned, and I honestly should do it more.

      If your office doesn’t care about people taking off at holidays (like for coverage or deadline reasons), the week of Thanksgiving is an easy one to take off because so many people are off that typically no one expects anything turned around quickly. It’s basically a write off half week and it’s a lot quieter. Now the flip side of that is it’s a good week to get caught up on things, and I generally enjoy the quieter days.

      We close between Christmas Eve and New Years Day as well. I am thinking about taking January 2 off, since that’s a Friday and it’s going to feel super dumb to come back for one day – so that would be one of your rollover days. I think a lot of people are going to be off that day. If you don’t have end of year stuff to wrap up, you could also take Dec 22-23-24 off and then turn it into a two week off period.

      1. Good flag about Jan 2, I will definitely round off those weeks.

        My team is international so everyone doesn’t have the same holidays so holiday coverage is not as big a deal.

      2. I love taking extra time off before Thanksgiving! Tuesday-Wednesday I leisurely bake a variety of desserts and cook whatever dish I’m assigned. It’s relaxing, and Thursday morning I can saunter around in my bathrobe with coffee instead of frantically cooking. We also get our holiday decorations out of storage, buy a Christmas tree before they’re picked over, and set it up in the tree stand on Wednesday. We get the hard stuff out of the way so Thanksgiving weekend is just the fun decorating part.

    4. Yes, of course! Why let the days expire? I’ll happily take a Friday off to give myself a 3-day weekend, or do what you’re talking about and take all of Thanksgiving week off. Why not?

    5. Taking a chunk of time (e.g., Thanksgiving week) will attract less attention than taking every Monday off.

      1. what do you mean by attention? Is taking vacation a dirty secret in your company?

        1. there are ways to use vacation that deplete more or less goodwill. yes, it’s part of your comp, but still.

          1. But is the goodwill dependent on a) nobody noticing that you have the audacity to take PTO or b) minimizing disruption to work deliverables?

          3. the commenter above was pointing out that it’s less “huh, OP’s off again?” to take some sporadic long weekends or TG week, rather than taking 7 Mondays in a row, which I think is a fair point.

          4. Taking a day off should not be harmful to your career, but taking every Monday off for a couple of months is out of the norm at most companies and makes you seem more unavailable than just taking a solid week off. Every place I’ve worked, taking a long weekend every weekend would have raised eyebrows.

          5. Cat and 10:04 have it right. I still remember the guy who used his vacation to take every Monday off – it did not go over well. It’s designed to give you a break not create a different schedule from everyone else.

      2. Agreed. I personally would not take off eight Mondays in a row. YMMV. But I would still use all the days!

        1. I would not take Mondays off, because I feel like people roll in on Mondays ready to get stuff done. BUT once I had a lot of accumulated time off and I took off a bunch of Fridays in a row and nobody batted an eye.

    6. I would take Fridays off, the day before Thanksgiving, and if you can do half days, a half day here and there.

    8. I have taken a day off to go to Costco when it wasn’t mobbed and I didn’t have to park in the next zip code. So pleasant. That was back when I worked with accrued vacation days. Now with unlimited PTO but a workday that has me perpetually on call, I send the 9-5 spouse who will go after work to get his hot dog dinner.

    9. oh 100%! Take days or half days for haircuts, Christmas shopping, a day trip in your area, knocking out a house project over a long weekend, etc.

      Taking TG week off is also a good idea. If you have the budget and aren’t needing to cook or travel in advance of TG, that is a fantastic time for a quick trip to Europe from say, Friday to Wednesday- Americans are staying home so you can find good airfare often, and the cities are getting into Christmas, London in particular.

      Taking every Monday off would be a lot more noticeable than either of the above, IMHO.

    10. Whatever you do, don’t use them for a staycation or to run errands. Plan some more little trips and time with friends.

      1. I commented above, but if you don’t have anything else to do with them, knocking out errands on a PTO day frees up weekends for fun! I took a half day for a bunch of personal appointments last week and grocery shopped on my way home from the last one – oh man, I forgot how glorious it is to breeze through the store in 20 minutes rather than the clogged aisles and lines after work or weekends!

        1. +1, I totally agree with this take. Personal appointments and errands on a weekday are such a different vibe than after work and weekends. I didn’t realize how much this was true until I randomly did a Tuesday morning manicure appointment last year and was so surprised how much more relaxed everything was than my typical weekend or evening appointments.

          1. Still, not worth it compared to taking a day to go to a museum or visit an old friend. It’s a real trap for women IMO (to use precious free time to do chores).

      2. I disagree with this advice. A staycation is relaxing, enjoyable, a peak at what retirement will be like. I get you mean that OP shouldn’t waste it, but there’s nothing wasteful about making a new elaborate recipe or reading a book on the porch with a glass of iced tea on a summer day.

      3. I heartily disagree; I don’t find traveling relaxing, I need time at home in my own space and my own bed to really feel rested.

        1. I agree. I enjoy seeing new places and doing different things, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it relaxing. Having alone time in my house is the best way for me to recharge.

    11. Absolutely. I take two days off each October for yardwork. Our fall leaf cleanup usually only takes a few hours on a nice Sunday afternoon, so I just putter around and enjoy being home.

      I have a lot of PTO available to me and make sure I use it all, even if I don’t have a true vacation or trip planned. Often it’s not even filled with staycation activities, mostly just working on my hobbies, projects around the house, clustering errands, etc. If my partner is available we might go for a nice brunch on a random weekday or enjoy an impromptu happy hour. It is just nice to enjoy life at a slower pace once in a while.

      1. That last sentence is basically what I’m thinking. I have the time available, why not take off some time to maybe go to a spa or a nice weekday brunch.

      2. Also recommend a vacation day for the first, good fall cold front. Think about waking up, going for a walk/run, grabbing coffee, going to the garden store to buy pumpkins and so forth. Excellent for mental health after a long summer.

    12. Unfortunately this happens to me very rarely, but when it has, I take off Friday in December.

    13. The last two years I’ve had one day I needed to use or lose. I took the Friday off before Mother’s Day as a gift to myself – I did a massage, solo lunch with a glass of wine and a book, and antique shopping. It was lovely.

      Right now I’m wishing I had some time to spare just to take a day while my kid is at school to purge the house.

    14. Absolutely. I have 22 use it or lose it days a year, i can’t afford that much travel. I like taking a random Tuesday or Wednesday off to go to the spa, no need to prep for that at work. I also take off the week of thanksgiving and generally extend long weekends or do random Fridays. I try to do one weekday beach day a summer. For me all I need to feel like I enjoyed the day is one fun activity.

    15. Definitely take the days.
      My preference would be to plan an additional trip if you can afford it. But if you can’t afford more travel, take the time off and enjoy a staycation.

    16. I did this one year from the middle of December through the end of year and it was glorious to just have time to decompress. You can look up how to maximize long weekends by adding days to every holiday so you get the most out of PTO for the year.

    17. In my higher ed workplace we get 5 weeks + a holiday closure. I use it throughout the year for trips but most people don’t travel as much as I do and have a lot of days at the end of the year. So a lot of people basically take an entire month off at the winter holidays.

      1. This has happened in years past but the company doesn’t want people to take all of December off. So its highly discouraged now.

    18. I don’t feel recharged by taking just one day of PTO, and people don’t really leave me alone if I’m just out for one day unless I’m traveling. In your scenario, I’d take off Dec 22-24 and Jan 2, so you’d be fully off from Dec 20 through Jan 4. That’s 4 days of PTO to create 16 consecutive days off, and at a time of the year when people don’t expect that much. With that much time, I would probably plan something that felt reenergizing and meaningful to me. It could be a trip, but it could also be planning activities related to a hobby, exercise, wellness, the holiday season, a religious practice, etc.

      Then I’d probably plan 4 days off in February or March. Maybe a trip somewhere warm if you live in a cold climate?

    19. Take the time! I’m in a similar situation and I’m going to take the full week of Thanksgiving off and extend my Christmas break to January 3rd. I also usually take 1-2 days in late November/early December for holiday shopping/gift wrapping so I can knock it out without children around!

    20. Of for sure! I call these life admin days and do the things I can’t get to on weekends.

    21. Absolutely. I take at least one random day a month off just to enjoy myself. Me days are fantastic.

    22. Yes, I do. There is something about a staycation day that often ends up being more restorative than a full-blown vacation.

    23. I LOVE taking a random middle of the week day off alone or with a friend.

      Alone – Wake up later, grab a coffee out, go poke around the neighborhood and whatever shops are open etc.

      My bestie and I will take days off together to hang out.
      In April we played board games all day. It was so much fun. I did a grocery run the day before and she hosted.

      In June we did a ‘retreat’ for craft projects we wanted to get to the finish line. I hosted and she paid for food.

      We’re planning one for late jan or february to spend the day strolling HMart and the bookstore. Cold grey weather, hot chocolate, flipping through books at barnes and noble for a few hours.

    24. I’ll tell you the same thing I tell my supervisees: take every bit of PTO you have. They’re part of you’re compensation and if you don’t take them, you’re just working for free. As for when, I’d probably take Thanksgiving week off just because it’s quiet so I wouldn’t come back to a pile of work, or I’d book a trip somewhere warm in February or early march.

    25. I have a lot of friends who don’t work M-F 9-5 jobs, so me taking off a random weekday allows us to go on hikes, hit breweries, or go tubing or snowshoeing. Totally worth it even if it isn’t a big trip.

  3. Can anyone recommend an iron for ironing clothes? Any to avoid? And is there any reason to spend more than $20-$30 on one? I have a steamer already but I want an iron for deeper wrinkles and for when I want a nice press.

    1. Irons in the $100 range are noticeably nicer than the cheap ones – they are heavier, which takes a lot of the effort off of you (since pressure is what’s doing the work), the plates glide nicely, and they mist or spray more evenly. I have a Rowenta that has been going strong for a decade.

    2. Cheap irons are often too lightweight to do a good job and have rough, unfinished sole plates that can snag or mar the fabric. And the temperature settings are either inconsistent or too limited. At least make sure you get one with a smooth, polished sole plate with rounded edges. Heavier irons are better at getting out wrinkles.

    3. I have a 20$ iron that I’ve had for 20 years and it’s fantastic. There is zero need to spend any more money on this very basic, old-as-time appliance. Mine has a steam function, too, which I use in tandem with the hot iron for deep wrinkles.

      1. But maybe a $20 iron from 20 years ago is a $100 iron today.
        I’m team $100 iron. I need the weight and the (often) larger water reservoir.

    4. Get something heavy, with steam and an auto stop if you leave it immobile for too long. I like the ones with a narrower point and width, since that works better with my clothes’ size. My previous iron was too wide for women’s sleeves and yokes, so I got pressed creases in places I didn’t want them, very annoying.

    5. I just bought a black and decker $50 one on Amazon and it’s ex what I need. I dry clean or steam most things but every once in a while prefer an iron. No issues.

  4. Screaming into the void. Kid needs to change classes (they signed a kid in special ed up for all IB classes — wtf), but admins don’t have the schedule yet and just directed me to have kid fill out the schedule change form on the first day of school and maybe kid could get different classes but that changes would be processed in the order received. If the adult who works at the school doesn’t know what the open courses are and what’s scheduled when, how do they think my special ed kid will figure this out the day classes start? I guess this is what emergency IEP meetings are for and why people hire special ed lawyers? Kid is in high school, so it’s important to keep in classes for an actual diploma, which is definitely do-able. Kind of screaming into the void now.

    1. Sorry you’re in this situation, but just a PSA that special ed doesn’t mean low IQ and plenty of kids with special needs and IEPs take advanced classes. This comment is pretty ableist.

      1. Special ed courses are not IB courses. IEP ~= special ed. This is clearly a clerical error.

        1. Kids have IEPs for all sorts of things that aren’t incompatible with honors, AP and IB classes.

          1. Special ed is a level of class that is the opposite of IB. Not every kid with an IEP is in special ed. The poster complaining that OP is ableist doesn’t understand that special ed and an IEP are not the same thing.

          2. At least until recently, some schools very much used special ed classrooms for students who either were way behind or way ahead of grade level, so it is a little confusing.

      2. I think they are saying the school signed up their child for IB courses which are beyond level and now they need to redo the entire schedule.

      3. IDK I trust the frustrations of any parent re their kids and a school. But if any grownup can’t do a thing, it is wack to expect that a kid can do it.

      4. Who the eff are you to tell a mom she’s being ableist? She knows exactly what her child’s capabilities are.

        2. She said “they signed a kid in special ed up for all IB classes — wtf”

          Maybe IB classes aren’t right for her kid, but it’s not appropriate to generalize that to all special ed kids.

          1. As others have pointed out, there is a big difference between special ed and having an IEP.

          3. special ed is a type of class. many kids who have IEPs or 504s are not in special ed and are more than capable of being in IB classes. kids who are supposed to be in special ed classes are not.

          4. Her comment is only talking about her kid, not about the overall system. Context helps lessen generalization there. I say this as a person with bright family members who have learning impediments and unfortunately were discriminated against by the US education system, which harmed their future opportunities. I see your point about acknowledging these cases, but since she’s talking about her kid specifically and the goal to simply get a HS diploma, I would disagree that the comment itself is ableist, and calling that out likely isn’t helpful to the mother here.

          5. She’s not generalizing. People here really, really like to read in bad intentions and the worse possible implications into people’s comments just to pick a fight. This “PSA” wasn’t even made in a constructive way, due to the above, and to the needless dig at a woman who is clearly concerned about her child and considering how best to advocate for her child as having made a “pretty ableist” comment. Just stop.

      5. Anon @ 9:59am – your comment is sanctimonious. The OP is talking about her own child, whose needs she is deeply aware of. OP’s comment is not ableist, it is specific to her own situation.

    2. Does your school not have sessions earlier in the year where you pick next year’s classes with your counselor or similar? The actual class schedule was always a surprise late in summer – I remember calling my friends to see which periods or teachers they had for which subject. But I didn’t know anyone who didn’t know by the end of the prior school year what actual subjects & levels (honors, AP, IB, etc) they would be taking.

      1. Yes my son’s school approved his schedule last spring. Then some other classes got added and then some 250-300 or more kids registered at the school and a counselor went on maternity leave and here we are. One of the best public high schools in our suburban Atlanta county. I’m sure they’re all doing their best and it is still extremely frustrating for everyone

        1. I refuse to believe that admins and guidance counselors are doing their best. They always seem to be unable to accomplish even the bare minimum.

    3. My kid’s schedule has gotten screwed up every single year of high school and the admin is very ¯\_(ツ)_/¯because scheduling classes is not their preferred task.

      Does your kid have an assigned counselor or dean? IME the counselor is way more helpful than the admin (even if you’re told to contact admin).

    4. Absolutely not, I’d be screaming at the counselors every single day until they fixed the schedule. Or I suppose asking politely because flies and honey, but absolutely not. That’s chaos for any kid and my autistic kid (on an IEP and in special ed) would not tolerate any of it. I’d describe exactly what would happen – the level of meltdown – if he’s forced to sit in a busy chair office for 10 minutes (when in likelihood the kid will be there for 45+). Not being able to walk his schedule. Not knowing what teachers or classes are when. I absolutely would call an IEP meeting and next year add stuff to the IEP so the correct schedule is tied to federal requirements. (While they last, at least.) (like walking the schedule, getting the correct schedule ahead of time, etc.)

    5. I’m sorry. This is not good enough. If someone was able to sign a child up for IB classes before now, I do not believe they can’t sign a kid up for non-IB classes now.

    7. For whatever reason, I’ve found the admin at my kids’ middle and high school to be somewhat impervious to technology (including phones, ugh). Going in person to the office might be the quickest way to get this resolved.

      I’ve also used my husband as the point person – I’m viewed as an over-privileged helicopter but somehow A Man is such a wonderful father that the paperwork gets filled out *for* him, as a treat.

      1. I have had success going through a teacher. My kid was supposed to be in this teacher’s class but it wasn’t on her schedule. The teacher looked at the master schedule, figured out what changes were necessary to get my kid in all the right courses, told the guidance counselor what to do, and called me to come meet the guidance counselor in person with my kid. The guidance counselor did what the teacher wanted just to get rid of the three of us.

      2. 100% use a man. As soon as a man starts talking they all magically start falling over themselves to help him.

    8. I have 3 kids with IEPs. I feel you. School starts on a Thursday and my kids start the following Monday because Thursday we get the class schedule, Friday they familiarize themselves with the classrooms and Monday they start.

      My kids all have IQs over 140 apparently. They have profound autism and ADHD. The school administration is horrible.

  5. Anyone else following the Epstein files? This doesn’t even seem real, I would believe this is a plot of some dystopian novel.

    1. From what I recall, there are plenty powerful men on both sides of the aisle and prominent people like Bill Gates and Alan Dershowitz who flew in the Lolita Express to the private island. IIRC that kind of precipitated the Gates divorce. I don’t get how he is called a financier though — he is basically a blackmailer and a phony who pulled it all off until he didn’t. We was right about how much many men like girls who are underage.

    2. IDK rich white dudes taking advantage of vulnerable girls? Seems pretty common *waves vaguely in the direction of all human history*

      Only mildly surprising part is that DJT was able to convince MAGA he would release anything. Of course he won’t! Just like he won’t fund IVF or any of the other stuff he promised.

    3. It’s honestly such a basic plot I’m surprised it’s such a big deal. Rich men taking advantage of young vulnerable girls is a tale as old as time.
      The far more interesting aspect to me is the cognitive dissonance the MAGA base is engaging in now about it. But I guess that shouldn’t be unusual at this point either.

    4. He definitely didn’t commit suicide – unless he was directed to. This is one “conspiracy theory” that has teeth.

    5. Yeah, what I don’t understand why the MAGA types think that rich powerful men taking advantage of young women is somehow a Democrat problem, when it’s clear that this has always been something that rich powerful men of all political persuasions engage in… but at least in recent years, there’s one party that’s decided that it’s unacceptable and another party that thinks it should be celebrated. So how they somehow thought that Donald Trump of all people was going to expose this is just baffling to me.

      2. The MAGA belief is that while Trump spent some time with Epstein, he never rode the Lolita Express and figured out pretty quickly that Epstein’s game was blackmail.

        In those circles, you often have to play nice with people you loathe, so Trump played along. Now that Epstein is dead, it’s game on for exposing the blackmail and corruption.

        I’ve heard several MAGA friends opine that John Roberts is on the list.

        1. I don’t know. I really liked Barack Obama. Voted for him. Think he’s smart and decent. But if I found out he was on this list I wouldn’t have to take down my Obama flag and reconsider why i lost friendships over my support of the man. I’d say wow, that monster tricked me. I just can’t see maga ever getting there with trump.

          I think part of what I dislike about maga is the bootlicking worship of an American politician. One party thinks that’s cool right now and it’s not the dems. We’ve forced people to resign for so much less. I think it’s trump on the list. Literally the only person he cares about is himself, I can’t see him ever taking heat to protect another human being.

    6. The Leslie Werner side of it is fascinating (but I knew this from years ago, so have been tuning out lately).

    7. There was a great NYT story listing the 9(?) legitimate lingering questions about the Epstein saga

    8. I’m interested but I can’t keep up with the information flow! Did something else happen? I’m not shocked by it – saddened, yes – but absolutely not shocked. I think everyone involved should be fully exposed and let their reputations and legacies take a hit (or not, as it may be).

      1. I think there’s concern that it will damage the legitimacy of institutions if they really pull on these threads.

        Personally I think that letting a segment of wealthy and powerful people remain above the law even when they’re actively preying on children is also going to damage the legitimacy of institutions, but there’s a lot of faith in the idea that it will only be a threat if there’s confirmation via accountability.

          1. Easy to say, but real innocent people get hurt, which I’m assuming is the reason people want to protect institutions.

    9. do we think that he just blackmailed his way into the mansion and everything else? there was an amazing article in the NYT about the dinner parties and how Woody Allen’s child bride “coached” Epstein on giving proper dinner parties because in the beginning they would come and there would barely be any food. Wut?!

  6. I want to ask my boss for a salary increase. Should I raise for the first time in our 1-to-1? Give an email heads-up prior to the 1-to-1? Request a separate meeting for salary discussion? I’ve been with this org for almost 2 years and am still at my starting salary.

    2. Discuss at a 1:1 and be prepared to get a timeline for when raises happen, usually this is uniform for everyone. Ask if you’re on track and what you might need to do to ensure you get one. This is a conversation, not an email, and not a guarantee.

    3. Generally speaking, budgets are prepped 6 months ahead of start of a company’s fiscal year. An earlier conversation is better.

      1. Now is the right time of year to ask if year end is Dec 31. Budgeting for next year starts now.

  7. Talk to me about reducing hours. I posted last week about being burned out to a crisp and wanting to quit my job. I know it is not a smart idea. I’m wondering if going to 80% time could help reduce my stress level and give me some breathing room. I know the danger in that is what if I end up doing just as much work, in fewer hours (which believe me, is a real concern). I also don’t know how open my boss will be to this. I’m trying to do my homework and come up with a solid plan before floating this idea.

    1. Are you the poster also dealing with elder care issues? Have you investigated taking FMLA leave instead to deal with that and get a bit of a reset?
      If you’re set on reduced hours I’ve seen it work best when you take 1 day a week off and do NOT increase your hours on your other days. I’d also start quietly leaning out – take your lunch hour, leave on time, don’t check emails after hours, etc. If you don’t care about your job and you’re already ready to leave what’s the worst they can do if you start working ONLY your normal hours?

      1. I’m looking into FMLA as an option, but it would most likely be the intermittent variety.

    2. I wouldn’t. Can you take some time off via FMLA for mental heath and be 100% unplugged for a month, six weeks, etc?

      1. Not this time of year, I can’t. We are heading into our busiest season from September through December. If I’m going to continue in this job, I need to be present.

        1. If you take FMLA, your job is protected on your return. They can’t penalize you for when you take FMLA and they can’t pressure you not to take FMLA.

        2. I’d suggest getting some support – a therapist or a life coach type person – to help you set some boundaries around work. You say you just want to toss it in the trash and walk away, but then you say you can’t possibly leave for FMLA. I know you’re stressed, but you’re dealing with this really irrationally and you’d probably benefit from some help re-framing it all.

          1. ^^And, to be clear, I’m saying this with compassion, although it doesn’t sound that way. I know you’re super stressed, but if you’re the poster from last week then I also get why your DH is frustrated. You’d really benefit from looking at this from a higher vantage point.

        3. You’re so stressed that you’re ready to quit your job…but you plan to wait to explore FMLA until *after* an intense three month busy period? This approach makes no sense. You’re going to get burned out to the point that you either quit abruptly or get into a huge marriage issue when your husband doesn’t want you to.

          1. +1. You’re actively in crisis now or teetering on the edge of it. Reducing hours or intermittent FMLA isn’t going to give you the space that you need to recover.

    3. I did it, and it’s worked very well for me, but definitely depends on your workplace and boss. I was fortunate that my boss is very supportive and hired someone to take over a big part of my workload (it had grown to be a full job in and of itself, which is why I was stressed and burned out!).
      In the past, when I’d dropped to part time temporarily (for a few months in thick of COVID, for child care reasons), it meant doing 90% of my job in 50% of the hours. It was still worth it for that short time, but was not a help for burnout and certainly wasn’t lower stress.

      1. +1. It has been a game changer for me, but I have a job that works well with part time hours, and a boss who respects my schedule.

    4. This isn’t the solution, going 80% means you reduce your pay by 20% for 100% of the work.

      1. FWIW, this has not been my experience at all. I am sure it CAN be, but it is not a given. OP – I recommend trying it.

    5. Commenting from the perspective of seeing my friends go reduced hours, and my DH has been on them for years. Reduced hours work best if there is a reliable metric on the reduction. Think your billable hours requirement is reduced and your actual expectation of work is reduced – e.g., you ONLY work Monday through Thursday, or you will end your day at 3pm. It also requires you to enforce the boundaries on your time, which can be difficult when you are looking at doing it coming off of a period of burn out. Of the people that have succeeded with reduced hours, they already had the systems in place to set good boundaries. Those that did it from a place of burnout (in my experience), found a temporary reprieve but it wasn’t lasting as the old patterns leading to burnout are still there. For the record, if you can afford it which is very much a privileged, I’m very much on team sabbatical or gap year to deal with burn out because you need to break the cycle.

      1. Agree with all this. I’m 70% time and it’s awesome but it’s because I have measurables that are now at 70% of full time and it’s known/respected that I’m unavailable on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My team will occasionally text me but that’s it.

    6. FWIW, as a boss, unless you’re an absolute star, I wouldn’t be open to this. I have roles as full time for a reason. I’d absolutely support a leave but not restructuring a job.

          1. It has been done in my office before, with quite a few success stories. However, I don’t know if it’s been done for people at my particular level.

          2. I work in higher ed and successfully requested that my job be restructured to 80% for a few years, then 50% for few years before issues resolved and I returned to 100%. The reductions were essential, I returned to full time when I could, and my career has blossomed after my return to full time so I don’t think it hurt me.

        2. i also work in higher ed and realize fall is busy season….but this is still what FMLA is for and they will figure it out

    8. I reduced my hours after having a baby – instead of a traditional 40 hour workweek, I do 4 8.5 hour days and get Fridays off, for 85% of my previous salary but full benefits. I’m still pretty much expected to do a full work week, but mine is a knowledge job where measuring productivity is messy at the best of times. That extra day off is a godsend for running errands and cleaning my house and it’s nice to have more time with my son. I only had the guts to do this because HR offered it to me. Our HR is really good about reduced hours, and my team has been good about it as well, though I know not everyone in my company has been so lucky. Coworker support is really what makes or breaks it in my experience.

  8. Anyone see the article in the NYT about sexual assaults in Ubers (data from previously sealed court records)? It’s pretty damning. Uber knew about the high rates and did not take steps that it knew would have reduced the risk because it would harm the business model.

    “From 2017 to 2022, a total of 400,181 Uber trips resulted in reports of sexual assault and sexual misconduct in the United States, court documents show. Previously, the company had disclosed 12,522 accounts of serious sexual assaults for that same time period, without indicating the total number of sexual assault and sexual misconduct reports it received. Uber has not released data for the years since then, though the court records indicate reports of incidents have increased.

    And, in “water is wet” reporting, most of the assailants were men and most of the victims were women.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/business/uber-sexual-assault.html

    2. I was a prosecutor during that time period and Uber was blatantly obstructionist when it came to getting any type of discovery from them.

    3. I think I’m definitely going to be actively making a phone call for every uber going forward. I wonder if taxi cabs had similarly high rates, or if the medallion system kept people more honest?

      1. The medallion system was basically leverage, the men behaved because they had hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line.

      2. i don’t have an answer but i wouldn’t think the medallion kept people honest, when i was growing up in NYC (30 years ago) no one had a camera in their pocket, if something happened in a cab you got out and had no idea who the driver was. with uber there’s a trail…

      4. I would also like to know the comparison. I wonder if actual assault is more common with rideshare and harassment more common with taxis, or if that is just my impression.

      5. Well, in my city taxi drivers were anonymous and we had some high profile murders committed by them. I’d take uber any day over that.

    4. I was so disappointed in how many comments blamed women for using Uber, as if we are stupid for thinking we can participate in modern life. I did not know about this issue, but recently have been avoiding Uber because of how many times things have felt ‘off’ with the driver. It’s infuriating.

    5. Lyft has a feature you can opt in to where it will try to match female passengers with female drivers (though it can’t guarantee it). I definitely use it.

    6. The alternative to Uber is Lyft, which is much more protective of women! My app automatically records the audio of any ride I’m in, and I preferentially have women or nonbinary drivers. I unfortunately was one of those 400,000 for Uber so I really appreciate all the precautions and safety tools that Lyft has.

        1. The point is that Uber knew about tools that it could deploy, like cameras or audio, and chose not to even though it had data suggesting that it would dramatically reduce sexual assault.

      2. I’m sorry that happened to you – that really sucks. Uber and the driver should be held accountable. I’m glad you feel safe or safer with Lyft – that makes me feel safe, too.

    7. I had a weird, scary trip a few years ago on a work trip. On the ride to my hotel, the driver pulled behind the hotel (I thought going in the back way) and pulled into a spot next to a dumpster. He said he had to do something real quick. I totally thought I was about to be assaulted. It happened so fast but then the next minute he pulled out and dropped me off! I still have no idea what happened but it freaked me out!

    8. Given this, what is the best way to protect ourselves? Using the women-drivers-preferred in Lyft? I didn’t know you could have the audio recorded, I’m going to look into that. I’ve thought that Uber/Lyft would be safer because you have a record of the ride and who the driver was, unlike a cab.

      1. I saw one of those random Reddit stories that a random news site tried to drag out into like a 20-slideshow thing with lots of ads… but it actually seemed to have good advice. In it the woman got a call from a niece and told her to 1) say things / act like the aunt was waiting for her at a specific time 2) share her location with the aunt so the aunt could watch and make sure she was going in the right direction, and 3) she started describing parts of the cab and the driver i think.

    9. This is why I almost exclusively use Uber Black which requires limo or town car licenses when it’s available. It also makes me realize that the ability to make unintrusive small talk is really a skill that the car service drivers had.

      1. My mom finds Uber drivers so unprofessional – she wants the car service experience and didn’t realize at first how bad at it uber drivers could be.

    10. I was also not aware the issue was so widespread. I’ve used Lyft over Uber for years, but I primarily have used rideshare apps due to some really uncomfortable experiences in cabs in my city. At one point, I was in the cab with some friends and realized the meter was off. The driver tried to charge us an exorbitant amount of money in cash to get home. Another time, the cab driver dropped me and my roommate at an apartment that wasn’t ours when we were sharing a cab with another group.

  9. any experience with few moda or panrilla? they keep popping up on my feed. stuff looks cute but it’s cheap, wondering if anyone has experience with quality, ordering, etc?

  10. I know I’ve seen people ask about fitness programs here before, so I wanted to put in a plug for one of my favorites. It’s called “Dareebee” and it’s a completely free nonprofit, has an their resources available online. They’ve got lots of exercise programs you can download, do an exercise of the day every day that is essentially a neverending exercise program, have a ton of articles about exercise science and health in general. They don’t do sponsorships or ads because they find every health company and ends up preying on insecurities to sell their stuff and they think that’s unethical. It’s been highly helpful to me getting back into exercise after having a kid and not being able to physically go to an exercise class or gym very often.

    1. Thanks for the recommendation! I’ve been following Fitness Blender for years and recently discovered MonikaFit on YouTube. It’s nice to have some variety in workout programs.

  11. Two niche, incredibly low-stakes questions I can’t think of anywhere else to ask:

    1. If I were to get my mom a subscription to a wine club for her birthday, which ones would you recommend? She doesn’t like anything with too much oak and is currently having a California wine moment.

    2. For my girlies who take cream with their coffee, how are you stocking creamer in the office in the hybrid era? I used to keep a small one in the office fridge, but now I can’t get through it fast enough since I use at most a splash three days a week. Single serve creamer cups are the obvious solution, but I hate the plastic waste; the rest of the office coffee drinkers take it black or with sugar, so I’m somehow the only one dealing with this and can’t split a container. Is there an option I’m missing?

    1. 2. I buy the smallest container of half and half that I can find. Even if I don’t use all of it before the expiration date, I use most of it (and at least I’m not contributing to more plastic waste).

      1. +1 even if i only use it once it’s cheaper than buying coffee. Sometimes when I’m really in the groove i buy a half and half and put half of it in a jar and leave half at home and bring half to work.

    2. I pour that week’s worth into a mini tupperware and bring that to the office (in a well sealed baggie) and keep the bottle at home.

      1. Right, and you can use the rest of the heavy cream for a pasta dish or make whipped cream for an irish coffee or a pie.

    3. I use Coffeemate or Chobani and I find they last a long time. You could decant it into a smaller bottle to use in the office.

    4. I think mini-moos are the option here. If your coffee machine isn’t Keurig style you’re probably still coming out ahead on waste.

    5. To answer your wine question- I have gifted a subscription to the WSJ wine club and it has been a hit!

      1. Will check this out, thank you! I had single winery clubs in my brain, don’t know why I didn’t think of more of an umbrella option.

    6. Pour some cream from the carton you have at home into a small jar and keep it in the office fridge.

    7. Everyone on this board is an adult woman, not a girly. I hate this term that infantilizes women

      3. What can I say, I work with Gen Z and allowed a spirit of youthful (some might even say…girlish) whimsy to creep into my mid-thirties vernacular. Have a great day!

      4. I hate “girlie/girly” too. The same way I hate “Hi Ladies!” It’s not so much an infantilization thing, but more I just find it obnoxious speech.

        1. I agree about “Hi ladies!” But when I hear/see “Hey ladies!” I hear the opening of a Beastie Boys jam and I kind of love that. Another excellent use of cowbell!

      5. I so agree. I am woman, hear me roar!
        I am too big to ignore.
        I can smell just like a goat stuck on the floor.
        I can see reality, as I climb straight up a tree, I don’t let a man touch anything between my knees.

    8. Excellent wine clubs from the Central Valley of California: Brick Barn, Gainey, Roblar, Lincourt. They are single-winery clubs but they are all good.

      1. Wonderful, thanks! We brought a lot back from the Russian River Valley after a recent vacation and she’s been enjoying those, so it’s nice to get some suggestions from another area in CA.

        Now that I think about it, I only knew the Russian River Valley was a destination because of seeing people talk about it here haha.

      2. Sorry to nitpick, but none of those are in the Central Valley. They’re in the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valley.

    9. Thanks, all. I’ll try decanting cream from home into a smaller jar. Such an obvious solution, I don’t know how it didn’t occur to me! But helpful responses to questions like this are one of the reasons why I still linger here some 15 years after I first stumbled into this community.

      1. I had this same issue when I was pumping. I was standing in my kitchen wondering what I could use to bring in a small amount of milk for my office coffee while staring at piles of small milk bottles. It took me a while but I got there (and labeled it clearly to avoid confusion!)

    10. Gary Farrell has a range of wine club options, and their tour/tasting offerings are fantastic. I also like Moshin Vineyards, and they always throw in a little bonus gift in the wine club shipment.

  12. One I’ve been struggling with for a while: Do you have strong (or any) feelings about the fashion industry’s environmental impact? And do you have any recommended habits to help minimize how we contribute to it?

    1. Thrifting, mending, and upcycling!

      I only buy underwear new, everything else I get second hand. I sew almost all my PJs out of old sheets and the like. I have a whole fabric ecosystem in my home and eventually things go to the textile recycler.

      1. Yes to all of these. If you’re new to mending / upcycling, a lot of intro to sewing classes are offered that focus on learning how to fit / upcycle garments.

        In addition, my tip for buying less: I keep a notes app where I jot down a description of something that caught my eye or perceived closet gaps when getting dressed (“navy sweater, medium weight”). I review it every few weeks and am surprised at how many things are no longer a “want” with time. Also helpful for when I’m thrifting / scanning resell sites – if it’s not on the list, I probably don’t need it.

    2. No I honestly don’t care. Like yes I agree it is bad for sure. But it is just not something I fret about

    3. Buy less overall. Figure out how to use and style what you already own instead of running out for new pieces all the time. Be really specific about what you need, and buy one good, useful thing rather than two or three kinda-okay items.

    4. Yes, I care about this a lot. I get my kids’ clothing second hand and I only buy clothes for myself when truly necessary. I tend to be pretty minimalist generally so this comes pretty easily to me. I also WFH which helps. I’m currently wearing a dry-fit shirt I bought in college 16 years ago.
      My local community holds a kids’ clothing swap each quarter which has been really great (and saves me a ton of money). Admittedly I have not given a lot of thought to focusing on sustainable brands. That’s something I can improve on.

      1. My stuff also lasts a long time usually. I wash cold and air dry year round (lucky to be somewhere not very humid). I wash items after several wears, unless it’s underwear, socks, or I sweated in the clothes (exercise, yardwork, hot summer day).

    5. I’m very good at clothing repair and moderately good at tailoring/resizing for myself. As such, I wear my clothes for a long time. I also make scrap quilts out of sentimental t shirts, though that’s mostly so my husband doesn’t have a drawer full of t shirts he doesn’t want to throw away but doesn’t want to wear.

    6. Yeah; my approach is to try to buy as little plastic as possible. If you do some searching you can find natural fiber versions of most of your products. I also don’t do clothing purges. I just stick what is out of fashion in a box under my bed, and pull it back out when it’s in again. Seriously, no one can tell if the boho blouse you are wearing is this year’s. And with the greater acceptance of vintage, fewer people care. I also limit myself to a particular color palette so it’s easy to mix and match.

    7. I think about this a lot. I buy very little for myself and try to buy from more ethical brands when I can. I like the max 5 items a year idea but I’m already above that for the year (I think I’m at 8). Some of those were replacements for things that wore out or didn’t fit anymore — I went up a half size in pants and also needed to replace a swimsuit and sandals. I don’t currently have any plans or need to buy any clothing but that doesn’t mean I won’t fall off the wagon and get something. The key for me is not going to stores or looking at their stuff online because there’s always something I want when I do. Cheap thrifting is not great where I am but there are some good consignment stores where I’ve gotten some nice things.

      It’s harder for my kid. She’s a tween and super into clothing but the used options for her age range are minimal, especially since for some things I don’t know what size will fit her. I try to buy things a bit big so she wears them as long as possible and try to be realistic about how much stuff she actually needs and not overbuy. There’s not many ethical brands that work for her but I do get all her coats from Patagonia (and pass them on in like new condition!). Also she’s a big smaller than one of her BFFs and has gotten hand me downs from her and LOVES them and treats those clothes as extra special bc they came from BFF, which I think is really sweet.

    8. Yes. I am fortunate that fashion isn’t my thing and my body weight and shape has been very stable. So I don’t buy a lot of clothing and I wear my stuff forever. But to further try to reduce, I do not put clothing in the dryer and instead hang dry everything except sheets and towels, I thrift when I need something new to me as much as I can, and I do not order online because I have read that returns are a big part of the clothing-creating-garbage problem.

    9. I have very strong, negative feelings.

      IMHO, clothes should be good for 5-7 years, minimum, both in terms of the fashion cycle and how well they are crafted. (Of course, the way to be fashion forward is to blend pieces, such as a slightly older top with modern pants and shoes.)

      The endless stream of polyester, even in expensive garments, is terrible in manufacturing, washing, and disposal.

      1. I like this. A stylish friend who buys high end things says she aims for 5 years out of her things. This is helpful to me because it allows you to buy higher quality without the pressure of “timeless.” There is no shoe that I can say I’ll love forever but there’s plenty that I can reasonably guess I’ll like in five years. She also taught me to buy second hand which is hugely helpful.

    10. I understand the difference between style choices and trends, and buy accordingly. So I’m not wasting time and energy wondering if a specific shade of green is “dated.”

    11. Not any that are particularly unique to fashion. Do I personally have a problem with fast fashion? Yes, so I never buy it. But I understand that people want trendy things.

      I also recognize that thrifted clothes = poor for some people as well. I have some vintage pieces I have thrifted but I also have some from my mom that I just kept.

      I try to get as much wear as I can out of them but donate when I can.

    12. Yes.

      I take good care of my clothes, and mend and alter when needed.
      Almost all the clothes I buy are second-hand, either from vintage shops, charity shops or from individuals decluttering. Bras, underwear and socks are my main exception.
      I avoid plastic fabrics for non-technical clothes (but I do wear it for swimwear, rainwear and bras).

      I try to be part of a positive conversation about good experiences with second-hand items and natural fabrics. I enjoy clothes and fashion, and enjoy conversations about all aspects about it, with people with all sorts of opinions. I happen to like spending time reading about the fashion industry, thinking about clothes and making specific choices, but for me that’s a hobby, and I don’t expect other people to be equally interested.

      I think one of the best habits to help, is to avoid feeding the beast of ultra fast fashion and “disposable” plastic clothing.

      1. I am careful not to buy intimate clothing second hand, as my cousin got crabs by trying on a gently used bathing suit which she forgot to wash before wearing. If you can, buy new, and if you can’t, make sure to wash in hot water before using anything that goes directly against your skin.

        1. Agreed – and for new clothes as well, you don’t want residual dye or fabric treatments close to your skin. Freezing wool and non-washables for 72 hours is also a good idea.

  13. what is the middle aged version of a “going out top” don’t want bare, don’t want dated…. something a little more evening to wear with jeans…. willing to go to $200 for something i love. dress me please!

    1. I like a solid color boatneck top in a dressy fabric. They can be worn with almost any jewelry.

    2. I bought a chiffon sequin SS shirt with a tank top underneath at the holidays last year. These sequences aren’t the super sparkly ones, but the small matte ones. It looks great with black pants or jeans. Would something like that work?

      1. You are far too young for this! And too smart for $129 polyester. This is aiming for “chic 65+ grandma at the country club,” but missing the mark.

  14. Is anyone else a bit concerned about the rollback of airport security rules? maybe growing up in the DC/NY area makes me more paranoid post 9/11, and who knows if the rules actually work, but wont people be able to bring in sufficient dangerous liquids to cause harm?

    1. I thought that we knew for years that the rules are ineffective, and are wasting resources.
      Here is a 2017 article, but these reports come out pretty regularly:
      TSA fails most tests in latest undercover operation at US airports – ABC News https://share.google/G0s664xsFC53RhuXK

      1. That’s true. It’s known as “security theater” to do these ineffective things to give the appearance of safety.

        1. I mean, they are really good at stopping people for sausages purchased at an airport kiosk that’s within sight of the x-ray machine, so they must be effective, right?

    2. I presume screening technology and processes have improved (especially over the lengthy period of 24 years since 9/11) so that old rules are outdated.

      1. It’s a mess at pre-check, and even worse once you’re on the plane, with people eating stuff you would not even think about buying at a food truck! After 6 hours in the air, the line at the toilets are very long and gassy, so never take a seat near the honey cans unless you want to be looking at the crotches of people who can barely hold it in before getting into the honey can Flying is not for me any more.

    3. No. I’m a frequent flier and this is literally the least of my concerns about our country right now.

    4. The rules have always seemed like security theater to me. I don’t really care about them being rolled back.
      Also a terrorist could have just enrolled in precheck and avoided a lot of the rules (shoes off, etc) that way. The precheck background screening is not thorough.

    5. I’m more concerned about losing air traffic controllers and all the near miss incident lately.

      3. Yes, its sad how bad and unsafe the airports have become. I fly only when I have to go somewhere. Otherwise, I just drive or take a pubic bus or train. I do not want to be just another statistic because of the foibles of Gen Z’s who are way too dumb to be entitled.

    6. I’m more concerned about other passengers and their inability to evacuate during an emergency.

      1. Anyone else see people carrying carry-on luggage and heavy backpacks when they evacuated a plane last week?

        Even if it only takes “one extra second” per passenger, multiply by 180 passengers and it triples the evacuation time.

        1. Yes, people are pigs and the ones who collected their bags should be on the no fly list.

        2. Agreed. You are smart enough to be head of the FAA. The rest of the administration needs a person with a triple digit IQ like you!

    7. I always thought the restriction on liquids was designed mostly to benefit airport vendors.

    8. Will never get over TSA telling me I could bring my hummus but could not bring my guacamole through the line because my guac was wetter than my hummus and the guac therefore qualified as a liquid.

        1. I have never been prouder of my emotional regulation skills than I was that day.

      3. This reminds me of a joke about a kid trying to bring a magic 8 ball on a plane. The tsa agents scratch their heads and say “if only there was some way to ask…”

      4. I once acted in a short play at the local children’s science museum about whether you could take yogurt through airport security. The term is “thixotropic,” meaning a substance that is a solid when rested and a liquid when agitated.

  15. paging CB and other UK rettes! For an interview in UK higher Ed, would you recommend a full suit? I have been so long in West Coast land with no dress code, and now I’m overthinking it.

      1. In academia you can. And I think maybe also in tech? There are some industries where being too formal makes it seem like you can’t read the room.

    2. Depends on field maybe? But I can’t remember the last time I saw a woman wearing a suit. I wore a Uniqlo dress, a linen blazer, and ballet flats for my last interview (social sciences).

      Good luck! It’s a mess over here but suspect it’s still better than the US. Make sure your prospective employer isn’t on the list of universities likely to go bust.

  16. Just for fun, if you had up to $5k to spend on something purely fun, what would you buy?

    I’d probably get myself a used rowing shell. I row with a team now, but I’d rather have the freedom to go alone on my schedule

    1. Travel. If it has to be spent on something physical I’d put in a savings account for backyard patio renovations.

    2. I’d spend it on a road trip to the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Hubby and I have been meaning to pay it a visit.

      1. I stayed there earlier this summer. When you go, make reservations for the in-house restaurants and the spa waaaaay in advance. And the one-hour art and history tour is worth doing.

    3. If it must be a tangible object, I would love to try out one of those carbon fiber electric foldable bikes. They’re very pricey, though.

      Otherwise I would spend it on extra hotel nights to make life easier. Being able to just walk back to a hotel after a baseball game instead of driving home immediately would feel like the height of luxury.

    4. A cello. I rented in high school, never was able to afford buying one, and now it feels too frivolous/expensive a purchase for me to pick it up again.

  17. Do regular non influencer people actually do laundry stripping? I’m intrigued but can’t tell if this is just an influencer farce.

    1. Meeeee. I’m a chemistry nerd and love the satisfaction of getting my textiles very clean. I also dye fabric as a hobby so I have a lot of intense detergents and chemicals because fibres must be squeaky clean before dye.

    2. I tried it and it didn’t make my towels look any cleaner. It did produce murky water but I think that was just the stripping chemicals.

    3. I have done it with my dishcloths and napkins (we don’t use papertowels) and with my husband’s sweaty hats (he often works outside). It really does work. I have found with the dishcloths and napkins that adding the borax and laundry soda into their regular hot wash helps keep them less gross between stripping.

    4. Yes, did it before it was a “thing” because normal washing just doesn’t cut it with running through a Texas summer.

    5. Regular person here. Do it for my workout clothes. (The results are so gross/satisfying.)

  18. On the topic of gardening, the literal but also the figurative term used in this forum, I thought you all might appreciate knowing about this guy on Insta:
    @gardingwithjonny

    Yes, he’s also a fire fighter, and yes, you’re all welcome.

    2. Ha! I follow him. He keeps his stuff pretty light and goofy and tends to make me laugh.

      1. I love the goofiness about it all, too. That in itself is very attractive, aside from the obvious physicality of this man. And his plants and garden look fantastic.

  19. Medicaid réactivation: Thank you for the help yesterday.

    I messaged Senator Booker and Menendez’s offices. Bookers office was great and replied this morning saying they contacted the state department for health services. They told me to follow up with the Governors office, which I did both with email and a phone call.

    The governors office were great. Not only did they help me with my children’s coverage, half way through the call a mouse showed up and scared me. I screamed and apologized. She kindly told me to use cayanne powder to deter them.

    1. Wow! That’s amazing and now I have an even bigger crush on Sen. Booker! Good job, Anon!

    2. I’m so glad to hear this! I was one of the posters suggesting you reach out at the federal level and was worried I posted too late for you to see it. Really pulling for you!

    3. Woohoo! I work on the Hill (and posted yesterday), and I’m always happy to help the ‘rettes with random Congressional questions. :)

    4. SO happy to hear your good news! And a sympathetic chuckle about the mouse. (I have them also.)

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