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Theater tickets make great gifts. This Off Broadway comedy/drama production of Pride and Prejudice has piqued my interest in particular, and I'm probably going to be getting tickets for at least one person I know. Which plays or musicals have you seen recently? Are you buying any tickets (or gift certificates for them) for friends and family, or what have you gifted in the past that went over well? How about general recommendations — what theater would you recommend seeing (and where do you live)? Tickets for Pride and Prejudice are $82–$152. Pride & Prejudice
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Sales of note for 10.10.24
- Nordstrom – Extra 25% off clearance (through 10/14); there's a lot from reader favorites like Boss, FARM Rio, Marc Fisher LTD, AGL, and more. Plus: free 2-day shipping, and cardmembers earn 6x points per dollar (3X the points on beauty).
- Ann Taylor – Extra 50% off sale (ends 10/12)
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything plus extra 25% off your $125+ purchase
- Boden – 10% off new styles with code; free shipping over $75
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off a lot of sale items, with code
- J.Crew – 40% off sitewide
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off entire site, plus extra 25% off orders $150+
- Lo & Sons – Fall Sale, up to 35% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Sale on sale, up to 85% off
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – 50% off 2+ markdowns
- Target – Circle week, deals on 1000s of items
- White House Black Market – Buy one, get one – 50% off full price styles
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
AIMS
One of the nicest holiday gifts I ever got was a pair of tickets to the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. It worked out perfectly with snow that night and a dinner reservation across the street – so that it just felt so festive! A general tip: if you sign up for mailing lists from places like Lincoln Center, they will usually alert when tickets first go on sale and you can get great seats for not that much money.
Ellen
I went here with Rosa, and it was great. We took the kid’s and they LOVED the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies! Dad went also and he was humming in his Hummer all the way back to LI! I wish I lived in those days when life was simple and women did NOT have to work their tuchuses off just to earn enough money to pay the rent! FOOEY! Life is NOT so quiet and peaceable nowadays. With the world situeation being what it is, I fear for the saftey of the kids b/c of all the radicals out there driving their cars into people and dropping pipe bombs. What is WRONG with these silly peeople? DOUBEL FOOEY!
As we approach the new year, I am praying for the saftey of our peeople (all of them) against radical aliens that should be put out to pasture. May all of the HIVE have a great holiday and a happy 2018! YAY!!!!!!
AIMS
Reposting from morning: Any recommendations for a southern cookbook that is not just deep fried everything? I don’t want something that’s specifically “lightened up” southern food but more wondering if there is a book of simple recipes that aren’t too heavy for everyday use.
Cat
My mom has a treasure trove of Southern Living’s cookbooks (collections of the recipes from the prior year IIRC). Many of our family favorites!
Gail the Goldfish
I think I have some at home but can’t recall titles; I will try to remember to look tonight and post back, so check back this evening.
Anon
Check out the blog Deep South Dish – she has a cookbook if you like her style.
Bon Appetit, Y’all by Virginia Willis is one of my favorite cookbooks, but it’s more for Sunday dinners than weeknights. James Farmer is another good source for Sunday dinners.
Some of the older Southern Living anthologies are good – from the late ’90s and early 2000s. SL’s been a bit fussy/involved lately.
The Paula Deen magazine has fantastic weeknight recipes that I use and that regularly get added to my repertoire.
Don’t overlook older community cookbooks (churches, junior leagues, etc) where you like the cuisine. I reach frequently for a couple small town cookbooks because they’re just nice, normal recipes.
Anon
Kind of related but you might like the book “Cooking Gene”
Anon
Sorry to TJ, but related: has anyone tried Cooking Up A Storm, the Times-Picayune Katrina cookbook? Wondering if it’s good to cook from or if the positive reviews are driven mainly by nostalgia.
Anonymous
Yes. I’ve had it for years and love it :)
SC
It’s more specific to New Orleans than general “Southern,” but I really like Susan Spicer’s cookbook Crescent City Cooking. The recipes are pretty sophisticated, not what I’d consider weeknight dinners, but they’re well-written and turn out delicious, and they’re really all about the ingredients (i.e., not all deep-fried).
mascot
Charleston Receipts is the JL of Charleston cookbook and is somewhat legendary among League cookbooks.
Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard
The Pat Conroy Cookbook (lots of short stories with some recipes for some traditional foods)
The older Southern Living annual collections are good. To me, a lot of southern cooking is the original farm to table, at least it was growing up in Georgia. We ate lots of fresh seasonal produce. Sunday dinners did have a meat and three (veggies/sides) component, but they weren’t overly fancy affairs.
Anonymous
The Gift of Southern Cooking, Edna Lewis & Scott Peacock
The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook
Heritage, Sean Brock
Anonymous
Simple Fresh Southern by Matt and Ted Lee is exactly what you are looking for.
Anonymous
I posted on the other one about River Road Recipes. I wonder if Garden & Gun has put one out. I don’t think so though. Southern Living is a great idea too. I have seen them at estate sales lately – one sale had every year and don’t think we didn’t try to figure out where to put them.
Anonymous
Chef and the Farmer has a cookbook
Second junior league cookbooks
Anon
New Turn in the Old South.
Anonymous
Cooking in the Moment- Andrea Reusing or Deep Run Roots – Vivian Howard.
Cat
I’ve never gotten or given tickets that weren’t a prearranged gift — like my parents would ask “is there something you’ve been wanting to see” and I give suggestions and convenient dates. Tickets are too annoying to re-sell if it’s a show we were ‘meh’ about or were, unbeknownst to the giver, planning to be out of town…
Rainbow Hair
Yeah the logistics seem impossible to me. Will I be in town? Will we be able to get a sitter? Do we actually want to go…?
biglawanon
Yeah this.
Carri
I’ve given gift certificates a lot. To the Symphony, the ballet, or to a specific theater. While musicals are posted about a lot here, I’m more of a regular theater goer, and gift gifts to that a lot. Many (most?) people have never been to see a regular play and are often pleasantly surprised.
Also, a lot of theaters in my area have things like a flex pass, or you can purchase season tix as a gift, and the recipient can choose the exact dates.
hand washing sweaters
Any tips for hand washing sweaters? It’s my least favorite chore. My hands get cold and the sweater turns into a giant floppy sopping wet mess. Anything that would make this dreaded process even slightly more enjoyable would be great!
KateMiddletown
Following for suggestions on this and washing tights. I have a huge pile I need to get to this weekend.
hand washing sweaters
I just throw tights in the washing machine. I probably shouldn’t, but they seem to do okay.
Anon
Yup. I just throw my black tights in the wash with my other darks. Come out just fine. And I put them through the dryer, too (mostly without thinking – I take them out if I remember). That said, my tights are of the TJ Maxx/Target variety, not the $30/pair variety.
wildkitten
I throw my tights in a lingerie bag and put them into the regular wash and I’m happy with my results.
Cat
I just put tights and pantyhose in the regular wash in a lingerie bag to prevent stretching and rubbing. Hang to dry.
Anonymous
I throw my tights in a mesh bag on delicate, but I wear basic Hue tights that are pretty sturdy. If it was something more delicate, I would handwash.
Torin
Spin it dry in a salad spinner. Also applies to tights.
Anonymous
Use Soak detergent and roll in a towel to remove excess water before laying flat to dry. Soak claims to be rinse-free, but I rinse anyway.
Puddlejumper
Wear dishwashing gloves if your hands get too cold.
Put two plastic bins in the tub.
Fill both with cold water.
Put in soap in one.
Swoosh soap around.
Put sweater in.
Soak for a bit.
Switch it to the other plastic basin for rinse.
Take out sweater.
Lightly squeeze – don’t wring it, but just squeeze out immediate tons of water.
Roll it in a towel to get more water out.
Put on a flat drying rack. If you have a drying rack that has the rods put another beach towel on it and put the sweater on top of it so it can lay flat.
Repeat with sweaters.
Play a podcast because its not a fun process.
Anonymous
If you leave the wet sweater in a sink or actual tub, you can just let it drain naturally until it’s more manageable.
Anonymous
I pretend I’m a pioneer woman on Little House in the Prairie to make it more fun (not joking).
Anonymous
I feel like this would work for me, especially assuming Santa brings me that new Laura Ingalls Wilder biography I asked for.
White elephant
Just gently smush the sweater down into room temp Soak/Eucalan spiked water, soak, drain, then squish the extra water out. Have a bucket handy to plop the post-washing wet sweater into, transfer to washing machine for a quick spin-only cycle to drain the drips. Works best if you have a few sweaters to spin at one time to avoid unbalanced washing machine antics (I have a top loader) and cuts drying time tremendously.
tesyaa
Instead of waiting for a whole pile of sweaters I do them as they get dirty – it just takes a few minutes for one sweater but seems like an enormous task once 5 or 6 have piled up. Endorse puddlejumper for the process.
Anonymous
i fyou have a front loading machine, I just pile up my sweaters and do them in one go. then I lay flat/ish for drying.
Miss
I have a top loading machine and I still use it for sweaters with cold water, Woolite, and the delicate cycle. I’ve never had problems or noticed any additional wear. And frankly I’d never get around to hand washing. I lay flat to dry.
KateMiddletown
I know what the general thought is around “gifting up” but my counterpart just gave our mutual boss a bottle of whiskey for Christmas and now I’m the one who didn’t give him anything. I just ordered something small for his office (thanks same-day Prime).
Now I also feel like I have to gift down to our team’s assistants. (I’m not responsible for their compensation, but they are paid by my boss and they help me all the time.) One is getting homemade cookies, and the other is getting a BBW candle from my gifting stash. Am I good?
Anonymous
I think a BBW candle is kind of a meh gift unless you know the recipient likes them.
Carrots
Agree. Any candles that are in my gifting stash are because someone else gave them to me and I don’t do candles because they trigger headaches for me.
Senior Attorney
No no no.
Resist the urge. Just, no.
Jacque
I really hate office Christmas gifts and wish they would die. It’s $10-$15 worth of junk floating around between coworkers that with either be re-gifted to someone or dumped in the garbage by the end of January.
*said from my desk full of gifts of lottery tickets that didn’t win, chocolates I don’t like, a coffee mug I won’t use, and a bottle of some sort of hand scrub*
Just tell me Merry Christmas and continue to be an awesome coworker! That’s really all I want from you!
friendships over time
I was looking at my Christmas card list and thinking about how my friendships have changed over time. In my teens and early 20s, it was all about quantity. Now, I have fewer, deeper close friendships, as well as a wide circle of acquaintances.
As I’ve gotten older, I find that I adore my closest friends even more. Sometimes I can’t believe there are people who exist that are this great! And they get to be in my life and we’re both alive at the same time and it’s incredible!
At the same time, I have less tolerance for traits that I used to tolerate in friends like flakiness, negativity, or self-centeredness.
Older * r e t t e s, does this continue to change over life? I’m interested to hear reflections on friendship over the years, especially as you get into your 30s, 40s and 50s.
Ellen
I agree. When I was in college, I had alot of freinds, mostly men, with a few women, like Laurie (who became a law student with me and then got married to a guy in Virginia), and Madeline, but over time, as I became a lawyer, I seemed to have lost t’ouch with my college freinds. Now, most of my freinds are work related, except for a few in LI, who I keep up with when I go home to visit mom & dad. So it IS QUALITY that trump’s QUANTITY after all. The work freinds are more like aquantences, b/c I would NOT be freinds with them if I did NOT work almost 24/7 with them. The onley other situeation is the men who want to be freinds with me, but I generaly avoid them b/c I know they say they want to be freinds, but if they get any chance, they will immediately try to get me to take my clotheing off and have s-x with me. FOOEY on those men, who are NOT honest about their intentions!
Gail the Goldfish
I am a big fan of getting tickets for presents. I’ve had people give me tickets to The Lion King and Wicked, and I got SO Hamilton tickets for his birthday (well, and as a birthday present to myself, as well…), which we’re going to next month (super excited!).
Anonymous
When I was 14 I got tickets to see Michael Crawford in Phantom of the Opera for Christmas. It was the most exciting gift I received during my entire childhood. This year my 10-year-old is getting tickets to Hamilton, which means I am too.
Anon
Groan. Any ideas how to navigate these waters politely?
I’m very friendly with the realtors who sold me my house. It’s an old neighborhood with a defined footprint, and these realtors are the ones you use if you want a house in this area.
I invited them to my holiday open house like I do every year. When I first bought my place, one agent had mentioned he was personally interested in buying my house and to come to him if I ever thought of selling. Well, I’m getting married and we’ve decided to move into my fiance’s house, so we’re selling mine. At the party, I said to the agent, “Remember when you said you wanted to buy my house? Well it’s coming available soon!” He said to let him know if I’d like him to list it (no response about buying it himself).
He emailed me a couple days later to say he had an out-of-town buyer who’s been looking in the neighborhood for my floor plan who’ll be in town on Dec 27 and could we sign a one-showing contract just to show her? My fiance and I had been thinking of FSBO because I expect my margins will be small, but he offered a reduced commission, so I said yes.
I just got the contract, and it’s a full listing contract for 6 months, with full commission except in the case of this one buyer. I emailed him back that I only wanted a one showing contract, that I had friends who are interested in my place (true), and I simply wasn’t ready to sign a listing agreement. He replied “We can put an exception in there for your friend’s name, would that work?”
Groan. No, no it wouldn’t, because my home is a great starter home and I don’t know which friends or friends of friends might want my place and I’m not paying you 6% when I originally wanted to sell it myself and I’m kicking myself for ever opening my mouth. I haven’t replied yet. Being friendly with sales people makes this really hard.
Anon
Just tell him no. He’s a professional, I guarantee he’ll be able to handle it. It’s not really that big of a deal.
anne-on
+1 – lay out your terms, and keep it light but firm. If he can’t or won’t accept it then let him know you’re going to go FSBO and will consider him if anything changes.
Anonymous
“No. I was looking for a one showing contract for person x who will be in town. I am not interested in pursuing any type of listing contract at this time. Let me know if you want to pursue a one showing contract.”
Jacque
THIS. It’s perfectly worded and doesn’t go into murky waters of FSBO and inviting more of an annoying dialog with him. It only leaves room for a yes or no response.
Anon
“Thanks, Chauncy, but I’m just interested in the one-showing contract. Otherwise we’re going FSBO.
Have a great Christmas!
Euphemia”
anonshmanon
They are being the rude ones here, disregarding your wishes repeatedly. Don’t get too distracted with trying to be polite, you don’t owe it to anyone.
ezt
Sorry for the TJ ladies. Does anyone have a good rec for a reproductive endocrinologist in Manhattan, preferably downtown? Two miscarriages and turning 35 = OBGYN thinks I need one. TIA!
Anon in NYC
Not downtown, but I saw Vivian Sobel during my pregnancy.
Anonymous
I really want to see Mean Girls (off-broadway at MCC Theatre), which is billed as the African Mean Girls play. I would also like to see The Band’s Visit.
Anonymous
I’m not in NYC and am not going to get there any time soon since I’m currently 8 months pregnant, but I really want to see The Band’s Visit! I love Tony Shalhoub and the play sounds fantastic.
Anonymous
If I’m no longer using a certain medical practice, can I request that they delete my information from their systems? If so, any recommendations for doing this would be awesome.
Anon
State law will probably dictate how long they are required to save your medical records.
Anon
Yup, and a very common window is that providers have to store any insurance claims (and supporting documentation) for 7 years.
new job who dis
I hate having so many dead passwords and user names floating all around the interwebs — so for all old medical groups or prescription services that I don’t frequent anymore – I email their contact line to have my profile deleted.
but yes, they obviously will still have your medical records.