Thursday’s TPS Report: Stretch Rayon Pique Jacket

277 Comments

1. Did I hallucinate? (Possible– been working too many hrs on too few hours of sleep)

   My post seemed to have disappeared.

   For those who like Mad Men & Downton Abbey, Slate put together a slideshow pairing the Downton Abbey characters with their analogues on Mad Men:
   http://www.slate.com/slideshows/arts/pairing-up-the-heroes-of-downton-abbey-with-their-mad-men-soul-mates.html?wpisrc=msn_gallery#slide_1

   1. *headdesk*

      Never attribute to hallucination what is merely website delay. *sigh*

      Another threadjack:
      Do you have any friends at your company?

      By friends, I mean someone you’d invite over to your apartment/house and vice versa, and someone you’d stay friends with even after one or both of you left your firm. In the building where I’m at, there’s about 400+ people, and many I’m on great terms with, but only 2 friends.

      1. Meh. There are 50-70 staff members at my office, and I have a positive working relationship with everyone I interact with, but I wouldn’t say that I have “friends.” I live with a coworker, who sucks as a human but is mostly tolerable as a roommate; then I have a coworker + his wife that I hang out with once every couple of months, but I don’t see us keeping in touch after I move; and finally there is my work “best friend,” who is the person I go to when I need to vent (or vice versa), but due to her having a toddler and living 45 minutes away, we’ve never been to each others’ homes. I will probably stay in casual touch with her when I leave. In conclusion: meh again.

         1. Wow. I have to give you credit just for the civility and self-control alone– I don’t think I could live with a coworker who sucked as a human (but was mostly tolerable as a roommate.)

            I think it’s mostly a crapshoot. You never know when or where you’ll meet someone you’ll become great friends with, but one should probably not expect it of any workplace. If it happens, it’s great, if not, then life goes on and one can seek one’s friends elsewhere.

2. I need some advice. I’m a 2L and I’m working part-time as a law clerk at a firm. Recently, another law student started working with me. She is constantly asking for my help. I honestly don’t mind helping with a time-sensitive project when someone legitimately needs my help. It seems that she doesn’t actually need the help though; she just doesn’t want to do the work. For instance, yesterday after asking for help she started chatting about a book she was reading on her computer. I helped out the first time she asked me, and since then every time I’ve come into work she’s asked for help. I get the sense that if I let her, I’d spend most of my time helping her with her assignments (for which she will get the credit). I’m hoping to eventually work at this firm, so I need to do work for which I will get the credit. I have no problem saying no when I have assignments of my own to do. When I don’t have work, though, I don’t know whether to seek out work of my own or help her out. If she was legitimately swamped I wouldn’t mind helping, but I can’t tell when she actually needs help and when she just wants someone else to do the less interesting work for her. Any advice?

   1. When you don’t have work, seek out new work. If people don’t have projects for you, ask if you can observe their next hearing/dep/whatever. And in the meantime, you have no obligation to “help” her by doing her work for her.

      Remember, when she asks for help, you have every right to say “no.” Period. No explanation needed.

      1. This.

3. Let me just say, I love it when protracted fighting with the government about taxes results in the feds sending me money. That is all. :-)

4. Threadjack: What criteria/how long do you give a new city before you decide that you want to move back to your original city/hometown? Last July moved to NYC from Chicago for my then long-distance relationship of 3 years. Very shortly after, said relationship ended. Not an attorney, but I work in the field. Not in love with my job, but I knew that going in. My priority was to enjoy my relationship and have fun in the city for a while, then re-focus on moving on to a more rewarding job.

   I’ve been slooow to make friends. Did date someone new but that didn’t work out. I feel like I’m in a constant state of new-ness. It’s uncomfortable. Moving home has crossed my mind, but if I do, I want to make sure it is for the right reasons. If I ask my family, their answer is always “move home”. Also, I’m not the type to go running home when things don’t work out & I knew the risk involved when I moved here.

   Single, no kids, 29, no other reason than family(who have their own lives) to go back to Chicago. Although, I do enjoy Chicago. Maybe I just need to find my niche in life. If I did that , I suppose I could be happy here or there. Thoughts?

   1. I would apply for jobs in Chicago and see what happens.

      I’m getting the sense that the thing holding you back is that you think you would be “quitting” if you go back or that you “knew the risks” and therefore need to bear the consequences. But life is too short to live in a place you don’t like with a job you don’t love for those types of reasons.

      Plus, Chicago is awesome! :)

   2. My experience is that NYC is a difficult city to thrive in unless you are super focused with a clear goal in mind, which you don’t seem to have. I would first figure out if there is something like this inside you before deciding yea or nay on the city.

   3. I’m single, 29, no kids and did the move from Chi to NYC and back from NYC to Chi. The first move to NYC was after grad school and I stayed in the city less than 2 years. I would say NYC, and it sounds so cliche to say, is one of those places where you pretty much love it and are willing to make the sacrifices to live there or you hate it. I fell into the latter category. The cost of living was way too high and I felt like I was constantly in the “rat race” there to keep up professionally, socially, financially, etc.

      I made the choice to move back to Chicago after an internal transfer came up at my job. My parents live outside of Chicago as well so that also influenced my decision to move back. Overall, I’ve been happy back in the Chi and the cost of living certainly is much less. I personally think Chicago offers all of the same amenities (night life, plays, cultural events, etc) as NYC but at a lower cost. The only dilemma I have is now that I’ve moved back here is that all my friends from grad school and elsewhere have migrated back to the East Coast so it’s ironically been slower making friends here than in NYC.

      Just my 2 cents and experience though.

      1. agree, leave nyc- i stayed 4 yrs too long much happier now elsewhere

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