ByKat Hours Updated
Comments 193 Comments

Weekend Open Thread

·
Caslon® Roll Sleeve Knit BlazerSomething on your mind? Chat about it here. I am always freezing in air conditioning, so a sweater or blazer is essential for me for most endeavors. This roll sleeve knit blazer from Caslon looks great for a weekend outing or a casual office — it comes in a million colors (fine, ten for regulars, four for petites), and I like that it's washable. The blazer was $59, but is now marked to $35.40 at Nordstrom. Caslon® Roll Sleeve Knit Blazer (L-4)

Sales of note for 12.5

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

193 Comments

  1. Yay! Open thread’s!!! I Love Open thread’s!!!! And I realy love this blazer also! But NOT for work except mabye on Friday’s in the Summer.

    The manageing partner had another sit down meeting with DAD today and Dad and I just got back from LUNCH. Dad like’s the Italian pizzarea on 37th, so we went there and he had a CALZONE with Ricotta Cheeze and I had a slice of white pizza, with a DIET Coke.

    Dad wanted me to go home with him this weekend, but I said I could NOT b/c I am already doeing something with Myrna and Roberta in the Bronx. Roberta has a few suprizes for us she says and this will be FUN! Dad did NOT make any bad coments about my tuchus today. Thank god for that, and he saw that I still got a few construction guy’s to callout to me when we walked down 5th. They alway’s OOGLE me, but not call out. I guess today it is sunny so they get a little more FRISKEY! It is nice to know that even a girl over 30 with a tuchus can get attention, even if I am tight in a size 4. YAY!!!!!

    Have a great weekend, Kat and the hive also!!!! YAY!!!!

  2. Yay! Open thread’s!!! I Love Open thread’s!!!! And I realy love this blazer also! But NOT for work except mabye on Friday’s in the Summer.

    The manageing partner had another sit down meeting with DAD today and Dad and I just got back from LUNCH. Dad like’s the Italian pizzarea on 37th, so we went there and he had a CALZONE with Ricotta Cheeze and I had a slice of white pizza, with a DIET Coke.

    Dad wanted me to go home with him this weekend, but I said I could NOT b/c I am already doeing something with Myrna and Roberta in the Bronx. Roberta has a few suprizes for us she says and this will be FUN! Dad did NOT make any bad coments about my tuchus today. Thank god for that, and he saw that I still got a few construction guy’s to callout to me when we walked down 5th. They alway’s OOGLE me, but not call out. I guess today it is sunny so they get a little more FRISKEY! It is nice to know that even a girl over 30 with a tuchus can get attention, even if I am tight in a size 4. YAY!!!!!

    Have a great weekend, Kat and the hive also!!!! YAY!!!!

      1. Yes, guys who whistle or hoot are usually slobs who only want sex. Do not dignify them with a response.

    2. I’m seriously jealous of all the food Ellen posts about. She is Guy Fieri of Corporette. YAY!

  3. Hmmm…hard to tell with the awful styling. It might work for a casual Friday at the office.

    1. My issue with Caslon is that their fabrics always look very ‘synthetic’ to me, and very ‘suburban PTA mom’ to me for some reason. Which is a group of people I don’t have a problem with, they just don’t feel like office fabrics to me. And the Caslon pieces I have bought from Ross and then regretted also wrinkled like CRAZY.

    2. ugh, moderation for using regret in the past tense.

      My issue with Caslon is that their fabrics always look very ‘synthetic’ to me, and very ‘suburban PTA mom’ to me for some reason. Which is a group of people I don’t have a problem with, they just don’t feel like office fabrics to me. I bought some Caslon pieces from Ross, and then experienced major regret, because they all wrinkled like CRAZY.

    1. I heard that’s supposed to be great; on demand starts with episode 7; so I need to find a way to catch up!

  5. Interesting (and good) news about fertility after 35:

    http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/06/21/fertility_after_35_everything_you_thought_you_knew_was_wrong_says_new_atlantic.html

    http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/07/how-long-can-you-wait-to-have-a-baby/309374/?single_page=true

    “That said, it’s wonderful news that the statistics about fertility decline have potentially been exaggerated. Then perhaps we can push back against attitudes that women are “waiting too long” because they’re deluded or selfish or career-obsessed.”

    4. I particularly liked finding out more about where the fertility stats came from in the first place. A lot of times there will be one historic study that some stats are drawn from, and every later source just repeats those, without noting any of the methodology.

      Statistical interpretation comes into play with looking at risk too. We often hear about the higher risks of Down syndrome with rising age, and that’s true. You’re looking at a risk that’s several-fold higher. BUT, the numbers are low to begin with, so the 35 year old with the much greater risk is still looking at <1% chance of that occurring.

      Incidentally, I'm 35 and pregnant. Too early to know about any abnormalities, but hoping all is well. I was expecting a year of trying, but the second month was all it took. Now I'm just really really glad that I was super careful about birth control all those years!

  6. So glad I have my own office today. I am munching on mini samosas as my midafternoon snack, which I’m sure would bug anyone I shared a cube with (even though they smell SO YUMMY, I recognize not everyone feels that way).

      2. I’m so jealous. Moved to the Bay Area from Canada last year and haven’t had good poutine since then.

    2. I have my own office today, too!! My celebration is not about eating, it is closing my door and playing music so that i am not distracted by the other noisy offices. And being able to sing-along if I feel like it.

      1. I know, right? MoA, if I were your officemate I would only be annoyed by the mini samosas if you didn’t offer me any.

    4. mmmm, I want hot samosas and spicy chai on this rainy afternoon when I can hardly keep my eyes open.

  7. Yay Friday!! What are you wearing today? I just bought this great dress from Nordys that is my new favourite office dress. Got 3 compliments before 10am on it! (link to follow)

        1. Nude high-heeled sandals..I thought my patent-leather turquoise wedges might be too much :)

    2. A coral and yellow printed short sleeve blouse with tan skirt, nude heels, and coral teardrop earrings. Feeling pretty cute for a casual Friday!

    3. Black Old Navy Jersey v-neck dress with black print cami underneath and pink printed flip flops. And right now I’m wearing the black cashmere cardi I keep in the office. The a/c is on super chill.

  8. Question for the hive: a few times/week, in the afternoons, I’ll shut my office door and take a quick nap (usually around 20 min). I’m a “napper” – I know some people feel like it makes them feel MORE tired the rest of the day but the 20 min shut-eye makes me feel more productive the rest of the day. Usually I’ll pull over one of my extra chairs to put my feet up on, lean back, and doze a bit.

    Earlier this week, a colleague came into my office w/o knocking (frown) during a nap. I certainly wasn’t deeply sleeping, so I sat up and apologized, then chatted with her for a few minutes about what she came over for. I didn’t really think that much of it, but the next day, she was very “wink wink nudge nudge” about my “secret”.

    I’ve never really thought much about the habit – I think the time I spend on it (or, alternately, on going for a short work) means I produce higher quality work the rest of the time, so I don’t really feel like it’s a “secret”. However, my co-workers reaction has me wondering if I should re-think this practice – if it would make me look really terrible if other people became aware.

    FWIW, it’s not an exhaustion issue or a sleep issue really – I get an average of around 7-8 hours of good sleep every night and it’s not so much that I feel tired. It really does serve the same purpose as taking a walk – to take a break, refresh, and refocus. So maybe I just switch to entirely walking breaks?

    1. I’d be a bit embarrassed to be caught napping at work, unless it’s in the middle of an all nighter. I’ve never seen anyone do it at my company. If I was desperate for a nap I’d probably go to my car. I would recommend the walk.

      1. I tend to agree. I know we’ve had this discussion before and some people are very pro-napping (as needed), but I would just think it was weird unless there were dire circumstances (i.e., 24-hour coverage needed, you’re pulling all nighters, etc.). I think that if you’re going to continue to nap at work, you should lock your door.

    3. Kat did a post about how to nap at work in February. Quite a few people commented that they do nap at work at least occasionally.

      http://corpor e t t e.com/2013/02/25/how-to-nap-at-work/

      1. I got caught napping once by a janitor at my first job out of college. So embarrassing.

    4. There was a discussion on *thissite* a short while back about napping at the office. Honestly, the concept had never even crossed my mind before that point, as it would have been entirely inappropriate in every office I’ve ever worked in. But – I love the idea of it!

      1. Oh, thank you Famouscait and Back Home – didn’t realize there had been an entire discussion. I’ll check out that post!

    5. I do the same thing you do and take a 20 minute power nap a couple days a week. That said, no one comes in my office when the door is closed without knocking and me telling them to come in. For those who’ve tried it, I’ve politely but firmly explained that my door is shut for a reason (which 9 times out of 10 is a conference call where I need to concentrate) and I do not want to be disturbed.

      1. Good to hear – I agree about the shut door – I keep it open most of the time and in general people respect that when it’s closed, it’s for a reason. Not sure what compelled this co-worker to bust on in.

        1. Yeah I really wouldn’t worry about it. wtf was she doing busting in on you. blinds closed + door closed = private (you could have been pumping or something!)

    6. I nap at work, but only behind a locked office door and only for about ten minutes at a time. And I don’t tell anyone what I’m doing.

      1. Oh dear. I was reading through the responses and just got to this one. Yep, this is *the* co-worker (doesn’t everyone have one) who assumes all females between 22 – 40 might be pregnant at any given moment. Not feeling well? Preggo. Headache? Preggo. Leaving work for an appointment? Preggo.

        So, now that you bring it up… I think this is a strong possibility. Oh she’s going to be so sad when she gives me significant glances for the next 3 months and eventually realizes there’s no baby on the way.

    8. So funny you posted this – I got caught napping today too. It’s also a regular habit for me in the afternoons. Usually I shut my door and no one bothers me, but this time I must have left it open a crack, because my secretary poked her head in and was like “Are you OK? You startled me.” Fair enough – I guess it must be disconcerting to see a supposed professional slumped over on her desk.

    9. I think you should take a walk and drink some coffee or Coke instead and power through. We nearly fired a summer associate who dozed off during a conference call, and there was a posting on askamanager.com by someone who actually got fired for dozing off on his first day of work. It’s unfair, but it’s just not that common to see in the U.S.

      Also, maybe 7-8 hours is not enough for you – I discovered that I need at least 8 to feel well rested.

      1. I think there’s a difference between falling asleep in front of people and closing your office door and napping. I believe the AAM guy fell asleep on his first day while talking to his boss or something like that.

        But personally, I take a walk instead of napping.

        1. Yes, I would be mortified and worried about my sleep habits if I fell asleep during a meeting / on a call / when I’m specifically supposed to be doing something. Although! This reminded me – we do have an older man who’s VERY senior in the organization who, on more than one occasion, I have seen nod off while sitting in the back of a large meeting. No one ever says anything, so I guess I just have to stick it out for another 35 years, claw my way to the top, and then I can nap whenever/wherever I want! New life goal!

    10. I am way too stressed to ever sleep at work. I’m a natural-born worrier (helps me keep slender!), and could never relax enough to sleep in public. One is so vulnerable when asleep . Heck, I can hardly sleep in my own bed.

      That said, all I feel is envy for someone who is relaxed and trusting enough to be able to sleep at work. And even cursory internet research shows that short naps are super fruitful in increasing worker productivity. So my vote is to continue the naps, and count yourself lucky to be able to take them.

      1. I think sleeping at work is like most “borderline” things–ok if you’re a hard worker with a good reputation who does everything else well, not ok if there are other things lacking.

  9. I think Diana Barry was looking for maxi dresses that can be worn with regular br@s? I found a few at Asos. Links to follow.

        1. Awwwwwwwww, don’t make a monster blush! I was just checking out the Asos page since TCFKAG <3's them.

      2. I liked this until I saw “hand wash only.” But ditto Kanye East, you’re such a pal Godzilla!

  10. TJ – I have never had a car license in the US and have fallen out of practice with driving. Does anyone have a driving school in NYC that they recommend?

    1. I do, if you’re in Brooklyn: left turn driving school. They’re definitely a small affair but I had a good experience – learned to drive in my twenties, incredibly nervous, passed on the first try.

  11. Has anyone here stayed at the Hilgard House Hotel in Los Angeles? DH and I are planning an LA trip in October.

    1. I’ve stayed a couple times for work when I was working at UCLA. The location is nice for that–you can walk to all the shops and restaurants around there. As a hotel it was pretty meh–kinda run down and creaky. I stayed in a separate building from the check-in, which was basically an apartment. I don’t think it had been updated since the 1970s, but if you wanted a kitchen/separate living room, it’s probably the cheapest you’ll find.

      If you’re not needing proximity to UCLA, I’d recommend staying somewhere else.

  12. Dell Lattitude laptop has a hinge about to go and I need to find a replacement. I am used to having the Control key in the LH corner (and similar on the RH side, although # keys to the right would also be OK). The loaner laptops we have at work have a different configuration that drives me batty and a quick look made it seem that this is becoming common. Any quick recommendations for laptops with my preferred CTRL key configuration? I use it for travel, but it doesn’t need to be ultra-lightweight or be tiny (prefer sturdy serious work computer over all else).

    Thanks!

    1. Most Lenovo Thinkpads have the double Ctrl, at least the ones I’ve used. Having it on the right hand side would drive me nuts, too! I spent years perfecting my copypaste skills ;)

    2. First of all, if you are switching to a new configuration on all the computers you use, you will get used to it. But other options:

      1. go to an actual computer store and ask for advice about keyboard layouts. From a quick search online, I am seeing laptops with both the Ctrl key in the corner and the Fn key in the corner, so you can probably still find one.

      2. It is possible to reassign your keys in the operating system. I believe in Microsoft you go to “Microsoft Keyboard’ and then it’s called “Key Settings” you could switch the assignments of those two keys, and then physically pry off the keys and switch them. Or get someone techie to do it, like a nerdy teenager you know ;o)

      1. Yes, go to a computer store and check out keyboard layouts. That’s the first thing I did when I chose a new laptop because I was very insistent on having a keyboard just like my old one.

  13. How do you tell the difference between failing at something because you weren’t given adequate support or the tools you needed to do it (by your boss or whoever) and failing because you didn’t try hard enough? I’ve been in my job about 18 months and the whole time the office has been in giant turmoil — three different department heads, including the current one who’s only in an “acting” capacity — my boss’s position was vacant for a year, the rules and goals change almost daily. I have two fairly high-profile projects that I’ve been working on. They’ve dragged on and on without a lot of progress.

    On the one hand, I believe this is because every time a new person came on board, they re-wrote the process and the goals for both projects. So if I’d completed steps 4 of 10, suddenly I had to scrap what I’d done for steps 2-4 and go back to step 1. And this happened multiple times. Also, many steps require input from people outside my department, over whom I have no authority — all I can do is call or email frequently to check up on it (which I’ve done). I feel like I often re-evaluated the situation and tried to find work-arounds for the roadblocks, which sometimes worked a little bit but mostly didn’t work at all.

    On the other hand, I worry that I’m just putting the blame on other people when there are actually steps I could have taken myself. I worry that some of the lack of process was a lack of decisiveness or action on my part, although I can’t think of what else I would do. But I also worry that not being able to figure out what else I could do is also a sign of failure.

    As background, not only has this office been in upheaval, but it’s deeply disfunctional as well. People refuse to cooperate with people from other divisions. People will sit in meetings and never bring up a fact they know that totally contradicts what’s being said (e.g., it would be like if person A said “we’ll use wood from the forest to build the house” and person B knew the forest had all burned down but never mentioned that after hearing A’s plan for building the house — only to have A find out months later). So that gets in the way of getting anything done, too. But I worry that I didn’t do enough to build relationships or handle the totally insane office well-enough. Basically, how much of these external roadblocks is enough to justify failure? And I’m talking only about justifying it to myself. This is not a place that looks well on the “I needed A, B, and C to do the task you gave me, but I was never given C.” So in the eyes of the bosses, I’m going to have failed whatever the reason because I didn’t accomplish what they wanted me to accomplish. It’s more about how I relate to myself on this. (And, yes, I’m very, very, very seriously looking for another job.)

    1. I had a similar situation. Company threw me lots of money to come on board and I never questioned why. I learned that the crazies never know just how crazy they are, and they don’t particularly care to learn. The one thing I could have done better was flip to the “new bosses” (3 in 6 months) goals immediately…I tried to hold on too long to the last bosses or my own ideas of how to move forward, which were coming from a different place than the new guy’s. And document, document, document. The day I put in notice was a beautiful day.

    2. This does not sound like a place where you want to build a career. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

  14. Hi Hive,

    I just wanted to say “thanks” to everyone who posted to my anon question the other day about taking a job at 20% less than my coworker. I held my ground and now an even more exciting opportunity has arisen. Thanks for your words of caution and wisdom!

    P.S. I also just got Lean In from the library and am feeling all fired up.

  15. So I wanted to give everyone an update. I went home and was very calm and cool. I asked why it happened, and what his plan is for it to never, ever happen again. He handed me his wallet and told me to take out whatever I wanted. So I took out all but his debit card. We have a subscription to myFICO and he even went back and pulled a credit score for me. There is nothing on there I don’t know about

    We had a huge conversation and he basically said he understands he has a problem with money, he doesn’t understand how he could have justified doing what he did, and that he runs from bad news instead of communicating. Instead of just telling me he was short for the mortgage, he hid it and then compounded the mistake by “hiding” from it.

    I think this was big and bad enough, and I was able to communicate that I am not at all kidding that trust issues are not issues I’m willing to deal with, to actually scare him. On the good side, he said that he feels that he needs to prioritize our marriage/household/needs over anything else (work, his parents, etc.) and he doesn’t know why he hasn’t been doing that.

    All that being said, he gave me the business balance sheets as well. Not good. Not unsalvageable, but not good. There is really nothing in reserve on those accounts. He has a great receivables balance, and his payables are not high relative to what will be coming in, but he has left himself NO room for payroll if one of those payments doesn’t come in. I’ve suggested he farm this out to a full time bookkeeper, and he has agreed. He called one this morning and the transfer might happen as early as this afternoon (it is a CPA firm I have a relationship with that offers the service – cash flow, data entry, that kind of thing).

    So clearly, we’ve been floating the cash flow issue with his personal income, which is the problem. It is going to take 2-3 months to crawl out of the hole, but after that we should have a good handle on it. By “we” I mean the bookkeeper and me! No more sneaking in through the back and thwarting THIS gatekeeper, because he gave me back all of the keys. He has borrowed little amounts of cash from my “stash” before too, that never got paid back, and he offered to get my own small safe to keep my stuff in aside from the giant one we have. Practical, easier access, and for now I will have a small sense of security.

    Thanks again, all, for the suggestions! Likely therapy will happen when we’re not in such a cash crunch.

    1. Wow, it sounds like some great breakthroughs. Best of luck with staying on top of everything, and I hope it all works out with the professional bookkeeper!

    2. That sounds like great progress! I didn’t comment last time, but to some degree I felt people were a little quick to jump to the worst possible scenario when I think it might just be as simple as he’s horrible with money. Some people are, and they just are better off hiring people (or entrusting that significant other) to do this. As long as the person is open to hearing that and making changes, it’s something you can work around. My husband isn’t a spender, but I’ve come to realize he just doesn’t have a sense of building savings over the long term through different ways (and he’s a math major!) I just do those things for us, or automate them, and he’s fine with that.

    3. This is SO. GREAT.

      Seriously, big plus to you and your husband for having a real conversation about some tough issues. Kudos to you for expressing your emotions in a productive way and kudos to your husband for facing his weaknesses. Seriously, this is the difference between marriages that make it and marriages that don’t, IMO.

    4. Thank you ladies! To add to it, apparently husband had a minor fender bender on the way home last week while all of this was going on. He came clean about that too. He said he was so worried thinking about this whole problem, and then there was an interesting blimp over the freeway, and he looked up at it and crunched the car in front. Both cars driveable, but he’s just going to just have to drive around with a dent in the front of his truck for a while while we sort out the money. He has plenty of insurance and 0 previous accidents, so that’s all covered, but sheesh.

      I’m just trying to get him to realize bad news doesn’t get better with time.

  16. Really don’t think much of that blazer. It looks cheap and the way it is styled, like it would smell from being worn too long. Her hair looks like she doesn’t waste time on personal grooming. And the sweater shirt jacket combo in summer? No. Just No.

  17. Looking for suggestions for an everyday purse for a new mom. I saw a woman at the mall yesterday pushing a stroller and wearing a cross-body purse. I thought that looked really comfortable and easy. I love cross-body bags for travel and going out, but my only hesitation with switching to one for everyday is that they’re typically on the small side and won’t carry that much.

    Can anyone make a suggestion for me? If not cross-body, what would you recommend for an everyday purse when the baby comes? Baby is due in September and my birthday is in August, so I have some time to think about it.

    1. You didn’t mention a budget but Marc by Marc Jacobs has a nice-sized bag – called the Natasha I think that comes in a million colours depending on the season and is probably big enough for every day but is comfy and would keep your hands free.

    2. I just used a diaper bag. It’s too hard to carry two bags and a baby, plus the diaper bag could get a little messier than I want for a purse. I stocked the diaper bag with lipstick, hand sanitizer etc so all I had to ask was my wallet/keys/phone. Coach outlet had a nice selection and many just look like large totes with internal pockets. . We got a skip hop once baby was a bit older and the bag was hanging from the stroller more.

      1. +1. Not worth buying a new bag when it’s much easier to throw what you need in diaper bag. Save the money for baby related purchases (or a fab diaper bag!)

    3. I use the MICHAEL Michael Kors Jet Set Tote from Nordstrom as my purse and as a diaper bag. It is great – big enough for everything you need but not too heavy.

    4. I’m a day late, so I hope you see this. I have this bag in black and love it. It’s light weight, easy to use cross body or on the shoulder and fits a lot, even my laptop. I’m rough on bags and have only had a it a few months, but it still looks good.
      http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/steven-by-steve-madden-easy-going-tote/3331289?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=Green&resultback=338&cm_sp=personalizedsort-_-browseresults-_-1_1_B

  18. Just a minor freak out. All of my friends are having kids (or are on second kids). Just got 2 baby announcements within hours of each other from some of the last holdouts among my friends and I weirdly feel like MY life is changing.

    1. I can relate. Even the friends I didn’t expect to have kids are starting to have them or talk about having them. Suddenly it’s all everyone in my peer group discusses! It came as a bit of a shock to me after my 20s, when most of my friends were childless.

      It’s hard when you’re not there yet (or sure you want to be!).

  19. For lawyer types in the DC area, what’s your sense of when a two-page resume becomes acceptable? I graduated from law school about 8 years ago. I can still fit it all on one page, but I feel like it’s sort of a truncated version and I’m giving short shrift to some of my positions. For those of you who hire, what do you think of a 2 pg resume from someone at my level?

    1. My thoughts: if you’ve been at the same firm and in the same practice group for all 8 years, then a two-page resume seems excessive. If you’ve bounced around and/or clerked, or if you had a bunch of internships from law school that are relevant to the direction you want your legal career to go, a longer resume would be worth it. Alternatively, could you ask a recruiter in DC?

      1. I’ve held three jobs since law school, plus a high-level internship (for a few months between law school and starting at my firm). I worked for three years post-college/pre-law school as a paralegal. I also have a few speaking engagements and publications. So I’m thinking of putting experience and education on one page, then bar admissions, publications, and community roles (charitable board positions, other relevant volunteer leadership roles) on the second page.

        1. I don’t think you need pre law school experience at this point. If people want to know what you did, you can tell them in the interview. Having worked as a paralegal definitely can be an asset when you are applying for jobs as a first-year associate, but not 8 years out. It’s not really relevant anymore.

    2. Are you switching around practice areas or employer types? Sometimes more detail is helpful to the reader (although an entry like “Corporate Partner @ Cravath” is probably sufficient standing by itself), but I don’t want to hear all about your undergrad Model UN experience (from a 1L with a 3-page resume).But if you are a corporate partner somewhere wanting to be an AUSA, it might be helpful to mention any prior litigation positions (paralegal @ city attorney’s office prior to law school, volunteer work in litigation, etc.) that might provide helpful background and make things seem less random.

      Do you write or speak a lot? If so, you could dump that onto a second page.

      The bottom line — are you just listing everything or are you telling the reviewer what she needs to hire you for the job she’s filling? Things that once took up a lot of space on my resume are now just one- or two-line entries (B.A., College, XXXX; honors, worked 10+ hours / week at [F]; GPA). The importance of old things faces in light of newer things unless an older thing is relevant to the job you want.

    3. Most of the resumes I’ve seen recently are 2 pages (I”m at an Atlanta firm).

    4. It sounds to me like you could leave off some of this information and bring it to one page. Maybe a second document for representative transactions if this is relevant to your area. However, if you decide to stick to a 2 page resume I would be sure the 2nd page is mostly filled, not one page plus 1 or 2 paragraphs on a second sheet.

    5. You can make it one page. Just cut some stuff that’s no longer relevant. I’ve been in practice for 20 years and have a one-page resume. The summer jobs come off, the detail about law school comes off, etc. You focus on your professional accomplishments and streamline.

  20. I just had a meeting with my manager that ended with him requesting that I think about my ideal job and career trajectory and we’ll meet to discuss in a couple of weeks. I’m super excited at the prospect of writing my own job description but now I’m completely overthinking it. How specific should I get? Do I only write what I want or do I include statements about what I don’t want? Help me hive!!

    1. write what you want, try to be specific without being over-specific. writing what you DON’T want seems a little princess — everyone does sh**y stuff they hate in their daily work-life.

      may I recommend the Strengthsfinder book/online quiz? It really helped me isolate what was important to me (it doesn’t really matter what I do as long as it is significant to the organization in some way, I get to work with smart & awesome people, and I get to feel recognized).

      I am now working my dream job 2 years after reading that book :)

    2. Think about where your goals and the organization’s goals mesh. If you’re only focused on what you want, but leave out what your organization needs, it may not go very far. But if you have strengths in areas which the organization needs more strength, it’s more likely to get the sign off you hope for.

      More specifically, in your current projects & duties, is there anything you can expand in scope or take on a larger role to benefit the company? Is there an area where your company is weak, but you have strength? Is there a project floundering because the project manager lacks the bandwidth to give it the resources it needs to be successful? These are great places to start.

    3. I got to write my own job description for my current position, and I found it very helpful to go online and read job descriptions on job posting for positions that were similar to what I would be doing. The job description wound up being split about like this:

      40%: Tasks/responsibilities that I knew to be a “given” in the new position (standard stuff that I am neither amazing nor terrible at, like managing timelines and budgets)
      40%: Tasks/responsibilities reflective of the true strengths I brought to the organization (the reasons they hired me)
      20%: More self-interested stuff – areas I wanted to get more involved in or duties that would help expand my horizons

      Based on your comment of working on this specifically to use as a foundation for career trajectory, I would focus on defining the bottom 60% of the list above. I also second the recommendation to explore Strengthsfinder.

  21. My mom is turning 60 this year and I want to take her on a long weekend vacation (3-4 days is all I can swing with work) just the two of us this fall. Her favorite thing EVER is the beach, swimming, etc. She’s only been to the caribbean once before (with me, years ago), so I’m thinking perhaps we fly down there for the weekend? Any thoughts on where? I want to make sure it’s not a super-romantic location as she’s in the midst of a divorce and feeling sad, but want it to be luxurious, nice, special, etc. I want it to be as easy as possible, too (i.e. direct flights from NYC, easy trip from airport, easy food, etc.). Any thoughts on what might be the most relaxing and special for my mom? She’s amazing and I rarely get the chance to splurge on her, and she never splurges on herself. Any help much appreciated!!!!

    1. Atlantis? I’m a big swimmer and I love it for the beaches/pools/waterpark combo. Expensive, but easy.

    3. Turks & Caicos is very laid-back – a great place to go if you just want to swim/snorkle/hang out on the beach. Jet Blue flies direct from JFK to Providenciales.
      We loved the West Bay Club – rooms were luxurious, and it has a great (but small) on-site restaurant. Next door was the Gansevoort – slightly higher end and looked fabulous, with more restaurant options.

    4. Jet Blue has a direct flight to Puerto Plata in the DR. It arrives at about 11 am. Then you can stay in Cabarete or at Kite Beach. Both lovely.

      We just did this in April. The area is nice and there’s a lot of culture. We stayed at the Ocean Point Condos at Kite Beach.

      1. Fall is really the best time to go to Bermuda. September and October are so gorgeous, it’s not as crowded as summer, and very little risk of hurricanes, compared to most other islands, because it’s so far North. I don’t know if you have specific dates in mind, but the PGA Grand Slam is in October if you’re into that sort of thing.

  22. Due to an online banking snafu for which I take full responsibility, our mortgage payment was one week late. My mortgage company tells me that it will go on record as late and will be reported to the credit score companies.

    Our credit score is important to us in the near future because we’re planning to sell our current home and buy a new one and may likely have need to buy a new car with a partial loan.

    So how bad is it to have one late payment? We currently have excellent credit scores. This is our first late payment on the mortgage and probably for any loan. I’m kind of freaking out.

    1. Hmmm….that’s interesting. Wells Fargo tells me that, as long as I pay it within the calendar month, it does not go on my credit as a 30 day late. Are you sure she knows what she is talking about? You’ll have to pay a late fee, but I’ve been a day late once or twice, and then I was a week late once when I had to leave the state unexpectedly for a death in the family, and WF has never reported a 30 day late for that.

      Maybe call back and ask to speak to a supervisor. If you are normally on time, they have the authority to give you a pass on this one. Worth a try, anyway. To answer your question, if it truly is reported as a 30 day late, how hard it will hit will depend on how high your score is. Higher scores suffer more. It is tough to say just how much.

      1. Same calendar month. The automatic payment was hitting the wrong checking account, so it was reject for insufficient funds. First attempt was last week, second attempt was yesterday, they won’t make a third attempt. Mortgage company told me to get my bank to send the funds using yesterday’s request, which would have apparently gotten payment to them without a ‘late’ flag. My bank said they’ll only do that for same-day requests.

        I’ll call a supervisor at mortgage company. Thanks for the tip. Our loan was recently bought, so the new company may not have the history on us that shows we’re reliable payers.

        Our scores are both ~800. Sh*t.

      1. How much time? Are we talking three months or three years? We were hoping to finance house within six months.

        1. Nevermind. I read the link. Looks like unless Mortgage Company will excuse this one, we won’t be moving any time soon. :(

    3. 1 week seems awfully crazy that they would report to credit bureaus. Definitely talk to a manager if you can. Good luck!

    4. If you have a score of 800 and you are expecting to take a hit and go down to 700, you’ll still be able to get a home loan no problem, and you probably aren’t even going to have to settle for a higher rate. 700 is still an excellent credit score. Also, the credit reporting agencies collect data on late payments of 30 days or more, 30-60 days, 60-90 days, etc. They don’t report one week late payments. I’ll freely admit to being a slacker sometimes in the past with my bill paying (I’m such a procrastinator thank heaven for auto online bill pay it has saved my sanity) and I’ve probably made my mortgage payment between 1-7 days late 30 times in a 10 year period. I have NEVER, not once ever, ever, ever, had a late payment show up on my credit report. Ever. And I’ve had 3 different houses and 5 different mortgages because of refinancing for lower rates. I have never made the payment more than 15 days late though. The person you were talking to probably just doesn’t know what he/she is talking about. Our credit scores area also both near 800. You’re going to be completely fine.

      1. I’ll cosign this – I’m a bad biller payer (thank GOD for auto-payments) and very anxiously monitored my credit score after the first time I was 6 days late on the mortgage. Nothing ever turned up. I think it has to be a full 30 days late before it gets reported to a bureau. The link above which suggested a 100-point hit that would take 3 years to recover from is for the “first stage” of delinquency – 30 days late. If somehow your 7-days late payment gets reported as a 30-days late payment, I would dispute it as inaccurate.

      2. Thank you, all! I called back and this time was told that I would have a late fee but no reported ‘late payment’ since it was the same month.

        I find the reassurance that a score of 700 would still be adequate to be extremely reassuring as well. Thank you so, so, so much!

        Aaaaaand I can breathe again.

  23. YOU GUISE, it is FREEZING in my office! 72.2 degrees per the wall thermostat, but I know I’m comfortable at 70 so I have a feeling it is cooler than that. I have on a sweater, and I now have my other “spare” sweater wrapped around my legs. I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to have space heaters, but if I go one more day like this I’m bringing one in! (I’m in a large, open office where we all sit in a row, no walls or anything. Everyone over here has reached a consensus that it is freezing and the temp needs to go up at least 1-2 degrees.)

    I’d do something to deflect the vent, but it is an 18′ ceiling. So no chance of that. Argh. I aboslutely love my in-house job, but sometimes I miss my office with its own thermostat control. And couch.

    1. mega eyeroll and hosting a youtube show is “in tech”? ha. I want the “hottest monsters in tech” list.

  25. Has anyone had any success with old wives’ tales actually inducing labor? New-school ideas?

    Mom is pretty uncomfortable! (Although almost cried at internal exam tonight, so not sure how labor will work).

    1. No personal experience, but my sister went into labor within 12 hours of taking castor oil. But it’s so gross I don’t know if it’s worth it.

    2. Don’t do castor oil. Try methods like walking and lady garden parties, but you don’t want the stress of prolonged labor because of your uncomfortable-ness.

      I’ve been there, DD was 11 days late, but the universe made up for it, DS was two weeks early.

    3. So when I was researching this, I found that nipple stimulation is reliable (causes brain to release oxytocin — pitocin is the synthetic analog). Women who run through their pregnancy are more likely to deliver early, but it may be too late for that. Accupuncture has been shown in one trial to induce women 24-48 hours earlier than the control group. That’s a bout it.

      Anecdotally, I operated both days that I delivered my boys. For my first, I did a seven hour vascular case, went into labor that evening and delivered around 5 AM. The second I did a couple of quick cases, water broke at 10:30 pm, delivered at 1:15. So I think lots of activity is good for inducing, but only if baby is term and mom is safe.

        1. Thanks so much! Job is super busy, and somehow the second kid has somehow drastically reduced my web browsing. But life is good and I am happy.

    4. Acupuncture! My OB told me to go get acupuncture if I wanted to avoid a medical induction and it worked.

    5. A nice long walk worked for me, and I tried EVERYTHING, regardless of its silliness. I was so done with pregnancy that last month.

  26. Hive, I need y’all today.

    I’m looking for a new job. My current boss is a nightmare. I thought I was on the verge of getting fired so I set up a meeting with our CEO to discuss my concerns. He assured me that I will not be fired, but urged me to do some proactive work to make sure my boss isn’t sandbagging me (she is). I didn’t do the work yet, because I’ve really been busy looking for a new job.

    I had an interview on Wednesday for a job that is a huge pay increase, but they tried to talk me out if it telling me how boring it is and what a great job I currently have (grass is always greener). I glad-handed them and made them think theirs is my dream field. It isn’t, but I need out. They emailed me this afternoon to say I was one of the finalists for the job. I know they were initally only interviewing 4 candidates. So maybe now down to 2?

    Over the last few weeks I’ve had a bunch of phone interviews and two with a company that would be my dream job. They just set up an interview with me for Monday. I want this job, but really, it seems like a long shot. The qualifications are all skills that I possess and do well at, but I truly don’t have the technical knowledge. I am close with two people who work here and they have assured me that the training is great, so I am confident I can do the job, but I just don’t know why they would pick me.

    Now to the crux of my question: If I get offered the job from company #1, do I take it and give my 30 days notice only to continue courting dream job #2? If dream job calls currently company to check my employment would that be a deal breaker if I’ve already quit?

    If company #1 offers me the job, do I ask for $10,000 over what they posted the salary because they are trying to talk me out of it? It’s a 15% raise as it is…

    Help!

    1. Can’t directly answer #1, but a few related questions for you – do you have to give 30 days’ notice? That’s a lot of notice. Also, how big is your current employer/current HR department? Giving notice doesn’t mean that everyone in HR will know that you’re quitting, so whoever answers the employment verification call may not know you’re leaving. Or, they may know you’re leaving and just assume it’s someone from the new job who’s calling to verify. Or, they may outsource verifications to a third party who will have no knowledge of your impending departure.

      As to the second question – there aren’t too many circumstances where you shouldn’t ask for more money. You don’t get if you don’t ask, and when a prospective employer has convinced themselves that you are the one and all of the painful recruiting/searching is over, they’re vulnerable to your request for more money. It’s one of the few times in the employment relationship when you have a lot of leverage – use it.

    1. #7 — open the bottle of wine in your office cabinet and don’t let the door hit you in the a$$ on the way out, Friday!!

    2. Dude, last week I was sitting on the beach, drink in hand, when I saw a guy flyboarding! It’s seriously wack. Everybody on the beach was taking pictures and posting them. You can rent them at the beach.

      Also, Godzilla, you’d look great in a bird suit.

  28. So how bad is it that I want to retreat from adulthood by selling my condo and rent an apartment? I’d take a loss–that I can make up in a few years without not-too-frugal living–but I feel like I have to stay in it for the long term so as not to waste rent money over the course of several decades. I just hate home ownership and feeling like I’m tied down. Thoughts?

    1. Can you keep your condo, rent it out (use an agency to deal with all the headaches) and then rent your own apartment? Then you don’t have to take the loss by selling, and the money spent on rent is subsidized by the equity paid into your condo.

      1. I have considered it. Has anyone who has done that found that it truly relieved the headaches? Can I assume my property manager will tell me what needs to be replaced/fixed and I just write a check?

        2. Sorry for the late response –

          We have a deal with our property management company where if there’s a <$200 fix, they just take care of it and deduct from our monthly payment. Anything larger, we can choose if we want to fix it ourselves, choose our own contractor, or just let the property manager's contractor's deal with it.

          Property managers have made the whole process headache-free for us. They deal with all the payment details and legal stuff. We chose to use one because my in-laws did it all themselves for 20 years, and kicked themselves for not getting property managers sooner.

          If you're in southern california by any chance, I can recommend our management company.

    2. Am in the exact same position right now. No point in feeling tied down. I’m likely getting out (but likely not taking a loss).

    3. How long have you had your condo? Why do you feel tied down? As someone considering buying her first condo, I keep wondering if I’m going to feel like you do in a few years if I do it. It seems like a really scary move, and maybe too permanent for me. Anyway, I support you moving out if you think it’ll make you happier!

    4. Depending on the market you’re in, I vote renting it out instead of selling at a loss. Some condos are easy to rent.

      Why do you hate homeownership? Is it being “stuck” there or some issues with your place in particular?

      1. Six or seven years, and it’s totally my own issues that make me hate homeownership, specifically my fear of commitment. I’m not the decorating or nesting type. I’m a minimalist who wants to be able to leave at a moment’s notice. I don’t get the surge of happiness from having my own place, making it look like me, or fixing stuff. I just want to do my own thing. That shouldn’t scare others off from buying; plenty of people do really enjoy homeownership. My own sense of security, however, lies in lack of commitment rather than commitment.

  29. Flood Update: the military is in the city now, flooding in affected areas is still rising, but it doesn’t look like any new areas are being evacuated. I’m fine, about 4 blocks away from the evacuation zone. My neighborhood is waist deep in water, so I’m dreading what it will look like once I’m allowed back home. The water supply is still fine, but electricity and gas are being cut off in flooded areas including downtown, which is pretty close to where I am. Apparently there are about 100 000 people displaced, and this is worse than the 100 yr flood projections.

    4. I’m glad you’re OK – I’ve been wondering. Luckily our neighbourhood is far from the flood zone and I can work from home very easily. Our biggest issue will be what to do with the kids if Dh & I are both back at work Wed when the schools are still closed.

      The whole thing is absolutely nuts. I hope everything is manageable when they let you back home.

  30. Odd situation, but my mother has been really kind of a jerk lately. We normally have a good relationship. She’s usually the person I call when I’m upset about something and I would like to think that she regards me in the same way. She’s been extraordinarily hostile in the last few weeks, culminating in our discussion the other night in which I was crying (I’m not a crier, I was genuinely upset about something) and she said, “Whatever, I’m not going to be your pep squad.” Anyone else experience anything like this? I feel like my support system has been cut off. (My sister cut off our relationship recently for unclear reasons and both parents are not happy about that either, but she’s an adult and can do what she wants.)

    1. Could there be something going on in her life that you don’t know about that’s making her out act this way? (Relationship, money, job problems?) I think it’s somewhat unusual for people who are usually supportive to simply flip the switch without there being some other trigger.

    2. There are a couple of possibilities here. One red flag is that both your mother AND your sister have each, separately, moved emotionally away from you. . . . Is it possible that you are too dependent upon their emotional support , or that you call them only when you need help and advice and don’t inquire about their respective days, and they just want you to grow up already?

      On the other hand, as the other poster noted, perhaps your mother and/or sister is going thru her own bad spell — health, a particularly bad menopause, money problems, romance problems, who knows?

      My own sister calls me up desperately upset, outraged about varying things, needing money, and usually drunk. I recently wanted to tell her I had breast cancer, but she just wouldn’t stop going on about her drama and I never did tell her. (It’s okay: just stage 1 and under control.) My point is that perhaps you need to think about your role,if any, in these recent rejections, and also that you should consider what’s going really going on in their lives, and perhaps they need help and kindness from you.

      . . . And, maybe, it’s just a bad month and all will be smooth again in July. In the meantime, use your friends as your sounding boards.Or us!

      Good luck to you.

        1. My mother was borderline certifiable when she went through menopause. She became a completely different person. She refused all of our attempts to get her therapy for it. We thought she was having some kind of mental breakdown. She would cry for days, go silent for days, scream over anything, throw things, be mean. She is normally a sweet and caring preschool teacher. Luckily this behavior manifested over the summer and she managed to control it in public. Finally, she must have told her gyno because she got put on hormones and became normal again. It was so sad and scary.

        2. My mom lost her cookies during PRE-menopause; ten years later they are still not fully back. She longer washes her hair in the kitchen sink, sobbing, in front of a room full of houseguests…or drives to my sister’s college dorm (3 hours away) to try to snuggle with her and cry (true story…) but she has defitaely lost a lot of her stability. She did also a blog b1tchier than she used to be. Part of that is some weird jealously of my independence/success (I’m earning more than the equivalent of what my dad did at my age, when he was the solo breadwinner and she was a SAHM…she doesn’t know dollars, but she makes [correct] assu
          Options based on my/DH’s lifestyle.)

      2. Island Girl, do you have other sources of emotional support? Even ‘just’ stage I deserves it. I’m troubled by that characterization, but of course won’t tell you that you should be more upset if you really are fine. Seattleite.training at the google mail. Hugs to you..

  31. I want to send small boxes of chocolates to a large group of friends and family scattered around the country to celebrate a milestone. Does anyone know of any independent Etsy-stores or such that would be ideal for this? I am thinking ~30 shipments of boxes of chocolates so hoping to negotiate a good deal on shipping etc. Any Etsy sellers (or others) that you would vouch for? Thanks!

    1. I received a gift of candy from a friend who ordered from karmainthekitchen on Etsy. I can vouch that the candies were delicious!! (I cannot vouch for if the seller would be willing to negotiate shipping, etc)

    2. You say the recipients are all over the country … Consider that where I am (in TX) it is 97, so chocolate in the mail would be a messy melt mess!

  32. Shoe care. Can someone teach me about or direct me to a site about shoe care. I’m thinking about what to repair, what to toss? How do you know if wear is reparable or not? What shoes are “expensive” enough to be worth resoling? I have invested in several pairs of AGLs over the last 15 months, and I wonder whether these are going to last a long time and be worth refurbishing, or not. I know about putting on taps and even adding a sole that is rubbery but what else do I need to know?

    2. I have no advice re websites, but for all shoes other than AGLs, just develop a relationship with a cobbler and let himmer tell you whether shoes are worth saving. When I bought my AGLs, the Nordstrom SA was very careful to tell me that when they started to look worn, I should bring them back in for manufacturer refurbishing. Haven’t had to do that yet, though.

    3. This is a good question to ask. I have recently tried to be better about taking care of my shoes/clothes. It really does make good financial sense.

      I found that repair of shoes can also be more expensive then I thought, but for work horse shoes and boots and for beautiful/pricey shoes that I love, it can be worth it.

      I agree that you need to find a local cobbler and then simply take some pairs of your shoes there to him and talk about the cost for repairs. Look for a cobbler that has good reviews online (Angie’s list or even Yelp).

      I started by pulling out all my shoes and cleaning them. So I pull out my shoe “repair kit” (which is primarily for leather/suede shoes), which includes the following

      Mr. Leather (fabulous cleaner)
      Suede protector spray (to protect from water)
      Suede brush
      Mink oil
      Shoe polish kit from Walgreens (brown, black polish, polish cloth, polish brush)
      Rags
      Shoe pads (for ball of foot, heels etc..) to add to shoes that aren’t fitting well.

      I am trying to seasonally (or at least, once a year in the fall) clean and re-assess my shoes.

      1) Wipe off loose dirt/dust.

      2) Wipe leather shoes with Mr. Leather (follow instructions) using cloth. Dry 15′.

      3) For some nice leather shoes and boots, I might condition with Mink Oil. Or skip.

      4) Then Polish shoes when appropriate, with special attention to shoe edges. Dry 15′.

      5) Repeat Polish if needed. I use Q-tips for edges/creases.

      6) Brush shoe. Buff shoe.

      Brand new shoes and suede shoes I take to the cobbler to protect before winter. For cheaper shoes, I just spray suede shoes myself with water protector. Honestly, probably the cobbler does what I’m doing!

      Then I take any shoes that need repair to the cobbler. I have him mostly just repair/replace heel soles, sometimes add a stich somewhere that is becoming lose or tighten a strap on a sling back. Re-soling a shoe can be pricier and honestly the quality of my shoes is not such that I do this very often. Sometimes I pay them to polish etc.. but usually I just do that myself.

      Hope that helps.

  33. Does anyone have a recommendation for an internist in Northern Virginia? I’d prefer Alexandria, Arlington or Fairfax but I’m willing to brave the Northern Virginia traffic for a highly recommended doctor. Thank you!

    1. I really like One Medical. You can email them, make appointments online, and it’s amazing. You have to pay a membership fee but imho it’s worth it.

    2. Dr. Chris at INOVA in Alexandria. He came highly recommended to me by another doctor.

    3. I had good experience with General Internal Medical Group (http://www.gimg.com/) in Ballston. I don’t live in the DC area anymore, but moved only recently – they probably haven’t gone bad in the last 6 months!

  34. I’m home! I was never so happy to see my car in the airport parking lot. Of course, it cost a fortune to ransom it from airport parking after 10 days. I managed to lock the keys of the rental car in the trunk right when we were going to leave for the airport (really dumb) but I still made my flight. So much to do – no food in the house or clean clothes. My cat is clearly unhappy with me. I still have to figure out how to get a refund on my airline change fee. But whatever. This long awful week is over, my Dad’s service was perfect and I got to see all of my family from both sides. And now I am home in my own bed.

      1. Ditto, NOLA. Please take care of yourself. Losing a parent can be very hard, and it’s after you’ve heard about everyone else’s stories and grief that you find yourself dealing with your own. Get some rest.

    2. Welcome home NOLA. As an experienced cat parent, after yours has satisfied herself that you are well and truly snubbed, things will get back to normal. I find it takes a day or two at most and all is forgiven. I’m glad you are back safe and sound and can nest.

      1. Yep, she seems to be fine. She was howling and stomping on my head at 6:30 this morning. Then she went back and slept belly up on a pillow in my guest room. It was just strange last night. She kept wanting me to go downstairs and wouldn’t come up on my bed. I think it’s because the catsitters were giving her treats down there rather than the bedroom.

        Today started out rough. Suitcase full of dirty clothes and fridge full of spoiled food. But the clothes are in the dryer and I went to the grocery. I’m going to the gym and my girlfriends are coming over for pizza and cocktails tonight.

  35. For anyone that has had to take prednisone or is close with someone who has needed prednisone, you will appreciate this – the poison ivy I mentioned is actually poison sumac and my husband and I are both extremely allergic to it – to the point that our docs were concerned about anaphylaxis. Luckily, neither of us turned life threatening so we are just dealing with the nasty rash and blisters everywhere.

    Now the humorous part – we are both on high doses of prednisone, while I have my period, with both sets of in-laws in town for a visit. This could be the new premise of a reality show.

    For those of you who have never had to take it (count your blessings) it makes you irritable and ragey like pms, super hungry, weird cravings, paranoid, etc. We are finding it humorous in retrospect but things can be tense in the moment. Last night we ordered (gluten free) pizza delivery at midnight and devoured it together like drunken college kids in our bedroom. Then I accidentally hit his (blistered foot) to which he screamed “why would you do that to me!!!” with the emotional intensity of someone who had just learned they had been cheated on. I couldn’t find the tv remote and almost burst into tears. One half of a couple on prednisone is bad enough. Two is just scary. Luckily, this should be very short term. I think the in-laws have been entertained watching us interact. They know us well enough to know we are not normally like this.

    1. Sympathetic laughter. You reminded me that my experience with prednisone, or some similar gets-you-all-hepped-up-whether-you-want-it-or-not anti-allergen medication, had me motormouthing and making wisecracks a mile a minute as though I was trying to rival Robin Williams. (He need _not_ worry.)

      I hope that your poison sumac subsides soon. In the meantime, it’s good that your in-laws realize this is not usual behavior for your or DH.

    2. I love it! (The reality show concept, that is).

      The highlight of my last course of prednisone was me shouting “I want more FOOD! MORE FOOD!” when we finished dinner and I discovered there was no more food. Now, in my defense, it was a JOKE – I was pretending to imitate a toddler throwing a tantrum about wanting more food, which is clearly hilarious.

      Then I made my boyfriend grill up the steaks that were supposed to be for dinner the next night.

    3. I LOVE being on prednisone. I have tons of energy, get twice as much work done, lose my appetite, and feel like a million bucks. No irritability that I remember. It’s the only medication I’ve ever been on that I’ve understood why people would buy illegally. I’m sorry you’re itchy and cranky. With any luck you and DH will come out of this with a new in-joke.

      1. Seattleite – so glad to see you on here! I’m glad Prednisone was good to you.

    4. This made me crack up! When I was on it, my GI warned me that it was like picking up a bad cocaine habit! It was. I would think things were WAY more funny than they actually were, then husband would look at me and say “ok ‘roid rage” – and I would promptly burst into tears.

      I did get a LOT done…rearranged the furniture, color coded the closet, cleaned the basement…

      It made me lose my appetite, but when I came off…THEN I was hungry. Not good.

      Good luck! Hopefully that stuff subsides soon and you can stop itching and hurting!

  36. Who in Brooklyn/ NYC can recommend a bed bug exterminator? We are itchy and desperate and freaking out. Thanks in advance !

  37. Does anyone here go to the gym in the mornings? If so, what is your routine for getting ready?

    I want to get to the gym and workout from 5:30-6:30 but will have to get ready for work after my workout. It seems like a hassle to bring my makeup, hair dryer, straight iron, and work clothes with me and then spend an hour trying to get ready in a locker room.

    Just curious to know how other ladies make it work.

    1. I bring all of the items that you listed. Although it means that I look like a high school kid carrying a load of textbooks in a giant backpack, it gets the job done. Once you get into a routine it’s really not so bad. That said, I know plenty of people who have permanent lockers at their gym where they can leave stuff like shampoo, conditioner, etc. Also, my gym and most I’ve seen have hairdryers in the locker rooms, so that may be one less thing that you need to carry too.

      Also, I always always pack my gym bag the night before. I’m already waking up early enough, I don’t need to add another 10 minutes to put my stuff together!

    2. I go early- I wear my gym stuff and pack my work clothes. My gym has a blow-drier and iron (and deodorant, body wash, shampoo, etc.), so I don’t have to pack them. I find that if I wash my hair the night before, let it dry while I sleep, workout, and then just quickly dry any sweat off with a blow dryer and flat iron my hair it turns out fine. My makeup routine is pretty quick. It takes me about 20 min to shower/dress/hair. I really like getting my workout in early- it’s a hard adjustment, but worth it.

      I also have a tote at my gym, so I keep my preferred body wash, hair products, extra makeup, flip flops, etc. there, which also limits what I have to carry. I pack my bags before I go to bed and set out my gym clothes so in the morning I just have to brush my teeth, pop in contacts and pull on gym clothes, and drink a pre-made breakfast smoothie.

  38. Does anyone’s employer offer Pre-Paid Legal services as a part of their benefits package? I opted-in to a Hyatt Legal Plan this year with MetLaw for a little under $20 bucks a month. I’m yet to actually use the service. Has anyone enrolled in and taken advantage of a similar program? What was your experience?

    1. My firm provides services to Hyatt. You get some stuff covered in full (usually a will, uncontested divorce) other things you will only get 25% off of the attorney’s hourly rate or for contingent fee cases, pay 25% instead of 33%.

Comments are closed.