ByKat Hours Updated
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Weekend Open Thread

Something on your mind? Chat about it here.

I've shared some of my favorite budget leggings with pockets before (these are also great) — but reader favorite Zella has a TON of cute ones right now, including these cool textured leggings. These look like the perfect athleisure pants for right now — functional for working from home (I vaaasstly prefer things with pockets) but cute enough to wear to the gym or for errands when all this is over. The pictured ones are now down to $39 (40% off in the big Nordstrom Spring Sale!) and while there are (at this writing Friday morning) lots of sizes left, note that our earlier pick for the Weekend Open Thread sold out. Here's a link to the pictured pants, as well as to all of the Zella leggings with pockets.

Looking for a budget option? As mentioned above, these ones from Amazon are favorites with prices starting around $22; Old Navy pocket leggings are on sale today with some prices as low as $16.

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Sales of note for 12.5

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129 Comments

  1. Heh. You said “pockets with leggings” instead of “leggings with pockets.”

    I feel you, man. I feel you.

    1. Kat is probably as stressed as the rest of us in these days of isolation and cabin fever, so we have to be careful of being to judgemental. I do like the leggings, and pockets are helpful if we go out to the disposal room b/c we need to put our keys somewhere in case the door closes/locks. The manageing partner once got locked out of his apartement by his girlfreind, and he had only a s-x towel on when he came knocking on my door after midnite to get out of the hall. I did NOT even want to glance at his thing, which he was hiding behind the s-x towel. OMG, do I long for those days of yore, not b/c I want to revisit that situation with the manageing partner’s brother’s weenie, but just b/c life was so much simpeler and more fun. No one even ever heard of the corona virus. I know Noah my Doctor friend knew about the EBOLA, and that is why I could not date him or marry him. FOOEY!

      So in a nutshell, let’s all have a great weekend inside, and let’s pray for the day we can forget about all of this and go on with our lifes! YAY!!!!

    2. *facepalm* siiiiigh

      OK fun Q for the weekend thread: what would everyone be doing tonight if not for the quarantine?

      2. Going to the playground with the kids and picking up a few last minute things for a ‘Welcome Baby’ basket to give my dear friend who is about to welcome a sweet babe into the world!

      3. We’d be going to dinner and the L.A. Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The program was going to be the Fauré and Duroflé Requiems, which actually seems all too appropriate right about now.

          1. The choir I sing in has performed the Durufle requiem and it is awesome! I would love to see it at the Disney Concert Hall performed by the LA Master Chorale if that ever happens!

        2. Faure’s Requiem is one of the most gorgeous pieces ever composed.

          Everyone should listen to it. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

          1. I agree. I was lucky enough to sing it (in the choir) when I was in college and it’s still one of my favorites.

      4. LOL, I always do Friday night at home so that wouldn’t be any different. I’d be skiing and/or horseback riding this weekend, though.

      6. We’d still be home, but probably prepping for my youngest’s birthday tomorrow. He’s going to be 5, and is being adorably stoic about not getting to see his friends / have a party. He is adamant that a party with just the four of us is NOT a party… sigh.
        Also, I would not be having video-HH with girlfriends, or repeatedly refreshing my Amazon Fresh cart…
        but, on the bright side, i am having a beer with work on this Friday afternoon. I used to do this all the time in the private sector. I miss that, but I do not miss the private sector layoffs and furloughs that I expect are coming.

      7. My family was supposed to be flying to our spring break destination this afternoon. I’m heartbroken because our kids are at really good ages for vacations, and they’re growing up so fast. I guess we’ll play board games and watch movies instead.

        1. Take two vacations next year! I feel the same sadness, but money and PTO are the limiting factors for us, so there’s nothing to prevent us from doubling up on trips next year. But yeah, it s*cks.

        2. Same girl, same. We were supposed to be on our way to NYC, of all places, at 6 tomorrow morning. Tonight we would have been packing and getting the house ready for the petsitter. I’m sad about our trip. but also worried for all the people there who are ill or quarantined.

      8. Probably nothing, honestly. But we had a bunch of vacations in May and June that were canceled.

      9. It’s almost 80 degrees and sunny, so riding. (I miss my horse. I’m sure she’s loving her unexpected vacation, though)

      10. We’ll be doing what we normally do (and have done for months of Friday nights), which is stay in and cook then probably watch a movie on Netflix or Amazon Prime. We finally found the giant bluetooth speaker in the moving boxes, so I’ve been doing a lot of dancing in the kitchen while we cook (he just laughs and looks at me like I’m nuts while I dance around and sing). And, of course, there is wine involved. I’m hoping to have a little videochat with one of my girlfriends this evening. She moved away last summer and she’s been dying to meet the dude. She was supposed to come home two weeks ago to visit, but obviously, that didn’t happen, so she’ll have to meet him virtually.

      12. Picking my husband up from the airport after a week-long conference in Las Vegas.

          1. Hah, *facepalm* – I get it now. What you would be doing if there weren’t a quarantine . . . . Sigh.

      15. Throwing ceramics, trimming ceramics, or glazing ceramics. Friday night is main studio night while BF is at work (bar owner). Now that his business is closed, we’ve been doing movie nights on Fridays (finally like normal people haha)

    3. Going to a crowded wine shop/wine bar in my neighborhood, listening to a band that includes several friends and dancing my a** off with my SO – from whom I now have to be isolated because he lives in a three-generation family home that includes his 84-year-old mother. For a lot of reasons, it’s best for him to stay there and not move into my house but I am so sad already. We live a block and a half apart and can at least talk from a porch, and we took a safe-distance-apart walk last night, but I am hating this so hard.

    4. I am doing it, just under Covid-19 protocols! Outdoor happy hour with my friends and then a stay-at-home date with the BF. Thinking of getting curbside takeout from the nearby local restaurant to help them stay in business, but I also have SO MUCH FOOD in the house.

      1. Actually, come to think of it, on this particular Friday, I would have been on a trip to New Orleans with my BF. Sigh.

        1. Oh, honey, you don’t want to be here now. We are in the worst of it and on lockdown. Sleeping in the French Quarter tonight and it is crazy quiet.

          1. I know it! But I do wish I had made it before now. It’s been many years for both of us and we were really looking forward to the trip. Stay safe, NOLA!

          2. My guy was saying this morning that he’s kind of surprised that I have not gotten sick. He had what was diagnosed as Influenza A before Mardi Gras, but who know, at this point. We were around 2 friends who have since gotten sick, but that wedding was 14 days ago today. I have been continuing to work around people, by necessity, and have been on campus way too much. He’s figuring that he may be immune, at this point, although he has his temp taken at every hospital he consults with (engineering), which is a lot right now. We’re trying to be healthy and sleep a lot on the weekends. It’s rough!

    5. My husband and I are usually so tired from the week that we have a cocktail at home and order food delivery.

      In other words, we have been preparing for the current crisis our entire lives.

      1. Ha! I was just saying that we’re going to do what we’ve been doing, practically since we met… we’re both working a lot right now, him even more so, and we’re just plain tired.

      2. + 1. Friday night we crack open the wine, order dinner in, and I fall asleep to a movie and watch the rest of it the next morning.

        1. You forgot the part where your husband says “are you asleep? Should I turn this off?” and you vehemently and somewhat angrily deny that you’re asleep, even though you are, in fact, asleep.

          …. or is that just me?

          4. Nooooope not just you. I inherited this from my father who is perpetually just resting his eyes.

          5. I call it “screen narcolepsy.” I keep saying I want to have a telethon for research into this disorder, but it wouldn’t raise any money because everybody would fall asleep…

  2. Hey all – I just got word that a nonprofit organization serving very poor families in my hometown had a food bank yesterday, but ran out of food within 30 minutes. I’ve also been getting emails from my county about how Meals on Wheels and other programs serving seniors and vulnerable individuals are really in need of food donations (and volunteer time). I’ve been obsessing about the impact of COVID-19 on me and my family (preexisting conditions), but this was a stark reminder that I can and should do more to help lessen the burden on others. Has anyone else come across any type of charities that are really in need? Food is an obvious one, but maybe we can all offer some ideas and encourage each other to donate to organizations in our communities. Of course, this only applies if you’re able to donate – I don’t mean to imply that everyone can or should.

    1. I just sent a note about this to friends – you can search to find little free libraries in your area, and then reach out to the ‘librarians’ to see what they might need. Not every kid at home now has a computer/tablet/kindle/iphone and with libraries closed this might be their only way to get books. https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap/

      1. I hate to say this because books were definitely my favorite thing as a kid … but do consider that some people are bringing in their free libraries because they can’t sanitize them well/often enough.

        Maybe sanitized books could be donated directly to children for them to keep whenever possible?

        1. Yes, in normal times I love the idea of the Little Free Libraries, and I’m normally not a germaphobe at all, but I wouldn’t touch one of them with a 10 foot pole right now.

    2. Assuming the stimulus passes, I will be getting a check. I’m lucky to have a stable job that will not be affected by this so I plan to donate the whole amount (but the share of it for my kid will go to her college fund). Some will be going to a cultural institution that is suffering and means a lot to me personally, but I’m open to other suggestions, especially local food banks — I’m in NYC.

      I’m not telling anyone I know IRL that I’m planning to do this BTW — most of my friends are worried for their income stability and I don’t want to make anyone feel bad.

      1. We’ll be donating our check as well. We qualify to receive one but we don’t need the money and our jobs are secure, for the moment. Also not talking about that a lot as almost all my friends have been furloughed or laid off, or temporarily closed their businesses, in the last week.

    3. I’ve donated to my food bank already, you can find your local one here https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank
      My local foodbank is also urgently looking for volunteers.
      there are also a lot of mutual aid networks – local volunteers signing up to bring groceries or other forms of support to neighbors who are self-isolating. You can volunteer in your town or use this to fix up your elderly friends and family in theirs. https://itsgoingdown.org/c19-mutual-aid/
      I got commercials on spotify for the CDC foundation, that would be a very central place to donate. My city officials have designated budget for a relief fund and there is a campaign for citizens to match the dollar amount.

    4. Check in with your local women’s shelters. Domestic violence is an increasing issue when ppl are stuck together for extended periods.

      1. There’s a woman in my area who is gathering feminine hygiene supplies for young women and putting together kits. I am post-menopausal so I cleaned out my bathroom cabinet and took her a full bag of supplies.

    5. The CDC Foundation might be an option. Facebook is matching up to $ 10M in donations.

  3. This is embarrassing but I’m in my 30s and still wearing bras and underwear form aerie. They work well, but the quality is not great and most of the designs are pretty young. With all this spare time I figure now would be good for upgrading. Can I get recommendations please? Looking for hipster panties in cotton or blend for day-to-day wear in basic colors but a step above VS and other mall brands. I am overwhelmed by options.

    3. All my underwear is from Aerie, I’m not sure how you can really get that fancy with underwear.

      1. The Lingerie Addict is a great place to learn about how fancy people can get with a lot of things. It’s not my thing (I buy multi-packs off amazon) but there’s definitely a lot of options for people who want to get fancy.

    4. I like On Gossamer undies a lot — the mesh boyshorts (fit like hipsters on me) or bikinis. at one point the lucky editor said they were her fave, also. put a bunch (of whatever) in your cart on the bare necessities website and wait — they’ll send you a coupon via email.

    5. The cotton parties are in my drawer because they are fab for me ….and I’m an awesome old lady.

    7. Take a look at the Embraceable panties on soma dot com. They are very soft and last a long time.

    8. Aerie is still my go-to place for underwear despite recently turning 30 years old. I also like Gap Body and Cosabella.

  4. Today there were fraudulent charges from my bank account, 3 ACH transfers which means they somehow got my routing and account numbers. The bank is helping out but what else should I do to fix this and prevent future issues?

    1. Immediate ACH block. If you send certain ppl/org/co $ put in ACH filters for only them. Usually it’s a form on your banks website. Signed and notarized are often mandatory.

    2. I just started thinking about this, since every check has your account number and routing number on it (and your home address/zip code), is that enough to do a fraudulent ACH transfer? Or is other information required?

  5. Random Q in case anyone here knows: I keep getting a text every few days about a code for my Uber account. I haven’t used the app in months. Does anyton know if this is normal or if there is a way to stop these messages? Part of me was concerned that someone was trying to hack into my account but the ride history only show rides that I took. It’s so odd, and I can’t tell if it’s a scammer texting me repeatedly or what.

      1. It is. I was just nervous of doing so if the texts actually are from Uber.

        1. Someone else might have entered their phone number wrong. You will probably have to contact Uber.

    2. I would change your password on Uber just to be safe. Log-in through the app directly, not through any link in the text messages.

  6. One of my team members gave notice today. It is going to be months before our HR division can focus on hiring his replacement. The interim is going to be a nightmare for both client relations and workload issues. I am also realizing that he is leaving a lot of work undone, and I will have to play catchup. Trying to remind myself I am lucky to have a job and that this is the time to step up but it’s making the next couple of months seem even bleaker.

    1. That does sound bleak. I’d hate to be hiring or looking for work now. A lot of unknowns.

    2. I feel for you. I’m in the process of on-boarding two new hires remotely this week. It took me months to find them, then COVID-19 hit. I made the decision, with CFO approval, to get them going ASAP since they both left jobs to come to our company. It’s been very hard without having these positions filled. And it’s been very hard to get them started. But I know my company did the right thing and I’m grateful for that at least.

      1. +1 we are going to be hiring soon and the position is JD preferred. We will be actively scouting for attorneys who have just been laid off in our region (some small – medium sized firms have already furloughed people).

  7. UGGGGHHH, I’m struggling to get motivated at all. At all. All the tasks on my list today should be easy, but they’re not really urgent, so I just can’t be bothered to do them now vs. Monday vs. next week. And they’re not really hard, so it feels like they will “only” take 10 minutes so I should just knock them out, but since they’re easy, I don’t need to do them. I felt that way about my workout this morning. Like yeah, sure, I could push myself… or I could half-heartedly do some jumping jacks and call it good. I was much more motivated when I worked out with a few people earlier this week and I felt like I had to push myself because everyone else was pushing hard. And I had some hard tasks earlier this week that I was more motivated to do because it felt like I was actually accomplishing something. But these wimpy non-urgent, no-brainer tasks are just a struggle. I have two meetings and then I am going to go outside or something, because I just cannot focus today :(

  8. What are your Covid weekend plans? Looking for some inspiration for something fun and something relaxing!

    I’m working 6 on, 1 off with looong days so tomorrow is my day to both get everything done (laundry, cleaning, meal prep, errands) and have fun (??? I’m a huge extrovert … not sure what to do for fun these days) and relax (probably reading Nat Geo in the bath with a beer) before gearing up for yet another crazy Covid week.

    1. When I do my now once weekly shopping excursion I’m going to buy several bouquets of flowers. Some for me, and some to drop off in friends mail boxes as a surprise.

      All week my friends and I have been doing no-contact mailbox surprises (of stuff we’ve left at each other’s houses and now can’t just pickup when we hang out since we can’t hang out) and it really really helps. Figured I’d up the ante and drop off flowers and notes.

      I figure that I’m buying the flowers at the grocery store so it’s ok (not adding an extra stop to my shopping trip) and that I’m only dropping off to friends who love within a 3 block radius of me so it’s on my daily “outdoor walk/run” route anyways and not “out of my zone” and mailbox surprises are no contact!!

      1. It’s not about actual human contact. It’s about the surfaces it lives on (paper, cardboard, plastic, so many other things, check out the surface study they did). You’re not helping the situation by pulling in whatever was on the grocery store, anything you touched in the grocery store, then touched in delivering the flowers, which your friends brought into their homes. I get that you’re abstaining from seeing your friends, which is good, and I appreciate your thoughtfulness in leaving your friends gifts, I just think this is actively hurting everyone’s efforts.

    3. Baking bread, making more wine-cork trivets, doing laundry, making English muffins, hopefully participating in an online dinner party with friends, making tortillas.

      2. I finally had the chance to try the skillet bread recipe that my coworkers have been making this week and it was delicious! Can’t wait to have more of it for breakfast.

        1. Recipe please! I made blueberry breakfast cake this morning, we have pork rillettes cooking in the sous vide for appetizers this week and next, and will be prepping out ham and leek empanadas for lunches this week later today (they freeze great, sort of like the tastiest Hot Pockets ever) and we are looking for more options for late in the week.

    4. Bread, Smitten Kitchen’s lemon cake, prosecco, books, laundry, long walks with the dog, yoga, seeing if I can convince husband to rig up our nonoperational shower, lots of Star Trek so we can take advantage of free CBS All Access to watch Picard before it expires!

    5. i am actually thrilled for the weekend. im working remotely but work has been as busy as ever so i am drained. we are ordering a bunch of take out tonight (we have a procedure in place for moving the hot food to new containers and sanitizing!), playing stardew valley coop with my college roommate, and maybe riding the peloton.

      over the weekend im going to clean the bathtub and take a few long, hot baths. i have 2 books on my reading list, and i also want to sort my christmas decoration boxes (all 5 of them) and put them away entirely. and some yoga and pelotoning at home hopefully topped off with watching the bird cage and a quiet place. im ready!!!

    6. I’ve been stress baking. Creme Brulee in my instant pot (so easy). Marionberry pie. Peach crisp. (Both with frozen berries from Remlinger’s here in Seattle area.) Chocolate cupcakes. Smitten Kitchen’s pumpkin bread made with Bob’s 1-to-1 gluten free flour – it works great with the GF flour and taste is fantastic. I’m switching to the Longevity Diet (pescatarian with limited/no dairy, sugar and egg) after the coronavirus is gone and I’m using up pantry and freezer stock now. And I’m researching recipes now too.

      1. Aw, I remember going to Remlinger Farms on a field trip in elementary school! (now in the Bay Area)

    7. Drinking too much wine, finishing Tiger King, begin knitting my first shawl, a bike ride, video chats with friends. Being sad I can’t go see my horses/ski/rock climb.

    8. Trying to make Senior Attorney’s no knead bread (actually Jo Cooks’ no knead bread) – fingers crossed it turns out. I’ve been making bread for 2 weeks using my kitchen aid stand mixer with the dough hook, but I’ve actually been less than pleased with most of the loaves.

      1. I just realized that this is the same recipe that the guys I work with have been posting about. I made it yesterday afternoon! Takes no time at all and it was delicious. Mine stuck to the pan, though, so I might use parchment on the bottom next time.

          1. I oiled the pan like crazy but I did not oil the dough ball. I baked it in enameled cast iron so I was *really* surprised that it stuck. Next time, I will oil the dough and put parchment on the bottom of the pan, with more oil. Honestly, it just took the bottom crusty part off, which I’m sure would have been lovely, but it truly made no difference. We had some with dinner last night and I made our breakfast toast with it and it was delicious! I will definitely be making it again.

    9. Walk in the snow. Cook the one squash we found at the market. Commit random acts of housecleaning. Chat with sibs. Email one old friend, I have been using this as a time to catch up with folks.

  9. Can anyone tell me how to find the actual text of the coronavirus relief bill the president is expected to sign shortly?

  10. This is a super random question, but can anyone recommend any good nature documentaries on either Netflix or Amazon Prime? I put them on for my pets while I’m on calls so they stay entertained…but we’ve been watching the same ones over and over so I’d like new ones. This is pretty much the dumbest question I’ve ever posted but…we’re at that point.

    1. You mean best question you’ve ever posted? Have you already done Planet Earth and Frozen Planet?

    2. We’re pet-sitting our daughter’s dogs while she works 6 days a week as an ICU RN. Her girl dog barks at wolves, cats and dogs on the TV so I can’t leave it on when I’m on the phone.

    3. Does David Attenborough have anything on Netflix or Prime that they haven’t seen? My cats like David Attenborough documentaries, though my one cat often attacks him for some reason instead of the animals on the screen, so I’m not sure whether that means they like David Attenborough or not. I think the long cuts help them pay attention.

      I haven’t been watching Prime and don’t have Netflix, but the puffin webcam “highlights” video on Explore.org was popular with my cats this week. They also liked the bird feeder and squirrel feeder selection.

      One of my cats really enjoys Watership Down, if you haven’t played that for them yet.

    4. There’s a newish one on Netflix called Earth after dark that is really good. Very planet earth-esque but not the soothing voice of David Attenborough.
      For the human nature doc lovers among us, it’s really interesting. Tons of nocturnal footage

    2. Don’t mean to burst your bubble, but a sample size of 5 and a non-rigorous design just don’t mean much. I’m hopeful that we’ll see really strong evidence for new treatments in the next few months.

    3. See also: the endgame for COVID-19.

      https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-will-coronavirus-end/608719/

      “The first is that every nation manages to simultaneously bring the virus to heel, as with the original SARS in 2003. Given how widespread the coronavirus pandemic is, and how badly many countries are faring, the odds of worldwide synchronous control seem vanishingly small.

      The second is that the virus does what past flu pandemics have done: It burns through the world and leaves behind enough immune survivors that it eventually struggles to find viable hosts. This “herd immunity” scenario would be quick, and thus tempting. But it would also come at a terrible cost: SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible and fatal than the flu, and it would likely leave behind many millions of corpses and a trail of devastated health systems. The United Kingdom initially seemed to consider this herd-immunity strategy, before backtracking when models revealed the dire consequences. The U.S. now seems to be considering it too.

      The third scenario is that the world plays a protracted game of whack-a-mole with the virus, stamping out outbreaks here and there until a vaccine can be produced. This is the best option, but also the longest and most complicated.

      It depends, for a start, on making a vaccine. If this were a flu pandemic, that would be easier. The world is experienced at making flu vaccines and does so every year. But there are no existing vaccines for coronaviruses—until now, these viruses seemed to cause diseases that were mild or rare—so researchers must start from scratch…”

    2. To be fair, this guy made public statements on his social media pages. It’s possible to go to the press anonymously (unless your employer is really small) and many healthcare workers have been anonymous sources in recent news stories.

  13. Going to pickup my dry cleaning today. Finally took my winter wardrobe and coats in for seasonal cleaning so I can put them away. Trying to help my dry cleaner stay in business through C-19. I need them to survive after we get through all this!!

  14. Where on the US do you live where dry cleaners are open??? (Answer: a place where Covid is not taken seriously, apparently.)

    2. NYC left laundromats and cleaners open. Many people don’t have laundry in their apartments and buildings and many dry cleaners are combined with laundromats. Most have closed of their own accord because they don’t have enough business at the moment.

    3. Chicago has also determined that laundry services are essential. Both the Chicago mayor and Illinois governor are taking Covid-19 very seriously, but as Anon above said, there are many people who cannot access laundry services elsewhere. The city has to take those folks into account, and it does not mean our political leaders don’t take this crisis seriously.

    4. They’ve left laundromats open where I an, as they’re essential, but have closed dry cleaners. I think that makes a lot of sense

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