Suit of the Week: Banana Republic

92 Comments

1. (Reposting from the AM thread):
   What are some good questions to ask in what is sort of a third interview (I had an informational interview and then a phone interview with one person and will now be meeting with the same guy plus several others)? I have already asked a lot of questions that have given me a good understanding of the duties of the job and the day-to-day work and what is good and bad about it. I know why the position is open and I have an understanding of the org structure and who I would be reporting to. I am hesitant to ask about growth/promotion because I am kind of overqualified and I don’t want them thinking I’m looking to bounce to something better after a short time.

   1. YAY Kat and Kate! I love Windowpane pant suit’s like this one, tho not for work, just for weekend’s in the Hamton’s, where I can go out without men grabbing at my tuchus.

      As for the OP, on your interview, this sounds like the first IN PERSON Group Interview, so the key will be to look peeople in the EYE when responding, and move your head from side to side to make sure you are NOT excludeing anyone from your answers. Dad say’s it is like useing your head like a swivel chair–always keep your chin straight, but not out, and move ONLEY your neck when answering different peeople. This way, you do NOT favor anyone. Also, figure out who the head person is and focus your questions to him/her. Usueally you will get a vibe if you are connecting. If you do not see a connection, keep trying b/c you will have to win him/her over to get the job. But at the same time do NOT exclude the underlings, b/c those are the peeople you are goieng to be workeing with.

      When I got here, that is what I did. I already had the job, but knew I had to befreind the hired help, so I did, and I was sucessful, except for Frank, who just thought of me as a sex object b/c the manageing partner onley hired me b/c of my look’s. I still have NOT convinced him I am super bright, even tho I am doeing a BIG chunk of our firm’s billeings. FOOEY on him!

      1. “The hired help” Why do people find this cow-troll funny? How?! I wish there was a way to hide posters on Corporette. Or even just Ellen.

   2. Since presumably the ‘several others’ will be people who will be your coworkers and/or in the same or similar position for which you are applying, take the opportunity to ask them about their job responsibilities, the office environment, etc. It’s okay to ask them even if you’ve already asked the hiring manager. I had a recent candidate ask ‘What are the characteristics of someone who is successful in this position?” which I thought was a great question. MUCH better than “Do you like working here?” Ask about how their position relates to other members of the team. Get them talking so that you can get a feel for how they interact with each other and their manager, and the general vibe of the office.

      IMO, it’s okay to ask about the advancement process. When I see an overqualified candidate, I figure they are either trying to transition and know that they need to get their foot in the door where they can (which I like) or they are looking for a paycheck while continue to job hunt (which I don’t), so I actually see the question as a positive in that it suggest that they are interested in sticking around. Assuming, of course, that they don’t ask it in a way that seems entitled or impatient.

      1. You can still ask the others the same questions you’ve already asked, especially as related to how they see the company, the position, etc. Different perspectives will lead to different answers, giving you a more well-rounded picture.

   3. “what is your favorite thing about working for ABC Corp” or “the finance department” or “for [name of potential boss]” is a good question that turns the tables back to the interviewers (people like to talk about themselves) and gives you a feel for the company/group. Or if you know the people came to the company recently “was there anything that surprised you once you started working here that you hadn’t realized during the interview process?” can also give you some interesting information.

      Rather than asking directly about growth or promotion, if the other interviewers don’t give you their backgrounds you could ask about what path lead them to be where they are now. Or about whether the majority of people at (whatever level you’ll be, or maybe your boss’s level) have been there since early in their careers or if there are a lot of people that come in after experience elsewhere. That may also lead you to follow-up questions about how they handle training/onboarding when they bring in people from outside. I worked for a Fortune 500 company that had huge swaths of its employees start there as entry level and work their way up, and they had an excellent training program for getting the entry level employees acclimated, but they were floundering at how to transition mid-level employees in, especially since the managers that had been at MegaCorp since entry level didn’t have a good understanding on what was common industry knowledge and what things were specific and unique to MegaCorp.

      If you are completely at a loss, you can also say something like “well, I was going to ask you about X, Y and Z, but you appear to have covered that pretty thoroughly already” and then use a turn the tables question like “favorite thing about working here” or “what originally drew you to ABC and does that still hold true?”

      Ask A Manager calls this the “magic question” as one of the best questions she’s ever been asked by an interviewee: Thinking back to people who have been in this position previously, what differentiated the ones who were good from the ones who were really great?
      There is also lots of other good advice for this kind of thing over at askamanager.org

   4. A question I would like to hear would be about how different departments work together, and how they would envision your role in that cooperation. For example, we are hiring someone for [Department]Manager, and the working relationship between [Department] and Legal is really important, so I want to talk, at the interview, about how Potential Hire would work with me and whether my expectations for that collaboration matched up with his or hers.

2. (reposting from yesterday)

   My favorite calendar app, Sunrise, is apparently shutting down. What is your favorite app?

   I’m looking for beautiful interface, being able to add events very easily, integrating with gmail, and easily being able to copy/paste an event (not just repeat it– Sunrise couldn’t actually do this and that was its major fault). Fantastical 2 seems to be the most highly-raved about when I do a search, but I used that one (the free version, albeit) a year ago and wasn’t all that impressed.

   1. I would love for some suggestions about this, too!

   2. Have you tried google calendar? It’s not super pretty but I like it a lot.

      1. I have… I just care more than I should about how pretty it is!

3. Luggage help. My brain hurts from looking at all the options. I want a small wheeled carry-on – maybe a 19 or 20 inch? Definitely within the 22x14x9 requirements. Price probably up to $150, preferably under $100. Color options preferred. I travel a few times a year, so it doesn’t need to be anything super heavy-duty. Any recommendations? So far I’ve eyed the Travelon 18 inch (says it’s underseat but reviews indicate otherwise), the Skyway FL-Air 20 inch, and Lily Bloom 20 inch Tweety Twig, which is desperately cute but I worry the canvas is not the way to go, material-wise. Help me.

   1. I have a travelpro maxlite 3 international carry on. I love it. I do recommend doing spinner over rollaboard though because it will tend to tip over (as rollaboards do) – as I learned after my 15 hour long haul flight, when it tipped over in to some elderly Japanese women in an elevator.

   2. I love my Travelpro bags, they are really durable and lightweight.

   3. I constantly rave about Roxy luggage. So easy to pack, durable (I’ve had my main luggage from them for 9 years now), and really good for the price. I have the carry on too and it’s so easy to pack into due to the two big compartments.

      1. So basically you’ve had Roxy luggage since you were 11?

         1. Since I was 13. My suitcase now looks like it belongs to a teenage girl so I shall be replacing it with a less pink one from the same brand but it’s held up incredibly well given how much it gets chucked around.

   4. The Wirecutter website has a good carry-on luggage review. Check there first.

   5. I’ve had a Brookstone spinner for years and I love it. I travel quite a bit (and have loaded up with books while moving flats) and it is still going strong.

4. I am making a spreadsheet of my clothes based on one someone on here shared, and I am just mystified about how my closet got to be that big!!!

   I’m not finished yet, but here are the numbers in the categories I’ve done:
   45 dresses (!!!)
   14 blazers
   11 suits
   10 jackets/vests/coats (and I live in the south!)

   I am most scared of my shoes.

   1. I was looking for that calendar! Is it posted somewhere on the internet?

      1. If you mean the spreadsheet, someone emailed it to me (I remember her real name but not her handle) when I left my email address on one of the threads.

   2. 45…dear lord. I probably haven’t even owned 45 dresses in my lifetime.

      I mean, if you can afford it, more power to you!

      1. I can afford it (and some of them are very old) but I am trying to get myself to buy less. That’s the real purpose of the spreadsheet.

      2. Meh. I spend waaaaaaaay less on clothes than most women here (maybe $500 a year at most?) and I probably have close to 45 dresses in my closet. They’re almost all from Target, Old Navy and the Limited and most were bought on sale so the average price was probably around $30.

   3. I do have a question for those of you who have a similar spreadsheet to track how many times you wear things. Do you count jeans, etc.? If so, do you count them when you wear them for a couple of hours at night after work? In other words, what do you do about casual lounge clothes?

      1. I just track work / weekend clothes versus lounging clothes. I’m less focused on cost per wear on those items.

   4. Would you be willing to email it to me? Esqontherun [at] gmail [dot] com

      1. sent!

      2. Could I get it too? Megmurryish [at] gmail [dot] com
         Thanks!

   5. I’ve started keeping a pinterest board of my work clothes. This is only possible because I have basically rebuilt my work wardrobe from scratch in the past year, but I am finding it pretty useful.

      Is the spreadsheet more in depth than just a list?

5. I am moving from NYC to the Hartford area and need recommendations for headhunters that deal with finance/ accounting.

   Also, trying to take advantage of the sales and don’t know how woman dress for the office there. In NYC, I could wear a sheath dress with a blazer or cardigan sweater. How is it in Connecticut?

   Any suggestions appreciated!

   Thanks

   1. Hi – there are a ton of insurance companies in Hartford so if that’s your interest, I’d search those specific job postings… In my company (and I’ve hired across financial functions), we rarely use head hunters for finance / accounting roles unless it’s very senior (and even then, it’s probably more about networking).

      Clothing probably depends on your particular office but my large company is business casual (dresses w/ cardigans would be ok; slim ankle pants, heels, and non-matching blazer are my typical go-to; nice jeans on Friday; suits would be out of place unless you’re meeting with external clients). I

      1. Thanks!

   2. I’m not in finance/accounting (I’m a lawyer in a large firm for Hartford) but I’m wearing a sheath dress and cardigan right now!

      1. Oh, also, I had never considered there might be a number of us in Hartford. Post when you get here and we’ll arrange a meet-up!

         1. Will do!

   3. I’m an attorney in Hartford and sheath dresses with sweater/blazer is part of my regular workwear rotation. And yes, maybe there are enough of us to do a meetup!

6. My partner and I are in our mid/late 20s and have discussed having kids in the next three or so years.

   I had a brief pregnancy scare last week. His response was more than supportive – he was realllly excited by the idea. Meanwhile, I was a bit anxious. Our lives are in a great place and I am looking forward to having a family, but I am also looking forward to a couple more years of being childless.

   Last night he was suddenly talking about moving to the suburbs, something his sister is considering. We live in an urban center and have always agreed on staying here as long as we can. Eventually I said something like, “Can we please stop talking about kids and suburbs? I am looking forward to our next few years without kids and thought we were on the same page.” He agreed with me and said he was just “caught up fantasizing.”

   Today he keeps texting me about tentative plans for the next two weekends. He asked if we could spend literally all weekend hanging with his sister and her 2yo kid. Babysitting, going to look at suburban houses, etc. I said that sounded like a lot of family time, and that I’d only join in for part of it. He seemed fine with that. But now wants us to spend all of next weekend on a “family camping trip” (i.e. with other families and other kids) with his friends’ daughters Girl Scout troop. He hadn’t been invited – he just really wanted to tag along.

   All this is freaking me out, though it’s also kind of endearing. Even if he wants to have a kid, like, tomorrow, our timelines are not so misaligned – just a year or two. I think this is just a temporary issue. But how can I compromise so that we can also do adult things like: see a movie, try a new bar, etc. These are the kinds of activities I have really been looking forward to after getting over my illness. I’ve already made plans to go out with some friends, but it would also be nice to have a date or two, and just generally act like the young kidless couple we are!

   1. This might sound a bit obvious, but just tell him what you just told us. It’s endearing but it’s freaking you out. If you can’t have this conversation with him and tell him exactly how you feel, he’s not the guy for you.

      1. Eh, I don’t know that I’d go so far as to say “he’s not the guy for you” if this is a hard conversation. That sounds extreme, as really all conversations about the very direction of our lives, esp. when paths differ a bit, are hard conversations. I do agree though that you need to tell him exactly what you posted above though – it’s endearing, you’re thrilled he’s excited, but it’s freaking you out. I have been there. We had started trying and I was late. Took the test and it was negative. I bawled for hours out of relief. Which prompted us to have a hard discussion about the fact that when push came to shove, I really wasn’t as ready as I thought and I needed more time to be child-free me.

         The added element of his family/nieces/nephews may make it a bit harder, as whether or not he’s ready for kids himself, it sounds like he’s just appreciating them more all the sudden. I think keep doing what you’re doing there – let him go, but limit what you participate in to what you want to do. I doubt the “super uncle” behavior will last more than a couple weeks.

   2. Has he spent a lot of time around kids? Because hanging out with a 2 year old and going on a scout camp out may sound really fun on paper, but are a lot of work in reality. This might give him some perspective. Also, maybe he’s tired of the same old dinner/bar/movie dates and wants to go camping because it’s fun and this trip is already organized so he doesn’t have to start from scratch. Just talk it through with him.

      1. This. Maybe he’ll get it out of his system. He might have also been surprised by his own reaction and it made him start paying more attention to family. I don’t want to have kids *at all* but when my niece was born I couldn’t get enough of her– and I was shocked! I started to question whether I wanted kids! But now I appear to be back to my baseline. It doesn’t necessarily mean that his timeline will definitely change. I’d just try to ride it out and keep lines of communication open.

      2. Agree. Let him hang with the two year old and smile and be fun. I would be okay driving around neighborhoods for an hour before I would pull the plug on all that. Don’t do the girl scout camping trip bc that’s weird but maybe a birthday party? And get there early and stay late to help. It’s exhausting. He will be back to happy hour in no time and if not, then tell him you are really looking forward to that too — in a few years.

   3. The issue of having kids aside, I think it’s super weird to tag along on your friend’s daughter’s Girl Scout trip. No. Shut it down.

      1. So much yes to this. That is incredibly weird.

      2. Yeaaaaaaah , this.

   4. Is he a planner in other aspects of his life? Because this is probably one of the first times (due to pregnancy scare) he’s ever really thought about being a dad and what that entails. And it sounds like he’s going into super planning mode because he realized that Yes! He Wants To Be A Dad! And has all this stuff to do to get ready – and it’s endearing because you’re on the same page about being parents, but annoying because you aren’t on the same page about the timing and what is needs to be ready when.

      If he needs to spend time with kids to really know he’s ready, then encourage him to do that on his own if you don’t want to do it. Not all parenting will be done together and he should have an opportunity to see how he deals with kids if you aren’t around. But, he doesn’t have to do it all NOW, so I agree with the poster earlier that a “You are being adorable with your enthusiasm, but chill the f*ck out. We have a couple years to assess.”

      But to that point – be open to having those conversations over the next couple years – are you going to try and stay urban with a baby or go to the suburbs? Why? What kind of relationship do you envision your kids having with their cousins? What kind of parenting philosophies do you both have? How will you resolve your differences on how to discipline your kid? What happens if you can’t get pregnant easily?

      And no, he should not go on the Girl Scout trip unless specifically invited. That’s weird.

7. I posted a few weeks back asking if 27 was too old to start longboarding. With the encouragement from the hive, I’ve been riding for a few weeks now and I love it. I only wish I did it sooner. Sure, I feel a little silly with my helmet and pads, but I’m happy just being out there.

   1. That is so great to hear. Firm believer in following your bliss. Thanks for reporting back.

8. I’m going to Vienna in early August with my mum (no SO to go with, and she’s paying…). Does anyone have any recommendations?

   I speak German, but she doesn’t. We’re both big foodies, and enjoy shopping (especially homewares). I’m far more into political history than she is – if there’s a nice cafe or department store next to a museum we can split for a while and both be happy! We’re staying at the Mercure Zentrum, and will both have to get out for a few training runs while we’re there – I’m assuming the usual stuff about running while female applies but with no special concerns.

   1. Sorry I have no special recommendations for Vietnam. Ask your hotel for some suggestions. Pater and Naschmarkt should be good. And get a Sachertorte. Pack a rain jacket. This year the weather is crazy here in Bavaria. I think most of the younger people speak English. Selbst hier in diesem bayerischen Dorf.

      1. And if you look at cookware: Good is WMF, Silit and Fissler if you are into pots, pans and silverware. Available at most department stores. Villeroy and Boch for cups, plates and so on.

      2. I don’t speak German and I was actually surprised how few people spoke English once I got out of the super touristy areas.

         My favorite part of Vienna was the art museums. I’m a huge fan of Klimt and there’s just some great jugendstil art all over the city. I can’t recall if it was at the Belvedere or elsewhere but there was also some really incredible medieval art — I don’t know if it was actually Les Tres Riches Heurs or just in that style, but it was amazing to see in person. Both the Klimt and the medieval art were just so much more impressive in real life.

   2. Definitely get sachertorte! The two most famous places for it are the Cafe Demel and the Hotel Sacher. Obviously you need to try them both to determine who does it best ;)

      1. eh, I thought it was over rated and kind of dry. The other treats at Demel were great though.

   3. You didn’t need to qualify this with a reason why you were travelling with you mom. Those of us without SOs still travel.

      Otherwise, lots of museum time. I really enjoyed the Princess Sisi apartments and Schonbrunn

   4. Schoenbrunn Palace is lovely on a nice day. We also really enjoyed Museum of Military History but that’s because SO loves modern history and it was like having my own tour guide but they have the car Franz Ferdinand was killed in and a lot of items relating to WWI/WWII. Unfortunately it’s a bit out in the middle of nowhere if I remember correctly, so no shopping.
      We also went to the Prater to go on the Ferris wheel, and then had a picnic in the fields nearby.
      While we were there they had an event called Sand in the City, they also had outdoor cinemas etc.
      Restaurant wise, we enjoyed Mark’s – SO loves it and still talks about it 3 years later!
      I would thoroughly recommend the subway, we found it quick, clean and super easy. Buy a ticket, and stamp it at a gate as you walk through on your way into the station and that validates it.

   5. dunno if i’m too late but i was just in Vienna in March with my family! loved cafe demel (thought it was better than hotel sacher)…best meal was at plachutta (the tafelspitz was amazing). also loved the sisi museum. have fun!

9. I am an infrequent traveler and don’t have TSA precheck.

   If you were at Farragut West and had an 8pm flight out of DCA,

   A: would you take metro or a cab to DCA
   B: when would you leave for the mode of transit in A

   I used to take metro and would leave ~6:30, but now would it be more like 6 or 5:30? Or cab b/c metro has been crazy lately? Later flights aren’t an option and airports out of DCA would have later flights but more getting-to-the-airport wild cards (and I won’t have a car).

   1. Uber?

   2. I’d say metro, but check wmata/twitter (they complain way sooner about service issues than metro posts). I flew into DCA Monday afternoon and the TSA lines weren’t worse than usual. Although luggage on the metro during rush hour maybe a bad idea. I’d leave at 5:30 because I’m very cautious (plus airport drinking).

      1. I concur with all of this. Monitor twitter that day to stay on top of any delays, leave at 5:30, and if you get through security early, have a drink.

      2. Thanks — definitely not dealing with any luggage. Will just be taking an OG.

         1. FWIW, I flew out Friday afternoon and there were practically no lines at DCA.

            I’d vote metroing to avoid rush hour traffic but second checking Twitter/WMATA.com to make sure there’s no problems. Personally, I’d leave at 6ish, maybe 6:15.

10. I’m not the poster from earlier who was having trouble with her mom and wedding planning, but here’s my frustration of the day: I’m in the process of booking a DJ. The DJ allows us to request songs in the contract. I thought asking my mom if she has any special requests would be a nice way to include her without giving her any actual control. What does she say? “No hard rock or rap.” To my mother, “rap” means anything vaguely hip hop and probably includes some pop songs. I’m not sure what she considers “hard rock” but I’d venture a guess that it includes plenty of my alt rock favorites. I had to stop myself from responding, “You do not get to veto entire genres of music. It is not your wedding. If you would like to request some songs, I will include them on the list, but if you refuse to provide anything constructive then I do not want to hear complaints about the music.”

    1. Why did you stop yourself? That seems to be a perfect reply.

    2. I agree that’s a good reply. Also, just cut her off! This isn’t really an example of her butting in, it’s an example of you making life harder on yourself than it has to be by soliciting her feedback. Don’t ask for her opinion unless you want to hear it.

    3. That seems like a fine reply to me.

       If you want something softer, you could try “I was actually asking for suggestions of specific songs that you DO want to hear.”

       We did our own music and I asked my family members to suggest songs that reminded them of us generally or specific memories growing up. It produced a lot of fun suggestions.

       1. You could soften it even further by treating it as a joke: “Oh mom! You don’t get to veto whole genres of music, haha! I’m just asking if there’s a song you want to hear!” I mean, if you want to use this as a way to firmly set boundaries, by all means go for it, but if you just want to blow her off you could do it that way. Personally I would probably just ignore her reply completely and never bring it up again (and play whatever songs you want, of course).

    4. This sounds like my mom. Unhelpful, curt, and vague. Honestly, I would just ignore her. Don’t reply even though it would give you some momentary satisfaction (or reply only to clarify, “no, I was asking if you wanted specific songs played”). This is not worth making A Thing. And if she complains about the music at your wedding, tell her that you like it and it’s your special day* and she should just deal (also, tell the DJ that she can’t make requests like that at the wedding). And if she complains after the wedding, tell her that you loved it and it’s unfortunate that it spoiled your wedding for her.

       *I’m not usually a “it’s your special day” person, but on the day of your wedding you get a free pass to not take into consideration your mother’s feelings about the music.

    5. I love my mom, but she is spouting off random ideas while we’re wedding planning too. She suddenly wants to have a separate “vow renewal” AND reception to accommodate two family members in another location. I realized her best friend has two sons getting married who have a lot of wedding drama so my mom is feeding off that a little. And my MIL is swept up in her own fantasy of our wedding, which completely clashes with our wants. I remind myself that they mean well and this is an experience for them so I let them fantasize for fun. But when push comes to shove, I shut it down if I don’t want it with a “that’s such a lovely idea but we’re doing this and we’re so thrilled about it.”

       1. I also am usually quite laid-back and easygoing so I think the gentle pushback is throwing them quite a bit. Less is more when it comes to divulging wedding details. Or I redirect their energy by sending family guests with travel questions to them, so they can contribute but not control.

11. This may be a long shot, but . . . Any suggestions for pilates studios in Chicago? Ideal place offers both one-on-one and group sessions, takes Spafinder gift certificates, and is accessible from the Loop (so River North, West Loop, Loop preferred). My gym has pilates but it’s $85 for one-on-one, $35 for group classes, and they don’t take Spa finder certificates. Plus, it’s set up so everyone entering the gym can see you. No thanks. I’ve read the yelp reviews but many of them don’t have recent reviews.

    1. I like Helios in Roscoe Village for pilates. It doesn’t check many of your boxes, but is reasonably priced with great instructors.

       1. Thank you — I’m so obsessed with wanting to do Pilates that it may just be worth the trek. :)

    2. When I was visiting Chicago for a conference, I took a few private sessions with Carmel at Core Evolution in the River North area. She was fantastic and her studio just beautiful too. I believe she is a one-woman operation so doesn’t offer many group classes, but she was very knowledgeable. And a kind, warm personality.

       1. Thank you!

12. I have been watching my friends’ cat for the last two weeks while they are in Thailand and Japan. They return tomorrow. I would like to leave something at their apartment to say “Welcome home!” I’m looking for something refreshing after their long travel. Any ideas? Not food (they have very specific food preferences that I am not going to touch with a ten-foot pole).

    1. (1) You are a very good friend.
       (2) My house sitter always leaves us bread, milk, and eggs. (Based on the old ones she found in the fridge one time.) But it sounds like that’s not an option here. Maybe a chilled bottle of rose? Or champagne?

    2. I know you said no food, but having just returned from Thailand the only things I wanted when I got home were fresh fruit and coffee, which I had been told to avoid while there because of health concerns. But they should really be getting you something, not the other way around!

    3. Unless their preferences are for not-healthy foods, I think a fruit tray would be a great welcome home gift. Maybe some fresh juices or smoothie ingredients? Or fresh flowers and a chilled bottle of wine.

    4. Fresh sheets, fresh towels and/or a couple of flowers in a vase they already own (perhaps put behind a closed door if you think the cat will knock them off a counter?)

       Favorite beer or wine in the fridge if you know what it is and that wouldn’t be too difficult to get. Or if they have a wine rack, just putting a bottle or two of white in the fridge with a note that says “thought you might want this after your travels”

       Otherwise, a note that says “Welcome home! Everything went fine, the cat was great, no problems!” would be more than enough for me. After all, you did them the favor.

13. Shopping challenge: I am looking for a backpack to use as a diaper bag (baby is 2.5 and potty trained so actual diapers will not go in there but I don’t know what else to call it). I really like the lululemon urbanite backpack (link in reply) but it’s a lot for a bag that is going to live underneath my stroller, and I don’t love black. Does anyone have a similar-looking backpack to recommend? I’m not opposed to spending money but I’d like to keep it below $75. Thanks!

    1. http://shop.lululemon.com/p/bags/Urbanite-Backpack/

    2. Everlane’s Modern Snap backpack is very similar and $68. Target also has a bunch of backpacks under $30 right now in a variety of patterns and colors, and Old Navy has a few on the men’s side of their site that might fit the bill too (also under $30). Modcloth has some similar-ish backpacks under $75 as well.

    3. The Thule Departer 23L is very similar. (I have one!). I like it, but it doesn’t hold a lot. Check out Herschel brand packs or Need Supply’s men’s section for other options, too.

    4. Thanks these are all great suggestions!

14. I’m feeling a little down this afternoon. I have realized over the past year or so that I’ve become really disengaged from my job, that I don’t find it exciting / enjoyable any more, etc etc. But I rationalized that a lot by thinking that I was romanticizing the past and that I’m probably mis-remembering that I used to be happier.

    However, this morning I was cleaning out my desk and came across some of my old notebooks – I carry a notebook with me everywhere to jot down longhand notes. I flipped open to a few pages and was very surprised to find such enthusiastic, detailed notes about various meetings and topics. It was so clear from the notes that I was very engaged in what I was working on. When I look at my notebooks now, it’s a few scribbled words / followups and some doodles.

    Ugh, it was such a wake-up call that things really have changed in terms of my relationship to my work. It’s had me pretty down all day. I’m not sure what to do about it. I would like to stick it out here until my equity fully vests, and my schedule is super full / demanding – I don’t have room to take on any passion projects. I guess I just keep grinding through it but it was such a shock to see all those old, happy notes.

    1. I think it’s good for you to see you haven’t always felt this disengaged, so you don’t need to keep feeling like this for the rest of your life. You are capable of loving your job, so hopefully you’ll be in that position again in the future! This could be the first step in finding what really interests you and making some changes for the better. Good luck!

    2. I feel similar about my situation right now so I sympathize but I think this it’s very normal. Jobs change, people change. It’s exciting to reach a goal, get new responsibilities, etc and then later what was new is now the same old thing. As RV says above, this is a time to reflect and decide where you go from here. Someday you’ll look back at this time and say it was a frustrating time but it led me to …

15. I own these pants and they’re lovely. I’m a size 10 hourglass.

Comments are closed.