The Workday Reading: July 8, 2015
Jul 8, 2015
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1) Why your friends shape your happiness, creativity, and career.
2) This textured Tristan satchel from Sole Society comes in four great colors for under-$50; the teal is my favorite.
3) The New York Times discusses “adult summer camps” for people who want to learn a new hobby or silly on their vacations.
4) Emily Schuman from Cupcakes and Cashmere released her new clothing collection at Nordstrom. My picks? I like this olive, military jacket, this striped shift, and this coral pleated skirt.
5) A celebrity divorce expert talks about how celebs work the press during their relationships, break ups, and make ups.
6) Want to add a natural-looking flush to your cheeks? This $6 Makeup Revolution blush in Divine is what you need.
7) The Atlantic has an in-depth article on paternal rights and adoption. How does a father stay in his child’s life when a mother wants to give the child up?
8) Bloomingdale’s is selling the chic-est dorm decor ever. And while this black-and-white bedding set and this SMEG mini fridge are unbelievably chic, the prices seem really high for the college market.
9) How to make a proper exit from a party. (I say goodbye to the host, and then sneak out.)
10) This Michael Kors dress is the definition of “perfectly pretty.”
11) Still mystified by how Super PACs work? This video should clear it up.
*image found here.
Re: your dorms comment — I’m working through interior design school now, and there’s actually a reasonably-sized market among wealthier students whose parents will pay for a designer to come in and design their dorm room. It’s a thing now. Weird right?
When I was a residential advisor in college, one of the moms of the incoming freshmen showed up three days before move-in day with two housecleaners and one of these “design consultants.” It would have been hilarious except for the fact that the student was living in a dorm suite with three other women…none of whom (or their parents) had agreed to this “decor.”
I don’t know about the minifridge, but the price of the bed set is unfortunately all too common in dorm decor. While it may be different at other schools, at my university it was not unprecedented for outfitting a freshman dorm to exceed $1000. Between color-coordinated bedding, rugs, pillows, storage, and accessories (do college students really use coasters?), parents and students tend to go a little- or a LOT- overboard. Stores don’t help, because they love the market and sell sets like this one at Bloomingdales, which lists 10 items included in the package before they even get to the actual bedding.
Another comment on the dorm stuff. I never had the dorm experience, but those price points are obscene! Unreasonable for that market, especially considering many of today’s youngsters haven’t TRULY learned how to respect or take care of investments like that…ugh. I shudder at the thought.
And really, what is the quality-to-cost ratio of those items? College-tier stuff usually isn’t the best-constructed…so what are they paying for? Just aesthetics and a brand, or are they really going to get more mileage out of those ware?
Seriously, a $1000 minifridge? My full-sized fridge doesn’t even cost that much. I comprehend the joy of living and studying in an aesthetically pleasing space, but…heavens.
Yep. I’m sure that mini fridge will smell like stale beer and leftover pizza in no time.
On the article about paternal rights and adoption, I absolutely support father’s rights to raise the child unless he is determined to be unfit to be a custodial parent by the same standard which would be used for a mother (abuse, addictions, serious stuff). Stories like this make me angry. I know Emanuel would have helped himself by registering, but it isn’t fair to require fathers to jump through so many hoops.
I have had a lifelong interest in adoption issues, and this is one of the many areas still in need of reform. As a parent by adoption myself, I fully understand the heartache of having your hopes and dreams shattered, but the system/industry itself is the one to blame, not this father who was very obviously committed from the beginning.