The Workday Reading: August 11
Aug 11, 2015
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1) Overcommitted? Have trouble saying no? Inc.com offers 15 phrases to help you decline politely.
2) Thinking about having an ‘Elle Woods moment’ in this pink suit (after I change the buttons). I think it could be fun for a workday free of big meetings/court.
3) The Everygirl offers safety tips for living alone.
4) Rebecca Minkoff is having a big sale with great deals on great handbags and accessories. This half-price Adeline shopper tote is a must, and this snake-print weekender is so cool.
5) Marie Claire discusses what Silicon Valley gets right about women and motherhood.
6) Need to clean the loose hair from your hair brushes? This Phillip B. tool is just the ticket.
7) This BLT recipe is enough to give anyone sandwich-envy.
8) This long necklace from House of Harlow is so subtle and so cool. And the mix of textures in the chain on this Stella & Dot necklace is really unique.
9) Need to scrub up your skin for the beach? This homemade scrub has just three ingredients.
10) The afternoon eye candy is usually an evening gown, but the details on this sublime Alexander McQueen clutch are just too good to miss.
*image found here.
Thanks so much for posting that safety tips article. I disagree with #4, though, about having a taxi drop you right in front of your door. I don’t like for strangers (i.e. taxi drivers) to know exactly where I live, so I always have them drop me around the corner. Then I wait until they drive away before I enter my building, so they don’t see which building I live in. Taxi drivers can always follow you in or come back later, now that they know where you live.
I see what you’re saying, but I live in a fairly quiet neighborhood and mainly take cabs when I’m headed home late. The risk of having a driver know where I live is outweighed by how unsafe I feel walking through dark, empty streets by myself. Plus the driver doesn’t know which specific apartment I’m in, and since I usually take Uber or Lyft, if a driver does something shady, I have their information in order to report them.
I’ve lived alone for 4 years, and currently own a condo in an old converted mansion. It came with a security system, which I decided to keep.
When it comes to taxis/Ubers, I agree with Anna, you can be dropped off at the door, but don’t be flippant about it. I ALWAYS leave lights on in the front of my house if I’m planning to Uber home later, and I always use Uber, so there’s tracking. I have a keyfob for my security system and keep it in-hand as I’m dropped off, so if something were to happen I can hit the panic button right away and have the cops en-route (plus it’s loud enough to be heard from outside).
One thing that I think goes undervalued, especially in urban areas, are your neighbors. Get to know them. All the condo-owners living in my house have each other’s cell #, and there’s a young family next door who are usually home who are in that loop as well. If you’re a good neighbor, and you have good neighbors, you can all look out for each other.
I agree wholeheartedly with getting to know your neighbors. When I moved into my neighborhood it was very sketchy – prostitutes (I almost got picked up by the cops as one on my first night!), open drug deals, domestic violence spilling into the street (stabbing on the block over), but even with all that said, I never felt unsafe living alone and walking by myself. Perhaps that was naivety, but I knew my neighbors, I knew who the regular drug dealers were and we all left each other alone, I knew the domestic folks were not coming after me, and I always made sure I was paying attention and aware of my surroundings. I would add to the list to never walk around alone in with your headphones fully in – if you must, walk with one out and with the other at a low volume. I am deaf in one ear, so I never ever walk or run with headphones in. I am always on alert for noises and for what is going on around me.
I still live in the same neighborhood and I love it. I bought a house there after a year and a half! I love it because of my neighbors and because there are good folks that have lived there for a long time and we all look out for each other.
Will the hairbrush tool also help with the lint that gets stuck to my brush bristles? Because that’s really what I have trouble with.
I think you can remove it with a dryer sheet, but don’t quote me on that.
I know it’s just a way to get to the topic, but out of curiosity I had to google the crime rate of Frankfurt. It’s high for being Germany, but still only about half that of LA, and it’s highly concentrated to the airport and the red light district. So keep an eye on your luggage, and don’t hang out with the ladies of the night and you’ll be OK.
You often mention changing buttons on things. Do you have a favorite website where you find new ones?