Friends Chat Thread: Wardrobe, Fun, and Whatever

[ColdSteel]

I'm still working from home as I always have, more or less. One of my college classmates started up covidcostumegame_ on instagram so I've been participating m/w/f. Themed days, helps take the monotony away .

Been doing some long deferred organization at home. I have never been very adept at this and I know I'll never have a pinterst perfect minimalist room but I'm liking my results so far. I too have been catching up on shows, etc. Should bite the bullet and finish Giri/Haji on my own.

I did have a couple planned more or less HG purchases just as everything went into shutdown (LV Groom compact zippy and key pouch!) and I actually just made my first ThredUP purchase yesterday with some of the existing credit. I have a pretty unique black Prada cardigan coming to me and a linen Pucci scarf. Even though I work from home I like to feel "dressed" to feel like I'm ready to work. It's pretty rare that I'll work in pajamas--I have to be pretty sick.

I AM looking forward to tackling my sweater mending pile. I have needle felted some patches onto wool/cashmere sweaters and it makes me happy to put them back in my rotation.

 

[luckylove]

I have missed this thread! I am so happy you thought to resurrect it! I have been enjoying trying out new recipes, walking the neighborhood, catching up on lighthearted mindless tv, and working part time from home. We have fam ily game nights and are getting back to basics in my house. I keep hearing about Tiger King, so definitely want to check it out!

 

[Genie27]

Friends! Would love if we could resurrect this thread in these challenging times. Maybe we can kick off with a discussion of how we’ve been spending our time now that we’re all indoors with lots more free time? This has made me realize that most of my hobbies involved things that are of no use in times of quarantine. Like who cares about shopping for bags, jewelry, clothes etc when there’s no where to wear them?

Instead I’ve been catching up on my favorite podcasts (Bowery Boys and some travel podcasts to remind me of happier times/a better future), watching movies and television shows (TIGER KING ANYONE??), reading novels, and going for walks in the park once a day and playing badminton (best $12 purchase from amazon ever!)

Count me in! I am quasi-essential services, so work is keeping me busy and sane.Will write more later, but am happy to start posting here again.

 

[ColdSteel]

I love cooking and since Mama Steel is an essential worker I keep cooking dinner while she's at work. Same as always. I try to make food that uses up leftover fresh food, usually a few meals for a day. I've always been creative and thoughtful when I shop for groceries. She's taken over the grocery shopping and I've always been a big meal planner so it's working even better. I do love grocery shopping but I know it's not the same. I'm also at-risk so I need to really minimize my contact outside.

I've been craving mostly fish and fresh veggies. Things I usually would buy a day or two ahead of time. I would do unspeakable things for an In-N-Out burger. Nothing is stopping me from going to the drive-thru but something about it just doesn't feel as good. I'm proud of myself and proud of my mom. It's been a journey for her to not toss something as soon as the best by date came around. I sifted a bunch of flour and made some wonderful crêpes for all weekend. I made some mildly freezerburnt steaks into delicious beef stroganoff last week. Another night I grilled steak and the leftovers topped some ramen and saimin the next night.

I take a strange comfort in planning meals. I have never had issues with food security but I love to know what I'm going to use and cook. That said, I'm looking forward to picking up a to-go meal from a local spot Saturday!

There's been a lot of soup, spaghetti sauce, and stew-type dishes on the menu. What else has everyone been enjoying?

 

[cafecreme15]

I'm still working from home as I always have, more or less. One of my college classmates started up covidcostumegame_ on instagram so I've been participating m/w/f. Themed days, helps take the monotony away .

Been doing some long deferred organization at home. I have never been very adept at this and I know I'll never have a pinterst perfect minimalist room but I'm liking my results so far. I too have been catching up on shows, etc. Should bite the bullet and finish Giri/Haji on my own.

I did have a couple planned more or less HG purchases just as everything went into shutdown (LV Groom compact zippy and key pouch!) and I actually just made my first ThredUP purchase yesterday with some of the existing credit. I have a pretty unique black Prada cardigan coming to me and a linen Pucci scarf. Even though I work from home I like to feel "dressed" to feel like I'm ready to work. It's pretty rare that I'll work in pajamas--I have to be pretty sick.

I AM looking forward to tackling my sweater mending pile. I have needle felted some patches onto wool/cashmere sweaters and it makes me happy to put them back in my rotation.

This is so great! I usually love my clothes but for some reason I have felt so constricted and uncomfortable wearing them sitting around the house so I've been testing to see what I can re-purpose as lounge wear (like super soft cashmere cardigans and long sleeve shirts) and I supplemented with a sweatpants order from Bloomingdales. I basically had no lounge wear at all since I am typically either in my work clothes, off-duty clothes or pajamas.

I've also been trying to tackle some small organizational projects. I ordered a few jewelry stackers from the Container Store that I'm excited to arrive.

I have missed this thread! I am so happy you thought to resurrect it! I have been enjoying trying out new recipes, walking the neighborhood, catching up on lighthearted mindless tv, and working part time from home. We have fam ily game nights and are getting back to basics in my house. I keep hearing about Tiger King, so definitely want to check it out!

Hi lucky! Good to see you again! All of these sound like the perfect quarantine activities. I highly recommend Tiger King - it's actually the most insane thing I've ever seen in my life. Truly beggars belief!

Count me in! I am quasi-essential services, so work is keeping me busy and sane.Will write more later, but am happy to start posting here again.

Can't wait to hear from you Genie! I've missed this group!

I love cooking and since Mama Steel is an essential worker I keep cooking dinner while she's at work. Same as always. I try to make food that uses up leftover fresh food, usually a few meals for a day. I've always been creative and thoughtful when I shop for groceries. She's taken over the grocery shopping and I've always been a big meal planner so it's working even better. I do love grocery shopping but I know it's not the same. I'm also at-risk so I need to really minimize my contact outside.

I've been craving mostly fish and fresh veggies. Things I usually would buy a day or two ahead of time. I would do unspeakable things for an In-N-Out burger. Nothing is stopping me from going to the drive-thru but something about it just doesn't feel as good. I'm proud of myself and proud of my mom. It's been a journey for her to not toss something as soon as the best by date came around. I sifted a bunch of flour and made some wonderful crêpes for all weekend. I made some mildly freezerburnt steaks into delicious beef stroganoff last week. Another night I grilled steak and the leftovers topped some ramen and saimin the next night.

I take a strange comfort in planning meals. I have never had issues with food security but I love to know what I'm going to use and cook. That said, I'm looking forward to picking up a to-go meal from a local spot Saturday!

There's been a lot of soup, spaghetti sauce, and stew-type dishes on the menu. What else has everyone been enjoying?

I've also been cooking up a storm! It's the perfect time to try recipes that I've had bookmarked for ages that take too much time to cook on a typical night, because now we've got nothing but time. There's also an element of necessity to having to meal plan for large chunks of time at once since we all want to limit our exposure to the grocery stores, or it's absolutely impossible to schedule a groceries delivery online on less than a week's notice here in NYC! I've been making a lot of pastas with various vegetables and meats in them as well as stews, chilis, and other things I can whip up from frozen protein and other things in my pantry.

 

[Genie27]

I’ve been mostly working from home, but some work can only be done onsite, so I go in a couple of days a week. I walk to/from and don’t touch anything, and keep the doors locked so no visitors.

Work has kept my mind busy - Saturday evenings have been the hardest - that’s when my weekend mode kicks in. I try not to dwell on anything other than work.

No fancy cooking, no cleaning, just the bare minimum - I’ve never been domestically inclined and this enforced home stay is not bringing out the latent domestic goddess in me. It’s mostly grilled cheese sandwiches on my dusty panini press - artisanal bread, and plastic wrapped “cheddar” singles. And ramen.

I do make sure I eat fruit and veggies though. And protein.

Never thought I’d be the one saying this, but “when can I go back to work?”

 

[cafecreme15]

I’ve been mostly working from home, but some work can only be done onsite, so I go in a couple of days a week. I walk to/from and don’t touch anything, and keep the doors locked so no visitors.

Work has kept my mind busy - Saturday evenings have been the hardest - that’s when my weekend mode kicks in. I try not to dwell on anything other than work.

No fancy cooking, no cleaning, just the bare minimum - I’ve never been domestically inclined and this enforced home stay is not bringing out the latent domestic goddess in me. It’s mostly grilled cheese sandwiches on my dusty panini press - artisanal bread, and plastic wrapped “cheddar” singles. And ramen.

I do make sure I eat fruit and veggies though. And protein.

Never thought I’d be the one saying this, but “when can I go back to work?”

Seriously! I would always complain about not being able to work from home more. Will never be complaining about that again (ok, probably not ever again, but at least for the first few months of resume normalcy!) Taking on new projects and trying new things during this time definitely works for some people, but not me! I've fallen back on the things I already like to do since I haven't been in the mood to go outside my comfort zone.

 

[ColdSteel]

I made a couple masks last night (just fabric) and Mama Steel wants a sewing lesson. I have a nylon drawstring bag (think like a cleaner's bag) that has a hole in it for her to practice straight lines. I've always loved sewing and it's about time for me to start that t-shirt quilt I've been saying I was going to start a couple years ago. I don't have batting but I can at least piece things together.

I decided I'm going to learn reweaving! I have a scarf from the NM x Target collab that has a couple holes in it (some might have been snags, one is DEFINITELY from a moth that had its fill) to practice on.

I ate some wonderful proscuitto-wrapped asparagus last night. I've got some broccoli I might roast tonight. Mm, green veg!

@Genie27, Roy Choi had a great instant ramen recipe in the NY times. Basically ramen prepped as normal, with or without an egg if you eat them, pat of butter, and a slice or two of your singles thrown on top. It melts and it's delicious if you want to try mixing it up. I'm a big fan I'd never really bought American slices until this. If you have toasted sesame seeds they're great on top.

 

[Genie27]

I’m going out tomorrow for the first time in a week. Seeing my doctor (for a routine check/exercise refill) though I’d rather not have to walk the mile each way. But my other option is transit during rush hour, so I will bite the bullet and put on my comfy shoes. Then I get to go to the office to clear up some work. I get quite a bit done at home, but production is hands-on and an essential service.

The jobs we have in the shop are a tiny fraction of what we would normally do at this time of year, but every little bit helps towards meeting our overhead. Fortunately for me, although I was super bummed at the time, one of my key staff put in her notice for the week before we shut down, so I don’t need to worry about her. My other staff is on temp lay-off because we have minimal work right now, but will have a fair bit when we/clients reopen.

Fingers crossed we get at least one of the potential projects we’ve bid on, as that will help buffer the others.

Overall, I’m finding it hard. I can focus on work, so I don’t stress about unknown fears, but the enforced 24-7 sharing/co-habitation of a small condo is wearing thin. It was tough before, but bf has not left the apartment since mid-March, so I’ve taken to hiding in the bedroom all day, while he hangs out in his study.

I’d have a pity party of one, except all our bars and restaurants are closed. Probably till May end.

 

[cafecreme15]

I’m going out tomorrow for the first time in a week. Seeing my doctor (for a routine check/exercise refill) though I’d rather not have to walk the mile each way. But my other option is transit during rush hour, so I will bite the bullet and put on my comfy shoes. Then I get to go to the office to clear up some work. I get quite a bit done at home, but production is hands-on and an essential service.

The jobs we have in the shop are a tiny fraction of what we would normally do at this time of year, but every little bit helps towards meeting our overhead. Fortunately for me, although I was super bummed at the time, one of my key staff put in her notice for the week before we shut down, so I don’t need to worry about her. My other staff is on temp lay-off because we have minimal work right now, but will have a fair bit when we/clients reopen.

Fingers crossed we get at least one of the potential projects we’ve bid on, as that will help buffer the others.

Overall, I’m finding it hard. I can focus on work, so I don’t stress about unknown fears, but the enforced 24-7 sharing/co-habitation of a small condo is wearing thin. It was tough before, but bf has not left the apartment since mid-March, so I’ve taken to hiding in the bedroom all day, while he hangs out in his study.

I’d have a pity party of one, except all our bars and restaurants are closed. Probably till May end.

I'm glad work is generally keeping you busy. Personally I don't really mind working from home (and I think it is demonstrating to my boomer bosses that one does not HAVE to be in the office to be productive!) though some days it wears thin on me at the end of week 6 here. I think we're probably all spending a lot more quality time with our SOs than we ever thought we would! I'm betting at the end of this there will be 2 things - a spike in divorces and a baby boom.

 

[cafecreme15]

Also, do any of the jewelry aficionados have any experience with Garrard? I got down a rabbit hole the other night realized they have some gorgeous contemporary collections - Wings Embrace, Tudor Rose, etc. Would love to know more.

 

[papertiger]

I’m going out tomorrow for the first time in a week. Seeing my doctor (for a routine check/exercise refill) though I’d rather not have to walk the mile each way. But my other option is transit during rush hour, so I will bite the bullet and put on my comfy shoes. Then I get to go to the office to clear up some work. I get quite a bit done at home, but production is hands-on and an essential service.

The jobs we have in the shop are a tiny fraction of what we would normally do at this time of year, but every little bit helps towards meeting our overhead. Fortunately for me, although I was super bummed at the time, one of my key staff put in her notice for the week before we shut down, so I don’t need to worry about her. My other staff is on temp lay-off because we have minimal work right now, but will have a fair bit when we/clients reopen.

Fingers crossed we get at least one of the potential projects we’ve bid on, as that will help buffer the others.

Overall, I’m finding it hard. I can focus on work, so I don’t stress about unknown fears, but the enforced 24-7 sharing/co-habitation of a small condo is wearing thin. It was tough before, but bf has not left the apartment since mid-March, so I’ve taken to hiding in the bedroom all day, while he hangs out in his study.

I’d have a pity party of one, except all our bars and restaurants are closed. Probably till May end.

In normal circumstances, DH sometimes works from home and sometimes goes for weeks, whereas I go out to work and when I'm home I'm usually not at work. Therefore, DH is at home all the time which I'm not used to, but when he works I am used to leaving him alone. DH hasn't quite got the hang of me working from home, so he may pottering in the office looking for things while I'm trying to work in the or he'll be drilling something in the garden while I'm on Zoom. I am thinking of sending him my schedule every week so he knows when and where I'll be. On days I work he'll be thinking of lunch at 1pm, and it will only then occur to him I don't have 30 mins to make it and sit down to eat it too.

Having a garden really helps, but even then, I have to get away from DH now and again.

 

[papertiger]

I made a couple masks last night (just fabric) and Mama Steel wants a sewing lesson. I have a nylon drawstring bag (think like a cleaner's bag) that has a hole in it for her to practice straight lines. I've always loved sewing and it's about time for me to start that t-shirt quilt I've been saying I was going to start a couple years ago. I don't have batting but I can at least piece things together.

I decided I'm going to learn reweaving! I have a scarf from the NM x Target collab that has a couple holes in it (some might have been snags, one is DEFINITELY from a moth that had its fill) to practice on.

I ate some wonderful proscuitto-wrapped asparagus last night. I've got some broccoli I might roast tonight. Mm, green veg!

@Genie27, Roy Choi had a great instant ramen recipe in the NY times. Basically ramen prepped as normal, with or without an egg if you eat them, pat of butter, and a slice or two of your singles thrown on top. It melts and it's delicious if you want to try mixing it up. I'm a big fan I'd never really bought American slices until this. If you have toasted sesame seeds they're great on top.

Reweaving sounds very exacting. We need to see your scarf when you're done. The t-shirt quit sounds fantastic, please keep us up to date.


Love green veg - which is lucky, coz it's the only thing in great abundance at the supermarket.

 

[papertiger]

Also, do any of the jewelry aficionados have any experience with Garrard? I got down a rabbit hole the other night realized they have some gorgeous contemporary collections - Wings Embrace, Tudor Rose, etc. Would love to know more.

I think these were mostly pieces introduced when Jade Jagger worked there. Garrard is like Asprey , good old houses with classic vision and good aftercare. Certainly better than VCA.

 

[cafecreme15]

I think these were mostly pieces introduced when Jade Jagger worked there. Garrard is like Asprey , good old houses with classic vision and good aftercare. Certainly better than VCA.

I’m so excited to learn more about this house. I don’t believe there are any boutiques or maybe even vendors in the US, so I’ll have to save it for my next trip to London. When you say better than VCA, do you mean in terms of heritage, quality? They seem to work a lot less with semi precious materials and more with fine/high materials only. Are the Jade Jagger collections thought to be inferior somewhat? Curious as from what I read some people think this is when the house lots its way a bit.