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Two days from 2025, issuing one final (juicy!) set of icebreakers. Please share your responses in the comments! I truly enjoy reading your responses…
01. Something that seems too expensive but is actually worth the price?
02. Most essential product in your skincare lineup?
03. If you are an introvert with extroverted friends/loved ones, what have you learned from them? And vice versa — if you are an extrovert with introverted friends/loved ones, what have you learned?
04. Your favorite weird word to say.
05. Something that you would expect to taste bad (because it’s healthy) but is actually delicious?
06. Something you would never sell, no matter how much someone else was willing to offer you for it.
07. The best sound in the world.
08. Most “diva” thing you’ve ever done.
09. Favorite purchase of 2024.
10. The most out of character thing you’ve done.
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I’ll go first:
01. Something that seems too expensive but is actually worth the price? On a frivolous level: tailoring, good quality ingredients (like $8 eggs, $6 bags of bronze cut pasta, high quality olive oil, European butter), the Dyson AirWrap, professional blowouts, a housekeeper (not saying their labor is not worth the cost but that it is a hefty price tag each month that we weren’t willing to pay when we were younger, but have since learned is totally worth the squeeze). But on a more philosophical level: peace of mind. This applies to so many things, including making decisions that disappoint people but better reflect my own values/desires, paying extra for something to make sure it’s done safely/correctly, running the risk of waking my children in order to check on them in the middle of the night when they are sick, removing a line from an essay that is giving me pause.
02. Most essential product in your skincare lineup? Hydration, both in the form of consumed water and moisturizers. Over the summer, I had an incredible facial and the aesthetician said I needed to moisturize my skin more heavily. I hadn’t even realized I was dry! Now I apply a ton of moisture in the form of creams and oils, and I think this is the single most important factor in reducing the appearance of lines / having happy skin.
03. If you are an introvert with extroverted friends/loved ones, what have you learned from them? And vice versa — if you are an extrovert with introverted friends/loved ones, what have you learned? Card-carrying introvert. I’ve really studied my extroverted husband and his father, who seem to put everyone around them at ease, and picked up some tips on how they interact with other people. They are both great at maintaining an easy flow and cadence in the conversation. It’s magical to me! But after years of study, I think it’s a combination of asking good follow-up questions, not interrupting people, and being comfortable with occasional pauses.
04. Your favorite weird word to say. Extraordinary. I have never been able to say this word correctly (Mr. Magpie laughs every time I try — he says I pronounce the “straord” part like “strahwrrr”) but I use it a lot. The more I stop and notice, the more extraordinary my world looks.
05. Something that you would expect to taste bad (because it’s healthy) but is actually delicious? Kale based smoothies. I crave them in the morning!
06. Something you would never sell, no matter how much someone else was willing to offer you for it. A rabbit’s foot that technically belongs to Mr. Magpie. There was a stressful time in our early marriage where he’d wound down a business with one of his classmates from his MBA program and was interviewing for several jobs around the country. I now realize that I was principally anxious about leaving the DC area – all the jobs were in SF, Boston, Chicago, NYC. I came home one afternoon and saw he’d placed the rabbit’s foot on top of his cell phone, an augur for a callback. I let out a little sob — it made me see him in an entirely new light, and I’d known him for years. Just, the optimism of it, the vulnerability of it. He has always seemed so unflappable but was clearly harboring some quiet nerves over the situation. It was like a weird little door into him. And, I don’t know – it moves me still, the things we cling to as we face the unknown. To fret is to be a human; to invoke God, or fate, or a rabbit’s foot is to be a hopeful one.
07. The best sound in the world. The laughter of my loved ones. My brother’s came to mind first!
08. Most “diva” thing you’ve ever done. I honestly can’t think of anything specific but I have definitely made us late / put a fork in plans because it takes me a good hour to get fully ready for a night out. I’ve gotten better about time management on that front as I’ve gotten older, but I can remember Mr. Magpie watching me get ready in the early years of our marriage in a kind of shock.
09. Favorite purchase of 2024. Our trip to Italy and specifically the splurge of staying at Passalacqua on Lake Como. On a product level, the Dyson AirWrap.
10. The most out of character thing you’ve done. Honestly the first third of my career is a complete mystery to me. I was opportunistic, bold, swinging wildly from limb to limb, under qualified. Perhaps this is the way of all 20 year olds. But as a recovering rule follower and people pleaser, the first few bullets on my resume astound me. Of course these all laddered up to the right path but they seem so not “me” both in what they were and in how randomly I strung them together. A year in a government consulting offshoot? An internship at an academic press? Overseeing an editorial process that produced free online courseware? Come again?
How about you?!
P.S. This year’s previous icebreakers here, here, here.
Shopping Break.
+Have been going deep into a skincare hole lately. Ordered myself these exfoliating pads after discovering them on some BeautyTok accounts!
+Obsessing over this Anine Bing jacket. Look for less here.
+Inuikii-inspired boots for your mini me. Contemplating these for my girl!
+Brushed cashmere sweatshirt.
+I shared the most gorgeous Emilia Wickstead dress last week and then discovered they are running a crazy good sale right now. Still very $$ but if you are an MOB or about to have your child Baptized or have some other important event where you want to dress elegantly / conservatively, this is the ticket. Also drooling over these shoes!
+I do not even ski but if I were skiing, I’d want an outfit from Bogner Fire+Ice and goggles from Smith.
+Ordered Mr. Magpie some “nice” tees for Christmas, including this one he’s already worn twice from Rag and Bone.
+New snowboots for my kids!
+A seriously fun dress.
+Currently reading and loving.
+Intrigued by this new-to-me label Ruti, with petite inseam options!
+Bury me in pointelle. I love it.