Misstropolis | Life

Navigating Divorce: Can He Claim I’m “Underemployed”?

2009-11-05T05:32:31-05:00

Gabrielle Clemens, aka The Divorce Lady, is back with expert advice on how to deal with alimony issues when one spouse claims the other is “underemployed.“ What does this mean and how does one argue against the claim in divorce proceedings? Gabrielle explains and lists case law which supports both sides of the argument.Many potential clients in the early stage of divorce proceedings write to me with questions. Recently I have been receiving a lot of emails concerning the notion of “Underemployment.“ When one spouse claims another is not living up to their earning potential and is asking for too much alimony as a result, this may fall under the concept of “underemploment.“ Meredith, a woman in Boston wrote me a letter regarding her concern on this matter. My response is below.

Celebrate the Opening of Stil Studio with Misstropolis and many more!

2009-10-16T17:52:38-05:00

If you like to shop, or just have something you’ve got to get, Dedham’s sparkling new Legacy Place is a good place to be. An outdoor mall on performance enhancing drugs, Legacy Place sprawls across what used to be the Dedham cinema parking lot - offering shopping, dining, watching (a new cinema replaced the old one) and yoga. Yoga? Yes! Betty Riaz, owner of clothing boutique Stil in Chesnut Hill has opened a bright, serene yoga studio in the folds of Legacy Place, near Portobello Road and Urban Outfitters. Whether you are following one of the many great teachers now holding classes at Stil, looking to try yoga for the first time or assuaging your guilt for spending money in the Place, Stil will hook you up much more than Ann Taylor Loft ever will. Join Misstropolis at a Grand Opening Celebration tomorrow, Saturday, October 17th from 10am to 4pm. If you like to shop, or just have something you’ve got to get, Dedham’s sparkling new Legacy Place is a good place to be. An outdoor mall on performance enhancing drugs, Legacy Place sprawls across what used to be the Dedham cinema parking lot - offering shopping, dining, watching (a new cinema replaced the old one) and yoga. Yoga? Yes! Betty Riaz, owner of clothing boutique Stil in Chesnut Hill has opened a bright, serene yoga studio in the folds of Legacy Place, near Portobello Road and Urban Outfitters. Whether you are following one of the many great teachers now holding classes at Stil, looking to try yoga for the first time or assuaging your guilt for spending money in the Place, Stil will hook you up much more than Ann Taylor Loft ever will. Join Misstropolis at a Grand Opening Celebration tomorrow, Saturday, October 17th from 11am to 4p

Charym’s Beautiful Path to Wellness

2009-10-07T16:27:45-05:00

Despite extraordinary advances in medicine and fitness, more Americans than ever suffer from disease, depression, fatigue, insomnia, obesity, eating disorders, manias and phobias. Why is it that when we should be as healthy and happy as ever before we are sicker and more stressed? Many believe an east meets west approach to wellness can successfully combat the ailments of modern life. At Charym, a yoga and wellness retreat in Litchfield CT, a powerful and visionary group of women have created an oasis of beauty and health. On the eve of my 40th birthday, I went to check it out.I won’t sugarcoat it, forty was staring me in the face and I loathed the looks of it. I tried to embrace my next decade like everyone wanted, but the stubborn brat inside wouldn’t have it. Denial and avoidance kept me company through my thirties; but then, just weeks before the “big day,“ they skipped town and left me with an underachievement complex and new anxiety about the age appropriateness of my wardrobe, my music and my bucket list. There was nothing to do but get out of town. I knew a place; I was like Dorothy on the way to Oz. I needed to go see the wizard who would tell me to get over it and be happy I wasn’t sleeping on a dirt floor or begging for change to feed my family. I needed yoga, counseling and hot oil massage. I needed Charym.

Run My Errand - So I Can Do Something Better With My Time!

2009-09-18T01:09:01-05:00

Part of the Misstropolis mission is to make women’s lives easier. With every new reader we meet, we get a clearer sense of how over-scheduled we all are. The end of summer brings added pressures of car pooling, sports scheduling, wardrobe switching and game-day pigs in a blanket making. RunMyErrand is a Boston based, woman owned company, launched with busy Bostonians in mind. Whether the errands entail picking up dry cleaning, mailing packages or selling wedding dresses on eBay, RunMyErrand connects the to do list with the do-er. It’s easy, cost effective and transparent. Misstropolis speaks with founder Leah Busque and offers a special reader discount. On you mark, get set, let someone else go.Many famous discoveries, inventions and businesses began with an aha moment. Just consider Sir Isaac Newton and his head-banging apple, said to have helped him discover gravity. Karl Bühler the German language theorist and psychologist who reportedly coined the term aha experience almost a century ago called it “a peculiar, pleasure-oriented experience within the course of thought that pops up with the sudden insight into a previously intransparent context.” But it is not the moment itself which becomes the new company, it is the courageous action of the entrepreneur, the persistance in the face of doubt, the ability to meet each new obstacle with resourceful perseverence and passionate belief. That’s what turns an aha moment into a real company.

Urban Interns: Now Providing Relief to Businesses in Boston

2009-09-08T22:03:17-05:00

You’re inundated and over-scheduled, unable to take a bathroom break, let alone search for discount airfares. Your small business is growing, but you work out of your house and don’t want someone staring at you across the kitchen table all day. You need an intern, but Craig’s List is scary and you don’t have time to look. Lucky for you, Urban Interns opens today in Boston. The search is over, you may now begin your search.With drastic budget cuts and increased layoffs, many small businesses across the country have too much work for their remaining skeleton crews to handle. (And yes, Misstropolis can count itself in this group.) Increasingly, innovative, resourceful companies are turning to a source of talent that some analysts believe is richer now than ever - Interns.

Handling Distractions with Ease

2009-08-24T18:03:08-05:00

Each day we face a series of choices; some obvious and simple, some confusing and complex. On life’s journeys there are constant distractions which push and pull us, hijack our attention and make simple choices complicated. Yoga teaches us that distractions only have as much power as we give them. Yoga and meditation teacher Sheryl Light sheds light on making the most of positive mental distractions, and letting go of the harmful ones. When something disrupts your axis - your concentration or flow - don’t fight it. Notice it and decide whether it merits any more of your awareness. If not, cleanly and peacefully allow it to go. Pause, inhale and connect back to your axis as you consider your intentions and travel on. Whatever moves you, centers you, brings a smile to your lips and lightness to your being, that’s the thing to focus upon.

A Spoonful of Trouble

2009-08-24T17:30:17-05:00

When your child is up all night hacking her poor head off - or his adorable little nose is running so fast you can’t keep up with it and he can’t breathe - your biggest decision seems to be whether to reach for the bubble gum pink, the purple grape or the cherry red cough and cold elixir. Right? Apparently not. It seems those over-the-counter medications well-meaning parents have been giving their children for years not only don’t help, they could actually cause harm.The cough and cold aisle in the CVS looks more like a candy counter than a drugstore. Yet the medicines found there in cartoon-baby-emblazoned boxes are a godsend for exhausted parents of cold-ridden kids. Or are they? ... According to a recent CDC study, a March petition from a group of prominent pediatricians, and years of warnings from doctors’ groups, colds medicines for kids not only don’t work, they are also not as harmless as the marketers will have you believe.

Smoothing the Transition Part IV: Managing Inheritance

2009-08-12T14:28:15-05:00

Gabrielle Clemens, the Divorce Lady, responds to a reader’s question about how Massachusetts courts disperse inheritance in a divorce settlement. Like all of the other legal and financial issues on which Clemens advises her clients, this one is complicated, based on many factors unique to the couple in question, and yet wholly manageable with the right counsel and planning.Dear Divorce Lady, Do you have an opinion on inheritances or know where I could find information on how Mass treats them? I inherited some money from my father that was intended for my personal “rainy day” use—contingency fund, including paying for my kids college education which is what I’m using it for. He wants half of it. I’m not happy. ~ C.K.

Smoothing the Transition Part VI: Estate Planning

2009-07-29T05:24:03-05:00

In Part 6 of her invaluable series on planning for divorce, financial advisor and attorney Gabrielle Clemens, “The Divorce Lady” counsels a reader on the intricate details of estate planning involving wills, health care proxies and powers of attorney.Dear Gabrielle, I am a resident of Massachusetts and filed for divorce for six months ago. A few years ago my husband and I had a comprehensive estate plan created by a local attorney, including Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, and reciprocal Wills. My draft divorce agreement states that after the divorce, I will not have any interest in or claim to my husband’s estate if he were to die and he has no interest or claim to my estate if I were to die. Do I need to change my estate planning documents? Pat, Concord, MA

La Primavera - the Night in Pictures

2009-06-25T04:21:38-05:00

Enormous thanks to everyone who made La Primavera, our fiesta and fashion show to benefit Room to Grow, a big success last week. From henna art to psychic readings, from District’s sexy space to Patron’s signature cocktails, from Sam Mendoza’s flaming hot dress to models dancing in Matsu and from the hot tunes spun by DJ Richie LaRue to the impossibly elaborate custom head ornaments created by PATCH NYC, La Primavera was a party like no other. We’ll let the video and pictures tell the story.Enormous thanks to everyone who made La Primavera, our fiesta and fashion show to benefit Room to Grow, a big success last week. From henna art to psychic readings, from District’s sexy space to Patron’s signature cocktails, from Sam Mendoza’s flaming hot dress to models dancing in Matsu, from the hot tunes spun by DJ Richie LaRue to the impossibly elaborate custom head ornaments created by PATCH NYC, La Primavera was a party like no other. We’ll let the video and pictures tell the story.