May I recommend
Fashionable footwear takes a back seat to an Ottawa winter. Effective treads against inches of ice; waterproof soles in the face of icy slush; thick lining to keep out the minus 20C temperatures - those are the things you care about.
Except… wouldn’t it be great to have all of that, plus look cute? I feel like I cracked it a couple of winters ago when I bought some adorable, minus 30C sneaker boots. They were very comfy for all of my walking, and did indeed look like a chic, urban sneaker while keeping me warm.
The fatal flaw of my adorbs boots, however was the ankle-to calf chasm. The snow drifts are deep near the mighty Ottawa River and once your perimeter has been breached by the white stuff, your foot will freeze no matter how functional your sneaker boots are.
The solution came from the far reaches of the 1980s, springing up somewhere from the depths of Flashdance, Jane Fonda’s aerobics and even Dorothy and Blanche on a particularly athletic day: Leg Warmers.
Leg warmers have a functional purpose! When you’re only ever wearing leggings because, Pandemic, the leg warmer is the perfect support for your cutesy bootsys! Huge bonus is that your probably don’t already own a selection of fun leg warmers so you now have a reason to go to Etsy and shop for these important necessities. Win Win Win.
If you’re male and reading this and thinking that it doesn’t apply to you. Get yourself a pair too! Let’s not let patriarchal norms deny you a snug ankle. Get cozy, fellas! Get leg warmers.
How do you feel about leg warmers? Leave a comment below!
Ruth Negga Will Star As Josephine Baker in a New Limited Series
Am very excited about this news. I did a ton of research on Baker for my forthcoming novel, THE HONEYBEE EMERALDS and she is a crazy interesting woman: grand-daughter of slaves, married at 14, international superstar, cheetah-owner, Resistance operative, Francophile, mother of 12 and died penniless, but don’t worry Princess Grace of Monaco paid for her funeral.
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a35493988/ruth-negga-josephine-baker-tv-series
My wardrobe is entirely sweatpants and leggings, but it might be time to transition to “joggers”
These aren’t sweatpants, they’re joggers
How do I know that my pants are not sweatpants but rather joggers? In sweatpants, I would be plunked on my bed like a blobfish, watching twelve episodes of “Younger” in a row and getting limited-edition caramel Oreo crumbs in my sheets. I, however, am wearing joggers—which means that I am still doing those things but could theoretically be going for a jog, instead
This hit the nostalgia centre in my brain
50 years later, ‘The Monster at the End of This Book’ is still selling — and inspiring authors
I hadn’t considered this book an “evolutionary step in children’s metafiction” - I just thought it was hilarious
And the book’s long tail of influence is out of proportion with its 24 pages and its cardboard cover devoid of medallions. It’s come to be regarded as an evolutionary step in children’s metafiction, nudging further the creation of stories that “demystify bookmaking for children and invite them to sort of get their hands dirty,” says children’s book historian Leonard Marcus.
This was just soothing
Mini Food Gateau au Chocolat
These two are truly delightful
Scenes from a marriage: Patinkin Style
I can attest, they are a wonderful social media follow:
For months, people have scrolled through Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to watch Grody and Patinkin debate, declaim, snuggle, bicker, horse around, play with their dog, Becky, obsess about politics and display their (lack of) knowledge about such topics as text-speak and the New York pizza rat. More recently, the world has followed along as they got their first doses of the vaccine (“one of the few benefits of being old,” Patinkin wrote).
Twitter



TikTok


The look of pure joy on his face when he turns around…
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Hi Amy. My fingers are totally crossed for the Howard Engel Award! You've gone for it; now may it go for you. On y va vers le sommet!
Nice newsletter, Amy. I suppose it is more healing to bawl your eyes out at a performance of 'Les Misérables' then doing the same thing upon watching or hearing or reading the daily news. One is cathartic; the other is just plain terrifying. Be well! May all the delectabilities (is there such a word?) of the winter solstice bestow themselves upon you and yours during the weeks to come.