The Shoe Is The Prize

New Orleans is its own world, especially during Mardi Gras.  There’s a whole language spoken here most I’ve never encountered in my living and breathing across the country.

It light look like I have a very sassy, very high pink heel just sitting on my living room shelf.  A shoe, absent it’s pair.  It’s more than a shoe.  That pink, doughnut-decorated gem is a Muses Shoe.  The Muses Parade is one of the best parades of Mardi Gras.  All ladies, huge floats, lots of music and dancing in the street, and the coveted throw (or prize) from a float… the thing that everyone wants… is an intricately decorated shoe.  Each Muse on a float only decorates a limited number of shoes to throw, so they’re coveted.  This shoe feels extra special to be me because it was the first Muses shoe made by my friend Jessica, it has doughnuts on it, and it’s mine.

I think the rest of yous are doing Super Bowl things.  That makes sense.  We’re catching beads and eating crawfish and acting live we live on another planet because we do.

Other things are happening besides shoes and plastic beads.  I’m sure of it.

The Internet according to what I think is interesting:

•  What to Expect When You’re Expecting The Collapse of Society As We Know It.  You know.  No biggie.  This article is not meant to scare you.  It is meant to inspire you to buy more toilet paper at Costco.

•  This interview with news anchor Rachel Maddow is fantastic.  On politics, succinct with opinions.

•  Trees Have a Social Network Too.  Yea but do they have that cool little Facebook video that debuted this week showing photos of all your friends and the exciting things you did together? I didn’t think so.  We win, trees.  One point for humans.

•  Six Degrees of Separation?  No longer.  Thanks to Facebook we’re down to 3.57 degrees of separation.  That has such a nice ring to it.

•  Louis CK and an exercise in ‘Don’t talk about it; be about it’ released a new show without telling anyone.  Horace and Pete can be found here.

•  I barely know what’s going on with the Super Bowl except that it’s happening today and there are bound to be a lot of whistle blows and crash sounds because that’s really all football is anyway.  Football, expensive commercials, over the top halftime shows aside, there is one important Super Bowl moment to remember and it has everything to do with Whitney Houston.  Thank you Whitney.  Also, watch the video and remember how George Bush Sr pronounced Saddam (as in Hussein).  Yup.  Remember that?

•  Could there ever be another OJ Simpson?  Please no.  Please no.  Please no.

•  This week I was introduced to the disgusting world of the ‘manosphere’.  You should see the snarl on my face as I type that word.  Inside the ‘manosphere’ you’ll find douche canoes like Roosh V (recently defending himself against claims that he tried to organize ‘pro rape rallies’ because YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME), and these two Asheville coffee shop dudes who ran a secret twitter and podcast (a PODCAST!) about their misogynistic atrocities and sexual exploits with so much garbage and judgement that I am honestly…. I don’t even know.  Is this what’s real?

•  Either this Venice Beach Juice Bar owner is moving to Mars, or I am.  I’m just not sure we can exist on the same planet.  I’ve got my bags packed (especially in light of the men mentioned above).  How Hollywood’s Favorite Juice Bar Owner Eats Every Day.  I want to roll my eyes, but I feel like they won’t even go back into my head far enough.

•  Similarly:  For Millennial Men, Gray Hair Is Welcome.  I mean…  Ladies.  No more hair color or stupid Botox.  If men get to welcome signs of aging, so do we.  My eyes hurt from so much rolling and rage.  Is this normal?

•  Thank goodness for new BEY.  Thank you Beyonce.  We need you.  Never let us go.

•  I Let my Grandma Pick Out My Outfits For A Week.  My grandma would have me in coral lipstick and big pearl earrings, I just know it.

•  How to make homemade conversation hearts.  Thank you Food52!  How are we going to get Drake lyrics on conversation hearts.  We’re gonna need a bigger heart.

•  Dinner this week:  Turkey and Bacon Meatloaf.

•  I don’t wear very much makeup, so when it comes time to actually put makeup on my face I need a lot of proverbial hand holding.  I like this Real Life to Red Carpet Eye Tutorial Kit, although it’s more Real Life to Real Life With A Little Makeup (aka dinner out with other humans).

•  A book I was generously gifted this week:  Brene Brown’s Rising Strong.  Which has me thinking, are you going to read Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book Big Magic?

I wish you well this Sunday!

xo Joy

(I’m still mad about the manosphere.)  (Still.) (I had to read this to help.)