-Distraction Coping + Cartoon Shoes

Hello, friends!

This month was a doozy. Though my kids don’t go to Covenant, the school is a mile from our house and the shooting affected our entire community. Every night before he tucks in with his Corduroy teddy bear, my 9-year-old asks if I made sure to lock all the doors in case a murderer breaks into the house. That one gets me right in the guts. 

I think we could all use some reassurance right now. So, in the spirit of distraction coping, I’ve loaded this Sunday’s post with links that lifted my spirits. And please, by all means, if you have any to add let us know in the comments!

Xo,

Toby

• Yay or nay to these airbubble shoes? Speaking of lifting my spirits, they’ll bring me to a whopping 5 ‘4 this summer but I also wonder if they’ll make me look like I have cartoon feet. (Ssense)

• And speaking of fashion camaraderie, here’s Joy’s spring uniform + Doree Shafrir’s new advice column on what the heck we should all be wearing right now. (Joy the Baker, Substack)

• This convo with Janelle James is one of the most quote-worthy celebrity interviews I’ve read in a long while. I almost cut and pasted the whole thing for you. (Variety)

• A good reminder to take care of your future self. (Twitter)

• OK I thought I was done subscribing to newsletters because my inbox is stuffed, but then I found Laura Lippman’s and Stephanie Danler’s and—well—now I’m looking forward to checking my email again. (Substack)

• Someone (sorry, can’t find it!) tweeted, “Every year Jeff Weiss goes to Coachella and turns into Joan Didion.” Accurate. (The Ringer) 

• Trina’s Tiny Desk Concert is the best possible way to start your day. (YouTube)

• There was so much TV to consume this month (what’s new?) and here’s a rundown of what I enjoyed: Unstable, an immediately forgettable series with Rob Lowe and his son being cute + dumb; Beef, though not at all lighthearted, was deeply moving; the new season of Barry, if only for Noho Frank’s outfits; Pretty Baby, which will give you a newfound respect for Brooke Shields; and the Jason Isbell’s Music Box episode, swoon. (Netflix, HBOmax, Hulu)

• And you can bet I’ll be watching the Judy Blume documentary this weekend. Plus, there’s also Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. We are experiencing a wealth of Blume.  (Amazon Prime + Theaters)

• My secret to reading a lot is to stash books everywhere. My current car book is You Could Make This Place Beautiful, the new memoir from poet Maggie Smith. It’s so perfect to dip into when I’m early for appointments or just need to take a few minutes to soak up one of her exquisite sentences. (Bookshop.org)

• I can’t wait to make Joy’s Spring Strawberry Salad with Cucumber and Feta next week. Think I’ll serve it with a loaf of garlic bread or a side of buttery rigatoni in case my little food critics (aka kids) rebel against the feta cheese. (Joy the Baker)

• “Watching the 16-year-old, I couldn’t help but recognize in her the same hammy, poor-little-rich-girl magnetism that courses through her mother’s work.” Ariella Garmaise on the similarities between Romy Mars’s TikTok fiasca and “Life Without Zöe,” which I’m adding to my watchlist. (LA Review of Books)

• These pictures of Apo Whang-Od are captivating and I thoroughly endorse the campaign to raise her to a National Living Treasure. (VOGUE)

• Here’s a modern day fairytale we can all get behind: A Midwestern mom accidentally killed it on Candy Crush and became one of the most successful esports athletes in the entire country. (Kotaku)

• And, finally, fellow lit nerds will love the Dracula Daily, which is starting up again in a couple of weeks. (Substack)