Dear Readers,
One of my least favorite times in New York City is also among my most favorite. Every year, it gets so cold here** in January that people walk down the street with their hands jammed in their coat pockets. This means that almost noone is texting, reading, or Facetiming as they walk. That is very pleasant! They are still looking down to avoid the biting wind in their face but I still think it’s a big improvement.
A question: is there is actually a rise in Facetiming as the default mode of sidewalk communication? Or do I just clock the Facetimers because I hear a cacophony of conversational bullshit coming out of seemingly every phone I pass? On the subway, playing Instagram and TikTok video out loud also seems to be the norm now. It’s not just the background noise I don’t care for. Mostly, I am wondering how everyone is affording unlimited data.
In general, I am shocked at 2022 prices. Is this actual inflation? Is this fake inflation (which I believe in) where storekeepers and restaurateurs read a couple of “inflation” headlines and jack their prices up so that crap clothes, fancy clothes that are actually made crappily, crap food, fancy food that is actually mediocre-to-crappy, is all what I would think are 2042 prices? Or am I just always expecting 1992 prices and have to get a grip? I know at least one very senior, smart economist reads this publication. Please tell me what you think, AK.
I did not have a dry January nor did I have a New Year’s Resolution that involves weight loss, but for some reason I am eating and drinking (alcohol) less than I have in years. Will keep tabs on this but note: I do not believe I have body dysmorphia or risk of self-deprivation for negative reasons. I think I am just cold and bored of Covid and finally am not having to—even with shared responsibility— shop, cook and clean up from a bajillion meals a week and I am enjoying that! There is one more January week so maybe I will go for gluttony on all fronts to make up for the first three weeks.
Wherever and whatever your weather is, here are the cold, hard facts of everything there is to know about Politics, Pop Culture and everything in between— the essential list of the most important content about women.
If you subscribe, every Sunday morning The LZ Sunday Paper will show up in your inbox.
If you don’t, you can follow me for some fun and / or important things in between Sundays, mostly on (click here:) Instagram. As I previously shared, I rarely post on Facebook any more because I can barely find anything in the right place. I apologize to the many, many who I am sure wished me a Happy Birthday last week (thank you!!). And I did take a quick glance the day after. Am I correct that there seems to be a separate “Birthday Feed?” That might be a good idea because one specific place to celebrate everyone’s birthday seems like a better idea than one gigantic place to both celebrate someone’s birthday and crap all over them for a banal, petty, uninteresting opinion they shared or have that minor hoo-hah be served to you alongside an actually racist rant. Okay, now you see why I generally stay off social media.
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See you next week!
** Folks who live in super-cold places like Chicago, anywhere in The Great Plains, The Dakotas, Alaska or anywhere that is super cold: I do understand it is colder where you live than in New York, so you may not need to email me to tell me that. Maybe that’s why January in New York stinks—it just shouldn’t be this cold here, whereas if you live in Wyoming you might expect it…?
The Pic(k) of the Week, Local Edition:
For The First Time, Women Make Up Most Of The City Council via Curbed
POLITICS:
Is Ginni Thomas A Threat To The Supreme Court? via The New Yorker
How Abortion Has Changed Since 1973 via FiveThirtyEight
CAMPUS CLIMATE:
Men Accused Of Sexual Misconduct On Campuses Are Suing Over ‘Anti-Male Bias,’ and It’s Working via Jezebel
How A Teenager Got More Women Of Color Added To History Lessons In One Of The Country’s Largest School Systems via The Washington Post
HEALTH & WELLNESS:
’She Will Not Become Dull and Unattractive:’ The Charming History Of Menopause and HRT via The Guardian
PREGNANCY & PARENTING:
Janet Lansbury’s Gospel Of Less Anxious Parenting via The New Yorker
The Internet Is Failing Moms To Be via Wired
THE ARTS & POP CULTURE:
Maybe We Were Wrong About Mindy Kaling via Slate
Where Did Fitness Culture Come From? via The Cut
Girlpower Gets Sober via The Cut
Disability and (Lack Of) Style: Wearing Transition Lenses via Salty
Françoise Gilot: ‘It Girl’ at 100 via The New York Times
Who Is ‘West Elm Caleb’ and Why Do People On TikTok Care About Him? via The New York Post
SPORTS:
Keira D’Amato Breaks American Women’s Record At Houston Marathon via The Washington Post
OBITUARY:
Remembering Legend Lusia Harris, The Only Woman To Be Drafted By the NBA via NPR
Remembering The Quiet, Extraordinary Life Of Darlene Hard, U.S. Open Champ and USC Employee via The Los Angeles Times
AND WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT…?:
Exactly How Many Hats Does One Woman Need? via The Cut
