PicoBlog

My having asked the marvelous Deepak Chopra for some advice, he told me this: “Every moment you’re making a choice: either you’re chosen by your karma, or you’re choosing your dharma.” Wow. Brick to forehead moment. I knew what he meant of course, but hearing him say it brought it home. Our karma is the collection of stories, circumstances, details, and others items that constantly assault us, mentally drain us, and keep us bound to the past.

What mums wear is a new series that takes a deep dive into what we wear, our relationship with fashion and how it evolves throughout motherhood, just as we do. We ask our most stylish mum friends their best tips on what to wear and what they consider when getting dressed each day. "Truly hideous" is how Kate's husband Banjo describes her beloved white Maison Margiela Tabis — a shoe staple for many a fashionable woman but a known man repeller among the mere moral male population.

I struggled endlessly to decide what to write about for this post. I started and deleted about 5 different newsletters. As December hits, I find myself in a bit of a head fog, a bit of a daze. I feel burnt out. Burnt out on how to write, how to stack, how to do online talk, how to plot, how to draw - I hate every new doodle I start. I'm absolutely fried…

“No one knows pie like Kate McDermott. Called a “pie guru” by Sunset magazine and the “pie-making queen” by Chowhound, Kate’s name has become synonymous with the practice of home-baking pies infused with care and confidence. [Hear Kate on Episode 96 of Salt + Spine—part of our 2021 Pie Week.]” ncG1vNJzZmijkamyrq%2FDnqmmp6Spe7TBwayrmpubY7CwuY4%3D

Welcome to the first issue of the brand-new version of the Gossip Reading Club! Expect more of the same with a better layout and a more Google-friendly format. I get asked a lot if I would like to write a celebrity profile one day. It’s certainly something I’ve thought about as a full-time pop culture writer who spends a lot of time discussing the format. I don’t really do a lot of interviews or traditional junket-style stuff for my job.

UPDATE: On the afternoon of March 22, Princess Catherine announced that she is undergoing treatment for cancer. Our thoughts are with her and her family, and we wish her a swift recovery. This discussion primarily focuses on what the public reactions to her stepping back from public life say about the culture / the role of the royal family. Nearly three months after the last official appearance of Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and following approximately 17 waves of fevered speculation about the cause of her unusually long absence from the public eye, we decided it was time to dedicate an episode to KateGate.

On Saturday, William and Kate visited the Windsor Farm Shop, a bit of a permanent farmer’s market situated just at the edge of Windsor Home Park—just about a mile from Adelaide Cottage. Initially, the news spread that they had been seen there, which was great to hear all by itself. Then on Monday, the the Sun and TMZ ran pictures and video of a dressed down William and Kate leaving the store.

Kate Flannery’s memoir of her time working at American Apparel in the early 2000s, Strip Tees, was one of my most anticipated titles of the year — and I’m happy to report it was even better than I hoped. For those who need a reminder, American Apparel was one of the It Brands of the early aughts, filling a gap left by the fading Abercrombie & Fitch. It was known for its racy photoshoots and wild CEO Dov Charney, who was forced out in 2014 after facing a series of sexual harassment lawsuits.

I was shocked by the length of the hospital stay, who does that, unless they are in critical condition?? Hospitals in the US try to chuck out patients as soon as possible, because hospitals are dangerous places to be. And for Kate, being who she is, if she needed specialized care for her recovery, they could certainly send doctors, nurses and equipment to her home, where she could recover comfortably and safely.