Althouse: It's January and snowing in Wisconsin, and you want to go out to a café

January 29, 2018

It's January and snowing in Wisconsin, and you want to go out to a café — what do you wear on your feet?

77 comments:

Connie said...: In response to this, like so many other things, all one need say is "Madison."; 1/29/18, 10:26 AM
Expat(ish) said...: That is something my boys would do, but in shorts. My daughter is smarter.

-XC; 1/29/18, 10:26 AM
Kevin said...: I pictured two badgers.; 1/29/18, 10:31 AM
YoungHegelian said...: Does this sort of "toe to toe" bravado just go along with being a (male) sandal wearer in general?

It's not like the hazards disappear in the summertime for sandal wearers. I remember the time my brother walked through the clover in a park & got an enraged honeybee stuck between his toes.; 1/29/18, 10:32 AM
JohnAnnArbor said...: There's always "that guy" who goes running in shorts in weather like this. I'm guessing this is "that guy."; 1/29/18, 10:33 AM
rehajm said...: If you wear your socks with them, the socks stay wet. Duh.; 1/29/18, 10:33 AM
Big Mike said...: Trump would nickname your city "Crazy Madison." And he'd be right.; 1/29/18, 10:33 AM
tcrosse said...: One Christmas my next-door neighbor in St Paul got a visit from her show-biz brother who lives in LA. He showed up with his show-biz girlfriend, who was walking up the snowy, icy driveway in her strappy, stiletto-heeled LA fuck-me shoes. It was a treat to watch.; 1/29/18, 10:38 AM
Paddy O said...: This is the Midwest version of Californians wearing heavy winter coats in 60 degree weather.

People want the fashion, whether or not it's climate appropriate.; 1/29/18, 10:44 AM
gilbar said...: "If you wear your socks with them, the socks stay wet. Duh."

that's what I was thinking; even if you wore regular shoes; you'd still have wet socks (unless your regular shoes are boots).; 1/29/18, 10:46 AM
LincolnTf said...: Birken-Signaling.; 1/29/18, 10:47 AM
Leland said...: It's like the shorts of shoes.; 1/29/18, 10:49 AM
Etienne said...: I always smile when people get on an airplane in tropic clothes and fly over the Rockies.

What if the plane goes down, and you survive the crash? That's right, the vultures eat you anyway.

These things clutter my mind...; 1/29/18, 10:52 AM
gspencer said...: Not quite bare feet. Just un-socked feet. That's nothin'.

I knew they were tough in Wisconsin ever since I saw pictures of bare-chested, but usually overweight, Packers fans (males only) cheering on their team despite the temps. In fact the colder it got, more of these fans appeared.; 1/29/18, 10:58 AM
MadisonMan said...: That looks like one of my son's friends.; 1/29/18, 10:58 AM
Comanche Voter said...: Sandals in the snow? That must be one of the Norwegians that Trump would like to have come live in the States! Those Norskies are tough!; 1/29/18, 11:03 AM
Curious George said...: I don't think I've been to the grocery store yet without seeing one shopper in shorts. Now much of the winter has been crazy warm...50's last Saturday. But we've also had frigid weather.

BTW, Wiscos shouldn't wear shorts in winter. I mean the white is blinding.; 1/29/18, 11:05 AM
chickelit said...: Californication.

Is Madison a Sanctuary City?; 1/29/18, 11:10 AM
hawkeyedjb said...: "This is the Midwest version of Californians wearing heavy winter coats in 60 degree weather. "

You should have seen the parkas & scarfs on the pathway behind our house in Phoenix this weekend. Winter had returned for a couple of days - it actually reached down into the low 40s at night. It's the opposite of Fargo, where I've spent a lot of time. There, anything above 30 is considered polo-shirt weather.; 1/29/18, 11:15 AM
madAsHell said...: My daughter traveled to southern Spain with only a pair of flip-flops. A huge snow storm interrupted her trip home, and KLM sent her from Cadiz to Copenhagen. The snow on the ground, and her flip-flops made her a prisoner in the hotel.

When she returned, we had a long talk about......Be Prepared.; 1/29/18, 11:18 AM
Jersey Fled said...: I can't stand to see men's ugly feet in sandals, regardless of the time of year.; 1/29/18, 11:50 AM
Expat(ish) said...: Wait, that's a dude?

-XC; 1/29/18, 11:55 AM
Michael K said...: FBI deputy Director McCabe is leaving one jump ahead pf the memo.

The tenpins are wobbling.; 1/29/18, 11:55 AM
California Snow said...: I'm in Phoenix and when the weather goes below 70 I'm reaching for the jacket. I am weak. I admit it.; 1/29/18, 12:01 PM
Bilwick said...: I always think that the sandals-and-shorts-in-winter
people are probably the same people who wear wool hats when it's 90+ degrees in summer. I don't know what started the latter trend among the doofus crowd; but I remember noticing the former trend among the frat boy and frat-boy-turned-yuppie crowd when the movie "300" was out and a big hit in theaters. I figured it was supposed to make some kind of high-testosterone "I'm Spartan tough!" statement. What kind of statement "Barabbas" in the coffee shop was making I have no idea, but I like that term "Birken-signalling," Lincolntf.

And yes, I stole the Barabbas reference from the late Richard Jeni's classic airplane bit, in which he's sitting next to a guy with sandals and he sarcastically calls the guy "Barabbas." Worth looking for on YouTube.; 1/29/18, 12:14 PM
walter said...: Blogger Expat(ish) said... Wait, that's a dude?
--
I think it's "Pat".; 1/29/18, 12:21 PM
Drago said...: Michael K: "FBI deputy Director McCabe is leaving one jump ahead pf the memo.

The tenpins are wobbling"

LLR Chuck hardest hit.; 1/29/18, 12:28 PM
Anonymous said...: I've run in the snow wearing shorts. It was called 'Army basic training'. Rests were nice because we could cool down.

I've hiked all over the alps wearing knee-length corduroy "knickerbockers", including the glaciers in the Dolomites. Legs were always plenty warm.

It seems to me that the secret to being warm is to keep your neck and head warm, primarily.; 1/29/18, 12:30 PM
Humperdink said...: ... The tenpins are wobbling"

The way McCabe has kept a low (very low) profile since the Strzok/Page texts have been released, maybe they should be called duckpins.; 1/29/18, 12:32 PM
Shawn Levasseur said...: "There's always "that guy" who goes running in shorts in weather like this."

But at least he's running, involved in a physical activity that counters the cold (and likely has his feet in actual shoes).

It doesn't look like that guy in the photo is about to be exercising.; 1/29/18, 12:41 PM
Tank said...: Running in the snow is very peaceful, zen like. I've done it once or twice in shorts. Shorts, sweatshirt, hat, light gloves.; 1/29/18, 12:43 PM
Drago said...: Humperdink: "The way McCabe has kept a low (very low) profile since the Strzok/Page texts have been released, maybe they should be called duckpins."

And of course the rumors are swirling that it was Rod Rosenstein himself who signed on to allow the unvetted Hillary/Fusion/Steele/Deep State be used to extend spying of Trump and all associates in April of 2017, 3 months AFTER Trump assumes office.

It's the same 5 to 10 DOJ/FBI names for every Clinton scandal going back 20 years and every deep state spying on Trump episode.

And with the leaks which showed McCabe initiated and then manipulated a conversation with Priebus which was then leaked to all the usual suspects in LLR Chuck's beloved lefty MSM, it is no wonder that Wray had to move today.

BTW, Wray read the 4 page memo yesterday.

And this is what happens today.

But its all so very very innocent.

This is precisely the kind of embarassing event for the dems/MSM/Left that usually motivates LLR Chuck to go find some weird 40 year old radio interview Trump gave or possibly attack Melania or their child.; 1/29/18, 12:47 PM
RichardJohnson said...: William Chadwick
I always think that the sandals-and-shorts-in-winter
people are probably the same people who wear wool hats when it's 90+ degrees in summer.

When I was hitching through the California desert in Barstow,where the temperature was probably above 100, I imitated the Arabs. I put on a wool sweater. I found it rather comfortable. Though in my time in Texas, I haven't tried that.; 1/29/18, 12:49 PM
Achilles said...: Michael K said...
“FBI deputy Director McCabe is leaving one jump ahead pf the memo.

The tenpins are wobbling“

They also “lost” his texts too.

Unexpectedly.; 1/29/18, 12:50 PM
Achilles said...: I am wearing minimalist hiking shoes. They aren’t the best in rain but my feet don’t sweat when I am inside. It decided to rain today in Seattle. Unexpectedly. I just bought rain guards for my bike off your portal. They are nice.

Priorities.; 1/29/18, 12:54 PM
walter said...: When you get an awesome pedi, gotta flaunt it.; 1/29/18, 1:01 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Now is the winter of our discontent...; 1/29/18, 1:14 PM
tonyg said...: It's a look. Much like wearing shorts in the in winter, man buns, or lumber jack hair cuts. Expressing your individuality by copying a popular (at the moment) look. Very sad. I much prefer what I have, which people tell me is a non-look.; 1/29/18, 1:20 PM
Humperdink said...: I caught a wee bit of Horny Joe this morning. It appears he admitted the Fake Dossier (is there anything the Commie-Pinko Dems touch that isn't fake?) was part of the Fake FISA request, but only a small part. He then mentioned the drunk Papadopadopadopadopalous Fake statement as a reason.

Watching body language of Horny Joe the morning leads me to believe that he is truly unfit for his role. He has gone the way of Tingle Leg, only worse.; 1/29/18, 1:24 PM
readering said...: Reminds me of a scene from season 3 of Fargo.; 1/29/18, 1:29 PM
buwaya said...: These are appropriate if one wants to look like a French officer seconded to a Berber Compagnie Saharienne. But the rest of the costume should accompany the footwear.; 1/29/18, 1:54 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: McCabe steps down.

That's right baby, the full Chicago way is in play. Paraphrasing Sean Connery in "The Untouchables"- They send one of ours to the hospital, we send one of theirs to the morgue.

The tougher question is who is Eliot Ness in this drama and who is Al Capone?; 1/29/18, 1:55 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Drago said...
Humperdink: "The way McCabe has kept a low (very low) profile since the Strzok/Page texts have been released, maybe they should be called duckpins."

And of course the rumors are swirling that it was Rod Rosenstein himself who signed on to allow the unvetted Hillary/Fusion/Steele/Deep State be used to extend spying of Trump and all associates in April of 2017, 3 months AFTER Trump assumes office.

It's the same 5 to 10 DOJ/FBI names for every Clinton scandal going back 20 years and every deep state spying on Trump episode.

And with the leaks which showed McCabe initiated and then manipulated a conversation with Priebus which was then leaked to all the usual suspects in LLR Chuck's beloved lefty MSM, it is no wonder that Wray had to move today.

BTW, Wray read the 4 page memo yesterday.

And this is what happens today.

Drago-what? Links please?; 1/29/18, 2:00 PM
FIDO said...: I always smile when people get on an airplane in tropic clothes and fly over the Rockies.

What if the plane goes down, and you survive the crash? That's right, the vultures eat you anyway.

Not so much about airplanes, but I always tell my kids to dress as if they might have to walk away from their car a long way.

They don't always listen but at least I said it.; 1/29/18, 2:01 PM
FIDO said...: It's the same 5 to 10 DOJ/FBI names for every Clinton scandal going back 20 years and every deep state spying on Trump episode.

It would be interesting what would happen if the DOJ offers Witness Protection to these 5-10 Clintonistas. After all, we all have seen a few distressing bodies show up when someone offends Hillary.

Just one needs to flip. Hillary is probably not sleeping very well.; 1/29/18, 2:04 PM
Anonymous said...: I have been beaten to comments on Wray. I will say that his ouster is long overdue. He is clearly a key cog in the leaks. I hope it's bad enough that he faces charges.

I am waiting for a rather large rock to fall on Rosenstein.; 1/29/18, 2:07 PM
Drago said...: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/us/politics/rod-rosenstein-carter-page-secret-memo.html?smid=tw-share&mtrref=theconservativetreehouse.com&gwh=4E22729BD2CF415AA632AFAFDAB50BDA&gwt=pay

snip1: "WASHINGTON — A secret, highly contentious Republican memo reveals that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein approved an application to extend surveillance of a former Trump campaign associate shortly after taking office last spring, according to three people familiar with it.

snip 2: "The memo’s primary contention is that F.B.I. and Justice Department officials failed to adequately explain to an intelligence court judge in initially seeking a warrant for surveillance of Mr. Page that they were relying in part on research by an investigator, Christopher Steele, that had been financed by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign."

Rod Rosenstein, good pal of Comey and Mueller, is the only guy on the inside of the Trump admin "running" things at DOJ, and he has been one of the "gang" all along. He willingly played along with the unvetted, zero-factual basis hoax dossier.

The question becomes did these 3 and others have this all worked out long before Trump was even sworn in?

If you are wondering now why there was an absolute freakout by the dems and the obama holdovers at Justice to force Sessions to recuse after that nonsensical non-question question by Franken, well, I think it's possible we are seeing why that was.; 1/29/18, 2:12 PM
FIDO said...: If I were Trump, I would be leaning on the NSA to do some Text Retrieval; 1/29/18, 2:12 PM
Assistant Village Idiot said...: "Snowing" is not a big deal. "Loose snow on the ground higher than 1 inch" is the issue.
Goffstown, NH; 1/29/18, 2:12 PM
rhhardin said...: Drudge's Human-Chimpanzee Hybrid Born in Florida story is above a picture of Michelle Obama looking a lot like a human-chimpanzee hybrid.; 1/29/18, 2:19 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: I am worried that the Human-Chimp hybrids might form an Army to take over the planet. Don't laugh - that's what happened to Charlton Heston in this important documentary I once saw.

I think the FBI should staff a special, crack task force to subvert the rise of the Human-Chimp hybrids. McCabe, Strzok, Page, Baker, Rosenstein, Comey, would do fine jobs in that capacity.; 1/29/18, 2:26 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: I am in Portland, Oregon today. I don't know if it's a Sanctuary City, but it should be. An influx of disheveled, illiterate, unskilled, beer-drinking, blue collar workers, would be an upgrade here - and that's just the women:); 1/29/18, 2:33 PM
Marcus Carman said...: Wisconsin, like everywhere, has no shortage of stupid people.; 1/29/18, 2:41 PM
Jaq said...: I liked wearing Crocs with no socks through the ice and snow to the hot tub, you can wear them right in.; 1/29/18, 2:42 PM
wwww said...: really? someone wore sandals in the snow in January? I hope it was during a warm spell.; 1/29/18, 2:49 PM
Fabi said...: Today is the beginning of the end of the so-called "Russia Scandal". It also marks the beginning of the "Obama/Clinton/FBI/DoJ Scandal", although a catchier name is indicated.; 1/29/18, 2:58 PM
Bilwick said...: "William Chadwick
I always think that the sandals-and-shorts-in-winter
people are probably the same people who wear wool hats when it's 90+ degrees in summer.

"When I was hitching through the California desert in Barstow,where the temperature was probably above 100, I imitated the Arabs. I put on a wool sweater. I found it rather comfortable. Though in my time in Texas, I haven't tried that."

The first guy I saw with the wool hat summer was some Eurotrash guy who was staying (probably off lease) in the apartment next door, on an oppressively hot summer day. He used to stand right outside my apartment to talk on his cell phone. Instead of "going Arab," as you did, he was wearing next to nothing: a barely-there tank top that seemed to have no purpose, and teeny short shorts. Also sandals. I guess I was lucky he wasn't wearing Borat's infamous banana hammock (although that might have been more modest). What I remember most is that sweat was pouring off his body. Maybe he would have been more comfortable wearing Arab costume. The wool cap did seem bizarre under that circumstances.; 1/29/18, 3:26 PM
Big Mike said...: @Fabi, hope you're right. You know, if the Dumbocrats had left it all alone, and not invented the "Russia, Russia, Russia" story out of whole cloth, Strzok and Page and Rosenstein and McCabe and Comey and Mueller probably would have gotten away with everything. Now there's a better than 50-50 chance that at least some of them will be doing a perp walk. Clinton and Obama will skate, of course, the latter because it would be too embarrassing to put a former president on trial and the former because she always skates.; 1/29/18, 3:28 PM
MadisonMan said...: @William Chadwick, my assumption would have been he's going bald.; 1/29/18, 3:29 PM
MadisonMan said...: Big Mike, you know very well that Russia Russia Russia had to be created because Clinton is never responsible for failure. First it was the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, and now it's the vast Left-Wing one, I guess, if you consider Russia left-wing.

Sunshine is the best disinfectant. I'm uncomfortable commenting further on unsourced Journalism results that the NYTimes loves.; 1/29/18, 3:31 PM
stevew said...: Total virtue signaler - sandals are usually a nice indicator of 'tough guy', but he betrays that he's really a pansy with that quilted jacket.

-sw; 1/29/18, 3:38 PM
Hagar said...: I think it is a flat-chested woman.

It took me a while this morning to realize that the picture of Hillary! reading from "Fire and Fury" is not a photoshop.

I think these people may well drive "The Onion" out of business.; 1/29/18, 3:46 PM
tcrosse said...: The small, hairless hands and feet, the stupid highwater pants, and the color-coordinated shirt and jacket suggest it's a woman.; 1/29/18, 3:51 PM
LincolnTf said...: SwampGate; 1/29/18, 3:52 PM
stevew said...: Well, I stand corrected, female it is, wise ass commentary retracted.

-sw; 1/29/18, 4:01 PM
Tommy Duncan said...: Capri pants. Very Madison male.; 1/29/18, 4:12 PM
FIDO said...: Well, they aren't actually Capri pants. They are clearly folded up. Further, the sandals are black with male style straps. Not a hint of decoration or color. There is some kind of leather bracelet, which means little. The cut and buttoning of the shirt seems like a male shirt. A woman's shirt would have a different collar and some 'swoop' to it to accommodate the assumption of a bosom. Here it is a pure straight male cut.

The straight back and the width of the shoulders also says 'man' to me. Women of that poor amount of muscle mass tend to have much more slumped shoulders. Men tend to have better posture, statistically. Normally, even the flattest of girls tends to have some 'boost' to the bust or even some nubs of nipples. This is flat flat flat. And as noted, a broad upper chest.

The hands seem rather large for a woman, with no discernable nails, though soft and pretty. I didn't see any indication of a purse, but there was a suggestion of a computer pack.

Final point: women don't do macho stupid things like that. 'Toughness' isn't a virtue in a woman.

I'd say it's 75% likely to be Homo Liberalis Intelligentsia Pompositous; 1/29/18, 4:30 PM
FIDO said...: Excuse me. The male version of the species.; 1/29/18, 4:31 PM
MadisonMan said...: the stupid highwater pants

The cuffs on the pants are rolled up. The legs are hairy. That is a guy.; 1/29/18, 4:32 PM
stevew said...: OMG, correct, male of the species! Wise ass commentary reinstated!

-sw; 1/29/18, 4:51 PM
tcrosse said...: Althouse could probably resolve this. For now we could agree that it's a Person of Indeterminate Gender.; 1/29/18, 5:07 PM
rhhardin said...: Drudge has moved the Michelle pic a couple of stories away from the human-chimpanzee story now. Apparently not intentional.; 1/29/18, 5:36 PM
stevew said...: True tcrosse. Can we also agree that said Person of Indeterminate Gender is a total poseur?

* Hipster sandals in snowy, winter conditions
* Rolled up, khaki colored pants, possibly chorduroys
* Casual and brightly colored lightweight shirt or blouse
* Quilted teal winter jacket

This cat is too hip and tightly coiffed by half. I, obviously, am quite catty myself.

-sw; 1/29/18, 5:38 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Kind of a voyeuristic type of a picture to take. Especially for a retired woman. I'm guessing the subject is grad-school age. Lolita was not a lesbian.; 1/29/18, 5:55 PM
BAS said...: Makes sense if you don't have waterproof shoes. The shoes and feet will dry quicker once inside. I'm assuming the person went from car to cafe and will go back again.
Also perhaps the person is from a warm climate and is just getting used to being in the snow.; 1/29/18, 6:05 PM
FIDO said...: I have seen girls wear short skirts in the snow because they wanted to make a visual impact (and my thanks go out to you, ladies)

I have never seen a woman wear cargo shorts in the snow or sandals in the snow (though heels, yes, for the same reason as the skirt: visuals). MEN wear shorts in the snow just so they can smugly assert that 'my legs don't get cold'. I've met these type of jackasses.

Women, when asked about the skirt, tell me about freezing various portions of their anatomy which I put down to TMI. Vanity yes. Bravado, no.; 1/29/18, 9:51 PM
gadfly said...: I spent the last seven years of my full-time job in a large regional covered mall. Two things stood out- no coat, no boots. Regardless of ugly winter weather, cold, snow, freezing and slippery walks - teenagers walked from their cars through all the crappy weather with no coat and the females often wore only flip-flops.

My house is next to a large high school and students wearing winter gear make up only about 50% of the walkers. Where do the parents find enough sand to bury their heads in?; 1/30/18, 12:54 AM