P R O S E

“Think of it a little like the North Pole paying a visit to your neighbourhood” said the CBC when I googled the term “polar vortex”. It reminds me of the outlandish term for lots of rain, the “atmospheric river’s” of the West Coast. I have always wanted to visit the arctic! I love hearing the murmurs of it around the city, my how we love to talk about the weather. I certainly do! Folks say “I don’t remember it ever being this cold here” and I don’t believe them at all. To me, one must accept that Ontario just becomes a cold place in the winter. I try not to feel downtrodden when I realize the 61cm (that’s two standard rulers folks) of snow that fell a few weeks ago is here to stay for awhile, and there is more coming. But the moments of sunshine among the -10’s & 20’s are basked in with sheer joy. Apricity, the word for such an activity, enjoying the warmth of the winter sun.

The last nice sunny day brought with it very polluted air conditions and warnings to stay indoors. Sigh. I was sure to bring my my Granny’s fur coat out to live for this cold winter. She bought as a treat for herself in the last 6 months of her life. It has brought so much warmth, softness, and comfort on the bitter cold days. Granny would be proud! I dress head to toe in warmth, no such thing as bad weather they say - my avocado green mittens and ash grey toque from an Alpaca farm just outside the city, wool lines my leather calf length boots, and long johns always under pants if I must leave the house. The full face scarf has become a must, for my face will stay beet red for hours after too much chill. We’re out of the coldest of it, and anything above zero feels like a treat. But winter will linger long past the blooms that are happening on the west coast.

Any excuse to stay home and live in a sweatsuit is alright with me! I’m grateful for a day job that keeps me moving and well fed. I’m about to finish my 5th book of the year, and aspiring to continue my social media diet this month. I am seeking connection in alternate places and have recently joined a little club called “The Sunday Letter Project”. I pull myself away from the news a little easier now, for life on the other side of the screen is quite rewarding. The cold icy weather turns me into a little bear in my cozy den with plants, food, books, and musical instruments. I look forward to emerging from the winter blues, but at the same time I am happy for the downtime. Thank you for reading and I hope you’re doing well out there. In the words of my dear friend “Winter is going through it’s death rattle. It’s almost done!” I don’t believe him at all.

If you would like to be on my Sunday Letter Project list -
please shoot me your mailing address :)

S H O W S + S O N G S

03.11 w/ Kyle Sullivan @The Sauce on Danforth Toronto, ON
03.28 @ Kaffe 1870 Wakefield, QC
03.29 w/ The Sunday Night Revue @ Irene’s, Ottawa, ON

05.11 w/ John Borra @ The Communist’s Daughter, Toronto, ON

F E A T U R E D   F R I E N D 

KYLE SULLIVAN

Where are you? What’d you have for breakfast? And what are you up to today?

Home! Breakfast sandwich with eggs, avocado and cheddar cheese. No joke, heading to Chalk Lake Springs to refill my water jugs with spring water. And going to check out a fishing store in Oshawa.

What three things in your life are you most grateful for right now?

Friends, health and cheap rent!

What have you got on the go artistically at the moment?

Playing lots of gigs with various artists. I host a weekly gig every Wednesday at Sauce on the Danforth where we feature different artists every week.

If I passed you an instrument, what song would you play us right now?

Alone Together, Naturally- Gilbert O’Sullivan (no relation.. that I know of!)

What’s been on repeat on your record player/streamer/tape deck/CD player/ et al.?

Yussef Dayes & Venna - album is MALIK

If we want to find your work, where can we go?

Check out anything by Jerry Leger. He’s an artist I’ve been playing with for over 20 years. Also, you can follow me on Instagram. I post all my weekly gigs there.

M U S I C

G O O D   O C E A N   N E W S

‘Symphony of the sea’: Big, barking, bellowing sea lions back in Howe Sound

“So if [people are] annoyed, it’s because of those California sea lions, it’s the Americans here barking, barking, barking,” Trites said. “We don’t know why they do it. They can’t help themselves.”

R E A D I N G
on the nightstand

“Capitalism also attempts to overcome our ‘natural state’ by breaking the barriers of nature and by lengthening the working day beyond the limits set by the sun, the seasonal cycles, and the body itself, as constituted in pre-industrial society.”

- Silvia Federici, Caliban and the Witch

“The cell is basically an ocean capsule. A preserved primordial capsule, holding the original marine environment inside. This is . . . this is just beyond incredible, isn’t it? I mean, you could describe us as both people, and as mobile assemblages of ocean. I am not ready to get over this.”
― Martin MacInnes, In Ascension

S A S S T R O L O G Y 
with s.o. & s.f.

The signs as suspicious fridge items in the back of the fridge…

Aquarius - over(ten)night oats

Pisces - 4 year aged home made magic mushroom capsules

Aries - Gochujang from Korean take out two weeks ago

Taurus - bacon fat collection in a repurposed honey jar

Gemini - Expired beauty products from Winners

Cancer - %50 of coconut shrimp w/sauce (best before today)

Leo - Mouldy parmigiano reggiano rinds

Virgo - wet dino kale (organic)

Libra - the other nights teriyaki chicken bones loosely wrapped in parchment

Scorpio - soggy celery

Sagittarius - plain spaghetti noodles cooked for that dinner the other week

Capricorn - 3 jars of chicken stock made a month ago from old bones in the freezer

Stay Tuned In

&

Turned On

x.o.
Love
S.O.