6.7 "send selfie"
monthly musings from a Siren in the City
P R O S E
My Dear Readers,
Greetings from a sea of snot rags (as my dad would call them). I have fortunately have found my way back the surface after a day of solid rest. Many wonderful things have happened since I last wrote, and though I was in a wallow with this cold the last few days, I realize I have some lovely updates for you.
On my way home in a hired car last night, my nose was running so intensely it began to fill the mask I was wearing, a fun excuse to enjoy a warm salty drink, and right at that moment I received a text from a male acquaintance out of nowhere that simply said “send selfie”. Not a “hello”, not a “how was your day?”, just a request to see my face which at that moment was smothered in my own viral fluids. It got me thinking about correspondence and how much I value the written word. I’ve also been reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula and loving it, and if you’ve never read it, the whole story is told through journal entries, letters, and other writings of all the various characters. I thought “send selfie” to be such a disappointing greeting and also that it would be a funny title for this months letter. Now that I think of it, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing your face dear reader. So do “send selfie” in reply if you like.
The end of fall brought me a new commemorative tattoo which was done by a wonderful new friend who has connections to my west coast people. It hurt like a bitch, and it covered an old scar that felt like closing a door. Along with the pain, the artist and I talked for hours about all sorts of wonderful things - as good as any therapy I’ve had honestly. I was grateful to oblige my auntie duties and spent a lot of time with my near 2 year old nephew who is growing a mile a minute. I’ve learned that the mother in me is a pretty great woman and it helped to have some coins and be counted on while looking for work. I have since found a new day job and am quite enjoying it. I get to be around trains, and some pretty great people and it comes with a good little pay check and the chance to speak French!
Before my new job started, my good friend and I took the train to Montreal and had a most wonderful three day visit. It was during the excitement of the Blue Jays game which I got wrapped up in by game 2, the one that lasted 18 (or was it 19 ?) innings. I’m making slightly more effort to care about “sport ball”. Even though I feel it is a masculine soap opera, it is a nice way to connect with others by knowing a little bit about the goings on. After a wonderful dad rock show at Place Des Arts I caught up with an old friend at a quaint little bar and had one eye on the game and one ear on the jazz pianist clad in glow-sticks .
Settling into winter and a new schedule and plotting new excitement within my creative endeavours now that I will be able to afford to be a musician again. Despite this little slump of sickness, things are good and amidst the chaos of the Great City I have found quite a bit of peace. I miss all of you, and I hope this finds you well during these long dark days. I end my note by sending you the the warmth of a cat on your lap, and a nice cup of tea with some amber honey.
send selfie.
S H O W S + S O N G S
Spending this coming fall/winter taking in the vibrant local music scene and beginning the process of a new album, and starting to book for 2026! woohoo!
Heres a little Choo choo wintery vibe for you…
F E A T U R E D F R I E N D
LIZZY ROSE
Where are you? What’d you have for breakfast? And what are you up to today?
I’m at home, curled up in my recliner with a latte, listening to Satie while I type this. I had an egg scramble with broccoli and toast for breakfast. Later today I’ll cross the Columbia River into Portland to teach a few piano students at my studio — and if I get a small break, I’ll probably slip into a thrift store.
What three things in your life are you most grateful for right now?
I’m grateful for my two darling children and my husband, our beautiful home, and everyone who’s taken the time to listen to my new record.
What have you got on the go artistically at the moment?
I just released a new album, Faultlines, last month. It’s a collection of songs about what breaks beneath us and what still sings through the cracks — an excavation of family, memory, and identity.
Written years ago and rediscovered after a long quiet, the album moves through love, loss, and renewal, tracing the invisible fractures in our relationships and the selves we outgrow. Across these songs, I explore how the ground shifts beneath us — through inheritance, heartbreak, and transformation — and how even in the ruins, something keeps humming.
If I passed you an instrument, what song would you play us right now?
Gloomy Sunday — the Billie Holiday version. It’s Tuesday, but the sky is grey, and that song is always cathartic to play on days like this.
What’s been on repeat on your record player/streamer/tape deck/etc.?
“NOT” by Big Thief — it’s been living in my bones lately.
If we want to find your work, where can we go?
Anywhere on the internet — Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, or wherever you like to listen. And if you wander over to YouTube, there’s a new Bed of Roses video (see below) waiting there — soft, dreamy, and a little bit starlit. Connect and explore on my Instagram or Website.
Bed of Roses – Official Music Video (YouTube)
M U S I C
A dear friend of mine got an awesome promotion and we had a party with delicious food and a piñata - this collaborative playlist was the soundtrack
G O O D O C E A N N E W S
Plans approved for Canada’s first-ever whale sanctuary in Nova Scotia
Animal Justice, Canada’s animal law advocacy organisation, said the sanctuary “offers real hope for a permanent, peaceful home for many of the beluga whales currently suffering in tanks at Marineland”.
“This sanctuary finally offers a real path to freedom for many of Canada’s last remaining captive whales. It’s a dignified place where these intelligent, social animals will have a chance to live out their lives in peace, in the ocean where they belong.
R E A D I N G
There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.
S A S S T R O L O G Y
with s.o.
Sagittarius - There seems to be a lot on your plate at the moment dear Sag , remember, you don’t have to eat everything on it
Capricorn - you’ve been working hard this year, have you tried working on rest?
Aquarius - time to check your mailbox (the physical one) and perhaps think about writing a letter back
Pisces - sing like everyone is listening
Aries - go easy on yourself, speak to your inner little one with the utmost sweetness and care
Taurus - it’s hard for your dear bull when you are forced to change pace, remember your training
Gemini - is their anything you could do to spruce up your surroundings for that winter hibernation moment?
Cancer - make yourself a giant to do list and check it twice
Leo - learn to navigate your energy when there are two lions in the room (one of them is you)
Virgo - try a day with no plans
Libra - go that way, really fast, if something gets in your way, turn
Scorpio - they probably aren’t good enough for you, but is anyone?
Stay Tuned In
&
Turned On
x.o.
Love
S.O.