Destination: Banff

Fearful of getting sucked into the melancholy of seasonal affective disorder and the grey mood of Toronto’s snow-slush season, a few friends and I decided to spend an extended period living in Alberta this January and February. I am looking forward to being in a place where the winter feels magical rather than oppressive. To diving into a feeling of hygge, drinking mulled wine and reading books by the fire. Hikes, skiing, skating, and reconnecting to the joy of the most under-appreciated of the Canadian seasons. 

Brand: T-Post

As a writer, the seemingly ill-fated survival of magazines and newspapers strikes a melancholy chord - the curation and visual design of these mediums were formative as a teenager. So when a stranger from Umeå, Sweden named Peter Lundgren popped into my inbox a few weeks ago to introduce me to his creative project T-Post, a resurrecting twist on the faltering medium, I was fascinated and excited to try out the brand. T-Post is a wearable magazine - each t-shirt is limited edition, exclusive to the maximum 2000 subscribers, with the story printed on the inside of the shirt and the shirt itself inspired by the written topic. 

Book: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq

Although this novel is a few years old now, I just finished it and thought it was stunning, with evocative imagery of life in the 1970s Canadian Arctic. Although the novel seems to start as a coming-of-age memoir, it blends fiction, mysticism, poetry and Inuit folklore with a lingering overtone of irreverence for categorization (in literature and life). In an isolated town on Resolute Bay, she sees the ugliness of addiction and abuse, the harsh yet indiscriminate power of nature, and navigates her own humanhood - hovering between body and spirit, predator and prey, youth and instinctual wisdom. 

One of my favourite passages speaks to the beauty and simplicity of the human experience: “The simple truth is we are simply an expression of the energy of the sun. We are the glorious manifestation of the power of the universe. We are the fingertips of the force that drives the stars, so do your job and FEEL.” 

P.S. If you enjoy this novel, I would also suggest picking up Seven Fallen Feathers to continue learning about the Indigenous experience in Canada. 

Recipe: Spicy Chorizo Spaghetti Squash 

This was one of those nights where I had very few items left in the fridge and experimental magic somehow happened. Firstly, cook and string your spaghetti squash. Second, remove the casing and toss the meat of a chorizo sausage into a pan to fry. Once cooked, add about two cups worth of spaghetti squash into the pan. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Mix with the chorizo chunks. Add about half a can of diced tomatoes (maybe 1/3 of a cup). Toss in a few handful of spinach and allow to wilt. Mix all together. Add some salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Voila! Welcome to Spanish-Italian flavour town.