It’s been quite the week, with masks becoming mandatory in the city and a heat wave moving through it. We saw the Diefenbunker and the Ottawa Art Gallery re-open and the Wesley Clover Parks drive-in theatre offer tonnes of local talent from comedians through Yuk Yuks to Little Ray’s Exotic Animal Rescue. This Saturday we can look forward to downtown Bank Street closing down to allow for pedestrians and cyclists only. I can’t wait to see how creative businesses will get with this change. Don’t forget to stay cool and safe in the heat! Looking forward, you can live out your Pokémon trainer fantasy by taking part in Pokémon GO Festival on July 25th and 26th. And if you’re looking for something to check out even sooner, I’ve got the latest in what I’ve been watching, listening to and how I’ve been spending my time:  

[Watching] 

Can you guess what I binged this week? It’s the streaming craze of the month: Unsolved Mysteries! This show follows six deeply disturbing and flat out bizarre stories of people who have went missing with one story unpacking a creepy UFO-based plotline. And when it comes down to it, as interesting as these stories are, they leave a dissatisfaction with their endings. That said, the journey through with its twists and turns is so worth it, and the yearning for justice will stay with you. You can check it out on Netflix.

[Listening]  

Lido Pimienta’s Miss Colombia, has been an absolute favourite these last few weeks. Lido shares in an experimental synthpop journey with Miss Colombia. Tapping into her Indigenous and Afro-Colombian roots, she paints a modern picture that stays true to tradition by employing traditional Colombian instruments and Spanish vocals. The album’s name comes from the mistaken announcement during 2015’s Miss Universe competition that Miss Colombia would take home the crown by Steve Harvey when she was actually the runner up. The album is long listed for the Polaris Prize. If you haven’t had a chance to give it a listen, I’d highly recommend it! 

[Spending Time] 

This week I revisited some unfinished embroidery cross stitch projects. After unpacking my new space, it was nice to feel like I had the space to restart something I’d long left behind. Check out the peach and cherry blossom tree I embroidered.

What’s on your Stay Home Club this week? Comment below.