Sonya's Patates Braavos: Edition #12 💌🥔

TLDR: Hintonburg love, AVI, movie rec

welcome note 👋 

Hello, brave patates! 🥔 There are now 40 of us! ❤️ It’s such a treat to have this little community and to share a little bit of my life with you every Sunday. Honestly, what is life?

This week, I’m taking it easy, recovering from a cold, and having new prospective client meetings. Oh, I also got my hair chopped off, inspired by Kourtney’s sleek bob. On May 13th I fly out with David to a warm destination for 2.5 weeks so the newsletters will transform into weekly travel updates! If you don’t know where we’re going already, stay tuned 😉

Anyway, what was your #BravePatate moment of the week?

random cool things corner

• See: Early tulips are blooming at Commissioner’s Park at Dow’s Lake, magnolia is indeed blooming at the Arboretum, and lilacs are on the way too!

• Eat: I got two giant smothered burritos from Burrito Dorado on UberEats for $25 (with tax and tip) in a 2-for-1 deal. I still have the second one. So delicious and great value. Feels healthy too… Rice, beans, beef for protein, veggies.

• Watch: Loved Lady Chatterley’s Lover on Netflix—a romantic, sensual period piece that’s a true love story, with a strong female lead.

• 

• I interviewed Ceasar Rosa (who is part Aztec!), the owner of U-Rock Cafe in Hintonburg, for Apt613. He’s had an interesting life, from immigration and a lung collapse to a second life in physiotherapy and finally opening his own coffee shop. He’s cultivated a real homely small-town vibe. So many characters walked through the doors while I was doing the interview and he knew everybody’s name and had something nice to say. He also diligently went through every page of my sketchbook and selected a few pieces to display—he showcases local artists who are into the rock/edge scene and I definitely have art to complement that. Now I just need to get frames and deliver the pieces! It will be cool to display my sketches in my neighbourhood’s cafe. He’s licensed too so stop by for a glass of wine one of these days!

business updates

• A friend of a friend introduced me to CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) and we had a lovely introduction call—would be cool to work as a freelancer with a government-esque organization, especially as an immigrant from Russia 😂

• Had a call with another potential new client who needs to offload some copywriting work. Turns out we have the exact same process of interviewing clients and this 55-year-old man told me he was impressed I figured it out so early on 🥲 Oh, and he also told me he charges his clients $15,000 per project so that’s always a great reminder to charge your worth 😃

• I onboarded as a Staff Writer at Allied Voices for Israel (AVI), a non-profit that unites students of all backgrounds against anti-Jewish hatred, focusing on coexistence and allyship on campuses (pretty topical right now…). I’m proud of myself for leveraging my network to get this opportunity. I remember how heartbroken and traumatized I felt after October 7th. I’m grateful to now be able to make a real tangible difference by contacting universities and organizations directly with educational materials.