Keira-anne.com

In the middle of a week that will now legendarily be known only as “Hell Week” (more about that in a post later this evening), a little ray of sunshine broke through the proverbial rain clouds.

Being that my birthday is on Sunday, my dear friend Bethany surprised me with special delivery of a dozen cupcakes from the store of the same name on Denman Street. I’ll be able to better thank her when my eyes are no longer stinging with tears.

But for now, thank you so much, Bethany…just to know that you thought of me brings me the warmest hug on a day when I needed it the most. I love you.

Is it not expected that every living, breathing, red-blooded woman has an insatiable appetite for shoes? The same has not always been true of me…at least not entirely.

I love “stuff,” and by “stuff,” I mean gooey, fragranced, soft, silky products that you find beind the mirrored doors of my bathroom cabinet. I love lotions and potions and all things in between; hair creams, eye shadows and glosses to make my lips sheen. One thing you won’t find a voluminous amount of in my apartment is shoes.

Photo courtesy of duygu on Flickr

You see, I’ve never really understood the fascination that so many women have with what I had always thought were “things that go on your feet.” What I’ve come to realize in the last year or two is that the problem was that I never understood precisely how it is that fantastic footwear makes an outfit come together.

Quite obviously, it’s a lesson in fashion I am very slowly learning. Over the past two years, my love of shoes (and therefore my desire to pursue a great pair) has most certainly grown. And oddly enough, I must be a golden goose when it comes to snagging the right pair of boots, heels, galoshes, sneakers or Keds. Even more strange, I have a knack for always getting “the very last pair” in my size and colour (or so I’m constantly told).

It all began two years ago when I wanted a pair of black leather stilletto boots for a good price without looking like a Roxy tramp. Low and behold, I found that so-called last pair at $300 slashed down to $150 at Stéphane de Raucourt on Robson. And you know what? They’re fabulous…

And since then, I’ve added the “last pair” of killer whale Keds, chocolate brown UGGs and even some new silver peep-toe pin-up heels for Saturday night’s affair to my collection. Even more amazingly is that I’ve managed to score every last shoe in my closet at a killer price.

I wonder if I could make a living as a personal shoe shopper for self-indulgent yuppie women…

Were I to believe in past lives, I think that in a past life, I may have been a creature of the sea. I’d like to think a mermaid, but most likely a whale.

Photo courtesy of fox kiyo on Flickr

Last night, some troublesome Indian take-out gave me an even more troublesome tummyache, and the thought alone of a soothing, warm bath gave me a bit of relief. As I laid there in the bathtub, cocooned in the stillness and warmth, I felt sublime. There is something so unique about water on the whole that I find enigmatic.

It’s tepid and soothing when your muscles ache, it’s cool and refreshing when your mouth is dry. Water is nourishing to the very core of the body. It pacifies in ways that are physical, emotional and even spiritual. Have you ever leaned so far back during a bath that your ears were submersed and all you can hear is your own silence and heartbeat?

It wears many masks and its power should not be overlooked. In the blink of an eye, it can destroy with its rogue waves as easily as it can orchestrate serenity with the tiniest trickle in nature.

I have lived all my life near an ocean and I know in my heart that I could never leave the coast. It is interconnected with me. I do not see water as an indistinct substance. It’s as unique as I am and as you are and is something that I am quite sure will always mystify me.

——————————————————

Unrelated, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic mascot (or should I say, mascots?) has been revealed today. I am not a supporter of the Olympic games coming to our Province, but for those of you who are, Rebecca‘s always on top with ample coverage of all comings and goings in our city. Head on over to her site to stay in tune with what’s happening on that front.

——————————————————

And speaking of J-Bo’s wife, tomorrow is girls’ night à la Metrotown. We have a few finishing touches to put on Saturday’s impending celebration, including finding Becky that perfect little black dress and a clutch for yours truly. Why is it clutches are so damn hard to find?

The one part of the evening I’m most looking forward to? Sitting on the fat man in red’s lap and having my photo taken with Missus B. Stay tuned for a seasonal (yet slightly scandalous) photo or two tomorrow night!

Today, Charley’s five-month birthday, also coincidentally happens to be the first Snow Day of the season. I’ve always hoped to be around to see her during her first glimpse of the white stuff in the Comox Valley, but unfortunately I missed it by just a day. Thankfully my mom was home and was fortunate enough to snap some shots.

The verdict: she loves it! Charley couldn’t get enough of the snow and prounced and bounced throughout the flakes while pushing it along the ground with her little snout.

Snow!

At least that’s what’s in Vancouver’s tentative forecast.

Photo courtesy of Duane Storey on Flickr

Vancouver’s residents know that snow is one of the most elusive substances in this city, so when it’s in the forecast, everything seems to turn upside down. As I crossed Hornby along Robson on my lunch break today, a salting truck went by and it perplexed me. Vancouverites have long been made fun of by our eastern counterparts. The seeming inability to deal when the winter skies rip open make us a target for merciless teasing. Though I know that snow is a rarity for us on the “Wet Coast,” I still don’t understand why everyone seems to lose their mind about it.

1) Snow is beautiful and there’s nothing quite so elegant looking as untouched flakes that have fallen on the ground.

2) Snow in the city means a copious amount of snow on the mountains.

3) If it gets really bad (which in Vancouver apparently means about 2″), a snow day equates to a day at home!

With our impending snowcast, are you a lover of the white stuff or do you go looney until it’s melted?

——————————————————

Being that my birthday is a mere 6 days away, I’m amazed at the level of excitement I feel about it. Not since I was a little girl have I been so excited to celebrate the one day where I can get away with being a little bit of a princess and not be chastised for it.

Photo courtesy of tempest kat on Flickr

I plan on kick-starting Saturday with a luscious peppermint mocha from Starbucks followed by an equisite culinary safari at Urban Fare with my co-chef. After a little bit of food prep, I’m whisking Becky off to have my hair styled before manicures and pedicures at Element Spa For Nails. I haven’t gone “en Français” in far too long, so I made sure to book this appointment weeks in advance. What girl doesn’t deserve a little pampering? Following the royal treatment, I’m donning a fabulous party girl dress before enjoying the evening with fine folks.

Sure it was a little narcissistic and pointless of me to share that with you (ie. “look at me! look at me!”) but hey, who isn’t entitled to get a little excited one day of the year?

I’ve been spending another rushed weekend on Vancouver Island with my family, and part of what makes the time feel as though it flies by is the fact that I always try to pack so much activity in such a short period of time. Today was no exception. Being that my birthday is officially next weekend, I’ll be sipping pinot noir and noshing on chic tapas with a few fabulous and fun friends at “Chez Jack.” This weekend was reserved for celebrating with my mom, aunt and Charley with a big vat of Szechuan beef and chow mein before ice cream cake.

And guess what?

I photo-blogged.

Being the lover of First Nation art that I am, my mom thought it appropriate to get me a birthday card designed by a local artist from the Comox First Nation. This untitled piece is, for all intensive purposes, entitled “Queneesh.”

“The Majestic Comox Glacier is a symbol of our community, heritage and one of the physical features that make our area so beautiful. Recent reports have made it evident that the glacier is disappearing at an alarming rate and will likely be gone within my lifetime.

For members of the Comox First Nation, the glacier has even more significance according to stories such as this: An old chief was forewarned of the coming of a great flood. He was told by the Creator to prepare four canoes, great lengths of rope and to pick the strongest and most attractive members of the community. When the flood came the selected people went into the canoes. Whenever non-selected individuals tried to enter a canoe, the craft would magically move away from them. The flood destroyed the village and the rest of its inhabitants.

The people in the canoes floated around for a while with no evidence of land in sight. Eventually, they spotted a large white whale. They attached their ropes to the whale. By the time the water receded, the whale landed on the sight of the glacier, keeping the Comox people in our territory. To this day we respect our Heritage and refer to the glacier as “Queneesh,” or white whale.” – Andy Everson

For months, I’ve been covetting this hoodie. It was designed by Sheri Moon Zombie, one of my personal heroines. She defines individuality and has created her own “sexy.” For those of you who are unfamiliar with her, she’s not only the wife of Rob Zombie, but also the star of a handful of his films (including one of my personal top tens, ‘The Devil’s Rejects‘). Add “designer” to her roster as she’s created her own line of hot tops for men, women, kids and pups with Total Skull.

Please don’t copy me, k?

After all birthday celebrations were said and done, it was time to trim the tree. My aunt was displaying a previously unseen level of Christmas spirit, and surprised me by showing up in a Santa hat.

Needless to say, the hat got passed around.

The pre-Christmas festivities proved to be a little much for Charley. In no time at all, she was tuckered right out…

And last, but certainly not least, I want to turn your attention to a fairly new cosmetic line from Australia.

Today I was on the hunt for a fantastic new lip balm or gloss and was directed to Bloom Cosmetics. Though the line’s been around for almost 15 years, it’s based out of the southern hemisphere and is something very new to me. I snagged their grapefruit-flavoured ‘Delicious Lips’ lip balm and I’m completely sold. Their products are made with mainly natural ingredients, including the succulent essential oils contained in the lip balms.

Stay tuned because I’m quite sure that I’ll have more to say about this line in the future.

Photo courtesy of Mount Washington Alpine Resort

That exciting day is only 13 sleeps away! Mount Washington Alpine Resort is set to open on December 6, 2007, so pray to the snow gods, keep your fingers crossed,and your board waxed! Life on the slopes gets better and better each year at Mount Washington, now with expanded night skiing, 1,200 acres of all skill levels of terrain, snow tubing and, of course, a wide selection of beer in Fat Teddy’s at the lodge.

For more information on operating times, location, lift tickets and anything else your brain requires, visit Mount Washington’s website.

——————————————————

Photo courtesy of spectruss on Flickr

Last night Vancouver’s local news reported that Canadians use approximately 55,000,000 plastic bags every single week across our country. Re-using your bags is always a great idea, but these will all ultimately end up in landfill. I know many of you are already on board with cloth shopping bags, but lately using these satchels to carry your stash has become much more trendy. If you’re not itchin’ to grab some (which are usually about .99 cents at your neighbourhood grocery store) from Safeway or Superstore, check out BYOB – Bring Your Own Bag.

Developed in 2005 by two Vancouver-area women, BYOB actually designs seasonal cloth bag collections with delicate motifs and tongue-in-cheek slogans. Personally, I’m a fan of the “F*@k Plastic” tote.

Tonight I broke my cardinal rule of baking: I ripped open a Betty Crocker box. Baking from scratch is something I’ve always taken pride in. However, this evening I’m in a bit of a rush and some expedient “cupcakes in a box” were the solution.

I’ve heard from more than a few people by e-mail in the last week or so, curious to know why their comments weren’t approved. For whatever reason, some of the comments weren’t going through Blogger and got sucked up by the vortex. Now that I’m on WordPress, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that commenting on posts will be much easier for you, the readers.

If you’ve had a comment approved on my “renovated” space, your future comments shouldn’t require moderation. Also, if you’ve sent a comment for the first time (or at all) and it hasn’t appeared on my site within 12 hours, please feel free to e-mail me [keira at keira-anne dot com] and I’ll see about getting that fixed for you.

Vancouver is a city full of people who differ from one face to the next on a scope much grander than most would imagine. For as long as I can remember, it’s a city that’s become somewhat of a mecca for backpackers and transients who pass in the night.

Living downtown, many faces become familiar. It’s always the same souls on the same corners asking for change with the same lines. Quite simply, it’s heartbreaking. My intent here isn’t to dive into a diatribe about the injustice that is a bobsled course being built in the hills overlooking Metro Vancouver while I’m stepping over sleeping bodies while I walk to work, quite literally. It’s not news to anyone that much, much more needs to be done within the streets of our not-so-fair city.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a young man who was new to the intersection near my office. With him was a stuffed hiking pack and two very sad looking dogs. At times I attempted to strike up a conversation with him but he seemed painfully shy and wouldn’t reciprocate dialogue. On Tuesday, I placed a $5 bill in his tattered hat.

As I walked to meet my friend Brock for lunch yesterday, I noticed the two familiar dogs tied up outside Blenz on Granville Street. I scanned the window and saw the reserved young man sitting at a table near the door. The table at which he sat was scattered with plastic packaging and in his hands was a brand new PSP system. Is it wrong of me to say I felt a little hurt by what I saw? Of course I can’t jump to conclusions, but it’s certainly a strong case of persuasion to stuff my bills in charity pots as opposed to tattered hats.

——————————————————

Tomorrow I’m hittin’ the ferry to head to the Island for the last time before Christmas. Next weekend, on the eve of my actual birthday, I’ll be having a small and quiet celebration with a handful of friends. However, me being me and mom being mom, her and I still want to celebrate together along with my lovely Aunt and Charley too. It’s safe to say that Chinese Food and a Dairy Queen ice cream cake will be somewhat involved.

While I’m on the subject of birthdays, yesterday the subject of computers came up between Raymi and I. “How do I get a new computer?” she asked me. I said that if I knew how, my Dell would be long gone. A few weeks ago, Duane gave me a fantastic suggestion on how to go about getting myself a MacBook, so here goes:

If I have any wealthy, stalker-type (or non-stalker, for that matter) readers that feel so generously inclined to buy a blogger her first MacBook for her birthday, I invite you to go right ahead. In fact, I will show much appreciation for it by using it every single day. And in doing so, there may be many more glimpses of debauchery between Becky and I, proudly presented by PhotoBooth and red wine.

Photo courtesy of Apple Canada

Sometimes it’s as simple as “ask and ye shall receive.” Here’s hoping, anyways.