Keira-anne.com

Honest to a fault and too kind to be cruel, Tony Pierce is a rare gem. As the sole author of the long-running busblog and chief blog editor for the LA Times, never a dull word is uttered from his mouth. That is, of course, if you manage to catch him long enough for a conversation.

Photo: miss604 on Flickr

Throughout our friendship, Tony has interviewed yours truly on two occasions and has even orchestrated an interview between myself and Taylor Hanson (yup, the “Mmmbop…” guy). Never once has he sat down to be interrogated by me – until last night.

Keira-Anne: Good evening. Let’s start by getting your name out of the way.

Tony Pierce: My name is Andy Warhol and I’m here to sell you soup. Actually, paintings of soup cans.

KA: Are you selling anything else, Andy Warhol?

TP: Nope, just soup. I also go by a more common name of Tony Pierce

KA: Did your mama name you Anthony?

TP: She did! Anthony Hugh Pierce III.

KA: That’s a rather distinguished name. Why did you drop the a, n, h and y?

TP: There was a tax on consonants where I grew up. So repressive!

KA: That’s rather unfortunate. I hope it didn’t break your mama’s heart. Moving on… Did you have a favourite pair of pajamas when you were a little boy? Maybe some flannels with a bunch of Cs for the Cubs all over them?

TP: Hmmmm that was so very long ago. I’m sure I did, I just cant recall that far back.

KA: Were the Cubs even in existence in the ’50s?

TP: Yes, they were just figuring out how to successfully lose for a living. Their last world series win was in 1908, so by the ’50s they were almost in stride.

KA: That’s appalling. Let’s talk about sports later on. When did you make the move from Chicago to Los Angeles?

TP: I moved here the day after my high school graduation. I was 17.

KA: I like that you’re not getting any more specific than that. You were so young, so fresh and so impressionable. Were you frightened on your first day in LA?

TP: Indeed. I had gone from kindergarten all the way to graduating high school in Illinois. I knew everyone, so moving here not knowing one soul was weird, but I was up for it. I mean, I knew what family I had out here, but no one my own age.

KA: Can you tell me what your first great memory of LA was? You know… that pinnacle moment where you realized you made the right decision.

TP: There’s this free weekly newspaper out here called the LA Weekly and they list all the bands that are gonna play and where all the movies are. Even though I didn’t like to dance, I figured I should go to a dance club to meet girls.

KA: That’s never a bad idea.

TP: So the Weekly said I should try this one club because it was a mix between the bar in Star Wars and the wildest orgies in ancient Rome. LITTLE DID I KNOW that meant it was a gay and lesbian club.

KA: They didn’t specify that in the small print?

TP: NOT AT ALL. So I stood stunned as I saw two super hot girls make out and I was all “I’m in HEAV-“ and this dude tapped me on the shoulder.

KA: Did your stomach drop at that moment?

TP: Looks like probably exactly like how your dad looks and said “wanna dance?”

KA: I guess strapping, young black men from the mid-west were his thing. Did you oblige him?

TP: No, I ran out of the club and sped out of the garage as fast as I could with a huge WELCOME TO LA feeling in my heart.

KA: Have you been back to the Star Wars Orgy since?

TP: When I told my friends about it, they were all, “a gay and lesbian dance club? Hell, we woulda’ burned down such a place in IL“. And interestingly enough this place, The Odyssey, was burned down a few months after I went there.

KA: There’s some culture shock for you… There’s a gay club in Vancouver called the Odyssey as well.

TP: See, maybe that’s a thing that we straights don’t know.

KA: Perhaps it’s a chain. What’s the one thing about LA you wouldn’t trade for anything else?

TP: People talk about the pretty girls, but you’re proof that there are gorgeouser women in Canada.

KA: Is it all talk?

TP: No, there are definitely pretty girls here.

KA: You make me blush and I’m not even the one being interviewed.

TP: Ha! Some say they like bumping into celebrities in LA, but we are now letting Canada steal our movie and TV biz.

KA: It’s true. BC is kind of a Mecca for that stuff now.

TP: So I would say it’s the weather. There’s nothing better than wearing shorts in January.

KA: How about not wearing shorts in January?

TP: Bottomlessness is frowned upon in the lower 48, but I’m glad that Canada is setting trends.

KA: What about Hawaii and Alaska?

TP: Palinville and Punanyland? They don’t really count.

KA: Fair enough. So tell me… what is so special about Los Angeles that they deserve not one but two NBA teams?

TP: LA deserves two teams of all great sports. The fact that we have zero football teams is just LA being funny.

KA: If that’s your logic, then the same should be said about Vancouver. What happened to the Raiders?

TP: The Raiders were here for 15-16 years, something like that. And Uncle Al… all he wanted was a kickass stadium – one with luxury boxes. LA promised they’d hook him up.

KA: Hold on… Uncle Al?

TP: Al Davis. The one and only owner of the Raiders.

KA: Okay. Keep going.

TP: N.W.A even has a line about him: “And quit giving juice to the Raiders / Cuz Al Davis / Never paid us“.

KA: Sounds hostile.

TP: The Raiders are silver and black because Al is color blind and he wanted the fans to see things like he does. He’s the original gangsta, which is why N.W.A loved him.

KA: Tony, you teach me something new every time I talk to you.

TP: Hahaha – menial trivia I’m sure.

KA: Someone somewhere will be interested in that fact. I, for one, am. That said, Lakers or Clippers?

TP: I am not a Kobe fan. But it’s hard not to be a Phil Jackson fan. I really wish the Clip Show was more competitive, because I would go to more of their games if they were.

KA: Nice lead-in. Kobe Bryant replaced Jerry West as the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer in tonight’s game. Does that do anything for you?

TP: Not really. Kobe began playing for the Lakers right outta high school. He’s almost always had great players around him. Jerry West spent four years in college.

KA: It’s okay. The Lakers lost to the Grizzlies tonight anyway. Point proven.

TP: See? Here’s another weird trivia bit that you may not be aware of but maybe you are.

KA: Do tell…

TP: The NBA logo is Jerry West.

Logo courtesy of NBA; Photo of Jerry West courtesy of Hoopedia

KA: Reeeeeeally? Kobe’s credibility between you and I just keeps getting weaker and weaker.

TP: Yep.

KA: That is nothing short of rad.

TP: I know!

KA: I can’t go any further without complimenting you on your spelling and grammar. I’m a bit particular about it myself – obsessive almost. How important is spelling, grammar and sentence structure in blogging?

TP: it all depends on what kind of blogging you’re doing.

KA: Is it important to you?

TP: Very.

KA: Phewf.

TP: I’m trying to do something arty. When it’s at its best, which it hasn’t been in a while, it should look drunken and wasted and nutz.

KA: Blogging ebbs and flows.

TP: Life ebbs and flows and you can’t always be the artiste you wanna be.

KA: Do people still use a “z” to pluralize?

TP: It all depends on what I’m trying to evoke.

KA: I bet you say “zee”.

TP: I think the Lord has blessed us with a large pallet in which to paint from, so we should use everything – but in the right way.

KA: Speaking of, if you weren’t a hot shot with the LA Times and the sole author or the busblog, do you think you would have instead been a man of the cloth? You make this too easy for me. It’s like you’re reading my mind.

TP: If only I could read minds, I would use that power for the hottest evil.

KA: More about that in a moment…

TP: Which is probably why they wouldn’t allow me in any monastery.

KA: True. But you’re pretty tight with the G-man, no?

TP: I am a devout believer, yes.

KA: That makes two of us. I’m diggin’ Isaiah these days.

TP: I just finished first Kings, so I’m still thinking a lot about David. I will be on Isaiah soon!

KA: Good!

“I read The Bible once. You know God and Jesus and all them apostles? They were all fishermen, just like me. Yeah, straight to heaven for Mick Dundee. Yep, me and God, we’d be mates.”

Is it that simple?

TP: Let’s hope! They say you go by the Grace of God, so who knows.

KA: And probably by the sweat of your brow.

TP: If I get in, it will be after much deliberation. Unlike you, I wont get a unanimous vote.

KA: I don’t know – I think things are a bit more cut and dry than that… especially in real life. Which merit do you think would earn me that unanimous vote?

TP: A) You’re a virgin;
B) you’re Canadian;
C) your blog design is gorge;
D) you love animals;
E) you love nature;
F) when you touch yourself you think of angels and butterflies;
G) you are super sweet to even those you don’t have to be…

KA: I don’t think my ego can handle you getting all the way to zee, but that’s a good start.

TP: Hahaha.

KA: Remember when we hung out in Vancouver about 20 years ago?

TP: Best summer vacation I’ve ever had!

KA: What’s so repulsive about this city that’s kept you away since? Does Vancouver smell funny?

TP: Vancouver smells so good that even its worst aroma is Hells Angels selling weed.

KA: I don’t think they sell it. I think they have other people that sell it for them.

TP: Whatevs, that whole block smelled awesome.

KA: If you come back to Vancouver this summer, we’ll go to the arcade again. And I’ll even let you borrow Jordy to go for a walk and pick up chicks.

TP: The reason I have never come back goes along those lines… I really got a massive crush on Foxy.

KA: I know you did.

TP: And it would be hard for me to not stalk her if I returned. Which isn’t the way you wanna roll when in Canada.

KA: Would she be upset if you stalked her?

TP: It’s hard to tell because she plays it so cool. She hardly ever writes me back when I write her, so who knows if she just doesn’t wanna talk or if she hates me.

KA: And you definitely don’t want to be a needy chick to Foxy.

TP: I don’t wanna be needy to anyone. I don’t mind chasing, but I don’t wanna be annoying.

KA: That’s a good balance. But the offer stands. My dog is a total magnet. You’d have hot chicks flocking to you like bees to honey.

TP: I’ve always had great luck up there, so I wouldn’t doubt it!

KA: Multiple luck from what I’ve heard.

TP: I think the girls are just tired of naturally handsome locals.

KA: “Naturally handsome locals” isn’t really an accurate blanket statement. Do you still have this shirt?

TP: Indeed I do! I’m thinking about wearing it to this really cool Super Bowl party on Sunday. It’s the cheesiest shirt I own, so why not?

KA: Who’s playing in the Super Bowl this year? New Orleans and…

TP: Peyton Manning’s Indy Colts.

KA: Are you placing any bets?

TP: I’m not, but if I was, I’d bet on the Colts – they have the experience. But my heart is with the Saints.

KA: Is that just your hunch talking?

TP: No. I just feel for the city of New Orleans and I know how much more important this would be for them. Indy has… oh so much but New Orleans could use a break.

KA: You know, I was thinking the same thing tonight as I watched the Suns in NOLA. Plus they’re down their star point-guard. A win would’ve been great for the city’s morale.

TP: Trust me, I am in 7 NBA fantasy leagues and I drafted that point guard #1 in three of those leagues. I know all too well about that sitch.

KA: Does that mean you’re out money?

TP: No I never play fantasy for $. People cheat enough as it is, but if it was for $ I’m afraid they’d totally cheat worse, and block me from making incredible trades. Today, for example, I pulled the trigger on a trade you may appreciate.

KA: Are you afraid of becoming addicted to gambling?

TP: The only thing I’m addicted to is blogging.

KA: That’s safe.

TP: Is it?

KA: You traded Amar’e Stoudemire, didn’t you?

TP: Close, Derrick Rose for the injured Carlos Boozer.

KA: That really doesn’t impact me either way.

TP: Me, I think it’s a brilliant trade.

KA: Plus, we got whipped by Utah last week.

TP: See, they’re really good. Some would say Boozer is their hidden reason.

KA: It’s possible, sure.

TP: But in fantasy he gives points, boards, blocks. Rose can only score and dole out a few assists.

KA: Fantasy sports, in my opinion, is really likened to WOW.

TP: Oh def – except with real people.

KA: Doesn’t it make you feel a little bit silly?

TP: No because it keeps me aware of EVERY team in the NBA, even the players on the bench.

KA: So there is some value to it.

TP: Tons. When I go to a game, I know every detail.

KA: Tony, we’ve been chatting for 53 minutes now. What kind of a feeling are you having about how we’re rolling?

TP: Chatting with you, Keira-Anne, is like dancing in the clouds with Gene Kelly.

KA: Would you be Gene Kelly?

TP: Wait, that’s a dude?!?! Aw crap.

KA: Yes.

TP: Ok, his girlfriend.

KA: You’d be his girlfriend?

TP: Chatting with you, Keira-Anne, is like being Spider-man upside-down kissing Kirsten Dunst in the rain while Sam Raimi directs.

KA: That was a hot kiss – very lippy. Have you ever kissed a girl like that?

TP: Not when it was raining.

KA: Were you wearing spandex?

TP: Just under my suit.

KA: So you were more like Superman…

TP: The only way I’m like Superman is that I work at a newspaper by day.

KA: And your name is cooler than “Clark”.

TP: Tony Pierce is a pretty good name, I must say.

KA: It’s a great name. May I compliment you for a moment?

TP: Hmmmm… fine.

KA: Woah, woah, woah… why the defense? (Do you like that I spelled it the American way just for you?)

TP: How are you supposed to spell it?

KA: In Canada we spell it as “defence”. Safari tells me that I just spelled it wrong.

TP: Ahhhh…

KA: For the record, I believe our French Canadian-influenced spelling looks odd. We also spell “center” as “centre”.

TP: Yes, I like that a lot.

KA: Anyway, enough deviation. I would just like to say that I enjoy speaking with you because you are one of those extremely rare people that expects authenticity from others while seemingly accepting them for who they are. And that, my friend, makes my heart happy.

TP: Awwww thank you! I don’t expect people to be authentic, but I’m very happy when they trust me enough to cut the act.

KA: Perhaps that’s a better way of articulating what I meant. You have a knack for encouraging people to cut the crap.

TP: I’m glad you feel comfortable with me. For sure!

KA: So as our time together draws to an end, is there anything that you want/need/wish the great people of Canada to know about you? Or do you simply want to bid us adieu and goodnight with a reminder of how warm it is in Cali right now?

TP: It’s not super warm here this minute.

KA: I bet it’s warmer than Vancouver.

TP: I have my little space heater on.

KA: I have my heater on in my little space.

TP: And no, I don’t want to try to convince Canada of anything about me. I trust that they will judge me accurately. I guess the only thing for me to say to the good people up there is “Thank You”. Mostly for visiting my site as much as they do and for always being welcoming and loving when I visit.

KA: Are the majority of your readers from Canada?

TP: At the bottom of my blog on the left rail it shows the countries. Right now it’s late, so almost everyone is from the West Coast of the USA. But during the day, when it matters, it’s about half Canada and half the USA.

KA: Well, whatever we may lack in numbers, we make up for in love and pixie dust for the busblog.

TP: Hooray!!! I do have one favor of you.

KA: Anything for you, Anthony Hugh Pierce III.

TP: I would like to ask you about your love life since we have been tracking it on the busblog. So table’s turned! Ms. Keira-Anne, tell us that you’re not still a single woman. Tell us that some smart man has swooped you up.

KA: Is the interviewee allowed to ask the interviewer questions?

TP: I believe you just said, “Anything for you, Anthony Hugh Pierce III“.

KA: This is true. I can’t deny what I said or eat my words.

TP: But since you are a gentlewoman I will allow you one no comment.

KA: I am still a single woman and no smart man has swooped me up.

TP: Now how again is this at all possible?? You walk to work?

KA: I do walk to work each day.

TP: And no guys smile as you pass by?

KA: Sometimes the construction workers. But more no than yes.

TP: When you go out with your friends to eat, or better, to drink, no guys send over a nice drink and wave?

KA: I had a guy buy me drinks on my birthday. Then I found out he was engaged. Who does that? Needless to say, I bolted.

TP: Dick! Do you have any single lady BFFs?

KA: Sure do. Well, single ladies. No BFFs for this girl.

TP: Am I to believe that you and your single ladies don’t go out 1-2 times a month to prowl the bars and/or bowling alleys searching for testosterone?

KA: You know that’s not how I roll.

TP: It’s just walking that catwalk. Letting the fools know what they lucked into.

KA: I do that every time I leave my apartment…

TP: Fair enough. You’ve answered more than one question, so thank you. One follow-up though, totally unrelated.

KA: Go for it.

TP: Power Windows… Sorry, Tinted Windows

KA: What about tinted power windows?

TP: Your boy leading that super group.

KA: Aww yeah Taylor Hanson. It didn’t really take off as much as it could have. But the thing is, he gels best with his brothers. Anything else he tries, in my opinion, will pale in comparison.

TP: Glad to hear it. I was afraid you’d drank the Kool-Aid.

KA: Never. Unless it’s lime.

TP: Awesome. Well thanks for the interview.

KA: No, no… thank you.

I’ve spent the last two days playing tour guide to two friends in town from Prince George. Nothing helps me get past Friday night drinking like Saturday morning brunch. I took our three-man wolfpack (yes, we recycled jokes from The Hangover – don’t pretend you never have) to the Templeton on Granville. I adore the Templeton. Angela and Pat adored the Templeton too.

We took turns ordering and once it was Angela’s turn, I was instantly in awe. “I’ll have a coffee, some water, the New Denver Omelet and a chocolate milkshake.” It was 9:00 a.m., we were slightly hungover and each had empty stomachs. Any girl that can order a chocolate milkshake under such conditions gets my respect.

Let me be honest: I love food and my appetite does not shame me. I believe that milkshakes, mochas and pumpkin pie are pointless without a mountain of whipped cream. Chips always go better with dip. If you make me pancakes on a Saturday morning, I’ll smother them with butter and syrup before devouring the entire stack. Were I to live in France, I’d be nothing short of fat since I’d consume nothing other than chocolate, cheese, red wine and parisian bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Obviously the value of balanced eating can’t be overlooked – and believe me, this girl loves her vegetables. But wouldn’t you rather be five pounds heavier and not neglect the good stuff? The concept is simple: eat what you love and love what you eat. Foodies unite.

While 2009 probably won’t win any “Best Of…” awards from yours truly, I can’t say it wasn’t jam-packed with memorable events, milestones, personal triumphs and more good times than I can stuff into a blog post.

I kicked off the year in usual low-key fashion but wasted no time getting my year on.

Feeding into our insatiable thirst for gun-play, Amy and I officially formed Team Extreme Pistol. To date, our chapter has yet to hold its first meeting.

Rebecca’s got the first birthday of the year, so a few of her nearest and dearest gathered at the Opus to clink glasses.

Birthday number two belongs to Amy, so Alissa, Lindsay and I dragged the birthday girl to Las Margaritas for tequila and pitchers of margaritas.

What better way to spend Valentine’s Day than shredding the slopes of Mount Washington? I didn’t think so.

Some friendships were built for adventure and my friendship with Chelsea is one of those friendships. At the end of February we embraced the rain and hit the border for a hike and a raid on American candy in Point Roberts.

I spent a good chunk of March packing up my apartment after deciding to ditch the West End for newer digs in a pet-friendly building. I wish I remembered more of the end of that month, but it ended in a drunken love fest when Raymi took over Vancouver.

Mmmmaybe a bit awkward at first, but not really.

Beer helps, eh hosers?

I sobered up from that epic, whisky-soaked weekend just in time to welcome the birth of my first niece. On April 3, 2009, Sienna Lynn was born to my brother and his girlfriend Laura.

Shortly before that, three friends and I packed a tarp burrito three times in a pick-up truck and moved all my prized possessions to a new apartment.

The carpet, pre-dog.

Sometimes timing in life seems nothing short of immaculate. At three years old and full of both love and anxiety, I brought Jordy into his forever home on April 19.

He is nothing short of amazing.

One area in which 2009 certainly excelled was friendships. While some were lost, many more were gained.

(By the way, Andrea, I think we are long overdue for a Blizzard date.)

Each time the BC-SPCA holds an open house, I’m there with bells on. John, Rebecca and I stopped in during the May open house and said hello to our furry friends and our buddy, Special Constable Angie.

C’mon… you know you want to help and donate.

Simple as it may be, one of summer’s highlights was certainly this killer salad from Milestone’s paired with raspberry mojitos. My friends and I found ourselves on their patio more than a handful of times.

In June I dragged Andrea to Vancouver Island for her first visit in many, many years. No trip is complete without a sampling of Island Farms ice cream from the Coombs Old Country Market.

We love animals.

On the ferry we met Beth, the sweetest Rottweiler you’ve never met.

After how many years in Vancouver, I finally took in my first Canadians game.

Peanuts aside, when old friends get together, there’s more catching up going on than watching baseball.

While our fun times are many, one of my favourite days with Rebecca (and a few other fantastic people) was our Sins of the City Tour with the Vancouver Police Museum. We even found ourselves underground in a former Chinatown opium den at one point.

Come July, Rebecca and I traded our rain boots in for aqua sox when we took in a girls’ weekend on Vancouver Island in Parksville-Qualicum.

When we weren’t paddling our kayaks, we were indulging in luxurious spa treatments, lounging in the Grotto pool, dining on unbelievable food, wandering picturesque parks and whacking mini golf clubs. I’d go back and do it all over again in a heartbeat!

Refreshed much?

There’s nothing more important in this life than family – whether it’s the one you’re born into or the one you make for yourself. Needless to say, I was so happy that my brother, his girlfriend and baby Sienna made the move from Dawson Creek back to the Comox Valley.

Spending a summer with them all was priceless!

While it was a big jump out of my comfort zone, I’ve slipped into the role of doting auntie with far more ease than I gave myself credit for.

It’s not surprising to say that my own fur baby made more than a world of difference in my life since April. What was most fascinating to me was to see how much he had grown – quite literally – since adoption day. Though his personality has made leaps and bounds by shining through and his anxiety is almost non-existent, his body has grown too. Perhaps a lack of love stunted his physical growth, but since April he’s put on three pounds of muscle and a few inches of height. Or maybe his proud and happy heart just causes him to stand a little taller than he used to…

Vancouver Island holds many gems in its folds, but few seem to shine quite as bright as the West Coast. My mom had never been to Tofino, despite living on Vancouver Island for more than forty years, so the time was now.

Despite the fact that it was the month of August, cold temperatures kept me shivering the entire time.

I decided that next time I go, I’m taking someone that I can stay in bed all day with when the sun decides to hide.

I love wine – a lot. When Mount Washington held it’s annual wine festival, I grabbed Laura and we made our way up the mountain.

I’ll take five of everything, please.

August’s fun didn’t end there. For the first time ever, I took in the Big Time Out Festival in Cumberland. While it was Sam Roberts and his band that I was itching to see, I discovered some great new music with some great old friends.

Making your way to the top of the Grouse Grind is a rite of passage for Vancouverites. It was a rite, however, I had yet to claim. The same went for Craig, so we spent a sunny Sunday trekking to a gorgeous view of the city.

The hike was, uh, fun, but my favourite part was meeting the rescued grizzly bears at the top.

For two years now, I’ve made a point in raising funds for the BC-SPCA through their annual Paws For A Cause walk. This year my generous readers donated more than $1,300 to benefit the Comox Valley branch!

Jordy made some new friends but Charley was a bit more cautious.

October is all about Halloween. Since we hadn’t been to Playland in over a year, Rebecca and I found some thrills at the PNE’s Fright Nights. She even dared to enter one of the haunted houses with me!

We both fell in love…

…and on the big day, we gathered with a few of our friends for an exclusive party in the City of Vancouver’s former morgue.

It was a pretty tasty time for all of us.

What’s that saying some cynical blog readers abide by? “If there are no pictures, it didn’t happen.” While that could be true in some cases, I really did travel to Phoenix in November to spend a few days with an old friend.

I landed on Veterans’ Day and we went straight to the US Airways Center to catch the Phoenix Suns slaughter the New Orleans Hornets. Sadly, this was the only picture I took the entire time I was there. Pictures or no pictures, I had an incredibly memorable time.

Christmas rushed in and it was so nice to be able to trim the tree with my brother and his family for the first time in three years.

Before it was time to get merry, it was time to get happy as I celebrated my birthday with a few friends, strong whisky and an utterly fabulous pair of heels.

Pepper and I washed back our fair share of martinis, including the Sour Grinch.

I’ll take any chance to bake I can get! To get ready for holiday entertaining, Rebecca and I spent an entire day in the kitchen blending, stirring, rolling, baking and icing.

Don’t ask…

I won’t deny that it’s a bit cliché to spend time reflecting on the past and considering the future as the calendar rolls over, but it’s a moment not to be missed. While I am happy to see much of this year pass, I am beyond thrilled at the possibilities that 2010 holds for me and for my life. As I enter the next 12 months, it’s my desire to consider things from an outside perspective.

I recently read a captivating book that really helped me examine who I am, what I’ve been through, what I go through and the impact I can have on other peoples’ lives. Questioning what happens to us is a natural (albeit narcissistic) part of the process as humans, and it can be difficult to look outside of ourselves. We can ask any number of questions, wondering why things may have had to impact us, but neglect to ask how the effect we in turn have had on others. Sometimes life doesn’t happen to us; sometimes we happen to life. Sometimes the why has nothing to do with each of us but instead pertains to others. Sometimes life chooses us to stand in the gap for the sake of our family, our friends or even perfect strangers.

My sage and simple advice to each of you is this:

Find joy.

Keep joy.

Give joy to others.

Watch basketball.

For the first time in all my years, I’ve begun to realize what Christmas shouldn’t be about. As a child, it’s fun to indulge in the Santa Claus tale, but for whatever reason, that tradition has kept on rolling in my family.

The thought struck me the other day that if it’s Jesus’ birthday we’re celebrating, why do I still get a truckload of gifts at this time of year? It makes zero sense to me as someone who celebrates Christmas based on its true origin, and I’m really not doing much of anything to honour that. However, sometimes it’s too little, too late, but I am dead-set on making huge changes next Christmas and throughout the coming year in this regard.

Photo: jenny downing (r&r) on Flickr

I think that the best gift we can give our families and our friends at this time of year, with or without money, is not presents but presence. There is nothing more I am looking forward to than being with my family, laughing joyfully with them, eating food that’s been lovingly prepared, putting good mileage on my stretchy pants, drinking wine, resting my body, resting my mind and making memories. I’m sure I’ll manage to squeeze some SNES in there too.

To all of you, my friends and readers, I want to wish you the very best that this season has to offer you – no matter what or why you’re celebrating. Be there with and for the people you love and the people you have yet to love. Bring it all back to the place it should be about.

Living today – in the moment – has become my “thing” lately. I could elaborate but let’s not get boring, shall we? Anyway, if I don’t live in the moment, all the things I’m pumped about next year will be here before I know it and the little things will pass me by. In fact, so much is coming my way in 2010 that I’m already exhausted thinking about it all. Oy vey.

In no particular order…

10. No specific target date has been set, but I will be officially debt-free. Feel free to hate on me, but I’ve worked hard at it.

9. Celebrating my sweet-as-a-peach niece’s first birthday.

8. Shortly after that, celebrating one whole year with my love bug.

7. Fingers crossed that the Phoenix Suns will once again rock GM Place with another exhibition game during the pre-season, a game at which I will be screaming, yelling, cheering and jumping up and down in my jersey.

Photo: taminator on Flickr

6. TORONTO! Or, you know, a suburb-thereof. I really need to see this lady again. (Except let’s not hang with those guys, okay?)

5. Seeing John Mayer in concert on April 1 for the second time. (Don’t be surprised if I disappear for a few months after the show. It’s my hope that I’ll charm my way backstage, after which he and I will embark on a passionate and heartbreaking love affair. I suspect we will exhaust each other by summertime.)

Photo: Flickred! on Flickr

4. Love thy self: I’m one of those people who incessantly say “I want to…” and then never actually do it. I want to cook more gourmet food, drink more wine, have more parties, take more day-trips, rent a car sometimes and do anything and everything that makes me happy.

3. My first visit to New York City. I plan on leaving my heart there.

Photo: miss604 on Flickr

2. Get sporty. I don’t miss going to the gym but getting active makes my heart go ga-goong in more ways than one. I want to join a co-ed drop-in basketball league or just hit the courts with friends. Bueller?

Original Photo: Fernando Ariotti on Flickr

1. Embarking on the next decade of my life, a trip that someone special to me will also be taking this year.

Your turn: tell me what would make for your “Perfect ‘10″. Feel free to make this a meme.

There is something to be said for knowing one’s self, but identifying one’s self is something entirely different. It’s nothing short of amazing to me to see the ways in which I have changed through each year of my life, and of how I have transformed from girl to young lady to woman. And even as such, I still have next to no idea what that really means. I know who I am, I know my name, what I like, what I dislike, what I’ve experienced and what I desire. All of that is pertaining only to me, but what about me as a woman? That’s an entirely separate entity, however marked with many of the same traits that I likely share with the other more than three billion women in this world.

I have one friend who is dear to me for reasons that are unique to her. Emily and I have known each other since we traded juice boxes in kindergarten, and more than two decades later, I’d still share my lime Kool-Aid with her. Two years ago she found herself moving to Europe, and as of right now, she’s dreamily drifting back and forth between Spain and Portugal.

Yesterday Emily and I were talking like we normally do every few weeks, and as she shared with me some of the challenges she’d been facing lately, the topic of being a woman surfaced in our discussion. While it’s honest to say that the delicacies of the fairer sex can at times be a source of great frustration and eye-rolling for many men, make no mistake that we frustrate our own selves just as much. Men may find us to be complex, complicated, emotional and even – at times – ridiculous, but we women often paint ourselves with the same brush. It’s difficult to grasp objectivity when we look at ourselves.

The epiphanies that Emily and I concluded on seemed to be an incredible light bulb moment for us both. Women over-think, overanalyze, over-scrutinize, calculate and solve problems. While those traits can, on the surface, be charming to very few, Emily and I realized that it’s simply in our nature as women. It is ingrained in our feminine disposition to nurture, to love, to resolve, to maintain control, create order out of chaos, to make peace and to roll up our sleeves and get the dirty work done. So often we’re encouraged to do the opposite, but going against the fabric of what defines us is nothing short of stifling.

Many may argue that the Bible is an unreliable source, but it’s been trusted in by hundreds of generations as a compass for life. While some will fight tooth and nail to prove that it’s the absolute Word of God, it’s hard for me to believe that, through countless versions and languages, more than a few things haven’t been lost in translation along the way. However, the messages and parables of peace, love, kindness, righteousness and trust are never off course. This afternoon I found myself at the end of Proverbs:

“Her worth is far above jewels…

[She] works with her hands in delight…

She considers a field and buys it;
From her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night…

Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.
She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain.”

Proverbs 31: 10-30 (NASB)

Too often I find myself beating myself up for what is in my very nature. Society commonly lends itself to unspoken and unwritten expectations of cynicism, hopelessness, guarded and implicit behavior in women. Women who display love and a gentle nature are often the first suspects.

Just as it is for Emily, so too will your life never be without challenges, tests of strength, events that shape your character and dealings that result in ultimate joy. At times things can seem downright frightening, but the only thing worth fearing is an existence so stagnant that we are no longer presented with the opportunities that are imperative to becoming the people –and the women – that we are each capable of being. No one knows whom the woman King Lemuel spoke of in that particular passage is, but I know for certain that’s the type of woman I aspire to be.

Conquering the Grouse Grind seems to be a rite of passage for Vancouverites and a claim that can be made only by the few and brave. In the more than five years I’ve called this city my home, I’d yet to attempt it until today. This morning I grabbed my Will Tippin and made my way to the base.

I’m not gonna lie: the task was far more daunting than I anticipated it would be. You might think that because I never snapped any photos on the trail that maybe I cheated and took the tram up, but the truth is that it was far too grueling to even think about my camera. That, and we were both much to focused on the beer at the top to stop for photo ops.

Nachos too…

Before descending the mountain, we took a quick walk to the five-acre Grizzly Bear Refuge, home to two orphaned grizzly bears.

I was pretty choked that I stopped filming when I did because not even 30 seconds later, the big guy started scratching up an awkward storm, Al Bundy-style.

The grizzlies were unspeakably beautiful, graceful in their lumbering and far more playful than the menacing creatures they’re made out to be. What I really wanted was to give out free bear hugs to the two of them!

I nicknamed this guy Jordy II since he lays the same way as my pup.

“French manicure, please.”

After making the ascent in one hour and 36 minutes, it was mission: accomplished for the C.I.A.

Two-second snap before they herded me onto the tram to head back down the mountain. It was the best $5 I have ever spent.

Also, just a little bit stoked that I was still rocking the glow an hour later.

I find people to be incredibly fascinating. I also find life to be incredibly fascinating. The nature of both can be encouraging at times and utterly disappointing at others.

I like my life. I’m rather satisfied with it these days. Both the ups and the downs have been essential in contributing to where I am at this very day during the very minute you’re reading this.

If you’d like a test with which to gauge how much the people you love actually love you back, throw yourself into an emotional crisis. In situations like those, there’s no way to predict how the trauma will be dealt with, how long the wounds require to heal and who will still be left standing at the end of the day.

At the climax I found myself on earlier this year, I initially had what seemed like a ton of support. As the weeks and months wore on and I was able to pick myself up in the ring, wipe the blood from my mouth and ice my black eyes, the crowd was much smaller. It’s only in times like that you discover who’s truly standing behind you. And further, it’s simple – and sometimes astonishing – to realize the ones that show their true colours when being your friend is less important than being “in the loop” for social reasons, so to speak.

My circle has since become small, considerably small. But you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. At least now I know for certain who I can talk with, who I can share with and who I can ultimately trust. I adore the path I’m on in life, the new experiences and people that I am finally finding myself open to once again and am savouring every minute of my new-found independence. I find myself exuding a carefree and – dare I say – happy disposition, letting everyone else hang on to their “life crap” if they wish. That’s just not for me anymore.

Those ups and downs – that is life. Things won’t get better once you pay all the bills, buy this or obtain that. You won’t feel settled once you secure a mortgage or a man. Today is life, this is now and I’d rather have a pocket full of something small and real I can hold onto rather than push a trolley full of emotional baggage.

A Prada dress has never broke my heart before, but I’m quite sure I’m no longer on the market simply for labels.

Today is a very special day.

My lovable, sweet-as-pie, kind-as-candy and darling friend Ashley is celebrating her birthday.

Friends for nearly a decade, there aren’t a lot of adventures we haven’t been on. We’ve ridden roller coasters, drank wine stashed in thermoses in the park, soaked in the Banff hot springs in matching bikinis, eaten most likely litres of Island Farms ice cream, talked under the stars, clung to each other during horror films and consumed our combined weight in Cupcakes. Ashley has even been a motherly hand to hold at the dentist’s office when I got an abscess on vacation.

What I love most about my “sister” – besides our uncanny knack to dress alike without even planning on it – is her unconditional love. No matter how different our viewpoints or opinions or thoughts are, she’s always there to love and respect me. Ashley is one of the few people I can be my true self with because she does not judge.

Ashley, I wish you a joyous, beautiful, sunshiny and fun-filled day. And by fun-filled, I actually mean ice cream-filled. Have a very, very happy birthday! xo

When girls get together on a Saturday night over fruit-infused cocktails, the conversation always finds its way to men and dating. It’s an inevitability. And so was the situation that Andrea and I found ourselves in this past weekend. However, more specifically, it was online dating that was the topic du nuit.

No one ever wrote the rules of etiquette around it. How much are you supposed to reveal about yourself? What’s a reasonable level of expectation? If someone messages you that you’re not interested in, do you tell them so or just ignore the e-mail altogether? And what’s worse is those that send messages after clearly not having read your profile (such as a 22-year-old sending an e-mail when it’s clearly stated that you want someone over 30).

Photo: Andrew Coulter Enright on Flickr

Recently I signed up for one of the many online dating services. I posted a few pics of my flashing grin in my profile, some witty quips about my personality and a small list of likes, dislikes and what I’d ultimately like to find in a potential partner. And so, a few e-mails started trickling in, but instead of deciding whether or not I was potentially interested in these men, I found myself questioning if I even wanted any potential partner.

The thought of being “tied in” to a relationship is enough to induce anxiety while seeing wedding photos on Facebook brings on full-blown nausea. I stepped back for a moment and envisioned my life in the future; there’s no one else in those pictures. Many people pair off and get married for the right reasons – and I’m pumped for those people – while others do it simply for the self-validation. Neither suits me.

I have plans, goals, dreams, ideas, places I want to see, things I want to do… and while some would love to share those with a significant other, I feel it would only stand in my way. Aside from the obvious steps of going to NYC, buying a car and potentially buying a home in the next several years, I have other plans including a somewhat monumental two-week trip. In none of these do I see someone beside me. I want my absolute independence and losing it frightens me.

Now, Andrea and I both agreed that every girl needs a decent jam session once in a while – a “part-time lover” as she put it. However, that doesn’t mean I need to compromise on what it is I want and what that means. It means that my life is my own and the only things that terrify me are complacency and sticking to convention.

I am absolutely open to the idea of meeting someone great if that someone great came along and managed to fit into my life like a favourite pair of jeans. While I don’t believe in fate, soulmates or any of that other idealistic romanticism, if it should happen, it will happen. And if it shouldn’t, it won’t. But finding a companion is the very least of my goals.

I deleted my profile.