Keira-anne.com

With a little over two weeks until the SPCA’s Paws For A Cause, excitement is certainly building! Our fundraising efforts have been met with an overwhelming response and I, for one, am incredibly grateful for the generosity and encouraging words of support. Being that so many of you have chosen to give to the animals, I would like to give something back.

Amongst those who have made contributions of more than $20, I will be raffling off a $50 gift card to the shop of the winner’s choice (Future Shop? Home Depot? Urban Outfitters?). In addition, MatthewGood.org’s very own accomplished photographer, Duane Storey, is giving away an 8″x10″ print of one of his phenomenal HDR photos snapped in and around Vancouver. A couple examples are seen below; more of his HDR work can be viewed here.

Photo: Duane Storey on Flickr

Photo: Duane Storey on Flickr

If you would like to donate to the SPCA’s Paws For A Cause and support Benji, Casey, Pete and Bella as they march for their furry friends, visit the donation page here.

To learn how your dollars can make a difference, visit the SPCA’s Paws For A Cause website.

Thanks again!

Originally posted here.

Okay, okay, so I know I haven’t exactly been acting like much of a blogger this week. I haven’t posted in two days and even then it was only a video clip, so even I can admit that was a half-assed attempt. Work has been a hellish gong show for me over the last two days. On Wednesday after work, I sat on the floor of the shower, letting it run over me for 20 minutes, pretending I was sitting in a summer rain shower on Chesterman beach, not unlike the last time I was there. It actually worked.

However, now it’s Friday and my hell days allowed me to accrue enough overtime hours to stay at home today. Because my brain is essentially fried after completing 110 pages of written submissions, here’s a Friday link fest for you.

Photo: iheartsharts on Flickr

It’s probably been at least a 67 years since I last posted a link fest, so here you go, Tuesday. Here’s a link feast…

Photo: John Bollwitt on Flickr

P.S. I love my MacBook Pro

My drive and desire behind participating in 2008’s SPCA Paws For A Cause has remained completely unchanged. My passion and love for four-legged friends - and dogs in particular - is what pushes me to speak for those who have no voices.

Being that one of my very best friends feels the same way and is a committed dog lover himself, I asked Matt to come on board. Paws For A Cause is really and truly about the animals, and only the animals, and so I re-vamped my participation profile to reflect that.

While I will still be holding the leashes, it is Benji, Casey, Pete, Bella and Jorja that will be walking on September 14 to speak for their furry friends. I know my girl Charley would participate too if she were in Vancouver. Between the donations I’d already raised and those we’ve raised by way of Matt’s blog, close to $3,200 over $3,300 is going to the BC SPCA - all thanks to you!

As Jen and I strolled down Robson Street this evening, I stopped in front of a boarded up construction site that had been plastered with random concert and record posters. One cluster of ads, however, caught my eye. On September 14, 2008, the SPCA is holding its annual “Paws For A Cause” at Vanier Park in Kitsilano.

Let’s hope for sunshine, as I’ll be heading out to Kitsilano in September to march and rally with a menagerie of four-legged friends (and some very compassionate animal/SPCA supporters). My goal is a lofty one, but I firmly believe that the animals undoubtedly deserve every penny.

If you’d like more information on this event, visit the “Paws For A Cause” website, and to sponsor me directly, head on over here and search for “Keira-Anne Mellis” to pledge.

Any and all support is humbly and graciously appreciated.

Please take a minute to watch the video below to see how much work the SPCA does to help animals - not just domestic pets - across our Province.

My kitchen, for the most part, normally has a good stock of food (or at least the ingredients required to bake chocolate chip cookies at a moment’s notice).

My bathroom cabinets, too, are almost always stuffed full. The cupboards overflow with a seeming abundance of shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, tampons, condoms, toilet paper, toothpaste (and a toothbrush!), razor blades, soap, lotion, lip balm and anything else you can think of. And if I run out, Shopper’s Drug Mart is half a block away, so refilling the supply is never a problem.

For some women, however, acquiring even one or two of these items is next to impossible.

Photo: dtes.people on Flickr

The items I listed above are just a fraction of what’s needed, and unfortunately, the resources for the women of Vancouver’s downtown eastside are next to none. The clean socks and finely bristled hairbrushes we all take for granted are a luxury to some women.

This is where you come in. Last week, on another dreary and rainy day in Vancouver, Phaedra and I came up with an idea that will, hopefully, give many of these women the opportunity to take in a few of the items needed on a daily - and monthly - basis. Most of us are fortunate to have jobs, pay the bills and supply ourselves with what we need, so banded together, it’s not an impossibilty to put together “care kits” and distribute them accordingly.

Becky has been awesome enough to start a Wiki page (Women Helping Women) in this regard where we can trade ideas, generate fundraising avenues and contribute. Visit Women Helping Women, join up and start the discussion. Our hope is to meet sometime within the next week or two to put our heads together. If you have ideas, funds or items to contribute, leave a message, e-mail me (keira at keira-anne dot com) or pop a note on the Wiki page.

P.S. Just because you may be a dude, it doesn’t exempt you. Be a gentleman and offer a helping hand.

My weekend has been divine. Yesterday I spent many hours sleeping in, then after finally deciding to shower and “pretty myself,” I took the boys on a two-hour trek to Yaletown for new shampoo and conditioner for me and a little sumpin’ for my favourite monkeys. Word to the wise: Barking Babies is a bad idea. A knock to the pocketbook and half an hour later, we walked out with honey/peanut butter dog biscuits, doggy granola bars, yogurt-dipped dog cookies and a new squeaky lamb for each of them. The toys weren’t intended, but when I picked them up off the shelf, Benji jumped up and grabbed it with his teeth. “Well, I guess I’m taking two of those…” I said to the girl. However, it’s rather precious because rather than playing with his lamb like Casey, Benji has a tendency to drag his lamb into the dog bed and wrap it with a blanket and proceed to cuddle.

The rest of the day was completely uneventful, as a power outage knocked out our electricity to well into the night, and it wasn’t until midnight that I finally ordered a pizza and threw on Season 1 of ‘Oz.’ In case you were wondering, it’s a ridiculously fantastic series produced by HBO that aired between 1997 and 2003.

Today was the day I’d been waiting a long time for, being that I got together with some great people for a great cause. The 2008 Bowl For Big Brothers Classic welcomed a pared-down version of ‘Team Blogger’ at Xcalibur Lanes in Surrey. The five of us on hand enjoyed two hours of 10-pin bowling in the dark. Despite the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of cosmic bowling, I’ll rarely pass up the opportunity to bowl. But why let me bore you by telling you about it? Here’s a few snaps of the action. The rest can be seen in my Flickr set.

A huge thank you to everyone that donated funds to Big Brothers of Vancouver on behalf of ‘Team Blogger.’ Unfortunately, only 50% of us were able to make it out but I know the whole team feels it’s an extremely worthy cause that supports many Greater Vancouver youth who so desperately need this program. All in, we raised over $1,000, all thanks to you!

The Full Throttle Slopestyle Competition is coming very soon (this weekend, in fact) to Mount Washington. Come out to watch skiiers and boarders strut their best stuff on the slopes. Skiiers, your day is Saturday, while the snowboarders take over shredding duties on Sunday. Whether you’re riding, two-planking or just hanging out to take in the sights, I’m pretty sure it promises to be a fun and exciting weekend.

If I’m a little m.i.a. (?) over the next several days, it’s no doubt for very good reason. The fourth annual Northern Voice conference invades Vancouver, kicking off with a launch dinner tomorrow night at a “secret” location, followed by Moosecamp on Friday and the actual conference on Saturday. Click the moose for more information.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I found myself the quintessential and all-too-necessary little black dress last night. How I never discovered Bebe sooner is completely beyond me. Stay tuned tomorrow for dollface pictures of your humble narrator shimmied into the satin sleeve.

P.S. I am so addicted to Jugo Juice