Keira-anne.com

Any woman who has lived in downtown Vancouver for any significant period of time knows how hard it can be to meet other like-minded women in this city. I am in the midst of my fifth year here and have only just recently began to expand my circle of girlfriends in the last year or two, and even so it has been in a rather traditional fashion. The four women I spend the majority of my time with are women I met either through blogging or though mutual friends.

But what about unconventional means? What about the girl date? And further, do girls date?

Case in point: each morning I get my four-shot Americano from the same Starbucks location. If anything, it’s a brief respite from the beginning of another (torturous) day at the office. The staff there are always fantastic and know me by name, drink and the occasional ginger molasses cookie. There is one girl there in particular, however, that I tend to spend much time in conversation with.

We chat about men, about hair, about weekend plans and anything else random that comes up. The reality is that we seem like very similar girls in a lot of ways and for whatever reason, I get the sense that she’s one of the rare few I could get along with.

Finding girlfriends is hard enough, so letting a potential one slip by could be considered wasteful. Dilemma: I want to go on a girl date with her and dip my toes in the waters of friendship, but is that beyond the boundaries of even the unconventional? Do men randomly ask each other to shoot hoops or “grab a beer sometime” without crossing into comfort zones?

Your thoughts, please.

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

…I used to be in Hanson and dress like Matthew McConaughey.

I don’t know who Kim Kardashian is. I don’t know why she’s famous. I do, however, admit to indulging in celebrity gossip sites (mainly People and The Superficial), so I see my fair share of paparazzi shots. I also know that, for whatever reason, Kim Kardashian is constantly accused of donning butt padding.

I would like to present photographic evidence in an effort to refute those claims…

June 11, 2008

Photo: Goff/INF for People

August 1, 2008

Photo: Flynet via The Superficial

August 14, 2008

Photo: PRJ/Fame Pictures for People

Yes, I am very, very bored today.

I can’t hold it against the girl though. I love me some ice cream too. A lot, actually.

Thanks for providing me with an outlet with which I can not only make productive use of my time, but also to pimp the pups. Yes!

P.S. Sorry, Amy.

In a media realm saturated with celebrity, it’s entirely easy to fall victim to unrealistic expectations. When we’re bombarded with countless images of seemingly flawless figures and faces, questioning our own appearances and bodies seems to follow suit. It’s inescapable.

And then sometimes there is the rare occasion on which someone says something simple enough to bring us back to reality. This morning I read the following quote on IMDb from Anne Hathaway:

“I wanted a nose job, but now, my nose is what lets me change my face a lot. Your face needs to have character…otherwise you’re just a face.”

This strikes a rather positive chord with someone who’s long secretly wished for a nose job. Perhaps I should instead just shut up and be grateful for the character that my face does have. It’s part of what makes me who I am.

I still want bigger boobs.

While talking with a friend, he mentioned a gem of a site he found that’s simply perfect for wasting time. People from all over contribute photos, love notes, to-do lists, break up letters, kids’ drawings and whatever else they can find in some of the most obscure places. Found Magazine [website] is where you can find them all in one place. Here’s a couple I dug up for your viewing pah-leasure…

“Adjust your attitude, young man.” What five star parents call their child a snot? Tsk, tsk.

Photo: Found Magazine

You must obey. I’m not sure what happens if you don’t though.

Photo: Found Magazine

“When you wake up in the morning and it’s quarter to one and you just want to have some fun…”

Photo: Found Magazine

Deep Thoughts

Photo: Found Magazine

Why do I adore this photo? I had a very similar hot pink satin concoction when I was that age. I look equally as rad with my crimped hair.

Photo: Found Magazine

Everyone loves a healthy dose of passive aggression.

Photo: Found Magazine

Before I typed these words, I sat here staring at a blank screen. I haven’t written anything new in close to two days and, truth be told, I still don’t have much to say.

[more staring…]

I guess the only difference between this post and any other post I’ve written before is that I’m writing this one on, for the first time, my very own MacBook Pro.

It’s sweet.

This is me and Becky as M&Ms. She made it. We also sing and dance for a nominal fee.

Photo: miss604 on Flickr

I am tired. In fact, I am so tired that I am near ready to cry from the struggle of keeping my eyes open this morning. The chorus from Riley Armstrong’s “Sleep” keeps looping through my head. On my desk sits a very strong Americano being used as a chaser for the ginger molasses cookie I just ate. Perhaps I was hoping that the copious sugary coating would give me a boost or a rush.

I’d like to chalk it up to late nights of South Park and a dinner party yesterday evening that lasted until after midnight. The truth of it, though, is that my body is just getting older. Jack once told me that once one thing goes wrong, it’s all downhill from there. My eyes started to fail me two summers ago and since then, apparently he’s been right.

Perhaps wishing so defeats my desire to live in the moment, but there isn’t a lot I wouldn’t give to fast forward through the next six and a half hours and crawl into bed.

(For those of you that actually clicked on the Riley Armstrong link, I apologize for sending you to quite possibly one of the corniest videos of all time.)