Keira-anne.com

Two weekends, two disappointments. The head cold from hell dropped it's bomb on me Wednesday evening and fully exploded by last night. I woke up this morning feeling worse than I can remember, even after a 12-hour, Nyquil-induced sleep. That being said, I was unable to attend this year's Northern Voice conference at UBC. I was really looking forward to meeting a lot of bloggers whom I'd only read or heard about, as well as picking up a few tricks of the trade for myself. Photo: Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group, a division of Walt Disney Pictures Group Instead, I occupied my day under covers with the likes of cowboys, cowgirls, suspected terrorists, AWOL U.S. Army officers and the like. I watched no less than Tombstone, The Quick and the Dead, Rendition and In the Valley of Elah. All fantastic movies featuring fantastic casts. However, I've been known to have somewhat of a stellar immune system, so I have no doubt that I'll be up and running again soon. Here's hoping for NV09...

In less than one month, yours truly and a handful of equally fabulous people are getting together to throw balls on wood for a good cause. Team Blogger will be bowling at Surrey's Xcalibur lanes on Sunday, March 16th in support of Big Brothers Vancouver. Our team's goal is to raise a minimum of $1,000, and we're already half way there! If you haven't yet pledged a bowler and want to sponsor one of us (*cough*cough*me*cough*cough*), click on your favourite bowler below. If you pledge me, I promise I won't go and tweak my knee again. Amy [Sponsor Amy] Corinna of Gus Greeper [Sponsor Corinna] Duane of The Duane Storey [Sponsor Duane] John of John Biehler [Sponsor John] John of John Bollwitt [Sponsor John] Keira-Anne of Keira-Anne [Sponsor Keira-Anne] Phaedra of Memoirs of Me [Sponsor Phaedra] Raul of Hummingbird604 [Sponsor Raul] Rebecca of Miss604 [Sponsor Rebecca] (Team Captain) Tod of Tod Maffin [Sponsor Tod]

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

With only 38 days left until Northern Voice 2008, I suggest you do as I did last night and get yourself registered. This conference fills up fast. This is my first time attending the conference, and I'm excited to meet new people and fellow bloggers as well as pick up on some more ideas for my own blog. It's a great opportunity to network and make your own slice of the web just a little bit bigger.

Northern Voice is a two-day, non-profit personal blogging and social media conference that's being held at the Forestry Sciences Centre, 2424 Main Mall, UBC main campus, Vancouver, Canada on February 22-23, 2008. This is the 4th annual incarnation of this event.

Visit the Northern Voice website for information on the conference, fees and how to register. —————————————————— Good things just keep getting better on the Island. Mount Washington's base is currently sitting at 427 cm with close to a foot of fresh powder having fallen overnight. If that sounds enticing but you have no idea what the hell to do once you're on the mountain, this week is the Rossignol National Learn to Ski/Board week on my favourite hill. If you're a young grasshopper and have never strapped on two planks or a board, here's your chance to learn for free with beginner lessons at no cost from January 14-18. Visit the website for more details. Photo: Mount Washington Alpine Resort at 8:14 a.m. —————————————————— I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what I want my blog and my writing to be and what I would like it all to encompass. I believe it's time I start tackling a few more issues that are both important to me and relevant to life in British Columbia. In the coming months, look for some of these pieces to pop up from time to time. Also, feel free to e-mail me (keira at keira-anne dot com) with any ideas you may have. I'm really excited about the first story I'm working on with a friend of mine from the Victoria area, so you can expect to see that posted by week's end sometime within the next week or two.