Keira-anne.com

"I'll wait here in the car while you ride the ferry. I'm not allowed upstairs, but this metal room with plastic chairs is lovely." Photo: *MarS on Flickr "Sorry...I can't come in the grocery store with you." "Enjoy the restaurant. I know I fit in your handbag, but I have to stay at home." Photo: Lex in the City on Flickr "You're going shopping without me? Now I'm sad..." "Go enjoy your coffee - I'll stay here tied to this metal pole." Photo: Eve D. on Flickr "We're going on a trip? Yay! Oh wait...I have to stay in a tiny crate in the plane's cargo area? Oh." "Let's play! But it has to be outside because that's the only place I'm welcome (even though lots of moms don't like me)." Photo: Simon Davison on Flickr "I'm tired. Just tired of getting no respect..." I find it completely and constantly amazing at how many places confine dogs to certain areas - or ban them entirely. One could make the argument that dogs can be a health and cleanliness hazard at establishments such as restaurants and grocery stores, but tell me which small child that spends each day with 30 other kids in daycare or a classroom isn't equally as hazardous to health standards. While you may not appreciate canine companions accompanying their owners in public, I don't appreciate your crying, bratty, snotty, Kool-Aid stained, germy, dirty, pajama-clad, Croc-wearing, spoiled, loud urchin of an offspring infringing on my personal space. The use of this photo is illustrative; I am making no inference to this particular child. Photo: Clappstar on Flickr.

There is never any shortage of rambling about BC Ferries on this blog. That said, here are some Friday Facts you might find interesting:

A fuel surchage was approved by a Commissioner for the corporation on July 24, 2008 and implemented on August 1, 2008. 10.3% was to be tacked onto fares on routes between Vancouver Island and the Mainland, with minor routes seeing a 17.6% increase.

On October 1, 2008, BC Ferries' Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Mike Corrigan, announced that "given current economic uncertainties and reduced traffic," the corporation will be cutting service on some of the routes between Vancouver Island and the Mainland.

Just yesterday, Global BC news revealed the BC Ferries is handing out close to $2,000,000 in what it called "performance bonuses" to its frontline workers for "meeting safety, customer service and financial targets." BC Ferries argues that the money was set aside at the end of the last fiscal year. Decisions, decisions...

That said, I'm setting out to sail on one of these blood-sucking behemoths after work with the always luscious Amy for the Thanksgiving long weekend. I'm looking forward to a relaxing time of frosty sunshine, running, cuddle time with Charley, shopping with my Auntie (including a retro and vintage sale at the Comox Mall, sponsored by the Comox Valley Toastmasters club), cooking turkey dinner with my mom, family time, Quality Foods' Szechuan beef, and a Sunday night party at Parksville's Rod & Gun Club. Also, I promise that Sunday won't be a repeat of my trip to Lucky Bar in Victoria last October. That was trouble.

In an update to yesterday's post regarding the mistreated black lab puppy, it turns out that I am not the only one who contacted the SPCA in this regard. Animal Protection Officer Angela Mead assured me that every effort is being taken to track down this man and his dog in order to cite him for harsh discipline/training. If he violates that order, the puppy can be seized! If you live in the downtown Vancouver area, please keep your eyes open for a black lab puppy (under 6 months old) in the company of an assumingly transient man in his late 20s with shoulder-length brown hair, facial hair, baggy cargo-style clothes and a southern accent (possibly Texan). He may or may not be travelling with a young woman of Asian descent with colourful highlights streaked in her hair. If you spot this man and his puppy, please immediately contact the Vancouver SPCA at (604) 879-7721.

And don't forget...you can always keep up-to-date with me on my Twitter page!

Nearly nothing incenses me as much as animal abuse, and in particular, abuse to dogs. They don't have a voice, and thus don't have a choice. I saw something after work yesterday afternoon that made my blood boil. As I waited outside a Blenz coffee shop to meet a friend, I noticed a man crossing the street with a black lab puppy who could have been no more than a couple months old. The puppy's gait was clearly still unsteady, but the man had no patience and kept on commanding "come on!" while yanking roughly on the dog's leash. Photo: Gmonkey on Flickr Once on the sidewalk, the man stopped to talk to someone he clearly knew. While I couldn't hear the conversation entirely, what I did hear was how he had just been reprimanded by a complete stranger for mistreating his dog. He went on to tell his friend something to the effect of "I know how to handle my own f**king dog!" before continuing on his way. However, he stopped near a doorway about half a block down on the other side of me, where I proceeded to watch out of the corner of my eye. The man wanted him to sit; the puppy would not sit. Instead, the little one kept going for the doorway and the man would jerk hard on the leash, lifting his puppy entirely off the ground while condescendingly yelling at him to "sit DOWN!" And being that the puppy was too young to be steady, his little legs collapsed on the ground under his body every single time. This repeated close to ten times before the puppy finally gave up and sat. I immediately dialed my friend Angela, who is an Animal Protection Officer with the BC-SPCA, and reported what I saw. Even if it's not enough to do anything other than warn the guy, assholes like him need to be put in their place. Raising a dog takes a tremendous amount of love, patience, perseverance and compassion. If you aren't willing to show those traits to your furry friends, you have no business owning one.

I like hot dogs. I'm a simple gal; a bit of ketchup and mustard will do. Veggie dogs are a no-no and Oscar Meyer is preferred. Fletchers wieners never make the cut. During the Summer months, my friend Susan and I make a weekly habit of purchasing "street meat" for lunch. This is a tradition that we try to stretch out into the Fall for as long as we can, at least until the streets are swept with rain and slick leaves. Yesterday we went to our favourite vendor along Robson Street... Photo: Wesley Fryer on Flickr By now the man knows us by face and is always seemingly delighted to see us. After we happily paid for our hot dogs and Diet Pepsis, another customer approached the stand and said "gimme a beef hot dog." No please, no thank you, no common courtesy. The more and more I pay attention, the more and more I notice that simple pleasantries seem to be a thing of the past. Most of us have, at one time or another, worked a thankless job for minimum pay. Usually those kinds of jobs include dealing with rude and unappreciative customers, so I always make it a point to be one of those rare, friendly faces. Saying please and thank you is simply good manners. I suppose that I, unlike so many others, actually passed kindergarten.

May I present to you all an open letter to BC Ferries... Dear British Columbia Ferry Services Inc.: Since I’ve had a few months to test the waters of the new Coastal Renaissance vessel, I thought I’d take the opportunity to offer my feedback on the newest member of the fleet, as well as on BC Ferries’ overall service. After all, it’s your company’s commitment to “provide a continuously improving west coast travel experience that consistently exceeds customer expectations.” So have my expectations been exceeded, let alone met? That’s a most excellent question. Let’s see, shall we? For all of my 27 years, I have been a resident of British Columbia. In its early days, the company was a Provincial Crown corporation. Since BC Ferries was structurally re-organized pursuant to the Coastal Ferry Act, the Province’s residents have seen the fares go up and up and up. For a service that is an essential lifeline to a large number of British Columbians, this has me perplexed. You have my complete permission to “rip off” tourists to the fullest extent, but give the residents a break. If you aren’t going to offer us lower fares, perhaps a “Sail 9 Times, Get the Tenth Trip Free” incentive would be doable. Or better yet, allow regular users of the system the option of a book of ten fare tickets at a reduced price – much like Translink. Oh and while we’re on the subject of fares, your jacked rates over holidays and long weekends is simply unacceptable. Of course travel on those weekends is inevitable, and it costs relatively the same to run a ship on a Wednesday as it does on a Sunday. For those that live on BC’s coast, water travel is essential. Stop exploiting the days of the week for your own purposes, mmmk? The toilets on the Coastal Renaissance sound scary when you flush them, and the seats are slanted weird, so keeping toilet paper laid on them is next to impossible. That said, it might be nice to actually offer toilet seat covers. Air conditioning, while necessary in the summer, is a tad bit ridiculous in January. When I buy a banana at the grocery store, it costs me roughly 40 cents. When I buy a banana at any BC Ferries’ snack bar, it costs me roughly $1.49. One banana! Ouch. For the record, “hospitality” is spelled with only one “l," not two. You may want to check your elevator’s electronic directory. The last time I arrived at Departure Bay, the fences around the construction area were dotted with signs that said “Please excuse the contractors while we bring you a better service,” or something equally kitschy. It’s nice to see that those working on the terminals are thought of as nothing more than the hired help, as though you’re embarrassed by the inconvenience of their presence. The Vancouver 2010 propaganda splashed across the sides of the new ships is nauseating. Not everyone in this Province agrees that supporting amateur athletes by way of state-of-the-art facilities is more important than BC's rampant problems of homelessness, drug use, lack of education, lack of adequate housing and lack of essential childcare. I, for one, don’t. I suppose that’s it for now and I am quite sure I answered the query of customer satisfaction – and then some. If I had another viable option to find my way back and forth between the Mainland and the Island, I would. However, in case you weren’t aware, you hold the monopoly. If BC Ferries wants to make money, I suggest they start a charter business and hand the ferry system back over solely to the Province. Yours very truly, Keira-Anne Mellis

I'm a quality girl, I enjoy quality products. I have long been a firm believer in the idea that you get what you pay for. I won't shell out a lot of cash for things like flip flops, socks and even sometimes panties (those H&M booty shorts are 3 for $10 and super cute). Then there are those items which deserve more than a few pennies tossed their way. For this girl, jeans, hair care and skin care rank in the top three. I've been a consistent user of Bumble & bumble. for a few years now, and never bat an eyelash at the price tag. Sure it's pricier than your average drugstore brands of hair care, but the results are worth it. It's as simple as that. Duh. A few months ago I received a suspicious text message from Becky during one of her south-of-the-border shopping trips. She was shopping at everyone's favourite "fun find" store, Target, and spotted my beloved Bb. on the shelves. "Hmmm..." I thought to myself. Something wasn't right, if only because I knew how exclusively Bb. sold their products. Then again this morning, Jenny mentioned that she saw a few of Bb.'s products in the London Drugs on Davie Street. Naturally, I marched straight there to see the proof in the pudding. And there it was...a few bottles from their Seaweed, Alojoba and Creme de Coco collections.

I thought that Bb. products are only sold in salons, but I saw them in a drugstore, what gives? We only sell our products through the Bb. Network which is comprised of exclusive salons and apothecaries throughout the world. We have no relationship with any mass market chains and none is authorized to sell Bb. products (and we hate it when they do). The only way to guarantee the efficacy of our products (so you know they're the real deal) is to buy them from a member of our Network ( see Salon Locator ) or directly from Bumble and bumble. [source]

It was never my intent to dive into a diatribe on retailers who illegally sell products in their stores, but my point is that it's completely important to have a bit of awareness as a consumer. This morning, as I unscrewed the caps from the "Bb." I found at London Drugs, my nose was instantly invaded with a sharp stinging sensation - clue no. 1 that it wasn't a genuine Bb. product. Major retailers, such as London Drugs and Target, are known to carry products obtained through a third party distributor, and the products themselves are often diluted or altered in an attempt to save money. In fact, when Jenny went to New York to attend the actual Bb. academy, she spotted Bb. products in corner stores around Manhattan. How can you be more aware and support ethical consumerism? Here's some easy steps: 1. Smell the Product. As I mentioned, the stuff spotted this morning smelled markedly different than genuine Bb. products. 2. Check Your Surroundings. I picked up my favourite perfume a few months back, knowing not many would have it since not even the Bay nor Sears carried it. Imagine my surprise when I spotted a stack of Marc Jacobs gift sets in Courtenay at the Shopper's Drug Mart. Not only were there just a few available, the fragrance wasn't available in an individual bottle. If a store genuinely carries a name, such as Marc Jacobs (which SDM doesn't), a variety of that product will be available. 3. Look At the Label. The first thing I noticed about this morning's "Bb." discovery was the bottle of Seaweed. The design had been manipulated and looked nothing like those found in salons. 4. Check the Website. Most major brands are aware of their products being sold on the black market to third parties who then pass them on to chain stores. Usually you can find a disclaimer on any given website verifying this, and also informing you where you can legitimately purchase a product. 5. If It Seems To Good to Be True... it probably is. That DC hoodie you purchased for $20 at Army & Navy probably shouldn't have been on the rack in the first place.

Enough said.

Tonight marks the opening night of Vancouver's Celebration of Light, sparking over the waters of English Bay. It's the annual event at which, over four nights, 1.4 million Greater Vancouver residents cozy up together to take in fireworks displays from around the world. This year's competition boasts colourful presentations from Canada (July 23), the United States (July 26) and China (July 30) with a grand finale on August 2. Photo: Duane Storey on Flickr I will not be one of those 1.4 million. While the fireworks themselves can be a marvel to see, I can't say that 500,000 people invading my neighbourhood each night, police helicopters circling overhead, dump trucks full of littered garbage and suburban jackasses getting into street fights are overly appealing factors. "But Keira, you chose to live in the West End." Sure, and I can also choose to leave the West End on the nights in question. If the City of Vancouver were to, say, move the event to the shores near Point Grey, you can be damned sure the locals would cause an up-roar. It's my quiet little neighbourhood. That being said, after work and a half hour of laying in the sun (fingers crossed), I'm grabbing sushi from my favourite joint and venturing across town to hunker down in Gastown for the night. All's not lost on fireworks evenings. Last year I had the pleasure of spending one such evening in the company of lovely friends, such as Rebecca, and meeting new ones, like Tony. And oh my, the fun we had that night!

Today, as I stepped onto the elevator upon arriving at work, one of my co-workers asked me why I was coming from a different direction than usual. I said that I still lived in the West End but that I'm dogsitting in Gastown. He then asked me if all the "drug addicts" bothered me in a rather admonishing tone. I was a bit floored by the question and didn't know how to answer. Flustered, I stuttered out "er, no...those people are just part of the neighbourhood." The truth is, I was downright enraged that anyone would even presume my feelings on the subject. Because, in reality, to me those so-called "drug addicts" are people, first and foremost, who suffer from substance abuse problems (possibly among other sufferings). Oh and I almost became splattered roadkill while crossing a sidewalk yesterday. Yup, I had a walk signal, but perhaps Mr. Police Officer should've been paying less attention to the computer in his squad car and more attention to the road on which he was driving. /rant

I'm really surprised this isn't something that occurs more often in downtown Vancouver: Photo: melodrama.ca on Flickr As I made my way to work in the early hours of this morning, dazed in my New Radicals stupor, I came to the intersection at Hornby and Dunsmuir like I always do. However, I was soon snapped out of my trance by the sight of a now-compact car smushed into the back end of a garbage truck. The front end had been squeezed all the way up to the windshield, steamed poured from what was left of the engine and neon yellow fluid started streaming onto the pavement. A man sat on the curb, his head in his hands in an attempt to hide his obvious sobs, while the woman that he was with held him. What astonished me is that not one single damn person stopped. No one asked if they were okay or if 911 had been called. The garbage truck driver and his partner were conversing in the cab of their truck and everyone around continued on their merry way. I'd like to think that I'm a responsible citizen; that being the case, I stopped to offer any assistance I could before emergency vehicles arrived mere moments later. To ensure I didn't get in the way, I carried on once I realized that there wasn't anything I could do to help that hadn't already been done. Police, fire and ambulance personnel were on the scene. Not only did no one stop to help, those that were in the area tried to run across the street or speed through the intersection before the emergency vehicles were "in their way." Photo: John Bollwitt on Flickr I simply shook my head in disgust. It never ceases to amaze me the number of blatantly ignorant people there are on the road. Were the City of Vancouver to hold a referendum in an attempt to eliminate vehicular traffic altogether in the downtown core, you can rest assured I'd mark a giant check mark in the "Yes" box. As a pedestrian in this city, drivers continually anger me. As a sometimes driver in this city, pedestrians continually anger me. Sometimes I can't help but wonder where some people obtain their drivers' licenses. Just Monday, a young lady lurched right out onto the crosswalk to make a right-hand turn as myself and a handful of others were proceeding on a walk signal. I gave the bumper end of her car one giant and swift slap with the palm of my hand in an effort to make her more aware. Perhaps it was a bit excessive, but better my hand on the back of her car to teach her a lesson than her car mowing into the lot of us. Oddly enough, it was she who shouted expletives at me as I continued to walk for up to half a block. "How dare you f*$%ing hit my car?!" Classy. Yes, drivers and walkers, it is time we all wake up. Driving is not only a huge responsibility, but it is also a privilege. If you're a Translink driver or taxi driver, then this Bud's particularly for you. Daily commutes would be a hell of a lot more enjoyable - and safe - if we all opened our eyes a little bit and showed one another respect. And please, for the love of god, when you see flashing lights and hear a siren, it doesn't indicate that you should speed up.