John comes from a proud line of Macintosh users and in 2007 he converted me into an Apple fan girl — and I haven’t looked back. Recently we needed to upgrade our arsenal (you know since having a Powerbook, Macbook, and iMac just wasn’t enough) and were on the market for a shiny new Macbook Pro for our business.

I had purchased my Macbook from one of the big box stores and I do cherish the official Apple Store experience however since we are a local company, I thought it would be best to support another Vancouver-based business with this decision. As a result when Simply Computing added me on Twitter (@Simplydotca) I took it as a sign and decided to pay them a visit at their Broadway location.

The staff at Simply Computing was friendly, courteous, and well… they’re all Mac geeks like us. They know the product (since it’s their specialty) and even while I was there an associate was talking about how he became Apple Certified for Aperture. They’re the largest independent Apple dealer in BC (with seven locations around the province) and have been in business of providing Apple products and care since 1983. In 2008 they were also awarded Apple’s Commitment to Excellence Award for outstanding service.

I ended up getting a 15″ Macbook Pro for sixty4media that will be John‘s on-the-go machine. It’s everything we knew we were getting into and more since Simply tossed in a copy of Undercover for free (which every customer gets, not just us). This software helps retrieve a stolen Macbook by tracking and locating the computer (kind of like this, but in a more intended way).

To be honest, the Simply Computing retail location on Broadway isn’t “sexy” like the Apple Store by any means, but what they lack in decor they make up for in service, customer & technical support, and product knowledge. Aside from the Vancouver location you can visit them in White Rock and Langley (I hear the Langley store in Willowbrook is pretty fancy) as well as Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops and Thompson Rivers University.

We’re very pleased with our purchase and also with the fact that should we need service on any of our Apple products, it can be taken care of expeditiously at a local location.

Disclosure: I was not paid to write this review and we paid for the Macbook

I heard about this in the news years ago but every time I walk into the Starbucks on Robson and Bidwell I am reminded of the heroic act and sacrifice made by Anthony McNaughton.

In January of 2000, Tony McNaughton was the manager of the Starbucks when a man (who was the disgruntled ex-husband of an employee) entered the coffee shop wielding a butcher knife to attack his ex-wife.

McNaughton fended off the man and told his employee to run, while he then got stabbed. The woman involved crossed the street to call for help and McNaughton was later taken to St Paul’s Hospital for his wounds, and passed away. The perpetrator was charged with second degree murder. The story made headlines across the globe, including a write up on the BBC’s website since McNaughton was a Northern Irish immigrant.

His selfless act, basically saving the life of his employee who would have been dead in the hands of this man otherwise, is commemorated by way of a painting (by Joe Average) and plaque at the Starbucks. I also discovered a Tony McNaughton Memorial Fund founded at the Canadian Women’s Foundation, by the Starbucks Coffee Company. The Fund is used for violence prevention projects in Western Canada.

UPDATE

October 2014: This West End location of Starbucks is closing. The Hero painting in Tony’s honour will be moved to the Starbucks on the corner of Robson and Denman.

The Robson and Bidwell Starbucks felt more like a neighbourhood coffee shop than any other I’ve know in Vancouver, and this was because of its staff. I hope many of them stick around (there is the Starbucks at Jervis and Robson as well as the Denman and Robson location) since they were truly what made the neighbourhood great. Tony’s spirit lives on.

In just over a week I’ll be attending the 26th annual Vancouver YWCA Women of Distinction Awards and I was very pleased to see that Caroline MacGillivray, Founder and President of Beauty Night was on the list of this year’s distinguished nominees for Community Building.

This past January I interviewed Caroline about her work with Beauty Night and she described how the program got started. “My best friend from theatre school wrote a script and asked me to play a young suburban girl’s transition to a DTES survival sex worker dealing with addiction. I volunteered at a shelter for research. One night I did one of the ladies hair, makeup and nails because I wanted to see her eyes light up the way little kids do when they see Santa. They did and I started wondering if this could be done for other women.”

Beauty Night now runs out of Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto offering events and services for women multiple times a month that include dance, yoga, makeovers, journal sessions and movie nights. Caroline noted, “One third of our clients are seniors, one third is survival sex workers, and the last third is mothers and youth. Many of our clients deal with issues such as poverty, homelessness, addiction, mental ill health, illness – HIV, Hep C. Most of our clients have deal with violence against women.” Beauty Night’s impact is immeasurable when it comes to the health, self-esteem, pride, happiness and well-being of these women. If you’d like to lend a hand you can donate online and they are always in need of beauty products, as well as fitness and writing supplies, and volunteers. You can read the Beauty Night blog or follow Caroline on Twitter for updates.

You can read through all the nominees for the 2009 Women of Distinction Awards on the YWCA’s website which also include fellow blogger, Glenda Watson Hyatt.

On Thursday we’ll be heading to San Francisco for this year’s WordCamp, which will be combined with a WordPress anniversary party at Automattic headquarters.

I’ve been using WordPress to power my website since 2006 and over the last three years I’ve come to know, code, and develop the platform, using it as a base for my company’s business. John and I co-founded sixty4media in 2008 in order to provide social media consulting services however the main focus of the company is providing custom WordPress websites. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

A few weeks ago I wrote about it being Adoption Challenge month at the BC SPCA and I was able to stop by today with Keira and John to check out the Vancouver shelter‘s open house.

I’m not sure these photos need captions, they pretty much speak for themselves. These are just a few of the many pets available for adoption into caring homes at various shelters across the Province.

Visit the BC SPCA’s website for information on animal adoption, animal care education, how you can become a volunteer, or donate to the society.

You can view the rest of my photos in this set on Flickr and Keira wrote a post about our afternoon here, which includes some info on orphaned kitties.