Overnight, and since my last post, two shifts have started for Blogathon Vancouver 2008. To help keep the bloggers going I have some pledge totals that I have received on the form that I’ll share here…

Duane Storey: $205 (and growing by the minute)
Danny Dang: $15 (and growing by the minute)
Raul Pacheco: $26 (and growing by the minute)
My Pledges so far: $688

And Shane has been keeping track of his own pledges that are at a whopping $1056. In an email to me Shane said there was a $500 pledge that came in just as he was about to fall asleep on his keyboard but this kept him going. Everyone has done such a great job so far and for some, there are only about 12 hours left and for others like myself, Blogathon is still just beginning.

Sunshine Shift (ending at 10pm tonight)
Raul, Shane Gibson, Karen Hamilton, Danny Dang, Mehnaz Thawer, Jenn Lowther/Nadia Nascimento, Barbara Doduk, Chris Richardson, and Duane Storey.

Swing Shift (ending at 5:00am Sunday)
Isabella Mori, Ayeza Garcia, Colleen Vince

When I start my Blogathon (when I get back to Vancouver today) Ill be featuring the participants and their blogs for the first couple of posts, adding notes about their causes. There will be some overlap so hopefully we can get some nice traffic going between all of use.

Please visit the other blogger’s site to check out their content and keep them going – as Shane’s inspirational pledge proves, all we need is a little motivation for our charity to keep us going.

Tip for participants:
Have at least one blog post or a note in your sidebar about your cause and why you are doing this. People would like to know your cause and how they can donate directly if they are not going to pledge (see Karen’s site for an example, although don’t worry about a graphic if you don’t have one). Putting a link to the charity’s website at the bottom of each post also helps.

Other updates:
Duane has put together a big mega feed for lots of blogathoners and I will be starting my Blogathon with mini profiles of each of the participants as of 11:00am PT.

Blogathon Vancouver 2008 will be kicking off in mere hours with the first shift starting their publishing marathon at 10:00pm PT. I’ll be catching what I can here in the Mountain Time Zone and will be picking up my shift tomorrow upon my return.

Raul, Shane Gibson, Karen Hamilton, Ayeza Garcia, Isabella Mori, Danny Dang, Mehnaz Thawer, Jenn Lowther/Nadia Nascimento, Barbara Doduk, Chris Richardson, Colleen Vince and Duane Storey.

The other shifts are 5:00am Saturday – Sunday and 9:00pm Saturday – Sunday.

It’s been a challenge to put this all together but I truly have to hand it to everyone who signed up (and Isabella for starting up a Facebook event) – you guys have already done so much for your causes and I know everyone will do great. Should any readers feel inclined to pledge, please head to my Blogathon page and chose the blogger you are supporting from the drop down menu. If you would like to donate right here and now, visit the blogger’s website for online donation information. Duane and I are both supporting the Union Gospel Mission and you can choose “Miss604 Blogathon” from their online donation drop down menu. Good luck to all.

Photo credit:
SqueakyMarmot on Flickr

In an effort to lead a more healthy lifestyle, John and I have teamed up with Fitness World who will be sponsoring our workouts and nutritional plans for the next 12 months.

Although I’ve always enjoyed an outdoor workout, sometimes you need a little more motivation. Nothing compares to running through the dewy trails of Stanley Park with morning birds chirping overhead, however I figure it’s time for more action and dedication on my part so I’m hoping being with the club with help me with that.

Last week we got a tour of the facilities downtown and this week I had my first workout. I’m not trying to lose a ton of weight (I like my curves) but I would just like to not be out of breath when we walk up the stairs to our apartment… things like that. It’s all about being healthy, which makes me happy – and this is the point.

I’ll be checking in sporadically over the next year with “Fitness Friday” updates featuring my progress and by the end I’ll include a photo of me bench-pressing John. Okay… maybe not but I hope to see some results.

Earlier this week I had a poll on my site about the potential smoking ban on Vancouver beaches. Contrary to past articles I have written that have had heated discussions about smokers and non-smokers alike, I was (pleasantly) surprised to see the conversation shift to a matter of litter, as opposed to one about air pollution.

Discarded cigarettes not only litter the sand on beaches, they also cause environmental damage; whatever can be swept up on the beach will also be dragged out to sea with the tide and more than likely gobbled up by a creature after that.

Photo credit: Keira on Flickr

For 15 years the Vancouver Aquarium has been organizing the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Over the span of a week (September 20-28, 2008) volunteers can gather on local beaches and on the edges of lakes for one massive effort to remove litter and help restore the natural environment.

The program allows and enables participants from all walks of life to be an environmental steward for a day. By choosing a shoreline, participants can register to cleanup and record all the litter found at that shoreline. All data is returned to the Vancouver Aquarium for tallying. All tallied data is forwarded to the International Coastal Cleanup to contribute to worldwide results. In 2006, Canada was the 2nd largest cleanup in the world! [Cleanup – FAQ]

Anyone can sign up on the Shoreline website and initiate or join a cleanup in their area. Looking at the current map, Vancouver, West Vancouver and North Vancouver seem to be pretty well covered already but we have much more shoreline around that could use our help ie. Surrey including an available (not yet initiated) cleanup site at Semiahmoo Bay.

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is, naturally, a nation-wide initiative even though it is formed by the Vancouver Aquarium. You can search by city on their website and follow event information and details on their blog if you would like to get involved this year.

The following is a guest post by DaveO – you can catch a multitude of links to hise various projects on his website and more video on his Blip channel.

All my hipster/greenie/crunchy/urbane pals were all bound for the luminary, venerable Vancouver Folk Fest this past weekend. I turned down extra tickets, rumoured media passes, friendly pleadings and erstwhile invitations cause i already had my weekend fest plans in mind – the Surrey Fusion Fest (see also: Greetings from Fusion Fest – video).

The festival grounds
Photo credit: uncleweed on Flickr

Sure you might think that i missed out on the awesome line-up and beautiful people on idyllic Jericho Beach but i spent scant ducats, saw great bands, ate well, and immersed myself in the ethnic re-mix that is the lower mainland’s super-diverse (and much maligned) municipality. Missed nothing methinks

I made the lengthy transit trek (3 zones for the price of 2 on weekends) from my North Van sanctuary and spent Saturday afternoon/evening at the new Holland Park with my comrade Dan Funboy, and made the following observations:

Whalley Little League
Photo credit: uncleweed on Flickr

Reportage for the People!
Photo credit: uncleweed on Flickr

I am very keen on festivals in general and tend to hang out with the proletariat rather than fancy folks, but i also don’t make it back anywhere near Whalley Exchange these days – cause well, i’ve been there, done that.

But in spite of all the yuppie grumblings from the urban core (many of whom speak of tolerance and diversity while ignoring where it actually happens), this is really where many new Canadians live – and this is where the low-income families can come have fun, where neighbours learn about each other, and where you can enjoy a variety of music you’d otherwise never get to hear. At a thrifty (free) price.

I spent my entire $11 on food tickets (plus someone gave Dan 3 more gratis) and, with Dan surveying the menu guide, we foraged the international booths for the following tasty snacks:

Winner of a tasty prize
Photo credit: uncleweed on Flickr

Even a veteran linguist would be challenged to name all the languages overheard and foodies could sample some creative tasty bits and also check out cultural exhibits from each cultural region (not political jurisdiction as Persia, Palestine, and Taiwan were included).

The musical line-up boasted a variety of ethnic and distinctly regular acts from a rock band you might see at a Bridgeview roadhouse (Rocking out while waiting for Salmon – video) to a bass player from the MicMac nation (via New Brunswick) who’s exclaimed that she’s “been in the business for 43 years”.

Gleaming metropolis
Photo credit: uncleweed on Flickr

The Chieftains were the headliners on Saturday night which had a Celtic bent to it with the Connors before them (Introducing The Chieftians – video). The Dublin-based band were joined by some young Canadians who were dancing and fiddling and mugging for the camera with mucho aplomb.

The main Chieftain didn’t care for the cameras on the stage projecting the show onto video screens. The drummer got to sing one and managed not to incite a riot when encouraging people to drink a long with his whiskey song.

Nathan the band
Photo credit: uncleweed on Flickr

The fave for me were Nettwerk recording artists, Nathan. A four piece with a country lilt and multi-instrument creativity. Switching between banjo, accordion and Theremin, acoustic and electric guitars, they sang tales of romance and deceit in a firm tender way, and even played a waltz. I am sucker for a quaver in a voice and i’ve listened to their plaintive, evocative songs on repeat today.

I planned to attend another day at the fest, but a lazy Sunday of watching the first Alpine stage of the Tour de France and unpacking at my new house (in North Van) won out.

Final observation (with my apologies to the do-gooders) while waiting for a bus at the Newton Exchange, listening to Angus (with a his can of Colt 45) ask a guy if the security guard uniform he was wearing was a Coast Guard uniform, i spotted a young woman wearing a shirt with iron-on glitter letters saying, “I was incredible in bed last night and all i got was this lousy t-shirt”

PS I coulda sworn i saw John Chow, the F*ck Art, Make Stats guy leaving as i arrived. Was that you?