BLOG or Facebook POST about Miss604.com and you could WIN: TWO tickets to see the Vancouver Giants in action and TWO full-day passes (including rental) for Mount Seymour this season. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

In August of 2006 John and I walked into an apartment building for an event. We spotted a blond girl in the lobby that I suspected we were supposed to “check in” with but we just avoided entirely by bee-lining it to the elevators. A few months later that same blond girl walked into our lives once again but it was hard to ignore her.

Photo credit: Duane Storey on Flickr

This time she came bearing chocolate ganache torte surrounded by ladyfingers accompanied with a raspberry coolie that she made from scratch. I knew this must be someone special.

It wasn’t until almost a year after I first ran into Keira that we actually started to hang out. She likes long walks in the park, I like long walks in the park. She likes taking puppies to the beach and running around in a bikini, I like taking puppies to the beach and running around in a bikini. She likes taking a plethora of photos of herself and well, I just think that’s totally narcissistic, honestly.

Me, Keira

Amy, Me, Keira – Photo credit: Duane Storey on Flickr

Okay, I’m kidding, but you may be able to see a pattern here. I’m pretty glad that we’ve become friends and that we can be brutally honest with each other while also being supportive – especially after too much red wine.

I take great shots of this girl – thanks to Duane for the camera usage

Aside from being truly humble, Keira’s got a big heart, imaginative spirit, and such enthusiasm about even the simplest of delights. She cares about others unconditionally and will not hesitate to agree with you if you just want to “skip dinner and have ice cream instead.” She’s a beautiful and genuine friend, daughter, sister, and table dancer and I wish her the best of birthdays. So on this “rockstar” birthday, Keira I truly hope you realize that I think you are all kinds of amazing.

Update: You may notice a few changes around here over the next few weeks. It will be a bit of a transition period for while, but hang in there and you won’t be disappointed.

As one of my favourite quotes from the Breakfast Club goes…. “So it’s sorta social, demented and sad, but social. Right?” Well, kinda.

Photo credit: Duane Storey on Flickr

It’s not too sad for me really, as I’m extremely grateful to be a part of what’s going on in this city over the last few years. I’m also very proud to have also passed the 1,000 blog post mark on this site, and to be entering Miss604.com‘s fourth year of blogging.

Years ago I was doing my little blog posts (with song lyrics as titles) about Surrey, cereal boxes, and hockey. I kept a distance from my readers and rarely mentioning much about my personal life, or my full name. Not that I suggest all anonymous bloggers reveal everything about themselves, but it was my comfort level at the time. I ramped up my blogging when this cute boy from Iowa (that I imported to Canada) suggested that it might be fun to write a little more frequently, often cutting off my sentences mid-discussion with “See?! You should blog about this!” and so I did. He eventually got me to join him on one of his “podcasts”, and the rest they say, is archived.

Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr

I have received so much from the community, aside from fuchsia shirts, name tags, and Jones Soda. I’m pretty thankful this is where I my feet are. I can feel at home, I can be a nerd and part of an unconventional community that is making an impact.

Photo credit: Duane Storey on Flickr

Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr

I have met so many great people through this medium and all of this is just a constant learning experience. This past year, through blogging I was able to raise over $600 for the Surrey Food Bank and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. It was my readers that made all of this possible, so in a way you are all a part of this community as well – whether you’d like to admit it or not.

Photo credit: Keira/Tony on Flickr

Photo credit: tyfn on Flickr

Photo credit: Kerry-Anne on Flickr

Thanks to you I’ve been able to switch from Blogger to WordPress, PC to Mac, shove donuts in my face on National television, get through job woes, have some great guest authors, and tell stories about getting a split in the crotch of my pants. You know, among other things.

Here’s hoping the next year of Miss604.com will bring fewer ejections from stadiums, less rippage of the clothing, and more interaction with the good people of this town. Above all, I wouldn’t still be doing this if not for the encouragement of the social media evangelists of Vancouver – you know who you are.

Photo credit: tyfn on Flickr

To celebrate going into my fourth year of ALL of this, check back here on Monday morning @ 7:30am PT sharp for a super cool announcement that will have to do with expressing my appreciation and sharing a couple warm fuzzies, among other things. Thanks for keeping me going all these years guys.

Next week geeks all around Vancouver are banding together to help spread said geekyness and techy freedom for a pretty neat cause.

The Gastown tech community is organizing a “Free Geek” Hardware Drive. On Friday, Dec 7th, participating Gastown tech business will donate their old, unneeded hardware to Free Geek, a non-profit that “helps the needy get nerdy.”[Strutta]

Photo credit: mussels on Flickr

For a list of what they accept, see Jordan’s post on the Strutta blog. Very cool indeed.

First there was Bar, Demo, Drunk, Facebook, Mobile and now Transit can be added to the list of cool camps and why not, eh? It’s a great opportunity to share your opinions while mingling with other local like-minded geeks of various degrees.

Mashups, schedules, design, politics, business, seats, routes, maps, outings, and general conveyance enjoyment are all on the table cause this is an “un-conference” meaning you show up and pitch what you wanna talk about an/or vote on other peeps’ presentations. [Feasthouse]

Photo credit: jmv on Flickr

This event is brought to us by some of my favourite local transit bloggers: Paul, Karen, Roland, and Jason.

I love to write about transit as I’m a long-time commuter in Vancouver and other cities around North America (you may have even caught one of my transit posts), so I’m very much looking forward to attending this event.

Update: See Karen in the Vancouver Courier, talking about TransitCamp – nice job!

Photo credit: Roland on Flickr

By now we all know pretty much that Facebook is one HUGE a social networking tool to be reckoned with.

As of late November 2007, the website has the largest number of registered users among college-focused sites with 55 million active members (including non-collegiate members) worldwide, with membership expected to surpass 60 million users by the end of the year.

From September 2006 to September 2007 the site’s traffic ranking increased from 60th to 7th, according to Alexa. It is the number one site for photos in the United States, ahead of public sites such as Flickr, with over 60 million photos uploaded weekly. [wiki]

A humega part of Facebook is the ability to add applications. Love ’em or hate ’em, all those crazy thing are there to stay. Applications allow you to keep up to date with the latest events and transit schedules while encouraging friends to rate you, let you know you’re hot, send you “gifts”, turn you into a zombie and challenge you at games. As you may or may not know, Vancouver’s a big part of the Facebook movement, next time you add an application it might very well be something locally designed, developed and created.

Photo credit: Megan Cole on Flickr

To celebrate Techcouver‘s advancements on the world Facebook stage the folks who brought us the first Vancouver Facebook Developer (& Designer) Garage are unveiling the following:

Tell us about your Facebook application: We’ve decided to reward and encourage excellence in Facebook application design and development by hosting the “Best of the West 2007 Awards” – the world’s first Facebook application awards – at the upcoming second Vancouver Facebook Developer (& Designer) Garage and the first in the new year in late January 2008.! [Best of the West]

Here’s what you need to qualify and nominate your app:

For a refresher of the first event, check out the official live blog that I wrote shortly before coming down with laryngitis. Luckily organizers assure me that the next event will be throat virus free.

Photo credit: kk+ on Flickr

If you or someone you know and love (or just kinda like) has developed a Facebook application that’s the bee’s knee – let us know by nominating them. They’ll then be added to “The Wall” and be subject to random reviews by bloggers, such as yours truly.

So, say you made something with an artist’s music and tour dates on it and your name rhymes with Wuane Storey – that kinda thing – submit it and have the opportunity for recognition of internet-famous proportions.

The Vancouver Facebook Developer (& Designer) Garage is the brainchild of the Vancouver Facebook Developers Group and organized by Gerald Bauer.