I’ve been so busy recently that I haven’t had time to cover everything I’ve wanted to on the blog. I also haven’t had a lot of time to just chill out with John or my family even though they’re the most important things in the world to me.

After waiting almost two years, John‘s immigration came through last spring and he’s been working at his first big full time/salaried job in a business that he loves (and sometimes loves to hate). He just had his 3 month anniversary with this new big fancy company and I think it’s such a great milestone and I’m pretty proud of him… and thankful that he has all these great connections now that allow me to watch hockey games and meet Shorty n’ Tommy.

My sister is expecting her fourth child in a few weeks. She’s a dedicated working mother who is lucky enough to have a man at her side that thinks she’s just as amazing and beautiful as she deserves to be told every day (and I think he probably does tell her that everyday). Her children are so smart, articulate, and prefer books to video games any day of the week. I can’t wait to be an auntie again however my niece is pretty miffed she’s going to have yet another brother.

And finally, because I’ve been meaning to post about it and just haven’t yet, my good friend Keira has been planning and plotting an Island getaway for us over the last few months. With careful thought and consideration (and lots of promises of snuggles from her puppy) she’s put this entire thing together and I simply can’t wait to visit her hometown and carve up her most favouretest mountain EVER.

Photo credit: Keira-Anne on Flickr

As a side note, I’m going to be bringing my mobile recording gear on the ferry so we’re going to try and make a podcast of sorts. She’s put the call out on her blog and I’ll do the same here, just a request for topics, questions (for Keira or me), or anything you’d like us two gals to discuss on our ferry ride aside from the fries and gravy.

Although my Canadian Blog Awards nominated content is mostly raving about how much I love this city, afternoon walks in the park or local history, family and friends are what truly keep my going… and I’m pretty glad they put up with me and all this “blogging” stuff.

In case you missed that plug, today is the last day to vote in the Canadian Blog Awards. I’m the only BC blogger up for “Best Local Blog” so if you feel I’m worthy, click through and cast your vote.

The other day during our multi-hour walk through the park, John and I came across a a tree that had been tagged in a way I hadn’t seen before. You’ll usually find fluorescent flags hanging off branches as route or survey markers but since the storms we’ve mostly seen spray-painted dots, rags and other indicators that meant “remove”, or “save”, from what I gather anyway.

This tree however was wearing a blue belt, made of plastic that had the words, “Culturally Modified Tree”. Admittedly at first I was amused, picturing Ents partaking in a night at the theatre – then I decided it would be best to ask someone (or Google).

Photo credit: John Bollwitt on Flickr

I asked the most knowledgeable person that I know, and showed him the photo John took on the walk, at my request. He said it means that the tree was used by First Nations people, probably for its bark to make masks, baskets, other provisions or even canoes. These cultures would use the tree but not harm it, leaving it as nature intended and thus making it a sustainable resource for the community.

This all sounded rather logical but I thought I would still Google to see if my source was on target.

A CMT is a tree that has been altered by native people as part of their traditional use of the forest. [CMT Handbook]

Okay he was right (as usual), but I decided to dig a little deeper.

The clearcutting of the ancient forests of BC has resulted not only in the disappearance of ancient trees, but in the loss of culturally modified trees (CMTs). CMTs reveal the social, economic and political organization of aboriginal societies and are signposts of occupation that provide vital evidence for resolving Aboriginal Title. [CathedralGrove]

Here’s more from the David Suzuki Foundation’s report on the significance of CMTs (pdf)

Few Canadians know about the archaeological treasures that lie hidden in the old growth rainforests of coastal British Columbia. Covered by moss and other vegetation, and sometimes difficult to reach in the dense forests, these treasures are the places where aboriginal people long ago felled and worked the massive cedar trees that were so critical to their way of life. Only in the last few decades have people become aware of the existence and importance of these ancient sites and the culturally modified trees found there. [Read more in the pdf]

Photo The David Suzuki Foundation

As I look at more pictures found on Flickr and various websites I now recognize the distinction of CMTs and recall spotting so many over the years while on various walks. The importance of these trees astounds me and it gives me more purpose than ever to take another walk through Stanley Park to try to spot more of these gems.

As a side note to this story, my inspiration for writing everything about local history will be going away for an undetermined amount of time (hence my sudden trip to Surrey this afternoon). My posts won’t stop, in fact I may be even more motivated than ever to jot down and share things he’s enlightened me with over the years. I’m going to miss him a great deal, so much so that it hurts, but at least I’ll have his familiar stories (and hopefully some new ones) to share.

The following is a guest post, contributed by Keith

So much in today’s world needs to be justified with numbers showing us that there is a quantifiable value for every decision. When a company spends money, more often than not they want to know how spending that money will make them more money. This is the concept of return on investment (ROI). How to spend $1 and make $2 as a result. (OK, finance lesson over with).

But not everything is easily quantifiable, or measurable. How to measure employee satisfaction or my personal favourite “engagement” with verifiable, hard numbers? These are by nature qualitative measures.

Photo credit: SqueakyMarmot on Flickr

With a new generation of employees moving into the workplace, the so-called Millennials (Gen Y), that values a balance between work and their personal life, companies are having to adjust. In areas where younger workers are the norm, or at least make up a significant percentage of the population steps are being taken to introduce an atmosphere targeted at attracting and retaining talent. By providing games tables, comfortable seating or in some cases refreshments to employees as a “perk” of the job, some companies are aiming to make work a more fun and balanced place to be.

But if you’re wanting to get some leather recliners or a foosball table into the office, how do you justify the benefits of this to the powers that be? Where are your numbers? There is precious little in the way of hard facts to “prove” the beneficial nature of these perks. There is, however, mounds of anecdotal evidence to show that happy and relaxed employees are more productive and more creative during the hours that they are performing their duties.

This is one of the intangibles that make up a balanced work culture and lead to a more relaxed and creative workforce. By providing a “chill-out space” something with comfortable seating and (god forbid) maybe a television, your hard-working employees have a place to recharge their batteries mid-day and continue to deliver for the company until late in the afternoon.

Photo credit: tojosan on Flickr

I’m not saying that companies should employ masseuses, or servers to cater to employees while they’re on the job (as alleged by 60 minutes), but provide some benefits that help to enhance the experience of going to work. Why does work need to be dull and boring? Invest some money. If even one employee stays instead of leaving for another company, it will be worth your time. The return on your investment comes in the form of not wasting productive hours training yet another new employee (probably another millennial).

So in an effort to collect some more of those anecdotal stories, and maybe even some hard numbers, tell us about your workplace. Do you have a “chill-out space” to use? Does it help? Is it something you would look for in a prospective employer?

I know Google is nice to me. It likes me. I can post on a certain topic and within an hour show up on page one of their results for the most obscure of things. Well yesterday while reading Morning Brew, Sean linked to Narvey who was doing an SEO experiment. For those unfamiliar, SEO is “Search Engine Optimization” meaning trying to make your site more search-friendly. Narvey was trying to boost his ranking by using the words “Vancouver Blogger” dozens of times in one post.

When you Google “Vancouver Blog”

Later on in the day I came across another blogger who was trying to do the exact same thing – purposely doing a call out for links back to his site so he could boost his “Vancouver Blogger” rating however the #1 result for said search brings up my friend Duane’s site. Duane, not one to be outdone, found humour in all of these efforts and has come up with “Blog Wars“, an amusing way to get people to link back to him – and so the madness continues.

I realize that by perpetuating what is turning into a “Vancouver Blogger” meme of sorts, I’m just egging them all on (and perhaps boosting my own Google juice), but I guess I just find it pretty cute (and amazingly geeky).

Regardless, I shall certainly support Duane Blogwalker in his efforts, I will even include the geeky Blog Wars thing he created… just as soon as he turns off the “autoplay”. He’s also offering up a prize (an HDR print of his) to those who spread some link love and join him in the battle for the empire or something like that.

*Update: This is not an attempt to enter the challenge by any means, I simply found it amusing and am supporting Duaniac in his efforts.

The second Facebook Developer & Design Garage (and Facebook Awards) will be kicking off tonight at 6:00pm sharp over at the Vancouver Film School on Homer. Doors open at 5:30pm and space is limited to 100, so be sure to come on time. Here’s a sampling of what we’ll see tonight (and for more background, see my past posts about the event).

Potential demos include:

I will be liveblogging – at THIS URL – when things get underway and my entry will be complimented with live shots from Duane Storey who is the official photographer. I look forward to seeing some of you great folks tonight, and if you can’t make it, I hope this live blog will be helpful.

Update – 5:45pm – After piling into the lecture room at VFS, I’m hanging out with Phillip Jeffrey waiting for the show to start. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩