I know, I completely skipped over Day One so here’s a quick rundown.
Leaving our house and driving down Robson during the wee hours of Saturday morning I hit a bump in the road – apparently I decapitated a pigeon that was slow to move out of my way. Luckily the rest of the trip went pretty smooth aside from a few more bumps in the road. And by that I mean the following bullet point, not more maiming of fowl.
Our luggage decided to not to make the connection we did in Chicago, however according to a phone call from American Airlines this morning it didn’t even want to make it to Chicago in the first place. It turns out that from Seattle it wanted to go to Dallas.
We arrived in Des Moines, Iowa last night and proceeded to rent a car for our 3 hour road trip. We had been on the go since 4am in Vancouver and it was currently 9pm local time.
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We turned on the radio in the car and every station we turned to played Canadian music non-stop. Avril Lavigne, Nickelback, Three Days Grace, Fiest, Finger 11 and Danko Jones
Along the interstate I saw signs for John Wayne’s Birthplace, the Bridges of Madison County Iowa, and plenty of Kum ‘n’ Go.
At Taco Bell, they make a point of informing you that their lemonade does not contain caffeine. Also, combo meals don’t come with a side of fries or mexi-fries/tater-tots… they come with a bonus taco.
We rolled into Kansas City, Missouri just after midnight and crashed at John’s Aunt’s lovely home, where we will be for the next two days
Today I’m going to Kansas. That’s right – not just Kansas City, Missouri but the state of Kansas because apparently it’s just down the street from Grandma’s house. We’re about to head out for a mini-tour of the area so I’ll have more updates to post later including the arrival of our lost luggage, which is supposed to turn up some time this afternoon.
In the meantime my buddy Duane is the sh*t.
Canada Place is good for something other than IMAX movies and taking scenic photos of the North Shore – there are usually some pretty neat seasonal events taking place inside and out. This year they are serving up a plethora of activities for the kiddies while supporting an excellent cause.
Christmas @ Canada Place will involve:
Gingerbread Men March – Vote for your favorite and enter to win prizes (although I like to say “Gingerfolk” because some Gingerbread men are Ginger ladies)
Little Elves’ Playhouse – holiday activities and performances
World’s Largest Mailbox – Drop your letters to Santa in our 17 foot tall mailbox
Fill a Container with Christmas Dreams- Food Bank and Toy Drive
The part I’m looking forward to is the Woodward’s window displays: “A time-honoured tradition, the animated Woodward’s Window Displays are a part of Vancouver’s history. Bring back sweet childhood memories, while creating new ones for you and your family, as you view the charming holiday windows. Each beautifully restored Woodward’s Window portrays a classic holiday scene displayed as they were decades before.” [VancouverPlus]
I’m a HUGE sucker for Christmas window displays reminiscent of Macy’s or the fictional Higbees of A Christmas Story.
What: Christmas at Canada Place
When: December 8, 2007 to January 1, 2008 from 11:00am to 8:00pm AND Christmas Eve/New Years’ Eve from 11:00am to 2:00pm
Where: Canada Place (999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC)
How much: By donation. “Admission to Christmas at Canada Place is by donation with proceeds benefiting local charities including Strathcona Community Centre’s Food Security for Children Program, helping to feed children on the Downtown Eastside.”
They will also have a special Breakfast with Santa, Saturday, December 8 & Sunday, December 16 from 9:00am to 11:30am.
Update 2010 The Salvation Army’s Adopt-a-Family program is back for 2010.
Last year I wrote a few blurbs about the Adopt-a-Family program through the Surrey Christmas Bureau. I’m now noticing a lot of Google search love from people seeking to learn more so here’s the scoop:
The Adopt-A-Family program is a way to match up families in need with caring families, business and other organizations in the Surrey area.
An Adopt-A-Family participant takes on the responsibility of taking care of the sponsored families on Christmas Day. This includes providing Christmas breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the family as well as gifts for all the children. We like our adoptive partners to try and provide a Christmas stocking and a small and medium-sized gift for each child. Often our sponsors are very generous, an activity we encourage as good for one’s soul.
If you would like to become an Adopt-A-Family sponsor, please contact the Adopt-A-Family program at 604-585-9670 or 604-585-9676 or click the email link below and in the subject put ‘Adopt-A-Family’. [Surrey Christmas Bureau]
In Vancouver, a similar program is run by the YWCA through the “Sponsor a Family” program:
Make a difference in the lives of women and children by sponsoring a low-income family this holiday season. By becoming a sponsor you will be matched with a family and provided with their “wish list.” Sponsors then shop for food and gifts and deliver the hamper to the family. [YWCA]
These are just two of many ways to make a difference this holiday season. Check out their websites or the sites of other local causes to see how you can help – either by making a donation online, organizing an office gift, or even volunteering your time.
AND if you don’t want to sponsor people, how about great blue herons? Learn more about the “Adopt-A-Nest” program via the Stanley Park Ecological Society.
Update: The Salvation Army was kind enough to send me some information about their Adopt-a-Family program, which can be found on their site.
That’s right, I won’t be there to liveblog the latest edition of “battle decks” at DemoCampVancouver04. Why not? Well, I’ll be somewhere between Iowa and Missouri, visiting in-laws and driving through some corn fields, that’s why.
John hasn’t been back to see his family in over two years since immigrating to Canada to be my man, so we’re pretty darn excited to be going for Thanksgiving. While we’re away there are two super cool social media events happening in Vancouver that I will be missing out on.
Third Tuesday: We’ve only attended one Third Tuesday event since they started in Vancouver but are looking forward to another next month. This time around however, Tod and Tanya have rustled up some interesting presenters, all on the topic of PR using social media: Phil Evans from 95Crave, Steve Palmer from 76Design, and Jo-Anne Stayner of High Road Communications.
What: Third Tuesday Vancouver – PR / Networking Event
When: Tuesday November 20, 2007 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Where: The Shore Club
More Info: Available on the Facebook Event page or the official Third Tuesday Vancouver site.
DemoCampVancouver04: Since I won’t be there to live blog, I’ll be looking around for recap information upon my return so if someone has such a write up, please leave a note in the comments and I’ll hook up some link love.
What: DemoCampVancouver04 – Mini demo/pitching unconference with battle decks, products, and demos a la Dragon’s Den but with a soft social media community flare.
Where: Workspace
When: Thursday November 22, 2007 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm
More Info: Visit the official DemoCamp Wiki or the Facebook event
Luckily we’ll be back in time for MobileCampVancouver [Facebook][Wiki] and Launch Party with a Twiist *phew*. Looking forward to many more social media events in this town, you gotta love it!
It’s as much a fixture of Granville Street as those drunken 19 year-old suburban kids and Bruno Gerussi‘s plaque on the Walk of Fame; Kripps Pharmacy is leaving town, and the famous neon “DRUGS” sign that’s stood there for decades will be taken down.
Recently the famous “Drugs” sign was vandalized and the owner, Mr. Edward Thorpe, discovered it smashed to bits by beer bottles. The family-run business has had enough of what Granville Street has become and is moving to Kerrisdale as of December 1, 2007. The neon sign won’t be going with the store due to bylaws at the new location so that electric piece of Vancouver history will end up on some trash heap somewhere.
I originally read this in the Globe and Mail over lunch today, however I cannot find an electronic copy on their site. In the story Mr. Thorpe (son in-law of Agnes and Stephen Kripps) reminisces about better days on the street where every shop was independently run and there wasn’t a 5,000 seat licensed liquor joint capacity. “It’s the creeping crap of bureaucracy. It’s getting harder and harder to do business,” said Thorpe in the Globe and Mail.
Granville had its heyday as “Theatre Row” with movie houses, diners and hat shops – now apparently it’s for police, thugs and loaded weapons. After 60 years, Kripps just no longer fits in with Granville’s “Entertainment District” persona. Best of luck to the local pioneers of anti-oxidant treatments in their new Vancouver location (5413 West Boulevard).
