Since we’re spending the afternoon in Surrey I thought I would do a little more than list links to various charitable organizations in Vancouver.

The Surrey Food Bank serves over 13,000 people a month, many of them children, and it is in dire need of food and donations. You can donate in person between 8:00am and 4:00pm, at 10732-135th Street, about a block East of Gateway Skytrain station [GoogleMap]. I believe, during the holidays, hours are currently extended to 5:00pm. You can call (604) 581-5443 for more info as well. To make things super easy, you can click on the image to the right to donate right now, online.

John and I don’t listen to much local radio, except maybe in the mornings while getting ready to work. But while browsing the Surrey Food Bank site I discovered that Z95.3 will be broadcasting this week from Safeway @ 7450, 120th Street (aka Scott Road). This is on the Surrey side (North side) of 72nd. They’ll be there from 6:00am to 11:00pm as a part of Nat & Drew’s Food Bank Fill Up. Since it’s a radio station event, I’m sure you can meet your fave on-air personalities and have the chance to win a bunch of nifty prizes as well. It is of course, all for a great cause.

Two other locations for the event include, Burnaby @ 4440 Hastings Street (Hastings St. & Willingdon Ave) and Vancouver @ 990 West 25th King Edward (King Edward & Oak St) befitting the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society.

Being back home in the neighbourhood I grew up in, I often wish I could give a little more back to it or at least help raise awareness about local causes that need support as well.

After I completed this post, I found out that the Surrey Christmas Bureau had been broken into. Computers were stolen containing mailing lists and information, and damage was done to the premises. The Christmas bureau sponsors the Adopt-A-Family program so this is obviously a major set back. To reach the Surrey Christmas Bureau, call (604) 581-9623, or visit the site to donate.

Last weekend we brought our Christmas box up from storage. We unfolded all 3 feet of our fake plastic tree (since we’re not allowed real ones in our building) and setup various kitschy decorations around the house. I came across the Ralphie [imdb] doll my mom gave to me last Christmas. Complete with bunny suit and B.B. gun, if you push a button on his back he spews out such classic lines as “Oooooohh fuuuuuuuuudge” and “be sure to drink your Ovaltine? A crummy commercial?” This reminded me of a gift John received before moving here. Another action figure doll of sorts that also spits out funny little sayings. I don’t know if it was the twinkle of the lights on the tree or the giddyness of the season but John and I got a little crafty. I’m not sure how proud we are, but man, those couple minutes of complete insanity were just plain fun.

Just over a week ago I made a post about New York rockers, The Cloud Room -more specifically a fire in lead singer, J’s apartment [ms604]. After getting in contact with J he was nice enough to answer a couple questions from this blogger and fan. You’ll have to pardon the formulaic questions, if you’re a RadioZoom listener then you know our interviews usually stray from this. Given that this was a text-only interview, this is the best format with which to post the conversation.

Miss 604: I know The Cloud Room’s been crazy-busy over the last year: releasing your album in 2005, tours in Australia, Canada, US, festivals (SxSW), TV (talk shows, MTV, MuchMusic, etc.) … When did you get back home and have some downtime?

J: Back in March we had recorded two new songs (“Lord, I’m Tryin'” and “Eleanor F.”) and figured we just keep recording our 2nd album patchwork-style. We thought we were in for a long respite in June after our 6 months of touring ended in Australia. We settled back into our practice space to write the next album when we got asked by Muse of all people to tour. We couldn’t pass up 5,000-person crowds and plush dressing rooms overflowing with Doritos. The downside was we ended up SPENDING $6K on our own tour support (because our 1-album contract with Gigantic Records had ended). So we finally got back home with no money to record!

Miss 604: Did the writing process begin then or do you do any on the road?

J: I’m always working out new songs in my head as I travel from point A to point C, but we don’t work new stuff out as a band on tour much. We were all really excited about this new song, “Tomorrow Found Out”, so we rented a practice space while in Toronto in hopes of getting it ready to play in NYC. Didn’t quite happen in time.

Miss 604: I read about the unfortunate news last week (the fire in your apartment), aside from losing belongings and gear, how much content had you already created for the new album has been lost?

J: We had gone to Excello Studio in Brooklyn to record 4 songs-worth of drums and bass with the exceptional producer Brandon Mason. We then took the party back to our practice space to track the rest of the instruments. We had the place to ourselves because The Hold Steady were out on tour. Unfortunately, some of Brooklyn’s most motivated drummers were practicing all day long in every adjacent room, so we packed it up and moved to my apartment… Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

It’s now that time of year. Lights go up on houses, trees appear in empty parking lots, Santa hangs at the local mall and families face the perilous task of the holiday portrait.

Every year since our kids were born we’ve accepted the challenge. It’s nice to have one ‘professionally’ done picture of the kids every year. Dressed in their Sunday best, posing nicely in front of a wintery background and smiling like butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths. That is the idea, the reality is never quite so picturesque.

What I’ve found over the years is that the people paid to take pictures of children, evidently have none of their own and know little about them. Anyone that has kids…or has ever been around kids (small ones anyway) would not fathom asking them to sit for extended periods of time, posed, unmoving and smiling.

So, the lure of 80 plus pictures for only $19.99 draws me in every year. I wrestle the kids into clothing we can agree on and line up with the masses at Sears or Wal-mart. Those who know me would agree, I am excessively patient (being outnumbered 3-1 by children in my house you’d have to be) but by the end of our portrait sessions I am nearly in tears and wanting to yell ‘JUST TAKE THE FRIGGIN PICTURE ALREADY!’

You will never, ever, under any circumstances successfully have 3 little kids all looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. You will be lucky if they are all facing the same direction and nobody has their finger in their nose. This year our picture was taken horizontally rather then vertically because, by the end my kids had decided they had had enough and were going home. The well-intentioned Wal-mart employee was apologetic and seemingly disappointed but I was satisfied. No finger in nose, no hands on head, no tears and 2 out of 3 smiling. Home free for another 12 months.

A couple of years ago our family decided it was too expensive and not really worth it to buy for every single person so we took to drawing names. Of course we all still get something for the kiddies – and in our family that number grows every year.

I was looking through the junk mail yesterday and found a London Drugs catalog, which I decided to peruse. “Oooh! A crock pot, then we could make chili!” followed by “Oh man, a dustbuster, we could SO use one of those.”

Aren’t women not supposed to want household items as gifts? I told my mom yesterday that a Safeway gift card would be awesome. Wow. This coming from me, the girl who used to sneak into her parent’s bedroom to scope out the goods she would be receiving – man I got in so much trouble when I spotted that Cabbage Patch Kids board game just days before Christmas.

The focus this year is on family and well you can’t have family times without the food. Mandarin oranges (that I’m allergic to but eat anyway), nuts, snacks, chocolates, turkey, stuffing oh man. Browsing through a regular read, I came across some recipes that John and I should really try out. We don’t do nearly as much ‘experimental’ cooking, which reminds me that we haven’t done Chillaquillas for a while.

Back to the appliances, I think my priorities have just changed. You’d think I would want to go completely nuts and shop for shoes and purses and froofy stuff but there are so many more things that take precedence. From our futon-couch to John’s dining room table-studio-office.

Regardless of gifts and food, I’m just glad that I’ll be spending another Christmas with my husband, our 3 foot tall fake plastic tree, and our Ralphie action figure. If we had a wish list, the #1 thing this year (same as last) would be his immigration approval and #2… being able to fly to Iowa and visit his family.