Just a quick reminder
– Vancouver Joomla Day 2008 – Saturday June 14, 2008. I will be liveblogging a couple of sessions. Registration is $ 25.00 and $ 30.00 at the door.
– Third Tuesday with Joe Solomon from EngageJoe.com – Tuesday June 17th, 2008 – I might be live-blogging, but I could almost bet that Rebecca will be media sponsor 🙂 Thanks to Monica Hamburg for organizing! If you follow me on Twitter or read my blog and haven’t introduced yourself to me, this is your chance! I will be wearing a name tag with my blog site!
– Green Drinks Vancouver – Wednesday June 18th, 2008 – Since I’m on the job market AND I volunteered to be a Green Greeter, I *will* most certainly be there. I have to meet Isabella later that day, but at least I’ll be there for a couple of hours!
I have a pretty busy weekend, so I might not accept any more invitations other than what I already have planned for Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday evening, as you all know, is already booked, so – sorry – next week perhaps!
The world of blogging has given me a gazillion benefits. I have gotten more swag that I can ever use (including lots of reusable bags – anyone need one? I’ve got different models! Safeway, Starbucks, Totyota, even Buy Low Foods!), I have gotten in for free at film festivals. I have been a media outlet for many local and international events. But more than anything, it has brought me FRIENDS. New, high-quality, sweet, caring, human friends.
In this particular post I want to highlight just a few of the academic geeks I have gotten to know through my blogging: Karen Parker (who is doing a PhD in Computer Science at UBC, and who works in ‘touchy-feely’ stuff, kinda human-computer interaction), Beth Snow (who has a PhD in Human Nutrition from UBC too) and Kate Milberry (a doctoral candidate in Communication at Simon Fraser University). The funny thing is that I do know other academics who blog (and I know that some of these other PhD candidates have done so motivated in part by the fact that I have encouraged them to do so!).
There is a special thing about knowing academics who understand the issues with being in academia at the same time as wanting to have a blog where we either pour our heart out or just to speak out our minds. To every geek who is now in my life, I toast a glass of Shiraz to you. And to those geeks who are also in academia, I raise my glass AND I tip my hat too!
You may have read it on Rebecca’s blog as well, but I figured I’d contribute my grain of sand (that’s how we say it in Spanish). I received today an email from the organizers of Saturday’s June 14th screening & Pillow Talk of the movie “Young People F**king” (a Canadian movie that I will most likely go and see – although I’m fully booked on Saturday, so I can’t attend this particular event). The organizers are part of a non-profit organization called the First Weekend Club:
First Weekend Club is a non-profit organization that strives to build audiences for great Canadian films through grassroots initiatives such as special screenings, Q&As with talent, premiere parties, movie alerts and much more! First Weekend Club is a free cross Canada film club that encourages members to attend opening weekend screenings. Hence the name, First Weekend Club. [FWC website]
As it so happens, one of First Weekend Club’s Advisory Board members is one of my very favorite Canadian actors, Paul Gross. I want to see the movie not only because of Adam Abrams, Callum Blue and one of my favorite Vancouver actresses, Carly Pope (whom I have liked since Popular).
At first, I was somewhat taken aback by the fact that FWC wasn’t offering me free tickets to the premiere (something that every other Film Festival and/or movie premiere have offered me in the past), but I kind of understand what they’re trying to do – they are trying to make the opening night/weekend a financially-viable and successful event. Worthy cause, indeed.
Unfortunately, I can’t make it for Saturday, but I would encourage you all to go and then come tell me what you thought. I am an ardent supporter of Canadian film AND Canadian actors (especially Vancouver or BC actors – Callum Keith Rennie, Kristin Kreuk, Allison Mack, Carly Pope, the Ashmore twins, Aaron and Shawn) – thus, you can rest assured that there will be indeed a review of YPF. I know for a fact that Beth has already seen it, so you can ask her what she thought…
For some reason it doesn’t work the same way it did the first time. I’ll fix it sometime!
In the process of geekifying myself, I’m trying new tools. I have recently spent some time offline (e.g. without wifi). For example, when I tried to live-blog Darren Barefoot’s recent Third Tuesday I couldn’t get online and lost a bunch of notes. thus I have needed to learn how to write blog posts without actually having a wifi connection. Furthermore, I found recently that, if I want to actually do some meaningful work, I *need* to disconnect from “The Matrix”.
Therefore, I remembered that I had seen posts BlogDesk (I think that Beth mentioned on her blog and so did Rebecca in an extensive review of live-blogging tools). I have just downloaded BlogDesk and will probably test it tomorrow at some point at one of the VERY few coffee shops that do NOT have wifi: JJ Beans.
If the weather is nice, I’ll go to the JJ Beans near my house at some point in the afternoon. I have noticed that if I go home too early, I lose all motivation to do work. So, say that I go to the office early in the morning (9 ish) and then head to the office, work for about 5 hours, then head back (maybe go all the way to JJ Beans on Commercial Drive and work there – though the temptation to head to The End Cafe is WAY too much! – and it does have wifi). I’ll tell people what I’m up to on Twitter, nevertheless.
I had a really productive evening last night (left the office at 12.20am, just in time to make the last 99 B-Line!) and thus I’m feeling quite excited. Had breakfast already, on cup of coffee # 3 and glad to see that everything seems to be going ok in the blogosphere and twittersphere. So, here’s some link love (and in the case of some of the people I’m linking – your readership is probably bigger than mine, but always nice to do some linkage!)
– Dabbler’s own Angela and Morten tell you all about the slanket! Can I haz a slanket, please?
– Next week seems to be the non-for-profit week in the Web 2.0 world. Kate Trgovac is moderating a panel on use of Word Of Mouth, and she’d like some input. Go, visit, drop a comment on her blog!
– Next week is also Third Tuesday, where Joe Solomon will be speaking about how to harness the power of Web 2.0 (which reminds me that I should write a review of KnowMore.org soon-ish!). And have I told you lately how much I love The Network Hub? I’m thinking I might even show up early just to get in a couple of hours’ worth of work!
– As a scholar and academic, I am always disheartened when I read about the depressing future of would-be professors. Kate attended the same week-long conference I did (but in another discipline), and she shares some of the sad thoughts that were passed on to her. *sigh*
– Susannah offers photos of many beautiful things on her blog, and one of her most recent posts has photos of… starfish! 🙂
It does sound a bit like the one writing this post is NOT the Raul you know, right? After all, I *am* someone who really wants to effect social change. I am a strong advocate of all things sustainability, all things social change, “let’s harness the power of Web 2.0 to make a difference”. I *still* am that guy. However, after reading a post of the always lovely (and really smart) Monica Hamburg, I started getting red flags… MAYDAY, MAYDAY! Somebody help me!
In her post, she indicates that Web 2.0 can be used to initiate protests. Yeah, it can – and perhaps it would be a useful strategy – even Michael Geist admits that this is part of “the new normal”. However, I kinda don’t like the idea. I’ll explain here why. in my more than 10 years living in Vancouver, I have been witness (and, in some selected cases, participant) to numerous protests and manifestations. Many of these organized protests take place outside the Vancouver Art Gallery and other public places. My dislike for (some, not all of them) these protests resides in the fact that the target actor/government is not even listening. Do you want to protest for what’s going on in Oaxaca? Go to Oaxaca! I mean, what does the VAG have to do with anything that’s happening in Mexico? Same goes for any other country… go to the specific country and protest! I mean, even the manifestations outside the embassies are more relevant, I think.
I am not someone who actually engages in active dissent, not because I don’t have an opinion, but because I don’t think that I can influence the target actor in that way. I am an academic, and a blogger. In many ways, I am an activist, and I try to be an agent of change.
However, I think that my talent is better used in the academic realm by researching a topic and publishing a peer-reviewed paper. By translating this paper to a language that can be easily understood and comprehended. By providing non-for-profits with my skills and ideas. By sitting at the table with government officials and offering sound, well-reasoned scientific advice. I don’t think that I can make much of a difference by holding a sign and yelling outside the VAG. And in the Web 2.0 way, by blogging about an issue.
Don’t get me wrong – I am all for public displays if I believe that they can have an effect on the target actor. Look at some environmental non-governmental organization – they can be quite effective in using aggressive lobbying tactics to protect wilderness, oceans, etc. But I can’t really see how effective a public display at the VAG will be in effecting any change.
I am much happier writing about a case that needs my help (and I’m more than happy to provide lots of link love, expert advice, etc.) – for example, the case of the UBC Farm – I am not sure that the senior administration of UBC will listen if there is just a massive protest outside the VAG. Maybe a more effective way is to engage in other methods of protest.
Just a reflection. Comments, as always, most welcome. My main question is – do you think that the organized protests are effective? If so, where and when? Please provide specific examples. Thank you!
Before any of my friends has a heart attack thinking “OH NO, IS RAUL IN TOUCH AGAIN WITH THAT BEN“, no – this is NOT a belated birthday for that one. On the contrary, in the tradition that I’ve recently begun (just this week) of congratulating fellow bloggers and Twitter friends, Ben Boudreau of the blog No Ordinary Rollercoaster (based in Halifax, Nova Scotia) is turning 23 as of today!
Ben first left a comment on my blog, I think, when I live-blogged one of the Third Tuesdays, as he was/is organizing Halifax’s Third Tuesdays if I am not mistaken. Anyhow, I’ve read his blog frequently and most recently we reconnected through MyBlogLog (thank you, Internet!). So, here is to Ben’s many more years – may you grow wiser (and don’t be so hard on yourself!).
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Mixwit’s – it’s kind of iTunes meets … dunno … mixed tapes? 😉 Hope you enjoy this one!
[mixwit_mixtape wid=”3c2341714fcf68663c6922d3d6a72a90″ pid=”736b03876061bac48d26ae7354b6c61c” un=”hummingbird604″ width=”426″ height=”327″ center=”true”]
For those of us wanting to remain in academia in Canada, these are REALLY BAD NEWS. Apparently (or so says The Vancouver Sun), the president of University of Northern British Columbia has resigned. The press release cites numerous reasons, but the Vancouver Sun argues that it was because of funding shortages.
With the recent flood of BC colleges becoming universities, I was VERY excited because I figured that these news would mean, potentially more jobs for tenure-track faculty. I was WRONG! What other bad news are awaiting us academic folks in the next few months?
Hat tips to Dr. Beth Snow for tipping me to this story via Twitter.
At the recent Trout Lake Farmers’ Market, I was chatting with Andrew (who volunteers with the UBC Farm), and he reminded of their continuous struggle to keep the UBC Farm on location (given UBC’s recent increase in real estate development). For obvious reasons, I’ll stay out of the legal discussions but I can totally see the benefit of maintaining the UBC Farm where it is.
So what is the struggle, you ask? I asked Andrew to provide me with materials that explained this in more detail. From their brochure, I have extracted a couple of paragraphs that are relevant:
“- The Vancouver Campus Plan (VCP) is currently undergoing a review process. Campus plans have designated the Farm as ‘future housing reserve’ and downplay the value of the farm by basing their understanding of South Campus on data that predates current Farm operations.
– The UBC Farm is a unique institution necessitating a consultation process that explicitly addresses its potential contributions to regional sustainability and campus life in the future. This has not been possible within consultations designed to plan the entire campus.
– Physical layout options for South Campus will be presented in fall 2008. A final decision will be made by the UBC Board of Governors and then approved by the Metro Vancouver Land Use and Transportation Committee.”
Of course, the best way to make decisions is to be informed, so check these websites and related materials! For more information, you can go to their blog, the UBC Farm website, and the Friends of UBC Farm website.
A couple of weeks ago, I’ve started reading (on Twitter, no less) about Plurk. So what is Plurk, you ask?
Noun. plurk (plüer-kh) – A really snazzy site that allows you to showcase the events that make up your life in deliciously digestible chunks. Low in fat, 5 calories per serving, yet chock full of goodness.
Verb. plurk (plüer-kh) – To chronicle the events of your always on, action-packed, storybook, semi-charmed kinda life.[About Us – Plurk]
To be quite frank, I am overwhelmed enough with Twitter, GTalk, MSN, Flickr, that I am totally not thinking of Plurking. However, it seems as though Plurk’s features are disappointing and/or manage to lose you in the process. And these tweets come from already-well-established bloggers and techie people!
I am already in way too many things (and I got an invite to Jaiku and FriendFeed), I am on Pownce too, so I’m probably just going to sit this one out. However, I do not plan to stop Twittering.
Despite what people may think (because of my age), I have given close to a couple hundred talks, many of them in different languages. I started in the world of academia at a very, very young age and had to present my work in many fora. Lately, I have been attending several academic conferences, and a few “un-conferences” (that’s the term used by geeks – see for example Rebecca’s write-up about Vancouver TransitCamp). Many of my geek events are centered around a main speaker.
By virtue of giving talks myself and seeing lots and lots of speakers, I have learned a few tips. The following are, by no means, an exhaustive list, but are just suggestions to help people who have to speak in public (whether you are a geek or not). Some of these lessons, I learned myself and some, I learned from other people and have distilled them for you here.
1. Realize that being nervous is perfectly alright.
I have given lots of talks, including a PhD defense, and EVERY SINGLE TIME I have been nervous. Recognize it, embrace it, and admit it to yourself. Then move on and start thinking about the actual topic you want to address.
2. Understand your audience.
If you are talking to developers, make the talk geeky. If you are talking to bloggers, talk it to the level to which they can relate. If you are speaking to environmental specialists, make sure that you touch on the issues that are relevant. Don’t “talk up” – if necessary, “talk down”.
3. Speak CLEARLY and SLOWLY
Slowly doesn’t mean that you need to slur your words, but you have to help your audience. Sometimes your audience’s ability to listen to your talk is hindered by the room’s poor acoustics. Make sure that the participants can listen to what you are saying clearly. Enunciate properly and make emphasis on your vowels and other sounds.
4. Provide an intro, a main body, and summarize in a conclusion.
Some people call this the law of “say what you are going to say, then say it, then say what you just said”, or the law of threes. Make sure that the participants have really grasped your message by summarizing it at the end.
5. Engage the audience
There is nothing more boring than listen to a 45 minute speech without any sort of interaction with the public. Talk to the audience, engage with them.
6. Use visuals.
Whether you use Power Point, a piece of paper, or other kinds of visuals, make sure that your audience can see something other than yourself. I really like a lot of presenters who don’t make presentations with Power Point, and use alternative methods.
7. Don’t read – speak!
I am too used to the talks given by specialists in the humanities, who actually READ from a paper. I guess that comes from the time when papers were read. I actually heard people saying “I’m reading a paper on so and so” – and they DID! EEEWWW.
8. Err on the short side.
I hate talks that drag on, and on, and on. I just attended an academic panel recently where the speaker had 15 minutes and he went on for 30. I was actually praying that the talk would end, by the time he was done, I had left the room. If you need to fill the time, you can always talk to the audience.
9. Provide link love.
This doesn’t mean that you need to link to other bloggers – I mean, link your talk to your fellow speakers if you are in a panel, or provide MANY examples of what you are presenting that are NOT yours. I know that I am guilty of self-citations in many of my own papers, but I also cite LOTS of other academics.
10. If at all possible, provide handouts.
I know that I attend lots of geeky conferences, and that I am all for saving trees, but sometimes, you DO need a physical, printed piece of paper. It’s funny – at EVERY geek event I attend, people ask me for my CARD. I am like “hey, can’t you just go to my blog site?” – but it’s true, people still DO read printed pieces of paper. And handouts really help a reader follow your train of thought.
Of course, I am more than happy to integrate any suggestions. These are the things that I’ve learned through the years of giving talks.
One of Vancouver’s uberbloggers (and good friend of mine), Tanya Davis (aka NetChick) is celebrating one more year on this planet, and in what form! She is heading to Las Vegas! They say that whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I am hoping I’ll have some info on what happens there via the internet.
I met Tanya in person only this year but I’ve been reading her blog for a long while. I’ve had the pleasure of spending time with her outside of the realm of blogging, just hanging out as friends, and I can tell you that she is one of the sweetest people on the planet. She is also the uber-organizer of Third Tuesday! If you don’t get to see her before she heads to Las Vegas, you can give her a big birthday hug on the next Third Tuesday.
Tanya, I am so happy you’re in my life, and here is to you! 🙂 May we enjoy many more Rock Band sessions (although I damn need to fix my guitar/bass skills!).
One of the Canadian ex-pats blogs that I have enjoyed the most has been Ian’s (who is currently located in Hamburg, Germany). He is the one with the famous Facebook post, and now Ian has written a solid, funny post on blogging about blogging. A few weeks back, Jon (from Beyond Robson) was complaining on my blog about the fact that bloggers write too much about blogging and not about the other stuff.
I do find that sometimes, bloggers write about blogging, but that is only natural, in my opinion. We write about the things we care about. My blog is personal and I write restaurant reviews, some Vancouver-centric commentary, at times I dabble in politics and finally, sometimes I reflect on where I want to bring my blog. As I frequently say “bloggers are people, we do what we do, and then we blog about it“. (Although it appears that Monica Hamburg’s Chris has found another Raul trademark phrase of mine — “that is TOTALLY bloggable“).
We have blogged (and tweeted) a lot about Twitter in the past few weeks, mainly because it is one of our strongest vehicles to maintain social media interconnectedness. We want to discuss it openly because we want to make it better. Does Twitter listen to all of our reactions? Maybe, maybe not. But at least they have a blog updating us about the status of Twitter and what they’re doing to make a more robust system.
I am very much a believer of the idea that you can’t learn and improve your ideas about something if you don’t discuss it. What is the best way to discuss things? By blogging them/twittering about them. That’s just my humble opinion. And on that note, the content on my blog is going to be very, very sparse. I have two journal articles and a conference paper that need to be finished this week, and they are not writing themselves. So, I am sorry to disappoint you if there’s very very little content this week. However, if you haven’t caught up on your RSS feeds, feel free to do so.
🙂 Have everyone a great week!
I started reading Mel‘s blog because I am a fan of figure skating. Since I began reading her blog, I’ve followed her exploits on Twitter and we engage in really fun conversations. That’s one of the key requirements for me to have followers and to follow someone on Twitter – enjoy the conversation in and of itself. Even if I don’t follow someone back, I do make an effort to talk to my followers, simply because it is great to be followed!
I think Mel was in Vancouver in January for Canadian (Skate Canada) championships, and I regret that I didn’t know her by then as I would have gladly scooted my way to the PNE to meet her in person and show her around Vancouver. *sigh*
Anyway, recently I asked my Twitter friends for their birthdays and coincidentally, Mel’s is on June 9th. So I just thought I’d say, Happy Birthday Mel! I look forward to hearing what you did for such a special day. 🙂
Hello, my name is Raul and I am both a workaholic AND a blogaholic. I don’t think I had admitted that I was a workaholic until fairly recently. I am trying to update my academic CV and I can’t even remember how many talks I have given in the past couple of years. I am trying to not miss anything, and list everything that should be listed under each heading (journal articles, books, book chapters, etc.)
Furthermore, I have done what my friend HZ says – I have delved deeply into the blogging world and now have become addicted to blogging. Jonathan has written the 50 signs that you blog too much. The sad thing is that breakfast for me is scrambled eggs, toast, coffee and Google Reader 🙂
I am also worried that I have an inherited gene for workaholism. My Mom and I were talking on Skype tonight at 11pm (1:00 am Mexico time). My brother and I are talking on MSN as I write this blog post (1:00am Mexico time). This is insane. I was even planning to stay up (I think I’ll have to. I have a revise-and-resubmit that NEEDS to be published in 2008 so I *better* stay up).
Not in the best mood this weekend despite having had a great time with my friends. I think I’m basically frustrated with my own being not very productive. By the way, Vancouver local bloggers Ianiv and Arieanna are THE blogaholics (note their site) 😉 I don’t think I know anyone who blogs on more blogs than Arieanna!
I’ve been wanting to come for dinner to the Rugby Club for the longest time. I’ve seen their advertisements on The Georgia Straight, and never had made a point to come here for dinner. Now I want another reason to party and bring all my friends to The Rugby Beach Club Grille!
We were here for Tanya and Corinna‘s birthday party, and it was a pretty large group. The first thing that impressed me is the size of the restaurant. It’s huge! Very comfortable, cozy, there’s room for everyone. Last night (Saturday) was packed. Relatively good eye-candy, although definitely not very good at approaching others (I was hit on but just vaguely!)
The food was outstanding, Monica and I shared a dessert (the chocolate panna cotta) and I had two martinis (one with fresh watermelon cuts). Outstanding. Definitely not pricey and really good food at affordable prices. If I had known that I was going to have such a good time, I would have come for dinner much earlier. I sampled other people’s platters as I was too busy chatting to order a full meal, but I am sure I’ll be back for a sit-down meal with a few friends soon. Definitely worth checking out.
Our waitress (Number 1 – I forgot your name, damn it!) was really sweet and the service is outstanding. The staff is super friendly. Their system is really great to keep separate checks. You receive a number and they put your order down on your number, so by the time you need to clear your bill, it’s a really simple and painless process. I wish more restaurants in Vancouver did this. Trust me, it’s not all that complicated. If The Rugby Beach Club Grille can do it, I don’t see why others can’t learn from their excellent strategy. I have seen waiters and waitresses from a lot of other restaurants scrambling with separate bills.
This system looks really easy (however, I should say that I find that Rugby Club is probably very well staffed, there’s a lot of staff people to look after the customers – maybe that’s not the case with every other restaurant).
Here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure, all are on my Flickr account.
The week-long conference did a really good job of protecting me against myself. Since I already had too much on my plate, I didn’t agree to more than four events over the weekend (I KNOW! Impressive, eh?). Friday night I had dinner with a colleague and friend of mine from Ottawa at Chicas (on 70th and Granville – restaurant review forthcoming). Saturday morning I had brunch with C and B at The Nice Cafe, and last night I attended Tanya‘s and Corinna‘s birthday party at The Rugby Club (restaurant review forthcoming). This afternoon am meeting a friend of mine for coffee and this evening I am having a “Raul night” since JT is away.
Had a chance to see some good friends of mine from the blogosphere, including MJ (and J), David Drucker (and P), Monica Hamburg (and C), Gillian, Miranda, and many friends from both Tanya and Corinna.
After dinner and drinks we headed down to Tanya’s place for some Rock Band. I’m getting better at vocals but my bass and guitar skills are still nowhere to be found 😉 To celebrate last night’s RB, here’s one of the songs I like the most: Mississippi Queen (the video shown below is Expert – I can’t do beyond Easy so far).
[UPDATE – Never mind – I’ve been trouble embedding YouTube videos – I’ll deal with this later]
How fun would I be if I weren’t able to poke fun at myself? Yeah, i would be VERY boring. Since the image I am going to link to is probably copyrighted, I won’t lift it off of the site. Instead, I will kindly ask you that you go and read the card and then come back. Done? Cool 🙂
Mostly, I take Twitter as a conversation tool with my fellow blogging friends. But I frequently joke on Twitter that I am “Twitter spam” and that this may be the reason why some people ‘unfollow’ me (actually I’m pretty certain that’s not the reason, but it’s always fun to say it). The someecards are always fun, sarcastic and give me a chance to say things I would like to say but sometimes don’t know how to say.
I had read about the Walk Score a few months ago, and now hat tips are very much due to David Drucker, who reminded me about it. I would say that Mount Pleasant has a very decent Walk Score (78 out of 100) although I know that some locations like the downtown Vancouver area probably have walk scores of 100. Have YOU calculated your Walk Score? If so, how good is it (compared to other walk scores – where 0 is bad and 100 is very good)?
It’s Friday, and normally I’d scour the depths of the Internet to find fun links for you to read as we near the end of the week. However, I have recently spent a large amount of time today reading comments on my blog, and being delighted at the awesome conversations I’ve been able to engage with. It’s rainy, some of my friends are out of town, others are going out of town next week, and I feel kind of ‘out-of-sorts’ (it’s the weather, I’m sure), I’m super busy with a conference… but as it is Friday (and TGIF!), I just want to toast to the people who read my blog (even if you’re a lurker, hehe), who comment here, and those with whom I have conversations on Twitter. May you have a lovely weekend (despite this godawful weather). Thanks to the blogosphere for bringing so many awesome people to my life. Here is one of my favorite songs for your listening pleasure (and rather fitting I’d say) “Nothing Can Come Between Us” by Sade 🙂
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=h9P8rhHC2NE]
I am very proud of Rebecca’s extraordinary efforts to raise awareness on the need to support local (e.g. Metro Vancouver) food banks. It is always a challenge to pick one single cause or charity to blog about, and I am right now struggling about the decision on which charity to support for Blogathon 2008 (yes, I think we are doing it, as Rebecca is taking it upon herself to organize – I will be happy to provide co-organization support, plus I’ll blogathon as well).
At any rate, with all the comings and goings around this city, I am not sure how I managed to overlook National Hunger Awareness Day.
The mission of National Hunger Awareness Day is to tell the story of the food banks and the people who use them. The goal of the Hunger Awareness Day movement is to raise awareness about the solvable problem of hunger in Canada.[NHAD website]
I am VERY lucky in the fact that, despite how tight my budget has been in recent months, I have always managed to eat well and have never failed to put food on the table. As JT very appropriately says, I may live in a modest residence and be cautious with my money but I don’t live a really frugal life. I’m eternally grateful for that, and I try to live my life to the fullest for that same reason.
Please consider donating to local food banks, your efforts will make a difference in people’s lives.
Dear Weather Powers-That-Be:
It’s been a while since I had to have a heart-to-heart with you. So far these past few weeks, even with the limited down time I have had, I didn’t need to have to wear rain gear whenever I went out. Had the opportunity to roam around Vancouver, Burnaby, North and West Vancouver. I even ventured as far as New Westminster one day! All because of the good weather.
Now, these past couple of days have been really rainy and miserable. My thinking immediately was that you might have forgotten what the Metro Vancouver area looks like with good weather. So I thought I’d offer you a few visual reminders. Please bring back the sun. Ok, thanks. Bye.
Normally, the title of my post would be “Upcoming event – Title of the event”. However, since this event is organized by friends I have made through blogging (and I’m officially part of a number of local media outlets who will be writing about Vancouver Joomla Day, along with blogging Jedi Master, Rebecca Bollwitt aka Miss604), it is important that you know why you should mark your calendars (and attend!) – Vancouver Joomla Day, THIS coming Saturday June 14th, 2008
So, what is Vancouver Joomla Day and why should you care? Vancouver Joomla Day is the first event in Western Canada where developers of this CMS (content management system) will be spending a whole day geeking out about Joomla. And what is Joomla, you ask?
Joomla! is one of the most powerful Open Source Content Management Systems on the planet. It is used all over the world for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. Joomla! is easy to install, simple to manage, and reliable. [Joomla]
Hate me for not using Facebook, but since I know many of you DO use it, here is the link to the event so that you can confirm your participation. Bear in mind, though, that registration should be done on the Vancouver Joomla site (I have made things easy for you, just click here).
To sweeten the pot even more, you can have some focus on your own Joomla project!. Even for a non-geek like me, I’m sure it will be fun.
