In memoriam

Misser T
Originally uploaded by Bruce Brososky.

Early this morning, I said farewell to my trusted, beloved friend, T-Max. My "little man" was a border collie - spaniel cross, and almost fourteen years old. Cancer finally took him away. He lived well, and was a precious and irreplacable part of my life. My then wife, Christine, and I found him at the SPCA in June of 1994, and as soon as I saw him in his pen, I knew he was the dog for me, and for us. Chris and I looked at a number of dogs that day, but I came back to T-Max in his pen and said, "That's our dog." I knew it from the moment he and I made eye contact. He more than lived up to his promise. I will keep great memories of his affectionate, calm, sensitive nature with me to the end of my days. He seemed a wise old soul, full of secrets and the wisdom of the ages. He was a cuddle bug, and a squirrel-chaser, and a hole-digger. He was my "Smoochie."

I believe that although he's passed on from our world here, all life is eternal, and he is only separated from us physically but remains a part of our lives. When the day comes that I cross the threshold of death into the next world - or heaven, or the afterlife, whatever you may call it - T-max will be there to greet me, and to welcome me with a wagging tail and wet kisses. Until then, I will hold his memories in my heart and treasure him as the blessing he truly was.

UFC 64: Not so Unstoppable

Wow! Rich "Ace" Franklin gets his arse handed to him by Anderson Silva and we have a new UFC Middleweight Champion! I like Rich Franklin, and I think he was a very good middleweight champion but, Anderson Silva smacked Rich down like it was man vs. boy. Franklin had absolutely no answer for Silva's Muay Thai clinch & the knees that Silva dished out. There seems to be a new teacher in class, and it isn't Mr. Franklin. I can't think of another middleweight fighter right now in the UFC who could go three - or five - rounds with Silva. Franklin is a very intelligent and very capable fighter, and he may well be able to learn from this ass whipping and come back to regain his title, but he may not, either. Maybe Jeremy Horn, if he fights in this class (as opposed to the light heavyweight class where Chuck Lidell whipped him good), maybe Mike Swick? I dunno. Silva may be champion for some time to come...

I'm looking forward to UFC 65, where welterweight champion Matt Hughes will meet George St. Pierre again, and where heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia will meet Jeff Monson as two title belts are on the line. In the first case, I think "GSP" has a very good chance to win, but Matt is always extremely tough to beat. As a Canuck, I'm really pulling for my fellow countryman, of course. In the heavyweight division, Sylvia is so freakin' big and has such long reach, that Monson, as much as he's a great talent, will be hard pressed to pull out a win - although, having said that, Monson is a frickin' beast too, even if he is shorter. Tough call, but I think Sylvia retains his belt.

Speaking of heavyweights, when does Rashad Evans get a chance to fight a top contender? Or Brandon Vera? When will Andrei Arlovski be back to fight again?

Why do we elect them again?

Edmonton city councillors, a couple of months ago, voted themselves a salary increase of 13% to take effect after the next civic election. In addition to that, they've voted to increase their already generous monthly vehicle allowance by 50%, and add an increase to their RRSP contributions from you and me, the ever-generous taxpayer. Did I mention that one third of their salary is tax-free? Civic unions, representing various city employees, have stated that they will seek raises for their own members using the increase councilors voted for themselves as benchmarks. City councillors say that such a comparison is invalid, unfair, and they can't afford to pay such increases to city staff... add your own comment here about bad smells in small European countries. Only one city councillor had the foresight, integrity, and wherewithal to vote against the council increases. Mike Nickel is the only councilor who should be re-elected when the next civic election is held. Each of the other councillors should be removed from office, period.

The City of Edmonton will implement an expected 7% tax increase to the new budget for 2006-2007. This is intended to cover the costs of city growth, but it will also be required to cover the increase to city councillor bank accounts, won't it? City taxes have gone up every year for at least the past eight or more years. It's been a steady diet, however, of failing infrastructure and reduced services over that period of time. Public service is about public service! It's not about feathering your nest. If one can't afford to take a pay cut to serve on city council (prove to me that all the councillors are taking a "pay cut" to serve on council), then one should not run for the job. It's insulting and disingenuous behaviour and I, for one, will not vote for the councillors in my ward, currently Karen Leibovici and Linda Sloan, next election. I suspect that the same will be true across the city.

The great hunter part deux

The great hunter part deux
Originally uploaded by Bruce Brososky.

Eva, our Sheltie-Keeshound cross, likes to hunt. She really likes it. Last year, she tagged seven gophers and a handful of mice and voles while on our walks. This year, she's had only about four mice and voles. When I lived on an acreage a few years ago, she was a much more effective mouser than the two cats I had at that time.