We had another tough day today. This one probably the hardest yet.

Our dear old dog, Moosh, has gone to the big field in the sky. She had become very dizzy, was falling down and was confused.

It turns out she was having strokes rather than just vestibular disease and her heart was calling it quits. We found a lump on her neck that turned out to be an infected salivary gland and took her to the vet this afternoon fearing the worst. The vet said he didn't believe that she would survive the required treatment for the glandular infection and may only have lived a few days longer. He confirmed what we suspected last night, that probably the kindest thing we could do for Moosh was to relieve her suffering.

Dr Loff gently walked us through the whole ordeal as I'd seen Dad, as a veterinarian, do a number of times. He made Moosh comfortable with a soft bed and blanket and we were with her as he relaxed her with the first shot and as she went off to sleep with the second one. Moosh passed away very peacefully at approximately 4:15pm our time. Moosh had a warm loving spirit right to the very end. She was nearly 15 years old and very easy to love.

We're having her privately cremated and will spread her ashes in a couple of her favourite places, namely Ambleside Beach and Lynn Valley's nature trails.

We'll miss our friend are sad to have lost her, but are glad she's not suffering any more.

I think tomorrow I'll do a more creative memorial.

I love you Moosh. I sure will miss you.

Our lives seem to have turned into a very bad country music song:

I'm not working, we have no money, the bills and debts are piling up, we're having tax troubles, our home is being sold, we're not sure where we're going and now... our beloved dog and best friend has passed away. Joke is on us. Hello, good luck? Where the hell have you gone. We really need a break. The stress is unbelievable.

Dear universe: HELP!

Sometimes life on life's terms really sucks ass. Why the hell does it have to suck so much at once?

Cliché time: "It never rains, it pours."

Whoever said that needs a hard kick in the nuts.

It'll take more than a little Bob Marley to help us through this one.

"IRWINDALE, Calif. -- Eddie Griffin crashed a rare Ferrari Enzo worth $1.5 million into a concrete barrier while practicing at a racetrack Monday, destroying the car but escaping uninjured.

The comedian was practicing for a charity race to promote his upcoming film, "Redline," when he drove too fast around a curve at the Irwindale Speedway. Video footage showed the red sports car screeching before it ricocheted off the barrier with heavy damage to its front.

"Undercover Brother's good at karate and all the rest of that, but the brother can't drive," Griffin, referring to one his past films, said after the accident.

The film's publicist, Wendy Zocks, said Griffin was "doing OK."

[more at source: ESPN.com]

When we were in L.A. last we saw Eddie Griffin on Sunset Blvd in the passenger seat of a convertible. Note that I said 'passenger seat'. I guess his friends have known for years not to let him drive.

I'm too depressed to blog much today. The home we love is being sold. We're still not sure what's happening. All we know is the house is for sale and we very probably have to vacate the premises. We don't know when or where we're going or how we're going to manage. We thought we would be here until at least after the Olympics, but that's changed. Having a decision about our security made for us is one of the most unpleasant things I've ever been through.

I haven't been working much and our finances are in tatters. I've never quite bounced back after losing my job at that place. It feels like being run over by a gigantic snowball that's been following me for the two years since I left that gig. That said, this feels worse than losing a job.

This is the last thing we need right now. I spent the afternoon curled up in a ball on the floor with my dog. Thank goodness for her, she kept me company. Carol's upset too, but neither of us seem to be losing it at the same time, so we've been able to be there for each other.

I have a horrendous emotional hangover. My stomach hurts and so does my head.

All of us are very upset, Bennett and Moosh too. I'm not sure if it's the stress, but Moosh's health has taken a turn for the worse. It appears her vestibular disease is back and she is having trouble walking again. Her timing is impeccable. Ugh. We have to find a place not only that will handle us and all our stuff but a sick old dog too, which is extremely hard to come by, and within our very limited budget. I just feel sick every time I think about it.

People are saying things like buy the house. My response is, "with what?" We're broker than broke and owe more than we can pay already.

I'm very afraid of what's looming. We don't have parents in the province so we can't ask for help like moving in for a while. We're running out of options, I don't know what we're going to do.

This has been the darkest day I can remember in the last 15 years. Help had better be around the corner. I'm not sure how much more either of us can take.

"Calvert DeForest, the roly-poly character actor with the black-framed glasses and seemingly clueless delivery who developed a cult following as Larry "Bud" Melman on "Late Night with David Letterman" in the 1980s, has died. He was 85."

[more at source Los Angeles Times]

Goodbye Larry Bud Melman. You were one funny dude.

"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. health officials said on Monday they expected the number of pet deaths to increase as they probe the cause of tainted pet food that has already killed at least 10 animals through kidney failure."

[more at Reuters.ca]

Moosh's wet food, that she's not liking anymore anyway, is on the list on the Menu Foods recall site. I'm sure Moosh is fine, but just in case she'll be sticking to the dry food for a bit. It's sad that people have lost their pets over this.

"Richard Jeni (seen at left during a recent appearance with fellow funny man Chris Rock), a standup comedian who played to sold-out crowds, was a regular on the "Tonight Show" and appeared in movies, died of a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide, police said Sunday.

Police found the 45-year-old comedian alive but gravely injured in a West Hollywood home when they responded to a call Saturday morning from Jeni's girlfriend, Los Angeles Police Officer Norma Eisenman said.

Eisenman said the caller told police: "My boyfriend shot himself in the face."

Jeni died at a nearby hospital."

Eisenman said suicide had not been officially confirmed and the investigation was continuing.

[source Newsvine]

He did not look well in that photo. No one is talking about a possible reason yet, however I read this at a post on the Opie & Anthony forum, Wackbag.com:

"It is said that he chose to do so because of seemingly intractable medical problems, the nature of which we are not privy to." # posted by SHECKYmagazine.com @ 8:33 PM

Very sad. I'll remember Richard Jeni fondly. He made me laugh.

Here he is on political parties:

Here's an appalling story from globeandmail.com: From Texas cell, Canadian, 9, pleads for help

Here's a copy of a letter from the boy being held in U.S. custody:


Regardless of the issues the Canadian government has with this boy's family he is a Canadian citizen and deserves to
be treated as such. Not to mention the fact that he is a 9 year old boy in an adult prison. Excuse my French but that is fucked up. Do something Mr. Harper.

[source digg]