And in what we can only hope will shape up into a rollicking annual event, Vancouver is teetering on the verge of repeating the Great Water Inconvenience of 2006. Because the recent deluge has stirred up the city's water supply somewhat, Metro Vancouver officials are recommending that anyone with a weak immune system boil tap water before drinking. There isn't a general "boil water" advisory yet, but keep an eye on that tap.

So if you really don't like stoves or kettles, then maybe head out and buy some water now. Remember what happened last time?

Seb the gargantuan pink bunny turns his back while Jeff represents Satan's Army at the Hastings Halloween contest 2006. Photo: Dave Long.

Maybe you've looked through Jark, Simon, and Krisztina's posts and still haven't found something to do this Halloween weekend. Well I might be able to help... if you happen to have an affinity for Halloween costume parties, skateboarding, and damp, dark places where people pay tribute to their fallen comrades by leaving behind

piles of garbage

.

Me and Matt Pike, who provides the lungs and guitar for High On Fire, have roots. Nothing that he would know about of course, but what does that matter? Sleep's Holy Mountain, an album that sounded roughly akin to a Black Sabbath 45 played at 33, worked in tandem with Morbid Angel's "Covenant" to form the soundtrack to my first year of university. It was heavy, downtuned, groove-laden sludge, perfectly complemented by lyrics that bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros claimed were "easy to understand when you're on lots of acid". As an added bonus, the photo of Al on the back of the disc looked freakishly like me and was useful in deceiving the odd person into buying me a beer. Sleep lasted long enough to put out one more epic piece of music entitled Jerusalem (or Dopesmoker, depending on the version) and Mr. Pike then carried on to form High On Fire, whose slightly more straightforward, but no less heavy, whirlwind of destruction has been churning away ever since. Their new album is called "Death Is This Communion" and metal has rarely sounded better.

OK, so it was sunny yesterday, and as of this morning The Weather Network says that it's supposed to be sunny today... and tomorrow... and Sunday. But as we all know, the rain could start at any time and not slow down for a week or more. That fact isn't helped by the fact that some expert types are predicting that we're in for a good one this year. But this is the best place on Earth right? That's what the IOC and ICBC have teamed up to tell us all... and as the steadfast bastions of ethical behaviour they are, they wouldn't lie to us. So take heart, because for every hassle there's at least a partial solution. It was true for The Great Water Inconvenience of 2006, it's true our current garbage strike, and it's absolutely true for the impending winter.

With Double Jab Promotions's Vancouver Fights coming up tomorrow, a long wait is over for East Vancouver boxing fans. And it's going to be a worthy comeback show for sure. The highlight of the card is Vancouver-based boxer AJ Bone, a Sydney 2000 Olympian and 2002 Commonwealth gold medalist for Nigeria. AJ is busy training for his third professional fight but he took a few minutes out of his day to talk to me on the phone and answer some questions.

When did you come to Canada?
I came to Canada in 2000 and moved to Vancouver in 2001.

How long have you been boxing? How did you get started?
I started because of my dad, who was a boxing coach. I've been boxing since I was 6, so I've been boxing for 20 years.

How often do you train?
I train twice a day

What attracted you to boxing?
It was my dad. In the beginning he forced me to do it. But as I grew up and saw that I could have a future in boxing, I decided to keep it as a career.

It turns out I like boxing. I'm as surprised as anyone. For my first 32 years I was never a fan. Movies sold me on kickboxing and kung fu when I was a kid and then I fell victim to a sort of "grappler's superiority complex" when I started training in judo at U of T. This was during the early days of the UFC when groundfighter extraordinaire Royce Gracie was dispatching all comers. I think all of our heads swelled a bit back then. But things change. Shift a few years and a few thousand kilometers and I'm in Vancouver training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Dynamic MMA, where there just happens to also be a highly qualified kickboxing instructor. So of course I'm going to try out a few classes. And now here I am. Hooked. What can I say? I got cold cocked.

My timing couldn't be better though, because in the words of local promoter Karen Howard of Double Jab Promotions, "Vancouver is experiencing a boxing renaissance". Earlier this year, River Rock Casino teamed up with Manny Sobral to put together Vancouver's first city-sanctioned pro boxing card since 2001. And now Double Jab is doing their part to support the scene by putting on another event. Thursday at the Croatian Cultural Centre, Vancouver fight fans are going to be treated to an action packed card featuring Commonwealth gold medalist and Olympian A.J. Bone alongside his brother Albert "The Punisher" Onolunose, his cousin Julius "Bazuka" Odion, former Canadian champion Mark "The Machine Gun" Woolnough, and Vancouver local favourites Andy Mavros and Paul Tryl.

This week I had a chance to speak to Gillian Armstrong and Karen Howard, two of the event's promoters, and get their report on the state of boxing in Vancouver. We also talked briefly about what attracted them to boxing, the rising popularity of mixed martial arts, and the seemingly unusual fact that two of the three event promoters in a traditionally male-dominated field are women.