Tower Of Babel

Yesterday after work I went to the barber for a haircut. Mentally, I have been toying with a change in my current hairstyle for a few months. I have been keeping it low and combed forward and have had it this way for about 5 or 6 years now. Hence, I have been thinking it is time for a change.

Now as rowdy as I can get sometimes, I am a fairly conservative individual, so were I to decide on a change it would not be anything weird or drastic. When I arrived at the barber, my barber had stepped out for a few minutes. So his colleagues called him on his cell and he said he would be back in about 15 minutes, so I decided to wait. I sat in the waiting chair and lo and behold, I fell asleep! I guess I was more tired than I had realized. Anyway, eventually, I was awakened by the sound of my barber’s voice. I will call him Pablo. We chatted and I told him that I was thinking about a change. He said to me, “Why not just go bald and shave it completely?” I said to him, “You mussi rass mad!” He laughed and told me that he thought that being popular as it has been for quite some time now, that bald would look good on me. Well, guess what? I declined. So, I have my same old cut, perhaps just a bit shorter than usual. I do not think that I would look good bald at all.

Then when I was leaving, the receptionist asked me if I was aware of the other services they offered apart from haircuts. So, I told her no. She asked me if I was interested in manicures and pedicures. I said that I did that myself, not really a man thing. Just clipping of nails when necessary really. She then went on to say that I would be surprised at the number of males who came in to have a mani/pedi and to have their nails ‘polished’. I told her that is good for them, that is not me at all. In addition, she reported that they offered THERAPEUTIC massages, not SENSUOUS! And that some guys also came there every so often to have their pubic hair trimmed or shaved! Interesting I thought. I assume that the ‘barber’ in such a case is female as I would not want any male doing his thing in my pubic area. But, then again, I don’t do anything with the adornment of my family jewels. I just leave it. The massage sounds like it could be fun though. Maybe I will give that a check one day.

I suppose you realise that I haven’t been blogging with much fervor since returning from the weekend in Florida. The only blog I have visited is Mad Bull’s. I have just been too tired and Monday was a very long day. Last night, my other bredren Dr. Spanish came to give me a check, so it would have appeared rude to sit in front of the computer while he was here. Actually, he brought up a few DVDs of porn and we were watching on the computer for about 30 minutes. Hey, the picture quality is almost life like. I may rent a couple myself!

Yesterday was payday. One of the best parts of work I suppose, though some do not look forward to it as they say the pay is too damn small. Have I ever told you that I work on a renewable contract basis? Yup. No job security there, is there? Well, as part of my pay for February, I received my gratuity for the contract period that ended December 31, 2002. We get a paltry 10% of our basic salary for the period of our contract as gratuity. And it is not taxed. (It couldn’t be, or it would not be worth a fart!) And yes, I am not pensionable!!!

Had a brief chat with Mad Bull and I had mentioned it while shooting the shit with him on the phone. He was saying that the fact that I am not pensionable should not bother me. What I should do is use the gratuity and put into some sort of investment. Quite true. Then we got around to insurance policies, which I perhaps have too many of. One for mortgage, an accident and dismembership policy, a cancer policy that pays once I have been diagnosed with a malignancy (kind of fucked up just to think about it), and another life insurance policy. I spend about 6,500 Jamaican dollars per month (about 120 US) servicing these policies. Hmm. I guess I am really no economist. I do have a few bucks earning some interest at one of our local investment companies, but, it is really just that, a FEW bucks to rass! Anyway, why complain? I am sure there are many who cannot say the same. Perhaps I need a financial advisor, but then again. Fe wah? I really don’t have a shitload of money, do I? To others who are loaded, what little I have amounts to a lunch money to rahtid! Anyhow, money ain’t all. Life live and hope for the best. That’s all that matters really, good health, good family and bredrens, as there is one ting fe sure, when we dead, we caan tek dat rass wid us anyway. Somebody else benefits.

Anyway, I man gaan still…. work. That evil place where we try to make the buck. Later if anything.

Right. I am back here, though still a bit jaded. I read this Gleaner article about an ex Go Go (exotic) dancer who has put that behind her, and moved on. What I’ll say is, YOU ‘GO’ GIRL!!

Now, I know there are many people who are likely to diss the women who do this sort of thing for a living. I do not. This is because, for most of these women, economics forces them to do it. There are those who will be quick to jump and say that there is lots more that they could do to make a living. That may be true, but perhaps they have made the choice and are unwilling to work for the smaller amounts of money they would get by doing housework for instance.

Some of the girls who do this are trying to finance educational opportunities with the tips they make from dancing. I don’t knock that at all. I guess some may be quick to say I have no morals. Well, I certainly do have morals. But, people’s life situations can get pretty grave and desperate. Looking on from the outside and not having been faced with certain situations themselves, many will be quick to judge a Go Go.

This woman has obviously been able to leave the darker stage, and move on to the bright lights of the catwalk associated with a modelling career. The fact that this is so means that she probably is safe in the body and face department. Hence, she was perhaps quite popular in her previous line of work.

I will end by saying to her, “Keep on climbing the pole. I am sure there are lots who are looking on with a smile.”

Well, I’m back on terra firma after spending the weekend in Florida. It was a good conference and I saw friends like Ernie and Baje Doc. Also saw my family in Ft. Lauderdale. A lot of travelling in two days, so I’m sort of tired. Maybe I will post tomorrow, but tomorrow is already looking like a very long day. I will see what can be arranged.

Well, for those of you coming here this weekend expecting to see a post, I am afraid I am going to disappoint you. I man going Miami today. You are still free to hit the more recent posts with comments though. I plan to have a good weekend and will be back home Sunday night. Till then, take care of yourselves. This blog’s author is now MIA (Missing In Action) in MIAmi!

Earlier this week, there was an article of news that I read, about the discovery of the dead body of a young woman. Now, the body was found in a gully very close to the Medical Centre where I do private practice on a Thursday evening.

This evening, I went there as usual, it was a bit slow, five patients, but, I’m not complaining as I’m a bit tired anyway. As is the usual practice, the Security Guard for the Medical Centre follows me to my car when I am leaving in the night. He does this with all the doctors in fact. He’s a very likeable guy, and he dresses in ’street clothes’, not a guard uniform. We chat as usual while walking to the car. So, I was rapping with him tonight.

I asked him if he had heard about the discovery of the woman’s body. He said, “Yes Doc. I actually saw when the Police were removing the body from the gully. Of course you know seh nuff crowd did deh bout!” So, I asked him if the woman was from the community. He said yes. However, he said he did not know her. You see, being the guard at the Medical Centre, he knows most of the folks who live in the community that come there for medical attention.

He continued. “Doc. I hear seh dem claim seh she a infarmah!” (Doc. I hear that they claim she reported somebody!”) Apparently, the rumor was that she may have been either witness to or have some information about a crime, and she reported the alleged wrongdoer to the Police!

The guard said, “So because she inform Doc, dem duss her out!” He went further to say, “Doc. It frig up a way still. Imagine. We live inna a country where tings so blood claat rough, dat if you witness a crime, you just haffi see and blind and hear and deaf. Oddawise, dem kill you rass if you talk.” (Doc. It is screwed up when you think about it. We live in a country where things are so rough, that if you witness a crime, you have to play blind and deaf. Otherwise they will kill your ass if you talk.)

I had to agree with him. Anyway, I got into the car and bade him farewell until next Thursday when I go back there.

I was thinking about what he said while driving on the way home and that is what stimulated this post. It is not only in this type of area that this sort of thing takes place. You see, the Medical Centre is not in ‘upscale’ Kingston, but it is not quite a ‘depressed’ community either.

Late last year, a prominent businessman was murdered at his businessplace. I have also heard that the story behind his death was related to his being an ‘infarmah’ as well. Sad shit if you ask me. Now, I know that if I witnessed a crime and I could help to solve it, my instinct and morals would want me to become an ‘infarmah’ as well. But, alas, when I think about it….. Would I like my life to be ended prematurely? Would I wish my home to be terrorised or some other sort of crap?? No! But, then again, I would want to be able to see the criminal put to justice. My conscience would bother me if I did not, and that is difficult to live with. Wouldn’t you feel similarly? I guess this is another situation of damned if you do as well as if you don’t. You can’t live with yourself by keeping quiet if you know something. But, if you talk, your life may well be ended. What about witness protection? I don’t know how comfortable I am with that.

I guess I will end by saying, life is sweet, but, there is a lot of friggery going down in the world today. Help me out with your thoughts on this one. How would you feel or act if you were put into a situation where you could become a potential ‘infarmah?’ And BTW, I won’t buss (report) on you either, as I certainly want you to be around in the land of the living to return here and comment in the future, seen?

A bredren at work told me that one of his bredrens had a little ‘interlude of words’ on his cell phone recently.

Ring ring…… The guy reaches for his cell and answers, “Hello.”
The Caller: “Can I speak to Simone?”
The guy whose cell rang: “Wrong number.” And then he hung up. Shortly after, his cell rings again. He reluctantly answers it a second time: “Hello?”
The caller: “Who the fuck is this?”
The guy (now getting quite pissed): “Who do YOU want to speak to?”
The caller: “Simone!”
The guy: “And who might she be?” (He has decided to play along and dish out a rude response as well.)
The caller: “She is MY RASS woman!”
The guy: “Oh, Simone, she can’t speak right now, she is busy and her mouth is full as she is giving me one of the best blowjobs I have ever had!”

I gave it a first class rating for wit. My respecs to de bredren. I would have to buy him a drink for that one! I guess the moral of the story is, don’t dish out attitude if it is not called for, you never know just what you may end up ’sucking’ in return!

Hey guys, it’s been a while since I restarted the blog, but here am I! Recently I started a new job and it’s been ok, quite hectic and the volume of work is a lot, but the work isn’t hard! What else is new! But now I have to contend with the snow, too mercy! Coming from Jamaica, this is way too extreme for me although I think I’ve dealt with it well, but now I am really tired of the ever changing weather…I mean really, if it’s not blizzard today, it’s sleet and freezing rain tomorrow and then more snow, blustering winds etc….am I the only one suffering here????? Is anybody out there with the same problem or do you all just love the snow??

Well, at last I have finally finished typing the slides I want to make for a talk on Eczema that I have been asked to give to a group of doctors in Portland the weekend of March 1. It has been haunting me as I had no motivation to make the slides. I think that was because I teach this topic to medical students literally every five weeks and I am now thoroughly bored to talk about it. Furthermore, I am being asked to talk for 1 HOUR!! Now, from previous experience, I know that most people have very short attention spans. After about 15 minutes, the average person is looking out the window, sleeping or thinking about sex! They really don’t care one fart about what you have to say and are looking forward to hear that the talk is over. Anyhow, maybe I can insert a few slides of skimpily clad females to keep the audience awake!

They are putting me up at Frenchman’s Cove for the night. I haven’t been there since the start of the year, but, it is one of my favourite spots in the island to relax and recharge my batteries. So, that takes care of the last weekend in the month as I will be going to Portland from the Saturday in order to talk afresh the Sunday morning. I had better not have too much Appleton VX the Saturday night as I may not be able to wake up!

Tomorrow, is my last day at work for the week! This is because I have been invited to attend a weekend conference on Acne in Miami, all expenses paid. So, why de hell not? Man wid airline ticket will fly! I only hope Bushy does not push the GO button this weekend! No, him can nuh bodda wid it! (No, he can definitely not bother with that!) So I will be flying into the city with the Latina ladies this Friday afternoon. Who knows, I may just have a post to share with you all next week when I return.

I am actually not taking part in the planned social activities as I will be linking some bredrens in Florida and seeing family as well. So, all in all, it should be a pretty good weekend coming up.

I am a bit tired tonight, and I am teaching Nursing students on Leprosy tomorrow morning. So, let me go rest my weary ass. After all, I am just one body! Respec due.

Go wish Natty and Mad Bull a Happy Anniversay, if you haven’t already done so. BTW, the drinks are on you both later!