Tower Of Babel

Well, in Medicine, we usually adopt a certain procedure when making a diagnosis. First off, we take a history based on the patient’s complaint. Then we examine the patient and based on what is found, we come up with a clinical diagnosis. If necessary, we proceed to doing investigations in order to confirm our diagnosis and rule out other possibilities that may have been entertained. And, we institute some form of therapy where applicable in the meantime.

Last week Monday night when I discovered that suppem was up (or more like down) with my computer, the next day I spoke to a friend who fixes computers. Now, when I told him what was happening, he said that in nine cases out of ten, based on his experience, it is usually the Power Supply that is frigged and nothing else. However, it could be the Motherboard, which is more serious. He then recommended that I allow Dell to investigate the problem especially since the three year warranty is not anywhere near up. Good rass advice. So, with Mad Bull’s help, that is how we have been proceeding.

Now, when this friend of mine told me that in most cases it is merely the Power Supply that needs replacement, I said, “Well, in life, I am accustomed to get shafted and have the shit hit the fan in situations like this.” He chuckled and said that I was to remain optimistic.

On Friday last, after a number of 1-800 telephone calls, the order was given to their agents here to investigate the problem. So, the DELL Doc. from Jamaica came to see the ‘patient’ today. On the jobsheet I see, “Power Supply replaced. Problem persists. Spoke to Pedro. Motherboard to be replaced.” Well, they claim it will be another two to three days before that part arrives from foreign!

See wah me seh. I man accustomed to get shafted, big time. If you don’t know what I mean by shafted BIG TIME, Check dah link yah …not worksafe BTW. Now you know what I mean, seen? Anyway, I suppose we can look on the bright side, they are apparently going to fix it under the warranty. Now, until such time, all I can do is hold a borrows off Mad Bull’s or Dr. Spanish’s Dell and jus cool. Cause, when you really think bout it, all I can do in the meantime is hold mi corner and wait, seen? With my luck still, the next diagnosis will be that all my data has been erased to rass! And for me, in some respects, that is almost like being told that I have been diagnosed with an incurable malignancy.

Anyhow, all you bloggers out there, send some good wishes my way and hope that my patient will have a speedy recovery and be at least as good as new (if not better), pretty damn quick. Because if not, some bombo claat a buss!

So, what a gwaan (whuzzup) in your corner of the woods?

Yow bredrens. First of all let me say that this post is being made under the influence of VX and Ting, as a result, I nor the CEO of the madull4.net set of blogs (AKA Mad Bull) do not accept responsibility for the content or any offense caused by reading this post. In other words, proceed further at your own risk.

Indeed, my Dell is still not yet standing at attention (a little Viagra may help!), so I am posting from Mad Bull’s computer. Having completed a major task that I had pending earlier on my bredrens’s computer, and eating a nice Dragon City Chow Mein for dinner, I felt a sense of accomplishment and decided to do a post with a full belly.

As the VX and Ting flowed, the rude bwoy behaviour got worse. We tuned into HBO and a lame boxing match was taking place, so we switched channels to ABC. Blood cleat! Janet Jackson was on, they were showing a concert she had done recently in Hawaii! Now, Mad Bull, apparently is not exactly thrilled about how she looks. Fine, I concur that some Plastic Surgeon retired off of the payoff he received from sculpting her abs, but frig that, I still think she looks sexy nuh rass….especially when VX is flowing.

So, as I watched her gyrating those curvaceous hips, I got more into the show, shall we say. Again, Mad Bull made it clear that he did not rate her looks. A now fairly unda two juice (tipsy) Dr. D. replied, “Well, I’d fuck her for a million US dollars!” At which point, we both knocked fists! After all, a million US is sixty million of our dollars, and if I got that in my hands, I sure as hell would not look back in life again. Maybe some guys might do the job for less, but rass, I think I’m worth it! If any other Jamaican rude bwoys want to do the work for less, then more power to them.

Anyhow, enuff of the liquor talk. Wish me luck that Dell will honour their warranty so that hopefully early next week, apart from looking to give Janet bamboo for a million dollars, at least you’ll have me blogging as regularly as I am accustomed to. Respec!

P.S. If Mad Bull is the only one to conmment here, a life!

Bredrens, I am just dropping by to let you know that my trusty DELL was shafted by a power surge caused by lightening during a thunderstorm here on Monday. At the time my computer was very much off and in its surge protector. I am actually making this little entry at Mad Bull’s yard.

Hence, until things get sorted out you are not likely to hear from me with any regularity (if at all!) Sorry.

Such is life at times I guess. In the meantime, please keeep on blogging so I will have lots to catch up on when I am back to normal.

Well bredrens, my apologies for my absence from posting for the last few days. I have really been more than skindeep in work! Anyhow, here I am. I am on a break from the ‘grind’ tonight and have decided to post some thoughts I have been having for a few weeks. The topic is somewhat controversial and I am sure that (if anybody reads it) there may well be some good comments resulting. So, before anyone accuses me of having verbal diarrhoea……

Do you feel that our sexual orientation is something that we are born with? Or, can our sexual preference be learned?

I was discussing this with some of the ‘crew’ recently, and the consensus is that we are born with our sexual preference. I think I tend to agree with this viewpoint. From way back (I guess that expression makes me sound like I am over the hill…anyway) I can remember that I was attracted to females. As I grew older, and started to have relationships, it just seemed ‘right’ for me to be with a woman. As I matured and discovered the ‘goodly stuff’, that cemented the identity even more. The thought of doing anything remotely sexual with a man seemed so taboo and repulsive to me. I could not even consider it.

I believe for most of us, we know fairly early in life, what feels ‘right’ for us. Thus, for a homosexual, the same holds true. A gay man just does not feel comfortable being with a woman. So, following this argument, I suppose I feel that in most cases, people who are gay are simply born that way.

What of so called ‘bisexuals?’ I raised this question with someone. Their view is that ‘bisexuality’ really does not exist. The person said that he felt that so called ‘bis’ are actually homosexuals who are afraid of ‘coming out’. I am not too sure what my views are on that comment. Could not an individual be comfortable with either man or woman?

Now, though I have already stated that I agree with the view that our sexual orientation is inborn, let me cite a hypothetical situation in order to continue this discussion (and hopefully the comments) a bit further. Suppose a female child is born to a young teenage boy and girl. The child is born heterosexual, she will grow up being attracted to the opposite sex. Unfortunately, her teen parents are unable to raise her, they are both young and they decide to put the child up for adoption.

She eventually is adopted by a gay female couple (if this situation could at all occur legally is another issue, but I am just painting a picture for discussion purposes). The child grows up in a household where she sees women embracing, most of the couple’s friends are like themselves, lesbians. The child grows up being taught that gay is ok. (Hey, that has a nice little rhyme to it! Kind of catchy eh? I can see it on the T-shirt of folks at a gay rights rally.) Is it not possible, that this female could learn to accept a woman as a partner? Or, on account of her being born heterosexual, would she not feel uncomfortable with a woman? But, she grew up being taught that if that was how she felt, then so be it. So, I suppose what I am trying to say is that environment could play a role in helping to mould our sexual identity. I hope nobody who reads this feels I am bashing gays. I am not, just having a discussion about sexuality. So having raised a few points. I am going to ask you for your opinions. Share your feelings on this topic and let us have some healthy discussion.

Well tomorrow is Friday again. No complaints from me where that is concerned, and tonight is my last night on call until Wednsday next. (I won’t even bother to cuss about the pager company still being down.) Have a good weekend and let me hear your voices on the topic. Easy nuh.

Just a little note to let you all know I’m around but swamped at the moment. I actually typed a post last night and because I was tired I hit the wrong button and the damn thing got lost in cyberspace! Let’s say that I wasn’t exactly feeling on top the world after that. And, I’m presently on call and the pager company is DOWN! They need to pull their socks up….people pay good money for the service. And they claim to be so innovative! Yeah, right.

Anyhow, enough complaining. I am going to hit the shower and try to have a nice day. Wish me luck.

Well, recently I had posted my thoughts about a dream I had in which my fish had spawned many thousands of baby fish and asked for interpretations. Today, my bredren Mad Bull tells a tale of a dream he had last night. I have decided to allocate my rather lengthy interpretation of said dream as my ‘post’ for the moment.

Go give it a read. See if you have anything to add to my “Tarot Reading!”

P.S. Whoever said that doctors don’t vent stress on blogs as well!? All for a good laugh to help keep us young. Tek it easy and relax on your Sunday.

Well, I have been sitting here for a while searching around for a likkle suppem to link or post about. I found something about a standup comedy act that to me appears to be not really funny at all. A kind of a ‘joke on you’ situation.

It may surprise some of you to hear that I have tried standup comedy on a few occasions myself, sometimes with better success than others. (Indeed, the last time I tried I can say that it was a failure as there I was letting off a few shall we say….’off colour’ jokes, only to have someone inform me after the attempted act that there were many avid church goers in the audience who did not appreciate a couple of the said jokes!)

Anyway, needless to say, were I to try to make a living out of standup comedy, you may well pass me at one of Kingston’s large traffic lights with a sponge rushing to wipe your windscreen for a ’smalls’! And those of you who live here, know only too well how many of our claats usually rewards such an advance!

Tell me what you think of this standup comedian. Personally, my opinion is that if he had popped a Viagra pill prior to the act, then just maybe he would have got a ’standing’ ovation!

Check this out! I was just surfing around idly, minding my own business. I passed thru somebody’s blog, followed a link to Internet News and espied an article that caught my eye…

Apparently a UK based firm called Mi2g did a study and found that Linux and not Windows was the biggest target of overt attacks in terms of Server Operating systems. Apparently Linux is attacked three times more than Windows Server OSes.

I found that little tidbit of info astounding, until I started thinking about it… Firstly, there are probably more Linux servers in use on the Internet than there are of Windows Servers. I know that was the situation a year or two ago, probably that situation hasn’t changed. Also, each OS has holes, and their security is really dependent on the dedication their administrators show in the application of patches and in securing the boxes. This can be a full time job if you really want to get it right, and I suspect that many of the individuals and organisations that are running Linux Servers may not have the resources to properly protect their servers. Perhaps the Linux boxes that were attacked were not properly secured!

I wish that this article had been looking at which OS has the potential to be the more secure one of the two. That would probably have helped clear up the issue more for me.

You know what? I just looked at the byline… This article was written by a bredrin! Nuh Ryan from the Caribbean Cricket Blog! And I believe that he makes use of Linux too, you know! I can ask him for some info on this article! I think I will, and I will keep you posted!

Well, I am not chatting for too long tonight as I think I’m going to turn in early. Blame it on last night’s birthday excesses!

I was just reading the Gleaner and found an article on crabs…(no not that kind!) Now, when they are prepared properly, crab can make good eating. The only problem I have with it, is that there is a hell of a lot of time and effort involved in breaking the shell open and extracting the succulent meat in order to feel as if one has had a proper meal. I think the best blue crabs I’ve ever eaten is at a place called the Rustic Inn Crabhouse in Florida. The table cloths at this establishment are newspapers and everyone gets a little wooden hammer to clobber the shell. They have excellent seafood as well. If you wish, you can have the crab as an appetizer or as your main course. Don’t wear your fanciest clothing though, it can be a pretty messy affair.

Snow crabs are large and quite good eating as well. I have had them often at Red Lobster.

Locally, what I like are stuffed curried crab backs…. MMM! Anyhow, all this talk about food is making me feel peckish (hungry). Read the Gleaner article about crabs. What do you feel about the part that says they are full of crap? Is it just BS?? Me nuh know! Anyway, might as well satisfy my hunger with a piece of leftover carrot cake! More time.

I think I would be negligent (and I need no such lawsuit) if I did not make a little entry to say a hearty THANKS to all of you who passed here yesterday to wish me a Happy Birthday. I am truly touched. I just checked my hit meter and saw that there were 97 HITS yesterday!!!

The evening was spent with friends and food, and much of everyone’s favourite liquid poison. Despite that I don’t feel too bad this morning….yes, I am going to work today. In addition, not one, but two people baked cakes for me. As a result there is a whole one leftover. If there is anyone out there who wishes to have a slice, ask nicely, and I will see if I can arrange to fill your cavities! Thanks again bredrens. You all made turning forty worth the wait.