Tower Of Babel

Hey all…. I got one of those emails that are sent around to lots of people. This one had a couple of interesting items in it though, so I thought I’d share with you all…

You think you’re having a bad day? Well, think on this… Did you know that the average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez Oil spill in Alaska was $80,000.00. Well, after much dollars and hard work had been expended to rehabilitate a couple seals, a special ceremony was held and two of the most expensively saved animals were being released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from on-lookers.

A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both. Do you still think you are having a bad day?

So, you still think so, huh? Ok…

In a hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, patients always died in the same bed, on Sunday morning, at about 11:00 a.m., regardless of their medical condition.

This puzzled the doctors and some even thought it had something to do with the supernatural. No one could solve the mystery as to why the deaths occurred around 11:00 am. on Sunday, so a worldwide team of experts was assembled to investigate the cause of the incidents.

The next Sunday morning, a few minutes before 11:00 a.m., all of the doctors and nurses nervously waited outside the ward to see for themselves what the terrible phenomenon was all about. Some were holding wooden crosses, prayer books, and other holy objects to ward off the evil spirits.

Just when the clock struck 11:00, Pookie Johnson, the part-time Sunday sweeper, entered the ward and unplugged the life support system so he could use the vacuum cleaner.

Still feeling like this was the worst day ever, huh? Well check this guy out… A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen shaking frantically, almost in a dancing frenzy, with some kind of wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Up to that moment, he had been happily listening to his Walkman.

STILL think you’re having a Bad Day????

Ok, heres some good news… Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn’t pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with “Return to Sender” stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown to bits! There now, feeling better????

Wake up this morning and am reading the newspaper on line. I see this article in the Observer. Dem planning a motorcade for peace on the 60th anniversary of Bob Marley’s birth! You all may say I’m a pessimist, but I say is a waste of time.

Look people, there have been countless numbers of prayer breakfasts, vigils, bawl outs…. where socialites, people in the clergy, business people and government officials attend these functions. Their intention….hoping to reduce the amount of violent crime inna de country. Far as I see it, the effects of such activities come to nought.

Now, don’t get me wrong…if you want to pray, go ahead. But the way I see it, solving crime in this country requires more than a few big names seeing themselves on the front page of the newspaper or TV. We have to empower those who carry out the evil deeds by providing them with education, jobs etc. We haffi eradicate the drug trade and the insect dem that live off of it. We need to take the power back from the Dons. We need people in government with credibility. We need a Police Force that people feel confident to call upon when they are in need of protection.

If we don’t get that, then all this effort in planning motorcade, bawl out, prayer breakfasts etc really just doh amount to anything more than flatus if you ask me. Yeah, you let off a good one and feel irie for a few moments after, but its really not a sustained effect is it? In a while there will be more to get rid of….or is that just my experience?

What do you all feel? Is it just me that feels this way? Am I seeing things the wrong way? Do you feel I’m lacking in faith? Come on, is nuff years now that this country has been looked on as the slaughterhouse of the Caribbean. What do you feel is the answer? I’m willing to hear anything you suggest, but, sorry, me naw defend nuh motorcade a ra$$!

I gone go get ready for work. Hope this week is good for you and yours.

Hail up everybody, nice Sunday morn it is…at least here in my corner of the blogosphere. Jus finish eat breakfast. Decided on some banga mary (fish) fillet fried, some sweet pototo fries and a little cabbage and pak choi sauteed with seasonings. So, mi belly cool for now. I was awakened by the familiar rat a tat a tat sound of Woody the Woodpecker this morning JDid. Actually, it sounds as if there were two of them. Went looking through the window to see if I could spot and snap them but to no avail. Hopefully, next time.

Was doing a bit of surfing yesterday and stumbled across this article about neighbours in Canada reporting a man who was holding a back to the authorities. Now, I do agree that to take the business in hand in front of an open window is a bit showy. However, what seems a bit strange to me is the behaviour of the neighbour Mrs. S. If she found what the guy next door was doing to be so indecent and offensive, why watch for 10-15 minutes and use a telescope to rahtid? I would have thought that if you were annoyed by his manual dexterity that you’d draw your drapes or suppem…not zoom een for a closer view. Mi mind now telling me that Mrs. S. may well have liked what she saw! Anyway, mek me behave miself. The man got off ….(in more ways than one! )

BTW, someone at short notice invited me to a Sunday luncheon at three this afternoon….and I’m going of course. But have some business to take in hand before I go….no, not that type of business still….need to take the Xmas lights down off the palms on the sidewalk, clean the fish tank filter and cook a chicken. Is there any rest for the wicked? Don’t answer. Enjoy your Sunday, and if you’ve got business to take in hand, enjoy it, whatever it is….that goes for the sistrens who may pass here as well! After all, hard work naw kill you.

Well, I woke up feeling good and at a reasonable hour, as I planning to reach work early before going out to Sp. Twn. to de the likkle talk…all haffi dress up inna tie to rahtid fe look like me is really somebody pickney! Anyway, me buck up on this Observer headline and it vex me nuh rahtid! I can understand the witness being scared to shyte! But, I jus hope that Andem will get his due justice. Yeah, y’all may be saying that I convicting him before him being allowed a fair trial. Jamaicans For Justice may not suppoert me either. But, sometimes when the cockroaches and scorpions that infesting our land get exterminated on the streets, it may be just a matter of the Lord teaching dem a lesson. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth. If you live by the gun, then so shall you eventually die. The insects need to be eradictaed…big time. Anyone know a good exterminator?

Sorry to start your weekend off with such a callous sounding post, but is what greet me today. Hope your weekend is all you want it to be. Wish me luck and safety in my little excursion to St. Jago de la Vega (nuh so Spanish Town did name?…Sorry….history was not mi fav. subject in school!) I gone now.

Whappen crew? Well, I didn’t post anything this morning as my ISP was having some ‘issues’ which they seem to have resolved, as me deh yah now! As I’m here typing I’m downing a Snicker bar…the one with almonds. I just love nuts. Doh gimme nuh milk chocolate…I naw eat it. Must have nuts. Love cake that have nuts inna it to….and ice cream. Yeah, you can see that I was having a sugar craving this evening, so I stopped at Manor Park Pharmacy on de way home specifically to buy the Snicker.

As I talking about sugar, I am reminded of a patient we have at the moment. The woman is diabetic and we are looking after a leg ulcer (sore foot) for her. In fact, she’s going to have it grafted soon. Woman came into the hospital with her sugar in the ceiling on account of her non-compliance with medications for some months now! Let me tell you, I’m not very tolerant of non-compliant patients. I not into the preaching at all. Ah tell you what there is that you ought to know, if you heed the advice, and it work, good for both of us. But, I caan tek de ones who do as dem please becaw dem know more dan us who study….in dat case you nuh can treat yourself, wah you coming to us fah? If I wanted to become a preacher, I would have joined the clergy (if dem would have me that is! )

Anyway, I digressing. De woman is obnoxious and full of attitude. We have brought her blood sugar levels down to pretty good values. Apparently, she naw tolerate these normal blood sugars well…head feel giddy….claim she cyaan see good. On the ward round Monday, she dished out attitude to mi boss….for no apparent reason. We sorta ignored it. (Mi boss sorta a soft person…not to say that I doh have nuh heart!) The boss went on a few days sick leave on Tuesday, so yesterday, I was ‘in charge’ of the round. De woman a dish out her crap attitude again. So I asked her why she behaving as she is? Rahtid…I mean we are only trying to help her and she’s behaving in such an obnoxious way. She wants to dictate what sort of blood sugars she would PREFER to be having as she’s been doing some reading….. yadda yadda. So, me sorry. I had to lay down the law. I told her that while she is under our care, lying down on a bed in our ward, we will be the ones who call the shots. We know what’s best for her, and we are going to provide her with the best standard of care that we can with what resources we have. When she at her yard…is a different ting. We cyaan control what she does at home…we can only advise her. If she gwaan mek up fuss she may well see de door prematurely….sore foot and all! Cause trus me, her likkle sour face wid attitude isn’t pleasant to encounter at all. You all mussi tink me well miserable. No. But I don’t tolerate ungrateful folk well. Medicine involves meeting up with all types of personalities, but the ones like her make the work seem such a drudgery.

So, anything else going down? Acytually, some trough or suppem decided to pass over us today…place rainy from ’bout eleven this morning. On account of that, private practice was turtle slow this evening…all of three patients. Nutten new….Caribbean folk are dry weather people. Dem nuh come out, much less go doctor when rain a fall.

Tomorrow morning I doing the talk at the High School. I’ve titled it, “The Dark Side of the Bleaching/Browning Syndrome.” Basically, I going talk about the reasons why folks doing the bleaching thing briefly, remind them (tho I’m sure they well know) of the names of the products they using, and then show them some lovely photos I’ve taken of the bleachers and the skin side effets these agents can cause…hoping to get some compliance outta dem. Kinda paradoxical eh? I just said that I not into the preaching…but in a way, is preach me going preach yes…..to try get dem to stop pale up demself.

That’s about it. I not lingering much more as I tiyad and need to go get some winks. Sorry if the post was long and boring…but I doh have nutten else a gwaan now…was a real ad lib write still. Tomorrow is Friday so, you done know! Easy.

Well, tonight we watched bits and pieces of Katie Couric’s special on NBC about teens and sex…

Oh my God!!! I don’t know that I can handle parenting!!! Did any of you see it? What did you think?

There was this panel of teenagers - I’d guess 11th - 12th grade level - frankly discussing their thoughts and feelings about sex on national tv.
They talked alot about oral sex, and the fact that many practise it, because its not “REAL SEX” (never mind that the American public would gladly lay the blame for that on Bill Clinton’s doorsteps - I did NOT have sexual relations with THAT woman - fame! Niggah, please - oral sex has represented a safe form of sex for alot longer than that!!!)

The whole discussion brought so many issues to my mind. I had to keep reminding myself of who I was and what I was up to at each age… I mean, at 18, I was working as a Flight Attendant!!! (A Big Woman, in my own mind…)

What is really amazing to me is the deep impact the lessons our parents give have on us, despite the fact that we do not practice them ourselves… We grow up still believing that’s how things SHOULD be…

Or, maybe that’s because I don’t have kids yet… I know I give my sister Ciya, with her teenage kids, the highest respect for the relationship, friendship and openness she has maintained with each of her kids!!! Many of you will attest to this, and I have another really good friend that says this… the fact is that our generation’s parents failure to be open led to your being the way you are with your kids now in order to bridge the gap you yourself felt…

Man, I don’t know! All I can say is that watching the show tonight not only reiterated the fact, but stated it out loud that the world today is set up AGAINST parenting… It just mek mi worse-fraid!!! I’m so old-fashioned in so many ways!!!! I don ‘t think I can handle it….

I asked Midas again tonight - Do you think we should have kids now? He said not yet…

For me, its not yet, because truth be told, as a person who would be a parent, I’m just not ready. I’m not a full-fledged biatch yet! I’m still too worried about people liking me to be a good parent! And yet, today’s society is set up for kids not to like their parents… so I think I’d be in torture!!!

But I gotta pose the question - what was your discovery of sex like and how do you feel about your kids discovering sex?

I would like to extend my complete apologies to ANYONE who has ever emailed me at the email address I use in my blog posts - nicolaichowchesku@yahoo.com.

Truth be told, this is not a web addy I use, and I may check the emails there once every three to six months! If you have ever emailed me there and I did not reply, it is not because I was being rude - I never saw your email till tonight - Jan. 25, 2005!

In future, please direct all emails to me at yourealtor@hotmail.com AND comment here at the blog that you have emailed me to ensure that I check my inbox.

Love Ya Guys,
7

You know how I asked y’all for your opinions about a Real Estate Blog as a marketing tool? (And outside of Pretty Brother, MB and Sis, Ciya almost nobody else commented)…

Well, here’s another question? Could I have two separate, unlinked blogs where I post about Real Estate as a marketing tool in one, and post about how my clients can drive me crazy in a perfectly anonymous way in another???

Don’t get me wrong, I love my clients, and have been lucky enough to build several great relationships with many of them, where many have become friends and certainly, at least most have referred me to others. But as with any sales/customer service career, there will always be the people who challenge your sanity - no matter how ‘right’ they are, as the customer is ALWAYS right, as my Momma always taught me! Truth is, sometimes they drive you crazy BECAUSE they are right!

Aiyaiayai - its draining at times, dealing with people! As much fun as it is for me, it’s draining, because you have to always be ON! So many times when I don’t have work, I may feel lonely for my family and close , close friends, but just don’t feel up to talking, you know… Then I’ll read Sunshine’s blog about spending a weekend with a girlfriend, hanging out, going to movies, etc - and I only have my sisters and one real friend/cousin that I have that relationshiop with - and shit be told, not one of them live here!!!

I want to know this from y’all - have you ever found that because of the person you become as a spouse - meaning how your relationship with your spouse changes and solidifies who you are, what you like, what you do - changes your relationships with others?

In my case, what I mean is that Midas has become my very best friend… as my husband, there’s not very much that I even try to hide! In fact, I need to hide shit, probably - but I tell him everything… I share my triumphs, my mistakes, my doubts, my hurt pride, my fears, my thoughts, my personal (excessively corny) jokes,- I share it all with him! He is it!!! Its not that there’s no-one else - he’s the one I want to share it all with - even when sharing stuff sometimes proves to be a mistake… - like that crazy, guilt-evoking shopping trip - “You did WHAT????????????? ”

So, no longer living near my closest friends, the sad truth is that our relationship is more distant than it was - if we were face to face - alone with no spouses present - that distance would evaporate instantaneously - but because we are apart from each other, and tend to talk not when alone, we don’t have the opportunity to ’share’ as we can - and that sucks!

If you want more, see below… I don’t know how to link these extended posts - I hope it works…
Read more »

Well, as we all know, life is unpredictable and we know not what each day has in store for us. This evening, I jus thanking God that I reached home arite. Why? Well, the water hose pon the radiator of the Integra nuh buss pon me dis evening people!

I had stopped to pay de light and telephone bill, when me come outta de place me see the heap o green coolant a drip and form pool unda mi cyar! Mek me haffi a cuss an gwaan bad cause I assumed that it was de radiator buss. Anyway, I was ’bout a third of the way home…hoping it can mek it. So, there I am inna de traffic tekking it slow watching the needle on the temperature gauge a climb slowly. Eventually I turned up Russell Heights to get on a less trafficated (any word go so) route. In addition, if me bruck down in those environs at least I may know somebody to check. Well, I there going on gingerly ’till eventually, the needle reach red and engine starting to sound like it pinkering (or is that tinkering?). Hmmm….can I reach to Jamdown Canadian’s yard at the bottom of Cherry Gardens? I tek out the cell (dem well useful when trouble tek man rass)….his wifey (I need to think up a blog name for her) answers. I tell her I’m ’bout a minute away. As I reach de gate so…..cyar shut off.

I lift the bonnet to try mek a proper diagnosis (hey, I am a Doc ) and am greeted by a hole ’bout four inches long in the water hose. Grrr.

Jamdown Canadian’s wife….let’s call her Healthy Femme….(she works in Women’s Health Issues…no she’s not a medic)……meets me at the gate with a big plastic bokkle o water to cool down the beast. Anyway, some duct tape and about two gallons of water later, the trusty engine starts, I make it home…tho it got hot still. I’ve contacted mi garage, so tomorrow morning, that’s where I’m headed with a five litre bottle of extra water in the car. I going mek dem change all de hoses, cause as one buss so, it mean de rubber in the oddas old as well.

BTW, I signed the new contract today. Can you imagine, the ‘new’ salary which reflects my yearly increment, has gone up by all of just over $3,000 Ja. per month!? By the time that Tax out (Tax is really a four letter word) it amounts to a tank o gas. More private practice…..here I come. Have a good night.

Well I know that talking about the weather is very booring but i cannot resist the temptation. I have and anthurium house in my garden that is really just some shade cloth over 4 huge anthurium bed. Well it has been blowing down every week for the last 2 months. I dont ever remember such gale fource winds in stony hill before. And I have lived in 5 different houses in stony hill. Its brutal. For that matter, the weather has been very starange since christmas. Whats going on? LAWD A MASSY BREEZE A BLOW ! I have even resorted to wearing two layers to go to sleep. Never have I needed to do that, not since I was a little girl and had chronic bronchitis. On the other hand one of my poor sons in the North told me last thursday that it was the coldest day of his life. So I am not saying its very cold here in the tropics, just that it is unusually cool. Lets keep it in perspective. I havent even heard from my other son in the north so for all I know he is now a block of ice.