Tower Of Babel

“Seesaw Margery Daw
Johnny shall have a new master…”

The little girl throws her head back, thrilling at the breeze blowing through the tendrils of her hair. Her thin, brown legs pump strongly back and forth, pushing the swing into the air. As she closes her eyes against the brilliantness of the sun, she images herself flying.

She loves the swing set in her back yard. It has been in her family for many years. Her older brothers and sisters have used this very same swing many times. It is rusty and it creaks loudly as she sends it to its limit with the pulsing of her legs. The creaking seems to her to be a kind of singing, telling stories of its history, including tales of her sisters and brothers. Its creaking seems to be in tune to the nursery rhyme the little girl sings. “Seesaw Margery Daw…”

It is placed in the middle of the yard, a place of honour almost. It has been the centre of many sessions of roughhousing and hide and seek. The older boys hung off the swing during games of cowboys and Indians, falling from the upper bar when “shot” numerous times. Many secrets have been quietly shared by the girls and their friends around the swing set.

From behind her closed eyelids she sees the different shades of orange and yellow from the sunshine. She can almost feel her “wings” flapping as she flies through the air. She marvels at the feeling of floating smoothly through the air. Her squeals of excitement fill the air in the back yard.

Suddenly, she hears a car door slam and she slows her flight. Her father is home with her brothers and sisters. She jumps from the swing mid air and rushes to meet her family. The noise is now focused inside the house, where the girl and her family share their days’ events.

The swing continues its erratic arcs through the air, slowing until it twirls gently side to side before completely stopping. There is a hushed yet expectant silence surrounding the backyard. There will be time for ore swinging again later.

“Seesaw Margery Daw
Johnny shall have a new master….”

Ciya
July 29, 2005

I have not much to say at all this morning. It has been a hell week at work, and I tiyad and weary. But, as they say…it is not over until its over. There is today which is going to prove to be just as busy. (As mi boss come back from leave am seriously considering tekking two days of departmental leave iyah!)

Anyway, it is a long weekend here…Monday being a holiday. But I am on call tonight as well as Sunday. Still glad for the day Monday. May this evening come quickly as things should start to slow down a bit once I finish with today’s happenings. Hail Friday. I gone.

From time to time, I and other bloggers have posted little entries about happenings with cell phones. As you may well know, I am one who feels that they do have their place, but hate to be around those who allow them to rule their lives, constantly checking the little screens and worse, those who at the most improper time decide to use them…eg. the lady who answered hers when I was doing a vaginal examination on her when I used to do some General Practice. Yes, a strange man has two fingers in your most private body orifice and your phone rings and you casually answer it! I was in shock.

Anyhow, I mentioned in the little post I did yesterday that I was so taken up by work related happenings that I hadn’t a clue as to what was a gwaan ’bout the place. As a result, one of my readers decided to enlighten me. What follows is an apparent news article from the town of Negril at the western end of the island.

“Pandemonium broke out at a shopping mall in Negril on Monday, when a cellular phone which was stolen from a female shopper was found after it rang from within another shopper’s vagina. Some bystanders were amused over the happenings, but some chided the young woman for sinking so low that she even embarrassed other women.

The phone was plucked from its hiding place by the irate owner, who told the crowd she was going to have it properly sanitized before using it again. According to one man however, “Mi nuh wan’ dat deh phone fi use again, mi would dash it weh.”

I doh think I woulda want the phone again miself. Cell phones…what would we do widout dem?

That’s it from me today. The work still a lick shot. Any comments?

It has been one of dem weeks at work where man barely have time to scratch him balls head. Every day is jus go, go, go! Today will probably prove no different. I been reaching home after six or closer to seven. The work has so consumed me, that I didn’t even realize that this was a gwaan to rahtid! I hope it doesn’t go on for too long…as the wrongdoers will simply feel….”Party bloodcleat time!” But, I can understand how the Police feel…this government tends to be one that responds only to crisis situations. The 3% increase based on ‘memorandum of understanding’ is a whole heap o fart. It can do nutten. Cost of living here has increased dramatically…..they need to come to some sort of compromise….but I strongly doubt that they will be given the increase that they are asking for. JDid, is not only in Canada that peeps haffi tek industrial action sah.

The blistering heat inna de days continues unabated….a shower of rain in the afternoon would be welcome. (Reminder to self to carry a bokkle of water to work today!)

Anything else a gwaan? You will all have to fill me in, as I so consumed by work to rahtid that I haven’t had time to even tek een news. Man reach home, tiyad, eat dinner and conk out! What a life. I gone go get ready for more of the same.

Yes indeed people, it is Tuesday morn. Busy day ahead. I don’t relish the thought of clinic this afternoon…..the sweltering heat and thick humidity not welcoming at all. Oh, you asked what happen to the AC? There is NO AC in the clinic people! The hospital has ceiling fans, but in this heat all they really do is blow the hot air pon man skin. Anyway, my writing here naw change the fact that it starts at 1:30 this afternoon….so why complain?

I guess you wondering about the title. Well, actually, not a lot discussing today. But yesterday going into the car in the afternoon sunshine to do some errands, the suns rays did feel as if they would bun up mi skin. Also, I noticed that the sky was very hazy. I had heard suppem about some dust storms that originated on the African continent being brought this way by wind adding to the rather opaque sky. Heard this on the Weather Channel, and they indicated that the dust should be in the vicinity of the Caribbean by early in this week. Bwoy, if a nuh hurricane, then a dust! I guess the dust naw blow weh nutten, so is the lesser of the evils eh?

Remember that in June, a lady was attacked by someone while she was going to work at the Constant Spring Tax Office? Poor lady was doused in a corrosive substance (I think it was battery acid) sustaining significant burns to her body. An article in today’s Gleaner reports that she succumbed to her injuries and died at the hospital where I work on Sunday. Aaah bwoy. Perhaps her suffering is now over. I can tell you this with surety..I am by no means a violent man, but if someone bun me up wid acid, if I survive….I could well end up in the hands of the law. Is a wicked act dat!

As I am chatting about burns. My memory is carried back to two Sunday’s ago. I was headed out at about 10:30 AM and as I turned on to Long Lane, I noticed a large cloud of smoke billowing into the sky. This was the day after the rains that hurricane Emily had dropped on us. I soon saw a number of cars parked on the side of the road, many people using their cellular phones to call 119 for the Fire Brigade, I assume. A house on the corner of Savoy Terrace and Long Lane was being consumed by fire. Later in the day on my way back home, the blaze had been put out. But, the roof of the house was completely gutted! I can easily say that as much as my yard is insured, the thought of having the place consumed by fire is not a cute one at all. I did not see or hear any reports about this house fire. The owners must feel frig up about the loss…unless of course, dem did bun it up intentionally to collect insurance money! Forgot that that is a possibilty as well. That’s all from me this morning. Try stay cool and drink plenty water in the hot weather.

Well, the birthday party I mentioned for Tommo (the dog) in my previous post went well. Actually, after speaking to Legal Aid, he said the dog needed nutten. So I didn’t walk with any present. In fact, he told me that they really don’t know the dog’s actual birthday, but his son who loves birthday parties (like any other child) simply ‘decided’ two weeks ago, that yesterday was Tommo’s birthday and that a session was in order to celebrate it. Needless to say, he and Eye Doc (his wife) could do nothing but comply with their child’s wishes. So, it was a nice evening/night..though hot and humid nuh rahtid. Legal Aid did some rather large hot dog sausages on the BBQ, and some jerk pork. That was complimented by VX and coconut water.

The children had a wonderful time watching ‘The Incredibles’ on DVD. You should have seen Tommo when they decided to sing happy birthday to him. Dog siddung pon ground looking most bored like him saying….”WTF is wrong with all o you!?”

Of course, Legal Aid had suggested that Tommo could have used the companionship of a bitch for the birthday…as a ‘house’ dog, poor mutt doesn’t get out much. But, he has beagle in him, so he is a bit on the short side (leg wise that is! ), so he probably would not be able to successfully mount a large breed female. In addition, he has a heart condition…apparently this is a plague of beagles, as their hearts tend to be relatively small for their size, so they can get into cardiac failure easily….a so de Vet tell dem, not me. Anyway, Legal Aid says he has a bredrin whose female should come on heat soon…that dog is about Tommo’s size, so apparently plans are afoot to ‘low them to have a wikid likkle orgy! Guess someone will haffi prips dem still…to mek sure that Tommo does not ‘come and go’ in the same breath…sake of a heart attack!

Imagine, is Monday morning and all I can think about to post is slackness….guess the male in me doing overtime. Anyhow, anodda work week begins today. You all have a good one, and don’t forget to blog and comment nuff!

Yes, it is a well hot day here in the land of wood and water. I have no links to draw your attention to today. The newspapers have no articles that I want to speak about…and those articles in which I may partake in conversation, have been linked by other bredrins in the blogging circle. So, I a go bore you with some of my personal happenins here…..if you nuh waan read…den a jus life still…my feelings won’t be hurt ……(but I wouldn’t too mind if you read and lef a comment still….. )

Yesterday, I man was on call to the hospital. Did my ward round a bit latish…midday…I had called and Nurse IC told me that things did kool…so I could relax mislef….after all..it name weekend. (Fear not, weekend or no….if patients in trouble….whatever needs to be done…is….so don’t get any wrong ideas ’bout de Doc.) Passed by the supermarket and picked up some stuff after leaving the hospital. In the evening went to dinner at Bamboo Village Restaurant. Myself and another Doc I went to medical school with (he is now an Endocrinologist…so let’s call him EndocrinDoc) took one of our sistren’s from our class out to dinner there. First off…we used to call her Big Fish in med. school days….because she was a bit on the plump size…and her last name is of a type of fish. She was one of the members in my study group of five. Well, the name Big Fish no longer holds…as she has lost quite a bit of weight…I was quite surprised when I saw her as is over two years that I haven’t beheld her. I guess Scotland mussi ‘gree wid her!

What did we order? Appetizers…Hot and Sour soup (me), Chicken and sweet corn/crab meat (Big Fish, EndocrinDoc) Main course, Curried shrimp, Pimento steak ….(what a tender beef!), Crispy Chinese Chicken and plain stir fried vegetables (no meat). Let me tell you, the food did irie nuh rass! Is long time I hadn’t ate there but I shall be back. And their prices were reasonable too…’specially compared to that one in Sovereign…..and I can say the food was essentially on par…no lie. In fact, I check seh their Pimento steak was better than the Sovereign one own.

When the food arrived I had thought that it looked plentiful for three of us. No sah, only thing left in the dishes was gravy. We could not, however, hold dessert. Big Fish was kind enough to bring me a 250 MB jump/flash drive (pardon me if me nuh too savy with the terminology). I guess she wants to bring me up to date with the times. So, when next I attend a meeting and am making a presentation, I can walk with that instead of a CD. Kewl.

Reached home at about 10:45 and did not last long in front of the tele.

Am having dinner now while I type…seems food features high on the weekend agenda eh? Well, is still one of the cheaper ways to enjoy one of life’s pleasures. So, what’s for dinner? Pork, the other white meat. So, how did I cook the trenton?…..(btw, if any of you know how it got that name, enlighten a man nuh….I staill cyaan figure that one out.) Well, I marinated a small leg of swine in Chinese Char Sui sauce, pepper, salt, onion, escallion, garlic, oyster sauce and Mushroom Soya suace from last evening. Bake him inna de oven today!! Mmm mmm…is almost sinful how good it taste. That, plus likkle season rice, some corn, steam broccoli, carrot and cauliflower….an a dinner dat name. I doh have nuh wine and was too lazy to go buy any inna de heat…. Right now I man full and satisfied.

Later this evening, Legal Aid (one o mi cousin) son says he is having a birthday session for his dog, Tommo. (Now, as a yute, I am sure nuh rahtid that I had no birthday parties for my dogs…as much as I loved them. Birthday sessions were fe me, mi sister or bredrins…nuh true?) He told me, “Uncle Dr. D, you are invited you nuh. Bring a present for Tommo. And Daddy suppose to have rum for you and his friends to drink as well!” Now, how can a normal man refuse a five year old child extending such an invi!? Hey, Angry Dawg as a mongrel youself….tell me what I shudda carry as present for you bredrin Tommo nuh. Guess I will go make a quick browse in the pet section of Manor Park Pharmacy when I on de way.

I’m also in the middle of an editorial on “Skin Bleaching” that I am making a contribution to. Don’t look like I going done my part this evening tho. I can complete it tomorrow night. Dat a de lick from me. What a gwaan in your corners of the ‘hood?

Hail up everybody. I was just planning to type a few sentences and say TGIF to rahtid. But I decided to skim through the Gleaner. I bucked up this article reporting statements made by the Mother of the Jamaican born London suicide bomber. Is crap like dis mek me get vex! Why is it that so frequently when things like this come to light, that there is always some voice crying out in the wilderness….proclaiming how good a person the individual was? In this case defending Islam and her upbringing of her son. Locally in the case of known criminals and gunmen….”Is sake o him why we pickney can go school. Is ’cause of him why we can eat food. Him is a peaceful man….him nuh chubble nobody!”

OK Modda. I will give it to you that whatever happened, he was your child….so you have the right to grieve for him and his loss. But face the facts nuh. It sound like the yute was suffering from some kinda indentity crisis…..name change from Jermaine to Abdullah at 15, tek up inna Islam……and you yourself may well be in a similar situation and helped contribute to his problems. You living inna denial saying you not even know if the body is that of your son. The way I seeit, you mek religion turn you inna rass eediat. You allow it to cloud your mind to the harsh realities of life. You know how many patients I have come across in the short time I have been a doctor that suffer from mental illness…..and all too often they or their family give the history of them suddenly becoming very religious? And this applies to Christianity as well.

Anyhow, I will finish my little stint by syaing that the mother of this fellow has her right to feel the loss of a child. But, otherwise, the man could not have been a well thinking individual to have done what he did, resulting in injury and death to so may innocents around him. The way I see it, the world is a slightly better place with one less of this type, harsh as that may sound. But I guess he will have to answer to Allah in due course.

To those (if any) who may be reading this from London, I know full well how integral the ‘Tube’ is as a means of getting around that town…having lived there for a year myself. All I can say is be careful, watch your back…be on the lookout for ’suspicious’ looking individuals (then again, that city does have its fair share of freaks)….’cause you really don’t know when the shit going lick the rahtid fan. Stay safe everyone and have a good weekend. At least it seems that we will be hurricane free. TGIF.

Bwoy, tings pretty quiet with many of the blogs that I frequent. I guess jus like when I was in foreign recently and posts from me were few, many others on holiday themselves…or jus nuh have nutten much fe chat ’bout.

A new yardie blogger found my site and left a comment. So, as blog etiquette goes (mi Modda, God rest her soul, did teach me manners) I checked his site and did the same. Welcome Calijamaican. I wouldn’t mind hitting California next year….have never been to the east west coast of the US….will see. Of course y’all feel free to go check out the yute also.

I still tiyad nuh rass…..but managed to do what I had to at work yesterday. I had a meeting that I was invited to at Terra Nova last nite….was told by the drug company that was hosting it that they would be serving cocktails. OK, so mustn’t walk wid mi long belly! Reach home at about 6, dem seh dem starting at 6:30. OK, I going reach a bit late…man need to relax likkle bit….. shuck off working clothes, turn on the fan and get some cool breeze…it did well hot and humid yesterday! Before I know it, I doze off. But am awakened maybe ten minutes later by the phone….turns out is wrong numba! Arite….that is my cue to go hold a fresh and don some respectable looking garb. Leave the yard at 6:45. Reach and find the meeting. Well, turns out they are late in starting as well….some technical fart with the laptop…..(seems these things always happen when people have talks to give at meetings eh?) Eventually, they solve the problem. Next ting…the mic also a gwaan wid friggery! At last they get underway. Well, I missed cocktails….but…not a prob still. Turns out is a dinner meeting to rahtid! Well, man did well raw, so when I see dem a rope een the soup I man smile and kill it quick. Salad then comes followed by main course…..chicken, fish, plantain and steamed vegetables. Not bad. Dessert wasn’t shocking, but when you hungry, you nyam almost anyting…nuh true? Respec to the drug company for dinner…the meeting was informative as well.

Reach home at about 10:30 and headed straight to bed…surfed the TV for a few minutes before conking out. Sleep was sweet. Only thing I remember was that I was in the middle of a dream with some sweet looking woman who I don’t recognize….just about getting ready to ‘know’ (in the Biblical sense) her…and am awakened by the sound of a neighbour’s lawnmower powering up at 6 AM! Of course me cuss some dutty claat unda mi breath….interrupt man sleep and salt up the biziniz in de dream to rahtid! Anyway, perhaps mi body telling me that I need to sleep more…and that maybe I in need of some TLC….so Friday night cyaan come fast enuff……need to go ’street’. That should be Ok, as it seems we will not be having to watch out for any rahtid hurricane this weekend….thanks to the Almighty!

Scanned the Gleaner this morning, but nutten there grabbed me to post. Anyhow, I thought I had nutten to post about, but gwaan hold dis for the time nuh. Tek it easy.

No time for a real post this AM. I am being engulfed by work related responsibilities and meetings every night this week ‘cept Friday….which cyaan come fast enuff for me. As I landed back at work Thursday last, mi boss went on leave. Anywayz, a man jus haffi do what him haffi do. I will conquer dis ra$$…tho I might be one tiyad Doc when the pressure eases….but we will see. Onoo have a good day you hear….and keep the posts and comments coming. Respec.