Tower Of Babel

Well crew, I just here a pass some time. I have had a pretty decent weekend so far. Saturday started with me driving to Port Antonio for the little practice that I have set up there. This was my third sortie there since I began in February. (I go the last Saturday in each month…idea is that most peeps should have some funds as they might just have been paid). Got there by 10:30 AM to find that I actually had a patient waiting on my arrival! Now, the smiley is up not because I like to keep patients waiting. But moreso because I am happy to say that it seems as time passes, the practice will grow. Yesterday, I saw all of six patients….which is triple the amount I saw last time. Means that word getting ’round, and though medicine has taken on a more commercial approach in recent years with people now advertising openly, I still feel that the best method of advertising for doctors is patients spreading the word if they feel that you’re good. That is how it really used to be in the past. In fact, there were guidelines governing the size of the letters that a doctor could use on their office doors and buildings in the past. Anything akin to a billboard was thought to be in poor taste.

So, I did see the patients, and then after closing, headed to the Marina for lunch at about 2 PM…as the gases were moving around audibly in my belly indicating that I needed to get some grub into my stomach. A Red Stripe was the appetizer with some garlic bread. I decided to pass on the Cream of Red Peas Soup…..I feared that the owners might add a hefty tax to my bill for excessive emissions of the flatulent kind! (AKA farting up de place!) In these situations, one does not need to add flame to the fire….Red Peas Soup was the wrong fuel here….

I decided to try out the pork chops as the main course. After waiting about fifteen minutes, it arrived, and so did the rain. Thus, I had to be seated at the bar….no complaints really. Listen me, when the plate serving platter arrived with the pork and the waitress placed it in front of me, I paused while mine eyes feasted on the enormity of it! I had to muffle under my breath one “Bumboclaat!” I have never seen a pork chop so massive and thick. For a minute, I felt almost Neanderthal…….as the large knife that I was handed to carve the meaty peice of swine brought back memories of that which Crocodile Dundee had weilded…..(you remeber that knife?) Only a caveman could be expected to consume so much meat at one setting. Anyhow, the slab of smoked pork was seated on top of the potatoes which accompanied it, and carrots, cucumber, sweet peppers and assorted leaves of lettuce made the salad which had a nice light dressing.

I took the utensils in my hand and commenced the journey. Damn good eating it was. I finished all the salad, most of the potatoes, but found the pork a wee bit too large. I admitted defeat, as we say in Jamdown….me did buss!

As much as I was desirous of trying out the rum cake for dessert, there was no room available in the inn to accomodate the sweet pastry that bore the aroma of my favourite alcoholic brew. Next time I guess. I paid the bill happily and then started the drive back to Town. Had to tek it easy as the roads were wet due to rainfall. Of course, the usual stop at Blueberry Hill just outside of Buff Bay, to purchase what is to me, the best rass Jerk Pork in Jamaica had to be done. Contined the drive home and made it safely back by about 5:30 PM. Not a bad day at all. Came home with some funds in pocket too….I guess you can call it the fruits of labour.

Today has been spent tekking it easy so far. But right now, I feel a bit bored….probably why I have been moved to post to pass some time. Oh, BTW, if you recall I had mentioned in my last post that my gratuity had not yet been paid……well, guess what, luck of the draw struck! Friday I was called by the lady in charge of the Medical Records and Insurance Office. She told me that there was a cheque ready for me in Accounts…payment for medical reports written on behalf of some patients. (I did not even remember….some from as far back as 2004!) Went to check on that only for the cashier to deliver not one, but two cheques to me…the other was my gratuity. So, man need to go bank tomorrow.

Last but not least, when is our government going to realize that Nurses are one of this country’s greatest exports? Here is another article speaking about the difficulties experienced by these invaluable healthcare workers. And they are talking about training more? Look, if you nuh pay de people dem a decent wage, you coulda train thousands per year….dem naw go tan yahso! If dem go foreign, dem lap dem up like puppy a feed pon milk, and they get paid far more, are better recognized with less stressful working conditions, can live a reasonable life etc etc etc. But, who am I preaching to? (BTW, the same can be said for our doctors as well.) Take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Hail up. I have a few moments, so I going scratch mi balls suppem down. Monday I passed by one of my Aunts….hadn’t seen her since about five months ago…but we speak on the phone regularly. This is the sister that was born before my dear Mother (deceased almost six years)…..who was the last child of ten for my Grandfather. (Seems as if I didn’t inherit those reproductive genes…as I haven’t fathered a yute yet.) We got to chatting. Her husband who is now almost eighty two is getting shaky. No income. Retired about three years ago. Has no pension. Didn’t get fart when he retired apart from a ’send off’ dinner.

My Aunt worked for one of the big legal partnerships here for more years than I am old (or young if you feel like)….in excess of forty two. She was a Legal Secretary. Got long service award how much time over the years….got to the point where she told them she doh want anymore gifts….’give me the money please if I am to get anything’.

She retired last year also. Getting a pension. Their house is paid for. But, not in great shape though she used most of the funds she had saved over the years to do some roof work, painting etc. after she retired. They have a daughter…..she teaches….small salary. She also not in the best of health from time to time. I was in shock when my Aunt mentioned to me what her pension was. Now, doh get me wrong…I naw show off. But what she is receiving for pension on a monthly basis is less than my Income Tax deduction! I felt for her…..this is my family. Imagine, after she been bussing her rass all these years, the likke funds can barely carry on the househould….not to mention that there are medical bills as well. I told her that I going give her a money outta the retroactive pay that I was just given. Is not nice to know that your peeps a suffah…and is not like dem been loafing all dem life. Life hard nuh bloodcleat eeh?!

It got me to thinking about my own self. I aint pensionable either. Is gratutity I man get at the end of a contract in lieu of same….. As I mention that, I still have not yet got my gratutity for the contract ended Dec 31, ‘05. Several phone calls and trips to accounts have been made. I been told that I am not the only Doc. in this position. Dem ‘trying’ to pay some this end o month (which is here)….and some next month. So, I had to say to the Accounts payable manager (who was quite sympathetic to my situation btw) that, “So I guess is like Lotto….luck of the draw!” Apparently dem nuh have nuh dinero to rahtid. Well, up to yesterday, luck of the draw hadn’t come for me. Wonder if dem going gimme the interest I could have earned if I had it on a fixed deposit for the four months!?? Yeah, right!

Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is, try to make some sort of financial planning for your years to come. Force yuself to puddung suppem from now…and try lef it alone. Do not depend on pickney to support you…there is no gurantee that they will be in a position to. Fine, if they can and want to help look after you (as many that I know…myself included) especially when you’ve had good parents. But, just remember…..put something away for those days. Old age and sickness go pretty much hand in hand. Set aside some o dem dollar$!! No matter how small. Enough of me.

Well, here I am making another post. Do I have anything to chat about? Perhaps…. Well, for those of us who are employed, and get paid once for the month, today is that day. Yup. For me, this one is supposed to be a bit better than usual. Wha mek? Well, I was reliably informed that we are due the retroactive pay for the April 2002-04 wage contract period….and dem a pay it today. I really do not know how much funds I am supposed to get, but, whatever it is, me want it! ‘Course, nuff going into that evil called income tax…..but there is nutten that I can do about that as I belong to that category of worker referred to as PAY(R)E….Pay As You (Ra$$) Earn! So, this morning, we will send someone from our little unit up to Accounts to collect the payslips, which a go get buss open with mucho gusto. If you hear a whole heap o claat a buss sometime after tenish today…you know seh is me dat, vex out blurdcleat! Anyway, if it nuh too bad, there still may be some claats let off! Interesting eeh? How we can use off colour language to express feelings of anger, disgust and pleasure as well. Language really is a very diverse and versatile thing.

Anyhow, as lodgement day was yesterday, if things go as planned, by now my current account is supposed to have had its fair share of orgasms, and, like a spent man, is probably bussing some rahtid snore (I hope) as I am here getting ready to go through the bathroom routine before heading out.

On the work scene, yesterday, I was a spin like a gig up a de hospital. I didn’t even get time to have a glass of water or hold a leak ’till after two in the afternoon. Ate lunch at minutes to three, by which time, I wuz raw (hungry)! Did not make it home ’till minutes to nine last night after the private work. Man did tiyad. Ate some dinner, held a fresh and crashed.

Lovely afternoon shower of rain fell again yesterday. I guess the drought is now officially over.

Haven’t really got more to say, so rather than rambling along trying to tek up space, tek it easy and have a good day. If the retro. is reasonable, then blog bredrins and sistrens can hold some of their favourite brew on me. Just leggo you request inna de comment box, cool!? Later.

OK, it is Sunday afternoon, and a nice rain jus done fall and cooled the place down. I say so as in the last few days, the reprieve we were having from the usual Jamaican tropical heat has abated. Indeed, the summer heat will soon be upon us. With fuel prices at their present levels, is either we a go a fry, or we going cuss some claats when we go gas station and receive the electricity bills…as AC use is going to have to increase. Ting is dat the light bill already squeezing a man where it hurt to rhatid! And dem mekking sounds about increases again in order to recover the millions of losses incurred in the last two hurricanes!? Is there any light (pun intended) at the end of the dark tunnel that is swallowing us? Anyway…….

Last night I followed a bredrin around to the house of one his bredrins. He was going to pay a visit as a relative of his bredrin (an Uncle) had passed away. Turns out I knew a few of the people who were there and it was a nice little back patio lime…..chatted ’bout all manner of stuff….and nuff laughs were shared over a couple Red Stripe Beers. Made it back home at about 1 AM and hit the sack…..hard.

I woke late this morning….about 8:45. But, I not sure if you have ever had the feeling where you are awakening, you are aware of your surrounding environment, but you can’t open your eyes, or move any of your body parts…it is as if you are paralyzed, but conscious….I wonder if this is akin to what they call ‘Out of Body’ experiences?? The only solution is to go back to sleep until your body is ready to wake up. It is pretty rass frightening though. It has happened to me a few times before, but I really don’t like the feeling at all. Have you ever experienced it?

Today is the Jamaica Carnival Parade….I decided to chill and watch it on the tele…I couldn’t get the energy to leave the yard before 11 to go watch. See, dem going block road and ting, and I cyaan bodda wid the heap o crowd. So, when I done let off dis likkle post, I going see if any whining a gwaan on the TV. Maybe the camera men will focus on couple phatness in skimpy close fitting costumes for the viewing pleasure of the rude dudes at yard.

Apart from that, I have spent some of today doing ’stuff’……like tidying up my desk and room…..typing a little document etc etc. Yes, ’stuff’ like this, does not really give a man pleasure…but, you know….’stuff’ has to get done occasionally. Anyhow, I simply rambling along. I going lay down and see what the TV haffi offer…if nutten, then a likkle snooze is in order. Enjoy your Sunday evening and nite.

Thursday already to rahtid! Not that me complaining…imagine, Monday was a holiday and me looking forward to tomorrow already. If only there was a way that I could have funds to live well and not go to work…..any of you have any suggestions? Feel free fe leggo dat ra$$ in the comment box! If the idea is workable I might be inclined to let off a smalls or buy you one of your favourite brews!

I had mentioned that the Easter weekend was spent getting a fair amount of rest. Well, yes, there was that. And, it felt good to be waking up at 8:30 and 9:00 in the morning feeling rested. I doh think I realized how tiyad the brain and body was.

Last Saturday, as most of the peeps that I chill with had decided to remain in town for the holidays, I decided to have a little lime here at the yard…or MOUJ as Guyana Gyal would call it. So, as one who likes to plan ahead, I had mentioned it to most of the crew from Holy Thursday and went to the liquor store to replenish the bar stock….I had no Johnnie Walker Black and needed a few bottles of Yellow Tail Shiraz. Everyone welcomed the invi. I decided to make a fish pasta and do some BBQ-Jerk chicken…..in the oven. Yes, it woulda did nicer over an open charcoal fire, but I man wasn’t inna all dat heap o ray ray. Light up the oven and shub the chicken in deh….much less wuk.

So the meat was seasoned from early Saturday morning and I got to cooking at about 5:30 PM as I had told the peeps to rope een for eight. They weren’t too bad about time, and I must say that we all enjoyed ourselves. Bellies did well full and spirit was aplenty, both liquid and vibeswise. I find that I much enjoy flexing at someone’s yard nowadays, over paying big money to go somewhere and nyam food and beat juice. I guess it is all ’bout the vibes and who in the crew. Last of the company left about 1 AM, by which time, after preparing food, entertaining and VXing, the bed did look and feel sweet.

For a lot of the weekend, I found that I spent a fair amount of time watching programming on National Geographic, and Discovery Channel….Travel and Living……(You may be wondering why Disc. Trav and Living!?) Why not…who seh me cyaan get a prips of how people who a shit money can live? Least I can try to emulate what I see even if I doh have the ra$$ dinero to match! One thing I been noticing about that channel in particular. The one my cable cmpany gets is from a Latin American or South American country…probably Venezuela. Now the shows are broadcast en Ingles…..pero, los avisos (adertisments) are all en Espanol. What I have noticed is that the people in ALL the ads are caucasians…..nobody looking even mixed or slightly pigmented. Wha dat fah? Is it just me, or does it seem a bit polarised from countries where the population is not exclusively blanco? I guess it won’t be the first or last of that sorta shyte…..
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So, Easter come and gone. This one was relatively quiet for me, but no complaints. I got some well needed late sleep….and it feels nice to be rested for a change. I did a bit more than that on the long weekend, but right now, I man pressed for time as work deh pon mi rass again. In addition, I have a meeting to go to this evening and I will be leaving that to link a bredrin, Dr. Spanish, who coming Jamdown for one dege dege night later. We have nuff catching up to do. So, I think the earliest that you all may hear about my holiday is tomorrow….not that there is any whole heap fe let off. Any way you tek it, for most of us, is back a bloodcleat wuk….cause de bill dem a come een as per. Tek it cool nuh.

Well, pripsing the Gleaner on line over breakfast this morning…a ham sandwich with whole wheat bread, a few slices of canteloupe and a kiwi, and some June Plum juice, I saw where Zeekes has been found guilty on two counts of murder and may face the death penalty. I personally have not been one to think that he was flawless…..so enuff said about that.

Well, this evening marks the beginning of the long Easter weekend. In times gone by, when I was a yute, our family would be hading off to a villa on the northcoast…like Ochi, Oracabessa or even Negril. Those were pretty good days, but times change. Anyway, I am not planning to leave town, but wll be getting in some R ‘n R. I’ll be linking my crew tonight, as tonite come ‘een like a usual Friday nite. Sunday, I am the one on call, but hopefully it will be relatively quiet. Have a bun and some cheese, couple piece will get nyam tomorrow for breakfast. Some sliced fish will be fried. I wasn’t able to get any fresh snappers or parrot fish, and I had no plans to be driving all over looking same. Someone had suggested buying fish from a roadside vendor…that is suppem I doh like….the heap o fish scale and guts and the flies attracted piss me off. So, what is here will haffi do. Who nuh like…well…do you next best. Have a good Easter, walk, ride and drive safe. Over and out.

Rahtid…the blog circle is really quiet these days. Nuff authors a beat book, others, like miself, jus naw post regular. No longer can I rely on this circle to provide reading that is interesting/entertaining on a regular basis……so it go. All good things must come to an end.

Anyhow, let me see if I can break the silence, though I really doh have nutten fe gie you any kicks…I must admit….then again…we will see….

Driving on the road to work yesterday, I got caught at a traffic light which seemed to change rather quickly, so it took about three changes before I could pass the intersection…yeah, there was a whole heap o rass traffic. So, I had a little time on my hands and started gazing around while waiting to get through the stop light. I saw on the sidewalk a ‘tick bird’ (I think they are properly called Cattle Egrets). They get the name tick bird from the fact that they are often seen in places where cattle graze as they eat the pesky ectoparasites called ticks that plague cows. (Yes, I know you may be saying to yourself…who gives a fart!?)

Anyhow, I discovered yesterday that they do eat more than just ticks. There was the bird…(btw they are white with longish necks and yellow beaks) who semed to be almost getting his rocks off as he had something long dangling from his mouth! Eventually, I could make out four pairs of legs attached to the dangling morsel (thanks be to the new pair of glasses)…..it was a lizard. I smiled to myself and thought….I wonder if they eat Croaking Lizards? Personally, I coulda use a few of them birds up by the yard to nyam off the likkle dinosaurs we have up here.

So, there I had it, a fine example of the food chain at work…or predator prey relationships…eat or be eaten…on display while waiting for the traffic light to change.

The next item I am going to touch on…..the bredrins may relate to……..and it kinda has to do with eating as well…of a slightly different kind…
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Well, I have decided to write suppem down here. Let me start by going back to how I felt yesterday. Now, what I’m going to describe were my feelings in the morning while I was on the way to work. How often have you ever felt that things around you seem very negative? You have a feeling of impending disaster….as if you are going to receive some very bad news. Or, you feel as if you are about to go and write an examination for which you are fully aware that you have not studied adequately, and that definite failure looms? If you’re male, the thought alone makes your balls draw up into your belly…. Not sure if you get the picture…but that is how I felt driving to work yesterday. By the time I had reached Barbican Square, I was feeling so negative and even anxious, that I almost turned back and called my boss to say that I wasn’t coming in. But, I didn’t. I continued the drive…which seemed even longer than usual to me….I was not driving at my usual speed, people were actually overtaking me.

My mind then drifted to my Mother…departed almost six years….and as much as I’m a grown man, I felt sad, I miss her….my eyes became blurred and a tear or two rolled down my cheeks. Rassclaat! I cussed under my breath. I was sad and anxious at the same time…..Why? I am not really sure.

Did it have anything to do with stuff I have been hearing in the news? That case of the six year old Trini boy that two teens killed with a peice of sugar cane has been looming in the recesses of my mind…sick mofos! Kami did a post about it.

Monday night, I saw a news item on CNN where this nineteen year old American male was giving testimony about porn stuff he got involved in from the age of thirteen via the net. Apparently he got into chatting with strangers over the net and eventually got a webcam. One of the men he chatted with asked him to take off his shirt in front of the cam for $50. It seemed to him then, a pretty harmless way for him to make 50 bucks. He did it and got paid. Apparently, he was taught how to make up an account by PayPal. Eventually he became more involved and got to the point where he would jerk himself off or even screw a prostitute in front of the camera while his paying audience watched for money. This was done within the confines of his room….unknown to his parents. Evidently, he made a hell of a lot of money over the years he was involved in it. He had an audience of about 1,500 regulars.

Now, the authorities want to use him to track down the people who were paying him via the information he has on his computer about them. That’s all fine, and I don’t have issues with it. BUT, what about the bwoy himself? Don’t tell me that he did not realize that the crap he was getting up to was off the beaten track!? The teens of nowadays have nutten hidden from them. I hold him (and his parents who clearly don’t know what he is up to when his room door is closed…probably giving him his ’space’…) just as responsible as the folks who watched him to get their rocks off.

Then I heard also on Monday about the situation that evening on the UWI Campus where students at Mona reacted to the alleged sexual approach of a man to another male student in a bathroom. Here is a letter to the Gleaner talking about the incident.

I suppose my mood had something to do with all of this. Anyhow, I felt a bit better as the day dragged on, but still couldn’t shake the mood fully. Had some curry goat for my lunch and found that I had almost twenty minutes to spare before the start of the afternoon clinic. So, I parked the car in a parking lot at work beneath a poinciana tree, reclined the seat and opened the windows so some breeze could pass chru. Found myself chatting in my head with God and praying. Yeah, He listens. Trus me.

By the time I got home in the evening, I was feeling almost my usual self again. Decided to call up some friends that I haven’t heard from in a while. Went to bed at about 10 PM and fell asleep with the TV on Showtime. I woke up at about 12:15 AM, TV and bedside lamp still on. Sleepy as I was, I caught a heavyweight boxing match in progress…forgot the name of the fighters, but it was a damn good match, even though I only caught the last five rounds. So, watched as the bredrins exchanged some rass licks with each other….and they did go the full twelve rounds. Eventually, I switched off the TV and returned to sleep. Started the day off feeling anxious and sad, and end it a watch some man a lick the shyte outta each odda….one of my favourite sports to watch on TV btw, and it has been a while since I saw a good match. Anyway, today I feel alright. When last (if ever) have any of you had similar feelings? Nuff chat is welcome.

Maybe I will do a post later today. I will see. Seems almost everybody is on some sorta post-go-slow…probably a virus spreading via the blogs?