Time to make a difference

If you've been following me a long time, there are two things you probably thought you'd never see on this blog, photos or imagery of any kind, and a message about something serious. I'll address both deficiencies here today.

I want you all to meet someone special. This is Shevoni Charles, or simply Chevy. Chevy was born with a congenital heard defect (CHD), an abnormality of the heart that restricts blood flow through this most essential organ. And though you almost couldn't tell it by looking at her, Chevy has been through quite a bit in the year she's been on Earth.

Free spirited and precocious, she makes it hard to believe that she has endured so much. Chevy however, is one of the lucky ones. She still has a long road ahead of her but the fact that she's here today is still nothing short of a miracle. So many children born with CHD, don't quite make it, this is truly a horrible and debilitating condition.

Her mom does a much better job at conveying these struggles and also serves as an excellent resource for finding out more about CHD and also for finding ways to help:

Love Lessons of the Half Hearted
 http://www.lovehalfhearted.com/

That being said, I've decided that maybe it's time I start doing something to make a difference. I've started contributing to the American Heart Association and further to that, I'm going to go out and show my support during Heart Walk 2012. I'd like to ask for your support as well; we as Caribbean people have shown that we can do what it takes to make things successful, we as a community showed our strength when it came to supporting Anya Ayoung-Chee on Project Runway, we showed impressive camaraderie in support of our varied Caribbean nations during the Olympics.

I'd like to ask for just a portion of that support; let it be known that our people can make a difference for worthwhile causes as well. We make a great showing in support of MS research, it's high time we do something for CHD as well.

I will be going out to walk and show my support on September 22nd at Atlantic Station for Heart Walk 2012. I'd love to have a few of you out there with me in support of Chevy. Also, as part of Team Bravehearts, I've set up a donation page, you can find information on how to contribute, info on the walk, as well as any info you need on efforts to combat CHD.

American Heart Association - Heart Walk 2012
http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1010525&lis=1&supid=364614546

Please do what you can to help put a stop to this disease.

DTJ

Big tings a gwan

Perhaps through some hitherto unforeseen cosmic alignment, the party Gods have decreed this coming weekend, a liming weekend. Trinis being what we are, typically lime every weekend but the upcoming schedule is especially ridiculous.

The debauchery begins on Friday night with the AUA meet and greet at Pizza Bar in Mabelton. I understand there's a lady's night at Mingles on Friday as well but I can't overdo it, my niglet expects to see his sperm donor sometime that night.....i.e. I will not be going to Mingles that night.

Okay, let's see now, Saturday....oh right, Stamina's birthday is coming up apparently so the usual Thrive thing on Saturday nights is now a Wear White party in Stamina's honour. The coup de gras comes after with Red Lotus' "Til drunk do us part" at the Roti Shop which is (you guessed it) FREE BEERS ALL NIGHT!!!

And you know what? That's not the end of it either. Tommy Joesph and Errol Fabien are doing a comedy show on Sunday night which I expect will be well worth your time. I saw Errol and Nikki Crosby when they had their show a couple years ago so trust me, allyuh need to go.

Here are the links for the various events, so I don't want to hear any complaints this time. Last time had some folks talking bout how I was partying too hard and not telling anybody in advance.......consider yourselves advised.


AUA Happy Hour - http://www.meetup.com/ATLurbanadventures/events/74648922/

Embrace Satudays - http://www.weembracesaturdays.com/

Till Drunk Do Us Part - http://tilldrunk.eventbrite.com/

Laughter - The Best Medicine - https://www.facebook.com/events/124082064403675/
(couldn't find an event page for this other than the facebook page)

Wild meat......kinda

It still surprises me as to just how much wildlife is around the place living harmoniously with people. I went to a bredren's place last Friday which had a lake out back. There was an alarmingly high number of ducks just walking about the place.......all kinds, Canadian geese, weird-colored, strange-looking mofos, etc.

What struck me as odd was that there were more geese running around than the last time I was there which means they multiplied in that time; which makes sense........except in the mind of a Trinbagonian. Putting it lightly, if I'd been living there for two years, there would be no ducks to speak of today. There probably would have been a curry-q every weekend for at least a month.

 I also saw a deer grazing on the other side of the lake, and while my buddy remarked about how beautiful a sight it was, I was going over the budget in my mind for acquiring a high powered rifle.....with a scope.

There is something about my people that makes many of us incapable of leaving wildlife alone. I should know, a manicou once met it's demise, making the mistake of coming too close to my apartment one time. The little bastard soon found itself on a plate with some white rice and a green salad.

One of the big ones looked in my direction as I was digging in my pocket, perhaps expecting me to share food or something. Little ducky didn't realize it was that close to being invited to my next curry lime as an "honoured guest."

No matter, I got my wild meat fix in later that night with some stew wild hog with provisions that another friend made.

Don't be surprised though, if you get an invite for some curry in a couple weeks time........dem damn duck days numbered, trust me.

Ornery

I'm sure every one of you knows at least one person you can think of as "ornery." You know, that old fuss pot of an aunt, or a grandfather that complains about everything or that mother-in-law that just won't shut the fuck up.

They couldn't always have been like that could they? Of course not, everybody was a child once but think about it, at what point in their lives did they shift from youthful exuberance, to ornery, fun stealing, sap sucking, asshole?

I'm thinking 30.

I took the youngster to the neighbourhood pool on Sunday and all of a sudden my old people vision kicked in, tingling like spidersense. The pool was packed......with teenagers; running by the pool (a major no no with me now), diving, dunking, splashing, cussing (of all things). As I'm trying to relax in a far corner, the bastards are horse-playing around, kicking each other in the pool, jumping in regardless of who's standing nearby.

After about 30 minutes of the nonsense I'd had enough. In typical me fashion, I politely asked them to tone it down, stop running around and if they must dive or jump in the pool, they should at least do it on the other end away from people.

But what I really wanted to say was......................

"If allyuh jump allyuh mudda ass in here one more time, I go strangle all ah allyuh mudda cu........"

you get the idea.

But at the end of the day, it was just teenagers being teenagers, since when did this become annoying? I don't like being "that guy" who killed all the fun but enough was enough.