The Isle of Gems

A New Beginning

2010-05-06T10:24:00.003-04:00

This blog is closed but I am keeping my entries from Trinidad archived and always available.

I kept this blog during the months in 2008 that I lived on the island of Trinidad and Tobago.

After a friend and I were the victims of a violent home invasion robbery/sexual assault on the island of Tobago, I decided to leave T&T to return home. At the time, I was not sure whether that would be a long-term decision or not. Well, it's been exactly two years since the attack and I am still home with no intention to return to Trinidad and Tobago, except for visiting in the future. However, T&T and the lovely people I met and got to know (especially Elspeth and Hayley) are still deeply in my heart.

The last two years have been a long, hard road, but I have my own place, a cat, and a job that I love. But one of the things that I missed was blogging with a purpose and goal and having fun readers.

So today I set up an RSS feed and created another blog, "Eccentric Auntie." (eccentricauntie.blogspot.com)

The blog is totally blank right now, but that's okay. The first Thursday of May is a sober reminder of how your life can change forever in an instant. To me, it's okay to be blank for a bit while I regather my thoughts.

So if you're just dying on the edge of your seats, waiting to see if I would ever write in a blog again....well, I think I will!

Love and peace to you all!

:)

2008-05-28T07:10:00.002-04:00

Feel like I should say something in here. Will be leaving in 2 days. Am very excited. Am also sad.

My writing has not been happening, but I think it's not because I'm not inspired. Now I have a whole crapload of material, haha. But it's simply that I don't want to. It's not even that I don't want to, not really. It's that I won't. And I think that's purposeful. That is, I think there's a reason why I'm not writing and that when I start, it will be exactly what I'm meant to be writing. And with the right passion. And less confusion.

I might start writing in a notebook instead of my laptop to get past my block. Sometimes that works because it gives me permission to write absolute crap for awhile. *grins*

Yikes, I've lost about 7 pounds since this thing happened in Tobago! (Which was actually okay because I'd put on about that much since last summer).

Going back for awhile...

2008-05-25T09:51:00.003-04:00

Hi,

I'm going to be going back to the States for awhile on Friday. I had been planning on going in August, but I have decided to go back a little earlier and stay a little longer.

I basically need to clear my head. The trauma from the robbery incident has really affected my head space way more than I ever thought it would and I just need to be away, away, away from the scene, etc.

I am of mixed feelings. I'm not sure how long I'll stay away but I know I will miss a lot of things about being here, especially my friends! I'm actually kind of emotionally numb right now, so I'm not really sure how I'm feeling. ha. I'm hoping that a change of scene will calm down my psychotic muse, too. I ought to have plenty of time and space to write!

yum

2008-05-23T13:46:00.002-04:00

Mmm...Hi Lo deli lunches for the win! Yum!

*lots of immature giggling* (*is 12*)

haha cryptic

2008-05-22T14:47:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry but I've learned from the master (*waves to Hayley*) and I'm going to be cryptic.

Do you know how weird it is to wake up after a long, long nap?

The world is a strange, strange place.

waves

2008-05-20T17:24:00.001-04:00

Had some tummy troubles today so I'm meek and quiet and because of only 4 hours of sleep last night, I'm intensely out to lunch, too.

Ugh, don't mention lunch. :D

Good morning!

2008-05-19T13:28:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning with an amazing amount of energy considering I've felt dead tired for the past week. This could be interesting...

So...I have these three sweet pepper plants that I'm growing inside little coffee containers on the patio. Don't die of shock, everyone, but...

They're still alive.

Stardust love

2008-05-18T09:24:00.003-04:00

I have a sleeping Stardust on my shoulder. She's been hanging out on my shoulder just sleeping away the way birds do when they tuck their heads under their wings and look really cute.

Hey, look, I've posted a few days in a row!

hiya

2008-05-17T13:25:00.004-04:00

I'm a writer and yet can't seem to write anything interesting in here! I've been thinking a lot about going for the jugular. Especially since the robbery, There's this heightened sense of no longer really wanting to be shy about talking about whatever I want to talk about.

I think I've shocked quite a few people about what actually happened during the robbery. I think I accidentally gave the impression that it was a situation in which maybe we left our stuff at home and someone broke in while we were gone and took it. That in fact is not true. The bandit came in with a weapon while we were sleeping. Again, will probably write it out later...not now. Today am enjoying a nice, lazy Saturday!

Well, I think the rainy season is starting to encroach. The last few days have been rainy on and off after a LOOOOONG stretch of very dry.

Maybe I'll try to post more pictures. This was taken in Trinidad on the way to Chaguaramas...

yep

2008-05-16T10:02:00.002-04:00

Stay tuned...I AM going to write more in this thing...

My mind is a blissful blank right now, but I do and must say that I finally slept through the night last night for the first time since the robbery. In fact it was a GOOD sleep. So I feel actually rather human today.

Random observation: My neighbors are picking all the mangoes off the tree!

new phone

2008-05-13T16:01:00.003-04:00

Holy crap, I've made 70 posts so far! Go me!

I got a new cell phone today. It's a cute little thing, no frills or bells or whistles, so way cheaper than the last one. Hopefully it will serve well...

Well, I was going to share some pics from Tobago, but the add image function doesn't seem to be working for me. Ah well! Later then!

feeling better today

2008-05-12T21:41:00.003-04:00

I'm a dork -- switched out my picture.

A few people have asked to hear the story about the robbery and I will actually get to that in time. Right now it still makes me a little shaky to go through it in detail. And honestly I probably won't put all the details here in a public forum. All the same, Mitra was good enough to compile a list of tips for travelers to Tobago but I think this list could apply to anyone traveling anywhere. I hope this list could help keep people aware and safe. These are general tips, by the way, not necessarily details in our situation.

1. If possible, travel with a group, with both men and women

2. Don't wear loud jewelry or expensive clothes

3. When you reach the guest house/hotel, go through with the manager and check all the doors and windows, asking if they are burglar-proof

4. Check how secluded the place is, i.e. are there other people in the area, and if it is air conditioned or right on the ocean, would it be possible for a neighbor to hear loud or suspicious noises or screams

5. Keep a phone and valuables in a hidden place, so a robber would not find them

6. If a man is trying to rape you, look him in the eye, remain calm, and reason with him that you are a human being and that you have a family, and that he is probably just in a tough place where he needs money, but he can just leave without harming anyone

7. Be careful, and if you see anything suspicious (a man on the beach looking at guest houses, for example) report it immediately! Better safe than sorry.

Tobago

2008-05-11T11:52:00.003-04:00

Back from Tobago! Will post pics eventually. One bad thing happened in that we were robbed and I am now cell-phone-less. That is all I have to say about that.

But Tobago itself was gorgeous and I can't recommend the beaches there enough! Translucent turquoise waters, refreshing water, good food, very nice indeed!

Here I am at Pigeon Point. I have many more pics but I'll wait. I need to send Mitra the pics that I took first! :-)

yays

2008-05-06T20:58:00.002-04:00

Yays:

1. Had delightful sushi and wine with Hayley and her spawnlet on Sunday night. And bought some books beforehand at the mall. Bookstores = love, sushi = love, liming = love! :)))

2. Going to TOBAGO on Thursday with the lovely Mitra (who alas is leaving us to return to Michigan in about a week)!!!! I'm so excited! I've been meaning to get to Tobago to do like research and stuff (in the form of lazing on the beach and swimming and possibly seeing leatherback turtles nesting)

Nays:

1. Expecting my monthly friend on the day we leave for Tobago

Jungle walking...

2008-05-04T08:33:00.009-04:00

Yesterday, I accompanied Elspeth and a group of her acquaintances and friends to walk up the mountain from Santa Cruz and help plant a special tree for a special purpose. Hey, the good news is that I'm not sore today like I was sure I would be after all the huffing and puffing and using of muscles I haven't used in a long time going up those practically sheer uphill trails. Those expensive hiking boots I bought in Scotland seven years ago served me very well. :-) While I kept an eye out for poisonous snakes and big, hairy spiders, I saw neither, whew!

I could only take one pic as we were walking because there was that issue of making sure one foot was going in front of the other without tripping...

Pretty scene we were rewarded with!

Some people swimming in the spring...

Planting of the tree...

Back at the lodge of our lovely hosts. They are creating an eco-land out of the 250 acres they have. This is their lovely porch...I could have sat there for hours, listening to the birds and wildlife...

This is Charlie, their macaw. He refused to talk to us.

At the end, the four of us separated from the rest of the group. We got ice-cream (mmm...coffee and nutella flavored ice-cream!) and realized that ice-cream was the answer to happiness. Then we went to Lady Young Lookout and had some corn soup and watched the beginning of the sunset over Port of Spain. If you look carefully you can see the distant shadow of Venezuela!

Where's Stardust?

2008-05-02T14:02:00.001-04:00

Now if this isn't the most precious thing in the world, I just don't know what is...

I just made brownies. Life is good.

drive-by waves

2008-04-28T11:48:00.004-04:00

Where do these days go? The days are flying by at the speed of light!

Ten-second update:

Things are well, Saturday night went to ceremony for writing class in Chaguaramas (that's a mouthful). Many people did readings and I can just say that my co-writers are very talented people! However, I was starving the whole time and trying to figure out a way to subtly unpeel the banana that was in my purse and sneak it into my mouth while people were reading. *sigh* I suck at subterfuge. All and all, a delightful night!

Stardust got her beak trimmed by me last night. I was scared to get her tongue, but I did get the beak trimmed successfully! Go me!

Today must run some errands but I'm looking outside and see one of two outcomes. Either I will roast because it is hot or I will get poured on because the clouds are gathering. Most likely both.

waves

2008-04-24T14:47:00.002-04:00

Hi!

Still here. Not feeling very bloggy!

Lots of writing, lots of reading, lots of going about on a day to day basis. I'm sort of boring myself so I wonder what I might start talking about that isn't just "Hey, I did some writing today."

Places I went today:

1. UWI bookstore
2. pet store to pick up some cockatiel food because they were out of it at Hi Lo. Poor Stardust!
3. Used book store. There will be a sale next week on all books there! Whee! Picked up 3 junky suspense-romance books. Reason? Yes, they're a guilty pleasure but also they do a fine job at teaching the art of story crafting (transitions, story arc, etc.). As I was discussing with Elspeth yesterday, even if a book sucks, you have to have some admiration for the author. Writing is darned hard work. The fact that they finished a story from A to Z, went through the arduous publishing process, and got it out there? Two thumbs up to them.
4. Hi Lo. Yay, food!

Hi, all! Sorry, Hayley, no insects yet! My house is shockingly free from them!

Knocking, knocking

2008-04-21T07:49:00.002-04:00

Word for today:

Jugular

M is away in Toco for a retreat. Predictably, he's not terribly happy about having his routine disrupted. I am blissfully happy about getting the house and television and internetz to myself. Although I sure didn't realize how high-maintenance Stardust is with only ONE person to pay constant attention to her. Spoiled brat of a bird! Well, I sipped some wine and watched The Stand on sci fi channel last night (which really is a wretched mini-series...Stephen King does not translate well to film hardly ever). I was going to put an announcement on my blog to take advantage of empty house to ask if local people wanted to stop by for a lime yesterday -- but Flow was out a good deal of the day for me both Saturday and Sunday! Ah, well.

My writing muse has done something incredible. Um...I can't talk about it, I really can't, because well, talking up a project = death of project all too often, but wow. When the muse comes knocking at the door, she does break down the door. *looks mysterious*

deadlines

2008-04-15T13:56:00.003-04:00

If I'm silent more often than not this week, it's because I'm suuuuuper busy. Deadlines and writing angst and all...

Feel free to say hi, though!

*waves at everyone*

sleeeeeeepy

2008-04-12T13:43:00.003-04:00

It's a rainy Saturday. I have been very busy the last few days and female issues have made me even more tired than I normally would be. I just want to curl up in bed and sleep the day away. As it is, I'm sprawled on my internet chair with Stardust on my shoulder sort of in a dozing/sleepy mode.

I'm craving yummies. Hayley, let's do sushi soon! I want that wasabi and ginger and yumminess.

My list of shoulds is far outweighing my lists of wants.

Shoulds: clean house, laundry, finish these two mini writing projects, help with this one online project, novel-work, revisions, etc. etc. etc.

Wants: lie in bed, watch mindless t.v., eat yummies, sleep

Good morning

2008-04-10T07:35:00.002-04:00

I am going to ban myself from internetz for as much of today as possible! I have a lot of writing-related things to do and then I have my one-on-one session with Dr. Nunez this afternoon which I am very nervous and excited about at the same time.

Two of my favorite writing books arrived in my boxes yesterday. One is called Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. I got this book probably over 10 years ago, but I read parts of it yesterday and it was like I was reading it for the first time! She is so good at getting inside the psyche of us writers, all our neuroses, fears, insecurities, special worlds, etc.

The second book is more practical. It's called The Writer's Journey. I call it my "plot bible". I loved it so much that I got it for two of my other writer friends years ago, too. It basically talks about the mythic story arc and about character archetypes that have been around since cavemen were telling tales around the campfires and how most good stories follow a basic outline and why it works. It's written mostly for screenwriters, I suspect, but it's just as helpful for a novel-writer. Anyway, I find it an EXCELLENT way to get past blockages in plot. And it's written in a very simplistic unassuming style.

yay

2008-04-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

I know you were all just waiting, riveted, on the edge of your seats for the shocking conclusion to my boxes situation.

So...today I went back to the place that was holding my packages. I had my rolling suitcase, all prepared to make a botch job of tying at least one of the boxes to it. It got to my turn and the lady behind the desk was having a panic attack because the man in front of me had accidentally taken the official sheet with him that she was supposed to keep. She was muttering under her breath and calling out to other coworkers and fretting and wailing. Poor thing. But she was barely paying attention to my stuff. So she took my i.d.s and then suddenly looked at the boxes and decided that they were too heavy and that I couldn't take them without a car. huh? Perhaps let me be the judge of that?

I sat there looking angsty and feeling sorry for myself when the very kind lady behind me offered to take me home since my street was right on the way home for her. Yay! So one of the boxes was WAY lighter and smaller than I remembered. The other was books and was quite heavy.

But yay yay yay, I have my books! And with a minimum of effort! And yay for the kindness of strangers!

And what is with all this spam hitting my blog? Hint: If I don't know your name and you only write a message that says "See here" and "here" leads to an advertisement or porn site, then I'm deleting you -- immediately!

One can only laugh...

2008-04-08T16:00:00.003-04:00

Brain fried.

Elspeth came by and she kindly went with me to the post office so I could pick up my boxes. I had my passport, M's passport, a note from M authorizing me to pick up the boxes (since they were in his name). I got inside and I could even SEE my boxes just waiting for me.

And then the lady said that the postal employee wasn't there today and wouldn't be there today at all. It was so anti-climactic. We merely had to turn around and leave. And still my boxes are so close and yet so far away. I'm so being taught a lesson in patience, me thinks. *weeps*

But then we went on to Mount St. Benedict and sat outside on the veranda in front of the art gallery where you could see forever, including the distant sea. We brainstormed and worked out of an exercise book. We tried to write our "three sentence pitch". The premise being that what if we ended up in an elevator with (the example says Steven Spielberg because the exercises come from something for screenwriters, but I changed that to Stephen King's editor or something, lol) that we would have this three sentence pitch that could intrigue someone into looking at your book further. So yeah, we worked on that nearly all day (those three sentences were HARD and they're still not quite right!) But what it also does is keep your focus. This is what your book is truly about, the heart of it. But it's hard not to make it sound cheesy or boring, too.

So now I'm home just now and my brain is fried. And I overslept this morning and didn't go running.

tired

2008-04-07T09:51:00.003-04:00

Well, I have my work cut out for me and what can I say? I'm overwhelmed. I'm a little reluctant to write the following because it might sound like my mood is worse than it really is, if that makes any sense, and I don't want anyone to think that.

The last few days have been crushingly tiring. And I haven't even been doing much. At all. Like yesterday. Yesterday was going to be this glorious writing day with no obligations. I spent the day doing exactly what I shouldn't be doing (aimlessly wandering online) and not doing what I should be doing and feeling awful that I wasn't doing what I should be doing.

And then there are all these things that I know I need to take care of. I know I need to stand in line at the bank for 50 hours so that I can transfer some money to my US account so I can finally go ahead and buy my ticket for this summer. Don't want to go. I know I need to jump through some hoops to get my boxes tomorrow (E, I hope it's still okay if we can stop by there before we go write??? I will definitely treat you for lunch! :-)), I know I need to somehow deal with getting my driver's license here (*big dread and confusion*), but I feel like I'm swimming in muddy water. Like all my sense of intuition is skewered and nothing is familiar and I'm too tired to deal with it.

I suppose it's just a phase of moving somewhere brand new. Don't get me wrong, I've really had no issues with homesickness aside from missing the odd thing here or there or missing people (although I lived far away from most of my people anyway while I was in the US). And believe me, when I have dreams that I'm leaving here, I actually consider those anxiety dreams. I don't want to leave. I like my lifestyle here. But I think that the exhaustion comes from being in a new environment, how it takes more energy to go through the day to day regular routine. Like I have to strain more to understand, to walk down the street, to deal with the mundane, to deal with bureaucracy. And then it all builds up to a climax of exhaustion and I-don't-want-to-deal attitude.

But again, this all makes it sound a lot worse than it really is. I have a goal and a purpose. My writing schedule could be spectacular (oh, if only these mundane obligations and irritations would just go awaaaaay). Dr. Nunez in our writing workshop talked about going to a writer's retreat where you do nothing but write, eat, and sleep for a period of weeks. Someone does your cooking, laundry, leaves you in absolute peace. That just sounds heavenly. Imagine just not having to deal with anything but getting the job done. It's going to be one of my goals to make it to one of those retreats one day...

I'll try to be more "uplifting" later!

Saga continues...

2008-04-04T10:40:00.003-04:00

So I always like to think outside the box (pardon the pun in this case) and I was darned impatient to get to that box or boxes...and so I thought hey, I could take my rolling carry-on bag and then strap the box to it and roll it home that way. I'd look like a dork, but there are worse things...hee. Well, I got there and the lady handed me a tiny package (chocolate! yay! Thanks, mom if you're reading this) and a registered letter. huh? That was all? Rather anti-climactic. Well, I put the suitcase to good use in that I went to Hi Lo and bought more groceries than I normally would and packed them inside the bag and had a nice smooth walk home (dripping with sweat - is hot today!)

I opened the registered mail to find -- a notice from the post office that my two boxes were waiting for me at SAME post office. HUH? So the fact that I was picking several things up in the same name was not enough of a hint to realize that I was the same person?

Now, if I had been smart, I would have opened the registered mail right there and at least been able to take one box home...

My books -- only five minutes away...my WRITING books...

grrr

2008-04-03T09:42:00.003-04:00

grr!

Okay so this is a tiny blip of an annoyance in the big scheme of the universe but...either taxi fares went up way way a lot in the last two months or I'm missing something obvious.

$70(TT) to go from Curepe post office to where I live? A five-minute drive? It was only $50(TT) to go to Trincity mall a few months ago, which was a far more elaborate affair involving sitting in lots of heavy traffic for nearly 30 minutes.

So I'm going to wait until the second box gets here at least and then cough it up, I guess. Small price for not having a car. It's just annoying because it's only a 20 minute walk, and a nice walk at that, a nice walk that passes by a used book store.

I am in a surly mood today. I think I need to go torture my characters or something.
*watches them shrink in terror*

1 Box!

2008-04-02T16:57:00.003-04:00

At least one of my big boxes is here! Well, not here since apparently no packages get delivered to homes. That solves a mystical mystery that was bothering me since I would get these yellow postal slips and KNOW that I had been home all day so that there was no way I could have missed it if the postman rang. The mystery is solved.

These are relatively big boxes (especially the one with my books in it). I live about a 20-min. walk from the Curepe Post Office. So I guess I will find out what happens when I dial "phone-a-taxi" from the post office tomorrow. Will they come right away? Will I wait in the blazing sun for an hour? Does it really matter? Do I care? I know the suspense is killing you all mwahahahaha.

In other news, I have no idea what to make for dinner. I am totally bored with everything I usually make.

Brought to you by the letter "meh."

Today

2008-04-02T10:05:00.004-04:00

For the most part, I absolutely fail at domestic. Seriously. I need to be so independently wealthy that an army of servants are always at hand to do the crap that my princess hands don't want to touch. Still, I'm almost done with a thorough spring cleaning of the first floor. I'm taking breaks in between each section to go upstairs and get some writing done.

I'm done with what I have to turn in on Saturday.

Now I'm at the cool stage of daydreaming about the next part. Also what's cool is that I've kept many of the same characters, themes, premises, plot points, etc. from previous versions. Those of you who have hard copies of previous versions...ah, well. They'll be worth millions one day! :D

All I can say is that being here, living here, being a part of a marvelous workshop full of talented Caribbean writers...it has made things so much different, so much more raw...and I have to write THAT story now.

Dr. Nunez's workshops have pretty good odds. In a previous workshop, out of 17 students, 4 got successfully published. What can I say? She wants us to have a draft that we can talk to an editor about by the end of the year. I think it's very possible.

lazy

2008-03-31T20:01:00.002-04:00

I'm totally feeling lazy about blogging. I have things to talk about, adventures that I've had, fun activities, etc. But I don't feel like making a long post still.

Today it happened. I worked for hours on my book and I got so into it that my stomach was all quivery and when M came upstairs to ask me something, I jumped about a mile high.

But praise me with great praise. Today I went to UWI in the morning and I *drum roll* went running!!! This is the first time I've run in several months and my muscles are feeling it tonight ouch ouch ouch.

Secret Beach

2008-03-29T15:02:00.004-04:00

I have such an adventure to post about! I don't have time right now and probably won't until some time tomorrow, but here is a tantalizing picture of...*drum roll* the secret beach we experienced yesterday (we being Hayley, her daughter, me, Hayley's friend Abbi - argh, don't know how his name is spelled) Poor M actually had to work yesterday and could not join us...

Vomit

2008-03-26T08:40:00.005-04:00

Sorry, I've been bad about updating lately. I've been super busy. Here is the thing. I had my one-on-one writing session with Elizabeth yesterday and in the days before that I was scrambling to finish a rewrite that ended up being about 8 pages long. So I was way too busy to blog. In theory. Of course there was all that time that I fooled around on the internetz doing nothing, but that's another story...ha.

I don't understand how time goes by so fast when I am not working at a real job. In fact it seems like there are fewer hours in the day, if that's possible. The rewrite was a success at least, albeit still with more revision to do. I need to write some "vomit" today. Vomit is defined as just writing what comes to your mind.

Imagine, you non-writers, that you are daydreaming about something. All of us do it at some point. You're bored at the airport or in a class or at work or in a long Hi-Lo line (hehe), and your mind starts drifting. It could be some wild scenario. I know what occupied my mind for years when I lived in the cold Midwest years ago. I used to think non-stop about living on a tropical island (wow, daydreams work, n'est pa?). Anyway, your mind drifts further. A tall, dark stranger comes along. He says something (what? lost treasure? long lost love? i-know-what-you-did-last-summer?). You are the heroine of your story. Things happen. Before you know it, you're next in line and everyone is staring at you like you're mad. So you go home and harness this daydream. You start to write down what you see, as if you are watching a movie. You see the scenery as if you are behind the rolling film of a camera. You hear the voices (part of writing is being stark raving mad and hearing lots and lots of voices *nods*), the background noises. You write it all down, only you're not concerned so much with quality of writing. Maybe a six-year-old could express language better than you in this moment. Doesn't matter. The goal is to get it all down so that you don't forget the movie in your head. As Elizabeth described it, we call it vomit because it smells foul, there's a lot to clean up, and it's a big mess from the jumble of senses that you have taken in throughout your life.

The key is to not get involved in language or structure or thinking about writing rules or techniques. The goal is simply story. Another thing I read recently. About tension and story. Try to think of the worst thing that could happen to your character. And then write it.

All that rambling to describe vomit.

In other more mundane news, I had terrible insomnia last night. Didn't get to bed until about 3 and then woke up to the alarm at 6:30. I tried to sleep on and off until 7:30. I am WIDE awake though now. No sign of only getting 3 1/2 hours of sleep.

niiiiiiice day

2008-03-22T20:16:00.004-04:00

Congrats to my sister, Liz!!

I am going to be an aunt thereabouts in October! Whee!

In other news, had a really nice, fulfilling, fun day!

Elspeth and I decided to take the maxi to our writing workshop class since it's actually faster because the maxis get to use a priority bus route which is way less trafficky than the usual car routes. Anyway, it was a cooooool maxi. Sharks and sea scapes decorated the inside. Loud soca music blasted and a nice breeze swept through the window. Heh. Ambiance! Anyway, we got there a little early and after some drama about getting to our classroom (because of Easter weekend, nobody but the guard was there and they had forgotten that we were coming).

Elizabeth Nunez knows so much about the business and what sells a commercial novel. So she tells us the tricks and rules, but then always gives us a disclaimer that says that we need to listen to ourselves and break whatever rules we need to. I read the three pages that I had brought, and it was an invigorating experience. First of all, I was more nervous than I expected.

I got a lot of good feedback and criticisms but what was great about it is that not one criticism had anything to do with the culture (and believe me, nobody would be shy about saying that in this class, lol). The criticisms were purely writing-based! So I was all gleeful about that. And the best compliment I got was that my character was very vivid as a person. And the criticisms? I can totally see 99% of them and so I have food for thought!

When I got home, I got the news from my sister and was floating on an "auntie" high. Hayley came by with her daughter. We went to Port of Spain to the Long Circular Mall. There we went to the curry stand and I got to try salt fish acarra (sp.?), sort of like breaded salt fish. Yummy! I got a huge chicken roti (chickpeas, potato, chicken pieces, curry, pepper sauce inside paratha (sp.?) bread) which I could only finish about 1/4 of. I took it home and M finished it off. Hee. Anyway, we went so that Hayley's daughter could get a Build-a-Bear and then off to a bookstore! There I got a few books that I wanted, including a much needed thesaurus! AND some real maps of Trinidad, Tobago, and Port of Spain! And I got the Rough Guide to Trinidad and Tobago. Why I didn't attempt to find these things when I first arrived, I don't know...Anyways, we wandered around some more, and then we got some VERY EVIL FUDGE. Yep, there is this homemade fudge that comes in a variety of flavors - coconut, guava, chocolate, chocolate-mint, chocolate-coffee, etc. SOOO evil. We got like one of each and about ate it all before leaving the mall.

We drove up Lady Young Road, this road that winds up behind Port of Spain. We stopped at Lady Young Look-Out Point. There you have a breath-taking view of Port of Spain, the mountains behind it, the sea, etc. There is a dorky pic of me pretending to fall off the cliff which I may post when I get it from Hayley (naturally I didn't have my camera) unless I look truly heinous. We then got some preserves from a stand there -- pineapple, cherry, mango -- and some souse (pickled pork omg...I'm not a pork fan, but this was not bad at all). We went back to my place and started to plan for the next two weeks. Hayley's off work and so we're thinking of going to the beach, Tobago, Asa Wright Center (rainforest). Naturally Stardust tried to steal food from everyone...

And she spams again...

2008-03-19T14:04:00.001-04:00

I just saw a flock of parrots!!! Just outside my window! Eeeeee! I knew it was possible, from Hayley's descriptions but I hadn't seen it yet. They were orange-winged parrots that look like this:

creativity and all..

2008-03-19T10:52:00.002-04:00

I'm scared. Trying to get the courage to go deal with my driver's license. If I don't do it before April 10, it could be more of a pain. I've heard it's a frightening place, just like the driver's license places in the States. *shudders*

In other news, my writing is going VERY well. I am officially immersed. Once I get the first few chapters finished, I will talk more about it and the changes things have gone through over the years. Elspeth, maybe we should get together some time this week (if you have time) to read/talk through what we have before Saturday! :-)

I discovered a very tiny used book store yesterday! Okay, it's tiny and about 50 of them could fit into Chamblain's (the used book store in Jax that was so awesome that words cannot describe -- a book lover's heaven). But still -- books! Mostly fiction books! Plus my mom has sent me two big boxes of my things and it's going to be exciting because I can't remember the specifics that were in them!

why

2008-03-17T15:09:00.002-04:00

oh dear God save me from the evil that is Cadbury crunchie. Why why why did I pick one up at the store today?

Okay, off to get some more work done!

weekend

2008-03-16T19:18:00.003-04:00

Nothing much to say today.

Yesterday had the writer's workshop and again, it left me with much food for thought. I'm not quite ready to go into everything right now (still). Sorry -- I keep giving all these little hints, but until I pull myself together and the plane takes off, I don't feel comfortable talking about it in too much detail. :-)

Then I was walking to Singer to try to purchase a new coffee maker (our old one went kaput from overuse), Hayley intercepted me (yay!). She took me to another place in a strip mall. Whee! What fun! Not only did I get a new coffee maker, but I got some more kitchen supplies, like more mixing bowls, a glass pan (like for baked dishes like lasagna -- if I were the kind of person who made lasagna), and my favorite thing -- a huge back rest with arm rests to put on my bed for when I'm brainstorming/reading/watching t.v. shows on my computer upstairs. *loves*

week 2

2008-03-15T07:47:00.003-04:00

Soon will be going to my writer's workshop, week 2! I am very eager about it since last week sort of made me think in ways that I hadn't yet thought of with my writing. I wrote this character sketch yesterday that we have to share (I think) and now I'm rereading it and it looks lame. Ah, well. Think of it this way. Everything I write, there will be people who are worse and better.

Last night our neighborhood had a mini block party. It was a very international affair since most people who live on my street are associated with UWI. We had ice-cream and this British guy taught us how to play cricket. I wasn't too bad at it! Perhaps I'm more athletic than my teen years of gym class hell would have me believe. I also chatted with some Indian women about curry and learned a few Hindi words. Nice people! Also realized that if I want to get my driver's license here that I better do it soon because apparently it gets way harder after the three-month mark. eep.

Good Saturday morning, all!

A Room of My Own

2008-03-12T16:53:00.002-04:00

Here below is the view outside my writing room window.

Yes, I've made myself a writing room. It's pretty bare bones. That is, no fancy decorating, nothing on the walls but the view outside the window (which is quite spectacular if you avert your eyes away from the vacant lot just under the window), nothing but a bed (which takes up about 2/3 of the room) and a white bedside table and a kitchen chair. One reason I like to use the bedside table as a computer desk for my laptop (with it pulled slightly skewed to the side so that my legs can comfortably hug the sides of the table instead of my knees bumping the front), is because I'm only 5'2" and sometimes normal computer desks are just a wee wee bit too tall so that I have to sit up stick straight and still my elbows feel a bit strained. This way it's a little on the low side and would be probably too low for anyone er...taller than 5'2". But it's shockingly comfortable even though it looks dorky. Comfortable is vital. It means the difference between saying "screw this" after only 15 minutes and getting distracted by sudoku puzzles or the internetz.

1500 words a day. That's the goal and so far there's been 3 days of stickin' to that. I'm also in extreme upheaval about my novel and goals as a writer, so much so that I'm not even sure I can talk about it...yet. This writing workshop is going to help me think through that, I suspect.

Caroni Bird Sanctuary and writer's workshops!

2008-03-09T21:19:00.005-04:00

What a fulfilling and wonderful weekend! First, on Saturday I went to the first writer's workshop. I think I'm really going to love it. We have homework! :-) Heh. But anyway, I went away from it feeling utterly inspired...and turned upside down in a way. It made me really stop and think about a lot of things. But all throughout the writing workshop, I had this awesome feeling of wow, I belong here. These are my people, other writer folk. They understand.

Then today, Hayley and I went to the Caroni Bird Sanctuary. We were rewarded by an absolutely breathtaking view of the scarlet ibis. As you can see (and my photographs were mediocre at best), these are just jewels of birds. Their coloring looked almost florescent!

Here is part of the mangrove forest (with a blue heron if you squint).

Look carefully, you can see two snakes in the tree...

eh...

2008-03-06T10:04:00.003-05:00

Don't have too much exciting to report right now.

My writing has been going very well, thus I've been a bit cloistered.

Today people were overly friendly. Perhaps I am sending off strange eccentric-artist vibes hehehehe. I'm used to mumbling a few "good mornings" on the way to HiLo or wherever but today it seemed like everyone had something to say to me. It was nice, albeit a little jarring. Almost like being back in Florida where strangers will talk to you anywhere, any time, lol!

Hope everyone who reads this is doing well today!

hiya

2008-03-03T12:50:00.003-05:00

Sorry, oops, it's been a few days.

Writing front: had a very intense brainstorming session. I was completely stuck on the next scene and didn't at all like what was there already, so I spent THREE HOURS just banging my head against the table trying to force my brain into the right path. Finally was rewarded in the last 45 minutes or so and although I didn't actually WRITE a word (aside from scribbled notes), I actually got a lot done ultimately.

I have a question for local peeps. I heard that in the US the clocks spring forward. Do we do daylight saving's time here? I have no clue...do we move the clocks forward or does it stay the same all year? /clueless

Weekend was nice: Saturday M had the last day of his conference and after he got home, Hayley came and we got pizza and limed at her place while her daughter and friends played with those evol bratz dolls and sprayed hoses at each other outside (and at the poor ice-cream man). Good times! :D I held more snakes, but these were babies, not nearly as impressive as that big ole boa constrictor! Yesterday I just relaxed and made some rolls (I'm getting WAY better...stupid Hi Lo for not having any baker's flour in a smaller bag than 10 kilo this morning).

adventures

2008-02-29T12:02:00.004-05:00

Anyway, yesterday was an adventurous day -- Elspeth and I officially registered for the writing class, and then I decided to go ahead and keep her company/ride around with her as she did a few errands. We went to the Trinidad Express in Port of Spain, as well as the Film Company. We stopped at a restaurant to get some pastries and something to drink. Mmm...cheese pie -- the pastry was just perfect. And let's not forget the raisin/oatmeal cookie.

We started to go up a winding road into the rain forest -- and then we ended up in Santa Cruz. We stopped at a farm that belongs to a family that Elspeth had worked with awhile back. This was a warm, lovely family living in a simple bright blue cottage tucked off the side of this quiet road on the side of a tiny cliff, surrounded by vegetation and mountains. To get to it, we had to trek a short distance on a dirt trail. They did their planting on rolling areas of uneven ground. The kids ran around barefoot and one boy wore the coolest straw hat, and they spoke in such thick accents that I really had to strain to understand anything, but I was proud of how much I did. There were chickens (TAME chickens, and Girlblue, another one named Whitey!!) and dogs wandering around. The kids had rolled this smooth carpet over part of the hilly front yard, and we sat outside chatting with the kids for awhile on this smooth carpet on the edge of the wee cliff, just sort of enjoying the breeze that rustled the coconut trees and watching the various shades of green of the mountains and enjoying the peaceful quiet. They sent home green figs and other fruit with us.

And I came home to find that Miss Stardust had gotten herself out of her cage and was cheerfully playing on top of her cage. I should have called her Houdini. :-)

happy making!

2008-02-27T16:22:00.003-05:00

Yay! Today I found out that I got accepted into that writing workshop that Elspeth and I applied for last month (as did Elspeth, yay!). I'm so excited -- looks like a great workshop and I feel so honored because there is a long waiting list for the class and we had to submit our work to be judged and I was a little nervous about all that. *feels very writerish right now*

Somehow it influenced me into some really good solid work today.

Mmm...pineapple flavored St. Benedict's yogurt.

Had to go to Tunapuna to get new headphones because Stardust chewed right through my old pair.

Moving through time...

2008-02-26T14:50:00.008-05:00

I had just written a nice long post earlier...when Flow went out on me.

As I told Elspeth, I was pretty glad actually because it forced me to stay offline so I could get a big chunk of stuff done and it was pouring rain outside (hey, how come it's always raining whenever I make a post in here?) so I didn't feel guilty about not going anywhere or getting anything done.

But oh boy let me tell you what I did get done earlier this morning. I went to the bank to wire some money to my account in the US (to pay some irritating pesky old bills from my utilities there...strangely, they still seem to want their money :D) and stood in line for ONE HOUR AND A HALF. And of course it was the one day that I did NOT bring a little notebook with me in my purse. That is 1 1/2 hours I will never ever get back. :D What was most irksome is that I would think that the line was moving. Choirs of hope would sing in my heart...A customer would finish and walk away...But then the worker behind the desk would leave and not come back. And then there were some customers at one window that were there almost the entire time, whatever they were doing (opening bank accounts in every currency in the world?), they did not move from the time I was at the back of the line to the time I finished my business. It really ultimately didn't bother me (aside from a pain in my back from standing for so long) since I didn't have to be anywhere at a certain time, but still. Then I grabbed my daily bundle of food at Hi Lo and made my way home.

I made some rolls today -- came out really well! *pats self on back*

A few days ago, I went to attend the outstanding screening of Elspeth's documentary about children living with H.I.V. who get discriminated against. I also got to see the beautiful dream window. What a great group of people in attendance! I'd like to contribute in some way but I'm still contemplating exactly how...In the right time it will come to me.

Here's our sweet Stardust singing as she looks out the window.

Wrestling snakes...

2008-02-24T08:25:00.007-05:00

Stardust is on her cage singing away to the rain. Or maybe she's wondering where all her kiskadee (sp.?) friends are (the birds with the bright yellow tummies).

Yesterday I limed a fair amount of the day with Hayley and well, this is indeed what I get up to when I'm under such baaaaaaaad influences....

Sings: *I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor...*

I think in time that we could become friends...

Saturday

2008-02-23T08:15:00.003-05:00

Good morning!

Am attempting to make bread again. Kneading is no fun.

Last night was nice. I finally figured out how to download some t.v. shows that I wanted to catch up on (like Lost and Supernatural), and so I enjoyed watching those last night as well as starting up on my cross-stitching and knitting again (neither of which I had touched since I moved). Oh, the exciting life that I lead!

Writing is going well. My only complaint is that I need to find a time and place in which there are no distractions! I wish there was a cafe where I could go and plug my laptop in and work. Maybe I'll find out if there's somewhere on campus where I could work undisturbed and just make a schedule. But then I get nervous about walking to campus with my laptop and possibly getting rained or poured on on the way back. (I know, then duh, don't walk home then or duh, bring an umbrella) But of course that would be too logical. *laughs*

Good morning, all!

And by the way, who knew that string could be so fascinating for a little bird? Stardust has been entertained for hours, scaring herself and playing and biting at this piece of strong that had been tied around some post that I received.

Barack the Magnificent

2008-02-22T09:26:00.002-05:00

Hee. I usually stay FAR FAR away from politics in here, but I couldn't resist displaying this video by Trinidad's Mighty Sparrow (calypso artist) on Barack Obama. It's called Barack the Magnificent so if you're a fan of the Bush administration or not an Obama fan, then you probably wouldn't enjoy it, but otherwise, enjoy! :-) (It's got a nice, jaunty tune, too, and lots of swoon-worthy pictures of Barack)

Mighty Sparrow: Barack the Magnificent
Uploaded by svarten

TWO posts in one day?

2008-02-20T12:27:00.004-05:00

So the bread came out pretty well. I think it needed a bit more salt and the outside needed to be crispier but aside from that, it tasted delicious with some lovely New Zealand butter.

So I accomplished quite a bit today. I wrote for two hours this morning (go me!) and it was good, solid work.

I paid my Flow (cable/internet) bill. I can do that at my bank, which is nice since it's so close and on the way to everything else.

Went to UWI (the university) and mailed some things.

I walked to Tunapuna and got some pretties. I love walking around the market in Tunapuna, tons of little stores, mostly owned by Indian families so there's this awesome mixture of household items, clothing, and Indian items. I am starting to tackle one room at a time as far as "decorating". It's not really my thing, and I'm pretty simplistic, but I like little touches here and there. I am starting with the downstairs bathroom. I got a rug, some pretty Indian-style candle holders, scented candles to go in them, and a hand towel. Yay, starting to look civilized. I also got a chair for the upstairs patio, the kind that is soft (vinyl-like) and has a drink holder. Perfect for sitting outside and reading. I took the maxi taxi back to my area (since I wasn't going to walk with the chair). I stopped at HiLo and picked up a few things and then walked home.

*gives self a gold star before kicking self back into work mode*

Bread..

2008-02-20T08:59:00.002-05:00

Okay, and today starts the great quest, the attempt to make the perfect French baguette. I am SO picky when it comes to French bread. Sometimes HiLo does it okay, although in all my experiences with grocery stores in every place I've lived, I rarely rarely rarely find French bread that I like or even find satisfying. For me, it has to be just perfect. It has to be crispy and tan on the outside so that if you squeeze it, it crackles, and on the inside it has to be soft and chewy. Well, the only way to find perfection I suppose is to start making it myself. So..today's experiment will be the first. I armed myself with regular flour, regular salt, a packet of yeast and a sprinkling of sugar. Let's see. It's smelling pretty good from the oven so far.

I also need to make more cookies because I might as well take advantage of this time in my menstrual cycle (sorry for the tmi) when I want to eat everything bad for me in sight -- might as well be fresh, good quality bad food.

I wish I had a clue about gardening, too. I would love to start on a very very small scale, like in a pot on my patio. Unfortunately, I have the black thumb of death when it comes to living plants.

hot

2008-02-19T10:38:00.001-05:00

Is it just me or is it hotter than Hades today? It feels so much hotter today than it was the last few days...

Ready...set...write

2008-02-18T10:53:00.005-05:00

Okay, I've been in kind of a quiet, subdued mode lately. Part of this is creativity. I have been on a pretty good pattern of writing although I'd like it if I could focus for longer spurts. I have this creative fantasy about getting into a project and being so into it that I forget to eat, sleep, or have a desire to do anything else (read: get on the internet). That hasn't happened yet and I feel like it should happen because this is the first time in a very long time that I haven't had other obligations. My big fantasy is that I'd emerge from a week or so of this complete pulling out from reality and be shocked that my entire novel has written itself. Okay, so that HAS happened before, but in much smaller chunks. I remember once while with Lara at Starbucks in Jacksonville writing with headphones on and getting so into a scene that I was writing (that I have yet to revise and merge into the Novel of Doom) that I was actually crying to myself, so affected I was by actually being pulled into my own story and the background music that I was using. But I'm selfish. I don't want it to just happen for one hour or two. I want it to happen for a long chunk of time. I remember in the movie Amadeaus how Mozart would get into these fits of (okay maybe insanity but aren't all of us artist types a bit insane?) creativity so that he blocked out all else. Nobody wants to sit in front of a blank screen and curse being there and feel like the words that are coming out are awkward and juvenile, something a six-year-old might have written. It hasn't been that way for me, but there are certainly days. But my favorite days are when I write and then I look back on it and think, "Who wrote this?" Not so much because it's brilliant or well-written, but more so because I don't recognize any of the words as being specifically chosen by me.

In more mundane news, I am trying to get going on planning a day trip to Tobago. Local peeps? Do you know the easiest way that one can book the Air Bridge? Or is the ferry better? I feel totally lost at this (since it's the first time, lol!) although I know it must be astoundingly easy.

back...

2008-02-16T13:53:00.005-05:00

I'm eager to post again so that my latest post won't be such a bummer. It's difficult to get the images out of my head from the shooting at NIU. I wanted to stop watching the media coverage of it, but I couldn't turn away, especially when I saw the familiar setting. M taught all of his classes in that building, it turns out, when we were there. One girl who survived the shooting (who was in that class) told how it started in such a chilling manner, how one minute she was taking notes, and she looked up and he was just there on the stage, no noise, no words, no nothing. AND of course the shooter came from my hometown of Champaign. Creepy.

Well, today I finally got back to writing and am doing a pretty good job of it. I did take a long "thinkie" walk on campus this morning, and good thing because I couldn't stop eating this chocolate cake that I mistakenly bought (thinking that I'd er...have the willpower to only have a few bites here and there, hahahaha). Apparently I needed comfort food yesterday and downed about half of it. Well, I justify it this way. It was a Valentine's Day cake, right? Valentine's Day = love. Are you with me so far? Cake = love. One can never have too much love, right? *nods* Yep, I thought so.

Upsetting news...

2008-02-14T21:28:00.003-05:00

There was a mass shooting at Northern Illinois University, the university I used to go to. Five dead and 22 wounded, although they keep changing the numbers, so who knows what the final tally will be.

Link to cnn article here

I got my teaching certificate at NIU and M got his Ph.D. We both lived in the community for about six years and both of us had at least one class in that hall. Yeah, upsetting indeed.

sleeeeeep...

2008-02-14T11:27:00.003-05:00

Cream cheese tarts are absolutely evil.

I am SO mad at myself. I am not naturally a late sleeper...I didn't think. But yet today I woke up a few times in the morning during bizarre bizarre dreams of swimming underwater among gorgeous corals and sea creatures but then there was this annoying deadly jellyfish that was ruining it for me because I had to keep getting away from it. D'oh! Anyway, every time I would wake up, my eyes felt so heavy and tired that I'd just fall right back into sleep. Next thing I know, M is above me saying, "Hey, it's 10 o'clock." I don't even sleep that late on the weekends when I'm working during the week! I didn't even go to bed that late last night. Soooo....I'm going to have to start being stern with myself. Not only am I banning myself from the internet during the daylight (er...except for right now of course because I had to look something up and realized that I hadn't posted in here in a few days), but I am going to get up no later than 7:30. *nods*

I have a very clear-cut writing goal today and hope I can accomplish it. Sweet little Stardust is singing and chattering away this morning.

Food, food, food

2008-02-12T20:06:00.000-05:00

I believe that there's something seriously wrong with me. I have been practically living off of this weird mixture of cut up cucumbers, tomatoes, snowpeas, chickpeas, a bit of cut-up ginger, dab of West Indies hot sauce, a bit of oregano, all soaking in garlic red wine vinegar. I get into these stages where all I want is super pickly food and this urge far outweighs my urge for chocolate and freshly baked baguettes.

And also there's this chicken broth soup mix here that I adore called "spicy cock soup."

I must go on about the yogurt here again. Okay, the Mount Saint Benedict yogurt (made at the monastery) is simply the best. It's a crapshoot as to which flavors are available at HiLo on any given day and sometimes there is absolutely nothing left or just a few little containers. Here are the flavors: strawberry, plain, guava, passionfruit, almond, soursop. They are all so delicious that I don't ever care which one I'm able to snag. Smooth, rich taste, an explosion of taste in your mouth (hey, I sound like an advertisement).

I've had a repeat dream involving several variations of the same scenario of being back the US and explaining to people that I run into (like coworkers *waves if any of you are reading*) that I'm not really there.

Nothing Nothing Nothing

2008-02-10T16:41:00.001-05:00

Now this was a pathetically do-nothing weekend. I swear, I barely left the house. Wait. Correction. I didn't leave the house at all. I'm a "go with the flow" person so I was open to staying home all weekend or going places if that came up. What I wasn't motivated to do is plan anything myself. So I did a lot of organizational things, like organizing my computer files and music files (whee, playlists I can work with!) and got a big chunk of writing done. So while I feel vaguely guilty for not leaving the house or doing anything (especially as far as exploring new places or trying new things), it's all good.

Stardust has been hyper all day. It is perhaps the weather, which has been dark and rainy all day (despite it being the dry season). By hyper, I mean she's been running around on top of her cage, jumping from the cage to the couch, climbing all over the cage, etc, and cutest of all, singing prettily on top of the cage.

We've been here exactly one month.

Back to the mundane...in a disjointed kind of way

2008-02-08T08:49:00.000-05:00

It is a rather cozy morning, with a little bit of rain, although the sun seems to be trying to peek out.

I made some chocolate chip cookies yesterday and they came out very well. Local ladies? I'm sure there will be plenty left for you, as long as I don't eat them all today...

I've been oversleeping this whole week, and I'd really like to stop that pattern, especially because I like to get my walk-about errands done before it gets too hot.

You know what's hard to get here? Spiral-bound notebooks that aren't clearly marked for students.

Stardust is afraid of the toys I got her yesterday.

I'm in that stage of creativity in which there's a lot of internal contemplating and the feeling of getting ready for a marathon surge.

I am ready.

Whew, I think I'm recovered now...

2008-02-06T20:44:00.000-05:00

Wow, what an experience! First of all, I had never taken a maxitaxi into "town" as people here call the capital city, Port of Spain. So I walked a few blocks and waited for one. I got one right away. I was in the front, crammed in with another person. The windows were open, the soca jams were on the radio, and I was feeling fine. I arrived in Port of Spain about 20 minutes later. With no rush hour traffic and on the bus priority route, it really takes no time at all to get there. Once I stepped out, it was really only a few steps to get to the action, since it was everywhere on almost all the streets of Port of Spain.

Here are some costumes:

I must point out that I did not dress up, but I did decorate my face a bit:

When the parade of bands would stop for some delay or other, us unmasked people were allowed to go in and mingle and dance to the music, but when they were ready to move again, these security people would run up and rope us all back...

Here is a short video of people dancing. Note the Kentucky Fried Chicken in the background. I am NOT kidding when I say you can practically find one on every corner...This will always amuse and sadden me :D

After walking awhile, I stopped at a vendor and got a "bake and shark." Yum, yum, yum. It was a deliciously fried shark meat in a pita-like bread with sauce and veggies. I got mine at a small vendor, but I regret not waiting because later I came upon a self-serve stand that had ALL KINDS of toppings and sauces that I could have put on. There were also vendors selling coconut milk, right out of a coconut (you actually drink the coconut). Also you could find arts and crafts and tons of beer/rum stands. However, anyone chooses to drink tons of alcohol in that heat is insane. I went through 2 bottles of water and couldn't stop drinking water once I got home.

I came upon some of the drumming bands.

Here is a very short, tiny video I took of some of the drumming:

Here is the Queen's Savannah Park which is like a big park in the middle of the city, like a mini Central Park:

I finally, by some brilliant stroke of crazy luck, found Hayley and her masquerade section. She is a miracle! Not only did she "play mas" yesterday all day and then came home and had guests (that would be me and some others at her Carnival lime) and didn't get to bed until after midnight, but she had to get up at 4 a.m. on Carnival in order to be ready to start playing mas (dancing in the parade) again at 6:30 a.m. AND go on until about 6 p.m.! AND she had to go back to work today.

Here are some people really jumping up and jamming.

I hung out with Hayley and her parade section on and off whenever things stopped. When they moved again, I would get kicked out of the "band" by security and so I could follow along on the sidelines. Finally, I was getting hot and tired and my legs were aching from so much walking and dancing. So...I bid my farewells and made the monstrous walk back to City Gate, which is where all the maxitaxis are. When I say monstrous walk, I mean I walked and walked and walked and then I got lost. I wasn't scary-lost, but it was enough so that I just wasn't 100 percent sure I was even walking in the right direction. And sadly there was no choice but to keep going because ALL the streets were blocked off/nonfunctional (no taxis or any way for anyone to drive me where I was supposed to be).

So at long last I made it back to City Gate but looked like a fool when I tried to get on the maxitaxi at the wrong place. An old and very kind policeman had to give me instructions a couple hundred times for finding these stairs to take me on a crosswalk to the other side of the terminal...finally I got it.

I got home with my legs aching pleasantly. The sunscreen did its magic because I wasn't sunburned or sunstroked from walking for hours in the hot tropics. I slept like a baby last night.

So the problem with a four-day weekend is that I had to wait for nearly 1 hour and a half at the bank just to make a simple deposit. Note to self: Don't do those types of errands after a holiday!

Carnival!

2008-02-05T16:19:00.000-05:00

I'm too exhausted to give a proper report right now, but I braved Port of Spain to see what Carnival was like in person! Here I am with Hayley, who is fantastic and has endurance beyond anything I've ever seen before! :))

Carnival is comin'...

2008-02-02T09:07:00.000-05:00

Whee, I had terrific day yesterday!

So I was walking home from the store in the blazing heat, when Hayley called, asking if I wanted to go to a "jump up Carnival party" at her daughter's school. Never one to turn down such an opportunity, I was like, sure, and ran home (almost literally in the heat) to meet her.

So we went to her daughter's school, and it was possibly the most amazingly adorable thing ever. When we arrived, they were in the midst of limbo contests. We settled in and got some overly priced rotis and I had a "smalta" -- a malt-like drink very similar to the Vita Malt that I described down below...

There was a theme to the whole party, that of a celebration of a famous calypso artist named Lord Kitchener. There were decorated banners everywhere, displaying the titles of Kitchener's songs, posters and knowledge about his life, etc.

Classes from about 2nd grade through 5th grade took turns in the steel pan contest, and each played a different song by Lord Kitchener. The kids were absolutely fantastic, considering how young they were! And not only fantastic, but they had real stage presence. First, they were dressed up in themed costumes with glitter on their faces. Second, while they played, they danced, got everyone excited.

But here's the really amazing thing that blew my mind with coincidence. One of the classes was in about 3rd or 4th grade, and the kids all dressed up in bumblebee costumes (okay, adorable enough alone). So then they started playing "Bee's Melody" a very famous Lord Kitchener song, a very bouncy and happy tune and you just can't help but dance to it. The kids were AMAZING! And here I was just squealing to myself in happy surprise because not only had I used that piece as a sample of "island" music in a presentation I gave in a music education class years ago, but I also used it in great detail in a scene in my novel (!!!!). AND not only that, this class won the contest!! They got a huge enthusiastic applause.

Here's a link to an adult band, the Renegades, playing a variation of the same song at Panorama, just to give you a feel for the whole idea of pan bands...Bee's Melody by the Renegades

So after the party, Hayley and I went to Port of Spain so that she could pick up her Carnival costume. This was a long ordeal because many people were picking up their costumes. I bought some facial and hair glitter and make up for the eyes and face. I'm getting mighty mighty tempted to go see if there are any unpicked up costumes on Sunday so that I might participate as well...mighty tempted...well, we shall see...okay, so that means I'm a masochist since that would be dancing and walking for miles in the hot hot sun for two days in a row...eh, we shall see!

After running a few errands, we ate at a really good Chinese restaurant. And now I am home. I didn't accomplish ONE THING as far as my writing schedule...and that's okay!

Of Walks and Breads...

2008-01-31T15:09:00.000-05:00

So I've gone on a few walks over the past few days. Actually, I make it a point to go on a long walk every day if possible, even if it's too hot (like yesterday). I've been trying to identify a smell that I associate with Trinidad. I know that in Jacksonville, I associated the coffee factory smell, or the smell of burnt coffee from the Maxwell factory or the smell of stale river. Here there is often a baked, curry smell, but I need to contemplate more on this...

Sounds are easy -- lots of honking, soca music blasting from cars, roosters crowing, steel pan chimes (from the man who plays for money in front of Hi Lo most days)...

I wanted to show off a few pics from along a walk yesterday.

Here is the university, I believe this is the main admin building.

This was taken from the car park (parking lot) of the university bookstore. I just liked the backdrop with the cool-looking clouds and coconut trees in a row.

This is my most visited building, oh Hi Lo, wondrous provider of food. I expect it to be a madhouse in coming days because of Carnival.

Today I walked in a different direction (without the camera). Kids were just getting out of school and a lot of them had sparkles and paint on their faces, having clearly had a Carnival party at school. I ran into Elspeth again and we had a brief meeting before she had to pick up her nephew from school and we went to the bakery. I got a delicious half-loaf of coconut bread. It's sort of similar to banana bread in taste.

A short haiku et al

2008-01-30T10:40:00.000-05:00

The sun burns so hot.

A trip to HiLo beckons.

Maybe food can wait.

Seriously, why do I feel so lazy today? I did say that I wanted to try something new every day. Well, I haven't been quite as good as I'd like about expanding horizons this week. I am already falling into patterns. Well, I doubt I'll do too much exploration until after Carnival. The whole island shuts down for a few days next week to partay, so yeah. Things won't be back to "normal" until about Thursday of next week, I think!

Weirdness

2008-01-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

Mmm...one of life's pleasures -- salt and vinegar crisps.

Last night was weird. I slept badly. The fan blowing on me kept giving the impression that someone was shaking my shoulder. The phone rang at about 3 a.m., which totally disoriented and freaked me out, but it was an unknown number, so it wasn't anyone I know. And whoever it was didn't leave a message. So probably a wrong number. But it disturbed my sleep the rest of the night. I kept dreaming about cats stalking my little Stardust.

This morning early at like 7 a.m. there was a woman somewhere nearby screaming at her husband/boyfriend in hysterical anger. I don't know what the problem was exactly, but I heard the f-word and the word "womanizer" a few times, so I guess I do know what the problem was.

So I started with sort of edgy energy, and it makes me want to change my writing schedule a bit. I'm still working on my schedule, as far as when the best time is to be on the internet verses writing verses walking verses running errands verses other things.

Kiddie Carnival!

2008-01-27T08:11:00.000-05:00

Hi, all!

It's a peaceful Sunday morning here in the tropics, and all week the high is supposed to be about 87 F. I have little Stardust on my shoulder, and I'm still excited that I have internet at home. The electricity went off for just long enough for me to utter a curse, and then it came right back on. Yay!

So...yesterday was an exciting adventure. I went with H. (Girlblue) to Port of Spain. First we stopped at a sushi place and had their buffet. This is what was on my plate.

And of course we went for several trips until we were stuffed. Next we thought we'd go up toward the Queen's Savannah Park to see if the Kiddie Carnival was happening today. H. wasn't sure, but thought it might be, and we struck gold! Sure enough, we got there in time to see some of the most elaborate and beautiful costumes I've EVER seen in my life.

Check these costumes out:

All I can say is that I can't even imagine how people drink rum and keep dancing during the actual Carnival because all we could do is keep drinking water because it was so hot out there and we weren't even out there for that long! :D

Anyway, we also tried some vendor food, and let me see if I can get this right. There were these little dough balls (savory, not sweet) with chutney sauce on them that start with a P. Ah, wait. I shall look it up in the new book that H. got for me just afterwards -- Cote ci Cote la, a Trinidad and Tobago dictionary. :-)) Phoulorie balls, that's what they're called. :-) Anyway, we had those, AND I got a snowcone that had the usual syrup sprayed on ice, but also had condensed milk, which made it very rich and sweet. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I did. But I couldn't finish it, it was too rich.

On the way out, we saw a lot of steel pans being set up. We stopped and got a bit of an education.

They look a bit like garbage cans, and these, as I recall, are tenor-bass pan.

The ones in the following pic that the young men are playing are tenor pan. Notice how much smaller they are:

After that, we went on a quest to find a purple t-shirt for H's daughter. That quest was unsuccessful, but we did go to the bookstore, where that famous dictionary was gotten and I also got a book on Trinidad and Tobago folklore, which believe me is going to be very useful in my researching for my book. Anyway, we soon headed home after that, and I can say that it was a really fun and fulfilling day!

I have internet!

2008-01-25T12:49:00.000-05:00

oh happy day happy day, Flow came today. We now have internet and television (er...or we would have television when the television that we bought yesterday arrives by delivery today at some point...in theory). This means that I am getting nothing done on my writing list for today because I'm too busy reveling in the internet and starting to go through the mountain of emails that I need to get to answering.

Tomorrow I'm going with Trinigirlblue and her daughter to Port of Spain for sushi and to walk around.

Yesterday Elspeth and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get this application turned in so that we can be a part of a writing workshop here.
It turns out that we have to be evaluated and accepted to "get in" so I'm crossing my fingers. It really sounds like a good course. We stopped and got food at a Caribbean restaurant in a mall. I had callalloo, which is sort of like spinich and coconut and other spices mixed. I liked it, but it's not my favorite thing to eat, I think. Anyway, between riding in the heat in the car and walking around a bit yesterday and going to the mall in a cab in heavy heavy traffic to buy this television and all and spending WAY too much time there, I was completely wiped out by 8 last night and couldn't even hold my eyes open to read.

AND we have a new baby...

Welcome Stardust, so named because of the dots all over that look like a galaxy! She's only a few months old, so just a baby. She's very tame and sweet. Her favorite activity? Chewing on books...

A quest...

2008-01-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

Today I have a quest. My quest, should I choose to accept it, is to buy a lamp. The part of this quest is to take a maxitaxi for the first time. Elspeth talked me through what I do so I don't look like a fool. So my plan for now is to hang out with my one hour of internet time, get a snack (probably a roti), and then go to Tunapuna by foot (not far at all from here) and get a lamp and come to think of it, a cutting board.

I ran into Elspeth on my walk here. What amuses me in a warm, fuzzy way is that we ran into each other quite accidentally and she said she somehow knew we were going to run into each other. Also, while I was talking to her outside the bank, she saw her mom, sister, and dad at separate times. To go along with that, I'm starting to recognize familiar faces and people as I walk around.

The evenings can be strange. We don't have a television or cable yet, nor do we have internet. All this is coming by Friday, yay. So after dinner, everything is so quiet. In some ways, it's nice. I've always maintained that I'd be perfectly happy living without a television. But in other ways, it makes me a little melancholy and I start thinking about my birds (with them, it was NEVER silent) and my friends back home, etc. I think once things will feel more "homey" with the television going and me on the internet all evening, that evening melancholy will fade.

It rained this morning on my walk, and as I was coming home, it had gotten light and the rain had faded, and there was this ethereal mist over the mountains behind us over the forest.

whee, hello

2008-01-21T10:48:00.000-05:00

Sorry for my silence. It's really hard not having internet at home. I'm really twitching for it and then when I come here to the cafe, I only have limited time.

I'm trying to do my hunting and gathering for the day before the heat of the day, but not so much. It seems warmer today than yesterday.

I've finally gotten my writing schedule underway. Because I make myself get up EARLY (five:thirtyish) to get to the university and walk before it gets too hot, I am home and sitting with my coffee by seven. That gives me a lot of time to get in some good writing before anything else has to happen. So I got a lot done today and I'm proud. I made myself push through things that normally would make me balk or distract myself with other things. But no fooling around, yes? My biggest fantasy forever has been to live on a tropical island and get to write. Well, guess what. I'm here. And it's now.

I made a really good curry last night. I don't think I'll ever get tired of how potent and delicious the spices here make things.

Also, I just want to say that from now on, if you comment and I can answer, I'll do so by writing another comment under yours...:-) I like the give and take of conversation here , and I WILL get caught up on that when I have my own internet access at home.

Rain

2008-01-18T15:57:00.000-05:00

Yesterday it rained hard a few times. Okay, so it's supposed to be the dry season, and the rainfalls were brief. But I loved the sound of the rain just pounding on our roof for those few minutes.

Yesterday I walked a LOT. My legs throbbed from it, but this is good since when I"m at home, I'm often just at the computer not moving at all. The road that goes up to where I live is on a slight incline and I'm really feeling that in my legs now.

I'm debating whether to take up running again. Part of me says naww...I really don't need to, between the running up and down our huge staircase here at home and all the walking I'm doing, I should be getting plenty of exercise. The other part of me thinks that it would allow me to eat all this new and exciting food without worrying about it. Then again, the fruit and vegetables are so good here that I find myself eating a lot of healthy stuff anyway.

Yesterday I found the big market, a huge spread of fruits and veggies, much like the farmer's market back home. For you Jacksonville peeps, pretty similar to that farmer's market near to downtown, er, I forgot the street name even though I used to drive it every other day or so to go to one of my daycare centers...Actually Elspeth had suggested I try it since it's cheaper than HiLo (our local grocery store that is thankfully a five minute walk from my house). So I got mini bananas, cucumbers, a few other items. That will be a near daily thing for me, I think. In general, the food just tastes so much better here. The spices are more potent, the veggies and fruits taste real, things are overly sweetened or chemicaled (unless you get processed food).

Ack, I'm without regular internet again. Six more days until Flow comes to fix me up with cable internet.

Mount St. Benedict

2008-01-17T14:17:00.000-05:00

Today was ying and yang, good and bad. On the bad side, I think I have to let go of bringing Tico here. It's FAR too complicated and expensive and stressful and ultimately I just have to know when to give it up. I can't think too much on it right now.

On the good side, I got to meet the lovely Elspeth! She picked me up, and we drove up to Mount St. Benedict's: (note: I didn't take this picture; I was too stupid to remember my camera)

We ate a snack, sat in a quiet courtyard that was cool and breezy, and then explored the nearby guest house: (again NOT my picture):

I could have sat here for hours. This was such a beautiful spot, with so many different shades of green, exotic birds (a perfect spot for birding), and a nice breeze. Luckily this area is quite near where I live, so I think I'll be back!

They make yogurt up here, and I just have to say that the strawberry yogurt is the best yogurt I've ever tasted, thick and creamy and flavorful without being too sweet.

Mmmm...roti!

2008-01-16T10:40:00.000-05:00

Anyone here in Trinidad know what kind of bird that is? I think it makes cat-calling sounds and has a beautifully yellow belly.

Okay, so I finally tried my first roti today. Heaven on food earth for me! Roti, in case you have forgotten: chicken and potato and chick pea and curry covered in a tortilla-like bread (only thicker and doughier)) Okay, here's a puzzle...if rotis are supposed to be one half of doubles (two rotis together, yes?) then who in the world can eat a double at one sitting? I could only eat half of my roti, and I was hungry!

So...yesterday we almost opened our bank account. Now you Trinis who are reading this can laugh at me for this, but we encountered our first cultural misunderstanding in a most unexpected manner: We needed to go open a bank account since M is going to be paid at the end of the month. So when we went in, we asked to open a checking account. After all, that's sort of the "generic" account that one would open in the US upon settling in a new city, yes? Well, as soon as we asked, the bank lady looked very puzzled, nearly suspicious, and asked, "Why do you want to open a checking account?" M and I just looked at each other. Then she seemed to realize that we were dumb foreigners and said in a very apologetic way, "We don't open checking accounts until you have a savings account for six months." Ah! The dumb foreigners (that would be us) nod. Also, apparently very few places accept checks, if any, so the savings account sort of acts like a checking account would in the US -- comes with a debit "check" card and everything, so it's really not necessary to have a checking account. So then after giving her two i.d.s each and a letter from the University telling them that M is employed there, they still needed a utility bill or something with our addy on it. Of course we don't have one yet, having just moved. And that was one unbending rule. Apparently there is so much attempted money laundering there that they have to have every single thing in place to open an account. M has to get a note from the housing office saying that we are in fact living there.

I am feeling a lot more settled in than before, finally. I just need to get my writing schedule underway and be very strict about it. After all, that's why I'm here, without a job of my own, to finish this novel!

ack, internetzzz gone!

2008-01-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

My lovely readers... I can no longer log into the wireless that I was snagging before, and it will take about a week or maybe more to get a phone line so that I can have my high speed internet at home, so I am in an internet cafe right now. I plan to come daily, but if I am not as wordy as usual, that is why!

To Girlblue: I'm not sure if that was an aloo (the potato pie) I will have to look carefully next time at the label. I am very eager to see the Carnival itinerary!

To S: Still hitting brick walls with darling Tico. Apparently the electricity thing is somewhat regular, but it's only happened once so far! I hope it doesn't happen at night before I'm able to store up some candles! :D

Today...

2008-01-14T14:36:00.000-05:00

ugh, well, hitting more and more brick walls with getting darling Tico here. My last real hope is using one of these pet relocations but nobody is contacting me back. I was actually really looking forward to Amy being able to come, even if it was just for a very short visit (already was thinking of all the places we could go that I haven't explored yet) and I had bought some cheap Trini rum. The real problem is that the international flights from the US airlines (Delta, Continental, American) come in after customs for live animals already closes. Anything earlier (American Airlines cargo is the only one) can't come in because of temperature restrictions (can't be 85 or above for cargo of live animals). Ironically, the import permit has been going smoothly.

So, cross your fingers and toes for me...I'll need all the birdie luck I can get!

In other news, it is hot here. Is that a shock? :-) I'm reading about snowstorms in the northeast of the US and it seems like a totally different world to me. Not that we ever got snow in Florida -- but there were definitely cold nights in the winter. Not so here.

Food I've tried: I LOVE the potato pastries. I know this is not a particularly Trini food; they have these all over Europe, I know, but I will never grow tired of delicate pastry that wraps spicy potato inside. I'm drooling thinking about it! Fresh mango? Niiiice...In general the fruit tastes tastier here.

Coconut/pineapple Fruta juice is a big thumbs up. Very refreshing without being overly sweet. I notice that in the ingredients that local foods do not seem to cram everything with fructose corn syrup. If it calls for sugar, then it uses sugar. Not that sugar is so great for you if you eat too much of it, but it's better than eating the fake sugar.

AND I started writing last night for the first time since the chaos of just before the move. Go me!

I will try to take some fresh pictures soon. I keep forgetting to take my camera when I leave the house...

2008-01-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

No electricity most of today, that means no air conditioning or fans!

Big news of the day (yesterday): I got a phone! Actually both M and I got cell phones because they were half price. SO basically it was like getting two for the price of one. Annnnnd…we can take pictures with them! Ah, technology…We took an adventure to the Trinicity Mall because there were things we needed. So we took a taxi (As long as you don’t look at the road, you won’t be scared gray). How deftly the taxi driver wove on teeny-narrow roads avoiding other cars and pedestrians with fine precision! (*is in awe*). Anyway, the mall is like almost any in the US, although with mostly different stores, with some exceptions like Radio Shack and Payless Shoes. Also, KFC is king here. Don’t ask me why, but I’ve seen more Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants than anything else here. Interestingly enough, no McDonalds…lol! Other American chain restaurants that seem to be plentiful here are Subway and Popeye’s Chicken. Anyway, we avoided that altogether in the food court and found a roti shop at last!

Let me explain roti to the uninitiated. It is a combination of curried chick peas, potatoes and veggies in a pita-like doughy bread. That being said, I didn’t even get one at the roti shop. We got curried chicken and potatoes with curry gravy and rice and some really spicy sauces to put on it. M was not fond of his (too spicy for him) but I loved it and the very doughy naan bread that came with it.

I’m trying very hard to develop an ear for the accents here. They are very musical and very difficult to understand. If I really focus, I can hear individual words and get meaning in context. For example, on the way home, at a red light, the taxi driver said something to us. This is what I heard: “blah blah blah open blah blah.” We nodded and smiled, and he grew more animated and then reached back and opened the window and this time I heard something about “blah blah open blah breeze blah blah.” So of course we figured out that without air conditioning in the car, that opening the window might give us a nice breeze. Thank goodness it wasn’t: “Open the door and get out because something’ s on fire!”

We also bought a coffee maker. Oh boy, we had taken that little piece of technology for granted. For the last two days we have been forced to put filters over individual cups and pour hot water gradually into them. After an excruciatingly long time, our coffee would be ready. However, it’s rare that we only want just one cup and so the excruciating process would begin anew. So now we have a wonderful Mr. Coffee and all is well in the world.

Also purchased were two large fans. Things not yet dealt with? A phone line, television. Those things will follow eventually. Also don’t have a bunch of kitchen stuff, although we still managed to make a mean curry this evening.

So Amy is possibly going to come next weekend, almost for sure, bearing our darling Tico Goldenwings. (Khalil, for those of you who might not know, has been fostered with a new family with lots of other cockatiels and he seems to be doing well.) Anyway, I’m a little stressed since I still have to get the import permit. I just hope it goes smoothly. Amy will only be here one full day. Hopefully we can get to Maracas (sp.?) Beach, which is supposed to be stunning in beauty and try the Bake and Shark there that is world famous. Right now just need to be able to get through tomorrow which will involve trying to find a place that will fax for me and talking to the import permit guy again...

Here

2008-01-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm here in Trinidad! We arrived late late last night and after a minor delay at immigration during which time the immigration officer entertained us at length about steel pan. The above picture is where we are living for now -- I guess this is transitional housing via the university. Okay, it's really warm here (hello, the tropics!) and the air conditioning really only works in the upstairs rooms and even there not so much in the master bedroom! It works really well in one of the smaller bedrooms so will be sleeping there tonight.

Today I tried a fish patty and vita malt, as far as local fare. I really wanted to try a roti but I couldn't seem to find it yet. Vita malt is difficult to describe but I suspect it's something for people with really weird food tastes like me. It has a malty flavor, sort of gingery. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not at first, but I think I do now.

It gets light early in the morning here. It was just after six this morning and the birds were chirping (and they were birds I'd never heard before) and the sunlight was bright.

I have very fluky internet service right now because I'm borrowing a wireless from somewhere nearby and don't have my own yet.

Hello, everyone! (ack, I'm sorry Elspeth is without internet indefinitely...hopefully she'll be back soon!)

Getting Closer...

2008-01-07T20:12:00.000-05:00

Below you will see the two devil-spawn birds that have been the bane of my existence during this whole preparation for the move. Just look at them looking oh-so-innocent. In reality, they are plotting various ways to drive me insane...

And here is one very lonely room. Not that this room was ever really used for much, but now it is all suitcases and boxes.

One thing that is going to feel strange about this blog is that a lot of different people from different aspects of my life could be reading this. Some of my former coworkers, some friends from various stages of life, some online writers, some family, etc. So I don't know about you all, but I know that I tend to adapt a bit to whoever I am talking to/interacting with. This is going to be a bit strange because I'm not really going to be thinking so much about speaking to a particular audience. I think maybe that it will ultimately make my voice more genuine...we shall see!

Less than a week....

2008-01-04T16:09:00.000-05:00

In less than a week, we will be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, heading for the island of Trinidad to live for three years, maybe even more. My husband will be teaching at the University of West Indies. So my profile is technically inaccurate in that it says I'm already there, but I am just making sure I know how to set this up and get it started before I arrive.

Today was my last day at work (*waves to Brightstart! crowd*), and never have I worked with a more fun, lovely group of people. I will miss them and the work that I did there.

We are still facing glitch after glitch in getting the birds to Trinidad. I am researching all kinds of options as far as pet shipping services, and hopefully something will pan out! My good friend Amy here in Jacksonville has offered to help as far as taking them to the airport at a later date and just knowing that is very nice.

Things I will miss about Jacksonville, FL:

1. My beautiful neighborhood by the river with its bohemian flavor and big trees dripping with Spanish moss
2. My good friends, especially Amy with whom I have spent many lovely evenings sipping wine, having dinner, and watching various movies, television shows, etc.
3. Restaurants (Casbah, Cool Moose, Sushi Cafe, to name a few)
4. My job and coworkers
5. Being in the same country as my friends and family.

Things I won't miss about Jacksonville, FL:

1. too big and spread out for me
2. absolute need for a car
3. weird upstairs neighbor
4. Messed up educational system
5. too conservative
6. expensive

Later!

The Isle of Gems

A New Beginning

:)

Going back for awhile...

yum

haha cryptic

waves

Good morning!

Stardust love

hiya

yep

new phone

feeling better today

Tobago

yays

Jungle walking...

Where's Stardust?

*drive-by waves*

*waves*

Knocking, knocking

deadlines

sleeeeeeepy

Good morning

yay

One can only laugh...

tired

Saga continues...

grrr

1 Box!

Today

lazy

Secret Beach

Vomit

niiiiiiice day

And she spams again...

creativity and all..

why

weekend

week 2

A Room of My Own

Caroni Bird Sanctuary and writer's workshops!

eh...

hiya

adventures

happy making!

Moving through time...

Wrestling snakes...

Saturday

Barack the Magnificent

TWO posts in one day?

Bread..

hot

Ready...set...write

back...

Upsetting news...

sleeeeeep...

Food, food, food

Nothing Nothing Nothing

Back to the mundane...in a disjointed kind of way

Whew, I think I'm recovered now...

Carnival!

Carnival is comin'...

Of Walks and Breads...

A short haiku et al

Weirdness

Kiddie Carnival!

I have internet!

A quest...

whee, hello

Rain

Mount St. Benedict

Mmmm...roti!

ack, internetzzz gone!

Today...

Here

Getting Closer...

Less than a week....

drive-by waves

waves