Valentine's Day & Carnival 2k6

Valentine’s Day has passed (Thank God) and won’t be back for another year. While I did not get to go into POS to unleash my reign of destruction upon the flower shops, card stores, flower delivery vans, and those stores selling those ridiculous stuffed animals. There is always next year! (I’ll have more time to stock up my implements of destruction and plan my campaign) As for the stupid couples, I’m still going to be out there doing my best to avoid you all. However should you get in the way of my daily routine, delay me in any way shape or form, or heaven forbid get the last of some edible item that I’ve been craving; heaven help you bastards and bitches. Once again, I’m not ticked off at Valentine’s Day and Couples because I’m single, far from it. I just can’t stand that stupid day, and as for the couples…you just annoy me and sometimes make it difficult for me to get things done when you pause to do some stupid crap that only couples tend to do. Here is a bit of advice, save the displays of affection for the bedroom or someplace private. Okay, enough ranting about Valentine’s Day until 2007.

As this is the week leading up to Carnival 2006 (2k6) I’ve been noticing that people have been doing a lot of stupid things. Traffic going into town yesterday was bad, today it was even worse and folks were not exactly being kind to one another either. I must have heard the word “asshole” used over sixty times while running errands this morning. But, fast forward to next week, and these same men and women that were being most impolite to each other will be linked arm in arm jumping, chipping, wining and grinding to the latest Soca song as they make their way up and down the length and width of Port of Spain. For now, they are all praying for Friday to get here as soon as possible, as it will mean:
(1). Payday.
(2). Start of a long four day weekend.
(3). A wide range of parties and fetes to choose from.

From Friday to Sunday there will be a whole bunch of parties, concerts and fetes all over Trinidad & Tobago. Some of the more popular ones of course will be held in the West. Which for those living there will mean excess traffic of people going there. (Thank God I live in the East). Trinis will be tired from Friday night, but will find that extra burst of energy to head out again on Saturday night, Sunday night into Monday morning for Jouvert and Carnival Monday, followed by Carnival Tuesday, the big day when they get to don their $3,000.00 plus costume, which is nothing more than a beaded bra, thong panties, some glitter, a headpiece and maybe a standard of some sort…then again do bands even use standards?? Part of the $3,000.00 plus that they pay also goes to cover food, drink, security, medical, P-Truck (yes there is a truck that they trick out with a few portable bathrooms for masqueraders, particularly females to go and do their business…dudes can go up on a wall, bush or wherever) and other sundry expenses.

When Ash Wednesday rolls around, these same people that have been living for Carnival since the previous one, will either miss work altogether on Wednesday or take it off to go to the beach. But for the most part, they will be in Carnival withdrawal just like any addict whose main fix that brought them so much joy and pleasure, has gone and will not be back for another year. That however will not be me, I only look forward to Carnival for the four-day weekend and the opportunity to catch up on sleep, reading, movies etc. Back when everyone was getting into the whole Carnival thing and going out to parties and stuff. I was at home on babysitting duty, for part of High School I lived over in Tobago. When Carnival rolled around it meant two things, the Friday before when other schools were having Calypso Shows and Jump-ups, we would be running cross country; and that I would be heading to Trinidad for the next few days to return to Tobago on the first flight up on Ash Wednesday morning. I never really got the opportunity to develop any sort of dance co-ordination when it came to dancing. So when I moved back to Trinidad for 4th Form, to a school where being un-coordinated was akin to an unforgivable sin; I just never bothered with going out at all during Carnival.

Anyhow, no big deal as I have my books and movies to keep me entertained during the four days. Come Ash Wednesday I’ll be among the few that will be on their way to work dodging the Carnival Zombies, piles of debris, and having to contend with the smell that will permeate Port of Spain for the majority of that day and part of the next. The smell of spilled beer, spoiled food and urine, I know its not a pleasant thought but that’s the truth of the day after Carnival. Then there is the mad rush to Tobago; locals and visitors alike flood the harbor and airport in search of a means to get to the sister for a few relaxing days following the hectic pace of the past few weeks.
I’ll probably go over to Tobago sometime next month and spend a few days with my father. In the meantime, I have some new books to read (including a few that have been on hold for some time), my pay Cheque was deposited this morning and will be accessible on Friday. In time to pay my phone and cable bills, maybe even pick up a used book from the used book people who will be in City Gate again on Friday. Along with trying my to get some creative writing done to post to my journal space site, and work on the Fan Fiction set in the Axis of Time books. Fun, Fun, Fun!!!!!!!

Once again, the day that I loathe is almost upon us single and unattached people. The ads are all over the place, and going into a stationary store or candy shop the reminders are overly blatant and pretty much in your face. To those that are not aware, I’m talking about Valentine’s Day (14th February) the one day when I’m forced to bite my tongue and hold my temper when I’m walking through town and have to dodge flower delivery people, or love sick suckers with their arms overflowing with cards, flowers, balloons, stuffed bears (or any silly looking stuffed animal), chocolate and perfume on their way to deliver these items to some female that they desire at her place of work. In the hopes that this outpouring of gifts and affection on their part will win over the hart of said desired female. Instead, said female will take it from the gullible sap and tell her friends back in her work area that some other guy gave it to her. Along with being bombarded by petals from some bouquet of flowers that get caught in the wind stream of the maxi taxi that I’m traveling in that afternoon. Then there are those stupid couples that are so wrapped up in each other that they get stupid and forget how to do simple things. Such as walking hand in hand and blocking the path of the single angry, fed up people that are trying to get by them. I have a hard enough time with couples on a daily basis, but on Valentines Day they just annoy me even more. Here is a hint,
“GET A FRIGGIN ROOM AND GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!!!!”

There was once was a time back when I was young, gullible and stupid; when every Valentines day I would shell out mucho dollars on cards and the odd stuffed animal(s) to give out to female friends and acquaintances. In the hopes that at least one would be so impressed that she would want to get something more out of it. One year it did work, and I got a girlfriend that I was with for a year and six months. Since then, I’ve not been able to duplicate the same result; and following graduation from College I sent out cards to one special person hoping that maybe she would someday return the same feelings to me. No such luck! Eventually I gave up on the whole sending out cards thing and became a bit of a cynic on the whole Valentine’s Day Hoopla.

If you have been single for as long as I have, tried to do right, kept it honest and been a general good person. And have been forced to watch as the jerks, assholes, and “Bad Boys” get all the attention from women while you’re ignored and relegated to the background like wall paper. Been forced to listen to women complain that “All Men Are Dogs” and “There Are No Good Decent Men Out There.” It tend to turn one into a cynic, that becoming an asshole starts to look like a damn good idea. But since its not in your character to become like the ones that you despise, you instead turn inward and dodge the couples with the public displays of affection, contend with female friends and their complaints about their ignorant/stupid/jerk of a boyfriend, while doing your best not to loose it and go on a rampage.
While I would love to avoid work on the 14th, I have no choice but to go out there and face all the love struck stupid couples and their maladies. I’m just hoping that the books I ordered will get here by then; their arrival should lessen the sting and disappointment that many single people face.