All the Lonely People...with informercials

In the English language there are no adjectives that sufficiently describe the brilliance of the Beatles, particularly the lyrical geniuses of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. "Eleanor Rigby" is a masterpiece. In very few words and a simple, haunting chorus, Paul (yes, I think it was he who directly penned that one) captured the epitome of loneliness . a desolate old lady scrounging for leftover rice from a wedding at a church compared with a priest at the same church sitting up at night contemplating the futility of his life.

The Coffeewallahs recent post, http://coffeewallah.blogspot.com/2009/03/troublesome-offspring.html , talked about late night infomercials. Coffeewallah was wondering out loud who actually bought these things.

It brought to mind a story someone shared with me. this was someone who was facilitating a program I was attending in my previous, corporate life. The gentleman was a Brit and he was quite an engaging and personable guy.

Over quite a few beers, discussion got to those infomercials. He confessed that his mum had passed away only a few months before. Their dad had died decades before and the two only sons lived quite far away from their mum. Visits were in often and sadly their mum had passed away alone. The brothers made their way to her house f

Her garage was filled with dozens upon dozens of boxes. They were shipping boxes, containing kitchen gadgets, self-help cds and myriad of items all sold in these infomercials. The boxes had never been opened. They also discovered another surprise - she had racked up an enormous credit card debt.

The brothers figured that she consoled her lonely nights by watching infomercials and 'interacting' with the persons on them by , well, ordering their stuff.

I guess this old lady was her own "Eleanor Rigby".

Steven Weathers - vlogger from Shanghai

I'd like to introduce Steven Weathers to my blogging friends. Steven is this amazing University Professor, actor and amateur director of his own documentaries who has been sending steady streams of fascinating videos, tweets and pics about Chinese architecture, food, lifestyle and culture.




Following Steven on Twitter alone is like experiencing life in Shanghai firsthand. His candid, down-to-earth encounters with all strata of Chinese society is utterly captivating. This amazing to me particularly as someone who's grandfather came from this ancient place.

Did I mention his birthday is the day after mine? We both did have a chuckle about that.

Steven's warmth and outgoing personality endears him to everyone he meets on his journeys in China as well as in the Twitterverse. I encourage you to join him on his adventures.

Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/sdweathers
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sdweathers
pics: http://twitpic.com/1rvsr

Giving you some "current"

Some random "currents" going on with the Coffeedude

Current reading
Marie Antoinette - The Journey by Antonia Fraser

Current activities with Kids
Exploring the Indiana Jones movies and Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban (novel)

Current viewing
Indiana Jones movies

Current positives
The Coffeedudette and I are expecting Coffeebaby#3!
My current job is so frickin awesome

Current concerns
The Coffeedudette and I are expecting Coffeebaby#3!
Price of oil!

Current peeves
Fellow Trinis truly not understanding the gravity and reach of the global financial crisis

Current food and drink
Second Cup ground Rawandan Medium Roast
anything a pregnant woman can eat also..

Current addictions
Coffee and Twitter (likely to stay like this for quite some time)

Current Twitter addictions (dont be scared folks (stalker!)..the tweets these guys 'n gals send out are just informative, provocative and compelling. This is just some as I follow about 400 people)
@sdweathers - awesome American Teacher and actor in shanghai
@cricketmad - nuff said
@piscesinpurple - our favourite 'naturalized' Grenadian
@blahblohblog - our favourite 'natural' Grenadian
@sanman_ish - best source for local and caribbean music
@toflo - hard hitting Canadian party girl
@tacarigua - transplanted trini living in Toronto. This guy and I would have given lots of trouble together if we grew up knowing each other.
@jimmychung - the energizer bunny of twitter. Inspirational and motivational. He and I appers to have lots of "logistics"in common - married, young kids, ambitious, looking for a house!
@klconover - quiet, fascinating texan artist and her dog charlie
@trinigourmet - food, food and food

Current daily internet required reading (not blogs)
Trinidad Express Newspaper www.trinidadexpress.com
Trinidad Guardian Newspaper www.guardian.co.tt
Wired Magazine www.wired.com
Conde Nast Porfolio Magazine www.portfolio.com
New York Times www.nytimes.com
Daily oil price www.oil-price.net (gotta get off my lazy butt and RSS this into my blog)
Major Spoilers new comics being released (www.majorspoilers.com)

Current artists listening to whilst in transit
Coldplay
Queen
3-Canal

Current Blogs Im reading religously
See my blog roll but I must also add the slacker (http://slackerschronicles.blogspot.com/) and @trinigirlblue (http://trinigirlblue.blogspot.com/) to that. b.t.w slacker, good fortunes on your fiction writing. Let us know how we can support you on this.

Daggerin our freedom of speech

I read Annie Paul's Active Voice post on the "Daggerin" controversy in Jamaica and felt inspired enough to put in my 2 cents. (her blog is linked on my blogroll)



I am not a huge fan of the current crop of lewd Dancehall music. I grew up with rockers and reggae but for the most part still cant embrace the edgier modern dancehall. Bawdy soca and chutney however don't even illicit a reaction from me, probably it's my culture and I have grown with this and Crazy singing "nanny wine" was not a far cry from some of the stuff going on today.



The point is that I would hate to live in a place, country, a region..a world where someone else was telling me that I could not listen to a bawdy song. I think everyone is free to criticise music that they think is distasteful and even mobilise boycotts against it. However, a STATE has no role in determining exactly what level of moral 'influence' I should get from my music.



The state should be seeking to address social conditions that create the environments where bawdiness proliferates. The state should be seeking to encourage responsible parenting where parents take a full interest in their kids activities including what they listen to and what they watch. The state should be helping to educate children to be responsible citizens and to take ownership for their own development and to make their own choices. The state should defend the weak and the powerless from bullying and discrimination and hate. If you want to the output of the society to look and sound better, solve the corrosive input into the system - don't try to regulate the only outlets for society's ills. Don't attack the symptoms whilst ignoring the causes.



That's why I bristle when I hear about any government intervening on radio broadcasting. Short of hate speak, banning transmissions over the airwaves is telling people what they can or cannot listen to. Movies, video games, talk radio, books . Governments are always looking for ways to keep the society stagnant (they say stable). It is about control, people.



The state should not...not now and not ever..be telling me what kind of music I should listen to.

Carnival Exile

I was a serious Carnival baby. No, I wasnt born in November but my parents both grew up with and participated in Carnival until they were well into their 50's. My dad is 70 and he still plays though he sticks to his Monday night mas with his favourite pan side. Goat doh make sheep so I have been playing carnival, hitting panorama, calypso competitions and tents, j'ouvert (oh yes..j'ouvert) since I was a very young teen. I was renown with my friends for being an 'all out' carnival man.


For the past 7 years I have been in Carnival exile. Reality of a marriage and kids hit at the same time the cost of carnival skyrocketed. Suddenly there was no more enjoying yourself with just a blue note in your pocket. From all-inclusives costing over $500 for a couple to two and three thousand dollar costumes, it suddenly didnt seem to be worth it. And, I am not the kind of man to do things in half measures. Its either all or nothing for me, especially with my beloved Carnival.


So, I removed myself from Carnival and resigned myself to watching the parade of the bands on tv and listening to panorama on the radio. I feel justified in my decision. My family has flourished and my finances are solid.


However, doubt sneaks in.


For one, Bandwagonist tweeted me the video for Machel's Wild Antz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6APHiR43WOk

Now I have listed to all of the soca and calypso this year. Some good stuff but nothing has made me yearn and pine as much as hearing the Machel tune. I was actually in anti-Machel mode due to the stories coming out about his ignorant behaviour to staff and fellow artists. However, this tune took me right back to all the best fetes and all the best road experiences ever. Suddenly I wanted to back in "de ting" no matter the cost. this tune is roadmarch, I swear. Im not saying it is the best Machel song ever (far from it) but goddamn did it hook me into Carnival the way no Bunji, Fay-ann, Shurwayne or "roti song" can do it.

To add to my pain and suffering I found every soca video on youtube and played them. when I reached Machel's "Big Truck" I was in tears.


My mind is not changed though. I will not be paying $2000 for a costume and $20 for beer (at the rate I drink beer, several hundred will be spent before long). I have a family that I love and that I want to support in the best way possible.


I do recognise however, the power of the Carnival over me and that my soul still to be free from Carnival exile.

Growing up with dreams

I spent most, if not all, of my childhood chasing dreams.

Maybe it was growing up with a massive extended family. There was never a quiet moment in the house. Everrything was a vortex of cackling, tv sounds, music, calalloo and threadbare carpet. Great stuff having lots of family around but I also felt claustrophobic, I had no peace no time for me. That is, except when I was reading.

I travelled the world over and through time. At age eight I was reading novels, 'grown up' ones at that. I read everything I could get my hands on. Comics, classics, westerns, National Geographic & Readers Digest even Playboy. I read cover to cover, scrutinizing every article, every ad. Astral travel? Cant compare to reading.

I never equated reading with learning, though I did learn. Reading was pure undulterated pleasure. Reading inspired dreams. Reading was fuel for the imagination.

Kids need to dream. I read to my kids most every night. Sometimes Doctor Seuss. Sometimes Thomas the Tank Engine (an obsession in this house). More often though, it's a little more grown up than what one expects from 7 and 3 years olds. I read them the original Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and they were fascinated. J especially comes back days after with questions about the plot and characters.

It makes me happy to see my kids reading and enjoying reading. They are still very active and love to play and goof around, reading isnt going to make them angels overnight. I can see the impact that books have had on them through their interactions not only with their parents but with others, especially adults. They are not afraid to question, to enquire and to challenge. This does not fare them well with some of their 'old school' teachers but to me it is a very positive quality.

Read to your kids, even if not your kids, your nieces and nephews, your neighbour's or friend's child. Every child should grow up with dreams.

Twitter me this, twitter me that

Its Monday morning and my usual twitter time has been derailed by a major Twitter 'Fail -Whale": aptly named for the picture of the friendly whale that pops up when Twitter is giving problems.

I have been using Twitter for about five months now and am hopelessly addicted. Twitter is also one of those services that has become ubiquitous in an insanely short period of time, but yet has no business model (read: no ads or subscription fees) to support it. Thus, as with any pro-bono Internet service, outages often occur.

This is the first morning however that Twitter has not been there for me to reach out and communicate with my Tweeps (read: followers and followed) so I find myself meandering over to my blog.

Twitters power over me is strong. Effin' strong. I am typing this blog entry and am feeling the urge to ALT-TAB Twitter to send a Tweet (read: message): " Am updating my blog whilst having coffee". There's a Tweep called @ladawn (all twitter names are referred to as @xxxxx), who apparently twitters first thing after waking up, offering her kindom for a cup of coffee in bed. Another dude ritualistically 'offers' his coffee-pot around the Twitterverse (trini twitterer @sherwinravi outed me as a nerd for using this term). It's hard to convey the connection I feel with these folks. One of my tweets the other day was "making pancakes for kids whilst sipping espresso..am in heaven".

Making social connections on the Internet is not new. Social Networking services such as Forums, Chat Rooms, Instant Messaging, Blogs and more recently the Myspace and Facebook phenomenon have allowed fairly in-depth relationships to develop between persons who don't know each other in RL. What makes Twitter different seems to be the Real Time nature of the communications and the limiting of the tweets to a lengthy blurb of 140 characters. The real reason is probably harder to pin down. Twitter just seems right. It doesn't have that creepy overtones of some of the other services (@anniepaul knows me as a 'elitist' Facebook loather) though it is a ravenous consumer of your time.

There's so much to share about Twitter that it would be impossible to do it all in a single post. I am also keen to close off this post as I am eager to read @jimmychung's inspirational morning Tweets; to see what great tech news @guykawasaki has sent out; and to see if @ladawn ever did get her coffee served up in bed.