Wet cement, outside, it's drying, fast, come on! This is a life long dream. What do I write?

Recently I have been posting ruminations and other non-informative posts rather than the exciting narrative exploits you all have grown used to. I apologize to those of you who expect more. However Erin and I have our hands in a number of various pots currently and we have let our blog suffer a bit. We will try to do better in the future.

Yesterday I traveled to Kingston for a few meetings. Each trip seems to come with built in oddities, yesterday’s being the sighting of a man dressed in a chicken costume handing out flyers for Burger King in downtown Kingston. I guess this wouldn’t necessarily strike everyone as strange, but in Jamaica, I have never seen blatant commercialism directed at local inhabitants. The ridiculous advertising schemes seem to be solely targeted at tourists.

Reflecting upon the chicken-man sighting left me feeling a bit strange, though the chicken nuggets I didn’t buy from BK my have been the real culprit. I think being here almost a year allows me to include myself in the local population rather than grouping myself among tourists. However, it is obvious that I am not a native Jamaican. So my place somewhere in the ‘Jamerican’ middle ground has allowed me to avoid being advertised to almost entirely. But the chicken-man ploy seemed to be intended for me; the BK chicken-man wanted ME to eat their BK chicken. If there is one thing I hate, it is being the direct object of any sentence (at least ones that require my direct object-ness to be advertised to). Their yellow-feathered gambit was unsuccessful and I chose to buy my vittles from another establishment. This decision was not made because the (Burger) King himself transparently made me the direct object of his ludicrous
marketing scheme complete with a Big Bird cameo… No I made my decision because BK uses meat from local farms. Normally I am in favor of supporting local farms. Though despite having no evidence that the meat BK uses has any problems with it, Jamaica does not maintain the best track record for the refrigeration of perishable foods.

I listened to a Simon and Garfunkel live concert coming home from K-town. I have always respected the duo, but my respect has grown for them in recent months. Mrs. Robinson is a great song. It plays a major role in the classic movie ‘The Graduate’, is applicable even today, and employs the harmonious union of two male voices that only Paul and Art seem capable. What you ask?.. It is applicable today?.. Patrick, are you being seduced by a woman twice your age? No, there are no middle-aged women currently after Tricio, at least that I know of. However the lines:

"Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon.
Going to the candidate's debate.
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way you look at this you lose."

The lyrics seem like they were written for the 2008 presidential elections. I am very disappointed in the current candidates as the three viable candidates are:
1) A woman that repeatedly lied about being under sniper fire to garner support , will use any unscrupulous tactic necessary to win and once told her husband during his presidency that he should ‘screw em,’ referring to the white middle class, a sect of the public she is now “championing.”
2) A billion-year-old warmonger who would support a 100 year war in Iraq (if necessary) and who has folded on important issues to pander to a right-wing conservative base.
3) An inexperienced senator who still speaks of changing politics while stooping to the mud-slinging tactics indicative of his opponent and has a proclivity to hang out with nefarious fellows and bails on them when discovered (I have friends whose opinions I don’t necessarily agree with but I would back them up and say that while they might not carry the opinions necessary of the commander-in-chief that I do and that while their opinions may be inflammatory that they are good people/Americans).

I agree with Paul and Art. You got it right boys, anyway I look it we lose. I hope, if nothing else, that we pick the least of all evils.

Where did you go Joe DiMaggio? I would like know. Patrick