Men Who Can Cook 2023

It was a smashing hit. Those men showed up and showed out. For the first time, I bought something from every single chef. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to making it a success.

  • Koskel Times (They official now with name and ting)
  • All the chefs for doing such a good job and keeping us fed
  • The winners – competition was fierce but you obviously had the edge
  • The volunteers – I know that the Koskel Crew couldn’t do it all without you
  • All the patrons/the limers/the nyammers (eaters) – old and new…thank you for your unwavering support to make this the event to look forward to every year in September

Koskel had branded cups, a backdrop for pictures and the team just made some upgrades in general that took the event up a couple notches. In my opinion, this year had the most people I’ve ever seen in attendance and things can only get better going forward.

Well done Koskel Times! Well done!!

Disabled in Trinidad

I’m here, I’m here…I really am!

I went home for carnival this year. Back in 2021, I decided that that there was no way that I was going to miss the first carnival after a 2-year hiatus because of the ‘vid. I’m sure that my friends got tired of hearing me explain that I just knew that Trinidad, the land mass, was going to sink because of how many people were going to be on it and if Trinidad was going down, I had to be there to go down with it! I was there for 2 weeks from the middle of February and oh what a time!

I’ve been going home during all stages of my disability, and I always have to do my due diligence w.r.t. where I can go, what I can comfortably do etc. – I love my country, I love going home but it really is not an ideal place for a handicapped person. I was also home in 2020 for carnival and that schedule of fetes plus J’ouvert worked so I figured that I’d stick with the same this time around too. One of the fetes was going to be a new experience but ‘Jel told me that it was held in the stadium, so I knew that was okay because the stadium is flat. Now, I have to admit that the wheelchair service and accommodations in Piarco, the airport, are second to none in my opinion; at least I’ve never had a bad experience. In fact, when I travel within the states, I’m on my own the entire time (from the time I enter the airport to the time I leave the next airport – don’t get me wrong, it suits me just fine) and I’m never escorted anywhere. In those instances, if I need help, it’s actually easier and makes more sense to ask another passenger than the wheelchair people. In Piarco, I’m put in a wheelchair when I arrive, and they send my scooter to baggage claim so I’m with someone at all times and I eh go lie, it really helps going thru the entire arrival process after flying internationally. It’s a BESS experience. When you leave the Piarco walls, however, all bets are off.

When I was growing up, I took taxis or maxitaxis whenever I needed to use public transportation. Luckily for me these days, there are many other options so most times in recent years, I’ve hired drivers to get where I needed to be. This year, the person was a friend of the family, so he had somewhat of an idea of what he’d have to deal with beforehand (we’d never met but my mother gave him the rundown). I must say though that I’ve never had a bad experience with anyone I’d used prior…I always tell them at the time we discuss where I’m going etc. and everyone has been helpful and cool about having to haul the scooter in and out their cars. I haven’t used the Trini version of Uber yet although apparently, one big difference is that riders do not see the make/model of the car in the app. I believe that after you are paired with a driver, they call to give you that information which means that if I ever use it, I need to be with someone who lives there because I may not recognise the make of the car to make a judgment call about whether the scooter will fit in the trunk. All in all, small ting!

The first few times I went down with my scooter, a lot of people stared at me like I was an extra-terrestrial being. I mean STARE and STARE HARD. I remember one time there were people looking, staring, bending the corner to look and see what I was doing. It never bothered me, I never felt self-conscious, and I certainly never let it stop me from doing what I wanted to; in fact, I remember thinking that it was quite funny. I don’t think that anyone meant any harm; they were just curious and one of the reasons is that seeing a disabled person going about their business and doing their thing is just not something you see happening at home. I certainly don’t have the authority to say that we are second class citizens but maybe we are a forgotten/unthought of bunch? One of my Facebook friends who is in a chair living in Trinidad said that the disabled population just isn’t visible, whether by choice or not. The infrastructure also doesn’t lend itself to be accommodating in a lot of instances. Just before I went down, I saw pics and reels of a new restaurant; the food looked delicious, and I definitely hoped to try it when I landed. Yanz was down there before me and she went to scope it out. Well suffice it to say that I scratched it off my list; it was small, tight (not very Optimus friendly) and included a step up to enter. At one of the parties, there were 2 levels and we decided to party on the bottom level. Luckily I had one of my personal elevators because there was no ramp and we had to go down 4 steps (I have an “elite” subset of friends who religiously pick me up and take me up and down steps if necessary whom I call my personal elevators :-)). I always feel nervous for them even though this is normelnormel if we go somewhere and have to negotiate steps. Well, in this fete, for the first time in however many years, J missed the last step and tripped. I have NO idea how he did that but managed to stay upright and not drop me…but somehow, he did! and the story ends here. I must say that on this trip when I went to the grocery with my mother, not a soul paid me any mind (at least, not that I noticed).

The restrooms at these fetes and on the road is another thing that I always need to think about. At the fetes that I attend, picture 3 or 4 trailers of 4 bathroom stalls each. Once again, I used my personal elevator because there were 4 steps to get to the stalls so the attendant let everybody exit and then he took me up. She then kept that trailer off limits to anyone who wasn’t with me. No complaints there at all. Now using the restroom truck J’ouvert morning is a harrowing experience because well…3 or 4 steps. Now, (for anyone who doesn’t know) J’ouvert is a parade through and on the streets of Port of Spain (the capital) so we were constantly on the move. The band had a music truck, a drinks truck and the toilet truck bringing up the rear – constantly on the move. We had to ask the driver to stop the toilet truck for a moment so that J could take me up the steps. I was so nervous because they were narrow and he had to pick me up like a lil child which is not normal at all! We made it though, and then going back down, he went backwards!!! He is my HERO; I’m still in awe at how he did it.

Happy to report that the entire parade route was a non-issue. Of course, I had to be vigilant especially when we pushed off at 4am. I had to keep my eyes open for ankles (I was in the thick of things, in the middle of the crowd) and potholes in minimum light. There was only one close call with the road and I can’t remember the details so all in all it must not have been that bad. One masquerader asked me to take a picture and she told me that she was really happy to see me in the band. Turns out that she is a Physical Therapist and was just really glad to see me out in the band and having a time in spite of my situation. We had a great time on the road and Optimus was a hit with just about everybody in the band (people I knew and those I didn’t) and he survived even though he had to be thoroughly cleaned after. Carnival 2023 is a wrap!

MARTA Really is Smarter yes

Geez! why haven’t I been using MARTA all along?!? ugh…this is a case of better late than never i suppose. So, I was conditionally approved to use the Marta Mobility service. “Conditionally” means that they approved me to use it only if any of 4 conditions apply at the time that I want to ride. Turns out that because of where my apartment complex is, one of those conditions (there is no sidewalk to use) ALWAYS applies. I always have to scoot on the road when I leave the complex – it’s not a busy road at all and it’s not far to the cross street with a pavement – but the point is, there’s no sidewalk, so technically, I can use the service any time I leave. I’ve been going to Occupational Therapy weekly since December and started using MARTA to go in January. Everything has been so easy, breezy like Sunday Morning, seamless and CHEAP! I don’t have to deal with any attitudes (obvious or perceived). No need to say to anyone (nicely and smiling somewhat while scowling in my head), “it’s okay. If you don’t want to deal with it, I’ll cancel and request someone else” and best of all, my being judgemental and cancelling rides simply because of the gender and race of the driver (young, black women are the worst) is a thing of the past…using the service has been like a breath of fresh air.

One of the last times I used Lyft, I was walking the driver thru removing the seat from the scooter (the very first step of dismantling it). I believe that my 7-year-old niece would have used more effort that the schupidy gyurl was using to lift the seat. Suffice it to say that when she said that she couldn’t stay any longer, I was glad to see her go because she was irritating me to no end, and I was this close to saying something I should not have.

I am also not limited to using it only for doctor’s appointments and the like; I can use it to go anywhere as long as the destination is within half a mile of a regular MARTA stop. Of course, there will be times when I’ll need to use Lyft or Uber but the angst that sometimes came with that will be minimised. I eh go lie tho, I haven’t used either since I was approved and last week, I got an email from Lyft that stated, “hey, where are you? here’s a 10% discount for your next 3 rides.”

Now, each trip costs $4 and when I went to load my card, there was an option for 20 rides for $68 so naturally, I bought that. A number of times, the fare boxes in the buses were out of service but each time, the driver wrote down the card number and we moved on along. On two occasions, the driver told me that there was no money on the card and when I told them that there should be, they wrote down the number and we went on our way. Last week Wednesday, I finally got my online access organised and when I looked, I saw that I haven’t been charged for any of the rides I’ve already taken and there are still 20 rides left on the card. I did the right thing and contacted customer service to report the issue and figure out how to correct and guess what I was told…”hmm…don’t know what’s the deal. don’t worry about it.” I protested a little…feigned concern, so she told me that if I encounter a driver who gives me a hard time, I could (if I want to) go to the MARTA office and tell them that the card doesn’t work so I need a new one. Well hell, she didn’t have to tell me three times; I thanked her and moved on. I’ll continue to tell them that there’s money and I assume that they’ll continue to log my card number and 1 day, maybe when I look, I’ll have 5 rides left. Not much I can do if someone, somewhere appears to not be doing their job.

The one drawback of using the service is that it needs to be scheduled but, in the grand scheme of things, that is smallting and certainly not the end of the world. I will use Lyft/Uber when things come up and those times will not be doctor’s appointments etc. where I HAVE to be somewhere on time, so I won’t let anything stress me out.

I gone so…allyuh hol’ it dong till next time. Stax

MARTA’s Smarta

MARTA is the rail system in Atlanta and “Marta’s smarta” is (or was) a slogan used to encourage ridership. The system is not that extensive, but it does make sense to use it to go games, the airport and some other venues, especially if you can just use the train. Anyway, there is something called MARTA Mobility Services offered to disabled peeps who cannot use the regular MARTA system. If approved, the rider can schedule a pickup to go wherever they need and then you will also get dropped back home. I’ve known about this service for a few years, but I always assumed that I didn’t qualify because, truth be told I CAN use the regular rail system. The other day I decided, “you know what? Let them, the experts make that decision.” I also have a number of therapy sessions coming up (that I’ll tell u about soon) and I will avoid the Lyft/Uber hassles. I applied. The application process involves a section completed by me, a section completed by my doctor (I won’t get into the incompetence I experienced with that) and an in-person interview with MARTA folk. They offer a complementary ride to the interview (nice surprise to me), so I scheduled mine for 2:30 yesterday because, well work, and I always need to be mindful of days off etc and I already had a half day scheduled. My managers are flexible but I never want it to seem like I am taking advantage. The lady told me my pickup time was going to be 1:17 (okay…specific much? lol). I was ready…

I probably could have used the fact that they were late as some kind of premonition for what was to come but I didn’t pay that any mind. It was Atlanta around lunchtime so who knows what kind of traffic was on the road. I had given the scheduler my gate code and building number, as I do everyone who is coming over for the first time so when the gate rang, I went outside expecting to see the MARTA truck but…nothing! I rolled around a little, looking everywhere I could think of but still…no MARTA truck. I decided to stay put because hopefully I would see one at some point, even if it was on its way out (I am close to the exit gate) because the driver couldn’t find me. Just as I was about to make a phone call, I saw it approaching my building. Turns out that the driver didn’t look at the pickup location properly and was waiting somewhere else for me. She pulled up (I thought she was kinda in the road but…), got out and was about to lower the ramp for me to roll on in and we hear “BAM!“. The “funny” thing about this was that I saw the Fedex truck approaching and thought, “hope he can get by”. Don’t you know that saddist hit the MARTA vehicle and just kept on going. UGH!!

So of course, the protocol is that the driver had to call it in and then wait for a supervisor to get there before we could leave. It wasn’t 1:17…by the time she’d gotten to me it was close to 2:00. By the time the supervisor got there and I’d called the office where I was headed for the interview, it was almost 2:45. They told me that I had to reschedule and it was at that point, that I got pissed off especially when I remembered that I really dislike FedEx because in my opinion, it is the absolute WORST delivery service (and that was before the accident). STEUPS!!!

I rescheduled to Friday morning but I still need to reschedule therapy that was supposed to start at that time. This way though, I won’t need to do anything w.r.t. time off at work because I’m already off 4 or 5 half days for therapy. Hopefully Friday’s session can be pushed to the last week of the year when I am actually on vacation – guess I won’t be going anywhere for Christmas. UGH!

The entire situation was annoying, but it was totally out of my control. Wish that I hadn’t taken a couple hours for nothing but wha yuh go do.

hol’ it down, Stax

I CANNOT Make This Shit Up!

Lemme preface this post by saying that I am tired of writing my excuses reasons for not writing, so I’ll just jump right in.

Anyhoo, I swear that I cannot make this up!

I am the proud owner of 2 mobility scooters, Optimus Prime and (the newly acquired) Max. I use both of them and they each serve a purpose altho recently I discovered that Max, while a nifty lil thing, is not the most comfortable for sitting for any length of time beyond getting where I need to go, and I definitely cannot stand on him. I had to go to Jamaica at the end of September and wouldn’t you know it, I couldn’t take either. Well, Optimus was in the shop and Max is just not comfortable or “party” friendly enuf, so I really did not want to take him. So…i had to rent a scooter – UGH! Luckily tho, the shop that was handling Optimus has scooters for rent, so I got one of theirs (“unfortunately”, they only had 4 wheeled scooters which didn’t make me happy, but I got over that fast). Got it the day before I left Atlanta and we were off.

Once I landed in JA, we had to take a shuttle bus to the hotel that was 2 hours away. I had already spoken to the wedding coordinator to ensure that there would be space for me and as it turns out, it was one of the big, coach busses so I was all set. They loaded the scooter in the luggage compartment and once again…we were off! 2 hours later, the bus pulled up outside the resort, the scooter was unloaded, i jumped on, turned the key and i heard a long beep. “No worries.” I thought, “like it’s in manual mode.” I looked at the switch and realised that it in fact, was NOT in manual mode. “hmmmmm”. It was at that point, that it occurred to me that I wasn’t hearing the “something’s wrong” alert; I was actually hearing the horn. It sounded like the horn was constantly being depressed and when I looked, the actual horn button was gone – I guess it had broken off in the luggage compartment of the bus. Ah shit! this had actually happened a couple of months ago with Optimus and the only option I had was to take him in to the same shop where he was at the moment. Great! I was in Jamaica! no scooter repair anywhere!!

For the next 4 days, EVERYONE knew when I was approaching!!! I’ll bet you thought that the thing couldna been that loud. Well, you’d be wrong…shit was loud and there wasn’t a damn thing that I could do about it. Noise pollution at its finest…the only time it wasn’t blaring was when the switch was off, and I did that as much as I could, but I still had to get around. Sigh! There is some good news, I didn’t get any complaints or incredulous stares until the last night, but by then miss h’A and I were over it and we didn’t care that the woman was most annoyed, had her fingers in her ears and kept saying/shouting something to us. What was funny was that for at least 45 minutes after I got home and parked the thing, I was still hearing the beeeeeeeeeeeeep in my head. A few other friends could have sworn that they heard me in the various airports where they were connecting to get back. The other good news? Bill and John at the repair shop didn’t charge me for the rental or the broken horn – I couldn’t beat that with a bat! I’ll take the wins whenever I can 🙂

Be back soon…

Follow Me

Get the latest posts delivered to your mailbox: