Dude, there's my car!

I’ve been looking for another car since my last one was stolen from me in March.

My eyes were open as they scoured the Tribune (one of our local papers), the internet, and car lots hoping to find that perfect something. In my mind I wanted an SUV but I did not want a massive vehicle, gas guzzler, or something that put a serious dent in my bank account.

I placed a number of calls to an individual inquiring about an Isuzu Rodeo, but no one ever answered the cell phone. I tried the other phone number that was mentioned in the advertisment, and nobody knew what I was talking about. Clearly I’m not the stupid one here. Hells no! The bright, enlightened one who placed the classified ad in the paper should go ahead and shoot themselves and everyone else at that home number in the foot; might as well shoot yourself in the head whilst you’re at it. The world needs less stupid people. "Go ahead! I dare you!" All the idiot needed to do was to tell everyone at the land line that he wanted to sell his car and to expect the phone to ring with inquiries. "Dumbass! You'll never sell anything." Needless to say (but I’m about to anyway), I didn’t buy that car.

I knew what I wanted now but I still had to find it. I thought that the best thing for me to get would be a Honda CRV. It’s not too BIG, and it’s higher off the ground than a regular car, and I don’t think that they drink lots and lots of gasoline. Well, I never ever saw one of these advertised in the papers so I had to move on and open my options.

Anyway, to make a long story short (too late) I received a call from one of my friends informing me that his father had an extra car that he wanted to sell. I had a look and a test drive and fell in love with it. So a few days later I purchased it; done deal.

What I ended up with was a 2001 white Honda Accord with leather interior and a 2.3 liter VTEC fuel injected engine. Sweet! I have so much more room than my 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer. I’m way more comfortable and proud of this car. Let’s hope that this one doesn’t get swiped from me, and that I take really, really good care of it.

Easter Weekend in Hope Town, Abaco

Wow, what a trip! I thoroughly enjoyed myself this long weekend (Friday 14th to Monday 17th) in Abaco. This was my 1st time back to the islands since my sixth grade school trip, which was so like 16 years ago.

A fairly large group of us spent our Easter weekend vacation together. The only stress we had came from my sisters two little girls who are only two and four respectively. The youngest is a “mommy-clinger” or as my dad says a “sucker fish” (you know, the fish that sticks to sharks and clean them). Anyway, it was such a joy spending time with family and friends together on a different island.

We had planned for just about everything. We took coolers filled up with food. We even made a very large pot of chicken souse and froze it before we came to the island. Beers were purchased locally in Hope Town by one of our friends before we arrived. It was nice to get off the ferry, walk about 120 feet or less, and crack open a cold Stella Artois from the cooler filled with beer and ice.

We stayed in Hope Town in a perfectly sized wooden home with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, front porch, back patio, equipped kitchen, family room with sliding door to main patio area with barbeque grill and steps to the Crows Nest where one could easily gaze at the famous Hope Town Lighthouse, the marina, and the rooftops of many Bahamian island homes.

I had a blast in Hope Town and the day I spent at Nippers on Great Guana Cay. I’ll absolutely go back again; sooner rather than later. Well, it definitely won’t be another sixteen years.

I did not want to leave Hope Town; I felt right at home. However Marsh Harbour was a different story. It’s the “main land” like the city and that’s where all the trouble making people live. It was reminiscent of Nassau, which I don’t like at all. I’m thinking about leaving Nassau and making a move to Hope Town, Abaco.

The Talk

I walked into Niko's, the bar where JP and I decided to meet. I did not know anyone there, which is a good thing because JP and I had serious discussions to have.

He was running late. Stuck at a clients longer than he thought. I was finishing up my second Anejo & coke when he joined me at the bar. I must have been on my sixth cigarette. I was feeling a little nervous meeting him, because I knew we were going to get into some really deep shit. JP ordered a Bud Light and another Anejo & coke for yours truly.

We began with small chat which lead to "bullshit" and finally to the reason why we met at the bar that day. Drinks flowed from the bartender and down our hatches. More and more cigarettes were smoked as the conversation grew larger and larger.

I had the letter in my shirt pocket but JP did not want to read it. He didn’t even want to touch the paper that I printed my thoughts and feels on. It was like that letter was his kryptonite. I never expected to change the decisions that he had already made. I just thought that he needed to hear what I had to say before the wedding.

We discussed a lot of things at the bar that day. Guess you can say that I’m still a little miffed, but whatever. The funny thing is that JP is not my bestest, or even best friend. We’ve done a lot together and shared a lot of good times but maybe that’s where the buck stops. I never really thought about it too much, and I shan’t any more.