Ninja/Marley,
What are you waiting on? Seriously I need more. Carry on please............
Ninja/Marley,
What are you waiting on? Seriously I need more. Carry on please............
Day1: Saturday April 22, 2012
NINJA's 2Cents
----------------------------------------------------------------
My wife is gonna laugh at my next statement but she'll understand what I mean in a minute. I'm a guy who at times is reserved (insert laugh track by Marley). What I mean by this is when I meet new people especially a large group, and especially if my wife knows them better I turn down the NINJA a bit. I can be sarcastic, digging and I never forget anything you do that I find amusing and I will bring it back up over and over in a dry one liner or an elaborate story just to sting you. I mean nothing by it. I simply like to laugh and I can take it as much as I give it, but like everyone I have sensitive subjects. SO when I meet people I don't know I try not to be THAT guy just yet. Let them like me first then you can hate me in that I like him but he's got the sarcasm dripping off of him.
I say all this to start with our trip to Digicel. See chicken was nice enough to get Marley what she needed for her phone well because that's the man he is, however we discovered as we waited to get on the CB that others in the group needed to get phones. Chicken without a care in the world save making us happy made was happy to takes us to Digicel.
OK quick back story that terribly unnecessary but as my wife will confirm I like to talk. Last year for our one year I NEEDED to surprise my wife with something or rather someone. Anyone who has read last year's TR they know what it was. I wanted to get a phone last year so I could converse with this person without having to let my wife in on the little secret. Well needless to say I didn't get the phone but still manage to pull off the surprise. OK back to our regularly scheduled EPIC story.
So as we stopped to go into the Digicel store. I went in to the store with everyone decided if I wasn't need here I would excuse myself. I asked my wife if she wanted me to get a phone she said no (hindsight had I had a phone she could have called me when the incident happened on sunday { story to come}). Anyway, (drawn out anyway followed by long pause) I opted to remove one unnecessary person from the group in the small store. Honestly I was still in that observation mode. This is the mode where I engage less with people. I don't initiate conversations if I do they are quick. I don't get directly into the group discussion unless I need to and I gather as much information as possible before I decide whether the person I'm talking to is someone I want to have a long conversation with (for note sake this mode didn't stay long). I sat in the bus just observing mostly and drinking. Waiting for my fellow bus mates, just taking it all in.
----------
I will take this moment to do what my lovely wife did and give first impressions.
Tizzy is a bundle of pure energy ( even later when she lost her iPhone she never seemed to miss a beat). If you allow yourself to get past the fact that she is from TEXAS, just kidding Tz, you'll find that the statement everything's bigger in Texas is a direct statement about her person and less about her stature. She's like what 5'2 in heels ( again kidding it probably more like 5') but her aura, personality, chi or what ever you want to call it is 7' tall. She got a charisma of 20+5, thats for you nerds out there. But if you get past all of bigger than life Tz you'll find she simply a great mom, a good listener and all about being the best Tizzy she can be.
Sweetie Pie is quiet but not in the way you may think. Everything with her is never loud. Which make it easier to engage her because you really have to listen. As anyone can tell you I have a voice you can hear if I was buried alive 6' under and under a concrete slab. Sweetie Pie would be the antithesis to me. Her tone and conversation quality is rather calming. She like my wife when it comes to being a focal point. Someone to focus a person when they are trying to multitask but failing epically. Which well Guirigay needed a couple times this trip. I wont comment on her eyes because I can't do them any more justice than Marley did.
Guirigay, what to say about my flop competitor. If anyone one engaged me the most on the trip in it was him, at least initially. His energy funny enough is a little between the whirlwind that Tizzy is and the cool breeze that Sweetie Pie is. He seemed drunk first off but I would never hold that against him. He had that sliver eyed look people get when they are what my mom calls sweet (I call tipsy). I have to say it was our fault since they all were waiting for us. Guirigay has that intellectual quality you might mistake for a feeling of superiority if you didn't take a second to LISTEN to him. For the most part he's a smart ass much like myself but has a very kind heart. He's one of those guys that has always been a nice guy but realized they tend to finish last but instead of letting that deter him he just became a smart ass nice guy ( i know the type all to well, I look at that type every time I shave). Once you get past his disarming charm and fun you get to talk soup with him and well genuinely learn something.
Marley - I know you're thinking why in gods name does he need to write about his wife. My wife hates people. I say this because people need to be hated. They are obnoxious, self centered and genuinely in their own world and inconsiderate. If I have no patience for people she has -100. However when she gets in Negril and around people she really likes she lights up like a firefly and I can’t help but love her more if thats possible. She always has everyone's best interest at heart and even when she makes a mistake she only wants to remedy the problem. She’s really the opposite of the majority of people. Anyone who comes down on her, insults her or talks about her behind her back will eventually have to deal with me and even though I'm nice, I really am not that nice.
Watching her on the bus ride was like watching a thousand million fireflies. I could see she really loved these people and if they're okay with her then they'll be okay with me. She's so beautiful isn't she...
----------
Ok now that I said that I will admit that none of this was immediately discerned so as far as the trip to Negril was concerned I was with the Big Boobed Texan energizer bunny, the quiet yet stunning photojournalist, the drunk guy and the Queen of Negril. I say this with all the love I have for each and everyone of you.
After Guirgay had to rescued Tizzy from spending every dime of the moneys she converted in the cambio we piled on the bus and headed out of MoBay.
Quick note Guirigay makes the hat story seem way cooler than I thought it was so I thank him for that. When we stopped at Biggas the fact that they didn't have chicken ready but had pork made it the best stop on the way. Chowing down on Jerk pork with a little red stripe and the random sip of stone wine was like heaven.
I’m going to fast fwd to Sea Star Inn mainly because I want my wife to start writing her next part and really she covered the ride in. For my part let’s just say by the time we reached Sea Star I was out of observation mode at least for now.
When we reached Sea Star it was already dark and the party had started. Marley and I bought two 5 hour energy drinks anticipating the amount of tired we would be when we got to the party. So we got signed in and decided to head to say hi to everyone we just snuck by on our way in. The mix up with the rooms really wasn’t that big a deal as it was for one night and we just really needed a place to lay our heads. It probably wouldn’t be that long of a head resting anyway. The room was fine, but the only thing I noticed was that the mach 5 fan was awfully close to normal people arm reach (this will be important somewhere around 4 in the morning. Marley wanted to say hi to everyone in her Marley gear so we postponed changing to go say hi.
I have to admit meeting everyone was like a whirlwind there was a Patty, Kopper, Beachgirl, Clarity and Hubby man, a Spotty Kat and on and on. As my wife points out the funniest intro was still Boogers not so much because he was drunk but more because I only slight knew who he was and I think I gave him the so what face when he said I’m Booger. Luckily for me he was halfway in the bottle and can’t quite remember that. In my defense I was back in observation mode and there were way too many people to meet. But I recovered as I introduced him to Marley and he christened her dress.
Ok I’m posting this now because I need to get my woman some food but I haven't spell, grammar or general sense making checked it yet so, You were pre warned by my wife who will tell me to correct it later![]()
Da Ninja - 1st Annual Belly Flop Champ - Soon Come
~Fear accompanies the possibility of Death, Calm shepherds its certainty.
People's actions no longer affect a warrior when he has no more expectations of any kind. A strange peace becomes the ruling force in his life. He has adopted one of the concepts of a warrior's life -- detachment.
~from "The Eagle's Gift"~ blog.ralonzosinclair.com
Man this had me cracking up & pissing!!! I was wondering how put that type-a-situation in words. Ninja showed the way. Too bad it isn't ActionScript, because then I could reuse it!
(PS: I know I am way behind in the reading, so please excuse my out of sequence comment, had to say that,... eck, ....someone probably already made that comment...mmh...(insecure forum mumble))
Love it!!
It really does taste like a birthday cake. EVIL.
Awaiting our return to Negril, 07/01/12
Told you!!!!!!!!!!!
Even if you just open it up and smell it....Oh MA...GAH! lol
It is so delicious, so I doubt it is low carb! LOL
We mix it with pineapple juice and a splash of cherry juice or grenadine, and that makes you a drink that tastes EXACTLY like a pineapple upside down cake. (Stay tuned, they will make an appearance, or several, in this report)![]()
After we finished eating, we did a lot more laughing…AND drinking….and then soon, the moment we had been waiting for since we stepped on that bus in Orlando…..LUCIANO! He took the stage and the crowd went wild….all of us included! Now, I have been to MANY MANY reggae concerts in my life, and funny enough the only real major reggae artist I had yet to see was this man, believe it or not. All of the Marleys…yes, MANY times, Capelton, Elephant Man, Beenie Man, Buju, Sean Paul, Steel Pulse, Third World, Beres Hammond, Toots Hibbert, the list goes on and on…but not Luciano….until tonight! And he surely did not disappoint. I love Reggae music, I love Reggae artists, and I love Reggae shows…..but a Reggae show in Jamaica, in a small, intimate venue….there just couldn’t be anything greater! I was in HEAVEN! We got up from the table where we had all been chatting and moved to the dance floor to get closer to the stage and enjoy the show. Ninja and I danced and sang and had a great time. Luciano put on one heck of a show, as I knew he would! Thanks to Seastar Inn and to Chris for bringing him here while I was here….I can no longer say that every time I come to Negril a good concert has either JUST happened, or is scheduled right after we leave…I finally saw one. I also want to say thanks to Daisy and Markus, when they booked the same week as us, I secretly knew that Luciano would be playing at Seastar, because Daisy and Markus have actually NEVER been to Seastar when Luciano WASN’T playing there…..in fact, they might even think he is just a part of the house band at Seastar! LMAO! Thanks to all! It was a GREAT show!
After the show was over (not even sure what time that was) most everyone had either already left to go back to their hotels or were now leaving. So we said goodbye and gave out hugs to many of our new family members and made plans to see some of them the next day or what have you, afterall this was our first night of the trip so we knew we had many more nights of fun ahead of us. I am sure it was late but the beauty of this was that we were staying at Seastar so we had nowhere to go but back to our room…..so no real need to end the party, right? We joined Daisy and Markus back at our table and had another round and a good chat…..we must have been chatting for some time because I remember the staff was cleaning up, the music had stopped and basically they were asking us if we could get up so they could move the tables LOL
(Even Joe joined us for some of the fun--LOL This is one of my very favorite pictures from that night...it cracks me up every time I look at it)
At that point Daisy had informed me that they would be leaving in the morning to go to Mandeville to visit her family and that they needed to wake up at 6am for their ride. I think that is about the first time I looked at the time and I think it was around 4am! She suggested to Markus that they get a shot of rum to help them go to sleep…..so we thought we would be good and supportive new friends and join them. Markus ordered 4 shots of Appleton….I can’t even remember if I tasted it when I drank it! LOL But we were all still wide awake, probably from the first night excitement…(OH, or it could have been that 5 hour energy shot we took when we arrived lol) I have no idea what Daisy and Markus’ excuse was but we decided we would go back to our room to continue visiting…..I mean why not? So we showed them around Room #6 and invited them in for a pineapple upside down cake shot (there will be many more of these to come in the future but Markus and Daisy got the first ones, and I think it is safe to say that they were fans)
As we stood inside our room enjoying the cake vodka and all 4 of us being just like teenage girls on a phone call, having so much to say and not ever wanting to hang up, we suddenly realized the time and that the two of them literally had only a couple of hours before they were to be awake to catch their ride to the country, so we decided we better call it a night. But before they left, Markus was telling us some story or something, and when you meet him you will understand what I mean by this, but he is very animated during his story telling, he also gets very excited and with that, and his story, he threw his arms and hands up into the air and made direct contact with the ceiling fan (which was at Mach 5 speed)! I think I screamed, Ninja gasped..I can’t even remember what Daisy or Markus did, but we literally expected that he lost at least one finger. Shockingly, they were all still there but he did have a very bad gash on 2 of them…..I am sure they will tell this tale with great detail so I will leave it at this. He seemed ok, there was a gash, and maybe some swelling but he was fine (and of course also really drunk). I just kept thinking, he might have broken something, or at the very least that it was going to be extremely painful in the morning when he woke up. But he ensured us he was ok, they gave us parting hugs and as they walked away I have to admit I was already sad that I would be missing them for the next day and a half while they were in the country!
Sweetness put it best when she said “I was in love with you guys before I had ever even met you” I think I felt the same way about this couple. They are every bit as great as you think they are…..and in a lot of other ways, they are even better!
Daisy – I connected with her early on during her posts and reports, and we had chats and discussions long before ever meeting, so I already considered her a friend and I knew that we were going to get along well, and I was right. Sometimes there are people in life that you just have a lot in common with, sometimes you can relate to people on such a deep level that you already feel such a closeness like you would with someone you have known your whole life, and that is how I feel about Daisy. But funny enough, I can almost guarantee that just about everyone would say the exact same thing about her! Daisy has such a way of talking to people so honestly and openly about life that she can literally find some deep connection with just about everyone. It is an amazing quality, and just one of the reasons she is so loved by us all. She is so bubbly, so engaging, so funny, so sweet, so scared about everything, so beautiful, so caring, I could go on and on but to sum it all up, she is just so loveable!
Markus – Now prior to this trip, I had only really conversed with him once so most of what I knew about him was either from his posts on the board or from what Daisy had told me about him. I knew he was knowledgeable about a lot of things, I knew he loved Daisy, I knew he was very kind….but what I did not know was how incredibly funny he is. EXTREMELY funny. Honestly between him and Booger and Sandie, that is why I could barely get out of bed in the morning because I woke up everyday feeling like I had been doing “Abs of Steel” all day! I laugh just thinking about Markus now….this guy is hilarious. And as funny as he is, he is still all of the other things I mentioned. Extremely knowledgeable, passionate, caring and his amazing excitement and passion for things makes it impossible not to get excited about whatever he is talking about (whether you understand it or not). Daisy, I am secretly in love with your husband…ok, maybe not so secretly….but I think it is ok, since I love you just as much.
Yes folks it is true, Negril.com’s most loveable couple is every bit as loveable as you think they are….possibly even more! We love and miss you both so much!
Patty Sather - Patty and I also had connected a little prior to this trip. We both had to endure some unfortunate and unnecessary drama, but like drama sometimes does, it helps you learn who are your friends and who aren’t. I feel we connected on another level too because of it. She comforted me, before I had ever even met her…and if/when you meet Patty, you will know almost instantly that that is her nature. She is the MOST caring, loving, supportive, beautiful person you will ever meet. I was so excited to give her a great big hug when I first met her. Patty, I cannot say enough good things about you, lady! You have already been there for me and done or said such comforting things, more so than many other people I have known for years. For that I thank you…and I love you! Oh and P.S. She is every bit as gorgeous as she looks in her photos….whatever you are drinking, eating or using…can you share it? Oh and Kopper, Patty’s awesome husband….what a guy! They are as perfect for each other as two people can be…..even proven by the matching outfits they were wearing when we first met them….just love them to pieces!
(This photo is actually courtesy of Beachgirl66 but I just thought it so perfect for this part of the report)
Beachgirl66 – She has a smile that could blind you! I am serious! And she is gorgeous too…..don’t let her try and fool you, Beachgirl is amazingly beautiful inside and out. And if that weren’t enough, she is just as sweet and loveable as she is beautiful. And get this….she says she is a grandma? No way! She looks AND sounds like she is in her 20s…..I am NOT lying….between her and Patty, I am SURE that Negril MUST be the fountain of youth. Oh and she also gives the best hugs!
Stay tuned…..tomorrow, we check into Catcha Falling Star (aka HOME)!