Squatters and Renters

Only recently, I found that local Trinis are beginning to see how beautiful this country is, before it was just wanton slash and burn. It began to look like this: You would see a piece of land or lush forest teeming with wildlife and birds, and in the next moment it would be gone and you would see a housing development or some sort of quarrying, and or a tower of garbage... and one or two or ten squatters... with chickens and cows.

Squatting goes like this: You see a piece of land, you build a small wooden shack. You expand the said shack and add a second piece. You add two more rooms and buy a washing machine, and a stove and a fridge. Electricity is obtained by stealing a live line. You also get a cell phone. You don't even bother to pay taxes on the land. You buy bricks to add a concrete structure, later. The land owner comes, sees you on their land, and they send the bailiff. During the shack building period, you have your wife/girlfriend/common-law/fiancee pop out 6 - 9 malnourished children, so that the public can pity you, just in case the landowner rightfully comes to 'invest' in their 'investment'. Good. This day is here. While the landowner watches, the chickens flutter and cluck in disapproval, the cows snort and moo, the children cower in fear, teary-eyed, their mother visibly distressed with child number ten, bawling for mercy and the father looking to fight the landowner, his shrill voice cussing in the hot blowing savannah air. You and ten other families watch as the bull dozer floor every single home, memories and documents, trampled in the mud. Reporters document the chaos, the smartly dressed newswoman flips her hair as she interviews you, your teeth some missing and some yellow, lips cracked from bawling at the landowner for claiming what is his. The landowner is then interviewed, his gold rolex with diamonds spark and sparkle. Your children watches him, their small bodies baking in the sun. His veneered teeth and moistened lips emphasizes 'th' and 'lawyer', he gestures your way and points at your children. "What do you expect me to do?" he shrugs. The operation takes about two hours, maybe less, then the landlord leaves in his air-conditioned SUV, while the 'Cat' cleans up the mess. You are now back to square one.

Sigh.

We have to move, it has become inevitable.  No, I am not squatting, I am renting. The landlord has been going into our apartment when we are not there. He is supposed to be repairing the tiled floor, however, he has been giving us problems with regards to parking and a host of other ills. So, unfortunately, its the best we can do. Our privacy has been in question. How do I know? He has been too familiar with us, and very controlling, something I saw before, but tried to deal with. We tried to have civilized discussions with him, but, he responded with insults and statements that are not true. In the end, I felt like he is weird, along with feeling that someone was constantly watching us all the time. So, we are moving. Don't feel sorry for me, I am not sad, just very indifferently pissed!

I am going to get ice cream.

2012©LisaMarieBonaparte

Unusual House Design

I love Google Sketchup! As soon as I finish a personal project I start another one. Sometimes, I implement what I dreamed of the night before, other times I just experiment just to see if something will look awkward or uniquely gorgeous. I have about 10 - 13 such projects this year, last year in 2010 I designed about 22 houses. The year before, in 2009, I did a few strange ones. Personally, I think I have gotten better in terms of layout and structure. The only thing is that I put a little too much windows.

In Trinidad, windows are quite expensive, so you may see a new large house with a vast wall and very small windows. When you go inside, you will see a ceiling fan and outside that small window you will see an air conditioning unit. Once I lived in a home with A/C in my bedroom. The house had large windows, and lots of space and light allowance. I only used the A/C on one condition, you see at nights, there were some crazy looking insects and grasshoppers, and we had alot of trees in the yard. In addition, at the time there was a vast dense forest hill just up the road. And I am not a fan of insects of any kind. So it was better to sleep with the windows tightly shut and the A/C blasting. All you had to do was snuggle up with a thick blanket, which I had, or two sheets, doubled and you rolled up in them like a gyro wrap. Oh I can just see it now, it was a very comfortable home.

Actually, I am trying to avoid a thought in my head, and I feel time is of essence and I feel odd. Social wise, I sometimes feel inadequate about some people. Its not that I am afraid of them I just feel that I am a gnat and they are a big Tarantula, and that they may just judge me, unfairly. Sometimes, I am the African Beetle and I look at the bougie-like people as houseflies, something to be swatted. Its like I am supposed to impress them, and I don't want to, I just want to be that big ol' African Beetle and say whatever I like and how I feel. But, it irks me when they just sarcastically roll their dried yellowed eyes at me. 

Oh well! Just another day to play the time away.

I call this house The Napoleon. It is small in size and big in space:

3 Bedrooms
Bathroom
Living Room
Kitchen
Sizable yard space
Outdoor washer/dryer annex

2011©LisaMarieBonaparte

Zombies Cannot Exist...

...In a world with a positive future. 

Have you ever wonder why the future is portrayed as something to be fearful of? Why is it that some books and movies intend to eradicate mankind? The most popular way these days is by zombies.

Some folks seem to be fascinated by them. I am more amused by the stage make-up and effects, and the acting of zombie actors in the movie, or TV series.  However, I have to admit, I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead. What I love about that show are the actors, and the direction, plus, it has a pretty solid plot. I love how it leads you to question yourself. Sometimes, I found myself thinking, "I wonder if Rick did the right thing?" and "That Shane is losing his marbles with every episode." 

I do not believe that there will be a Zombie Apocalypse. Why? It is simply not feasible. When you think of a Zombie Apocalypse, you think of fear, fear that you now have to live life wielding a machete, shot gun, and numerous other weapons, fear that with a bite, or scrape, or any physical contact with a zombie, will leave you questioning whether you will kill a beloved family member, and we all know what will happen if we don't…in fiction, that is. Zombie Apocalypse equals Fear. Fear of the Future.

In the 1950s, fear of the future was unheard of. They thought of a world of flying cars, and personal flying jet-packs and, never-ending skyscrapers. We are still waiting on the flying cars. However, it was a time of improvement, a time of looking forward to a glorious future… of flying stuff.

Today, we look forward to a future of living a zombie lifestyle. Such darkness and gloom wrought with violence and anarchy… Do you honestly want to live in a world like that? Your every waking and sleeping moment mired in fear of being caught by zombies? Some folks talk about the representation of zombies, meaning this commercialized and politicized world, ruled by the elite 1% who controls the majority of the riches around the world. The 'elite' who seeks to govern our very desires to acquire more things that they are selling. Fair enough… symbolically speaking. Reality speaking, we have a whole bunch of other problems to deal with, and I really do not want to raise our blood pressure to discuss them.

Tonight, a friend and I were discussing the zombie marketing that has sprung up almost overnight. Zombie survival gear, an architecturally designed zombie survival home, a psychiatrist discussing what makes a zombie, even giving the condition a name, Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome. Uh ok. I don't have the time to even explain that to you, but then there is Google. So Google it! It would be good to remember that when you are dead, you are in reality, non-existent you won't even know the difference between a brain and a tasty Wedding cake.

I want a bright future. A future where my race is not something of distrust and disgust, where I can get up refreshed and happy, where I can meet positive and happy people. A place where I have two working ears, and a life without sickness and injustice. Yes, a world where there is no fear… A Future of millions of happy and healthy children.

A Future of True Happiness.

2011©LisaMarieBonaparte

A little bit of this and that...

At this point I am booked until further notice...so it means that I had to organize my time into two jobs per day, and then some. So far so good, but I am very tired otherwise: 8 hours work, 6 hours extra, 5 hours sleep and the rest of the time for after hour public relations and essays, along with household chores and spending time with family. I have had some improvements and some running around organizing some gifts for the Happels. I will post pics of them after they are delivered.

What else is new? I met this guy, but nothing came out of it, and the aftermath is I feel really silly about it... but, I don't know if I am supposed to feel this way, so I am keeping myself real busy so that I can forget him. I am never really good around guys anyway, oh well, moving on....

2011©Lisa Marie Bonaparte