Yuma Allyuh Make Good Company………….

I is d most pessimistic and complaining of individuals.  Yuh name it and ah could find ah reason tuh complain bout it.  But for d 1st time in like 8 years I eh have nothing major to take up any kinna grievance with YUMA.  Yes it was pressure to get d females in we crew in dey section of choice but we did stick and not register dem from Day 1.  Reason being who knew the costumes made available to the public would disappear so rapidly.  But doh sleep on dem because it still had PLENTY costumes available to special private citizens but such is life right.  After many twists and turns the females get dey costumes organized and we den take wateva men costume was left over.  Funny thing bout the men costumes eh…………I eh never see man costume sell out so early in d game either.  Rewind a few months and ah was in Trinidad so we decide to check out d mas camp.  If yuh see woman in d mas camp.  It was a Sunday ah tink and d place was jam packed.  Sold Out signs was already being placed on certain sections.  And I eh no expert on beading and costume detail and all dat other nonesense allyuh woman does be tiefing each other head blabbing about……but dem woman costumes in d mas camp was looking bess.  d Scorpio 2 piece stood out d most to me………dat red was blazing but typical woman and she eh listen to me much to she regret after d fact.  But anyway ah had to sneak dat in dey.  Some little imps in dey ah ask fuh some literature to take with meh and he actig like a maccomere man bout dey eh have none.  But d young lady was able to find some fuh we less dan 2 minutes later.

Fuh d next few months ah reading d YUMA Facebook page just to get a feel of d kinna people who go be jumping with d band and oh yeah back in December ah hear ah rumor bout not crossing d stage.  D question being asked and dey answering like politicians.  Me eh digging no horrors.  My therapy after a band fock up is tuh blog dey cunt to death and spread it to every corner ah d world wide web.   Fast forward to collection week and d facebook page turn into a war zone.  I eh never see woman sharing so much threats before.   I laughing because some ah d women may have legit concerns as far as accountability for the product they pay for……….but some ah dem gal was getting on like rell baddiss.  All dis time me eh digging no horrors because everything is everything.  D 1st set ah collection run smooth fuh we people and so did the second.  Woman and dem get dey costumes with everything fitting and nothing falling off.  Some ah allyuh woman need to be practical about playing mas and costumes.  Some ah allyuh should just go play Jouvert and call it a day because expectations are unrealistic.  I eh excusing incompetency and unprofessional behavior  after paying big money, but some ah allyuh need some hard friggin clout.   D odder ting I realized was dat the cut throat business of Carnival does have people spreading false rumors……..especially on the net.

We clean from Jouvert and out on d road.  Ah go be honest with allyuh ah muss be getting old because ah cah remember much about Monday.  Ah end up losing d bad somewey down d Avenue and eh bother to try find dem back because it was already late in d evening.  Later on ah hear dey eh cross d stage but dat was small ting because as much as ah cah remember Monday dat mean meh head was real nice and everything else was running nice.  Get some good rest and we meet d band at 7:30a.m at d meeting point.  Dey sticking.  Work we way down Tragrete Road and tings looking up.  But ah still find dey sticking.  Music nice, drinks running and d place feeling safe like ah rum flask in Kamla purse.   Dais meh gal so I could say dat.  Costumes looking rell bess.  When we hit St.Vincent and Park and was heading down St. Vincent ah realize dat stage eh crossing early like dey planned.  But d street party in full swing and tings nice.  Even when d drink trucks went down d Promenade dey was still giving we drinks………dese are d tings yuh can appreciate after dealing with other bands who truck does turn on warp speed and disappear when is time to cross a stage.  So we cross downtown and it seem dat from dat point we was stuck in limbo for a very long time.  But when times are hard you always need a friend by yuh side.  Dat friend was 1919.  D drink truck never abandoned we.

Let me go of  fcourse a bit back to b practicality of dese woman costumes.  Now my woman like tuh throw waist till she pelvis and spine beg to stop.  And as much as she is 1 ah dem woman who meticulous when it comes to preparation and presentation of she costume and make up come Monday and Tuesday……….But she eh 1 ah dese Carnival Barbie.  Allyuh know wat ah talking bout.  Dem who does come out late wit dey screw face and eh letting no man within 3 feet of dey costume.  Dey have a built in buffer of protection.  Well d first time meh gal Velcro reinforced with shoe strings waist band malfunctioned we reinforced it and went back at we wotlessness.  But somewey down Frederick Street d woman pelt way to waistband.  Practicality is that beads/jewels and dem pallazzo pants  ah was wearing did not give a smooth gyration.  At d time she pelt away d belt ah had no left pocket.  Dats right d woman wine away meh left pocket.  She make meh proud by pelting way dat nuisance.

So we by d savannah entrance and d stage is just a few hundred feet away. More memory loss because ah cah remember how we reach dey.   Its been so long.  Ah remember back in d Poison days we would be camped out on Charlotte Street in d heat creeping up to d stage.  Yuh coulda go home take a small rest and come back in time to cross d stage.  Now d drink truck cannot come dis way and is juss a music truck escorting we.  As a veteran dis is d time yuh have to make sure yuh hydrated and ready tuh go.  But I dey and fraid to go get some liquids because ah crossing in d front and could miss it if ah blink too long.  D real Soca Monarch King on d truck sing bout YUMA fowl……….people anxious and pushing and shoving.  But ah still eh seeing d energy from years pass………ah feel is because ah was crossing in d 1st section.  Dis is why it was always cooler to be riding in d back ah d maxi dan d front.  It was a bit bewildering to be crossing to Advantage and Come Tuh Meh for the 2 minutes on d stage.  It seem like d moment went fast but was long at d same time.

Once we crossed we made a dash for CIC Grounds because we was hungry and thirsty.  D sun was going down and d place was now getting people.  To be honest some of d food was sour and some was good.  D food and drink people were very pleasant just like d rest of YUMA support staff.  I will speculate that they had been set up dey for a while and was expecting masqueraders much earlier.  Once it get dark d place was like a refugee camp.  YUMA allyuh sure dat was a mid size band?  It would have been a perfect ending if d afterparty was set up right in CIC Grounds.  It was dark and Carnival was over so we start heading fuh d vehicle.  Guess what?  D drink trucks parked outside and still giving drinks.

There were 8 of us playing with YUMA this year.  And none of the 8 were dissatisfied with the experience.  No dey was not perfect.  Ash Wednesday meh fren tell meh dat she fren say she pass thru YUMA and the females were “ghetto”.  I did not see 1 sign of “ghetto” in d band.  I did see a great mixture of people enjoying themselves.  As a person of the darker persuasion and knowing of the “isms” in T&T it was good to see a good representation of our country.  Maybe that person idea of “ghetto” is too dark. But anyway I think allyuh start off right.  Few adjustments here and there……..woooodoooop wadapppppppp………..allyuh will be the best and then there will be the rest.  Ah does always leave room for disappointment but allyuh did well dis year and ah hope tings only get better.

Ah have a little out of d box idea.  Since there were complaints dat d Piccadilly Street stage was not crossed I wonder if with PROPER SECURITY……….crossing that judging point would give faster access to crossing the Savannah Stage.  Food for thought.  And see if allyuh could organize some short pants with 2 sets ah pockets dat could close tight with velcro nah.  And some music and lights at d rest stop.  If things seem out of sort is because ah started writing this right after Carnival and now finishing since d tabanca 90% gone.  Spring Garden ah coming……………………………..