As the end of 2008 creeps up - too slow in some ways, too fast in others - I've been considering a lot of what has happened this year and the last 37 years. The last 37 years I may describe in a memoir which I have failed to write for 10 years (perhaps because my life continues being interesting and a mass of re-evaluation?), but this past year has seen me don a new hat.

The Landlord. I didn't want to be a landlord. When I was young, not so long ago, playing with trucks and building balsam wood airplanes, I never envisioned being a landlord. With Legos, I would build houses neat and proper and even, perhaps mistakenly, tried to explain to my elder half-brother the folly of using bricks of different colors in a wall. I like creating things, or making things better. I have never enjoyed the mayhem that ensues after creating things. I've never particularly enjoyed maintaining a software project; I've loved writing new code.

But life forces one to come to terms with maintenance. Vehicles are perfect examples. Change the oil. Add fuel. Check the alignment. Check the funny 'woop woop' sound. Try not to look shocked when you find out the prices of a back bumper part of a Mazda B2500 Turbo. For that matter, try not to look shocked when you find out that the bumper is sold in pieces. There was a time when a bumper was not a do-it-yourself project kit - but I digress. You learn to maintain things in your life; I have. My mind wasn't built for it, but so be it - it is an evil but necessary part of life. { Read more }

A chance phone call took me down to Seon's Beer Garden on Royal Road, where I was to meet a friend to chat about a few things. We had accidentally bumped into Breed's birthday party, with a lot of old-style Calypso (none of the wave-your-hand-in-the-air nonsense) and really ended up having a great time. A lot of positive energy there, with some of the calypsonians lyrically striking out at Crime in the country and reminding us of the political satire inherent in Calypso. Unfortunately, Calypso loses something in commercial packaging - it is something that strikes at the issues in a way that people involved with the issues can understand.

A thought occurred to me as I was listening to one particular calypsonian take on the government from the magic circle of the stage his feet made. That no one seems to think that there should be 1.5 million Prime Ministers in Trinidad and Tobago, not one.