The Scribble Pad

Random, self-promoting thoughts by author Roslyn Carrington, aka Simona Taylor

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Location: Trinidad & Tobago

I write literary novels under my real name, Roslyn Carrington, and wayyy too hot Arabesque romance novels under the pen name Simona Taylor. I live in Trinidad with my partner, Rawle, and our toddlers, Riley and Megan. Ah, the pleasures and pressures of being parents to those two! There’s also my full-time Public Relations job, the aquarium full of albino sharks, the dog, the garden, the obsession with cooking (the more fattening the dish, the better), the addiction to the comic art by the likes of Keith Knight and Aaron McGruder, and the chocolate compulsion. I fill whatever time I have left dreaming about romance and writing.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Mildew. Yeeech.

Does anybody know how to get mildew stains out of clothing? I did a duuumb thing. My daughter got the cutest little pink outfit from some friends, and what do I do? Put it in the laundry hamper with the intention of washing it just to get out the shop dust, then I leave a washing machine valve open and flood the washroom, and then A WEEK LATER discover said cute little outfit stuck to the bottom of the hamper, all mildewed. And she hasn't even worn it yet!
Oh horror! Any advice?

Friday, August 11, 2006

Poor little rainbow boa!

A neighbour of mine just honked outside my gate, to tell me there was this "huge" snake trying to scale my wall, and that I'd better watch out because it was going to come get my dog. Riley and I went outside (yes, he's still up!) and there was a beautiful young rainbow boa againt my outside wall, all shiny and new; it had obviously just shed its skin. It wasn't that big, less than 5 feet tall, and really gorgeous.

The lady who called me was sitting transfixed in her car, with her hand over her mouth, horrified, and unable to understand why I didn't run screaming or go for my cutlass and hack it to bits or something. (She had tried to run it over with her car.) I tried to explain to her that I liked snakes but she was so upset that I felt embarrassed. So I thanked her kindly for calling me, explained that it was a constrictor and not a viper, and therefore little threat to my family or even my dog. Tabby is probably a greater threat to it than it is to her. I tried to curb my enthusiasm for the gorgeous, sleek, shiny creature, so gracefully curled up against my wall. I could see she was going to be sick.

I'm hearing Tabby outside barking, so I guess she's spotted it. I can only pray that it diesn't make it over the wall, because it would be done for. And that it doesn;t go by anyone else, because then somebody will certainly kill it. I hope it makes it to the river or something, unchallenged.

Snakes get such a bad rap.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Maljo

Riley's teacher thinks he has Maljo. That's a West Indian word for the Evil Eye. She thinks that's why he's been so sick and fussy lately, and that he needs to be taken to a priest to get blessed. I'm not able to disprove the concept, so I respect it, but I can't say I think it's the answer to my worries. I am concerned about him, though. He's been so miserable lately, and today he complained of a headache. Tonight he was rolling around on the floor holding his head and screaming. Poor kid. If you ask me, it's all those meds he's been taking. 10 days on steroids, plus antihistamines for a month and a whole bunch of crap, has got to be hard on a 3 year old.

Poor, poor darling. We've got our doctor's visit on Wednesday, so we'll see. Until then, I'll be blessing him myself.

They buried those twin babies today, the ones I told you about. They were left by their grandmother in the "care" of their six year old sister for several hours, during which she tried to give them a bath. Naturally, they both drowned.

The media, of course, were all over the funeral like the insensitive vultures that they are, hovering to take photos of the poor mother, weeping for her children. How horrible. What have we come to, as a society, when this tragic woman can't bury her babies in peace? My God, must EVERYTHING make it to the front page? The poor woman ran outside and smashed a camera and screamed at them to go away. Of course, that only made them more happy. NEWS! More shit for the front page! If they try to charge her for damaging that camera, they will have lost the last shred of respect I can muster for them.