Jamaican Money

Howdy all, I'm really sorry for the outpouring of emotion on yesterdays blog. But I wish to thank all my fellow bloggers who offered me support by way of your comments, it's been a rough 2 weeks, and most of you that I chat to on MSN probably realized that I was not quite myself. I'm back now, and I thank you all for the kind words, it really means a lot to me to realize I'm not alone in this sometimes bitter world.

Anyhow, you wondering from the title what I have in store today, right? Well, I was thinking about how Jamaican money used to well pretty sah and it set my little mind to wandering all over the Internet and I came up with this really interesting site where this guy specializes in collecting paper money from all the world, Jamaica included.



Remember the days of the paper 50 cent? I found one long ago and I wish I'd kept it, cause I figure it has to be worth something now! [or maybe not, with our horrendous exchange rate]. Anyhow, I remember the days when I could find anything from shopping list to girl phone number on Jamaica paper money. One time I even called a phone number that I found on a 20 dollar bill:

*Me: Hello, may I speak to Latoya?
*Father: A who dis a call mi dawta?
*Me: Is a friend of hers from school.
*Father: Which school dat?
*Me: Ardenne.
*Father: You to f--ing lie, a Merle Grove Latoya go and you a nuh gyal!

I think it was after that conversation that I decided not to call girls whose numbers I found scribbled hastily on paper money. Aside from using the money as note papers, I can still remember us making things like guns, rings and paper airplanes. Yes sir, our paper money was truly versatile.

Now, when we talk about our coins, that's a completely different story. Remember those big, shiny 10,25 and 50 cents that we used to have? Those things were quite versatile you know! As a matter of fact, the 10 cents were very good for things like money football and money basketball. The 25 cents were really good for a nice, long game of money TT (Table Tennis). To be honest with you, I still have pain in my hands from the many games of money TT that we used to play with those hard metal coins. You had to have gone to an all-boys school with an excess of testosterone to spare. The 50 cents, on the other hand, could be a dangerous weapon if wielded by the right person...I've seen boys take out other boys in fights with a 50 cent coin...freaking incredible!

Speaking of 50 cent, a friend of mine told me about this friend of his who used to work as a security guard at a store at nights. Well, his wife was a bit randy and decided to take on a little lover on the side while hubby was away at work. All was well until hubby comes home from work early one day (he wasn't feeling well) and finds this short, hairy Indian fellow pumping away at his wife like he was a jockey at Caymanas Park [a popular horse racing track in Jamaica]. Now, my friend told me that his buddy was 6'6" tall and HUGE. So of course, you can tell that a naked 5'6" tall fellow on top of such a man's wife would feel a shade intimidated scared shitless.

Anyhow, the hubby just looked at the little man and told him to get up and take all the money out of his pockets. The little Indian fellow obeyed, and it turned out that he only had a 50 cent coin in his pocket (at the time, 50 cent was actually bus fare). So he pocketed the money and told the fellow to leave. Wifey tried her hardest to talk to him, but he wouldn't say a word. He just stripped off and went to bed. Next morning he sat at the breakfast table while she was preparing his meal and just kept playing with the 50 cent. He left and came back from work and lay the 50 cent down on the night stand next to her, all the time not saying a word to her. This ritual continued for weeks, until the wife finally just snapped and had to leave the house. Now, that is what I call a cold revenge IMHO.

Anyhow, enough talking, I am going to my bed...car needs to get serviced tomorrow, so I have to go sleep.

{arf,arf}

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi there
I was totally captivated by your blog page. Kept me wanting to keep on reading more.

Later
paper money