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We out on de road.... we dey with we frens!!

My trusty ole cell phone alarm clock sounded off at 3AM, and as quick as it went off, was just how fast I pressed the snooze button!! Every year it's a serious mind over body battle to see if ah making j'ouvert or not, and if it wasn't for L Boogie getting up after I clicked the snooze for a 3rd time, j'ouvert would have been a nice figment of our imagination come Carnival Monday.

So bap bap, we in the car and in search for one of our regular j'ouvert bands... Red Ants or Cocoa Devils. We took all kinda of back roads in order to avoid all the happy j'ouvert revellers from vandalizing we ride. You know what we talkin' bout.... all the paint and mud people love to spread over your car as you drive by. And not to mention the wotless wining on your car bonnet and truck!! So Mission #1 was a success as we parked in St. Clair and deployed the TJJ troops on foot. Which way did Red Ants go? You see Cocoa Devils anywhere? How about Yellow Devils or Section 8? After spending a good 20 minutes searching for a band around the Oval, we were about to call it a day. And then all of a sudden, brrrrraaaaps....... Red Ants!! Yes Yesss!!

With meh 1st splash of red paint from de Red Warriors crew outta NY, de action now start! Is j'ouvert mornin'!! As Red Ants made their way through St. Clair up to Ellerslie Plaza, we could see a sea of red devil horns coming from Fed Park direction (photo 30 and 38). Could it really be? Yes, it was Cocoa Devils!! So after a less than 5 minute jump up with Red Ants, we decided to roll with de cocoa!! It's all good, Young Juice and Keyz was holding tings down in Red Ants for TJJ. So you ask why de switch? Well after I was accosted by not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4 BUT 5 smallies at the same time for a wine, I knew were de real action was!! And it was too funny, cause ah buss meh backside after the 3rd smallie jumped in for de wine!! Yeah, ah get caught off balance ... and thank goodness ah wasn't holding de camera at de time!! Denise, Sharon, Rachel and crew.... you know ah luv allya still. Iz all good!!

With the sun rising and all we frens in Cocoa Devils, the music was pumpin' just at the right levels - playing all the right chunes. Let the "Jamishness" continue (photo)!! It wasn't long before we were covered in every and anything - silver paint and all (photo). TJJ Rule #65, Section 4, Paragraph 5: You can't enjoy J'ouvert if you afraid to get DIRTY! Mud, powder, paint, cocoa, chocolate, grease or whatever else they come up with to put on your skin ALL add to the fun factor. And from what we saw, the folks applying the stuff really seem to enjoy their jobs (photo)!! Next year, TJJ will be doing ah lil' applying of we own, yes!! Hehe.

J'ouvert is simply the BEST!!! It's truly the one time of the year where everyone just free up themselves and let go of their worries and troubles. And every creed and race truly finds an equal place!! We know people say the same thing about Carnival Monday and Tuesday, but trust us, if a vagrant wanted to wine on Miss Trinidad & Tobago or some super model, come j'ouvert, it can happen! We're not sure if it's because people are all dirty and look the same, so no one really know who's who OR if people really just don't care to know who's who!! What we do know is that EVERYONE does be in a HAPPY, go easy spirit!! Yes, when you lying down on de dutty road (photo) or hard pavement (photo) in the hot sun like it's your sealy posturepedic mattress, life real nice!

Around 8-9AM, things started to wrap up. Everyone who playing mas sayin' they going on de road for around 12 noon. So that translates to grabbing some quick breakfast (bake n shark was de order), a nice long bath to clean all de mock off (got to give dat special scrub behind de ears), and if we lucky, ah quick 5 before hitting de road again. Yeah, yeah.... no sleep for the wicked!! Some folks wrapped some CAUTION tape on us and sent us packing!! On our way back to the car, we finally saw some yellow people!! Yellow Devils, we ga find allya next year fuh sure! Run the big chune by Zan, "Out On De Road".

Chooks aka Daddy Juice
-- TJJ Carnival 2008 Frontline

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