Please comment in on what’s happening in St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix and Water Island. The more info we have the better we’ll all do Let us know if roads are out, problem area etc. Let’s all chip in.

Hi there US Virgin Islands! I wanted to start off my blog by letting everyone get to know me. As Scott has mentioned, my name is Mary Byrne and I’m a newbie on the island- I’ve been here just over nine months now. In a life full of uncertainties, one thing is for sure- if you had asked me 2 years ago where I would be living, St. Thomas would NEVER have popped out of my mouth.  How did I get here you ask? Well, I’m about to tell you.

A little background to begin with: I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. I went to the University of Missouri- Columbia (Mizzou), majored in Hospitality Management and graduated in May 2001. My best friend and I packed up all our belongings and moved to Chicago to join the ‘real world’. Ironically, MTV’s Real World was filming in Chicago that summer but that is beside the point. I worked for Hyatt Hotels as a Corporate Management Trainee and moved into Sales nearly immediately. Fast forward one year to a Cubs/White Sox game at Wrigley Field where I run into an old acquaintance, Tim. We go out on a date, fall in love, get engaged a year later and get married in 2004. By this time I was working as an Event Planner for Abbott Laboratories and LOVING my job.

So that takes you up to 2009 where things start to change. The economy is in the toilet. Layoffs and downsizing are taking place everywhere. For some reason, I was delusional in thinking that Tim and I’s jobs were safe- untouchable in my mind. Tim was working for a company that handled fleet management when both the car and credit markets crashed. Not so good for him and their sales force was dissolved in March 2009 leaving us with the question of what to do now. We had been contemplating moving back to St. Louis but it was contingent on me being able to stay with Abbott and transferring out into the field as a sales rep. However, given the economy, the sales force was on a hiring freeze. We decided to put off making a decision until I returned home from a business trip at the end of April. Unfortunately, on that business trip I was put on a conference call where it was announced that my department was being outsourced beginning in June. What?!?

In the two months that I had to ‘work’ before the outsource took place I began to joke with a co-worker, whose husband is a pilot, that we should move to the islands. He could fly puddle jumpers, Tim could work at the golf course (since March Tim had been putting a lot of time into golf and had decided to pursue his PGA certification) and we could bartend. What started off as a joke between us grew legs when I mentioned it to Tim. The next thing you know, we are seriously considering picking up and moving. Why St. Thomas, you ask? One of the girls that trip directed for me lived on St. John for two years as the Director of Catering at Caneel Bay and I had a good friend who did 6 seasons bartending on St. Thomas- the USVI seemed like a natural choice for us.

In September 2009, armed with information we read on St. Thomas Blog Spot and names/phone numbers of friends given to us by our friends who lived here prior, we made our exploratory trip to St. Thomas. We bounced around from place to place meeting and talking to as many people as we could. We picked their brains- how long had they lived here? why did they move here? what did they like? what did they hate? We took the Safari from the Wyndham to town. One day we rented a car. We picked up an Island Trader and a Virgin Island Daily News. Tim got an assurance from Mahogany Run that, if we actually made it on island, he could have a job. We learned A LOT that trip- including what a cistern was- and went home indecisive. Well, I was indecisive- Tim, on the other hand, was ready. How the tables had turned- this was MY idea and I was backing out. I was scared. It’s a major life decision to give up everything you have and move somewhere that may or may not work out for you. So after numerous conversations, a few arguments and some tears (mine) we made the final decision: we were moving to St. Thomas for the next 6-9 months. And if I hated it Tim promised we could leave, I just had to give it six weeks. (Sidenote: when my friend Bill first did this I remember thinking that he was crazy. What- did he think that he was in Cocktail?) In the next four weeks we put our condo on the rental market, got it leased, packed up, moved all of our stuff into storage in St. Louis, had several goodbye parties and finally departed for the rock on November 7th with 4 suitcases and our dog, Laddie.

So here we are, over 9 months later and we’re still here. We have a great house, great jobs (come see me at Paradise Point at the top of the Skyride or on Thursdays at The Grill Room; you’ll find Tim at the Golf Course 7 days a week- either working or playing!), great friends and I could not be happier with our decision. What happened to 6-9 months? Well, we loved the house and it required a year lease so that was that. Then it seems silly to return to the states in December 2011 when it’s cold and the holidays and no one’s hiring so we decided we will stick around at least until May 2011. Who knows how long we’ll actually stay?

So that’s my story. I’m excited to be blogging on Love to Lime and look forward to many more posts! I hope that I can help anyone considering a move to the USVI that it’s a great decision and an amazing experience. Most of my posts will just be about my experiences and what I’ve learned. I want it to be interactive so feel free to question, comment, challenge me! Now, off to the beach- just because I can! Til the next post!

Come to Oceana Restaurant Saturday night August 21st from 5-7pm. The event will feature wine and  hors d’ovouers the cost is $100 per person of which $50 will go to the Virgin Islands GOP and $50 to Republican Vince Danet for Congress.

Read the full story here.

We’d like to welcome guest blogger Jeanie Cockayne. Jeanie’s son was murdered in St. John a few years back and she has requested an open forum here on the St. Thomas Blog and Love To Lime. The writing and opinions are those of Jeanie Cockayne and not the opinions or views of the St. Thomas Blog and Love To Lime.

We are writing this letter to formally support Assistant Attorney General Claude Walker’s recent motion to seek Judge Brenda Hollar’s recusal from a potential third trial for Jahlil Ward, our son Jamie’s alleged/convicted killer.

There are specific points that we would like to address to support our position. Prosecution witness, Daryl Martens. Judge Hollar made the statement in open court that Daryl Martens received “payoffs” from our family in exchange for his testimony. The facts: Daryl Martens contacted us shortly after being discharged from a Correctional facility on St Thomas with information that was important to this case (We did not, under any circumstances, seek him out as the court has suggested.) We immediately attempted to share his contact information with the prosecutor Renee Gumbs-Carty but, we were unable to reach her. Our Lawyer Sean Summers then contacted SA. Schmidt of the F.B.I. and relayed the information we had received. In the meantime, Mr. Martens continued to call me collect and begged for a calling card or phone so he could contact us. He also asked if we could help him with a place to stay he was frightened, helpless and had nowhere to go. Our goal at that point was to keep him available to speak to the authorities. He made a promise to reimburse us once his parents, who were abroad at the time, returned to California.

In July 2007, we were beside ourselves with grief our child, brother; friend had been cut down on the streets of Cruz Bay. I was an easy mark if in fact Martens was trying to take advantage of our family. We were unable to get anyone – including the F.B.I. – to take his statement. Therefore, we asked Iris Kern if she would try to help facilitate a meeting between Gumbs-Carty and Martens. Unable at the time to arrange that meeting I requested Iris Kern to speak to him herself. It took a few days to set up a meeting during which we continued to give Mr. Martens shelter at a local motel. These details are important because Judge Hollar referred to what we did as “payoffs” not only in open court but in local newspapers and in public records. Additionally, we were tired of being forced to pay for this mans room and phone. We did what we thought we had to do in order for someone of authority take his statement. This gentleman was in his late thirties with no job, no place to live and apparently no friends. We believed he was trying to do the right thing and we believed him when he said he would pay us back. Ms. Kern did speak to him and afterward she was able to make arrangements for a meeting between Gumbs-Carty and Martens, I do not remember how long it was before Martens finally gave his statement to Gumbs-Carty. As soon as he did I broke off all contact, it was my belief if the Government believed his statement they would take care and be sure he was safe.

Reward for Tips Leading to a Conviction in the Case: This was another matter that Judge Hollar demonstrated a clear bias which undoubtedly influenced the case. Shortly after our son’s murder, we asked Police Commissioner James McCall for permission to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for this heinous crime. Commissioner McCall told us we had to get approval from the Attorney General’s Office, which he agreed to contact on our behalf. Commission McCall contacted our attorney Sean Summers and gave approval for us to post the $10,000 reward. McCall also gave us the phone number for tipsters to call, which he referred to in the online paper, “The Source” on July 4, 2007. He reported that the Cockayne family had offered a $10,000 award and he was pleased we were working with the police. Wish I could think of appropriate words to describe the pain Judge Hollar’s words have caused us. We have no recourse, in court; judges can say anything they like. I take exception to the unsubstantiated slurs about us made in front of the jury and then subsequently printed in newspapers. We offered the award way back in 2007 shortly after Jamie’s death.

We were convinced someone knew who killed Jamie, or at least had some information that would help locate the killers. We hoped someone would come forward. We also understood the danger witnesses could be placing themselves. The two recipients of the award gave their statements to the police and / or the F.B.I. before the award was posted. Mr. Ferguson gave a statement the night of the murder and then fled the island for fear of retaliation. Once we found out his name on our own by asking questions around Cruz Bay we got to work trying to find out if he would talk to the F.B.I. and our investigators. He refused to speak to anyone unless he could have an attorney present and he was in no way able or willing to pay a lawyers fee. The court should understand we were frantic.

Our youngest child had been stabbed to death, I tell you I was not interested in anything but to help find Jamie’s killer. I owed it to Jamie then and I owe it to him now. To suggest we would be happy to have just anyone go to jail to be punished for Jamie’s murder is ridiculous. Our attorney then contacted Ferguson’s attorney and authorized payment for Mr. Ferguson’s attorney. We did not give Mr. Ferguson any cash for clothes that is completely untrue. Mr. Rawlins, although he was the individual who tried to stop Thomas and Boston from going after Jamie and went to the police to report a problem before Jamie was killed, he tried to save Jamie’s life by sending the police to help Jamie, the police never interviewed Rawlins or took a formal statement. They did not ask him any questions about what he saw and heard that night. Within days of Jamie’s killing Mr. Rawlins voluntarily went to the police to give a statement. This information we found out from our private investigators, long after Rawlins had gone to the police.

Now I have to ask, what could possibly be a motive for us to,”pay off” witnesses that had already given their statement? It is a ridiculous assumption for anyone to believe we did anything at all unsavory. The witnesses story never changed it is incredible to even suggest the rewards were anything but above board. Again let me make the point, THEY NEVER CHANGED THEIR STATEMENTS. After, and this is really important, after the first trial and guilty verdicts we decided as a family that although no one appeared to expect the reward we should fulfill our commitment. We thought it was the right thing to do.

As a family we decided on the two witnesses that came forward immediately and tried to help Jamie. The court has repeatedly given the jury and the community the opinion and made it obvious to all, that our behavior was an attempt to control the outcome of a murder trial. Regarding Jahlil Ward: We did receive an anonymous tip during the summer of 2007 that a man by the name of Jahlil Ward was involved in Jamie’s murder and was at the scene of Jamie’s killing. Our attorney gave Ward’s name to F.B.I. agent Schmidt and asked him to look into it. The trial judge or the defense attorney has made mention several times how Ward’s name never came up until Thomas’ investigator dug up his name. Completely incorrect, we had the name, we passed it on. If nothing was done with the information that would not surprise me in the least.

Issues the judge could not reconcile: Judge Hollar discussed evidence entered by witnesses Frazer and Asante Leslie. Frazer said he saw blood on the top of Ward’s sneakers and Leslie said she saw blood on the bottom of his sneakers. This is another example of Judge Hollar’s inability to allow the jury to put 2+2 together and reach the sum of 4. She wonders how both can be correct, easily I say. There was blood everywhere blood poured out of Jamie after being stabbed 8 times. The killer would have had blood on his sneakers top and bottom. Is it at all logical that perhaps Ward had blood on both the top and bottom of his sneakers and not ketchup as Hollar has stated? Is it possible that Frazer happened to be standing next to the car and Ward came running down the hill asking for a ride. Frazer, not wanting to get into a fight with a guy who has a bloody knife in his hand does as he is told? Is it possible he wanted to protect his pride so he told a partial truth? You say the jury made a leap to the wrong conclusion because Frazer said Ward banged on his door and the other 2 eye witnesses saw Ward run to a car just down the street.

The jury did their job to come to their conclusions in a fair, educated reasonable manner. What is not possible is for the police to give us an explanation as to why they refused to pick up the getaway car for months. We still have not received any explanation. The most outrages and contemptible result from the three previous trials is what happened to Jamie and how his murder has taken a back seat in this fiasco. This is no longer about Jamie’s murder or our loss. This is about people not listening when we tried to share information, people not crossing their t’s and dotting their i’s. It is certainly not about Justice. It really is true, victims of crime are murdered or raped by the perpetrator and then by the courts. Every time we have to return for more hearings and more trials Jamie is killed again and again and again.

The visions never leave my mind, my son, my baby boy lying there alone bleeding to death because he had a few bucks in his wallet. Oh how I cry out to Jamie, “Why didn’t you just give them the money?” A quote from the Daily News September 5 2009. “They (the Cockaynes) had the money to pay people off, but not to pay for their trip?” said Judge Hollar. We did not bribe or pay off anyone. Did Mr. Martens take advantage of us when we were in a very fragile state, maybe? Did he fulfill his commitment to pay us back when his parents returned, no. As written in the St. Thomas Source July 4, 2007, “We are receiving a lot of information from the community,” Police Commissioner James McCall said Wednesday, taking a quick break at the July 4th Parade. Cockayne’s family has put up a $10,000.00 reward, he said. In Judge Hollar’s Memorandum Opinion & Order dated July 23, 2010 page 29 Hollar stated, The court concludes that not only was the verdict against the weight of the evidence but, a serious miscarriage of justice will occur if Ward’s conviction stands. As for Judge Hollar inserting herself as thirteenth juror it does appear, she has, in my opinion come to her own conclusions and imposed them upon the jury and this entire community. The criminals are laughing while the innocent are dying in the streets.

Because of Hollar’s repeated public statements to the jury and the community, saying the evidence does not carry enough weight to convict and attempting to disenfranchise prosecution witnesses as well as publishing a public opinion showing a bias we ask Judge Hollar to recuse herself from this trial in the interest of justice. If possible reinstate the jury’s guilty verdict and sentence the guilty.

Respectfully,
The Cockayne Family

August 22nd, 2010. I don’t have all the details yet but but it will take place from 5-7 pm. I will follow up with another blog with all the specifics. The event will feature wine and  hors d’ovouers the cost is $100 per person of which $50 will go to the Virgin Islands GOP and $50 to Republican Vince Danet for Congress.

Read the full story here.

I’ve got a hold of the final list of candidates for USVI Election 2010. I’m still working on getting all the links. Remember, if you know of website links for any of the candidates please share.  Also note that unless I come across a specific campaign site I’m going to link incumbent senators to the Legislature of the US Virgin Islands website.

Territorywide

Governor

Adlah Donastorg, Jr. http://donastorg2010.com/(D)

John deJongh, Jr. http://dejonghfrancis2010.com/(D)

Gerard Luz James II (D)

Kenneth Mapp http://kenmapp.com/ (no party)

James O’Bryan (D)

Senator-at-large

Craig Barshinger http://www.barshinger.net/(D)

Gilmore Estrill, Sr. (D)

Ronnie Jones (D)

Lorelei Monsanto (no party)

Alecia Wells (no party)

Delegate to Congress

Donna Christensen http://www.donnachristensen.house.gov/ (D)

Vince Danet http://www.vincedanet.org/ (R)

Jeffrey Moorhead (no party)

St. Thomas-St. John District

Senator

Democrat

Kent Bernier, Sr. http://www.kentbernier.com

Simon Caines http://www.simoncaines.com

Moses Carty, Sr.

Carlton Dowe http://www.legvi.org/

Louis Hill http://www.legvi.org/

Stedman Hodge, Jr

Shawn-Michael Malone http://www.legvi.org/

Janette Millin Young http://millinyoung.voterspace.com

Allron Monsanto

Clarence Payne

Patricia Thompson

Patrick Simeon Sprauve http://www.legvi.org/

Alvin Williams, Jr. http://www.legvi.org/

ICM

Wayne Adams

Stephen Frett

No party

Paul Alexander

Horace Brooks

Dwane Callwood

Raphael Corneiro

Elvin Fahie, Sr. http://gotthope.com/

Joseph Gumbs

Tregenza Roach

Shirley Sadler

Delores Todmann

Celestino White, Sr. http://www.legvi.org/

Darryl Williams, Sr.

Lisa Williams

Board of Elections

Democrat

Marvin Blyden

Kyza Callwood

Harry Daniel

Eduardo Carmona, Sr.

Claudette Georges

Jerry Meyers

Wilma Monsanto

Ivy Moses

Arturo Watlington, Jr.

ICM

Albion Lambertis

Nandi Sekou

No Party

Lydia Hendricks

St. Croix District

Senator

Democrat

Diane Capehart

Pedro Cruz

Neville James http://www.legvi.org/

Wayne James http://www.legvi.org/

Troy Mason

Brad Nugent http://www.nugentforsenate.org

Verdel Petersen

Ronald Russell

Sammuel Sanes http://www.legvi.org/

Michael Thurland http://www.legvi.org/

James Weber III

Sherryann Wiltshire

No party

Myron Allick

Samuel Flemming

Judi Fricks http://viontherun.com/

Norman JnBaptiste

Wayne Petersen

Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly http://oreilly.usvisenate.org/

Lee Seward Jr.

Michael Springer, Jr. http://cruciansinfocus.com

Alicia Hansen

ICM

Naomi Joseph

George Moore

Usie Richards http://www.legvi.org/

Terrence Nelson http://www.legvi.org/

Kendall Petersen

Board of Elections

Democrat

Barbara McIntosh

Marion Petersen

Adelbert Bryan

Jacqueline Heyliger

Roberto James

Andrew John

Conrad Knowles

Rupert Ross

ICM

Diana James

No party

Epiphane Joseph

*****************
A list with contact information is available here.

You can see us coming a mile away….or maybe the 10 feet since that last turn…Tourist Drivers! Yep, that’s me! The main-lander driving a rented Durango on The Rock! It’s my first time driving on the left. It’s my first time driving here! Hell, it might as well be my first time driving period!

Natives don’t get the big deal, and after awhile, transplants forget. It is a big change from driving the nice straight, flat, wide, and seemingly new roads of the mainland compared to what passes as roads on St. Thomas.

Let’s set the stage. Adorable chubby guy (That’s me) brings his wife, 2 kids, and his in-laws to St. Thomas for just over a week. We reserve a private villa, and rent an SUV. The villa representative and the rental car are waiting for us at the airport. Villa representative guides us to the villa. It seems innocent enough. Except the Villa Rep drives like everyone else on the islands, like a banshee out of hell, driving in a demolition derby!

So, we drive out of the airport down Highway 30, and into Charlotte Amalie. At first, the road isn’t bad, and neither is the driving of my guide. However, the further we drive, the faster he goes. As we reach the shopping area, I am struggling to keep up. We turn left on to Highway 35, and immediately the road narrows, curves become more intense, and he speeds up! As we speed on, with scenic views quickly passing, we reach yet another turn, Peterborg East. I am simply going to say, this road has some extreme curves…as we travel further still, the road narrows, and curves, and finally we are on what is only to be described as a one lane, slightly paved, jungle alley, in which the villa is reached.

Now that was an adventure, but we still had an entire week to go, and without a guide! Early in our week, I did not feel comfortable with night driving, and avoided it if possible. By the end of the week, we had traveled the entire circumference of the island, and much of the interior. I finally felt pretty comfortable driving anywhere at any time…just in time to leave!

But I do have some advice for those  who chose to drive in paradise, from one tourist to another.

1. Driving on the left may be left over from Dutch ownership of the island, but it is necessary now because of the extremes of the roads. It allows you to best see the shoulder, so you can drive as close to it as is physically possible. Often this is necessary because of how narrow and curvy the roads are.  So as they say, keep your shoulder to the shoulder.

2. Take it easy. The locals like to push the pace, but they know the roads and curves. Don’t let them push you so far as to be unsafe.

3. Make a note of any parking you see. Land is a premium, and parking is few and far between, keep a note of any you find, particularly the rare spots without time limits, or the inexpensive pay lots like the one across from the police station in Charlotte Amalie.

4. Have someone be your navigator. The roads can be too crazy at times to try and read a map while driving, and I have yet to find an accurate GPS for there.

5. Downshift while going down steep hills. Not only does it save your brakes, but it helps keep better control while you drive.

6. Don’t be afraid to ask for directions. Really, the vast majority of folks on the island are not only nice, but seem eager to help.

The roads are crazy, the curves are nuts, the hills can seem almost vertical, and the locals seem to only see you if you are slowing them down, but it is worth the experience. There is nothing like the freedom of finding your own way in a new place, and you will often see things you wouldn’t have otherwise.

When you see really funny, somewhat ridiculous stuff snap a photo and email it to us at: scott@stthomasblog.com. Here are some examples:

I’m trying to create a one-post resource for the 2010 Virgin Islands Elections.  I’ve compiled a list of the potential candidates in both districts and what I’m trying to do is link all their names to their websites.  So far I’ve only got a few but with time I hope to finish most of this list.  You can help too.  If you know the website address for any of the candidates I don’t have linked you can either post it in the comment sections on the Facebook side, reply to this post directly or email them to me at hector@islands.vi.  Here we go!

Territorywide

Governor

Adlah Donastorg Jr. http://donastorg2010.com/(D)

John deJongh Jr. http://dejonghfrancis2010.com/(D)

Gerard Luz James II (D)

Kenneth Mapp http://kenmapp.com/ (no party)

Terrence Nelson (ICM)

James O’Bryan (D)

Sheila Scullion (no party)

Senator-at-large

Kent Bernier http://www.kentbernier.com/(D)

Gilmore Estrill Sr. (D)

Ronnie Jones (D)

Lorelei Monsanto (no party)

Alecia Wells (no party)

Delegate to Congress

Donna Christensen http://www.donnachristensen.house.gov/ (D)

Vince Danet (R)

Guillaume Mimoun (no party)

Jeffrey Moorhead (no party)

St. Thomas-St. John District

Senator

Democrat

Kent Bernier Sr. http://www.kentbernier.com

Marvin Blyden

Simon Caines http://www.simoncaines.com

Moses Carty

Carlton Dowe

Louis Hill

Stedman Hodge Jr

Shawn-Michael Malone

Janette Millin Young

Allron Monsanto

Clarence Payne

Patricia Thompson

Patrick Simeon Sprauve

Alvin Williams Jr.

ICM

Wayne Adams

No party

Paul Alexander

Horace Brooks

Dwane Callwood

Raphael Carneiro

Elvin Fahie Sr.

Stephan Frett

Joseph Gumbs

Elenear Joseph Porter

Tregenza Roach

Delores Todmann

Darien Wheatley

Celestino White Sr.

Julie Woods Dukes

Board of Elections

Democrat

Marvin Blyden

Kyza Callwood

Harry Daniel

Eduardo deCarmona Sr.

Claudette Georges

Arturo Watlington Jr.

ICM

Albion Lambertis

St. Croix District

Senator

Democrat

Diane Capehart

Pedro Cruz

Troy Mason Irving

Mike James

Neville James

Kervin McFarlane

Brad Nugent

Verdel Petersen

Ronald Russell

Sammuel Sanes

Daniel Simmiolkjier

Michael Thurland

James Weber III

Sherryann Wiltshire

No party

Myron Allick

Samneh Flemming

Bernard Hamilton

Norman JnBaptiste

Haile-Eyesus Murrell

Wayne Petersen

Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly http://oreilly.usvisenate.org/

Lee Seward Jr.

Michael Springer Jr. http://cruciansinfocus.com

ICM

Eustace James

Naomi Joseph

George Moore

Usie Richards

Board of Elections

Democrat

Barbara McIntosh

Verdel Petersen

Marion Petersen

No party

Epiphane Joseph

Carnival is a pillar of Caribbean and V.I. culture. Many U.S. Virgin Islands residents travel between islands three times a year to catch all of them, thousands march in costume and nearly everyone comes out to at least part of the festivities.

But what about all those U.S. Virgin Islanders living in the mainland who miss the the soca, the parades, the costumes and the winin’? They unite with their Caribbean neighbors and throw their own carnival parade.

Read more here.

…Livin’ in the USVI.

I’m remodelling my kitchen and took a trip down to Home Depot the other day. I arrived there at 10:30 a.m. and started to look for tile to go on the wall behind my counter-top. I found the correct isle on my own so I was excited at the start

A few minutes later a really nice guy named Stephen came by and asked me if I needed help. I told him I liked these 4 styles of tiles and did he have 35-40 feet of them. He went to check. I waited, and waited and waited.

He came back and told me they only had 20 feet. So I inquired about the other 3 styles I liked. We played this game for about 30 minutes, it was sooooo fun. Finally a manager came over and asked me if he could help. I told him what was going on and he said he could order it but it could take 3 weeks (which really meant 8 weeks and it would be ordered wrong). I asked if there was any of the tile somewhere else?

He replied let me check, and he dissapeared for about 15 minutes. He called me over to the back isle where there was a pallet of tiles, still wrapped and marked July 6th. He said these had come in and maybe they were in there?

let the games begin…I had to wait for him to get that driving thingy that lifts the pallets to remove some other stuff on top of the tiles. That was fun and interesting to watch and took another 15 minutes. Finally I could see the tiles but he had to now bring them to the correct isle to open. Insert Jeopardy Theme Music here.

When they finally got to the isle they were opened and guess what? No tiles. I asked if there was somewhere else I could go and he recommended MSI. 90 minutes later I’m on my way to MSI in Sub-Base.

First I had to stop at Ace hardware, “Sea Chest” to pick up a small item. While there I asked if they had tiles and they didn’t. I commented I was going over to MSI to look for some and the woman said I couldn’t. She said I had to drive back to Tutu and go to their showroom called Interiors, find what I wanted, order them and drive back to MSI in Sub-Base to pick them up.

Are you freakin’ kidding me? It took me 30 minutes in cruise ship traffic just to get to sub-Base now I have to turn around and make two additional trips? I literally spent 4 hours driving and waiting. My day ended.

The next day my wife and I drove to Interiors, which by the way is a great store to find high end stuff for your house. I found the exact tiles I was looking for and asked the woman if they had 35-40 feet. She looked in the computer and said no, sorry it’s all allotted. I’ve been beaten by the USVI

Nicci and I went over to the tile section to see if we could find anything else. A few minutes later the woman said she would call over to the warehouse to see if there was a mistake in the inventory system. To my “non surprise” there was. They actually had plenty of stock in the tile but the computer system showed nothing, thank you for your consistent inadequacies USVI

We then had to drive all the way over to Sub-Base in St. Thomas to pick the tile up, which is a pretty painful ride through downtown traffic. I guess it would make too much sense to have the showroom and warehouse in the same building?

So it took 6 hours of shopping to buy beige tiles (ah that crazy beige). next, trying to find someone to remodel the kitchen

Election time is once again looming in the US Virgin Islands.  It usually means that from now until November there’ll be lots of events held by aspirants to the offices of Senator and Governor.  So far, 64 candidates have picked up their petitions from the Board of Elections (trust me when I say that list is far from complete; look out for the final roster in August) and an election calendar has already been published.

I’ll be the first to admit that choosing candidates can be a difficult task especially here in the Virgin Islands.  Unlike the mainland where candidates campaign for about a year, aspirants here don’t really kick off their campaigns until about 3 months before the primary election and about 5 months before the general election. That’s not a lot of time to get familiar with everyone that’s running.  I have some tips on how you can go about making the best choices for you:

• Make a list of the issues you’re most concerned with.  You’ll be needing it.
• Get out there and meet some of these people.  They’ll be holding mixers, fish fries, and parties all campaign long.  But don’t just go, grab some food and drink, get a t-shirt and leave.  Actually engage the candidate and ask him or her the questions on the issues that are relevant to you.
• Keep an eye on the local media for things like radio shows, tv spots, print ads, etc.
• If someone has a flyer for you, don’t refuse it. Even if you’re not going to read it right away, hold on to it and read it later. It’s important to see what everyone is trying to bring to the table.
• Don’t rely on hearsay as your #1 source of information. If it didn’t come directly from the candidate or a reputable news source then it’s probably not worth your time. Give all the candidates the benefit of the doubt.
• Knowing someone, being related to someone, or knowing their family should NOT be the basis of your voting decision. I’m sure your friend’s son is a nice guy, but does he have the ability to legislate? Can he effectively communicate the direction he wants to take government in?

However the most important thing is that you do get out there and vote. The minute you don’t vote you lose the right to have a say in any and all governmental matters. Any argument or disagreement you have with government instantly becomes moot. Voting is how you get to the table.

****Update: July 25, 2010****

Did I say 64?  We’re up to 82 now.

With just a few quick clicks of the computer mouse, local residents can get everything from earthquake alerts to tsunami warnings sent to their email, fax, text messaging system, and eventually, even their Playstation 3.

V.I. residents can check out the system at http://www.vialert.gov/home.aspx and see how soon the alerts start coming in. Residents registering will have to give a certain amount of contact information — such as email and phone numbers, along with a wireless carrier if they chose to receive text message alerts.

I signed up so we’ll see what happens, I’ll let you know.

Read the full story here.

*****NOTE*****

You may have to verify the link multiple times. It took me 3 times but now I’m up and running.

If it wasn’t bad enough that we’ve had severe flash flooding for 6 days now we have a 4.5 earthquake in Charlotte Amalie!

Click here for more info.

What’s next?

I am SOOOOO excited to see “Battery” at the Caribbean Saloon in St. Thomas on Saturday July 24th, check out their video at the bottom of my post!

But wait there’s more…

They’re playing in St. John and St. Croix as well Here is their schedule in the USVI:

These guys are fantastic, check out their video and what the real band Metallica has to say about them:

Battery Promo

George Hartwig | MySpace Music Videos

Murray, we picked a bad week to vacation in St. Thomas Oy Vey!

Have you heard?

St. Croix now has a Young Professionals’ Network!

Just what is this group you may ask? Like so many other YPN groups around the world this group seeks to empower the young business leaders of today by providing them access to each other for the purpose of career development, business partnerships, education, and community service.

Started by St. Croix native Stephanie Felix, the St. Croix Young Professionals’ Network is committed to the empowerment, professional development, and activism of St. Croix’s young business leaders. Her goal in starting the YPN is to “completely revolutionize the social and professional scene of young businesspeople of St. Croix”.

Read More Here.