Carnival is almost here!!

You know that it is almost Carnival when you get an email like this from TRIBE:

Dear Saucy,
Trinidad’s 2007 Carnival Celebration is fast approaching and as we gear up for another festive season, please take a minute to read the information below regarding final payment and costume distribution.

Further Payments on Costumes
* Cash & Linx payments can be made at TRIBE’s Mas Camp, 20 Rosalino Street , Woodbrook until FRI 2nd FEB. After this date, final payments will only be made upon collection of your costume at Cascadia Hotel.
* Credit card payments can be made ONLY via Senvia until FRI 2nd FEB
* For Senvia’s easy set-up guide please visit https://www.senvia.com/tribe/SenviaWalkthrough.pdf
* To make a payment please visit https://secure.senvia.com/redirect.php?id=TRIBE

Costume Distribution
· Will take place at Cascadia Hotel, St. Anns, Port-of-Spain commencing on the w/d of SAT 10th FEB
· The costume distribution schedule will be emailed to you soon and posted on TRIBE’s website
· You MUST present a valid picture ID with your signature to collect your costume.
· Accepted forms of ID include a driver’s licence, passport, or citizenship/residence card.
· Payment at Cascadia Hotel will be strictly Cash or Linx only. Credit cards will NOT be a form of payment.

Collecting Costumes for Another Person
* You must present a copy of their picture ID (with signature) along with a signed “Authorization to Collect” letter. This letter must be presented at the time of costume collection. Please do not email us this letter.

Fast Track your Costume Collection
· Masqueraders who have paid IN FULL for their costumes by FRI 2nd FEB 2007 will be assigned to TRIBE’s EXPRESS Service to minimize waiting time in the queue.
· The EXPRESS Service expedites the process of collecting your costume.

Costume Resale & Transfers
* If you have sold your costume, please contact TRIBE with the name of the new owner along with their email address and contact number.
* Our email address is info@carnivaltribe.com or you can fax us at 1-868-625-6800.
* The last day to transfer names on costumes is FRI 2nd FEBRUARY.

TRIBE Mas Camp Hours of Operation
* The Mas Camp will be closed from SAT 3rd FEB to facilitate the costume distribution process.
* If you have any enquiries please call 625-6800.

Thank you!

Seems like this is the LAST week to fix up all costume related business; if you know you are selling or have sold your costume get the information to TRIBE by Friday please or else give the person who is buying your costume the authorization letter and copy of ID so they can collect the costume. All those paying by credit card note that it can only be done at the mas camp by Friday as well. Yes, I had to translate for you because I know someone will ask me this very same information in the coming week!

Carnival is almost here people, can you feel it?!!!!

Do you like it in the Back?

A little birdie whispered to me that I would not be “happy” with where Fireman is positioned in the section lineup in TRIBE. Apparently the order of sections has already been decided and Fireman is closer to the back of the band, much closer to being last than I am comfortable with! Seeing as the hubby and I are in different sections I was mainly concerned about how far would Fireman be from Warrior Spirit. I was further informed that if I wanted to be close to Warrior Spirit I would have to be in Cow Mas, Jab Molassie or Dragon. By the way, I did not get the full line up, only hints, I know Warrior Spirit is not the first section of the band (too big for that) nor is Dragon in the top 5! Please, do not ask me if I know where your section is placed, frankly I am way too disturbed by being in the back of the band than to concern myself with where any other section is placed!

Now I know the general consensus with band leaders is that it does not matter which section is first or last, other people think that the entire band is all-inclusive with “only” 3500 people so it’s not like the section is in the back of Poison with 50,000 masqueraders and I do not even need to stay in my section. Other points where made that we will not be crossing a stage this year so being in the back and having that wait is a moot point others think being in the back is ideal because you are closer to the pee pee trucks! Well, in all my years of playing mas I have been spoilt.

I have never played in a section that is last or almost last. With Harts it was always the all female section, led by Wendy Fitzwilliams which was either the first section or the very least in the top five. One year I played in a mixed section and was somewhere in the middle and did not like it too much though after we crossed the stage we were all one big mélange of masqueraders anyway. With Poison I was in the middle of the band the first year while my other friends were with Pleasures Carnival to the front, well needless to say I never saw them that year, being in the middle of that band was like being LAST!! Poison was the first band I saw which had section 1 and section 1 A so if you were in section 5 B you were really the 11th section!!!! The second time with Poison I felt more at home being first with Sonia Mack and had a great experience.

The sad fact is one section has to be last, but to be honest with you I think the order should be done according to which sections are more popular judged by the fact of how well they sold. I mean, Fireman is a very popular section, one I am sure would be photographed a lot and I hope the powers at be in TRIBE rethink the decision to stick the section to the back of the band; that spot should be reserved for Bat which is yet to sell out!! To be fair Warrior Spirit should be first, seeing as they were the first to sell out, but since that section is way too massive, maybe Dragon should get that top spot, followed by the other sections that were sold out in record time. I know that the band leaders probably do not want “colours clashing” but Fireman is one of only two all red sections how hard would it be to move the section up a bit, a little closer to Warrior Spirit perhaps?

So I was utterly disturbed by that news, and yes I am not happy! At this moment I am praying to the Carnival Gods that by some miracle Fireman would be saved from being in the bowels of the band. I do not like it the back, never mind I have yet to try it; to me it is just not the natural order of how things should be. Give it to me to the front or even in the middle and I am quite pleased. Yes, I know some of you probably like it in the back and don’t care one way or the other, all you care about is just being in the band. On that note I was at TRIBE’s mas camp yesterday when a young Asian girl, speaking stilted English, walks into the camp and asks for a costume. She was directed to take a look at the two sections which were still open, Bat and Pierrot Grenade frontline her response was just sign her up! Yup, the girl did not give either costume so much as a minute once-over she simply said either one, did not matter. In the end she went with Pierrot Grenade but that was only because it was impressed upon her to make a choice, she later admitted that she played in green last year so Bat was out. I get the feeling though if Bat were the only section open she would have taken it! See, that is the sort of masquerader that should be in the back, one who does not spend months obsessing over a costume!!

Forget the Digicel cell phone in the goody bag and my call for Monday wear TRIBE, I am resubmitting my Christmas/Birthday wish list and all I really want is for Fireman to be moved a little further to the front, please. That is not too much to ask seeing as TRIBE is all about making their masqueraders happy now is it?