TruckStopProductions

YP isn?t just about Mexico anymore! And frankly I can?t comment about YP Mexico because I?ve never been to that event. But last Thursday I did manage to leave behind my many responsibilities and spend four fabulous days in Negril, Jamaica. I?d be lying if I didn?t say it was an experience that I?ll never forget.

YP was a blast. Jamaica was a blast. It was definitely a great experience for yours truly.

So what made YP Jamaica so memorable?

For one thing, this was my first trip to Jamaica. And I?m not going to romanticize Jamaica, like many others have done. The simple truth is that Jamaica, like any country, has its positives and its negatives. And unlike the United States, Jamaica is a poor, poor country. The economic opportunities available to Jamaicans are severely limited. I asked a number of the Jamaicans that I met if they had ever visited the United States, and each time I was told that they had never left the island. One person told me that he had applied for a visa several times, but had been denied each time; he indicated that he would keep trying, and he hoped he might make it to the United States someday. But let?s not kid ourselves, it?s a lot easier for an average American to visit Jamaica than it is for the average Jamaican to visit America. It?s hard to truly understand just how rich American really is until you visit a country that doesn?t have similar opportunities and advantages.

I didn?t bring my laptop to Jamaica, and I stand by that decision. Internet access wasn?t available at the Charela Inn, and I really didn?t feel like finding an internet café just to log on. So I was cut off. It was, you might say, liberating to be free of my cyberbonds for just a few days. I?d never packed so lightly for a four-day trip, and although I may make a few alterations to my wardrobe next time out, less baggage was definitely an advantage.

Now you must understand that YP has never been about luxury. That said, I think most veteran YPers would admit that the chosen spot in Jamaica was more of a ?luxury? destination than the last chosen spot in Mexico. The rooms at the Charela were tasteful and beyond adequate. Yes, there was the occasional ant-sized insect crawling around on the bathroom sink, but as the lovely Pattyecake pointed out, that just didn?t seem to matter in Jamaica like it would have mattered in an American hotel. That exact same ant crawling on my sink at the Sheraton would mean something very different than it did in Jamaica. If you don?t know what I?m talking about, that?s because you have to actually attend YP to get ?it.?

The weather in Jamaica was just perfect. Seriously, we couldn?t have attended at a better time. It was somewhere in the low to mid 80?s throughout the daytime, and just slightly cool late at night. There was no rain, no excessive wind. Again, just perfect.

If there was a big disaster at YP Jamaica it was the moment when BigE made the mistake of encouraging LAJ to be more aggressive in poker. Up until that point Jay had been too busy pissing about a starting pair that he lost due to a misdeal, but after BigE?s unfortunate encouragement, something just clicked. At first I thought he might be in for a disappointing fall because he seemed so damn confident that he was going to win. Turns out he was right. LAJ was untouchable in poker that night? expect for that one damn hand when I needed him to knock Rico out of the match for me. He managed to lose that one! Yours truly squeaked out fourth place, out of ten original players ? but that was mostly due to a defensive strategy that involved a lot of folding while letting other players go head to head and knock each other out of the game. I did better the next night, although that game was limited to just four of us. Thanks to Dan over at Camz.com for supplying the poker chips.

Okay, there was another ?incident? that was somewhat of a disaster. I think it was on the third night ? you tend to lose track of time in Jamaica ? when SEGuru decided that it might be funny to have a goat delivered to the Charela. He hired a local cab driver to deliver not just the ugliest, smelliest goat on the island, but to also bring along some equipment that could be used to shave the goat. Oh man, don?t ask. Well, as you might imagine the hotel staff didn?t find it very amusing when this nasty ass goat arrived at the front of their establishment. The goat wasn?t happy either. Poor Twinkley, who was seriously fighting the biological effects that seem to accompany YP partying, was called to deal with the situation. She convinced the cab driver to get rid of the goat ? having been paid in advance, he was happy to do it as long as SEGuru would be told that the obligation to deliver the goat had been met. But you can imagine what the Jamaicans thought a group of porn industry people planned to do with the poor creature. I like to think the goat is on a hillside sometime around now chowing down on some nice Jamaican grass. Not that kind of grass. You know what I mean.

I?d also like to echo some of the comments made by other YPers in various forums ? the people who attended are really what?s behind the success of YP Jamaica. I won?t do that shout-out list again, since last time I left off a few vital people and felt horrible afterwards, but I will take a moment to say ?thank you? to Twinkley and LAJ for organizing the event, YNOTBob for having faith in the event, and the fantastic sponsors who made the trip that much more fun for all of us. Sponsors included CamZ.com, SammySmack, HotLipsCash, Lightspeed Cash, VirtuContent, TNACash, WebcamCash, ItsYourPorn.com, Xamo Entertainment, IOCash, Remote Thumbs and Netbilling. Thanks again to all of you guys. Respect!