Wmcmanus

Trust me, those events are the hardest ones on an emotional level. I do a number of company-sponsored events that are designed to help under privileged children. They tend to either bus them in to a nice playground or set up the event right in the middle of a public housing development. In one case, they block off a street for a couple of hours, so there are kids running all over the place. You get asked for "money to pay the light and water bills", for "shoes for my little sister" for "my dad to get out of prison" for "my dad to stop hurting my mom" and for "just to make sure we all have enough to eat" but mostly you get asked for iPads, X-Box 360s, for a DX (whatever the fuck that is... Ok, I know, but not really) and all kinds of electronics that you know quite simply they're not going to get. There isn't much of what I'd call abject poverty in Cayman, but there are a lot of people who are really struggling and kids who have really rough lives. Sometimes they come to the public events as well (outside of their neighborhoods) and you can spot them in one way or another, either through their dirty clothes, ignorant and mean acting parents, or just that blank look that some of them have because despite the fact that they're 6 or 7 or even older, they've never really had much to really feel good about in their lives. They almost seem tired and beaten down already. It's hard to describe exactly, but pretty easy to spot.

6 hours of Santa events today, 9 hours tomorrow and 5 more on Sunday. That's actual event time, not counting time to get ready, time to drive to and fro, dead spots in the middle of the day when you don't have a chance to do much of anything but wait for the next one, etc. Nothing scheduled for Monday so far, but Tuesday (Christmas Eve) will be a mad house, then a couple more events on Christmas Day and back to the dry cleaners we go for one last trip (with 5 different suits and royal robes, each of which has been there several times already, but all of which are fresh at the moment). 78 events in total this year, new record... but not by much. Really looking forward to some of the home visits this week. I'm getting tired of the public events where there is a long line and not much time for each child so you have to do a rush "interview" while the moms are saying "smile at the camera" and "look at Santa and tell him what you want for Christmas" which of course are mutually exclusive ideas, meanwhile 7 different people spread across an array of 135 degrees with cell phones and other gadgets of every description (some as big as newspapers) are expecting me and the poor child to look at each such device at the same time. Meh... just want to go from home to home and actually have a chance to get in character again and to "be" Santa with some story telling, leading some songs, doing big group hugs, and all of those fun and memorable things that got me into this to begin with. Think I've gotten over exposed with the public events where I see 50+ kids per hour, and may make myself less available for those types of gigs next year in favor of doing more home visits. Speaking of which, it's time to suit up. I've got two preschools back to back this morning, and it doesn't get any better than that. At least you have a captive audience in a controlled environment in which they're already comfy and have their teachers as a fall back position. No "lines" to see Santa, thank goodness!

Not one single Santa in that mix. Those were just a bunch of drunken douche bags wearing Santa "costumes" that you can buy at WalMart for $30. But of course it's all over the news as a "Santa" brawl even though it doesn't have a damn thing to do with those of us who attempt to bring joy to children by portraying Santa in a serious and professional manner. This kind of crap seems to happen almost every year now.

Kind of a sucker for these kinds of things. Go figure... http://www.flixxy.com/best-christmas-lights-display.htm

We'll have to wait and see. Kansas was just the lucky lottery winner. They didn't make him the most talked about high school basketball player since LeBron, and he didn't really ask to be either. It just happened and there he was. Some talk now that his teammate, fellow freshman Joel Embiid might go #1 overall. He's been the 6th/7th man up until the Florida game when he finally got his first start. http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2013/12/11/5198940/joel-embiid-nba-draft-profile-kansas-baskebtall He's raw, but is so quick for a big man. Fun to watch. Wiggens, on the other hand, is as smooth as can be but not nearly as selfish as he ought to be offensively. He's got the Ben McLemore disease (Kansas' one and done player from last year) in the sense that he can go silent and for stretches, and hang around on the perimeter too much. If Wiggens asserted himself as a more selfish offensive player (think Kobe), he could score 30 points per game, but it might not make the team better. As it is, he's more like 16 points per game, and should be aiming more toward 24 like a Doug McDermottt (of Creighton). Not a complete ball hog, but more assertive offensively, at least touch the ball on every possession and drive to create for himself and his teammates. I think you'll see more of that as the season progresses. As for #1, both Randle and Parker are making better cases for themselves so far this year.

“Nelson Mandela is a leader who Barack Obama should try to emulate. He could start by spending 27 years in prison.” -- Don Imus

Turkey meatballs. Lots of turkey meatballs of late. No pic. Not very glamorous... But I'm down 42 pounds since September 20th, and no, that's not the only thing I've been eating, thankfully. Various mustards and cheeses do spice them up a little bit though, and I'm not brand loyal, which also helps in terms of variety. I need to start doing more salads though, because therein lies man's greatest opportunity for creativity.

Watching tyrion's Florida Gators kick the living shiiiiit out of my Kansas Jayhawks. 36-21 at halftime and it could have been worse. Florida's 1-3-1 zone was making Kansas look like a grade school team. They went on a 21-0 run at one point. Sheeeez!!!

Oh, but I an CPA and a lawyer by trade. I just prefer to lay around and do fuck all most of the time!

Dude, really... there's got to be a pub nearby. It doesn't have to end like this. But I can definitely identify... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2520753/Chinese-boyfriend-jumped-death-girlfriend-insisted-going-clothes-shop.html

31 events down so far this year, with 44 to go... but the phone is still ringing and Christmas Eve isn't fully booked yet. Today is the only day with no bookings between now and the 27th. I don't intend to leave the house, not even to take garbage out to the curb and have a neighbor spot me.

Santa's Flesh... yikes!!!

I couldn't really hear them other than when we rode directly past them. They're the typical small town dorkish TV personalities, always acting all nicey nicey but with no real substance. Posted this link on Facebook as well, and one of my friends said that she watched the entire video twice! That's about 5 hours of viewing time. No thanks... I haven't even watched it myself, and don't intend to.

Fat man in red stuff all day long. Made 8 appearances today. Long, long day... My bit starts at 2:09 and goes to 2:13 (towards the end of the Parade of Lights video). Great fireworks display follows my part, but you know how fireworks go... kind of 'had to be there' kind of thing. http://www.cayman27.com.ky/cayman27livestream

Happy birthday, Tom!

^ Really strange that both teams would wear uniforms with the same colors. Makes it look like he's scoring a goal for the wrong team, but I assume that's not the case.

I'm sick of all of the sensationalized reporting about this tragic event. Let these men rest. They've lost their lives in a horrific accident, but thankfully (more than likely) didn't suffer more than a few moments of fear. Yes, he was a handsome man and a well known actor, but now he's dead. Quit with all of the bullshit videos and what Vin Diesel thinks. Let these young men rest. Mourn their deaths respectfully. What the fuck is wrong with all of these fools in the media and the millions of idiots they feed with this nonsense?

Maybe if it was Johnnie Walker, to which I'm partial.

Brushy, the one string guitarist. The guy is amazing...

Well... ya...

After reading through a bunch of the comments on that thread, I'm really wondering whether any of this even happened at all. Guy has a history of making up this kind of stuff, and it would then be plausible that he or someone else could have also made up the Diane back story as well.

This is funny. http://www.complex.com/tech/2013/11/thanksgiving-plane-fight-elan-gale