Wmcmanus

Don't mind being an old fart. Sure beats the alternative! Glad you had a happy b-day!

I think the best thing we did was after the first 15-20 minutes or so (after a bunch of emergency vehicles had arrived)... was a bunch of guys who happened to have the misfortune of being so close up near to the accident (including the three of us) stood around and essentially formed a human road block about 150 yards back. Or at least we tried the best we could to convince everyone who kept wandering up the road that they really didn't want to get any closer. It worked for about 80% of the people. Then people who insisted on seeing it for themselves would come back 5 minutes later wishing they had listened to us. So they started telling the new people who wandered up, "No, no, you don't want to see it..." (all dramatic, and insistent). Damn idiots! It was like they had to be macho and walk up there to earn a badge of honor or something, and then be the big man hero trying to spare someone else... whereas those of us who were up front to begin with were just trying not to think about anything, and were basically in shock. Then some new group of morons would wander up, and this kept going on for 2 hours. But you know, sitting in that line for so long, even as word of mouth reached back a mile (seemingly) or however long it was, some people still wanted to come up and gawk... and this was extremely high impact, so not much was left of either vehicle. So that got frustrating, the fact that we were right there and had to babysit and keep looking out for all of the idiots who kept coming and coming... But just all of those lights from such a variety of emergency vehicles flashing for so long, I think that's what I remember most. That, and the darkness and quietness of the night. Nowhere to go and nothing to do but wait with lights flashing and reflecting everywhere. (Anyway, enough about that.)

Saw REO in the summer of '79. They were the headliners for the Rockford Speedway Jam. They were quite good, but The Cars were simply incredible and Ian Hunter was really eye opening for me (it was just after the release of "You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic"). It was freaking hot as hell and of course you're standing on or near asphalt all day long with nothing to drink but buckets of beer! Amazing, long, long day... It was just myself, Dice, and Mince, my best two friends from high school. Then on the way back home at about midnight we were the 4th car back from a head on collision that killed 6 people on US-51 which really was the only (shitty 2-lane) road South at the time (this was much prior to I-39). There was blood, glass and car parts everywhere, with the last couple of victims who didn't die on impact still screaming. Everyone was scrambling to see if they could help and trying to pry one girl free but then there was silence. We couldn't do a thing to help these poor souls, the lone driver of the Northbound vehicle and 5 young people in the car that was heading South and tried to pass a long line of cars. They had also been at the show all day, and were probably just as drunk and high as we were. We all sat around for nearly 2 hours until they finally cleared the road. Some people were freaking out, others wandering from car to car just to have someone to chat with, but it was just so sad and eire. From life to death in just an instant. When we finally got moving again and down the road several miles, nothing was said for the longest time. It had to be 2am by then. Then all of sudden Dice, who was driving, cranked up The Doors for the rest of the way home. We never talked about it again. Could have been us just as easily, although thankfully he wasn't trying to pass anyone. Anyway, RIP Gary. Lots of good memories from that day too... Oh, and the Head East "Flat As a Pancake" album is loaded with really fun kick ass 70s rock ("Never Had Any Reason" being the hit, and rightfully so). Most of the REO guys were from Rockford, so they played there often, and Head East was from Pekin, IL near Peoria.

Gosh, now Moses Malone, another legendary basketball player. Just 60 years old... http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2565929-basketball-hall-of-famer-moses-malone-dies-at-60?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming-national

Happy birthday!

God works in mysterious ways...

This is why (shoot me if you disagree, as I'm sure nearly everyone will), I'm still stubbornly sticking with my (egad!) Blackberry and have yet to venture into the Smart* phone jungle. *Not so smart if you value human interaction, and are not capable (as I surely am not) of staying off of the internet for more than 5 minutes at a time whenever it is available to you. My Blackberry is perfect! It's ugly, it's boring, it's not very functional, but it rings when I get a phone call, gives me an email feed and the ability to reply to important messages that need my immediate attention, or to send texts, or to take an occasional low grade picture of some strange looking item that I'm about to go to Home Depot to replace and will need to see a picture of to ensure I'm buying the right thing. Totally utilitarian, and never tempting to use as a time waster... since I refuse to enable the browsing capabilities (and would obviously switch to an iPhone or the like if ever I give in to that temptation).

Happy birthday, Jimmy!

Great video! Congrats, Birgir... and famous you should be! Also, really really nice to see Tyll looking so spry and chipper. That part is way cool.

Really sorry to hear, Brent. My condolences. ...and RIP Chocolate Thunder, Darrly Dawkins, 58 is much too young. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/08/27/rip-chocolate-thunder-former-nba-star-darryl-dawkins-reportedly-dead-at-58/

Drove 4 hours each way from Tampa to Miami and back to see a baseball game. Might just be a bit of a zealot, especially when it comes to watching J.A. Happ pitch. He's from my home town and went to the same high school I did, and is now on the Pittsburgh Pirates who are in contention for the playoffs. 6 innings pitched, 4 hits, 0 runs, which was good for a win!

That's really rough, Larry... it's even hard to read, so I just can't imagine. Like everyone else, I really wish I knew what to say. Hope you get your pain meds sorted out soon.

Not sure, but I'll check with Matt's friend Jeremy to see if he knows.

I know, I know... sigh. I'm told that his folks sold their home in the Tampa area and moved to somewhere in Tennessee (I think it is) where his sister and thus their grandkids live. I meant to follow up with them just to stop for a visit, but never did. I still see a number of his friends every now and then. Nothing else was ever learned concerning the puzzling circumstances surrounding his death, not that it really matters because nothing can bring him back. But anyway... happy birthday, Matt!

Lots of great comments. Thanks! I think the color will nag at me until I get it changed. To be honest, that was a communication issue that I actually created (ironically) by being fearful that there would be a communication issue if I asked them do do anything out of the ordinary. I always wanted a candy apple red, but they're in Poland (which creates a slight language barrier, but not as severe as I feared) so I didn't want to complicate things unnecessarily. I just looked at everything on their website for a color they had used on another project, and eventually found one that was "good enough" and said, "Give me this color." Now I wish that I would have done my own color search from scratch, but this will be Ok, at least until I get it changed. Part Two will be a Santa house built on a 24' trailer with a 5' private room (changing area, storage, and a place to sit while on break time) and a 19' main room that will double as the "garage" for the sleigh throughout the year. When in use for events, the idea will be to arrive early to set everything up, which will mean pulling the sleigh out of the back of the house and setting it up as a roped off "prop" in front of the house. Then close the rear ramp door and set up a Santa throne where the sleigh was. I'll have my own photographer, which will allow me/us to take in the "concessions" aspect of the business (rather than being paid a fixed hourly fee). Will also have a couple of elf assistants to deal with photo sales (and t-shirts, coffee mugs and believer bells all featuring myself and the sleigh and/or house, but the merchandising will be limited so it doesn't become too tacky). There will be an "in" door on one side of the house as far away from the Santa throne as possible (on the same side of the house that the sleigh is displayed, and where the crowd will gather), and an "out" door on the other side of the house. This will allow the traffic to flow smoothly without the people waiting in line getting in the way of the photographer or the family being photographed. I'm trying to figure out how to install a fold down section of one of the side walls, about 12' long, such that a mini "stage" could be set up. The fold down wall would be supported by 4" x 4" legs that would be hinged to the upper part of the wall. So the idea would be to release a couple of clips, and then ease down the side wall, 12' long and 8' high. Then we can put on a "story time" type of stage show (Santa, Mrs. Claus, Miss Claus, and several elves) for about 45 minutes before closing the house back up and setting up the photo operation. That way, all of the kids get free entertainment, and they can come as often as they like, but they wouldn't necessarily need to wait for an hour or more for pictures. The idea of the stage show would be to rotate through 4 or 5 different impromptu mini performances where the Claus family discussed various issues they are facing at the North Pole, trying to get ready for Christmas. One could focus on the reindeer, another on the elves, another on toy making, etc. But every night, it would be something different. Do the shows on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. So there would be a Monday night show, maybe with different characters, as well as a different theme, than the Tuesday night show, etc. Do this every week in December. Then if demand builds, the next year you start during the last week of November. Then each year, keep adding another week until you've over-saturated the market, or people start writing letters to the editor about "too much Santa, too soon" and how it's supposed to be about Jesus. One of the "shows" will actually be about that very topic, so hopefully that will help to diffuse the Christian right push back. That would give me all day Saturday and Sunday (very busy days) to do my usual assortment of corporate events (with or without the sleigh and/or house), and during the week nights I could still do several family visits after the shows. Part of the "grand plan" is to allow Santa to not only become "real" but to become a "friend" to everyone in the community. Once I have the house built, I'll have several new Santa suits made, in all sorts of colors other than red and white. An outdoors "woodsman" look, a regal gold and cream look with brown fur... my "wish list" for the different outfits and color combinations I have in mind is practically endless. But Santa is just like anyone else. He doesn't, and shouldn't, wear the same clothes every single day! Not if he's real... But one step at a time. Just glad that I finally pulled the trigger on the sleigh.

Good thought, but I've got 7 suits at the moment, each with a matching royal robe, and one more suit/robe combo being made for this year... but this actually matches the suit I like the most in terms of design, but the least in terms of color! I think candy apple red or something similar is in the future. I just don't know if it makes sense for this year or not.

Forgot to mention the carriage lamps, which haven't been installed yet. A pair of the L4a up front and a pair of the L1a in the back. The steel brackets for where they will be mounted are all in place on the sleigh. The front lamps are just off to the sides and up a bit form the back of the passenger seat.

My long run plan also includes a 24' long portable Santa "house" (built on a trailer to the maximum height 13'6" and width 9'), which will also double as the "garage" for my sleigh. But the house (Part Two of stepping up my Santa game) will have to wait until next year. In the meantime, I have no clue where I'm going to store this sleigh, which is over 14' long (main body) and I'm not sure, maybe 9' or 10' high with the hood up. I'm not thrilled with my color choices. The main body was intended to be a distinctive red, as opposed to an orange-red, so I may have it repainted once it arrives in Cayman. Thinking something more on the lines of a candy apple red, but not sure. Also, I like the idea of using black leather (as opposed to a forest green) as the trim color, but didn't really anticipate just how huge that hood would be! The sides of the hood when it's up are like billboards, so I've got some big wreaths to hang on each side to break it up a bit. The company that built it, http://coyaltix.com is located in Poland. I just liked their work a lot more than anything I could find in the US, and the Euro is down so that helped to offset the higher shipping costs. It will be coming in a 20' steel container, so not risk of damage in transit. I'm also having them build a mini sleigh (coffee table size) that will be used more often than not as a photo prop (where kids can sit while Santa and mom and dad stand to the side or behind) with the big sleigh in the background. The mini sleigh will help to minimize the foot traffic on and off the big sleigh such that it doesn't get beat to shit in a couple of years. You have to be an elf to go on the big sleigh... so sit on this little sleigh you little fucker and quit your bitching! The mini sleigh should also help in terms of keeping the photo line moving along briskly at public events. For any private events where clients are willing to pay a significant up-charge for the big sleigh, they can crawl all over it to their heart's content. There will be logistics issues in terms of getting it out of storage and to an event on time, and then put back into storage afterwards, so I'll need another (elf) driver, such that I can move on to event #2 as the sleigh is returned to storage after event #1. My Ford Edge has been repainted in the same color as the main body of the sleigh, so it will (most likely) have to be repainted to a true red as well. The sleigh will ride on an 18' flat tilt bed tailer with a light duty winch installed in the front to avoid the need of gang pushing the sleigh onto the trailer every time it needs to be reloaded. One of my main corporate clients is already in the process of organizing a 6 hour event for the first Saturday in December, with the sleigh and 3 tons of crushed ice to create "snow" inside of a very large air conditioned tent. There will be stage show featuring myself and my team (Mrs. Claus, Miss Claus, and several elves), kind of a "day in the lives of the Claus family" but the main theme will be Santa stressing over how his reindeer have abandoned him! "I can't fly the sleigh without them!" Then a couple of reindeer will magically appear (real reindeer, imported for the day from a friend who runs a reindeer farm in Texas), and we'll have a petting zoo for a couple of hours. The event will cost upwards of $20k to put on, so there will have to be an admissions charge. But exciting, and it wouldn't have happened without the sleigh, so I'm already feeling good about this particular hole in the wallet. Over time, it will pay for itself, in one way or another. What the hell. You only live once.