Month: December 2013

 

This has nothing to do with todays blog, but its almost Christmas, and I know my Mom, myself, and all the rest of us miss my Dad lots. Dad wrapped up in a Carolina Panthers blanket three years ago after Steve’s oyster roast is memorable, because Mom was thrilled about first white Christmas in 25 years, Dad just kept saying “I’m cold.” It’s 71 here today, I’ll think about him on my bike ride.
=====
From beginning to end, last nights Saturday Night Live! Christmas show was an ultimate reminder of why we’ve continued to try watching it during 30-plus years, when it wasn’t that good and often seemed just a vehicle to run commercials. Give Justin Timberlake and host Jimmy Fallon’s multiple appearances as much credit as you want, the major difference was shorter, punchier skits, one’s that didn’t go 5 minutes before a weak exit.

(W)rapper skit as intro was cool, Robin-Barry Gibbs talk show with Madonna and Congressman Paul Ryan characters was okay, even if some of Fallon’s jabbering got lost. Family Feud with Fallon as ‘Big Bangs’ Sheldon and JT as Fallon was fast and relevant, the 89 point answer to “What makes a man sexually exciting?” being Justin Timberlake, with a knowing wink from the man himself, spot on. The entire female cast as hotties singing about desire to get it on back in their childhood bedrooms was sterling! and Weekend Update bang-bang-bang funny, with Fallon acknowledging passing the baton to his late night show to Myers and NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s straight-faced, “I’m just looking forward to a small soda and hanging out on a non-smoking beach” understated and righteous. Oh, that China’s moon rover was searching for a place to put menus was the zap! stuff we remember fondly.

A ‘Christmas Story’ skit that showed Scrooge as clueless about being gay watching Past wasn’t overlong, a dippy one of Chloe Kardashian and Kanye okay, Fallon’s sexual take on classic ‘Baby its Cold Outside’ terrific. Musically, Timberlake was superb with a laser show-fast footed jamming first set solo, interesting in a personal guitar and string orchestra backup second. Really, everything to like about the newer cast members and a great memory about why you have to at least check it out if you’re home between 11:35 and 1 a.m. on a Saturday night. Talented as JT and Fallon are though, I have to wonder where the HELL writers who could knock out a funny skit have been for most of last two decades.
===
On a totally unrelated front, we’ve been crushing it sales-wise since that Charity Day fiasco. My last two days production were $4200 and $4415, which counts towards after Christmas paycheck. Customers do ask how things are going, and my eagle eye view on economy from register level says while heavily discounted product has been an obvious pull, people aren’t as scared as they were in Sept. Maybe there’s still a prospect the country DOES go over a cliff when budget negotiating opens in early 2014, but a lot of people will have their ‘stuff’ for the holidays.

Glenn S.

Don’t get me wrong, after a highly enjoyable, 35-person strong family Thanksgiving, I made it to MSER (major Southeastern retailer) job at 3am with a knee brace and sand wedge cane, my ‘knee injury’ the result of an awkward misstep going to an oyster table. According to coworkers, Vineyard Vines of course, there’d been a decent first 3 hrs. after 8pm opening, but I did about $400 before going home at 7:30am. Jack *CRUSHED* it, knocking out $11,000 Friday from 7a-7p. Saturday was a walkover victory, and bonus on $74k month final total is second time in a row.

I’m still all negative about opening T’giv evening, but people ARE spending money…Good generally and for my specific ‘commission mission’, but $$ in the door vs. ‘just’ employee distress raises the spectre of *Christmas opening*, and someone will kindly shoot– uhh, how about ‘plug’?–the first ivory tower dips–t that dares to mention that. I don’t expect to be involved in another go-round in retail anyway; getting decent feelers about contract communications specialist has me optimistic about changes early in 2014.
===
So good to see DUKE winning 10 games and getting into ACC title game–even against the 1980s level of high-voltage Florida State offense they’ll see in Charlotte. Having had the opportunity to talk with several Duke players during their excursion before bowl game last year– especially a pair of running back twins and the explosive Sneed–it was actually another player that told me quite sincerely, their team loved playing a bowl game as a marker/judgment of what they’d accomplished, which was going from nowhere to, well, a bowl game. That player had nothing but positive expectations for what another year would mean for all of them, because they’d taken the first big step.

It’s a small, special feeling to know you saw ‘it’, were there for the beginning of what all those kinda-like-me-of-yore athletes (a little bigger, not 6’7″ 344 lbs. bigger though) should be congratulated for. I’m not a Dookie, but as wild as Auburn’s return for TD finish was, or Michigan’s gutsy ‘go for two and victory’ loss was, notching ten Ws, a chance for a conference championship and maybe more represents a brilliant moment in their athletic-personal lives. yay!

Glenn S.