BS: No Santa this year...

Subject: BS: No Santa this year...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 11:29 PM

Gotcha! Made you look!

If any impressionable young children are looking in, I'm so sorry. Please don't worry about what I said; I'm sure that the real Santa will be bringing you all the plastic crap your little hearts desire. Now, get lost -- us adults have to talk.

Actually, what I mean to say is that there's no Santa JOB this year, for ME. Although I have *successfully* completed radiation treatment for the cancer that appeared on my right tonsil a couple of days after last Christmas, I have not yet recovered enough energy to work two jobs.

I've become somewhat less well qualified to portray Santa, too: I lost all my facial hair, and it's growing back very thin and splotchy; I'm down 65 pounds, from 245 to 180 (which is actually a good thing); and I had a couple of front teeth pulled, a definite liability for any job that requires you to smile for the camera 15-20 times per hour.

BUT:

My former employers let me suit up late one night and take a few pictures with my grandbaby Avery (affectionately known as "A-Bomb") on the night before her first birthday. The suit hung kinda loose on me, and the white makeup that used to color and thicken my beard now colors the skin you see through my sketchy little whiskers, but we got some nice holiday souvenirs. Here's one:

newly posted member photo

To tell you the truth, what I'll miss most about not having the Santa job this year is that I've lost my all-purpose excuse for not concerning myself with *ANYTHING ELSE* to do with holiday preparations, etc. It was *great* to be so totally busy with a very enjoyable part-time job that I was excused from worry about who gets what present, what to cook, who to call, whatever. I got full credit for exemplifying the Christmas spirit, but I actually did all my exemplifying while on the time clock, and having fun to boot.

Here's hoping I can get back to it next year.

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 12:06 AM

Ah, love the pix! She's a doll! Sorry you can't be Santa this year, but it is so important that we give our bodies the time and rest they need to heal completely.

We just watched the original of Miracle on 34th Street...once again affirming how important it is for all to believe in the spirit of the holiday and Kris Kringle.:-)

Here's to another year and you back on the job next winter.

luvyakat

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: Peace
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 12:32 AM

Hey, PG. Both those women in the pictures are lovely. You have a warm and wonderful smile, and I think you'd have been a great Santa this year--if you'd felt up to it. Keep well, buddy, and Merry Christmas.

BM

PS I asked for an Indian (motorcycle) when I was thirteen. Slip yer mind?

B

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: DonMeixner
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 01:00 AM

Bruce,

Was it "The Chieftain" you wanted with the optional oil spot and blue cloud every time you started it?

Don

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: dianavan
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 01:05 AM

You look like Santa to me! I'm sure the grandbaby wasn't fooled though.

By the way, why did you bring me an accordian when I asked for a pedal steel guitar?

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: CapriUni
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 01:16 AM

Aww... what a Sweetie! I can tell she's a budding musician already.

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 01:35 AM

Bugger the rest of the world, you gave your ladies the best ever present just by still being here!

You deserve to sit back and let everyone else do the work - tell them your Secret Executive Compiler of Secrets this Year told you to! You can do the very important job of baby sitting if you must do something... teach her something better than 'twinkle twinkle'!

(Seriously, it's been terrible what's happened to Mudcatters this year, we want to keep the ones we have healthy and happy!)

Have a Holiday, Santa!!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: Hollowfox
Date: 13 Dec 04 - 02:52 PM

I'm just glad you're alive and well enough to post.

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: GUEST,Sooz (at work)
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 08:25 AM

There's a mince pie for you at our house! Look after yourself.

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 08:36 AM

Christmas next year is certain to give you your 2 front teeth and to be a fat Santa.

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: GUEST,Ron Davies
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 08:43 AM

Poppa-Gator----

Ernie K Doe?----isn't he of "Mother in Law" fame?------great song.

Congratulations to you!

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: Rapparee
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 09:01 AM

You GOT your present, dude. It's in the last picture, and you're here to have it taken.

Yeah, 'catters have had a tough time this year, but then again, there are a few kittens and grandkits, too.

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 08:06 AM

What a lovely Santa, I certainly didn't expect it after reading your description. I was almost expecting the skinny balding Bad Santa enacted by one of my colleagues last week. Can we have another pic next year? A pic of Santa, & both his ladies.

Now if more Santa's looked like you ...

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: artbrooks
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 08:25 AM

Like they said, PG...consider the alternatives. Have a happy holiday (whatever one[s] you choose) and enjoy the grandbaby. Personally, I'd say that there are some good ways to get the teeth replaced, but I'd try to avoid putting the weight back on.

Art (who'd love to lose that much weight, but isn't ready for that method)

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: CapriUni
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 01:42 PM

Besides, if you look at many of the older illustrations of "Santa"^* you'd see that he isn't always rotund. It's his spirit what makes him what he is, and you have that by the sackful, sir!

^*isn't calling him 'Santa' really like calling him "Mistah" -- a corruption of title, rather than his name? His name is Nicholas ...

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 04:29 PM

Whenever I asked a kid his name and he responded "Nick" or "Nicholas," I'd always say "Hey! That's my name, too -- did you konw that?"

Some knew, some didn't.

Thanks to all for your kind thoughts. Here are a few random responses to questions that came up:

No, you don't want to lose weight the way I did. I was unable to swallow for almost six months, and had a tube installed in my belly to take all nourishment in liquid form. No carbs, no meat -- lots of soy protein. Actually quite healthy but no fun. I can eat now, but it's hard work (throat is still constricted and saliva glands ain't working right) and not as pleasurable as before (taste buds are damaged), so I'm not likely to gain much weight back for a while.

Yes, that's THE Ernie K-Doe in one of my Member Photos. I just responded to Ron with a fairly lengthy PM about Ernie; maybe I should have posted it here instead. I was greatly privileged to meet Ernie, get to know him, and sing with him during the last two years of his life. That picture was taken just two weeks before he suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. I can refer you all to his posthumous website, http://www.k-doe.com/.

Bruce, sorry about the motorcycle. Your mom told me you didn't deserve it that year ;)

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: SINSULL
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 07:54 PM

I love the look on little Avery's face - "First the cancer and now he thinks he's Santa Claus! What's next?"
Happy Holidays, Poppa. Now go out and buy somebody a present.
MAry

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: GUEST,Ron Davies
Date: 16 Dec 04 - 10:53 AM

PoppaGator--

Sorry I can't read your PM---still cookie problems. I think everybody would be interested to hear about Ernie K. Doe. Could you post the info here?

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: PoppaGator
Date: 16 Dec 04 - 03:49 PM

No prob -- I'm off to "View your sent messages" and will return with a copy-and-paste....

OK, I'm back!

Yeah, that's him all right, Ernie K-Doe of Mother-in-Law fame.

Ernie actually had *many* "hit" records that never broke out of the all-Black and the local-New Orleans markets and into the national/internation mainstream, and he always had a bit of a chip on his shoulder about that. He was a terrific performer, not unlike James Brown, and an irrepressible egotist.

I got to know him during the last two years of his life, 2000-2001. He was making a bit of a comeback, under the guidance/management of his new-ish wife Antoinette. They owned and ran a club, the Mother-in-Law Lounge, where Ernie performed every Sunday evening accompanied by a "one-man band," Rico Watts on synthesizer and drum machine. My wife and I and some friends became regulars, singing the background parts of his many well-known (to us Orleanians) songs. After a while he invited me to join him at the mike, and we eventually worked out a little duet routine.

That picture was taken the first and only time I joined him on a "real" stage with a full band, in front of more than a handful of family and friends. It was the grand finale of a benefit concert for Charity Hostital (Ernie's beloved birthplace), at Tiptina's, with a capacity crowd, which I think translates to at least 500-600.

Just a few days later Ernie collapsed, went intoo a coma, was taken to Charity Hospital, and died within about two weeks. He had advanced liver and kidney deterioration, brought on by years of drug and alcohol abuse -- he had cleaned up his act and gone totally clean-and-sober for several years, but the damage had already been done, and caught up to him very suddenly. His funeral was *huge* -- the biggest the city had ever seen.

Antoinette is still operating the Lounge and promoting Ernie's memory. Check the website: http://www.k-doe.com/. I think the internal link for "Galleries" includes plenty of funeral pictures, and also a few shots from that final benefit concert.

Subject: RE: BS: No Santa this year...
From: JennieG
Date: 16 Dec 04 - 07:39 PM

Never mind Santa....so long as your favourite girls get to sit on your lap!

Cheers
JennieG who has been very very good....really......