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‎*** WARNNG: Parental Guidance Alert! Santa Spoiler! *** Visiting the Macy's Santaland on the top floor of this iconic NYC retailer in 2009, with Bike Friday customer Brenda Carlton. When I was a kid, there was just one Santa, needless to say, me and my nosy camera were hustled out of there ever so nicely by the tireless, velvet suited  elves - they deserve a great Christmas tip! Merry Christmas everyone! Santa's Elf 1: beats folding t-shirts! Santa's Elf 2: tip this man!  Scenes from Macy's Miracle on 34th St puppet show. Bear Crossing!  My advertising bent: putting the Macy's branding front and center The final scene from Miracle on 34th St Everyone gets this cute little badge

Continuing my "tales of the uneggspected" in CountyKerry: having been dismissed from my first ever waitressing gig, I now prepare to talk my way into a serious stint on the steamy side of the swinging door...  r ead "Doing the Dishes in County Kerry" Part 1 Head chef Bruce co-assembles the Taster Plate,  a personal smorgasboard of all the sugary offerings al dia . "You need to turn it around in under 2 minutes," said sous chef Tommy.  My life as a trainee chef Mulcahy's Restaurant and Bar, Ireland 1998 After my three-week waitressing career sank like a lead meringue I found myself out in the drizzling rain looking for a new job, and more pressingly, a new place to sleep. Kenmare suddenly took on a grey, miserable pallor, a trick of the brain when life takes an awkward turn. Bummer. I was still frazzled by being fired, though it wasn't the first time in my life. I argued that really, I never wanted to be a waitress; it was just a wa...

Want to work in food? You can spend thousands of hours, dollars and brain cells going to culinary school, only to discover you'd rather be on THIS side of the swinging door. Or, you can hustle yo'self a gig as a prep chef, a "try before you buy" if you will. Here's my blow-by-blanch account of going from waitressing to commis-cheffing and back to being an appreciative diner.  The action takes place in a far, far west corner of a kitchen in Ireland...   More tasty reading: "Doing the Dishes in County Kerry" Part 2 My Cheap'n'Choosy food blog One wonders in this place Why anyone is left in Dublin, or London, or Paris Where it would be better, one would think To live in a tent or hut With this magnificent sea and sky And to breathe this wonderful air Which is like wine in one's teeth John Millington Synge From the wall at the Barracks History Centre, Cahirsiveen, West Ireland ~~~ "YE ...