CarrollBlog 12.16
Early on Saturday morning in the empty cafe, the waitress and I are talking. Out of nowhere she says, "I hate working here right before Christmas. Most of the people who come in are stressed and really unpleasant. You can't believe how rude some of them are and what they say. I thought people were supposed to be happy now. Whatever happened to Christmas spirit?" She asks acidly, shaking her head. A few minutes later just as I'm about to leave, a drunken bum in a Santa Claus hat pushes the door open and staggers in. "Merry Christmas!" He hollers and staggers right back out onto the street again. The waitress and I look at each other. I say, "Ask and you shall receive."
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And keeping in the Christmas spirit, BW sent me this little tidbit today from The Wall Street Journal:
AVERAGE INDIVIDUAL SPENDING BY HEDGE FUND MANAGERS WITH AN AVERAGE NEW WORTH OF $197.4 MILLION, OVER A ONE-YEAR PERIOD:
FINE ART: $4 MILLION
YACHT CHARTERS: $430,000 (430K)
JEWELRY: $376K
HOTELS AND RESORTS: $305K
WATCHES: $271K
FASHIONS/ACCESSORIES: $204K
TRADITIONAL SPA SERVICES: $124K
ELECTRONICS: $99K
ENTERTAINING FRIENDS: $77K
WINE AND SPIRITS FOR THE HOME: $49K