Ripped Off in Parking Lot in Downtown Atlanta

Last week I had the daunting task of facing off with the Fulton County Tax Commissioner regarding my office property taxes. Actually, after 6 months of back and forth negotiations, I think my mission was accomplished. I parked in a lot down the street. I returned to the car and took out the money to pay for parking and the parking ticket.....the kind you have to slide into a machine to lift the gate for exit. A man approached my car and told me the fee was $10. I told him that it should be $8 as I handed him the $10 bill and the ticket. He said he was going to get the change. Meanwhile, he really hightails it across the street and disappears. As I handed him the ticket and I saw that my ticket was white and the other tickets that the guy held in his hand were yellow, I knew I was ripped off! Because I couldnt open the gate without the ticket, I couldn't leave and chase him. Other cars backed up behind me to exit but where unable to do so because I couldn't open the gate. I had to pay a $12 lost ticket fee to get out. So my misadventure in the lot, just a block from the Fulton County courthouse, cost me $22, I was so pissed off.... mostly at myself for being sucked into this scam! I speculate that the scam artist was a drunk bum doing this all over downtown Atlanta. He was kind of scrawny and I think that I could have taken him out!!

Morale of the story: Be aware of who you hand your parking ticket to when you leave a parking lot in downtown Atlanta. I wish I would have had the piece of mind to take a picture of the guy so I could share his face with everyone on the internet with a warning: WANTED IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA: PARKING LOT BANDIT!!

Real Housewives of Atlanta Hit the Town

Freddie O reports on his website that Neenee and Lisa were at Luckie in downtown Atlanta on Wednesday night to celebrate their narcissism and egocentricity. Why was Fantasia there partying with them? I have never been to Luckie. It is across the street from the Georgia Aquarium and the Union Mission/Salvation Army....homeless, fish and housewives all within one block.......hmmmmmmmmmmn.

Last night I went to the international conference of the non-profit I started in 1997. I was seated next to a very prominent Atlanta socialite and philanthropist. She is all over all of the society magazines. We dished about the Housewives. She lives on West Paces Ferry Road next to the Governor's Mansion , if you get the picture. The show should be about real Atlanta housewives like her who make a contribution to the city and are not obnoxious about their wealth. She described the housewives as vulgar. As mentioned, this Buckhead Betty is literally involved in every big charity event in town and has NEVER come across any of the housewives nor has she heard of their alleged "charitable foundations". Like me, she was nauseated by Kim's weave and the garish over the top party she threw for her 11 year old over made up daughter Brielle. Who spends $18,000 on an 11 year old's birthday party? And gives her a $1650 Louis Vuitton handbag? And a $2000 cake (which Kim complained about)? Why not give back to your community? The child was clealy unappreciative and spoiled! And what kind of mother leaves a room full of 11 year olds in a hotel room while she goes to have cocktails at the bar? The topper was when Kim announced that she was not going to pay the $5000 fee to the party planner. I hope the planner sued her or should I say Big Papa? More to follow............

What do Atlantans think of the Real Housewives of Atlanta?

The following article written by Phil Kloer in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Tuesday discusses the sentiments of real life Atlanta housewives about the "crass materialism" of the Real Housewive of Atlanta.

"The new reality series “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” is getting taken to the woodshed by one group in particular: The real real housewives of Atlanta.
“It was a mess — the worst representation of women in Atlanta I’ve ever seen,” said Andrea Clark, a housewife in Hampton, south of Atlanta.
“I would not want to show my face in public after that,” she added.
“I just thought it was awful,” said Sherri Caldwell, a housewife in Virginia-Highlands and author of the book “The Rebel Housewife.”
“Incredibly distasteful,” added Marie Killory, an Atlanta mother of three.
The Bravo series, which debuted last week and continues tonight, follows five very wealthy women living in gated communities in the northern suburbs as they shop, spat and crow about their status.
“I consider myself among Atlanta’s wealthy elite,” Sheree Whitfield said in the first episode, as she threw herself a birthday party with security guarding the front door and a cake shaped like a huge Louis Vuitton purse. Her friend Kim Zolciak wrote a $68,000 personal check for a Cadillac Escalade, while another housewife, Deshawn Snow, took viewers on a tour of her 15,000-square-foot mansion and interviewed applicants for her staff.
Two are married to professional athletes, and a third is divorcing an athlete, seeking a “lump sum” in “seven figures.” Another appears to be supported by a man she calls “Big Poppa.”
The timing of a TV show that wallows in wealthy indulgence when millions are panicking about their financial futures struck some viewers as especially tacky.
“In this dreadful financial climate, it is particularly unbelievable to watch this level of conspicuous consumption,” Bethenny Frankel, who was one of the “Real Housewives of New York,” posted in a blog — one ostensibly set up to promote the series on Bravo’s Web site.
Frankel called the Atlanta series “ ‘Cribs’ meets ‘Jerry Springer.’ ”
Not everyone, though, had a negative reaction.
“ ‘Real Housewives’ is supposed to be over the top,” said Tomesha Lawrence, an East Cobb wife and mother of three. “We should give the show a chance.” Some posters on various blogs have said they will continue to watch, although terms like “hot mess” come up now and then.
“Real Housewives of Atlanta” is the third such reality series location for Bravo, following Orange County and New York. While those earlier shows focused on well-off women who were sometimes catty and superficial, the women chosen to represent Atlanta appeared to some to take those attributes to a new level.
And it paid off, at least at first. “Atlanta’s” first episode drew 656,000 viewers nationally, well ahead of Orange County’s and New York’s premieres, although nowhere like what a Bravo show such as “Project Runway” draws.
Allie Schellhammer, who stays home with her infant daughter in Atlanta, hadn’t even heard of the show, but was visiting her parents in Alpharetta and happened upon it while flipping through channels.
“One of the main themes was that money and what you wear is so important in Atlanta,” she recalled. “I felt like, oh no, everyone watching is going to think Atlanta is so superficial and materialistic.”
And why wouldn’t they? As Zolciak said last week, “I’m very materialistic. I could die tomorrow, and I want to be wearing Dior.”
Some real housewives of Atlanta pointed out that the show’s housewives did not even fit the title. Two of the “wives” are single, and there seems to be very little work shown on camera.
“They don’t even take care of the kids!” said Clark.
Caldwell used to live in Buckhead, and said she was friends with women who had expensive tastes and nannies for their children. “But it’s still not an accurate representation of housewives in Atlanta,” she said.
“That’s not the real women of Atlanta,” echoed Clark. “Not the women I know.”

The Real Housewives of Atlanta Cancel Atlanta Radio Appearance

I took copious notes during last night's The Real Housewives of Atlanta show. I was both entertained and sickened by the obnoxious housewives. I will transcribe my notes later but in the meantime, the following appeared on the sandrarose.com website this morning. It seems that the housewives are afraid to come out of their mcmansions due to possible "ambush". Read on !
"According to Atlanta’s V-103, this morning’s much-hyped appearance of the ‘Real Housewives of Atanta‘ cast on the #1 rated Frank & Wanda Morning Show was canceled because the cast members and Bravo felt the Morning Show’s on air personalities would “ambush” the ladies.
The Morning Show’s Frank Ski, Wanda Smith, Miss Sophia and the show’s producer Nina Brown and Ramona DeBreaux, vigorously and loudly defended themselves on the air.
According to Morning Show producer Nina Brown, Bravo called her and said, “from the experience the girls had at the radio station today with another person on the Morning Show [Miss Sophia]… it is in our best interests that we cancel this interview because they feel they will be ambushed.”
Nina responded, “We have had way more controversial people on our airwaves and we have not ambushed any of them.”

Later in the show, cast members Sheree Whitfield and Nene Leakes called into the studio to explain why they didn’t appear on the Frank & Wanda Morning Show this morning.
Nene expressed her hurt and dismay that Atlantans weren’t embracing the show and its cast. While Sheree continued to insist that she was portraying her real lifestyle on the show."

Update....the Flame is a Dud!

In May and June, I posted about a man for whom I had a huge kindergarden crush. He moved his office into my office building in June. He is a real charmer and schmoozer. Update: he has been in the office maybe 5 or 6 times since then. He still has not unpacked the boxes in his office and has not hung up the pictures sitting on the floor. The office has the feel of a frat house. I still do not know what kind of "monkey business" is going on in there but I would sure like to know.

Oh well, it was nice to have a crush on someone for a minute or two...to see that it is still possible.

However, the Flame is totally extinguished......it was fun while it lasted.

Ever Felt Like This Before?

I have not felt very sentimental lately....I think I blocked all emotions as much as possible since the loss of 3 friends this summer.....yes, since I last posted I lost one of my friends to a 6 month brutal battle with cancer. A visit to a hospice will put you in check before you know it.

Anyway, tonight I heard a quote on television which struck a chord:

"Can we just be us again?" I still have a sensory connection with this emotion....you date someone....you become an item..you fall in love..... you fight.....you break up and then it hits you....can we still be us again? Usually, no.

Tonight one of my friends told me that she is in contact with one of my exes to try to network on a business level. I guess she has forgotten that he is a total narcissist who only cares about himself and will do nothing to send business her way. I am curious to see how this unfolds.

Atlanta Insider Guide to Real Housewives of Atlanta..coming soon

The Real Housewives of Atlanta begins on Bravo next Tuesday at 9pm. I am going to offer a real Atlanta insider guide to the veracity/sleaze factor of this television show and the Sarah Palin loving housewives(posers). The following is an excerpt from the Bravo website regarding the show:

"An up-close and personal look at life in Hotlanta, The Real Housewives of Atlanta follows five glamorous Southern belles -- DeShawn, Kim, Lisa, NeNe, and Sheree -- as they balance motherhood, demanding careers and a fast-paced social calendar, and shows what life is like in the most exclusive areas of Atlanta. These driven and ambitious women prove that they're not just "housewives," but entrepreneurs, doting mothers and classy Southern women."

More to follow................