Lee is on the left – full on Friday afternoon ninja fruit slicer – a true tropical storm.
Archive for the ‘People’ Category
Tropical Storm Lee Hits Atlanta (kinda)
Saturday, September 3rd, 2011Commissioner Elaine Boyer Ignores Concerns of Tucker Residents
Saturday, May 7th, 2011The persistent vocalization by Tucker, GA residents regarding Henderson Park renovations must seem like a lullaby of chirping crickets on a warm summer evening to Commissioner Boyer. I can only imagine that all that sweet sweet background noise makes her sleepy as it certainly does not prompt her to change course.
I recently visited Commisioner Boyer’s website where she boasts of being a “crusader”, “fiscal conservative” and “one who seeks to get government out of the way of the consumer, the businessman, the entrepreneur.” Good enough. From those statements it would seem reasonable for her to take up the cause to save money by getting out of the way of residents who want to conserve the beauty of the green space of Henderson Park. Problem solved.
Hold on, residents weren’t in that list, just businessmen and entrepreneurs. Dang.
Maybe I should go back and read some more…
Ok, I’m back. That was refreshing! Further reading of her website states “Commissioner Boyer believes county government should be run like a business.” Ok, crap. Well, that’s certainly one approach. But let’s take it at face value.
If Dekalb County is a “business”, then who are the customers? The residents must be the customers, right? If Dekalb County is the business and the residents are customers, should there not be accountability? When hundreds of people petition her office and beg to be heard, should they not be, what’s the word here…acknowledged?
Ignoring customers is just bad business. Where, exactly, is Donald Trump when we need him?
So if businessmen are Commissioner Boyer’s main interest, are there businesses that are vying for the rights to lay concrete over the wishes of Tucker residents? Does Elaine Boyer see her role as one to make it easier for businesses to make money from the master plan? Has the reworking of the Henderson Park master plan been developed to benefit the businessmen and the entrepreneur only? It certainly seems to be the case.
Most sarcasm aside, I do want to point out that I am particularly peeved because I attended several meetings with Dekalb County (along with dozens, if not hundreds, of other residents) where we got to vote, make changes, prioritize projects and otherwise be led to believe that our opinions, and our votes, actually mattered. To now be told that these meetings and our input was “conceptual” in nature is just insulting.
It should be abundantly clear that Tucker residents love their community and wish for it to grow responsibly. And the last time I checked, the “customer is always right.” If Commissioner Boyer wants to run a business here, then It’s time for her to start listening and honor her commitment to the residents of Tucker, and not just a few select businesses.
Hotel Floyd – Floyd VA – Beware of Management
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010Back in January of 2010, 9 months ago, I went to the Hotel Floyd website and made a room request. Call it a reservation. A very dear friend of mine was getting married and I wanted to reserve my space.
When I submitted the room request, I did not submit a credit card as there was no place to do so. I was sent an auto-generated email that said that my room was “not guaranteed” and would not be honored unless I called and put a credit card on file. So when my life plans changed and I could not honor the reservation, I never worried because I wasn’t officially registered anyway.
I received lots of calls from my friends this weekend, “We miss you!”, “We wish you were here!”, etc. It was great to hear from them and I was a bit bummed that I could not make the trip and attend the wedding.
And then today (Monday), I got a call from the hotel management. Derek Wall, the hotel manager called me on my cell phone and asked me why I did not honor my reservation. I couldn’t even answer him. He went on and on about how rude it was for me to not show up and that I should have common courtesy, yadda yadda. I finally broke in and let him know that if he was calling me for money – that wasn’t going to happen.
That’s when he really flipped out. Derek told me he didn’t like my attitude and that I needed to understand that when I make a commitment that I needed to honor that commitment….click.
I hung up. Shocked. A hotel manager from Floyd Virginia is going to call me up and chew me out first thing Monday morning? Really? And over what?
Derek called right back and I didn’t answer so he left me a long voice mail:
“John, this is Derek Wall calling from Hotel Floyd. I don’t appreciate you calling and hanging up the phone on me (he called me)….but I do like to discuss these issues because you know, not showing up to a reservation, you can sit here and put the blame on the hotel but you made the reservation that should have sent you a conservation email….I will search for that confirmation email and show you what it says at the very top of that email, uh, leaving a credit card is customary, ah, if I had to call every person that forgot to leave a credit card (I didn’t forget, not website functionality) it, it’s hard for me to do that…I have a limited staff here, I’m not a corporation, ah, so you can sit here and lecture me and put the blame on us but it was you at fault because you did not show up….you did make a reservation, you are obligated to show up….”
He went on for a good while about how I should have called him and that it is my fault, not the hotel’s fault, that he is all worked up and angry.
My question is this: Why did they not have time to call me before the event to confirm my registration but they had lots of time after the event to call and chew me out? I don’t get it. And who calls to complain that someone did not honor a reservation? Do restaurants to this? Do other hotels do this? Is this just Hotel Floyd?
Also, why did Hotel Floyd have all the bandwidth to send me advertisements over the last few months but didn’t have the bandwidth to confirm a reservation?
So, thinking about staying in Floyd, VA for Floyd Fest or some other cool festival? I understand Hotel Floyd is a decent place to stay. But think long and hard before you make a reservation. I have never met the management personally but from the hostile emails and phone calls, they seem a little unstable.
Ballroom Dancing in Atlanta
Saturday, August 8th, 2009It’s crazy to think back on the weird chance that I met my wife at a restaurant/club known for Salsa dancing. We met and the rest is history. Literally, we haven’t been dancing since.
I just met a local business owner who runs a couple of ballroom dance studios here in Atlanta and she sparked my interest for trying the ballroom style. It looks like we might take a few lessons and see if we can’t start being social again.
Yoga is great but I’m ready to do something with a little bit more cardio. If I ever get more than just a little interested, I’ll be sure to post more.
Same Sex Parenting
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009So I spent this past Saturday afternoon at a baby shower. The parents-to-be both happen to be female. And the dad? Well, the donor was present too. He is a gay man who lives in NYC. But I don’t believe he will be involved in the actual parenting.
Georgia is no “New England” state so the legitimacy of the union of these two women is not legally recognized. So until the progression of society evolves a bit more, they are going to experience plenty of road blocks and obstacles to health care and property rights, among other things. Yet they are going to raise a child together and I believe they are going to do a fantastic job.
From the outside, an uninvolved observer might find it easy to think, “gee, that’s a little weird.” And I’m sure the righteous among us would quickly condemn and think the whole thing beyond the scope of their acceptance. Thus the current laws. But having known these parents-to-be for many years (we happened to meet through yoga), I have much more confidence in their ability to raise a child in a loving atmosphere than most other couples I know. It would only be weird if there were a lack of love in the union. But love is love is love.
So I hope the new baby enjoys the baby blanket that I gave them. If I ever have a boy, he is going to get the same blanket. And it’s very appropriate for them because they live across the street from the zoo.
I can’t wait to meet the new baby and look forward to watching him grow up. He will have great parents.