Tales from the Corners

One day I'm watching her roll over on the floor and the next, she's at college and becomes an adult within the same week. It was all bound to happen. Things change. Nothing lasts forever, blah, blah. Is there any way I can come up with more clichés during this period of change? Where did all that time go? I'm not talking about the first 18 years of my kid's life. I'm talking about the three decades-plus since I received my high school diploma. The rational part of me has that answer and it is called routine. Once I myself left for college, I got used to each school year's routine as the classes, days, test etc all started to become commonplace and before I knew it, I was out of college looking for a job. At that point, time seemed to stand still as my future looked uncertain for a bit until I arrived in the Atlanta metro area this month a few too many years ago that I care to admit at this juncture for a job. After moving to the ATL, life's curv...

From 37Main.com Another business bites the dust in Johns Creek, Georgia. This time out it is 37 Main. This self-described rock café closed its doors due to several noise violations, fines and threats to its liquor license. This latest business closing episode leaves puzzling. Why was the business allowed to open up near a residential neighborhood in the first place? I’m speculating here, but perhaps no one realized that there would be live and rather loud musical acts coming into the venue? When the venue opened, maybe city leaders thought that there would be food, wine, beer, spirits and acoustic performances only? Obviously 37 Main was a success drawing in diverse crowds to experience a range of eclectic entertainment along with food and drinks. That’s great for a business employing dozens of people along with helping a city to grow. So what’s the problem? Here’s a business not only helping to expand the tax base, but also bringing in diversity to the city.   ...

Remember the old saying, “membership has its privileges?” A certain credit card has been using that slogan for years. The slogan makes the credit card user feel special, like belonging to an exclusive country club. There’s no doubt that the slogan has been working for ages. The advertising guru who created that campaign no doubt found his or her own success in life and most likely joined some exclusive clubs. The idea behind that car was that for an extra price in the form of an annual fee, one could own a special credit card that made the user feel superior to his or her own fellow credit card users. Those who enjoy those privileges have been able to rack points in the card’s own reward system, earning plane tickets or points going towards merchandise. Since that time, membership having its privileges has been extending to all walks of life. The idea expanded twenty-fold with hotel priority club memberships, restaurant point club memberships, merchandise warehouse memberships...