resolution? or revolution?

i choose revolution every damn day of the week (just ask @swagclub, he started it).

i hate resolutions…i like to change my mind too much to be THAT resolute…and this diet I’ve been on, well, it’s a bit of a lifestyle problem…a resolution isn’t going to change it…but a revolution just might do the trick.

this post was conceived on the 1^st, so i’m going to write it as if its still the 1^st.  my attempt on the 1^st failed due to one of the most expensive hotels in Atlanta charging $12.95 for internet access. i had my MiFi with me, mainly because i like telling people i’m a mobile hot spot, but it was wayyyyyy across the room buried in the suitcase of a bag i carry & i was too cozy (or is that lazy) all wrapped in down and recovering from the previous night to move to find it. 

no one is reading this anyway, certainly there is nothing here that is pressing, so i stayed put with no regrets. besides, my two friends that read this weren’t awake either & probably couldn’t read anything until today anyway (girls, don’t panic, didn’t mention any names (yet), for the love).

now, back to The Ritz (@RitzCarlton).  my personal opinion is, if you are going to charge $499 a night for a room (not that i personally paid for this room, but i’m in the ball park for many of their rooms on the lower floors) then i think you should throw in a little wi-fi.  if Starbucks can do it, certainly The Ritz can? right?  i will take that up with them.  is that revolutionary?  no, but it’s a start, a small statement, a suggestion…really?  you are still charging your precious guests that pay “OMG rates” for wi-fi? in 2011, charging extra for wi-fi? for the love…

…which leads me to exclusivity.  i’m going to pretend i’m talking purely about myself, but in reality you should know i’m not & when i say i, i mean you too, like exclusive stuff (insert whatever does it for you in place of the word stuff).  being an insider in a world of outsiders feels good, you know i’m speaking the truth.  i (and you too) love to feel special (and that means the chocolate on the pillow, it doesn’t take much, right?). i mean, when a waiter brings me a black napkin to exchange my white one because i’m wearing black (my signature color), i fall all over myself, and yeah, your tip will be huge just because of that…and if you have that rare cigar i can’t find anywhere else and no one else has one, yep, i’ll take two…can’t afford lunch tomorrow, but i’ll take both of ‘em.  i have issues, right?

me & my plumber spent New Years in Atlanta.  buckhead to be specific.  there’s this really cool cigar shop (@buckheadcigar) we wanted to visit that I’ve connected with on Twitter.  it made our trip, this little spot!  if you enjoy cigars, you must visit them & their humidor.

so, back to exclusivity.  their smoking lounge is long and narrow.  the ‘nice’ table is the big round one in the back with the view.  so, where does the plumber want me to sit while he continues to peruse the humidor?  you got it, “get that big round table in the back, honey”…please, now he knows that’s for the members, the real ones, not the out-of-towners (and out-of-place ones at that).  reason?  that table screams “exclusive”, “members only”…”big boy, you got to be something extra darn special to sit in these here chairs” exclusive.  we were promptly and kindly reminded of our place as visitors, treated wonderfully still, at a rectangular table somewhere in the middle.  treated exceptionally well, twitter family, us band of out-of-towners.

our plans for new years?  find this exclusive little jazz club slash speakeasy place, where you have to have an extra special 10 digit code number to get in.  and i wasn’t the only one, you should have seen the line outside of that phone booth…not everyone had the number (and how did they find that phone booth anyway?).  but we did.

i’ve never really used the old timey phone booths classic to London, but since i have seen one in person before (in London, on my way to The Ritz no doubt and this is my first pic on this post and I don't know how to wrap the text, sorry), my plumber shoved me in and shut the door so I could dial (the old fashioned way with the finger in the hole) the number…

voila!  the number works, i shove open the back of the phone booth as a big ole heavy door and bam, we're in…

Prohibition, the name of the place.

now, let’s be honest, they’re in the business of making money, right?  there was no sign for this place, a street address was used for 18 other clubs in a strip mall-ish type place and this phone booth is near the emergency exit at the back, downstairs, in the back of another club…it doesn’t scream “this is the coolest cigar friendly, rare drink, we use ice picks to make our own ice out of blocks in front of you & we have the best short ribs on the planet” kinda place, or does it? 

the large cozy leather couches were nice, the amber lit ceiling, the rare prescriptions (aka cocktails) were all great (and the company I was with is what totally made the whole nite, we could have been huddled over a fire lit drum & it would have been wonderful), but what drove us there was that damn secret code to get in & that phone booth we had to find…exclusive. 

this place reminded me of this little club where i’m an instigator (#14.5), there are several of us, spread out, now, all over the country, we use the #instigators hashtag on twitter.  it’s an exclusive lil tribe & when i talk about it to strangers, they want in…they don’t even know what this is all about, but the minute i say “i’m in a club, i can’t talk about it, it’s not for everyone and it’s quite expensive” its as if i gave them their first bite of real sugar they’ve ever had & they’re hooked and they want more. 

our lil tribe leader (@swagclub) started a revolution against @crapswag and landfills full of meaningless swag a while ago, and the exclusivity of this little club sucked me in hook, line and sinker…i bit, i wanted more…so i find myself brandjacking stuff with the @swagclub logo and wanting to tell companies (tiny and huge, like The Ritz) how they should try to connect with the people they love on a more personal level, like ‘i’m gonna make you feel special, because without you i couldn’t feed my family…my product is great, of course, but here’s a token to remind you of our relationship and how much you mean to me & maybe it will help you be more creative and innovative in what you are passionate about’, kinda swag…

…so back to the revolution.  i’m revolting against working for someone that could care less about who i am, what  i’m passionate about or purchasing services and products from someone when they don’t feel the need to connect with me as a customer... 

which leads me to the worst idea ever…i’m done with fast food…i’ve seen my last drive-thru (the one exception is coffee, for now)…food served in a bag is garbage for the body and should not be eaten.  if i’m in a hurry, road trip, i don’t care where it is, my fat ass will get out of the car, walk into a grocery store and find a healthier choice or do without…without being the key word (i just heard my plumber hit the floor, this will kill him but it will be great for both of us).  drink more water, eat less garbage…that should take care of any kind of resolution I would ever come up with & help me with my own mini-revolution against garbage for my soul…the kind you eat and the other kind you don’t, if you know what i mean.

i’ve mentioned several people in this post, they’re all much smarter than me, they have blog posts that people actually read, where real information is shared…i recommend @swagclub, listed under “Blogs I Read”.  if you want to know more about how a revolution is run, go there…i’m just a follower…but don’t be mistaken, it’s a revolution.

my sweet plumber is @kensplumbing, he is the picky peoples plumber, running his own revolution against plumbers that don't stand behind their work, against people in his profession not doing the right thing for the people they love. his sweet heart can divine water, fix any plumbing issue, big or small, and design the most amazing shower you have ever experienced, The Ritz should consult with him on how to build a shower for the guests they love...just a suggestion...but seriously, you should consult...after you fix the wi-fi problem, of course.