Here’s a link to our new YouTube Channel … http://www.youtube.com/Rootdownandgetit

Here’s our first video …

Watch for more from Rootdown over the next twenty years. We will be busy.

10. My Mother In Law was here for 10 days around Thanksgiving
9. My Mother In Law’s “seeing eye dog,” Davey was also here
8. Saint Audrey the Nanny got the flu, thereby making my primary job “Mr. Mom”
8. Then, I got the flu 2 weeks ago
7. Then, my wife got the flu
6. Now my 10 month old daughter has the flu
5. I have been made rather speechless by the overwhelming shitstorm of negativity and appalling pain, blues and agony in Washington D.C., Mumbai, Detroit, Chicago, etc. etc. etc.
4. I wanted to soak my weary body in the positive “ch-ch-ch-changes” that are upon us
3. I threw a kickass 40th birthday party for my lovely wife Laura back on November 15th - I was the DJ, so I needed to get my mind right, obtain the necessary grooviness and execute flawless Old Wavery
2. I have been doing a lot of thinking about the next 20 years, and I’m not caught up in the “day to day”
1. I’ve decided that Seth Godin is right - the personal blog is dead …

That being said, like Seth suggests, this blogging game is all about starting and continuing a “conversation that spreads” and “sharing ideas” and “chronicling my thinking.”

So far, since January 1, I’ve posted 141 times, I still have 12 “drafts” awaiting the light of a publishing date and I’ve got a few more to round out 2008, my first full year of “blogging.”

Greg Ruis will join me as a contributor here in the coming days, and his perspectives and findings will be a welcome addition to this website. Until the next post, I encourage you to contemplate this definition of that word I just used, “shitstorm.” Is there a better, more succinct definition for the macroeconomic world at large than “shitstorm?”

Nate Dorn over at Dornstar Productions identified a timely and topical photography opportunity at one of his B movie outings - apparently, somewhere in East Atlanta, a bunch of folks were made to look like Zombies for a few days.

Here’s a link to a taste of The Zombie Art Show, which is coming to Octane Coffee House on the Westside on October 10th. That’s a Friday night!

I’ve seen a few of the shots and Nate really nailed a cool opportunity - the photos should be hot sellers, amongst the freaky collector set.

Make sure that you check out the link, and while I have this unique opportunity to write an article about Zombies, I’ll leave you with a video from one of my favorite British Invasion bands, The Zombies - performing “She’s Not There” in 1965.

Everyday, I read certain blogs and so do you, right?

I would not know that we have a National Blog Day unless I read Chris Brogan’s daily posts - Chris is a “Social Media Business Strategist.” I think I read about Chris at Guy Kawasaki’s blog, and ever since I’ve found his insights on today’s marketing to be on point and ahead of the curve. If Guy is reading Chris everyday then that is example enough for me.

Chris celebrated National Blog Day 4 (yes, it’s newish..) by encouraging his readers to do what Nir Ofir encouraged him to do - “to reach out and identify five blogs that you might not yet be reading. It’s his way of showing how wide a world it is and how interesting things can be out there in the blogosphere.”

Nir Ofir? This dude founded Blog TV and is developing I Am News. If he’s not a web heavy then I don’t know who is.

Getting back to Chris’ challenge - and you can read his 5 blog recommendations here - I wrote a short list of 10 websites that can all be found on my “Official Georgia Pecan Blogroll.”

I narrowed the list of 10, down to these 5:

1. Seth Godin - I call Seth the Headmaster, because I am always finding his writing and speaking to be the most insightful, most authentic and most relevant idea generator for me and my business. I’ve read almost all of Seth’s books and if you want to start somewhere, go buy “The Dip.” I saw him at the Keller Williams Realty Family Reunion in February here in Atlanta and I can’t say enough about how cool this guy is.

2. Zen Habits - “We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit” said Aristotle. Good habits are so hard to develop, especially in our complex world of interruptions and noise. “Leo Babauta, is the author of Zen Habits. “Zen Habits is one of the top blogs on the Internet, and covers: achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits.” He just might be the coolest guy on the planet (now that John Lee Hooker and James Brown have passed away) and he lives on Guam with his lovely wife and 6 children. Digest Zen Habits - he is on to something.

3. Get Rich Slowly - J.D. Roth has identified a 12 point set of rules for sound financial living and he is recognized worldwide for his authentic, tried and true, very human approach to helping others “get rich slowly.” He describes his blog: “I’m just an average guy who found himself deep in debt. When it finally became too overwhelming, I began reading personal finance books, hoping to find answers. I wanted swift solutions to my problems. My research revealed that few people get rich quickly, but almost anyone can get rich slowly by patiently following some simple rules.” I read his advice everyday, I just don’t apply it as forthrightly as I should!

4. Go Green Intown - The folks at Atlanta Intown magazine have a superb blog series, and this one contains regular news, advice and tips that are are near and dear to many of my clients and neighbors. How to live eco-friendly in Intown Atlanta - cool concept!

5. Chris Martenson - Take Chris’ CRASH COURSE and learn everything that you need to know about the economy in 2 hours. One of the coolest thinkers, with a remarkable sense of humor that I know is Rusty Umphenour. I can not resist utilizing his current Facebook profile photo, just to keep this post as lively as possible.

Rusty told me about the Crash Course and if you take it, you will open your eyes widely to what is going on in our world. Consider that Chris conceptualizes “the end of money” as just one small part of his ethos and consider how completely convoluted the US economy has become, and you will not want to miss a chance to take the free CRASH COURSE.

So, there are my 5 - I hope that some of you get something out of this little discourse. We’ll reconvene on this subject next year!

I love modern architecture. I love luxury. I am thrilled that Buckhead is transforming into a more remarkable, more densely populated luxury address. This is good for Atlanta. People have been talking about Sovereign for 2 or 3 years now.

I’ve been talking about how the absolutely delicious Ivanka Trump is a bellwether for Atlanta, ever since I started the Intown Insider…

Ivanka...again

Sovereign is a bellwether too. A major bellwether. I would appreciate the opportunity to help you purchase one of the 82 residences located at Sovereign - we can go look at the $1 Million units, but I’m encouraging you to be your own bellwether and be the $11 Million purchaser of the mega-luxurious penthouse…

Sovereign is a super cool looking building - I saw it getting poured and framed in early 2007 when my client Michael Matassa purchased a condo at Realm that faced in the direction of Sovereign - looking northward to Lenox.

Sovereign’s tagline is “At the intersection of art, architecture and life.” That’s where Piedmont and Peachtree truly is nowadays - as soon as the Buckhead brainstormers get a conclusive idea of how to make a higher and better use of the property that houses the Container Store and Orvis, that “intersection” is bound to get even more artful, more architecturally significant and more lively.

All in due time.

For now, if you seek a distinctive address, then it doesn’t get any better than this in Atlanta  - take that Ivanka! Here’s the latest press release: Read the rest of this entry »

My reign continues at Trulia Voices.

This woman in California has answered nearly 2500 real estate questions online over the past couple of years, in her spare time.

As of this morning at 4:16 a.m. I’ve answered 203 real estate questions related to Atlanta since December 19, 2007 and I’ve been noted as having “useful answers” 110 times.

None of this would be possible without Rev. Bubba, my IT guru.

I would also like to thank Deryk Harper, a superb Alpharetta-based real estate agent with Keller Williams, who introduced me to Trulia Voices.

Deryk is also a rock and roll expert, like me.

This means, just like last time, when I announced on April Fools Day that I was the Top Fool - I ain’t “fuh, fuh, fuh foolin!”

Today - I ain’t fuh, fuh, fuh foolin’, once again - I’m going to see Stevie Winwood and TP and the HB’s this week in Deryk’s hometown at the new Verizon Wireless shed, so lets celebrate my #1 status with Stevie’s first band - here’s the 17 year old Stevie doing “I’m A Man” on German TV 41 years ago.