When New York City Serves up Tornados, Why not make it a MIST instead? An @EnjoyArborMist that is!

Today it has been literally raining cats and dogs. To say it's 'heavy rain' is certainly an understatement. So what do you when the 'City that Never Sleeps' serves up Tornado weather and you'd rather be sitting on a sunny, sandy beach?

Unfurl my Yoga Mat, pretend it's a beach towel and serve up some Arbor Mist Frozen Wine Cocktails! The perfect cure for the 'rainy day blues'!

Arbor Mist Frozen Cocktails Nestled Comfortably in my Freezer!

I got my package a bit late, (way after BlogHer), which moved straight to the Niche Mommy Blogging Conference (Thanks to my wonderful conference sponsors @SafeConBritax) and then BAM! it was suddenly Fashion Week and this review was LONG overdue. But I always say there are no small coincidences, and this grey, gloomy day outside, turned into something so much better because I chose to try these today!

Arbor Mist Frozen Cocktails Nestled Comfortably in my Freezer!

About Arbor Mist Frozen Wine Cocktails

Learn more by watching the video below, just press play!

Freeze.Squeeze.Enjoy! Introducing the fastest way to enjoy frozen wine cocktails! Arbor Mist's ready-to-drink, portable pouches combine your favorite wine and fruit flavors in a refreshing frozen cocktail. No mixing, blending or cleanup.

After giving them ample time to freeze it was time to take them out of the freezer!

Time to add glasses to the mix!

What I Tried:

White Pear Pinot Grigio - In true 'tasting' fashion I started with a white so I could end my tasting with a red! This one has natural pear flavor with hints of apple and citrus. The two tasters (me being one of them, both gave this one a thumbs up!)

Here are some pics of the White Pear Pinot Grigio in action:

One package gave us enough for two glasses, pretty cool!

We let some of it 'melt' a bit before taking our first sip!

Strawberry White Zinfandel - The bursting flavor of fresh picked strawberries integrates so well with the White Zinfandel, this was both of our favorite of the three by far. For me it was so reminiscent of a frozen strawberry daiquiri, instead of using rum, using Wine, and not just any wine, but Arbor Mist's White Zinfandel to be exact! This one was delicious!

Here are some pictures of the Strawberry White Zinfandel in Action:

Arbor Mist's Frozen Wine White Zinfandel Strawberry Cocktail pre pour!

Arbor Mist's Frozen Wine White Zinfandel Strawberry Cocktails, Ready to Taste!

Major Thumbs Up All Around for the Strawberry White Zinfandel Arbor Mist Frozen Cocktail!

And last, but certainly not least was the Blackberry Merlot - This one hits you with the aroma of ripe blackberries and fresh guava which is a great new twist to the Arbor Wine Merlot. We moved from the Whites to the Red and greatly enjoyed this one as well. All three flavors got a thumbs up with the Strawberry White Zinfandel a definite first place, and this one and the White Pear Pinot Grigio equally tied at second place.

Here are some Pics of the Blackberry Merlot:

Blackberry Merlot Frozen Wine Cocktail by Arbor Mist, just out the freezer!

Blackberry Merlot Frozen Wine Cocktail by Arbor Mist, a little time out the freezer and after massaging the pack and giving it a good squeeze, we are ready to go!

Blackberry Merlot Frozen Wine Cocktail by Arbor Mist, doesn't this just say 'taste me'?

My Take:

These are a definite re-buy for us, with the Strawberry White Zinfandel standing out as the favorite! I highly recommend these for frozen drink lovers as well as Wine lovers. And don't be afraid to think outside the box with these, they are NOT just summer drinks. I'd pair the White Pear Pinot Grigio with my favorite scallops wrapped in bacon with spicy dipping sauces. The spice of the sauce and the nutty flavor of the scallop pair so well with the smooth crispness of the frozen White Pear Pinot Grigio, and I'd do any of my favorite Thai food with the Strawberry White Zinfandel Frozen Cocktail. I love that these are freeze, squeeze and serve they are totally easy peasy, no mixing, no mess and more time to spend with my guests!

If anyone tries out the newest flavor before I do, the Moscato Mango Strawberry, please come back here and post about it, I plan to try that one out next!

The Arbor Mists Frozen Wine Cocktails turned my frown upside down, literally! Take a look:

Frozen Cocktail Happy Face!

Get Social With It:

If you are 21+, tweet with Arbor Mist on Twitter @EnjoyArborMist
You can also give them a 'Like' on Facebook too!

Did you take some time to 'savor the moment' today?

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FTC Disclosure: Samples were provided for editorial consideration by SheSpeaks on behalf of Arbor Mist, however all opinions are 100% my own. Please enjoy your Frozen Wine Cocktails Responsibly. Do NOT drink and drive!

NBA Baller Beats - Preview Event Recap, Pictures, Video and Game Review!

Majesco Entertainment's NBA Baller Beats is now out and I finally get to share my recap from the preview event that was hosted by two-time NBA Champ Kenny Smith and WNBA All-Star Essence Carson!

NBA Baller Beats Video Game for the Xbox360 Kinect in Retail Packaging

About NBA Baller Beats:

The first ever full-body motion-based NBA video game that lets players use a real ball to gain real skills. Players of all skill levels – from rookie to pro – will dribble to the beat of popular and chart-topping music tracks, across various genres including hip-hop, rock, and old school favorites from artists like Kanye West, Common, Queen, Skrillex, Wiz Khalifa, Rise Against, Santigold, and many more. NBA Baller Beats will come packaged with an official Spalding® NBA game ball replica and will make its debut exclusively on Kinect™ for Xbox 360® on September 11, 2012.

NBA Baller Beats challenges players to time their dribble to the beat of each song and perform a variety of skill moves displayed on-screen to score points, earn achievements and unlock assets and additional gameplay. Players are challenged to perfect 20 different baller moves and increase their stamina in single player mode, break it down and practice different skills in Move School mode or show-off in multiplayer mode and go head-to-head against up to 8 players. To maximize their performance, gamers can visit the extensive in-game tutorial where two-time NBA champion and Emmy Award-winning TNT NBA analyst Kenny Smith dishes tips for success.

Check out Video from the Preview Event:

I also had the opportunity to do a one on one interview with Essence Carlson, but because we weren't miked up you can't hear the video so I'm not including it here. I will try to re-shoot with her as soon as her schedule permits.

Here are some cool pictures from the preview event:

As I entered the venue - The Reebok Sports Club NYC

Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton

Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton

Two-time NBA champ Kenny Smith

Two-time NBA champ Kenny Smith

Two-time NBA champ Kenny Smith

Two-time NBA champ Kenny Smith

Two-time NBA champ Kenny Smith

Two-time NBA champ Kenny Smith

Very Left: Curtis Smith , 2nd: Kenny Smith, 3rd: Jesse Sutton, 4th: Teenage Phenom Jashaun Agosto, Very Right and 5th in lineup: WNBA player Essence Carson.

Left: WNBA player Essence Carson, Right: Ascending Butterfly

My Take:

I love music and I love the challenge of trying to dribble in time to the beat which is not as easy as the pros shown in the demo make it look. The game is fun, fast-paced and helps you improve your skills, and hand-eye coordination. I would definitely recommend you add this game to your holiday shopping list, it's the perfect gift for that Basketball AND Music lover in your life!

A few tips: Look at the screen instead of the ball. Stay low and bend at the Knees as it will help improve your game and your score, it also helps you work up a sweat, this game is NOT as simple as it looks!

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FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of the NBA Baller Beats Game for review purposes and editorial consideration, this is NOT a compensated post and all opinions are 100% my own. I was under no obligation to post a preview event recap.

I've Joined The Big Reboot and YOU can too! Just by voting, you can win a Tosiba Portege Ultrabook!

My medical scare this year has been making me crave change, not just any change however, something focused, impactful and meaningful. With career being first and foremost on my mind. I've been providing Life Coaching for about 10 years now, it started as purely Career Coaching as an off-shoot of my work when I worked for a high volume staffing agency. And has transformed to Life Coaching throughout the years. When people read my blog business card which does not even mention my Life Coaching, they immediately associate the name to a Life Coach.

I'd like to integrate my offline and online worlds and I feel The Big Reboot will help me do it, I am hoping this Technology Makeover will help make both my worlds a bit more efficient, which would make me a much better coach!

So if you want to vote for my entry and learn more about how you can enter too, please click HERE! <- Did I forget to mention that just by voting, you get an entry to win a super hot Toshiba Portege Ultrabook. (But I'm sure you would have voted for me without the extra incentive, right?) ;-)

Forgot to mention, this is a DAILY VOTE, and I need 50 votes to even qualify for the grand prize, which I must do before 09/23!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. I was not required to post about my contest entry and all opinions are 100% my own. I do feel this Technology Makeover would be amazing for my brand!

{UPDATED} - 'Bloggers to Brands: Best Practices for Working Together'

What: A live, all-text Talk on The Motherhood, called Bloggers to Brands: Best Practices for Working Together. Navigating the waters of the blogger-brand relationship can be tricky. Join us for thoughts and suggestions that might help, and share your best tips and advice for PR people, brands and companies when it comes to working with YOU. We'll create a crowd-sourced list of best practices for brands when it comes to approaching bloggers (and vice versa).

When: Thursday, September 13, at 1 p.m. ET. We will chat for 30 minutes!

Where: On The Motherhood, right here - http://bit.ly/P3WVKW

Who: The all-text chat will be hosted by Carol Cain of NY City Mama, http://nycitymama.com/. Co-hosting are these awesome people:

Corine, Complicated Mama, http://www.complicatedmama.com/
Jen, Next Kid Thing, http://nextkidthing.com/
Niri, Mommy Niri, http://www.mommyniri.com/
Roo, Nice Girl Notes, http://www.nicegirlnotes.com/
ME! Tracy, Ascending Butterfly, http://www.ascendingbutterfly.com/

Host Twitter IDs:

@CarolACain

@CooperMunroe

@eolson426

@theMotherhood

@EmilyMcKhann

Co-host Twitter IDs:

@ComplicatedMama

@jenrab

@mommyniri

@roociambriello

Me, @Tracy_Iglesias

The Talk will move fairly quickly – please don't worry about not following everything and everyone! Most importantly, ENJOY the conversation. A Blog Post will be created from the transcript of the text chat afterwards that will serve as a guide and a white paper of sorts that both bloggers and brands can use in learning new ways to collaborate with one another better!

So please be there and contribute to this very important online conversation!

UPDATE: I wanted to personally thank all the hosts and everyone who attended this fast-paced chat, I also wanted to update this post to share with you the Talk Summary. The article offers tips for both brands/PR firms and blogger to improve their working relationship!

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, however co-hosting the chat does come with additional incentives.

I am Unapologetically Strong and it's my Goal to help YOU to be too! #DegreeStrong

I can't remember when exactly it was that I became aware of being strong. Of being 'Unapologetically Strong.'

Was it after battling my first bully in elementary school? Who was a big tall boy by the way, one who had everyone terrorized because his Dad worked in the school, so many people would take his abuse because they felt they had no one to tell, and that if they did, the person would certainly take his side instead of theirs. The very first time he picked on me, I gave it right back and when he challenged me to a fight that day after school. I was there. With my super long hair tied up in a bun and my face slathered with Vaseline!

Was it the male bully in my neighborhood who kept picking on me and when he hit me, I hit him on the head with my Kabangers (also known back then as Klik Klaks)? He ended up VERY sorry he hit me, if anyone had that toy they know just how deadly a weapon they actually were! (In fact injuries is the main reason that toy ended up being recalled!)

Was it losing my Grandmother, Great-Grandmother and Father in the same year?

Was it in high school when my school forced all girls into a gym class called 'modern dance' and because I refused to wear the skimpy outfit and dance around in hippie circles with plastic garbage bags and I insisted on my gym being changed so I was put in the 'weightlifting' class where I of course was the only girl in the class, is that when I realized I was Un-Apologetically Strong? Probably Not.

Or was it in College when my mom began her battle with Cancer and I was working part time with a full time course load and labs during the weekends (I was on a 'pre-med' track at that point which is why I had so many science labs on weekends) that I realized I was 'Strong'? I changed majors but kept my part time jobs and still went to the hospital every single day.

Somehow I've risen to each and every challenge life threw my way, but I started this year with my biggest one yet, being told I myself was on 'borrowed time' because a mass had been found on my Lung. And after several exploratory surgeries, (where I actually WOKE up during), and two different almost month long hospital stays in two different hospitals after the first one almost killed me via various acts of negligence, it was THEN that I realized I went beyond 'regular Strong'. It was this experience that helped me understand I truly am Unapologetically Strong.

I've spent many years being 'that' person. The one everyone comes to for help, advice, and guidance when the chips are down. The one who could solve it. The one who could figure it out. Whether it was for tech help, electronics, life advice. I was somehow everyone's life coach. The one who turned the lemons into lemonade.

From that stupid weight training class where I was the only girl, I learned that when I worked up a sweat, it made my problems disappear while I trained. And I took it all with me, well after that class whenever I was having a bad day, I'd crank up power music playlists and I'd train until my muscles felt like goo and I was drenched in sweat, then I'd jump in the shower, and go about my day. Being active has somehow always had that effect on me, when I would go horseback riding and would get to ride fast is when I felt most alive.

Right now I'm not yet allowed to resume a full workout routine, but I will get there again. Slowly but surely.

In 2009 I was looking for a site where I could find some kind of motivation and inspiration in a way that would help me truly remember it. And I couldn't find what I was looking for so I created it. I started a site that focused on affirmational breathing excercises daily. A way to 'breathe your way' into a better day. That site, Ascending Butterfly, much like me has evolved quite a bit since then, but much like me, is still the place whose mission statement is 'to seek out and share the best sources of inspiration both on and offline'.

I can tell you that Life will test your resolve and your mettle each and every single day! It's HOW you face the challenges that determine your strength. Do you keep trying? Do you keep fighting? ~ Ascending Butterfly

Graphic Reads: I won't apologize for who I am

What moment in your life made you realize that you were 'Un-apologetically Strong'?

WIN FOR SHARING: Don't just share it with us, share your unique and inspiring Unapologetically Strong story on the Degree Women® Facebook page for a chance to win a grand prize of $5,000 to spend on achieving your goal, how awesome is that? The Facebook contest runs from September 12th through September 26th.

It's like kismet that I was asked to participate in this campaign, as we have recently announced our new feature on Ascending Butterfly called 'Inspiration Corner' where we will feature someone and find out who or what inspires them! You can participate in this feature too by leaving your email (formatted for security purposes on this or the original post) and we will email you some questions! Each month we will feature someone new!

Degree® Clinical Protection Deodorant with motionSENSE™ Technology

Last year I took my first ever live Zumba class thanks to Degree® Women Deodorant with motionSENSE™ technology which you can read all about HERE. I greatly enjoyed the class, and I even got the game for the Wii so I could keep up the fun at home! And since that day which is when I first started using Degree, I switched from my old brand to Degree and have never looked back! This year I was sent a different scent to try out called 'Cotton Fresh' and I LOVE it! This deodorant really works for me, and living in this walking city I can truly work up a sweat before I even get to the gym! Trains are certainly a hot, sweaty place especially in the summer in New York City!

I'm the one all the way in the back the person right near the exit sign, this was taken last year, at my first ever live Zumba Class sponsored by Degree!

Get Social With it:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - “like” Degree Women^® on Facebook
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - follow Degree Women on Twitter at @DegreeWomen

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FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from One2One Network and Degree Women^®. I received product for review and this post makes me eligible for additional incentives. All opinions stated are my own.

Snow White & The Huntsman DVD Release Party hosted by Yellowtail Wine!

With me being a life long New Yorker, normally today we'd focus on 09/11, but I frankly needed to wrap my mind around something else. Something not related to that horrible day that I can still remember in vivid detail, I also needed a mental break from Fashion Week madness, and for me when I need a mental break my favorite way to go is a movie! And preferably a good thriller or horror movie!

Today is the release of NBCUniversal's Snow White & The Huntsman on DVD, and of the two recent Snow White remakes, this one is most definitely my favorite of the two. It's a lot darker, this New Vision Turns a Legendary Tale Into a Visually Stunning, Epic action-Adventure Featuring All Star Cast Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth.

Pulse Pounding Trailer Anyone?

SYNOPSIS: SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

In this spectacular action-adventure, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) is Snow White, the only woman in the land fairer than the evil queen Ravenna (Oscar^® winner Charlize Theron). Ravenna wants nothing more than to destroy her young rival, but she doesn’t know that Show White has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) the same huntsman that the queen dispatched to kill her. Together with a handsome prince (Sam Claflin) enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power, they assemble an armed force to recapture the kingdom. Venture into a land of action fantasy, heroic battle scenes and visual wonder in Snow White and the Huntsman Extended Edition, coming to Blu-ray ™ Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and Digital Download on September 11, 2012, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Packed with pulse-pounding battles, unmatched visual imagination and compelling characters, Snow White and the Huntsman is a wholly original adventure story told on an epic scale. From the splendor of the wicked Queen's enchanted palace to the menace of the Dark Forest, a breathtaking combination of harrowing beauty, epic battle scenes, visual wonder and jaw-dropping special effects make this film singularly suited for 
the incomparable high-definition picture and perfect hi-def 5.1 surround sound of Blu-ray ™.

THE RELEASE PARTY:

Yellow Tail Wine and NBCUniversal hosted a DVD Release Party last night at Gary's Loft that was FANTASTIC! The Penthouse of Gary's Loft was transformed into a 'Masquerade Meets Dark and Enchanted Forest' cocktail party complete with a Fortune Teller, Massages (courtesy of the fab team at Spa Chicks On The Go), a Candy Station, a make your own candy apple station (in honor of the poison apple in the fairy tale of course), a photo station with fun props where you given a commerative and framed 5X7 photo where your image is superimposed onto a castle backdrop taken by Verita Vision Photography, signature cocktails that blended in various Yellow Tail wines (with fun names like Snow White Crusader, The Huntsman's Kiss, Poison Tini and the Queens tini) and even a Yellow Tail Bubbles station (and by 'bubbles' I mean Champagne). It was a super fun evening, with prizes, a lovely swag bag and there were even folks dancing along to the great tunes being spun by the DJ!

Here are some pictures I captured during the Release Party:

When the elevator doors opened to the Penthouse, this is what you see! I always knew my Knight in Shining Armor would come bearing WINE! :)

Right Behind the Knight in Shining Armor was a 'Masks Tree' you were given the option of a white mask to represent for team Snow White or a Dark Mask to represent for the Queen! Can you guess which side I selected?

This large mask is actually a CHAIR! I took this picture without flash and it gave the appearance of blue eyes!

When I took the same shot over WITH Flash this time, the 'eyes' of the chair look almost black!

Check out Ascending Butterfly on the throne! (Cheeky I  know, couldn't resist!)  I chose 'the dark side mask' :-)

Mama Butterfly chose the 'dark side' as well, grabbed a pic of her sans mask!

Check out The Huntsman and Snow White Costumes!

We were able to step up to the mirror and ask the Fortune Teller a Question, I asked about Career, and Mama Butterfly asked about whether or not she'd ever be a Grandma, and he said yes! Hmmmmm <-I'm NOT so sure about that one! ;)

Check out the oversized mushroom next to one of the candy stations!

Pretty display of assorted Yellow Tail Wines!

Life in New York City couldn't get any sweeter than a handsome stranger pouring you something bubbly!

Left: Mama Butterfly Center: Almost shoulder high Huge Rose and Right: ME! Ascending Butterfly!

My Take:

I enjoyed BOTH the actual movie and the super fun release party! I say make it a movie night this weekend and don't forget a bottle of Yellow Tail Bubbles!

WANNA WIN?

Check out snowwhitekingdom.com for a chance to win some great prizes including a grand prize of a trip to Ireland! (I'm a bit addicted to this site, as it reminds me a bit of my favorite slot machine, Lord of the Rings!)

Get Social With It:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Snow White and the Huntsman on Facebook connect on twitter using the hashtag #SWATH

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Yellow Tail on Facebook or follow them @yellowtail_usa on twitter

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Spa Chicks On-The-Go on Facebook and follow @thespachick on twitter

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - You can also connect with the Venue, Gary's Loft on Twitter @GarysLoft

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Like Verita Vision Photography on Facebook and connect with them on Twitter @verita_photo 

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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored or compensated post. I did receive the DVD for editorial consideration, however all opinions and experiences expressed are 100% my own. I was also  massaged, fed and enjoyed some wonderful libations, a great evening indeed! :)

If you like your Fashion Shows with Ineptitude and a Side of Pretention then by all means @Moroccanoil sponsored @GenArt is your kind of show!

It's been exactly FOUR years since I encountered a level of ineptitude so annoying it warranted a post. I avoid snark like the plague, and normally follow the centuries old sage advice that if I can't find something nice to say about something or someone not to say anything at all. And normally that's exactly what I do. Today I break my amazing record.

Above is the visual image of the invite that I received for today's GenArt's Fresh Faces in Fashion show, below is the email I received inviting me to the event:

=============Original Message======================

On Wed, Aug 29, 2012 at 6:13 PM, Jeter, Page (LAN-RCN) wrote:

Hello!

Please submit your request to attend GenArt’s Fresh Faces in Fashion presented by Moroccanoil at New York Fashion Week on Sunday, September 9 at RUNWAY @ Pier 57.  If you have already RSVPed, you will receive a confirmation shortly.

3:30 p.m. - Red carpet media check-in

4 p.m. - Red carpet/Cocktail reception

5 p.m. - Fashion Show

6 p.m. - After Party

The 14th Annual GenArt Fresh Faces in Fashion presented by Morrocanoil will be held on Sunday, September 9 at RUNWAY @ Pier 57 (25 11th Avenue) in Manhattan.  The 2012 Fresh Faces in Fashion program at New York Fashion Week will feature Spring 2013 collections from women’s and men’s ready-to-wear Anne Sofie Madsen, Amanda Lew Kee, Chloe comme Parris, COMEFORBREAKFAST, Gretchen Jones and A-morir.  This year’s Fresh Faces will also feature designer Katungulu Mwendwa from Kenya selected from this year’s GenArt Global program that launched in May.  Moroccanoil will work closely with the designers to create their runway hairstyle looks with special emphasis on hair trends for Spring/Summer 2013.  The Fresh Faces program is the largest and most recognized fashion event of its kind and is a catalyst for emerging designers in the industry, and over the years, many notable designers, such as Rodarte, Vena Cava, Zac Posen and Phillip Lim have participated in the program for their very first runway fashion shows.

Page Jeter
Group Manager | ROGERS&COWAN
8687 Melrose Avenue | 7th Floor | Los Angeles, CA 90069

=======================================

I submitted my RSVP to both the address on the invite AND the rep, Page Jeter. I even tweeted after sending my RSVP to both @GenArt and the Sponsor @Moroccanoil, perhaps now in hindsight I should have seen it as a sign that @GenArt didn't even have the courtesy to reply to the tweet, but the show sponsor did, here is their reply:

Moroccanoil Aug 30, 11:55am via HootSuite

We're stoked too! MRT @Ascending1: @GenArt Just put in my RSVP I am super stoked for the @Moroccanoil sponsored GenArt Fresh Faces...

===================================

It was shades of my recent nightmare experience with Samsung at BlogHer all over again (while I didn't write about that, I did tweet about it, Samsung told me and a few other bloggers during a holiday preview they were hosting we were not 'real press' but anyway I digress, back to today's #failwhale), I arrived early, well before 3:30 pm to be told that 'legitimate press would get the red carpet' and 'just bloggers' were being asked to line up and wait until 4pm to get in. Fine. We were asked to form a line to the left, and then separate people were told to the right, and then just before a quarter to 4pm, they tell us all the line should form to the right, so those of us who were already lined up on the left had to join an existing long line that had been formed on the right despite us all asking which line was the right one. The women at the door couldn't find my name on the list, they ask me to stand to the side, and after watching more than half the line go in, I asked again to speak to Page as she had sent the invite.

I then get told to make another line inside called the 'media line', they also couldn't find my name, and they too asked me to 'stand aside'. I was standing next to the mother of one of the designers who they also wouldn't let in. But oddly enough it seemed if you weren't on the list but was wearing a skirt whose hemline barely covered your underwear, you could just walk right in. The person who took my card kept asking Page what to do, and Page kept walking away and not answering. Finally one grabbed her arm, and said but Page the person said you invited her (this is all within earshot by the way), and she glances at me and said 'I highly doubt it.'. I'd like to know why she highly doubted that SHE invited me? Hopefully the email above will jog both hers, ROGERS&COWAN and GenArt's memory.

Finally they let the designers mom in and since I was standing next to her, I was told that Page said I could just go in and 'stand and watch the show' while people who arrived well after me, some also who weren't on the list were sitting. REALLY? As the young lady was very helpful, I politely declined the option to stand and watch the show and did alert her that she should let Page know that Ascending Butterfly would be posting TONIGHT.

I opted not to stand and watch the show, and stop and post about the abominable treatment instead.

Where in the invite above does it say I was invited to stand and watch the show? I for one don't see it and I can assure you I didn't cut out or edit their email in any way.

So apparently both GenArt and Samsung don't feel Bloggers are 'legimate press'? There are blogs whose monthly site hits run rings around many magazines at this point!

I don't want the generic statement back from anyone at GenArt saying not to hold them responsible for the PR Firm's lack of organization. I won't accept that as a response because I spent a majority of my professional career in conference management and I took responsibility for the actions of each and every member of my team, from door staff to wait staff to account managers. I trained and empowered my staff so when something above and beyond a piece of paper went down they knew how to handle it.

I am absolutely outraged by the pretentiousness, the obnoxious attitudes and downright ineptitude of GenArt's PR firm, ROGERS&COWAN and the so called 'Group Manager', Page Jeter. Honestly, SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!

I am so thankful that I never wanted to niche myself, and today was exactly the reason why I never wanted to, I am so glad that my content is not dependent on any single person, event or brand to remain current, fresh and resonate with my readers.

And it couldn't be more odd that this happens literally days before a twitter party where I am a Featured Guest called:  

Bloggers to Brands: Best Practices for Working Together 

The twitter party will be hosted this Thursday, September 13th at 1pm EST, and I encourage all my fellow bloggers as well as brands and PR firms to get in on that chat and learn how to work together, NICELY!

Readers thanks for letting me VENT. I rarely ever need to, but I'm glad you guys are there for me when I do!

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is obviously NOT a sponsored post!