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My Evil Family

Almighty vs Mame: Socialite Smackdown

I feel so empty inside: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

And so the great feud began. Mamie's wedding to Junius Overbeck was the social event of the year. Almighty was invited but refused to go. No, she had a better idea. A lovely, wicked idea.

Almighty threw a party of her own the same day as Mamie's wedding. But this was no ordinary party. It was an irresistible invitation. A reception at Gilded Elms with none other than the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. You know, Edward, Prince William's great-great uncle? The guy abdicated the British throne so he could marry his true love? Who just happened to be a Baltimore girl, Wallis Warfield Simpson, and an old girlfriend of Almighty's father. Read More 

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How Lou Became Almighty

Now we come to the story of my grandmother, the Almighty Louisa Norris Sullivan etc., etc. Her father built Gilded Elms, where she grew up as the pampered, adored, and strong-willed daughter of a diplomat, and where she still lives. She inherited the house after her parents died and moved in as a young bride with her husband, Alphonse Sullivan, Jr., a diplomat like her father.

As a girl, Almighty's best friend was Mary Margaret Rennert, known as Mamie or Mame. Mamie's father, James Rennert, owned a newspaper. Together Mamie and Almighty Lou ruled St. Maggie's School. They had the best parties. They rode horses and swigged champagne and jumped into fountains in their fancy clothes. They were famous for crashing stag parties at the Maryland Club wearing only bathing suits under their fur coats. Read More 
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September 14

On this date in 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star Spangled Banner" in Baltimore, spawning a local preppy tradition of naming kids "Key" that continues to this day.
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How to Get Rich Using Evil

The Wrong Side of the Civil War—That Would Be the Evil Side

Another branch of my family are the Norrises. They also came to Baltimore from Ireland. Wilbur Norris got rich by ripping off poor people. He bought their farmland cheap, then sold it to the B&O Railroad for a fortune. Soon he was on the board of directors of the railroad, raking it in.

It's pretty hard to get rich without ripping off somebody. That's the point I'm trying to get across here. Read More 
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How to Drive Your Therapist to Suicide

Just for fun, let’s talk about another member of my family for a change. How about . . . oh. . . um . . . my mother?

My mother, Virginia Wells Sullivan. We call her Ginger, ’cause she hates to be called “Mom.” According to her, just hearing the word “mom” ages a woman twenty years. And it’s not very chic. So Ginger it is.

Ginger’s got plenty of secrets I could spill—just as one example, did you know she uses a face cream with rabbit pee in it to keep her skin smooth?

Here’s a typical Ginger day:  Read More 
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