Classics

I generally watch a lot of movies, but somehow I hadn't seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail and also Braveheart. Friends realized I'd never seen Monty Python, so we watched it. I really liked it; I laughed the whole time. My mom would hate it; like she hates Mr. Bean and Dumb and Dumber. ;)

Tonight, I'm watching Braveheart. This thing is long. Watching it alone probably isn't the best idea. It's sad that he lost his love. I didn't see him and the princess; wow! I didn't cry, though it was a bit too sad for me to be watching alone.

Currently, it is snowing and my car is covered in more snow than I thought we'd get.:( It's still snowing!

Tomorrow, I will be trying out a new Pinterest recipe that I've been dying to try. I'll share the recipe, pictures, and reviews. Thankfully, it looks like a fairly simple recipe with a reasonable amount of ingredients. :)

Travel

I'm always planning a trip, that's just how I work. I love having things to look forward to. So now that the Ireland trip has been scratched, I'm in the beginning stages of planning several smaller trips this summer. They include Savannah, GA; Lake of the Ozarks, MO; and Chicago. I've never been to Savannah or Chicago and have friends there that have invited me to visit. So, all I'm waiting for is the summer class list to post mid-February, so I can know when the class I'm taking will be. This fall, over Thanksgiving we're planning a family trip to Branson, MO. My aunt, uncle, cousin, and her kiddos will be going. I haven't seen some of them in at least two years, so it should be a wonderful adventure. :)

I'm most looking forward to feeling the sun on my skin, time off work, shopping, and a change in scenery.

Are you planning any trips?

Audio Junction Issues

I tell you, they could make a small mini series out of this!

So, I'm picking up where my last post about the about this left off ("Bad Customer Service Experience"). I called Audio Junction again about the key and guess what?! Somehow they now had two keys for it! So, the lady who said they never would've told me they ordered a key didn't know what she was talking about and indeed they had ordered one. We make an appointment for me to come in that Saturday at 3 for the rest of the installation. I show up and they said they had the wrong parts of the keys. They thought the appointment was the next Wednesday, but it wasn't. So, now I have to wait to hear when it comes in. They apologize for the mess it's all become. Apparently, the lady that worked there was fired for being mean to customers. The guy who called me to say they had broke the chip in the key apparently went crazy and quit; something about his girlfriend moving to Cali made him lose it. Love sounds scary...

Finally, the key comes in, but it has to be programmed. It's my luck that it can only be programmed at a VW dealership. The closest one is in Topeka. They offer to take it to Topeka for me. We agree on this last, Friday. They'll pick up the car at my work. We settle on that morning before a meeting I have or around lunch. Meeting comes and no call. Noon comes and goes, no call. The appointment in Topeka, which is an hour away, is at 2:30. At 1:30, I text the installer, I'd mainly been working out logistics with, and he's shocked the guy hasn't come by. Finally, the owner comes and gets it. They know I need it back by 5pm. At 4:45, I finally call the owner to see if I'll have my car back or if I need to arrange for someone to pick me up. He says he'll be there in 5-10 minutes. After waiting by the door for eight minutes, I decide to just go shut down my workstation for the day. No shock, he's late and doesn't come until after 5. Nothing like keeping the customer waiting. So, the keys are now programmed, but the rest of the install has to be done. They think it'll take an hour. I drop it off the next day, Saturday, at 11:15. I let them know that I need it by 2 for work. They say that'll be no problem. At 2, no one has called me, so I call them. It'll probably take 45 minutes they say. I let them know I have to be to work by 2:45. They said to stop by in 15 minutes and it'll be ready. I arrive about 2:15 and it's not ready; "almost done." I start to freak out because it's now 2:30 and I still have to go home to change. I'm panicked and don't want to be late to work. I also, can't call in to let them know I'm running behind, because there's no one to answer the phone. I finally get the car at 2:45. They lost a screw that I need to look for or they'll buy one to replace it. The installer wants to give me the low-down on it and talk, but I can't; I'm late. He said I could contact him if I have any questions. I get in the car and check before flipping a U-turn. I run up the stairs and leave the apartment keys on the car. I run back grab them and run up the stairs. One minute later, I've changed shirts, shoes, and grab a jacket. I make it in about 15 minutes late and apologize profusely.

Today was warm, so I haven't used the automatic car starter yet. I'm excited to try it. Somehow, I only have 1.5 keys, not sure how that happened or what I can do with half a key. I've talked to Audio Junction twice about getting a partial refund. It's been just over four weeks since I first took it in. I've probably called a dozen times. My parents are really upset with how much of a hassle everything was, as it was one of my Christmas gifts. I should hear back mid-week about the refund. Both employees thought I "should" get one. Definitely, an exhausting situation.

Any exasperating customer service issues in your world?

Easy Berry Cobbler

This summer my parents and I grew blackberries. I love blackberries, but my parents aren't fans of the seeds, so I have a freezer nearly filled with blackberries. I've been using them in shakes. You know greek yogurt, skim milk, bananas, blackberries, and honey... Pretty much all those ingregients are my favorite on their own. Together they're so refreshing.

Well, I was invited to dinner at a friend's house. They said I could bring an appetizer, side, or dessert. It also happens to be the day before that friend's birthday and she just so happens to love berry pie. I realized I wouldn't have time to bother with crust, etc., so I decided on something easier; berry cobbler. For recipes, I of course turned to Pinterest!

I found numerous recipes and chose a very easy one. From there, I of course tweaked it. Don't I always?!

Here's the recipe:


At the store, I bought a mix of frozen blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. I used two cups of blackberries and two cups of the three berries. So, technically this is a quadruple berry cobbler. Some recipes mentioned adding tabs of butter and a cup of sugar. I added roughly six small tabs of butter to the finished product. I ended up using roughly eight ounces of soda. I also used roughly a tablespoon of sugar. I probably should've added the sugar when I only had the berries in the dish, but we'll see. I also slightly greased the pan. Some recipes said to cover with aluminum foil, so I compromised and added foil about 15 minutes in. It ended up needing to be baked longer than the recommended time; needed about 55 minutes total. So far, it smells delightful!

Yay, it was yummy! My friends enjoyed it and I left most with them. Looks tasty right?!

I'm Impressed!

I've been really impressed with the number of countries my readers represent. Here are the 23 countries, I've had readers from: United Arab Emirates, Latvia, Australia, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, China, Serbia, Netherlands, Venezuela, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Mongolia, France, Israel, Czech Republic, South Korea, Romania, Spain, India, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, South Africa, Canada, South Africa, Cameroon, Slovakia, Hong Kong, and obviously the United States. I'd like to welcome you all to my blog; I've enjoyed having you all along for the journey and look forward to your feedback. How'd you all find me? I'm so curious!

I started this blog the end of July. It was an assignment for my Applied Managerial Computing class. I'd always thought of starting a blog, so the assignment was the push I needed. I plan to be a little more regular with my blogs. Any questions you all have for me?

In other news, I started my econ class this week. I'm hoping it'll be good and so far I've only had to read one chapter.

The Go-Giver

The Go-Giver is a really quick read at 125 pages. It reads like a story with five key "laws" intertwined. I've heard the book called "social entrepreneurship" and that pretty much describes it. The "Five Laws of Stratospheric Success" are pretty straight-forward. 1) "The Law of Value: Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment." Makes sense. 2) "The Law of Compensation: Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them." It talked about not keeping score and hit home with me. 3) "The Law of Influence: Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interests first." Pretty profound, but also true if you think about it. 4) "The Law of Authenticity: The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself." That's definitely a jewel! 5) "The Law of Receptivity: The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving." Many times we want to be the ones giving and not receiving, but not receiving may be robbing someone of a blessing God wanted to give them. This book was definitely food for thought and took me roughly half a week to read. Check it out, it's by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

Anyone reading anything thought-provoking? I'd love to hear about it!

Next, I'll be reading Travling Light by Max Lucado. His books are always such great reads; he's one of my favorite authors.

The Butler

I saw the movie, the Butler, this weekend. It was very good and covered a lot of tough topics, like slavery, racism, civil rights, etc. It reminds those of us who weren't alive, at the time, of the struggles and pain past generations faced. Our country went through a lot of turmoil between racism, civil rights issues, and Vietnam.
The movie kind of had a similar feel as the movie, the Help. It had some great actors like Forest Whitaker, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Lenny Kravitz. I'm now a Lenny Kravitz fan from his work on the Hunger Games movies. Oprah was in there too, but I don't count her as an actress. Forest Whitaker played the part so well!
This movie also again reminded me of the great responsibility placed upon the shoulders of the President. Presidents also holds a lot of power to do good or to turn their faces from injustices.

P.S. The new Muppets: Most Wanted trailer was hilarious. Makes for a great laugh, though I probaby won't see it in theaters.

Thrift Store Love

Those who know me well know that I love a good deal, which means I love thrift shopping! Manhattan has the greatest little thrift shop called, Rockstar and Rogers. Last Saturday, I actually went in search of some shirts. My closet is feeling kind of boring and I was hoping to add in more color and warmth. Unfortunately, I ended up buying nearly everything but shirts. So, what did I get? Well, I fell in love with a gorgeous black and white dress from Ann Taylor Loft.

I'm five to eight pounds from it fitting better, but it gives me inspiration since it's perfect for an event I have the end of February. Yes, I know you should never buy an article of clothing that doesn't currently fit, but I WILL fit in that dress this season and that dress is so perfectly me. I knew I'd regret not getting it. Next, I got sight of a bag I literally couldn't take my eyes off.

I couldn't immediately identify what I would use the bag for, but I wanted it. Thankfully, my mom called in that moment and my parents said spending $8.99 wasn't bad especially since I loved it. The bag feels like suede and has what feels like leather straps. The bag is gray and brown. I justified the purchase by saying I could use it when I travel or need to have a change of clothes and/or shoes on busy days. Next, I really liked a wild, neon yellow snake skin patterened Kenneth Cole Reaction wristlet.

It still had the tags attached which said it originally costs $40. I've been using the same metallic silver leather Fossil wristlet for the last 7+ years. I really love it, but a lot of times I like wearing all black or something simple like jeans and a t-shirt, but this will jazz it up. :) Also, snake print is the only kind of animal print I like. Lastly, I was getting ready to check out when I glanced at the shoe area and saw a nearly new pair of Pumas with a pink stripe.

They had some scuffs on top, so I got a few dollars off the price. They were less than half of what a brand new pair would be. I came up with several things I could wear them with; for working track meets (part time gig, long story), with shorts in the summer (my running shoes don't look good with them), with skinny jeans, and in general. I don't want to wear my running shoes everywhere and wear them out, so hence the Pumas. In college, I had a pair of Pumas with a silver stripe and I loved those shoes. I think, they eveidently wore out. I'm pretty excited about my purchases. I love thift stores, because I was able to get so many new and nearly new items for under $50 with tax. :)

Divergent Series, Book 2: Insurgent

I breezed through this 525 page nail-biter in just over a week. The plot twisted and turned; I loved it! The main characters are likeable. The relationships are pretty intricate. It is pretty violent and nearly everyone you like ends up dying. That being said, I can't wait to read the third and final book in the series, Allegient and see the movie of the first book mid to late March.

What are you all reading? What's next on my reading list? I just started the Go-Giver. It's really short and so far kinda okay. Next, I'll be reading Traveling Light by Max Lucado. I love his books! Has anyone read those?

Guilt Trip

So, I checked out the movie, Guilt Trip, that came out a couple of years ago. It was with Barbara Streisand and Seth Rogen. I knew it'd be funny, but I couldn't of known it'd be touching and poignant too. It's about a strained relationship between a mother and son. The mom talks constantly and pries into her son's life. He finds out where her teenage crush lives which is close to the destination of his cross-country road trip and he invites her to go along. Check it out, it was pretty funny and sweet.

Resolutions

Every year, we make resolutions. Some we keep for a bit before slipping back into real life. Sometimes, they're changes we really need to make anyway and it being a new year just makes it easier to make a fresh start.

Here's what I've resolved:

-I've decided to let go of some friendships. I've realized that I have several one-way friendships I'm not taking those into the new year. I'm making room in my life for better friendships.
-Lose 1 pound per week. I'm upping my cardio and intensity. As I get older, I find this goal harder, but it still leads to a healthier me, so it's worth pursuing.
-Try new things
-Travel whenever possible
-Soak in and embrace each moment. Time is fleeting.
-Make healthy eating choices
-Do some form of excercise every day
-Read for fun whenever possible
-I realize that I've finally found my voice and I intend to use it. I plan to speak up for myself. In the past, I generally didn't tell people when they'd hurt me, instead I carried it. I've decided to tell people when they hurt me. They can't fix something they don't know about. I'm hoping it helps strengthen my relationships.
-Strive to be closer to God and strengthen my relationship with him

Has anyone made any resolutions? Do we actually ever achieve our resolutions? Here's to good intentions! :)

Yum!

You know who has really good food in Aggieville? This fall, the MBA dinner happened to be at Aggie Station. I'd never eaten there and wasn't sure what to expect. I ordered the tagliata salad with beef was wonderful. It wasn't your ordinary boring salad. The salad was very filling and flavorful. Later, I went to the Chili Crawl in Aggieville. Aggie Station's chili was good. It was made with pork and kidney beans. To me, it tasted like barbeque.

Friday, after ice skating with the Manhattan Young Professionals group we went to Aggie Station (no, I didn't fall). I had the butternet squash bisque to warm me it. It was hearty and topped with nuts. I really enjoyed it.

What was the last great meal you had? I've love to hear!

Bad Customer Service Experience

I'm a stickler for customer service. I especially think customer service is an important competitive advantage for local businesses. Generally, local businesses can't compete on price as much as big box stores, so they should focus on giving impeccable customer service.

For Christmas, I was given an automatic car starter. I was so excited! We've had such a rough winter already and just a couple of months ago it took me 15 minutes to break into my iced up car and only the back door opened. Yes, it also happened to be the day I was wearing a skirt. Thirty minutes later, I was able to head home and was quite cold.

We'd heard bad things about Best Buy regarding automatic car starters, so we went with Audio Junction. It's roughly 5 blocks from my apartment so it seemed like everything was a go. I took my car in for my installation appointment Friday, December 27. Install was to take 4 hours. Three and a half hours in, I got a call that they'd accidentally broken a chip they needed in my car key/remote. My other key was at my parent's so I couldn't pick it up. They said the installation part was done, they just needed the key for the final steps of the process. I said I'd bring my other key in the next day to pick it up. They said they'd order the key and it should be in early that next week. They said they'd pay for the key.

I went to pick up my car the next day and guess what, it wasn't ready. They knew I was picking it up Saturday. Why didn't they put it back together that night or in the morning? They told me it would take 10-15 minutes. Twenty minutes later I asked about it again. They again said it'd take ten minutes. Fifteen minutes later, still now car and they weren't giving me any updates, so I went into the bay and asked the technician. He said ten more minutes. A total of 45 minutes after arriving I finally got my car. I asked the technician about the key and he said they got a tracking number, but it hadn't shipped yet. They would call me when it arrived probably midweek. He also gave me the two remotes for the car starter and said that they would work to open/close my car. Later, I tried them and they didn't work.

Tuesday, we called to see if the key had arrived and were told they don't order keys. They said they never order keys, the customer has to do that and then they reimburse the customer. They said no one would've told us that. I told her that two people had told me about that. We'd hoped to have the installation all done by the time I went back to work. That wasn't happening. So, I ordered a key from the VW place in Topeka. I called Audio Junction to see if it came in, but the guy on the phone was new and didn't see it. Monday, I called again and still no key. Meanwhile, it was -9 degrees outside Monday when I went to work. The automatic car starter would've come in handy. So, I call the VW place and they said it arrived at the other Audio Junction location, Friday. An employee from Audio was supposed to take it to the location handling my installation. I call Audio and told them. They said they'd pick it up and call me a couple hours later. That was late this morning. Still no call.

The automatic car starter was not cheap. I definitely won't be going back to Audio Junction ever again. I'll let you know how this saga ends!

Any bad customer service incidents you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them!

Born to Run

So, after trying to finish reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall twice, I'm done. I really liked it. If you're interested in running at all, I'd recommend it. There's lots of detail about running, history, the characters, and the Tarahumara. It is a pretty long book at nearly 400 pages. Now I feel like running. I always have admired those runners who sprint by gracefully and look like they could run another ten miles like it's nothing. So, I will be running/jogging a little more. ;)

Now, I'm starting Insurgent which is part of the Divergent series. I really enjoyed the first book, Divergent. It kept my interest and I couldn't put it down. I'm excited to finally have the time to start Insurgent. The movie comes out over spring break!