Performance Audio: Great Customer Service!

As I shared in my last blog, I was referred to Performance Audio to get my automatic car starter fix. There I met and was very impressed with the owner, Kenny. His prices were fair and he communicated professionally; keeping me in the loop about my car (much unlike Audio Junction). Kenny ended up needing my second key to finish the repair, but I had no way to get it to him. He sent someone to pick it up who called to let me know he was on his way and showed up when he said he would. Audio Junction had previously told me that every time I would start my car with the automatic starter they installed, it would make my car alarm go off, so I would have to hit the unlock and lock buttons on the remote. This was annoying to say the least. They said there was no other way. When I verified with Kenny that this was the way it had to be, as I left, he said to bring it back and he would program it to operate properly for FREE. I ended up needing a few parts to make it work and it took a little longer, but now it operates better than before and was a relatively cheap fix. If you have any car audio or tint needs, definitely hit up Kenny at Performance Audio. His business is a great example of customer service and quality work!

The Car Starter Saga Continues

Earlier this year, I chronicled my car starter saga with Audio Junction.

Here are the three previous posts to give you some background: 1) Bad Customer Service Experience, 2) Audio Junction Issues, and 3) Last Chapter of the Car Starter Saga.

I regret to inform you all that the saga still continues.

Towards the start of warmer weather, I noticed the starter wasn't working properly; starting then dying. Over summer, I obviously didn't need it so, I didn't really think about it. Well, here in Kansas, we've already encountered a lot of cold weather and the starter still didn't work. So, I called Audio Junction, now AJRS and was told that they don't do car starter installs anymore and couldn't help me. I would have to pay to have it fixed elsewhere. They recommended I contact Performance Audio (more on them in a future post) to have them look at it. The result: well in the beginning, Audio Junction improperly attached a key needed to make it work and as a result it fell out and got lost. Of course, when I talked to AJRS they didn't mention that it was their fault it fell out in the first place. Now, I had to give up one of my two keys to make it work. When I asked AJRS to replace the key, they "couldn't make the call" because the owner was in Mexico on vacation for two weeks. You may remember from my previous posts that the owner was not professional and never got back to me about a partial refund like he said he would. The employees said it was very likely that he would say no, since it's been almost a year. I think, they should do the right thing and replace the key, but doubt they will. I just want it working and to end with as many keys as I started with. *Sigh!

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New Best First Date Ever

It was this last January and we went to Godfrey's Indoor Shooting Range in Junction City, KS. I'd never been to a shooting range and hadn't shot that much. We shot an AK-47 semiautomatic rifle, a .38 special, and a glock. It was a fun activity I hadn't tried before. I did archery as a kid and am decent at hitting a target. I was most comfortable with the glock. We shot for a really long time then headed back to Manhattan for dinner and a couple of movies. After getting back from the range, I found a shell casing in my scarf. :)

When I think about why the date was the best ever, it was probably because it was well-thought out and not your typical first date. Also, I really liked the guy more than I've liked any of the other guys I'd gone out with.

Recipe #22: Cranberry Apple Cream Cheese Mold

For roughly 15 years, I have been making this mold. My grandma loves and requests this yearly for Thanksgiving.

Here's the recipe:
1-1/2 cups boiling water
1 pkg. (8-serving size) or 2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Cranberry Flavor Gelatin
2 cups cold apple juice or cold water
1 medium red apple, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

I add a whole can of whole cranberry sauce. I also add 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts.

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Mockingjay, Part One

Unlike the prior installments of the Hunger Games franchise, this movie was sad and lacking in endearing moments that I'd come to love about Hunger Games. Peeta was barely in this movie and Katniss moped around the whole time. There was no love, not a lot of action sequences and really nothing to make it interesting. Despite my love of the franchise, I felt this movie was stiff and I struggled to stay awake throughout it. Having read the series, I knew that this wouldn't be an upbeat, feel-good kind of movie, but I was hoping for more than I got. The only somewhat endearing character was Prim. I did like where Katniss sang the Hanging Tree.

Here's hoping Part Two gives us all the ending we need.



Have you seen it? Thoughts?

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10 Reasons ABC Should Save Selfie

1. Eliza-Who doesn't love her flawless hair and makeup? I've enjoyed watching Eliza grow as a person with Henry's help. Despite how crazy she can be, you can't help but like her and her real attempts at change.
2. Henry-You cheer for him to find out that there's more to life than work. He's also kind and wants to see Eliza grow as a person. He's dedicated to work and knows how to be serious; though he struggles to let loose and enjoy life. It's nice to see Eliza try to help him with him embrace life more.
3. Charmonique-She's so funny and real; just like what everyone wants in a friend
4. Charmonique's son, Kevin-I can't express how excited I was to see more from him as the season progressed. He's wise for a kid and real. The episode where Eliza babysat him is my favorite; that kid rocks! The clip:
5. Terrence-Despite how mean his father-in-law/boss is to him, Terrence is always upbeat and treats him with genuine respect and kindness. Not sure many of us could do the same.
6. I was cheering for Eliza and Henry to fall in love. They were the perfect balance for each other.
7. The show made me laugh and brightened up my Tuesdays. What else will I have to look forward too?
8. Eliza's one-liners are the best
9. Henry's new girlfriend, who is like his twin. They're annoyingly similar and I must see more!
10. I found it interesting watching the company that Henry, Eliza, and Charmonique work for. How often does one see a show set in a pharmaceutical company? I got a better feel for what that world would be like.

Catch it while you can on ABC.com.

All-in-all, I will miss this uniquely quirky and fun show with real characters that were relatable.



Any other fans of the show?

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Qdoba vs. Chipotle

I'm in a town that only had a Chipotle, so I never had the opportunity to check out Qdoba before. Just last month a Qdoba opened practically across the street from me. I waited until the crowds died down a little and finally checked it out. Now, I was skeptical of trying the grilled beef because the beef at Chipotle was always fatty, but I was in for a great surprise; so good! I kinda feel like I was cheating on Chipotle, but I have to admit that Qdoba is so much better! Their queso and chips are the things dreams are made of! I normally hate guac, but loved theirs! Their Roasted Chile Corn was mild and so good. Suffice it to say; Qdoba wins and it's right by my apartment, which may be dangerous!
Qdoba Manhattan!

Recipe #21: The Best Brussel Sprouts

My grandma gave me a bunch of brussel sprouts, last week and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. The only time I'd experimented cooking them before hadn't turned out very well. So, I gave Pinterest a whirl and found this fabulous recipe for The Best Brussel Sprouts. I love the simplicity of the ingredients: brussel sprouts, bread crumbs, garlic salt, olive oil, and pepper. I appreciate recipes that don't require me to go to the store for lots of ingredients and in general, I love simple. Essentially, you just combine the ingredients in a skillet and cook for 10 minutes. They were so good. When co-workers saw me eating them during a working lunch, today they asked about the recipe.

What's your favorite brussel sprout recipe?

Fear of Public Speaking

I've always had a huge fear of public speaking. I dreaded and felt physically ill before every speech in speech class in college. I also dreaded class presentations in college. I'd rehearse and work on them a lot, but fear and anxiety plagued me.

After college, I still had to speak in public within my first job. The scariest speech was a very short one that was part of several other presentations. It was at Fort Riley with the General, top leadership, my boss, my supervisor, and coworkers. There were roughly 75 people there. I'd written up what I needed to say, but was very nervous. So, I knew my material, but my nerves killed my voice and made it sound like I was about to cry which I wasn't. I was happy to have that done!

When I changed jobs, I don't think I realized how much I would be presenting. In the the first two weeks on the job, I talked to roughly 17 classes, ranging in size from 45-400. Yes, 400!!! Most went okay, but I had to take anxiety meds to make it. Even then, I was still very much out of my element. The worst of those 17 presentations was when I was going to talk to a class of 45. I had to cross the street, walk uphill, and climb stairs from the basement to the 2nd floor. I was rushing to make it on time and was nervous. Once I climbed the stairs, I took a minute, took a deep breathe and then entered the class. Immediately, the instructor introduced me and I started talking. Soon, I realized I couldn't breathe. The walk, uphill climb, and stairs had killed me. So, I started taking some pauses and trying to get some breaths in. I kinda tried to joke about the stairs and how they'd killed me, but the class just gave me blank stares. The instructor thankfully jumped in for a few minutes to let me catch my breath and continue.

In my job, I'm still asked to give presentations a lot. While my gut reaction is to say no, I always make myself say yes. I know that I won't become a better speaker if I don't do more of it.

Here's what I've done to try to improve:
-Communicate why the information is important for the audience. Framing it like that, helps the listener know why they should listen and how that info should help them.
--I spend a lot of time prepping for my presentations. I make sure I have enough content and type up my notes sheet.
-I try to have helpful PowerPoint slides for the audience to follow along with
-When appropriate, I bring handouts for the audience to be able to take with them for future reference
-I literally write down everything I plan to say word for word. This helps me get a flow to my speech, so when I'm nervous I won't have to think of the wording, I'll have a flow to it all. I print my notes and highlight or underline key words or phrases. I spend a lot of time reading over my notes sheet. That way, if I forget what's next I can glance at my notes and find my place.
-I also imagine myself speaking calmly to the class. Visualization helps me remain calm.
-I pray and take some deep breaths also

So far, this semester, I've spoken roughly 25 times. I can definitely see the improvement in my speaking, but I still have room to grow.

Here's something I found on Pinterest:

Any speech tips you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them!

Sharing

I love sharing with you all the newest things I love. Hope you enjoy it all too!

Even though Paul Walker isn't in much of it, I will definitely still be seeing the new Fast and the Furious 7. Check out the terrific trailer:

Break Free from Arianna Grande has some lyrics that mean something to me, especially: I only wanna die alive
Never by the hands of a broken heart (from AZLyrics.com). The music video is the most ridiculous music video ever!

Blank Space by Taylor Swift is a pretty cool music video, but don't take my word for it.

I have absolutely fell in love with RaeLynn's voice and new song, God Loves Girls. It's a super cute song and so sweet. I first heard it on iTunes Country Top 50.

What do you think? Love them? Hate them? What are you jamming to?