Pop this in your mouth and taste it!

The love I have for public relations and culinary arts is indescribable (I know I'm a certified nerd). I am incredibly interested in both and for quite some time, I believed I always had to choose one over the other. But with my knowledge and wittiness (yes, I do have that) I found a way to do the two things I love the most. With that, I will be posting and writing about diverse food that I have deliciously discovered across the globe in hopes to inspire and influence readers to seek their way to discover new culinary possibilities. 

I was recently in Colorado Springs, CO with the rest of my family to celebrate my sister's graduation and we were able to go to local restaurants and cafes to try some west coast food. The first thing I devoured was a lavender lemonade, which was served at Shuga's, a quaint little restaurant and bar that features an array of sandwiches and boards. 

First off, I am a huge lemonade fan. At most restaurants I order a flavored lemonade ranging from strawberry to pomegranate. When my eyes were grazing the Sugha's menu, I found this delicious treat and immediately knew I had to taste it. The first sip was interesting to say the least. In some incredible way, I could taste the scent of lavender. It was rich with flavor but still sweet and refreshing. The next few gulps (now I'm really enjoying the drink) were the best because of the crispness while maintaining the sweetness.
One critique: pour it in a bigger glass. 

The second delicious dish I recommend for seafood lovers is PJ's Fish and Chips, found at PJ's Bistro, located in Manitou Springs, CO. As you walk up the stairs to the restaurant, you can see the beautiful mountain landscape as you soon realize that you are able to sit out on the balcony overlooking Manitou Springs (for all you Wisconsinites, Manitou is identical to Door County, only with mountains).

While I looked at all of my different options to choose for lunch such as potato dumplings, assorted pierogis, and potato pancakes, I asked the waiter what he recommends. He listed off the previous menu items and then said "I know I am biased, but we have the best fish and chips I've ever tasted". I looked at him with a questionable expression and he added "It's pan seared mahi mahi". I agreed that I must try it. PJ's Fish and Chips included french fries, Gribiche sauce, and sauteed carrot and parsnip. 

The first bite was amazing (I repeat, amazing). The mahi mahi was cooked to perfection, and the crunch was the perfect complement. The fact that it was pan seared instead of deep fried was beyond my expectations. When I wanted a break from fish the french fries were perfect, not too filling and not too salty. The uniqueness of this fish and chips was the featured sides, and the flavors combined with the flaky juicy center.
One critique: more french fries, please! 

Now that your taste buds are barking and you're drooling all over the keyboard, go find something delicious and check my next blog post about more discovered eats and treats. 

Undermining society: brew up some talents.

As usual, I was taking a break from normal, daily life and went on Pinterest for a little while. As I was looking at adorable puppies, chic outfits I would never have, and a thousand unhealthy recipes I came across this quote featured above by Albert Einstein. When I first saw it, I totally agreed with him; I believe my only special talent is making a fool out of myself 24/7.  There are millions of people on this planet with an incredible talent and that was the best one I could come up with for myself... great. I rock.

But the more I sit here in Starbucks watching others come and go, grabbing their cinnamon scones and non-fat mocha lattes, I start to realize that they might be thinking the same as me.  Maybe they believe they have no special talents or if we do not have a specific thing that we are amazing at, we suck as human beings.  Or maybe they are thinking the complete opposite and are the "bees knees" and have over a hundred special talents that we do not know about.

Whatever the case may be, I do believe that everyone should be passionately curious, whether or not they have a special talent.  Another question I ask, how do you define a "special talent"? Is it something that has to be completely out of the ordinary, radical, and out of this world awesome?! Or can it simply be a common activity that you love to do every second of the day and never get sick of? I think people overestimate the power of a special talent, including me.

So do you know what, Einstein?! I think everyone (yes, I mean everyone), has a special talent within them. Whether it is someone who scuba dives and battles great white sharks for fun, or someone who can make the best green bean casserole anyone has even eaten, they both have something extraordinary.

As I wrap up my rant about a harmless pin posted on Pinterest, I want to conclude with this quote:
"If you don't think you have a talent, you just haven't found it yet." -Andrew Smith

Blogging, the new appetizer to social media.

In today's world, people are well aware of the power of social media. Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin are all popular sources of social media that impact businesses and people.  These three sources of social media are very similar to an appetizer in a three-course meal; you start by getting your information out there which leads to the main result.  But people are starting to realize there is another appetizer that can produce the same effects, the blog.  Blogging is growing in social media and a UW-Whitewater alumni, Trish Skram, knows how to feature your new appetizer.  

Trish Skram is a media specialist and PR manager for Mercy Health System in Janesville, Wis. and also a professional blogger for Janesville Gazette.  Skram's career started when she applied for an internship six years ago at Mercy when she was a junior at UW-Whitewater. The internship was paid, she really enjoyed the people she worked with, the job gave her a lot of opportunities, and she has been working there ever since.  She started and launched her own blog called "PR Gal"  in 2008.  

Skram talked about how using Twitter and blogs help grow her network, connect with people, learn from others who are similar to her, and help the PR industry.  Her first piece of advice was to blog about things that relate to the job you want because it shows you have a passion for what you want to do.  Skram also included eight ways to build a brand with your blog: 

• What do you want to get out of it? 
• Know your competency 
• Listen and learn from your audience 
• Add a personal touch 
• Be positive :) 
• Encourage engagement
• Research keywords 
• Be consistent

 

Skram's final advice she gave about blogs was to share your passion, share your knowledge, always work hard, and participate in everything you do.  Most importantly, don't be afraid to blog! Bloggers have a worry that they will look stupid while writing but if you connect with others, they will connect with you.  

Be creative in how you brand yourself in social media because if your appetizer stands out, employers will want to see what else is included in your three-course meal!

This Generation's Weakness

One word describes a group of over 500 million active users. One word offers 900 million applications that people can interact with. One word has people spending over 700 billion minutes per month on this. What is this word that has people communicating in ways never thought possible?

Facebook.

If this is the first time you have ever seen this word, you might have been living under a rock for the past seven years and you should check out this website for more information. http://on.fb.me/12oAN Facebook is a social media trend that interests me greatly because there are so many people associated with it, and they love being part of this community. People feel a sense of belonging when they log into Facebook because they can see what their friends are up to, check who wrote on their wall, or what businesses want their opinion. So why do you think public relations professionals love Facebook so much? 

Well, the answer is quite simple.

An average active user spends about 23 minutes on Facebook each time they log in. http://bit.ly/i8Kybf
And every time they log in on Facebook they roam around and look at advertisements and promotions that businesses offer. What clients would hate to have over 500 million people check out their businesses on a daily basis!? Crazy ones! Facebook is the perfect place for public relations professionals to excel in their career and with their publics.

Here are just a few examples of companies that use Facebook:

•  McDonald’s http://www.facebook.com/McDonalds
• Nike http://www.facebook.com/nike
•  Rosa’s Pizza http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rosas-Pizza/65990804437
• Gatorade http://www.facebook.com/Gatorade
• Big Shoes Network http://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Shoes-Network/363541710548
• Edelman http://www.facebook.com/edelman

And thousands and thousands more!

So I’d say the overall moral of this blog post would be that Facebook has a very powerful influence on people and PR professionals know exactly how to strengthen the influence.