BuzzBoost and PurpleWren

We’re taking a little snooze over here, but you will find me blogging at PurpleWren. Here are the latest headlines, compliments of FeedBurner.

CompUSA Offers Excellent Service

Well, it’s been two (2) weeks since I got my MacBook Pro and yesterday I finally found someone who had the experience to load Boot Camp and Windows XP. I didn’t have time or knowledge of OS X to tackle it myself.

So… if you need assistance and you’re located in the Des Moines, Iowa area, contact CompUSA. The technical people are very knowledgeable, fast and thorough. Less than four (4) hours and it was back in my hands. What a relief! How is the service at your local CompUSA?

More about my frustrating experiences later…

gluten-free in Iowa

Yes, it’s been awhile since I posted here, so a long holiday weekend is the perfect time to get back in the habit. A lot of people are looking for real food. We have healthfood stores and farmers markets where we can buy fresh meat and produce to take home and eat/cook, but what if you want to eat out?

It can be a challenge, especially if you are watching your intake of wheat, sugar, preservatives, etc. or have to find food that is gluten-free. One food that I especially miss is pizza. Well, the wait is over. There’s a restaurant that recently opened in West Des Moines that has become my favorite. Una at Beyond the Grain, 801 1st Street in West Des Moines, makes a wonderful pizza. Try it today. Sometimes I stop in and eat there, but often I pick up an order and take it with me. And if you’re looking for a dessert, her carrot cake is the best. 

Anyway, they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and offer a nice menu selection. There’s other restaurants in the area that offer a gluten-free menu, and I’ll write more as I visit them. There’s also an informational website.

Let me know what you think – and if you stop in to eat at Beyond the Grain, mention you read about them in Sandy’s blog.

Photo on flickr by bakerchick2

What Story Would You Tell?

I recently attended a meeting of Digital Arts Group held at Haddock Computer for the first time. It was great! The topic was Digital Storytelling by Joann Schissel, DAG President (thanks Joann). Everyone was very friendly and welcoming – and I learned something new. What more can you ask from an association? This is a group you might want to check out.

Here's a few links from the presentation to share. Digital storytelling is definitely an art form to keep your eye on. You may even want to try it yourself – the cost of technology makes it possible for most of us to participate. What story would you tell?

• The Digital Drive-In
• PhotoBus
• dorelvis
• Scott County Schools
• jasonOhler.com
• Center for Digital Story Telling

Great stories! Helpful information to get you started.

professional development workshop

On April 5 I attended a full-day workshop hosted by IABC/Iowa, and presented by Todd McDonald of ATW Training & Consulting, Inc. of Des Moines. We're fortunate to have world-class trainers headquartered in the metro area.

The morning session was based on the book by Tony Jeary entitled "Life is a Series of Presentations." As the title implies, life indeed is all about presenting ourselves and every interaction is a presentation that influences someone. It was a good workshop for me as I continue to brand myself. 

The afternoon session was "Developing Your Leadership Influence." If you're interested in professional development opportunities in Iowa, check out this association. Of course, I'm biased because this year the VP of Professional Development is me.

More later…

association blogging

I kind of stumbled upon the professional association, IABC/Iowa, about three years ago. Initially I started out assisting with their Web site and eventually I joined because everyone was so friendly. The members are in various stages of their respective careers and they are working on personal and professional skills. It seemed like the place I wanted to be (and still is).

If you haven’t checked this association out, now is the time. Iowa has one of the fastest growing chapters in the international association (International Association of Business Communicators). In fact, we celebrated the 125th member in April with Cookies by Charstie.

The international association also has a blog - since 2004. I continue to be impressed with this forward-thinking group. The business community is teetering on the edge, getting ready to jump feet first into blogging. We’re in for exciting times in the communication field.

More later…

technorati tags: Iowa, Blogging, Food and Drink, Associations

branding myself

I spent some time last Friday afternoon at Panera Bread. I have to admit it's my new favorite place to go for good food and beverages, friendly people, and the pleasure of working on my computer (Wi-Fi Internet access) in cheerful surroundings. I'm between jobs and it's a great opportunity for me to spend time in the company of other professionals. I'm picking up a lot of good ideas and meeting interesting people. Spring is a wonderful time to start something new.

Mike Sansone of Converstations gave me more tips for my blog, which is definitely taking shape. I'm posting my resume online, which gives me the ability to email a link to recruiters.

Mike Wagner of White Rabbit Group stopped by and we talked about personal branding – definitely an area to explore as I embark on the journey of marketing my strengths, skills and abilities.

Contact "either" Mike and I guarantee that you'll have a positive experience!

Stay tuned for more…

hello world

I had the pleasure of attending this great blogging workshop last week hosted by Mike Sansone of Converstations. We learned about how to set up a business or personal blog using tools that are readily available to the public. In the last few days I have tried blogger.com, godaddy.com and wordpress.com. My favorite – and the one I am using – is wordpress.com because I can add extra pages (e.g., a resume page). Stay tuned for more of my journey…