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I wrote this last night and it seems to have shook me out of this funk that I have been in. Today I am grateful for: The ability to fall back asleep when I wake up at 4 am thinking Water in the middle of the night A former boss who reaches out to me to watch his kids A couch to sit on while I write this My computer so I can write it The ability to walk to the gym Having a gym on the propriety of this apartment Being able to tell someone the truth, whether that freaks them out or not The table I'm resting my feet on The fact that I may not have a job, but I know I will find one eventually That I live in California and its not snowing here Although my friends and I are many miles away from each other, I know I can still count on them to be there for me Knowing I can do whatever I set my mind to Being able to change my mind Knowing deep down everything will work out, whether I forget that sometimes or not Having a job interview today

☆ Metaphysical / Spiritual ☆

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Some days its really hard to see all the greatness we have in our lives, and when those days come for me, I know its time to make a gratitude list. I've been really struggling with finding a job, even though I've been only looking for a week, and that has really put me in this negative funk. As much as I love having a few days to sit and relax, a whole week of it drives me crazy. This is why this is my perfect moment to create a gratitude list. Today I am grateful for: Tissues to blow my nose Friends on the East Coast that I can text at 7 in the morning Someone who I can count on to text me "good morning" each day A warm blanket on my bed Comfy pillows for when I want to lay in bed all day Waking up on my own and not by alarm clock Russell Brand and his quest to bring awareness to addiction being a disease Twitter and its up to date posts about whats going on around me A phone that is capable of having Twitter on it SnapChat to share weird postings I find on Craigslist Chobani Blueberry Greek Yogurt Go Lean Crunch so I have something to mix my yogurt into A roommate who I can wake up and talk to each day A roommate that has such an amazing outlook on life, that even though the kid she babysat pooped all over himself, and she can still have a good day today. A computer to be able to look up job opportunities. Kip Moore Keith Urban John Mayer Dirty Dishes I can wash later to take up time in my day A messy room to clean up The Lumineers A bathroom I can clean A place to live that I can call my own The chance to work for some of the greatest people I have ever met The opportunity to have an internship where it never reaches below 40 degrees in the winter Being able to say I was a part of the 2014 Humana Challenge The chance to meet all the amazing people who help make the Humana Challenge what it is Being put out of my comfort zone Being able to pursue whatever I want Having an open mind about my next step in life For having a job interview this week even if it isn't for something in my career path Being able to know deep down everything will work out, even if I have to remind myself constantly Having people close to me that believe in me even when I don't believe in myself The fact that I get to sit on my couch today and cry like a baby with no one to see me That the sun is finally coming out from behind the clouds I know that I can turn my day around at anytime.

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If a company were to publicly apologize through advertising, this is what it would look like

Tonight I was watching TV with my friends when a J.C. Penney commercial came on TV. Normally I wouldn’t pay much attention to a J.C. Penney ad because all their stuff reminds me of my grandmother. Not cause it’s old looking, but because my grandma used to always take me shopping there when I was little, anyways, not the point.

As I started listening to this ad, I realized how bold of a statement it was making. The commercial went on to apologize for the changes that J.C. Penney has made recently and how it hasn’t been received by its customers as well as they thought it would. 

Not only is that a very bold PR move, but it is also a very bold marketing move. I am currently taking a marketing class and I can’t go one page in the textbook without the it reminding me that marketing is to make decisions based on customer wants, needs, and values, rather than the companies wants, needs, and values. 

As I read more into the new ad campaign I found out that J.C. Penney tried to attract younger and more wealthy customers. but in the process of trying to reach them, they neglected their loyal customers, and their sales started to drop. And this new ad campaign is a way to apologize to those loyal customers by saying that we have made mistakes and we have learned from them, and we are now going to listen to our customers, and then they literally say “please come back to J.C. Penney” 

Once the commercial was done playing I looked at my friends and “PR goggled” them for the next 10 mins about this commercial. I think this is a very bold move by J.C. Penney, it is very honest and truthful with their customers and it is apologizing for what they have tried to change, and it acknowledges that those changes weren’t successful but they have learned from it and are willing to make the changes that will make them successful again. 

I give them props. 

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Should we let our own beliefs interfere with our careers?

Jason Collins announcement this week that he is a gay man in the NBA came with enormous support, except from one ESPN reporter. 

Chris Broussard has said in interviews that he does not agree with pre marital sex, or adultery. Which in my opinion is his right to have those beliefs, but when he brings his beliefs into his career and states his opinions while on air, that is a different case. 

His argument is that everyone is entitles to their opinion, and not everyone has to accept your opinion, but when that opinion is being put behind an image such as ESPN, that changes things. 

After the incident of Broussard’s comments, ESPN released a statement: ESPN’s Josh Krulewitz said the network regrets that a discussion of personal viewpoints became a ”distraction.” The network offered its own view of Collins’ news: ”ESPN is fully committed to diversity and welcomes Jason Collins’ announcement,” he said.

I think ESPN has handled this situation very well. Like we have talked about in class, when you have an employee whose personal views and opinions don’t mash with the companies views, what do you do? Although Broussard’s views didn’t mirror ESPN’s but ESPN made sure that they made a counter statement that showed Collin’s that they were in full support of him and his announcement. 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/espn-regrets-chris-broussard-remarks-about-jason-collins-coming-out-as-gay-player-043013

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I wish my dentist was as cool as Jason Bourne

Tonight at dinner I actually got to talk PR with my parents. Which was weird, and actually made me feel like I knew what I was talking about. I guess you actually do learn stuff in school.

The conversation started when my mom and I went to Costco and this bread company was bombarding us with this new organic product they are selling (my mom is all of a sudden into the whole organic kick after making fun of me for trying to join the bandwagon) and we totally got sucked in. So naturally we had to tell me dad about it, and I said that I was going to write about it in my blog.

And then my mom brought up a conversation about an orthodontist she makes retainers for. Yes, my mom owns her own business where she makes retainers for people who get their braces off. Jokes on all you guys who lost your retainers after 3 weeks without braces and have never seen it again. I just got to design a new one. Anyways, not the point.

She started telling us about how Dr. Bourne does a really good job promoting himself outside of the normal teeth and braces stigma that ortho is known for. With a name like Bourne how could you not make bags of coffee with your face on it and call it “Bourne Identitiy”.

Its things like that, that set him apart from a normal Ortho office. My mom went on to say that for Earth day, they handed out tooth shaped containers that had seeds in them so that you could grow a plant of your own, and for May Day they are having a huge party in their office for their patients. My mom has gotten some of the coolest stuff from his office that have nothing to do with teeth or braces or orthodontic appliances. Which kind of ties back to what we talked about in class the other day when we looked at all the angels we can take to a story. This isn’t a story, but there is so many ways that this office is promoting itself outside of the basic reason of their business.

Not only do they give away cool stuff but they make it an experience when it comes to having braces, he engages with his patients and rewards them for what they have to put up with while having braces.

Being in a family where my mom has always worked in the industry, I have seen my fair share of offices, and this is a really unique way to engage patients. If I had this when I had braces I would want to go to the orthodontist all the time to see what they were giving away.

By the way, the actual Orthodontists name is Jason Bourne. Not joking.

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Ever wanted to spend 24 hours at Disneyland? Now you can, again.

In addition to last year on leap day, May 24th will mark the second time that Disney Resorts will have their doors open for 24 hours straight. Although Disneyland never closes, because there is always someone working on something within the park, this time, guests will be there to enjoy it as well. 

Last year the reason for the 24 hour access to Disney parks was in celebration of leap year, this year, it is to kick off the start of summer, and celebrate the release of Disney and Pixar’s new movie Monsters University. As I read on one blog, its “24 on the 24″ clever disney, very clever. 

Being someone who used to work at Disneyland there is two sides to the release of this news. From a guests’ point of view, its something that is really exciting, and just another way to spend MORE time at Disney. Then there is the point of view of the cast members. When I worked at Disney, the thing that my fellow cast members disliked the most was Grad night, where they had to stay up all night and essentially “babysit” a bunch of high schoolers while they celebrated their graduation. I still have many friends that work at Disney and a lot of them worked the first 24 hour night, and just like this announcement, they were not very thrilled about the fact that they could leave work at 12 p.m. after an opening shift, and return at 10 p.m. to start their next shift. 

I now understand what our teachers mean when they tell us we have to keep employees in mind as audiences and stake holders when making decisions. 

Cast members aside, I think holding an event that has been proven to be highly successful in the past to celebrate a new addition to the company is a good move on Disney. As I stated in one of my other blogs, when it has come to Monsters University, I haven’t seen much advertisement about the movie, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about another Pixar sequel being released. 

Disney holding such a special event for this movie and giving Disney fans the opportunity to be a part of something that has only happened once before makes them feel special. Plus, if they had missed the last one, they can get another chance. 

This event will also kick off the busy summer season at Disney Parks, and will get fans excited for the movie release which comes out in mid June. 

Although it may seem simple, having Disney Parks be open 24 hours is a major thing for the company to do. In the time that the parks are closed that is when crews come in and clean and make sure that rides are working, and that is when the behind the scenes “magic” really happens. 

I honestly agree with anything Disney does. Even as chaotic as 24 hours in a park is. You go Disney.  

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/let-the-memories-begin/monstrous-summer-all-night-event-disney-parks/

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God is great, beer is good, and apparently people really are crazy

This marks two stories I never thought I would read and they have both happened this week. First with Reese Witherspoon getting arrested, and now that country singer Billy Currington is wanted for making terrorist threats, and abuse of an elderly person. What has this world come to that Billy Currington has a warrant out for terrorist threats?! Cause if you ask me, this doesnt look like a guy who would abuse elderly people…

Anyways, after I got over the shock of the headline, I obviously had to read what was going on. As we have talked about in class, and as Liz has said many times, it is never good for a PR team to say “no comment”, so when I read that Billy’s team first responded with no comment, I knew that was bad. Luckily they later came out with an apology on Billy’s twitter thanking fans for the continued support, but then said again, that they can make no comment BECAUSE of legal matters. Which I have learned is okay. (thanks Liz)

This issue has been a perfect example of what we have been talking about in class lately, not only because of the apology/no comment stuff, but also because right after the incident, Billy posted ”harrassing artists often at their home by boat should be illegal. thas all i know.” on his twitter. In the CNN article they were trying to connect the tweet to the incident since it was two days after. Its amazing how we are now using social media to be information and clue to investigations. 20 years ago no one would ever imagine that happening.

I really love Billy Currington and his music, I hope that these allegations don’t affect his music career, especially since this now has a “terrorist” tag on it and how patriotic country music is. I originally found this link on a country music reporters twitter and it seems as though they are all backing Currington and think the allegations are crazy. Hopefully it stays that way.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/24/showbiz/billy-currington-charges/index.html?iref=allsearch

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Just because you're writing about the same thing, doesn't mean your story will be the same

As many people, admittedly myself included sometimes, we as Americans only get our news sources from US news sources like CNN, ABC, FOX, and so on. With the assignment Liz gave us, it has given me the opportunity to see how we as american journalists present our news stories compared to international journalists. 

Since I was comparing news sources, I figured I would pick a story that had to do with a news source. What I looked up with the story about AP’s twitter getting hacked two days ago. 

I wouldn’t think that BBC would cover a story like that since it didn’t really affect international matters, but then I realized that a the plummet in the stick markets does affect  international entities. 

It was really interesting to me that take that CNN took on the story compared to BBC. Since this issue has shown us the power that social media really does have on our soicety, CNNs article had to do with the major hiccups in social media and how those have affected other things in our society. 

In BBCs article, they talked about who was responsible for the hacking and what kind of group the hackers belonged to. 

After reading the BBC article, it made me realize how strange it was that CNN didn’t or hadn’t reported yet where the hackers could have come from or why they would want to hack the AP’s twitter account. 

It seemed as though BBC has really looked into the hacking and where it had come from. It was also strange to me that the fact that something like that affected the american stock market, and had to do with the US president, that CNN hasn’t investigated as much as BBC has. 

Here are both the articles:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21508660

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/23/tech/social-media/tweet-ripple-effect/index.html?iref=allsearch

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As if I needed another reason to love Jason Mraz

I dont know about anyone else, but Jason Mraz is my inspiration in life. Now, that may sound dramatic or exaggerated, but I honestly want to be Jason Mraz when I grow up. 

Not only can he sing and play the guitar (and if you know me you’ll know that I dont have any talents whatsoever), he owns his own avocado farm in San Diego, he gets to travel around the world, he is one of the biggest hippies out there, and he is one of the most philanthropic celebrities in our generation today. (As you could say, he uses his powers for good)

Since its Earth day, I figured I would give props to Jason on my blog for not only what he does for the environment, but many of the other causes he is passionate about. 

I suppose you could guess this from his song writing, but Jason Mraz is one of the most beautiful writers I have ever read. He has his own blog on his website and almost every entry in it leaves me with chills. I highly suggest you check it out. http://jasonmraz.com/journal/

Todays entry, of course was about the environment. He wrote about how he got to go on a trip to Antarctica and learn how global warming is effecting our environment and what that does to places like Antarctica. 

In the blog he said he had a funny situation happen to him when a wrapper flew out of his pocket and into the water. He said as soon as it happened all he could think about was what he could do to fix it. Luckily the wrapper was caught by a net and was taken out of the water, but the fact that he worried THAT much about a wrapper from a snack just shows how much he cares. One of my favorite quotes from the blog was:

“The things we buy, use and throw away are our responsibility. Someday in a not too distant future, we’ll realize it isn’t money that keeps us alive, but our desperate need of clean water, fresh food, and clean air.”

Anytime I read Jason’s blog I feel like I need to go out and make a change in our world. Not many celebrities, or people in general, have that effect on me. Maybe its because I’m completely aw-struck by him that he has that power over me, but I honestly think that more celebrities who are our societies opinion leaders should become more passionate about things that could actually make a difference in this world. Maybe then we as a society would start to care as well

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Maybe journalists and PR kids are more a like than we think.. *gasp* did I just say that?

Crisis is a time where news coverage can either add to the chaos or it can help people understand and process it further. 

I think the article from Poynter by Al Tompkins titled, "Covering what comes next in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon explosions" is a perfect example of how not only journalists, but PR professionals as well, can help their audiences process and work through something like the Boston Bombings. 

Especially in Boston, there were new updates on the situation coming in within seconds of each other and it lasted hours. Not only was there a lot of information circling, but a lot of rumors as well. I think this article really helps people understand that even though it is a crisis, its still important to put out the most important information that people would care about and make sure its true. 

What makes covering a normal news story, and covering a tragedy like what happened in Boston difficult, is that there are a lot of emotions flying around, and people tend to get caught up in them. That is why, I think that in the article it tells you up front to be careful about what words you use and to acknowledge that this is a tragedy and that it is affect a lot of people physically and emotionally. As we saw the news and many people on social media do, and what we talked about in class is that its important to focus on the GOOD that people are doing, instead of the bad that caused the crisis in the first place. Patton Oswalt was a perfect example of this. He took to Facebook and expressed when 9-11 happened, he was disgusted with humanity, but as he has come to see, its important to look at how we as a nation come together and help each other in times like these. Although what happened in Boston was tragic, what fellow Bostonians and runners did for each other was beautiful and I think that, that is important to focus on. 

As the article also states, I think that when something affects so many people at one time it is very important to tell people what they personally can do to help. As we all saw, many took to social media to express their feelings about it, and so letting them know what they can do it help is important for not only them, but the people being affected as well. 

Tragedy is something that is very hard to deal with especially when it comes to PR, but this article has kind of spelled out things to focus on when it comes to having to deal with it. I know that when I am caught up in emotions its hard for me to find a focus, but when I remember that my audiences are people just like me, and have the same emotions, it makes it easier to relate and filter out what they would want to know. 

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A little girl wanted to go to Disneyland to meet Snow White. This little girl believed Snow White would help her make her dream come true. Her dream was to see her Daddy come home from Afghanistan doing his tour in the Marines.

She met Snow White who took her to the Wishing Well and Snow White told her to make her wish and close her eyes and wish real strong… when she opened up her eyes, her Daddy magically appeared.

STOP IT!!! THERE IS TEARS!!!

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Watch as all 17,565+ at TD Garden belt out the national anthem prior to the Bruins/Sabres game. Boston Strong.

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After the Boston Marathon Bombings, the Boston Bruins postponed their game they had that night, just like the celtics basketball team. 

Not only do I think this was a smart move on both teams parts to help people process what had happened that day, but it was also smart since the government told the citizens of Boston to avoid crowded areas. 

I read an article earlier about how the Boston Bruins game tonight is hoping to give people a chance to escape the realities of all that has happened in the past few days and give people something to enjoy. 

Especially in times of crisis, I think its important to give people something that can take their minds off things, and the Boston Bruins are doing that. 

As the picture shows above, they are also adding a ribbon to their uniforms to show that they are in support of their city. 

I think in a situation like this, communities come together and support each other, and the Boston Bruins are a part of that because although the players on the team are from all over, Boston is now their home, and they are there to help their fans cope. 

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THIS IS AMANDAS GRANDPA! crazy. I still cant comprehend all this. 

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#prayforboston

I think we can all agree that today in Boston was a major tragedy not only for their city, but for all those involved as well. 

When I heard about it, I didn't think much of it, but as the day went on and more and more reports came in on how bad everything actually was, my heart sank. 

The Boston Marathon has nothing to do with politics, or religion, or anything like that, it is a sporting event for people to join in tradition. The people effected today have been training for months to be a part of the tradition and how something like that can be ruin so fast is astonishing to me. 

I was talking to my mom about it this evening and she was saying how someone had said that if something like this were to be held in New York, there probably would have been more security measures than there was in Boston. But is that what our world has come to? Do we now have to make sure that we have the most heightened security possible at any event in any city in our country? I sure hope not. 

This was a tragic event that happened today and it has really left an impact on that city and my thoughts and prayers go out to all who where effected by the events that happened today.    

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If you can play, you can play

When I saw the headline that the NHL is partnering with the organization called "You Can Play" in support of LGBT athletes and to help combat homophobia in sports I thought it was an interesting match up. 

I don't know how many of you have been to a hockey game, or heard the language that many of the players use while on the ice, but it's not the cleanest of language and im sure its not the best when it comes to homophobic slurs. 

Thats why I was interested in how You Can Play and the NHL was going to present this partnership. 

As I read the article I realized that its not about changing anything, its more about raising awareness and education, and just showing support for athletes alike. 

I think this is a really great partnership. Many athletes have come out in support of marriage equality and support of LGBT community, and You Can Play and the NHL are just adding to that support. 

As for the language used on the ice, in the article it says, "If you were to go to a group of athletes and say, 'Would you support an openly gay friend,' the vast majority would say yes. But if you were to say, 'How many of you have used an anti-gay term in the last 48 hours,' the majority would also say yes," he told Reuters. "We have this disconnect with people and that's where education comes in. "

I think its great that they are educating people on how the things that they say can effect other people whether you mean to do it or not. I also think that in sports you don't normally think about how being openly gay could affect an athlete, and this partnership shows that they are willing to be open to all athletes. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/11/nhl-gay-rights_n_3062518.html

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Not all wounds are visible

In our country the topic of war is a heated one, but not as many people like to talk about the repercussions of the soldiers after the war is over. 

Coming from someone whose father suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, when I see news articles on the front page of CNN about how another soldier has lost his life because he couldn't handle the daily suffering, my heart sinks.

Today when I went to CNN, I saw just that. Thomas Young is a Iraq war veteran who was bombarded by gun fire and suffered serious injuries that has left him wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. Thomas has decided to stop the treatments that keep his life going because he is sick of living in pain. 

Most stories you hear about soldiers ending their lives do the same thing, only the wounds aren't on the outside, they are on the inside and they usually end up taking their own lives or someone elses. 

In the recent years the Veterans Affairs has made more services available to returning soldiers, especially after they realized that PTSD was becoming more and more common. Although PTSD is widely discussed within the military, it's not talked about as an issue in society even though it is. 

I think that the VA could work on educating society on the issues that Veterans deal with when they return from war. Its very hard for them to transition back into society, but if we understand and have compassion for them, we can make that transition a little easier. Not only would this help the VA but it would show veterans that our country cares about all that they do for us. 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/14/us/anti-war-vet-suicide/index.html?hpt=hp_c1