Robbed of Life

Posted on May 7, 2013 by brent

I know I should probably wait until tomorrow after the press conference to write this blog post but please forgive me, I just can’t. A chill went down my spine today when I heard that three girls who went missing ten years ago and written off as dead were found alive inside a house.

Amanda Berry was 17 years old in 2003 when she went missing after working her shift at Burger King. Gina DeJesus was 14 years old when she went missing walking home from school in 2004. Michele Knight was 20 years old when she vanished in 2000. All three women were found alive today inside a house in Cleveland. A neighbor heard screams coming from the house and rushed to help. He went to the door where he heard screaming and knocked the door down and found Berry with a child. Berry then informed the neighbor that the other two women were upstairs.

The neighbor, Charles Ramsey, staged an interview today that will definitely be replayed for years to come because of some rather outlandish parts in it. But despite the rather bizarre interview, the guy is a hero. If he didn’t hear the screams and go over and investigate, who knows how much longer, if ever, it would take for the girls to have another opportunity to escape. Right place. Right time.

I can’t imagine having ten years of my life robbed from me. I put myself right inside Amanda’s shoes as we are roughly the same age. I have done so much, learned so much, and experienced so much in the past ten years since I was 17 that I am beyond outraged that Berry had so much savagely taken away from her. Same goes for the other two girls of course too. TEN YEARS for Amanda and Gina. THIRTEEN YEARS for Michele. How do you keep going on when you are kidnapped and living against your will? What goes through your head each day? How terrible must it be to live inside a living hell for over 3,650 days.

I feel so much for the families. All the torment they have had to endure over the last decade is unfathomable. Berry’s mother died in 2006 to what many attributed as complications from the stress and heartache she went through with her daughter’s disappearance. How many nights must these family members have stayed up in a cold sweat trembling about the fates of their daughters? How many nightmares must they have dreamed up during unsatisfying sleep? How many days, weeks, months, and years were absolutely ruined for them because they had no idea what happened to their children?

But while I feel awful for the families, the majority of my sympathy and concern extends to the three women. Not to be repetitive, but they were missing for TEN YEARS. Amanda and Gina were robbed of their senior years of high school, their college experience, and their chance to live out some of the best years of their lives. Instead of getting to be young adults living through years that most of us get to look back on with great memories, they were living in a house of horrors. While I got to graduate college and move on to a professional job that I love, those girls had to live under a roof with a sick and twisted man. Not fair at all.

Tomorrow a press conference will be held and we will learn more about what happened to these women over the past ten years. As each day goes by, even more details will come out about the atrocious cards these women were dealt. Expect stories that will make your skin crawl, stories that will make you hold on tighter to your children.

So tonight I am especially mindful of how lucky I am but also saddened at how unlucky other people are. It is 100% certain that right now other women across this country are being held in captivity. There are families out there who are left guessing about the whereabouts of their loved ones, absolutely terrorized as they go through all the different possibilities. It just doesn’t seem right that I get to chill out in my nice apartment and watch the NBA playoffs totally at my own will while I know that other people just like me are scared beyond belief, living in a prison controlled by a sick psychopath. We need to pray for more people like Charles Ramsey being in the right place at the right time. Don’t Blink.

Color Me Rad

Posted on May 5, 2013 by brent

This past Friday it seemed like all of my social media outlets became flooded with talk about a certain race taking place the following day. Somehow I was able to block out all the hype about this particular race starting with the announcement that it would in fact be staged in Missoula all the way up through this past week. However, with the excitement reaching a breaking point on Friday with seemingly the whole city of Missoula participating, I got sucked in.

Yep, Brent Reser got registered for Color Me Rad!

Well, check that, I really didn’t get registered, I got very lucky. My friend had a full sponsored team for the race. However, at the last minute one of the girls on the team pulled out. Chelsea asked me if I wanted to fill in and after asking her a couple questions, I committed to a 9 a.m. run the next morning. I was about to get rad!

Don’t know what Color Me Rad is? Let me explain real fast. Color Me Rad is a racing tour that goes around the country staging 5K runs. Of course the defining factor of these runs is that race participants get doused in all sorts of vibrant colors throughout the race. Using this corn starch powder and a type of liquid spray, participants get turned into human rainbows. The color mayhem begins right at the starting line and continues at certain spots throughout the course and then culminates with one last color shower at the finish line. Besides all the powder and spray that volunteers and race organizers throw at you throughout the race, you are also able to purchase as many colored powder bags that you desire to add to the fun…and let me tell you, people take full advantage.

BEFORE: The morning of Color Me Rad.

From what I have been told, these types of color runs are nothing new. They have been around for decades and besides Color Me Rad, there are other color race tour competitors out there. Well, consider me ignorant because before this past week, I had no idea that these things existed. Probably for the better though because it enabled me to really experience something so unique and fun with absolutely no preconceived notions going in.

Missoula’s Color Me Rad took place in a desolate location about nine miles outside of Missoula. Of course come race day that desolate location transformed into a colorful paradise. After parking my car in an overgrown field, I strolled over to the start line. Big crowds dressed in white and silly costumes were getting ready to run. People were already spreading the bags of colored powder on one another, music blared. The race is organized in “waves”, basically different heats of people taking off at half hour intervals to make sure everyone gets an adequate colorful experience. I was in the first wave of the day at 9 a.m. As we waited at the start line, the race organizer said a few words before sending us off. Let me tell you, this dude was exactly what I envisioned when I thought about what someone who was in charge of a race called “Color Me Rad” would look/talk like. He was your stereotypical hippie with long braided hair and a straggly beard. He wore a silver vest with matching silver pants. While talking to us, he told us that “Some stupid people did a bad thing in Boston.” Interesting way to say it. He then asked us to take a moment of silence. After that moment he roared into the microphone “Let’s get RAD for Boston.” He then started the race.

Myself with teammates Chelsea and Chris.

We were blessed with amazing, sunny weather for the race. I chose to run the whole way instead of doing the courteous thing and waiting for my teammates. But I couldn’t help it. It was just so nice running through the course with the anticipation of what each color station would hold. The course was never crowded and I actually ran through many of the color stations all by myself, thus insuring that I got hit especially hard by the colors and spray from the volunteers. Despite running mostly uphill and on a trail layered with rocks, it was the easiest 3.1 miles I had ever ran in my life. When I got to the finish line and ran through the last cloud of color, I wanted to keep going.

AFTER: What I looked like at the conclusion of the race.

Post race was fun too! After reuniting with my teammates we took pictures both with our phones and then at the professional photo station that was set up to capitalize on the racing color high that everyone had. Good music continued to play and people kept buying more of the color packets to try to get even more rainbowish than they already were. Meanwhile, the 9:30 a.m. wave got started as the hippie race organizer fired them up. To take a phrase from this very interesting fellow, I then “peaced out.”

How my clothes looked at the end.

I would definitely recommend Color Me Rad. It is such a fun concept and I really did enjoy myself on Saturday. Believe me, anyone can do it. The race is not timed and everyone participating is just there to have a good time. Although you will have to take a longer shower than usual and you might have to throw away some clothing, it is well worth it. On Saturday morning, I was definitely rad. Don’t Blink.

The Boston Marathon Memorial

Posted on May 1, 2013 by brent

Obviously our trip to Boston was planned way before the tragic events occurred at the marathon. With that said, I guess some might shake their heads about having a vacation planned for so long only to have the city turned upside down the week before they were to set foot on its soil. Most people, myself included, are not like that. When Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev inflicted harm on hundreds of innocent people I really didn’t even think about my impending trip to Boston. I was too busy following detail by detail the developments of the situation, looking upon it as a concerned American rather than a butt-hurt traveler.

It was not until after the death and capture of the mad men that I started to think a little bit about what I would see and feel when I went to New England. As the Boston community made it plainly clear that they would not let terrorism dictate day-to-day life I knew all the plans we had for the trip would still go on accordingly. However, I knew the atmosphere and attitude would be different. All it took was walking through the airport to immediately feel this change of feeling in the air. Each time we inched closer to the city, whether it be by taxi, public transportation, or foot, the feeling got stronger and stronger. Finally, this gripping sensation that hit me in the heart reached a climax when during the morning of our first full day in town we made it to the Boston Marathon memorial and the site of the attack. This is what it was like:

We first visited the memorial for the Boston Marathon victims. Located in an area called Copley Square, the memorial is a couple blocks west of where the bombings took place. Sometimes you don’t need large and extravagant memorials to make an impact. For right now, this is certainly the case in Boston. The memorial was a modest sized space, enclosed on three of its four sides by bicycle racks. Yes, very temporary and very simple. The focal point of the space was located right in the middle of the area where four white crosses depicted the names of the four people who lost their lives during the ordeal (the three at the bombing site plus the slain MIT police officer). Overflowing in front of the crosses were flowers, plants, stuffed animals, and cards. To the left and right of the main shrine were giant palettes of paper where anyone could go up and write a note or prayer in honor of the victims and the city. Taking up the rest of the space and lining the inside of the bicycle racks were various displays of running shoes, hats, flowers, American flags, and notes and cards written from across the nation.

The main part of the Boston Memorial…the four crosses.

A collection of hats mark another part of the memorial.

We arrived at the memorial during the morning hours and while it was busy, you could move around freely. Many people would kneel where the crosses were and say a prayer. Many utilized the paper palettes. It was very quiet. There were lots of tears.

People wrote on the large paper pads notes to the victims and the city.

When we were there, the national media was still reporting live from Boston. Lining the sidewalks of Copley Square right in front of the memorial were TV trucks from every single news organization in the country. Ashleigh Banfield from CNN did a live shot right in front of us. Reporters and crews from NBC, MSNBC, and Fox News all stood outside their trucks shooting footage. All of the local Boston affiliates had set up shop too. To use the old adage, it was a media circus.

Ashleigh Banfield of CNN reports live from the Boston Marathon memorial.

But cutting through the media craziness and the hysteria of the newly opened memorial was a scene that I will always remember. A bus pulled up from Annapolis, Maryland. The side of the bus read “U.S. Naval Academy.” The doors opened and about 30 midshipmen got out in full uniform and marched towards the memorial. They quietly entered the memorial and solemnly paid their respects with all the other civilians. They then quietly exited the memorial, declined all requests for interviews from the national media, and marched back to their bus. It was such a touching tribute of respect.

The Naval Academy marches to the Boston Marathon Memorial.

A midshipman and civilian pay their respects side by side.

We then moved down to the location of where the actual bombs went off on Boylston Street. The Marathon Shop, located right where the first bomb went off, was open for the first day since the attack. A large line formed to purchase marathon gear. Mike braved the long wait and bought a marathon t-shirt. I stood outside the store, observing people walking by and taking pictures of the street and businesses. Several windows were boarded up, new glass not yet installed from where the blasts blew out the old glass. Other than that, you probably would not be able to tell that the area had been the target of a savage attack a week earlier.

This is where the first bomb went off. You can see the boarded up windows.

I walked away from the memorial and bombing site feeling fortunate that I got to see it but angry that insane people would do such destructive things to innocent people. As I was reminded when I visited Ground Zero in New York and again just this past week, our innocent brothers and sisters die for no reason other than that there are people out there who hate us. It is a sobering reality and we all got to be thankful that we continue to live in this amazing country and have not had to pay the ultimate price that four others had to 16 days ago. We are very lucky. Don’t Blink.

My Trip to Boston

Posted on May 1, 2013 by brent

NOTE: This is the first installment of my three part series chronicling my time in Boston.

Last Thursday through Monday I had the opportunity to travel to Boston for leisure. I had a great several days seeing everything the city has to offer with my friend “Money” Mike. And believe me, when I say everything, I am not exaggerating. We went from place to place making sure to get the full Boston experience. We never had a dull moment and we were always engaged with something. Because we took so much in, I couldn’t possibly write about it all in one blog post. To make things easier and less overwhelming, I am going to write about my Boston experience in a three part series. Tomorrow I will reflect on my time at the memorial set up to honor and remember everyone impacted by the Boston Marathon bombings. On Thursday I will provide my readers with an in depth look at the ultimate professional sports odyssey we went on while in Beantown. But what about for tonight?…

For this evening’s post I want to do what has become custom for me when I get back from a new city. Below I will characterize the top five themes I will always associate with Boston. Then I will just offer a brief skeleton run down of everything we did while back in the northeast. I hope you enjoy my inside look at my Boston experience over the next few days. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Boston is a great city.

TOP FIVE BOSTON CHARACTERISTICS (In no particular order)

1. Boston Strong – Let me tell you, I traveled to one tough city this past week. The Boston Strong message is absolutely everywhere right now….on t-shirts, scrolling on buses, in sporting venues, in churches, at the airport, plastered on windows, etc. But it is not just a message you see wherever you turn your head. Rather, Boston Strong is an attitude, a way of life so to speak. The people of Boston took the savage attacks very personally and united together to push back. Right now in that climate there is a distinct feeling of solidarity. From the moment we stepped on our cab at the airport and our driver started talking to us to the last person we chatted with at the hockey game on Sunday night the Boston Strong attitude came out loud and clear.

Even the candy stores reflect the “Boston Strong” message.

2. Old City – One thing you will notice immediately upon exploring Boston is that it is a very old city. No, not old in a rundown sort of way but rather old in a historic and architectural type way. Many of the buildings, streets, and parks just have a 1700’s type feel to them. Everything is built so close together and the reddish-brown color of a different era predominates on most of the buildings. Streets are narrow, sidewalks are jaded, and historical sites are abundant. Every neighborhood in Boston is full of history and charm. I got a kick out of walking the streets of Boston and after passing large buildings and businesses I would stumble upon a small cemetery that would stretch out for a few steps and then the pattern of large buildings and businesses would pick back up again. While visiting the city I knew I was walking in a place rich in history.

It just takes a quick glance to realize that Boston is an old city.

3. Thick Accents – As I learned when I traveled to the south, the native accent is not exaggerated one bit. Bostonians have thick, distinctive accents. All those times you see Boston characters in movies and television shows speaking with what seems like an overemphasized accent?…well, it is not overemphasized at all. I quickly learned that the people of Boston just sound and talk different than people in the rest of the country. The usage of “r’s” need not apply (say Hah-Vad instead of Har-Vard). The occasional drop of the word “wicked” actually happens all the time. The fast paced, expletive laced dialogue can be heard everywhere. The toughness that embodies most words spoken by a Boston resident comes out through the accent. I always feel a little left out that I speak with a neutral accent because I feel that it lacks character and distinction.

4. Sports Town – Boston is one of the best sports towns I have ever stepped foot in. The city loves its teams. With all major professional leagues represented with a team in Boston, there is never a shortage of sporting events going on. People just love the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, Patriots, and Revolution. Everyone walks around wearing gear of the local teams. Vendors sell apparel on every corner. The pride and success that defines many of the teams in the city is openly celebrated. There is just that tradition of sporting excellence along with larger than life legends and current athletes that residents latch on to.

5. Great Transportation System – The public transportation system, called The T, is excellent. In fact, I put the system in the same category as Washington D.C. when it comes to efficiency and cleanliness. When we got to the Boston airport we immediately bought our T passes. For $18 we rode The T what seemed like a million times during our stay. The trains come frequently, the route system is not too confusing, and I always felt safe. Maybe the route system was never too confusing though because Mike was a complete whiz with how it worked. He always kept me on task with what trains we needed to get on and what transfers we needed to make. With or without his help though I could easily see that the accessibility of The T was top notch. You could easily get wherever you wanted to go in the city in a short amount of time. Although not to the degree of New York City or Washington D.C., the diversity on each train was always something that I enjoyed observing. You really experience the culture and ethnic makeup of a city when you ride public transportation.

Inside one of The T tunnels during our trip.

Quick rundown of what we did during our time in Boston:

Thursday, April 25: Landed in Boston at around 5 p.m. Visited the site of the Boston Massacre. Explored Downtown Boston. Went down to Boston Harbor. Visited the Cambridge Galleria (shopping mall). Ate at the Cheesecake Factory.

Me at the Boston Harbor.

Friday, April 26: Viewed the memorial for the Boston Marathon victims. Stood at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Visited the Boston Sports Museum in TD Garden. Went to the top of the Prudential Center fifty stories up and viewed the whole city from above. Visited some of the old churches of Boston. Visited some Revolutionary era cemeteries. Lounged at a Boston dive bar. Went to Fenway Park and watched the Red Sox defeat the Houston Astros.

The Boston Marathon memorial.

Saturday, April 27: Toured Chinatown. Ate lunch on the patio at Boston’s Joe’s American Grill. Went on the campus of Harvard University. Walked around Harvard Square. Explored North Boston. Went inside Paul Revere’s church. Drank Sam Adams and watched NBA playoffs at a Boston Harbor outdoor bar. Watched the Red Sox defeat Houston from incredible seats inside Fenway Park. Ate at Dunkin Donuts.

Boston’s Chinatown was awesome and lively.

Sunday, April 28: Ate lunch at an exclusively macaroni and cheese restaurant. Visited a friend I have in Boston. Went to the Celtics vs. Knicks playoff game in TD Garden. Went to the Bruins vs. Senators season finale in TD Garden.

We had a wonderful time at the Celtics playoff game…they pulled out an overtime victory over New York!

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So there you have it, my broad outlook on my time in Boston. Of course I have left out the little things that define a vacation. Little things such as interactions with the locals, hotel experience, close calls, spontaneous decisions, bonding moments, etc. We definitely had all of these during our stay. I want to thank “Money” Mike for giving me the opportunity to travel with him to Boston. It was an experience that I won’t forget. Tomorrow night I will talk about my experience at the Boston Marathon memorial. Don’t Blink.

Thanks so much to Mike for letting me travel to Boston with him. We had a great time.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Monthly Archives: May 2013

Robbed of Life

Color Me Rad

The Boston Marathon Memorial

My Trip to Boston