My Spokane Froyo Tour

Posted on September 29, 2013 by brent

During my packed weekend in Spokane hanging out with my family and watching football I decided to squeeze another endeavor into my busy schedule. I toured froyo shops in the city. Yep, I sure did. Even though the weather was rainy, windy, and cold I decided to prolong my denial that summer is over and I indulged. On Saturday I visited one froyo location and today I visited two. After froyoing it up all weekend long, I learned one pretty important thing about these types of shops…

They are pretty much all the same.

I guess I had the fantasy that each location would have their own unique twist on the rapidly growing froyo self serve yogurt concept but I was disappointed. My thought that maybe each little shop nestled in random strip malls would have a different personality with different flavors and with different toppings was unfounded. After reviewing both froyo self-serve places in Missoula (YoWaffle and U-Swirl) I saw some unique traits in both and kind of assumed that all other locations would also have cool quirks about them too but after my three stop tour this weekend I know this not to be the case.

Not to say that all three places I frequented this weekend were exact replicas of each other. They all had something that kind of made them stand apart but not to the degree that one would think. For stepping foot into three different, local, and independent businesses I just expected to see more diversity among them. Rather, I saw the same prices, same flavors, same toppings, and same setup. Of course if each business is making bank why should they care that someone like me wants to see noticeable differences from place to place? They shouldn’t.

Here are some photos and a personal description of each froyo place I frequented this weekend (listed in the order I visited them):

FroYo Earth (829 Boone Avenue)

Myself at Froyo Earth

My first stop took me to the Gonzaga district to try out Froyo Earth. The place was very spacious and clean, although the spacious part probably had a lot to do with the fact that my mom and I were the only ones inside. Who knows though, maybe everyone else was upstairs because they did a second level with additional seating. I got a cup with peanut butter and cake batter yogurt. I put Cap’n Crunch and Reese’s candy on it and topped it with peanut butter sauce. The lighting was the worst here out of the three locations but the yogurt was pretty decent.

Did’s Pizza & Froyo (5406 N. Division Street)

Myself at Did’s Froyo and Pizza

Today I stopped at Did’s Pizza & Froyo right in the middle of Division Street where all of the Chinese restaurants are located. This place was made for all of us who like unhealthy, fun food. Besides froyo they also have pizza, shaved ice, teriyaki, smoothies, bubble tea, and beer! It is pretty cool inside with an island theme, televisions, and an arcade. I got a cup with three different flavors: candy bar smash, cupcake, and peanut butter. I topped it with peanut butter candy chips, Snickers pieces, and a piece of brownie. The yogurt at this location definitely stood out to me as the best. My brother tried a slice of the pizza and said it was okay. With different food, entertainment, and seating options, this is a good place to take a young family.

Go Froyo (6704 N. Nevada Street)

Myself at Go Froyo.

My froyo tour ended just a couple hours ago with a quick visit to Go Froyo on Nevada Street. This was the smallest shop I went to but it was brightly lit, they had cool red couches to sit on, and the girl working behind the counter was very friendly and cute. I got a cup and tried their cake batter and New York cheesecake flavors. I topped it with oreo cookies, Reese’s candy, and peanut butter sauce. My dad and I sat on one of the red couches and watched the end of the Denver-Philadelphia NFL game. Unfortunately, the best was not saved for last. Go Froyo probably had my least favorite tasting yogurt. My New York cheesecake tasted nothing like cheesecake…obviously flavors had somehow been mixed and the consistency was off. But that is probably what I deserve for deciding to eat frozen yogurt three times in less than 24 hours, right?

I will keep trying to think up silly, health destroying ideas to do during my coveted free weekends. I enjoyed making the rounds on Spokane’s froyo circuit and I thank my mom, brother, and dad for joining me at each of the stops and taking the embarrassing photos of me holding my froyo. I still think I prefer YoWaffle. Don’t Blink.

The Hardships of the IOS 7 Update

Posted on September 28, 2013 by brent

When it comes to upgrades in technology and social media, I like to be on the forefront. I like to fall in line with the latest trends and then learn sooner rather than later all the new features and quirks of the new upgrade. So, when Apple came out with the latest 7.01 software (and then 7.02) I had full intentions of updating ASAP. That was the plan, anyway.

However, I quickly realized that I would have to do more than just press the update button to get the new software. You see, in order for the download to occur you needed 3.1GB if available space. I had .07GB remaining. With the daunting possibilities swirling around in my head on what I would have to part with from my phone to achieve the necessary amount of memory to get the new software (coupled with working long hours), I put the transition on ice for about ten days.

Last night I arrived in Spokane for a weekend getaway of relaxation and breathing room. While watching on television my high school alma matter take on our arch rival in the Battle of the Bell football game, I decided to make the necessary adjustments so that I could download 7.02. Unfortunately for me, it was no easy fix.

I spent the whole second half of the game freeing up the necessary memory to satisfy the massive software download. I had to completely delete my entire music library…I am talking every single song. But that just scratched the surface. I then had to turn my attention to my roughly 7,000 photos I had stored. In a painstakingly long process, I went through and deleted photo after photo. I would then look back at my storage information and see that I was still way off of where I needed to be for the download. I would then go through and delete even more pictures only to look back and see that I still needed to do much more work. After about the sixth round of “cutting fat” my device finally met the absolute minimum amount of space needed for the download. I hit the upgrade button.

It took what seemed about two years for the software to download. After all the waiting the progress bar finally filled up and I thought I had successfully downloaded the new technology. Not so fast! A prompt came up and notified me that before the changes could be made I still had to free up 100 MB of space. I had nowhere to go but to my applications. Not even having two pages of apps I had to choose very carefully which ones I wanted to get rid of. I ended up chopping my Yahoo Sports App, my Emoticons, and a picture cropping aid. My phone then went black and another progress bar appeared and it had to fill up two separate times before the upgrade finally kicked in. Long after the high school football game had concluded (my school lost, 10-0) I finally had the 7.02 software update installed on my phone.

I don’t think the new update is terrible. I think, just like with anything, it will take a little getting used to. In fact, I have only had it for 12 hours and I feel I am almost accustomed with it. I will say this and I don’t know if anyone else feels the same way but I think the presentation itself with the icons is a little bit of a step back. To me it seems like the screen I am looking at now is the screen that the iPhone would have had if it existed 10 years ago. But believe me, I am well aware with how the “retro” look is in so maybe that is what Apple was going for.

Sure, the new camera features are pretty cool. Although if I am going to apply a filter to a photo I take I am still going to open up Instagram and go from there because IG has both a better and more vast selection. I also hear the panoramic tool is pretty cool but I am yet to master it. I attempted to take a photo at the restaurant we were at last night but it did not work.

Even though I am not blown away with the 7.02 software, I am glad I finally made the time (and the sacrifices) to update. It is important to stay with the times, especially when it comes to technology. Especially with my profession and with my interests, I need to speak the language and use the current tools of the techies around me. Shame on myself for not getting this taken care of sooner. Don’t Blink.

The Week I am a Dog Fan

Posted on September 26, 2013 by brent

I admit it, I am not much of a dog guy. I grew up in a cat family. I also had a couple bad experiences with dogs when I was younger and I do get turned off by how some owners take care of (or don’t take care of) their hounds. That doesn’t mean I hate dogs or that I dislike living in a city where dogs are just about as numerous and carry as many rights as the people living it. It just means I am not going to go out of my way to pet the dog that someone decides to bring into the grocery store.

This week though I have become a dog fan. The people closest to me who just read that last sentence spit out their coffee. That’s right, this week I have definitely warmed up to dogs and have looked at many and thought “What a cute, nice looking dog.” Yes, I know, now I have to explain.

This week, believe it or not, I am a dog fan!!

Remember last month how I talked about a company called Think Social and how we at Grizzly Athletics are partnering with them to introduce fun, organized, and branded social media contests? I wrote about the initial campaign we did with them. Just with Grizzly Athletics benefiting, we did a Griz Facebook fan photo contest. The week-long promotion was a great success and we experienced huge engagement numbers and a solid increase in likes to our page. After that initial run through we have done several other Think Social contests with our corporate sponsors. Basically I promote the sponsor’s contest on our Grizzly Athletics Facebook page and then our fans enter it by liking the Facebook page of the corporate sponsor. These have all proved successful as well.

However, this week a new contest has come to life that has set a whole new standard. Let me introduce to you the Grizzly Athletics/Holiday Inn World’s Best Dog contest. The rules are simple and rewards are great. Fans simply have to submit a picture of their dog and the canine that receives the most votes at the end of the week wins a pretty amazing prize package for its owner. In fact, the runner up and third place dog also win sweet prize packages for their owners as well.

This week we are running the Grizzly/Holiday Inn World’s Best Dog Contest.

So while the prize packages and the contest itself are pretty cool, what has really set this thing apart has been the response. As I alluded to above, dogs pretty much run things in this town and you won’t find too many households that don’t have one or two of them so as you can imagine, many people were eligible to enter this contest. With the popular subject and with the power of Griz Social Media, this promotion has rocked thus far. With over 100 hounds entered, everyone has a horse (I mean dog) in the race.

As of right now, this is the first place dog, Jake.

By far my favorite part of this deal has been looking at the submissions. Some of the dogs are adorable. I think the maroon and silver that most of them are decked out in definitely adds a likeability factor to them. I am not kidding though, many of the owners who have submitted pictures have gone all out in dressing their dogs in Griz gear from nose to tail. Many have hats on, most are rocking Griz shirts, some are donning necklaces, and all have a unique trait that differentiates them from all the other dogs. Some owners have set up Griz themed backdrops around their dogs. All different breeds and sizes of dogs are represented and it just makes it a lot of fun.

So far this has been my favorite submission. This dog is named Aiden.

This has been a fun contest to promote. Our fans have enjoyed it and it has given me a bunch of material to share with our audience. I am now able to post picture of a dog decked out in Griz gear for the next 100 days straight if I wanted to and I guarantee that our fans would continue to press that “like” button and comment on how cute the newest dog is.

This is Franklin and he is another one of my favorite submissions.

Kudos to the Holiday Inn on pairing two things together that Missoulians might like more than anything: the Griz and dogs. This fantastic combination has made for a killer social media contest with a great level of engagement. I encourage you to check out all the submissions by clicking here. I will leave you with the question we ask whenever one of our players intercepts a pass inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium…WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?!?!!? Don’t Blink.

Make the Evenings Count

Posted on September 25, 2013 by brent

One thing I have learned about adulthood is that sometimes we tend to feel like shutting down after a long day of work. Getting up early in the morning, grinding through a long day, squeezing in a work out, and moving 100 miles per hour takes a toll on our bodies. By the time we get home and get something to eat, the inclination to just sit down on the couch and watch TV and maybe fall asleep is sometimes too easy not to pass up.

I admit, I have done it before. When I have done it I wake up feeling like garbage. I wake up feeling like I have wasted hours where I could have done something productive for myself, something not work related. Because let’s face it, during this time of the year the majority of my time is going to work. This makes it crucial for me to really make that four hour window I have from around 8 p.m. to midnight worthwhile. If I just decide to snooze and waste those hours I feel like I have cheated myself.

I wish I had the motor I had while in high school. I would wake up for zero hour weights, go to school, work my butt off at football practice for three hours, wind down, go home, eat dinner, and then study and do homework late into the night. I did this no problem. I didn’t feel the fatigue factor and I didn’t feel like I needed to park myself on the nearest couch.

News Flash: I don’t have that motor anymore.

Well, actually I do have that motor still. I guess what I mean is that it doesn’t run as fast anymore. I do get suggestions from my body much more these days to take it easy. My dilemma is to differentiate from when my body suggests rest and when it demands rest.

I take my hat off to the parents out there with full time jobs and children. Most of you never get to listen to either the suggestions or demands of your body. Rather you just have to go 24/7 round the clock. As a single guy with no attachments I have it much easier. I get to entertain many choices and options when my work day ends. But just because I have it easier doesn’t mean I always want to take the easiest way out. I have recently made it so I would never fall into this temptation by making a little change to my daily routine.

As I have written about before, I live off of checklists. They do wonders for me at work but I also use them for every other facet of my life. One of those facets includes my time for when I get off work. I used to come home in the evenings and depending on how I felt I would scribble out a checklist of items to do that night. But what I came to notice is that on some nights I would come home and not even bother making a checklist and then spend the whole evening accomplishing absolutely nothing. At the beginning of this month I decided to make some life improving changes and one of those changes was to make my evening checklist in the morning. Now, before I go to work each day I carefully write out what I want to accomplish later that evening and then stick it to my refrigerator.

You see, I can’t say no to a checklist. If I write something out and say that I am going to complete it by a certain time, I am going to complete it by that certain time. I know it seems simple but it did take me some time to come to this novel concept. I have noticed that I have become much happier with how I am spending my time. When the evenings come around I am much more proficient with my blog, with my personal objectives, and with my social life. In the morning I have a good idea if I am going to get home at 7 p.m. or 11 p.m. that specific night and so I plan my checklist accordingly. But even if I have a small checklist because I get home late I still have something to hold myself to and something to feel accomplished about when the night ends.

My point is to demand something out of yourself each night. Just because the work day ends doesn’t mean your productivity should too. How you demand something out of yourself is up to you. For me it is using a checklist. Like I said, if I write a vertical list with bullet points I am going to do each one of them. For you it might be utilizing a planner or it might just be making mental notes. Some people are excellent at staying on task solely through what they jot down in their brains. Whatever method you use, make sure you figure out a system that enables you to accomplish something worthwhile each evening besides passing out on the couch. Believe me, you will feel much better about yourself in the morning. Don’t Blink.

Monte’s Big Weekend

Posted on September 23, 2013 by brent

Currently it is a great time to be a bear, especially if your name is Monte Bear. Yep, our mascot at the University of Montana had quite the weekend with many bright moments and one big milestone. Give me a couple minutes to tell you about how Monte dominated each day of this past September weekend.

Friday: On this day we celebrated Monte’s 20th birthday at our home opener Griz volleyball match. Before the Montana vs. Northern Colorado game got underway, cake was served in Monte’s honor in the adjacent gym. UM students were also given waterproof Monte cell phone cases. Fans showed up in droves to honor “The Bear” as the largest crowd in almost two years filled the stands to celebrate Monte’s big day. During the break between the first and second set the packed gym sang happy birthday to the bear of the hour. During halftime, Monte and Mo put on a birthday skit that had the place clapping and laughing in approval. The best part? The Griz volleyball team swept Northern Colorado.

Monte birthday cake is delicious!!!

Saturday: Home football games are always a big deal for Monte as 26,000 people watch his every move. In a unique twist never before seen, a video was played prior to Monte’s entrance. It simulated the path he took to arrive at the stadium. As soon as the video concluded, Monte shot out of the tunnel on his motorcycle. While the game got a little boring late with the Griz up big on Oklahoma Panhandle State, Monte added an element of excitement when he did what pretty much no other mascot can do…he kicked field goals. With his holder set up on the 25-yard line, Monte kicked the snot out of the football and split the uprights. It was pretty cool and just another example of why he is the best collegiate mascot.

Monte split the uprights on a 35 yard field goal on Saturday.

Sunday: The best moment in my opinion came just last night when Monte upset Big Red from Western Kentucky in the 3rd round of the 2013 Mascot Challenge. In a battle of the unbeatens, Monte narrowly edged out Big Red, 51% to 49%. Now you might ask how it was an upset if both mascots were undefeated. I actually agree with you, it wasn’t an upset because Monte is the best mascot around but on paper it was. Big Red was technically ranked #1 in the standings while Monte was the lowest ranked unbeaten at #5. Monte also stated off the week trailing the Big Blob 60% to 40%. Then, if you want to take in consideration what the below Big Red supporter spewed out on Facebook, you can see where he was the underdog. With me sweating it out at my office computer during the waning minutes of the round encouraging our fans to vote and complete challenges, Griz Nation did what it always does and took care of business. When 10 p.m. came around the slight 51% to 49% edge that had flopped back and forth for the entire weekend between Monte and Big Red now rested on the side of #00. The victory propelled Monte to a 3-0 record and a current #1 ranking in the competition. It also pumped me up like no other.

This guy mistakenly thought that a larger student body and a larger “national presence” (whatever that means) would defeat the pride and tradition of Griz Nation.

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This week Monte is taking on Rocky the Rocket from the University of Toledo. Although Monte boasts a 61% to 39% lead right now, anything can happen. It is because of that unpredictability that we are holding a special event on Wednesday that will hopefully give us a little more control and bolster Monte’s lead. More on that later. For now it is totally acceptable to look back on this past weekend and marvel at the three great days that Missoula’s most beloved personality enjoyed. Don’t Blink.

Thanks For 16+ Great Years, Nabisco

Posted on September 22, 2013 by brent

I feel like I have a pretty solid perspective on life. I take major and minor life events for what they are and give them the appropriate attention. Losing a pet is always a tough deal. However, in the whole landscape of our existence it is not an end of the world proposition and definitely not something that stands on par with the loss of human life. I don’t believe the loss of a beloved pet is grounds for missing a day of work or for staging a whole month of mourning. That is just me.

With that said, I can say that I definitely felt a great deal of sadness when our family cat was put down yesterday evening. After giving the Reser Family so much joy for over 16 years, her health declined to the point where the only humane thing to do was to end any and all suffering she was going through.

Nabisco and I…the best cat I have ever known.

We brought Nabisco into our home in 1997. She replaced the void left by Crackers, our first family cat who sadly left this world when a neighbor dog attacked her in our own yard. We purchased Nabisco at a pet store in Spokane out of a litter of about seven other cats. A distinct marking on her forehead made her stand out and convinced us that she was the one. Little did we know how long she would grace our lives and how much happiness she would bring us.

I have never seen a cat with more personality and love than Nabisco. She simply loved to be around us and loved to make us smile. Whether we were at the dinner table, in the living room, on our deck, or downstairs watching TV, Nabisco would always come and be with us. She would always stroll over to one of us and just plop right down on our laps. She was a very happy and affectionate kitty, always purring loudly while we petted her. She slept with my parents for the majority of her nights and always got up with my dad when he would rise at 5 a.m. Whenever we returned to our house from vacation she would always be right at the front door meowing as we unlocked the door.

Nabisco was a beautiful cat.

I said Nabisco had an amazing personality and with that came many funny and endearing traits. Her favorite thing to do was to sit at our outdoor deck patio window and watch the squirrels come and take the peanuts we had placed on the deck. Nabisco’s tail would wag back and forth 40 miles per hour as she intently watched the squirrels. She loved to eat the melted ice cream from our bowls. Although she loved us more than anything, she did not like toddlers or little kids. Whenever our extended family came over with the little ones or if neighbor kids came over, Nabisco would hide in my downstairs bedroom. When we would pet her, she would tenderly touch her paw to our faces. She always let us pick her up whenever we wanted and was always good about posing for photos. She was deathly afraid of thunderstorms and when they would occur she would find one of us and bury her head into our bodies or into the couch or bed we were on.

Ice cream was Nabisco’s favorite food…we always made sure to let her lick our bowls.

To say that Nabisco had an impact on my life would be an understatement. You have to understand, we got Nabisco when I was 9 years old…I am 26 now!! She was around when I was in elementary school, when I entered middle school, when I graduated high school, when I left the house for Montana, when I made return trips home from college, and then when I made visits back to Spokane for the past four years while I have started my career. She has been a constant for me and my family.

I had Nabisco in my life from the time I was just a little kid to yesterday.

My friends know how much I loved that cat. In fact, they probably knew a little too much. Always kidding me for talking about her and taking pictures of her, people outside of the state of Washington knew very well who Nabisco was. Whenever I talked with my parents one of the first questions I would always ask was “How’s the cat?” One of my biggest joys when making return trips to Spokane was walking through the door and having Nabisco greet me. She always remembered me and let me pick her up. I would immediately feel so happy and the realization that I was home would kick in right at that moment.

Nabisco brought a lot of joy into my life.

I do regret that I didn’t get to see Nabisco one last time. I did ask my parents if they felt she could keep going just a little bit longer so I could see her this next weekend but they said she couldn’t. Her health had deteriorated over the past couple weeks and the vet said they chose the right time to bring her in. Nabisco is now buried outside in our backyard right next to where we laid Crackers to rest almost 17 years ago.

This was the last picture I ever took of Nabisco. It was taken this past August. Thanks for everything, Nabisco.

Our family feels incredibly blessed to have had such a wonderful pet that gave us so much joy for so long. Knowing that we will never have a cat like Nabisco again, we will miss her incredibly. Don’t Blink, 16 years go faster than you think.

Resorting to Lows on Social Media

Posted on September 17, 2013 by brent

You have to understand, my mom is a very novice Facebook user. She struggles to simply log in to the service. She doesn’t understand tagging, messaging, or sharing. She continually tells me that she declines to comment on anything on Facebook for fear that she will sound stupid. Every photo that has ever been posted on her account’s behalf was done by either my brother or me. Get the picture? My mom knows absolutely nothing about Facebook other than that it’s a place where she can go and see what her kids are up to.

But I lied. She actually knows one other thing about Facebook…

About a month ago I chatted with my mom and she told me about an observation she had. “You know Brent,” my mom started , “When I go on Facebook I notice people taking shots at each other, not directly, but I can just tell from reading their statuses that they are talking about the other person. It is pretty immature.”

My mom can’t detect emoticon meanings or birthday calendar invitations over social media but she sure as heck can detect bitterness, slights, and immaturity. Many of us think we are sly and cunning with our Facebook attacks but the truth is that everyone, including rookie Facebook users in their fifties, can see right through them.

I am not here tonight to go on a big rant about proper social media etiquette. I could go on forever about my personal code of conduct I follow while I navigate the enormous world of digital communication but I will save you all the agony. I will just say this broad statement about my major philosophy that I adhere to both personally and professionally when using social media. Be Positive. If you don’t have anything positive to say, just shut up and keep it to yourself….okay, enough about my own credo.

Indirect social media attacks are not something that is reserved for the younger generation. Sadly, it is probably more prevalent in people who should know better…like adults. It is prevalent in people who are my age. It is prevalent in people who are in their thirties and in their forties. It doesn’t matter the age, it is revolting in any case.

We all see it occur probably on a daily basis. It sticks out like a sore thumb. Someone writes a scathing status or shares one of those eye sore looking at your ex and seeing that he/she has downgraded memes. I know right after that sentence you probably had five Facebook friends who popped into your head who provide content like this consistently. You are probably asking yourself “why am I still friends with that person?”

With so much negativity in this world the last thing we need is to encounter it in such a shallow way over social media. This is a tough problem to fight but we can all take some steps. First off, if we find that we are guilty of such behavior we need to stop. Secondly, if we have a close friend who engages in passive-aggressive Facebook antics we might be in bounds to politely talk to the person and let him/her know how their social media habits make them look in front of hundreds and sometimes even thousands of people. Thirdly, if we have acquaintances who engage in such behavior we just need to de-friend them. Life is too short for such petty and immature negativity.

Across all social media outlets we need to hold ourselves to the highest standards. Social media is a terrible place to try to shame/embarrass others. Bottom line it is cowardly and selfish. Under no circumstances should we ever bring someone else down in front of a cyber audience. Again, no matter how we try to disguise it, it is always detectable. And because of that, we are actually the ones shaming/embarrassing ourselves. Don’t Blink.

Brent’s Top Five For Monday

Posted on September 16, 2013 by brent

Good evening, readers! Thanks again for taking the time to check out Don’t Blink. I hope you all had great weekends and that Monday was not too rough on you. Well it is another one of those nights where I rather just touch on several different subjects instead of writing a long post on just one. So get ready, I am going to whip through five totally unrelated topics.

Monte Improves to 2-0: You bet I will be using my blog to fill you in on how Monte is doing in the 2013 Mascot Challenge throughout the three plus month competition…well, at least as long as he is still winning (kidding of course). This past week Monte soundly defeated Bucky the Badger from Wisconsin. I definitely thought the final tally would be closer but Monte won the vote 63% to 37%. Unfortunately, we might find ourselves on the other side of that outcome this week. Our bear is against Big Red from Western Kentucky and right now Monte trails 60% to 40%. But the week is young and I know Griz Nation will rally. Vote for Monte here and make sure to complete challenges by using the #CapitalOneMonte hash tag.

Weather Still Nice But Days Getting Shorter: It is mid-September and fortunately we are still getting some warm days in Missoula. I hope they stick around as long as possible. Some people wish for more “Fall-like” weather but no thank you! That just means the start of eight long months of cold, snow, and wind. However, the nice weather can’t hide the fact that the days are getting shorter. Today I woke up while it was still dark out, drove to work while the sun was rising, and left work with it already dark. I really don’t want to say goodbye to the warm weather and the long days.

Big Week At Work: What a week I got going at work! This first half of the week I am working long hours to prep myself for the events we have at the latter half. Thursday night we have our major basketball fundraiser, Friday night we have soccer and volleyball, Saturday afternoon we have football, and Saturday evening we have another volleyball match. With more on my plate than ever before it is going to be a very exhausting several days but after it is all said and done I will get that redeeming feeling of accomplishment. I love my job and I love doing my best for Griz Nation…can’t ask for much more than that.

Shakeup in the Booth: I watched all of the Sunday Night Football game yesterday and I watched the second half of tonight’s Monday Night Football game and it convinced even more of an idea I have had for the last few years. Can we please merge/cut NBC’s SNF announcing crew with ESPN’s MNF crew? From NBC we will save Al Michaels and give Cris Collinsworth the ax and then from ESPN we will let Mike Tirico go and keep Jon Gruden. Al Michaels does a fabulous job calling any sport under the sun and no analyst compares to the knowledge and character that Gruden brings to the booth. The Michaels-Gruden team would call both evening NFL games on Sunday and Monday and we could send Tirico and Collinsworth to Canada to call CFL games or something.

Amazing Sunrises/Sunsets Across the Country: Is it just me or did the whole nation experience beautiful skies this morning and this evening? Driving to work today I definitely got the joy of driving into a sky filled with amazing colors and judging by my Instagram feed so did seemingly everyone else both in Montana and in every other corner of the nation. Getting to admire the beauty of the sky this morning made me feel better starting off the long week and I hope it brought similar joy to others whether it was at the start or end of the day.

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Have a great week everyone! Hope to talk to you a couple more times this week but can’t make any promises. Thanks again for taking time to read what I have to say, I appreciate it. Don’t Blink.

The Subject That Dominates My Facebook Newsfeed the Most

Posted on September 15, 2013 by brent

Of course there are times where I know that the content on my Facebook newsfeed is going to go a certain direction with my friends all posting about a similar subject. National tragedies, holidays, important votes or elections, and big moments in reality TV always transform my newsfeed into a vertical homogeneous collection of similar editorials, rants, and analysis. However, once the autumn season comes around, I can always count on my feed getting dominated by a certain subject each Sunday (and sometimes Monday).

By far the most popular subject that I routinely see posted on Facebook via my newsfeed on a consistent basis is the Seattle Seahawks. If you are reading this, I think this should come as a surprise to many of you. I mean come on, a sports team claims the title for taking over my newsfeed in the most passionate and routine fashion? And not only that, but the sports team happens to be a squad other than the Montana Grizzlies? A little shocking for sure.

I am not kidding you though. For the couple hours leading up to each game the Seahawks play in through the three hour game and then peaking like crazy for two hours after it, my newsfeed is blitzed with content related to the SEAHAWKS. It is not like these statuses are passive, lighthearted “Go Hawks” statements either. My friends get absolutely crazy on Facebook for the team and pretty much go unfiltered on what they post. It gets rather intense.

The Seattle Seahawks routinely take over my newsfeed.

Of course I grew up in Washington state and many of my Facebook friends are from the Spokane area. Also, the state of Montana has no professional football team (or any sports team for that matter) so many people choose the Seattle Seahawks as their team of choice. But I still don’t think these two things alone explain entirely why each Seahawk game is such a huge deal socially. I grew up a dedicated Seattle Seahawks fan but I know for a fact that many of the people I knew at that time did not share my same passion. If Facebook existed back when I lived in Washington I know my newsfeed would not look the same that it does today.

I am pretty sure I know the real reason why I see the proliferation of Hawks posts each Sunday. Actually, let me rephrase that and say I know the reasons, because there are two. First off, the Seahawks are a winning team. Back when I lived in Spokane I locked myself in my room after each Seahawk game because I became so enraged with the way they came up with to lose the game that particular Sunday. Not so anymore. Winning solves all problems and can make a fan out of anyone.

BUT, the main reason why I think I see the crazy amount of Facebook interest each week for the Seahawks is because of the immense interest in the NFL in general. As I have written about before, it is ridiculous how popular the National Football League is. The league absolutely captivates the nation for 20+ weeks each year. Ratings and revenue go through the roof for the NFL. This mania for the league extends to each team and is funneled out to each geographic region. Of course, this interest in each geographic region is then reflected through social media. Case and point why my Facebook newsfeed, composed mainly of friends from Washington state and western Montana, gets taken over by content related to the Seattle Seahawks.

In two hours my favorite NFL team will take on the hated San Francisco 49ers in a primetime Sunday Night game. I already see the status updates popping up on my newsfeed presently but that is just a tiny preview of what is to come. Sunday night Facebook meeting Seattle Seahawk Sunday Night Football (against a rival) is going to result in a complete social media explosion. My Facebook newsfeed is going to be painted in blue and green but that is okay because I understand it….and I also love it. GO HAWKS! Don’t Blink.

The Worst FM Radio Question Ever

Posted on September 11, 2013 by brent

This morning driving to work I changed the radio when my sports talk program went to commercial and I landed on a FM morning show. I listened in as the DJ spoke about a topic that gets beaten to death on these types of programs all the time. Not only does the topic get brought up way too much to begin with but I am pretty sure that most of the stories surrounding it are complete bunk. Let me explain.

When I changed the channel and landed on this radio show I heard the DJ crack over the airwaves that dreaded question… “Ladies, what is the worst pickup line that a guy has ever used on you before?” I immediately hit my head on the steering wheel. Here we go again. But instead of changing back to my sports program so I could hear the testosterone and razor ads I decided to continue to listen to the current station so just maybe I would have the motivation to write this blog post tonight.

Not all FM radio is bad. There are some great DJs out there, including many great local ones here in Missoula who I know personally. But there are also some bad ones. And let me tell you, these bad ones like to use the “worst pick up line” question about once every week. I don’t know of any question that is more unoriginal or unfunny as that question. In fact, I think the only thing that is more unoriginal or unfunny than that question is the answers.

I am convinced that the women who call in to this question are either working for the radio station in some way and are forced to chime in with some phony answer or they are just women calling in who also see the absurdity in the question and decide to make up the biggest whopper they can. Sorry, I am just not buying it when Rose calls in and says that some guy came up to her in a bar and slyly uttered “Are you religious? Cause you’re the answer to all my prayers.”

Pick up lines are corny one-liners that you find in magazines and on the internet. They are meant to provide a few laughs now and then. They are not meant to actually be used in a courting situation. When you tell a knock-knock joke you don’t literally go up to someone’s door and knock twice. Similarly, when you use a pick-up line you don’t literally go up to a girl and use it. While I know there are some guys in this world who lack brains and who might actually go up to a girl and randomly say “Do you have a band-aid? I scrapped my knee falling for you,” I know that 98% of men have more sense than that. Most of us know that in order to engage a woman you have to be charming and interesting…not stupid.

I have to believe that the DJs who pose the pick up question on air know this truth. I am guessing they just bank on the reality that people will call in and provide answers, even if it is straight baloney. I am also guessing that the DJs might consider their audience on the less intelligent side, thinking that their listeners might actually believe the calls coming in. This very well could be true, there could be (and probably are) people out there who eat up some of the pick up lines being reported. They might believe that some dude actually said that to the girl on the line, even if she really only ripped it off of some internet site. There are always the people who will believe anything.

But I personally don’t believe everything, especially things that are obviously not true. I know I am going to hear the pick up line question about 100 more times (and that is just in the next six months) but I do wish the radio industry would retire it for good. Nothing stimulating ever comes from unoriginality and lies. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Monthly Archives: September 2013