Monthly Archives: September 2018

Nervous About Florence

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I am used to it by now. Having lived in South Carolina for well over four years, we all know what September means: Start of college football!

No, you idiot. It means hurricane season.

Hard to believe, but this is the fifth September I have spent in Myrtle Beach. Each one has brought with it some type of hurricane threat. I survived the first four Septembers so why should I be concerned about this one? The hurricane that is lingering off the coast right now is just like all the others, right?

Not so fast.

I never allowed myself to get too worked up about past hurricanes that flirted with–or even impacted–our area. However, Hurricane Florence is a little different. My stress level for this one is more elevated than the others.

I wish it would stay away, but our area will be impacted by Hurricane Florence in some way.

Two years ago, I experienced Hurricane Matthew. It impacted our area quite a bit. Our doors flew open, our fence posts toppled, and our power went out. It wasn’t too enjoyable. But here is the thing: When Hurricane Matthew met Myrtle Beach, it was a Category 1 hurricane.

If Hurricane Florence hits us, it is supposed to be a Category 4.

Now I am sure most of you out there can guess what that means. If not, let me give you a hint: hurricane intensity doesn’t lessen as the category climbs higher.

A Category 4 hurricane brings devastating 133-155 MPH winds and a storm surge 13-18 feet above normal. To say the least, it can be devastating. But don’t feel as if we are on a collision course with doomsday just yet. According to the forecast, there is a 50% chance that Hurricane Florence will hit our area with that intensity. Are you an optimist or pessimist?

Other factors besides the sheer strength of Florence get me nervous too. We are in a new house. We have Sloan. We have a large lawn that is prone to flooding. But all that doesn’t even cover the aftermath headache that we will face once the hurricane rips through the area and the recovery process begins. As you can see, my focus is divided in a few different directions, especially since I am in charge of the Coastal Carolina University social media response to the hurricane (there are thousands of students and parents depending on us for accurate and updated information).

Bottom line, there is no escaping the fact that Hurricane Florence will impact the Grand Strand in some way. The question is just how severe her punishment will be. Don’t worry about us because we will be fine — we have an evacuation plan in place and our little family will stick together. Don’t let my nerves about our personal situation concern you. Instead, let’s turn our attention to those who have nowhere to go nor the means to prepare. A lot of people will be in the dark (literally and figuratively) when Hurricane Florence hits. Let’s pray for them.

I will keep everyone updated on the track of Hurricane Florence.  It isn’t a particularly fun time but we will make the best of it. Let’s hope that it is less severe than what we are preparing for. Don’t Blink.

Thursday Rundown Let’s Go!

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The Labor Day weekend has got my days mixed up so it almost doesn’t feel like a Thursday. However, now that I am writing tonight’s Thursday Rundown, it all feels right again. Here we go with the topics…

Fun at Darlington – At the end of last week, I had the opportunity to go to Darlington Raceway to cover Brandon Brown, our CCU student who is also a NASCAR Xfinity driver. Just that alone was pretty cool but making the trip even better was that I got to go with some of my favorite co-workers. Geoff, one of our video production managers, and Judy, our head photographer, both joined me. Leading the trip and doing whatever he could to help us was Bill, our University Communication vice president. It was extremely hot (think the last day in August in the South inside a concrete stadium) but we sure had fun working together. It was also a pleasure covering Brandon and his team. Side Note: I have now been on the infield at three major racetracks.

I had a great time with my University Communication team in Darlington.

“We’re Here” – With Tuesday’s blog post centering on an advice column, I felt it was appropriate to extend the theme to today. I recently was reading a “Social Q&A” column and one of the letters was from a woman who was put off by a texting habit of her husband. When meeting friends for dinner, the husband will usually send a “we’re here” text to the people they are meeting. The wife explained she feels it is rude and puts pressure on the people they are meeting to arrive at the restaurant. In my opinion, I don’t think it is rude. Rather, I think the text conveys a message more along the lines of “look for us when you get here” as opposed to “we are looking at our watches and waiting for you.” I was convinced even more of this notion when I thought about my own dad sending the “we’re here” text. Yes, it would be something he would do, but it wouldn’t have any ill-intent at all – it would just be a nice gesture to let his friends know that they made it safely and were excited to soon be in their company.

This is the question and response to the “We’re Here” controversy.

Happy Birthday, Mik – I wanted to wish a happy birthday to one very special little girl. Mikayla, my niece, turned 4 years old yesterday. It blows my mind because it seems like just yesterday I was sitting on my couch in my apartment typing out this blog post about her birth. Time really does fly. Although I don’t get to see her as often as I would like, I still love her very much. I am also so thankful for the special bond that Mik and Sloan have – which was so evident when we were in Spokane this past summer – even if there is an age difference and a major geographic barrier. Mikayla’s birthday was yesterday but she will be the center of attention on Sunday as her parents throw her a birthday bash.

Happy birthday to my niece, Mikayla.

First Time in the South – Six years ago on this date, I ventured to the true South for the first time in my life (I had been to Florida before). While working for the University of Montana, I traveled to Boone, NC, for a much-anticipated football game between the Grizzlies and Appalachian State. I had so much fun experiencing this unique region of the country for the first time. Little did I know that I would be living in it just a couple years later. The people, food, and sights were unforgettable – but the game result was. The Griz lost to App State on a humid night in Kidd-Brewer Stadium.

This is me in Kidd Brewer Stadium six years ago.

Oreo Cherry Cheesecake – As most of my readers know, every now and then I like to devote one of my Thursday Rundown topics to the @ItsFoodPorn Twitter account. Sometimes it’s for better, sometimes it’s for worse. Today it is for worse. I have a hard time supporting Oreos and cherries mixed together. I like Oreo cheesecake and I can deal with cheery cheesecake, but Oreo/cherry cheesecake is a big no-no for me. What you see below is not something I would want to see on a dessert tray. Am I crazy?

No, this is not for me.

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Thank you again for reading Don’t Blink. I hope your week has not only been short, but sweet, as well. Catch up with you soon. Don’t Blink.

What I Learned About Moving

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This past Labor Day weekend, we spent majority of the time settling into our new house. It capped off a crazy month of preparing for and executing a move. Although stressful and overwhelming at times, the end result was worth it.

I have moved before. However, it has always been from an apartment to an apartment or from an apartment to a house. This was my first time moving from a house to a different house. Totally different ball game. I learned a lot throughout the whole process and tonight I wanted to briefly share 10 takeaways.

Thanks in large part to Sloan’s help, moving went very smoothly.

Amazed at what we accumulated – We are a family of three that lived in our small house for just two years. But holy cow we sure had a lot of stuff! It quickly became apparent that we would need a big truck to get it all out. Sidney and I kept thinking what the moving process must be like for a middle aged couple living in a large house with a few kids.

Organization is Key – Throughout the whole process – pre-move, move, and unpacking – we learned that an organized system would be the only way to be successful. We labeled boxes, spread our packing out over a couple weeks, made the lives of our movers easy, and had a game plan for unpacking. We didn’t just “wing it” and drown ourselves in an unimaginable mess. Visualization prior to doing anything is crucial.

Boxes Boxes Boxes – We became very proficient at taping up new boxes and then breaking them down. We also went through way more than what we thought. Luckily, we got a bunch for free. Sid’s teacher friends brought box after box to her classroom, each one proving to be helpful. We don’t usually recycle but we did properly dispose of all the cardboard we found ourselves with at the end of the weekend.

Expenses – Investing in new real estate isn’t the only cost you will incur when moving. Everything from movers to installation fees to new appliances to different bills will cost you. Moving is definitely not something you want to do on a whim. Plan at least six months in advance and save specifically for the move itself.

About Those Movers – Sidney and I hired a moving company to transport our stuff from the old house to the new house. Although it is pricey, the convenience and peace of mind of having professionals carefully and skillfully move your possessions is nice. You might not know this, but moving companies are usually booked weeks in advance. As mentioned above, plan as early as possible for your move and reserve movers well in advance – especially if you want their services on a weekend.

Embrace Help – Although we opted for a moving company, we probably could have moved our stuff just fine with the generous offers we received from family members, co-workers, and friends. Sid and I know a lot of kind, humble people who reached out to us. From both of us, THANK YOU. With that said, I am 100% glad we went with professionals for the reasons I previously mentioned. But we did accept help with other aspects of the move. Sidney’s parents helped us SO MUCH this past weekend and we are incredibly grateful. They cleaned, unpacked, put things together, and so much more. We likely could not have done it without them.

Cha-Ching – It is inevitable – you will find coins during the moving process. You can do one of two things: 1. Throw them out OR 2. Put them in your pocket. Sometimes coins are more trouble than they are worth but if you are diligent in keeping all the loose change you find, you will have enough money to reward yourself with a milkshake or maybe even a cold beer after a long day of packing or moving. If you are really lucky, you might find some forgotten bills tucked around the house.

Neighbors – Prepare yourself for leaving your neighbors. We made some great friends on our little cul-de-sac and we will miss them. Luckily we got to say goodbye to most of them in meaningful ways. We didn’t let the depression of leaving our old friends detract from meeting new ones. Tonight, our family went and met our new neighbors. We introduced ourselves to the people living next door to us on both sides and the people living across the street from us. We can’t wait to get to know them better.

Paperwork – With a move, the paperwork you will have to fill out and the notices you have to make start to stack up. We tried to be as proactive as possible when it came to forwarding our mail, transferring services, and notifying government offices about our address change. But we definitely aren’t done yet following up with everyone that we need to. Next step for us is to get our driver’s licenses changed to reflect our new address.

Things will temporarily be tough to find – The first couple nights in our new house, we still had numerous unpacked boxes. Although we did a great job of labeling everything, there would be times within those 48 hours when I couldn’t find a toothbrush, piece of equipment, or a document I needed. These cases usually happened late at night when I was tired. I probably could have done a better job at not getting frustrated over such silly things but I will make sure to improve the next time we move.

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What else do you want to know? The above list is definitely not comprehensive but hopefully it will give you a little bit of guidance if you are planning a move. When working through the stress of a move, just tell yourself that in the end it will all be worth it. There is no better feeling than relaxing in your upgraded new digs without a care in the world. Don’t Blink.

An Afterthought to Alleviate Boredom

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Today, my mom started her 17th year as a special education paraeducator at Mead High School. Her summer break has come to an end and she has my sympathies. However, my mom “going back to school” has also left me feeling a little down in the dumps.

My mom started her 17th year at Mead High School today.

You see, during the summer I am able to call my mom during my commute home from work. Now that school is back in session, I am unable to do this because she is still on the job when I am clocking out. As someone who doesn’t call home as much as I should, I am going to miss our summer afternoon phone chats. Worst of all, I recently found out that I was taking our calls for granted.

It would work like this: After I called Sidney and checked in with her, I would then call my mom a few minutes later. We would usually chat right up until I turned onto our street (about 10 minutes), at which point I would start to wrap the conversation up. By the time I was parking in the driveway, we were saying our goodbyes. Little did I know how rude I was being.

In a Dear Abby column over the weekend, a reader complained about people who call her only to pass time while driving. She noted that friends will phone her while in their vehicles, only to end the conversation once their destination is reached. In a damning rebuke, she writes “It’s as if the recipient of the call is merely an afterthought to alleviate boredom while driving.” See below for the entire letter.

This opened my eyes to something that I was doing.

Ouch.

Truth be told, the reader has a point…and the advice columnist thought so too. Abby called the act “insensitive” and mentioned that her own late mom would complain about callers doing the same thing.

To put my lack of sensitivity in perspective, I admit that I had never even thought about the rudness of ending a call when I arrived home. My first priority was always to get inside as quickly as possible so I could see Sloan and Sid. But I never took a moment to consider the disrespect I was showing when I told my mom “Well okay, I guess I should probably let you go…” once our house came into view.

In life, just because you didn’t have the intention of being rude doesn’t mean you weren’t rude. I need to own up with this one.

Mom, I hope you had a great first day. Please accept my apology and know from now on that I will let all phone conversations between us end naturally, even if it means sitting in the driveway for several extra minutes.

We can be oblivious to our actions. However, I do believe in the old adage of better late than never. I plan to never make someone an “afterthought to alleviate boredom” again. Don’t Blink.