After work last Friday I wasn’t interested in a cold one, but if I was, it wouldn’t have been in the traditional sense. When the work week concluded, Sidney and I made a trip to Walmart to pick up a present for a birthday party that Sloan was attending. As we exited, we picked up a DVD at the Redbox. As we were making our selection, I noticed the drink machine right next to it.

I studied this drink machine after we selected our Redbox DVD.

The best way I could describe the variety of this drink vending machine was beach-inspired. Absent of any colas or other dark sodas, the mix was truly a summer oasis of fruity and tropical concoctions.

More than two years ago, I wrote a unique blog post that took the form of a draft. Using a random vending machine in the humanities building at Coastal Carolina, I ranked the 51 items behind the glass. Because of the fun contents of the Walmart drink machine, I felt like I would do the same thing tonight (fortunately, I only have nine items to rank this time).

An up close look at the drink lineup.

1. Hawaiian Punch – It is the first selection on the actual drink machine lineup for a reason. Folks, Hawaiian Punch is good––but it is even better in a can. You won’t find Hawaiian Punch everywhere, it simply isn’t that mainstream, so when you do it is imperative to take advantage of it.

2. Grape Crush – I have a memory of getting into a burning hot car on a sizzling summer day only to open a can of grape soda for some refreshing relief. Call me a kid, but I still love grape soda to this day.

3. Orange Crush – Although I would grab a Crush of the grape variety first, an orange flavored one isn’t far behind. Like grape, orange soda takes me back to my childhood and I like that.

4. Sun Drop – Dr. Pepper’s answer to Mt. Dew, Sun Drop is a novelty in the same way as Hawaiian Punch––you just don’t see it that much. But when I do, I like to take a chance on it.

5. Cheerwine – I enjoyed Cheerwine the moment I tried it for the first time five years ago. Although I don’t have the history with it like I do the other products on this list, I would still choose this drink before half of the others in the machine.

6. 7UP – In a Sprite dominated world, we sometimes forget about its main lemon lime soda competitor. Not I! The crisp, clean taste of 7UP wins me over from time to time.

7. Schweppes Ginger Ale – If you can believe it, I never tried Ginger Ale until my wife had me sample it in 2016. Because Sidney is drinking the stuff like crazy during her pregnancy, I would take a couple sips myself and then give her the rest.

8. Blue Mist Bottled Water – I think it is kind of boring to select bottled water in any spot other than last in a drink machine draft. However, when your bottled water is named “Blue Mist” it does capture my curiosity enough to promote it one spot above the lemonade.

9. Country Time Lemonade – Sugary and sour is how I remember Country Time Lemonade when it was offered in the drink machine at my middle school. I doubt it has changed over the course of 20 years.

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Did I nail it with this draft? Do you need to make a stop at the Walmart on Myrtle Ridge Drive? At the very least, are you thirsty? Okay, good. Don’t Blink.

Good evening! I hope 2020 is off to a good start for everyone. What do you say we get started with my latest Thursday Rundown?

Sidney Update – I haven’t provided too many updates on Sid’s pregnancy so I thought tonight would be a good opportunity to shed some light. My wife will turn 33 weeks on Saturday. She describes herself as “very pregnant” and is at the stage where it is hard to sleep or just be comfortable. She is going to the doctor once a week and has become good friends with everyone in the office. Tomorrow we will get to see our baby as Sid will have her first ultrasound in a few months. Please pray for Sidney and our baby over the next few weeks.

As Sid inches closer to giving birth, we are preparing to welcome our new baby.

Gym Coverage – Three months ago, I wrote about how the gym I exercise at changed from Gold’s Gym (corporate based) to Iron Legacy Gym (independent). Well, this week the name change and the rich history of the gym was covered extensively in the Myrtle Beach media. The Sun News published this article on the gym and then Meredith Helline of WMBF did this AWESOME story that prominently features the owners, Ted and Nancy Capp. The story does a superb job of detailing the authentic 1980s vibe that Iron Legacy proudly rocks. You also find out about the famous celebrities that have worked out within the Legacy walls. Even if you hate gyms, I am sure you will enjoy these stories.

It is great to see my gym, Iron Legacy Gym, receive the recognition it deserves (photo courtesy of the Sun News)

Memory – It is funny, sometimes you totally forget about aspects of your childhood until your own kid reminds you of them. For Christmas, Sloan received a Peppa Pig matching game. I had not thought about this popular and simple children’s game for a couple decades. But once I started playing it with Sloan I reminisced about a few of the memory-based games we had in our house growing up. Like Sloan, it was one of the first games I played. Although our daughter doesn’t play exactly by the rules, it is fun to sprawl out on the living room floor and let Sloan run the show.

Last night, Sloan and I played the Peppa Pig matching game. Sloan “won.”

Build-A-Bear – Some of you might be familiar with it while others may not. There is a chain called Build-A-Bear that allows customers to make their own teddy bear. You get to stuff it and choose its clothes. Last weekend, Sidney’s parents took Sloan to the Myrtle Beach location as a reward for finally becoming potty trained. Sloan had a fantastic time building her own stuffed animal and when one of the store employees asked her to name it, she didn’t hesitate when she responded with “Susie” (we have no idea where she got that name from). Susie now resides in our daughter’s crib with roughly 15 other of Sloan’s stuffed friends.

Susie is sandwiched between Peppa and George in Sloan’s crib. On the right is Sloan at Build-A-Bear.

Top Drinks – Well, it definitely didn’t make my Top 10 Blog Posts of 2019 but I still had fun writing about my favorite drinks. A year ago on this date, I ranked my top 5 favorite beverages. The picture below gives you a hint on some of the drinks that made the list but if you are curious to learn what was ranked at the top (because I know you are dying to know), you have to go read it. My mission, as always, is to provide content that has a vital impact on your life (#sarcasm) Cheers!

A year ago on this date, I counted down my 5 favorite drinks.

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I appreciate the time you took out of your Thursday evening to read my blog. Our big event on the calendar is attending the birthday party of Sloan’s friend, Stevie Blair. It is always a good time! I will catch up with everyone next week. Don’t Blink.

Perhaps I am jumping the gun, but I do have a couple thoughts about the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tournament that made its debut last night. As an avid Jeopardy fan who has written about the show too many times to count, it feels like I have an obligation to speak up.

The Jeopardy Greatest of All Time tournament is a pretty cool concept.

But first, a very quick rundown on how Jeopardy GOAT is organized. Three of the most prolific champions in the show’s history––James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter––are battling it out for the title of Greatest Ever and a $1M prize. The brainiacs are playing nightly 1-hour matches that consist of two jeopardy games played back-to-back. The scores from both games are combined and the person with the highest value wins that match. Here is the kicker, there won’t be a champion until a contestant wins THREE matches. That means Jeopardy GOAT could run for SEVEN nights assuming that James, Ken, and Brad each win two matches. That’s a lot of Jeopardy!

Before I elaborate on the structure, let me give credit to Jeopardy on where they got it right. I think they nailed it with the contestants they chose. I am sure they have competition performance numbers to back it up, but just from a fan’s subjective opinion, you can’t get more iconic than James, Ken, and Brad. They have separated themselves from all other Jeopardy players and have earned spots on this grand, primetime stage.

Now, let’s get to the structure. After last year’s Jeopardy All-Stars tournament focused too much on fluff and not enough on game play, I was hoping that the show producers would make adjustments for this year’s special tourney. Well, they did. However, they overcompensated.

As much as I hate to say it, I was fatigued at the end of Tuesday’s show…and that was just the first night! Watching back-to-back Jeopardy games is a bit exhausting on the brain, especially when you are trying to keep up with the three best players of all time. I am accustomed to watching a regular Jeopardy episode on DVR, a 20-minute time investment (fast forward through the commercials) that provides me with the perfect amount of intellectual stimulation. But 60 minutes and 122 clues?

In my opinion, one night would have sufficed to crown the Greatest Ever. When I realized that the tournament would go three nights, I thought it was overkill. When I then at the end of the first episode that it would go a MINIMUM of three nights with the possibility of seven nights, I thought it was ridiculous.

With that said, I think the intangibles hit the mark. The set looks good, the accelerated theme song is a nice touch, and the three contestants––although competitors––have excellent chemistry with each other. And, of course, Alex is Alex.

I am going to try to watch the remaining episodes but I can’t commit to it, at least not when it originally airs. I am totally in the corner of Ken Jennings when it comes to who I want to win and I was delighted to see him take the first match last night. For those of us who think this series is being drawn out too much, let’s hope he wins the next two nights as well. Don’t Blink.

Past Jeopardy Blog Posts:
The End of James Holzhauer’s Run
Keeping Score
My Opinion on Jeopardy Champion Austin Rogers
My Misguided Jeopardy Judging
The Five Things I Hate About Jeopardy
My Disdain for the Current Jeopardy Champion

For 80 years, my mom’s family owned an Italian restaurant in Walla Walla, Washington. Although three different generations ran the place, my grandpa was in charge for the longest tenure. On Sundays, when the Pastime Café was closed, my grandpa would take me to the restaurant as he inspected it to make sure all was well. He let me play the arcade games in the bar, raid the candy counter, and eat all the ice cream I wanted.

But perhaps the best part of the outing was when he would go to the Washington Lottery scratch off machine, feed it a $20 bill, and let my siblings and I choose a diverse selection of tickets. We would then go back to the house, run to the kitchen table, and then use coins to scratch them off. If we uncovered a winner, my grandpa would pay us from his own wallet on the spot. I still remember the time I won $50…it genuinely felt like I had won the real lottery!

Long after my grandpa was no longer around to accommodate my taste for scratch offs, I would sometimes be successful in funneling my mom a couple dollars to buy me a ticket or two. The thrill of potentially hitting it big was alluring to me, a feeling that lasted for a couple years after I turned 18 and could buy them myself. However, I soon accepted the dismal odds of ever winning anything of value and stopped buying them.

I have had a love-hate relationship with scratch offs.

Well, for the most part.

This morning, I stuffed a birthday card with South Carolina Lottery scratch offs. Although I no longer waste my income on a long shot chance of winning a large cash prize, I do like to let my family and friends dream when a special occasion of theirs comes around!

Over the years, I have “gifted” scratch offs to people I enjoy. Blame it on my upbringing as an underage gambler but I think they make great presents. Scratch offs are perfect for men and women, they don’t need to be wrapped, and they are readily attainable at any local gas station or grocery store. When it comes to the recipient, it allows the person to have some fun without any investment. In other words, it is all gravy. No sweating it out over whether you are going to win your money back or not!

In addition to the scratch offs I purchased for the person celebrating their birthday today, I might have also bought a scratch off for myself

Of course the therapeutic thrill I mentioned above is what makes scratch offs really stand out. Besides the soothing feeling you get when you rhythmically scratch the ticket, the “what if…” train of thought that one gets when playing is the best. That moment when you have scratched most of the ticket and only a “7” or a teapot symbol is separating you from a few thousand dollars is the best! (until you lose).

If you are ever in a bind for a birthday gift, consider sticking some scratch offs in a card. You never know, if the person you buy them for wins a ridiculous amount of money they might share it with you. Don’t Blink.

The evening I got off work to begin the holiday break, I wrote a blog post detailing a few things I wanted to do over the next nine days. A couple of those items included binging a Netflix series with Sidney (check! We watched season two of “You”) and watching as much college football as possible (check! Watched more football in a week than I had in a couple years). But there was a third goal I outlined in the blog post that I feel I crushed more than the previous two…

Spend as much time with Sloan as possible.

With this objective, I wanted to especially get her out of the house. When it was all said and done, we had a very active break! I figured I would document what we did for tonight’s blog post.

Sidney, Sloan, and I kicked off the break by baking cookies. We cranked up the Christmas carols and let Sloan take point, only intervening when she started to eat too much cookie dough.

Sloan and Sid worked together to bake cookies just prior to Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, Sloan waited for Santa by hanging out with her cousin, Henry.

Henry and Sloan waited for Santa to come!

Sloan was completely overwhelmed (in a good way) on Christmas Day. She celebrated the holiday by enthusiastically ripping open gifts with a mile-wide smile.

This smile says it all, doesn’t it?

A Christmas gift Sloan received from Santa was a bike. Starting on Christmas afternoon and lasting throughout the rest of the break, Sloan and I would go outside in front of our house and ride it. She picked up on it fast!

Sloan got a lot of use out of her bike during the holiday break.

Throughout the time off, Sloan spent a lot of time with her best friend, Jacqueline. On December 26, Sloan and I went to Savannah’s Playground and met Jacqueline and her mom, Susannah. The temperature was in the mid-70s and the girls played hard.

Sloan and Jacqueline took advantage of beautiful weather by spending the morning at Savannah’s Playground.

We found ourselves at the mall a couple times so we balanced out our shopping/returning activities with time at the shopping center’s indoor playground and on the coin operated rides.

While adults swarmed Coastal Grand Mall like crazy people, Sloan took a more laid back approach.

With the weather holding for most of the break, we hit up more than one outdoor playground. I took Sloan to the Carolina Forest Playground where she ran around with Henry.

Sloan had a fun-filled time with Henry at the Carolina Forest Playground.

Sloan got her game on when Sidney and I took her to Dave and Buster’s for lunch and fun. She bounced around from game to game, staying true to her independent persona as she preferred to play with little help from her parents.

Sloan had a blast at Dave and Buster’s.

A special treat came Sloan’s way when she was invited to swim with Jacqueline at the Marriott’s indoor pool. The two girls paddled around the heated pool and ate snacks afterwards.

Sloan and Jacqueline swam at the Myrtle Beach Marriott pool.

One day during break I did a workout at the Coastal Carolina University track. I brought Sloan along and she showed me how it was done!

Sloan ran with me at the CCU track.

Sloan and Jacqueline got together once again when we met at Rockin’ Jump for a morning at the trampoline park. After they jumped their hearts out they did the obvious…eat snacks!

Sloan and Jacqueline concluded the holiday break by visiting the trampoline park.

Besides the activities listed above, we also filled our break with reading books, hanging out in the playroom, going to church, and spending time with her grandparents. To be honest, I almost didn’t feel bad sending Sloan back to daycare because we couldn’t have done anything else to make the break more fulfilling. We took advantage of every moment and made many memories to end 2019. I am so thankful for my little partner-in-crime. Don’t Blink.

Welcome to 2020, everyone! I hope you had an awesome holiday yesterday and that your year is off to a positive start. Yes, I will be writing Thursday Rundowns in 2020. See below for proof.

Life’s Little Instructions – I am bringing back more than Thursday Rundowns in 2020. Those who follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram know that I share advice from a page-a-day calendar called Life’s Little Instructions. Heck, if you even read this blog you know my admiration for Life’s Little Instructions because I write about them often. Well, this is the 14th year I have had Life’s Little Instructions, the 12th year I have shared them on Twitter, and the 8th year I have shared them on Instagram. Hope you enjoy this year’s advice!

Life’s Little Instructions have returned in 2020.

Sloan Got a Bike! – I had an incredible holiday break with Sloan as we did so much together! I will write more in depth about the whole nine days in the near future but I did want to share one memory from the break tonight. Her big Santa gift was a bicycle! From Christmas Day through New Year’s Day, we would go out in front of our house and practice riding it. The strides she made in that short time were incredible. She is now a pro at using her little legs to peddle up and down our street.

Sloan is a quick learner. She sure loves her new bike.

Christmas Gift for Sid – My wife and I have a simple Christmas Eve tradition. Late in the evening we drink hot chocolate, listen to Christmas carols, and exchange presents. We always set a low limit for how much we spend on each other but it is nonetheless fun and special. The “big” gift I got for Sid this past Christmas was a pair of blue light omitting glasses. These bifocals block the exposure of blue light from televisions and smart devices, lessening strain on the eyes. Sid has complained lately of headaches and hazy vision after looking at her classroom’s smart board and personal iPhone for extended periods of time. She suggested I “surprise” her with the blue light omitting glasses and that is what I did! Who cares if she had to exchange the pair I got her (pictured below) for a more stylish version, right? So far Sid is pleased with the extra eye protecting.

A look at the blue light omitting glasses I got Sid from Dillard’s.

Our Winter Break Netflix Series – When I wrote about our plans for the holiday break, I mentioned that Sidney would probably select a Netflix series for us to binge. My prediction proved correct as we watched the entire second season of “You” over the span of a couple days. In my opinion, this newest season was much better than the first. Biggest reason why? The characters! I enjoyed getting to know Forty and Will (the real Will, not Joe) and several other supporting characters were engaging as well. The constant commentary and dark humor from the narration of Joe was even more spot on and hilarious this time around. As with the first season, you were kept guessing about the twists and turns up until the very point that they actually happened. If you watched the initial season and was lukewarm about it (like I was) give it another chance with the second season.

Season 2 of “You” is pretty good!

Staying Up Until Midnight – On New Year’s Eve, I tweeted about the probability that we would stay up to see the ball drop. After two straight years of falling asleep prior to 12 a.m., I didn’t know if we would break the streak this year. We did! I contribute it to the fact that we weren’t exhausted or jet lagged from holiday travel. Our NYE evening consisted of eating appetizers, drinking soda, watching Netflix movies, and then tuning into Ryan Seacrest’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” coverage from about 11:50 p.m. to midnight. What an accomplishment!

I questioned whether we would make it until midnight.

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Not going to lie, it was a little tough going to work today. However, the silver lining is that tomorrow is Friday! Have a great night, everyone. Don’t Blink.

Happy New Year! I hope your decade is off to a fantastic start. Last year, I provided some tips on how to get your year off to a positive start. Today, I wanted to offer some extremely simple advice to keep in mind throughout all 366 days of 2020 (don’t you love leap years?).

For a while now, I have consistently told Sidney the same thing over and over: take it one day at a time. This advice usually comes in the context of her pregnancy. She is now almost 32 weeks along and the anxiousness and stress can really start to build. Rather than eyeing the due date or even the next week, I encourage her to focus on the day at hand, stressing that each single day well-lived is good for her and the baby.

I also tell her this when it comes to the school year or summer break. But the truth is that I don’t only dispense this advice on my wife, I am constantly reminding myself of it as well. I have tried to do a better job at following my own mantra of Don’t Blink by savoring each day that I am blessed to live. This means not looking too far ahead or wishing any days away. Although I am by no means perfect at following my own advice, this mindset has led to more productive and positive days.

Can you guess what my advice to you for 2020 is? Let’s roll out the italics again…take it one day at a time. This year, make a commitment to truly be the best version of yourself from the moment you wake up to the moment you lay down your head at night.

I think New Year’s resolutions are great. They challenge us to set goals and better ourselves. But because of the long-term nature of these resolutions, we sometimes look way too far ahead while neglecting the present. By all means, make these annual resolutions but be weary of losing track of the days while you try to lose a bunch of weight by a certain date or get in shape for a vacation in the summer. Instead, emphasize each day as a building block for reaching your goal and literally take time each morning to recognize how blessed you are to have consciousness. It will make a difference.

Even if you aren’t a resolution-type, make a commitment this year to value each day. Give it your all, make a difference, and savor every moment afforded to you.

Have a terrific 2020, my friends. Don’t Blink.