Alright everyone, it is Thursday and you know what that means…the Rundown! No long introduction from me tonight, let’s get right to the five topics.

Porcupine – Since moving to our new house, we have had an abundance of wildlife in our backyard. Deer, rabbits, marmots, and coyotes have all been spotted. But yesterday morning I saw something for the first time. As I was entering our neighborhood after my morning workout, I saw a creature that was doing clumsy circles in the middle of the street. As I drove closer, I identified it as a porcupine. I didn’t know those things were so big! I was able to pull pretty close to it and watch as it slowly retreated from the street. Honestly, it was like it was drunk.

I encountered a porcupine in the middle of the street yesterday.

A Game About Life – If you really want to teach your toddler about winning, losing, and how to follow the rules, play Candy Land with them. No, I am not being sarcastic. The game is as basic as they come but it conveys simple lessons that will be relevant throughout a lifetime. Sloan has been playing the game with both Sid and I a lot. Our daughter is by no means perfect––she will fail to stay on task and be tempted to cheat, all while testing our patience––but the positives still outweigh the negatives.

Sloan and I recently played Candy Land outside.

Homemade Plates – One of my most beloved posts was the one I wrote back in 2014 about a tradition my parents introduced during our childhood. Every year we would draw a picture and they would send it off to be made into a plate. We literally ate off those personalized plates every night growing up. On this date three years ago, I wrote a follow up post about the plates. My mom had shipped all the plates I made as a kid to my address in South Carolina, the fulfilment of the plan she always had to give us our “china” once we left the house. We immediately put the plates into our circulation during dinners. These childhood mementos are now back where they were created as we carefully shipped them to our new house during the move. As a matter of fact, we ate off a few of them tonight.

Big Brother All-Stars – Those who have read my blog for the past five years have had to put up with my Big Brother fandom. If you are a new reader, I wasn’t always this way. My wife converted me from an anti-reality TV diehard to a fan. Due to the coronavirus, we had to wait nearly two months longer than the average summer for the debut but the latest season of Big Brother finally kicked off last night and it is an all-star season! I love it. Many of the houseguests are from the seasons I have watched and the others are memorable characters from the long lost past who my wife has told me about. I have my favorites and all I can say is it is about to go down!

I am excited for this season of Big Brother!

Instagram Reels – Yesterday, Instagram debuted Reels, its short form video product designed to compete directly with TikTok. For those who are familiar with Instagram’s history, the platform has an uncanny ability to knockdown the trendy social media darling by offering something similar. I have seen it with Vine and I have seen it with Snapchat. But will Reels dethrone TikTok? I wouldn’t bet against it. But unless TikTok meets its demise at the hands of federal government, I don’t think Reels has the ability to do it on its own; at least how the product is currently designed. TikTok offers better editing tools, the option to produce videos up to a minute, and a very loyal army of creators. Let’s see where everything stands in a month.

I made a Reel yesterday to commemorate Beau turning six months old.

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That will wrap up tonight’s Thursday Rundown. Continue to pray for an end to the pandemic and be safe this weekend. Don’t Blink.

Close your eyes and try to remember exactly six months ago. It is early February. Still a month before a certain virus would become a threat in the United States. Completely different world, right?

Beau turned 6 months today.

This was the context of my son’s entrance into the world. On February 5, 2020, Beau was born at Conway Medical Center in Myrtle Beach. His birth was anything but normal as he came early but society was still business as usual. I am thankful that Beau was born just prior to a country-wide lockdown that would have made his earthly debut so much different.

Beau was born exactly six months ago today.

So as I sit here and reflect on Beau’s first six months of life, a major theme that keeps resonating is how much has changed in just half a year. It goes beyond just big picture––from a personal standpoint he has navigated a lot of change. From South Carolina to Washington and four different residences, this little guy has already learned a key life lesson that change is constant.

This little guy never fails to brighten my day.

But besides the birds eye perspective, I am also reflecting on Beau’s first 183 days of life by thinking solely about him, minus all the contextual stuff. God gave us a mellow and sweet baby, a gentle soul who loves to be held and talked to. Always up for a game of peek-a-boo, Beau enjoys interacting with others. On the flipside, he dislikes loud noises and sitting down for long periods of time. He isn’t a crier and he isn’t needy. He is a good eater and will take long naps.

Beau is a happy and healthy baby boy.

Beau has already had a few significant life events. He spent a couple weeks in the NICU but came out of it healthy and strong. He flew on an airplane as he made a cross country trip to his new home in Washington. He was fitted for a helmet to help correct the shape and symmetry of his head. Basically, he has had a pretty eventful half of a year.

Affectionately dubbed “little space man” by his strange father, holding Beau is like holding a heavenly cloud. He seems to fit perfectly in my arms and every inch of his body just feels so good. The constant coos and smiles never fails to reinforce how lucky I am to be his daddy.

Beau’s helmet has led me to dub him “my little space man.”

Beau has brought much happiness to Sidney, Sloan, and me. When I write another six months from now on his first birthday, it will be very interesting to see what life is like––both from Beau’s perspective and the world’s. But until that milestone comes, I am going to take it one day at a time, giving thanks at every opportunity for a special and healthy baby boy. Don’t Blink.

It wasn’t just “Tiger King” that ascended to massive popularity during the onset of quarantine. Joining Joe Exotica as one of America’s guilty pleasures during the first several weeks of the pandemic was TikTok. Already insanely trendy with Gen Z prior to COVID, the app won over millions of people, especially the #Over30 crowd, as they sat at home in front of their phones.

With good reason.

I am a fan of TikTok.

TikTok is an engaging and addicting social media channel that took short form video to new heights. Not only did it extend the length of runtime from its predecessor, Vine, but it also offered its users an extensive and powerful suite of editing tools to make content stand out. What resulted was a platform chock-full of creative and shareable videos.

Although it took a pandemic for many to realize the gloriousness of TikTok, those new to the platform preceded to make up for lost time. Without naming names, I might know a few people who gladly sacrifice sleep and other social distancing approved pleasures to watch TikTok. Not that any of these people are necessarily family members, but I have noticed that the group chat comprised of my siblings and our significant others is now basically an endless stream of TikTok links and “Haha” tapbacks.

Some people like watching TikToks, I like making them (okay, I like doing both).

Personally, I am more interested in creating TikToks than spending every single minute of my free time watching them. I enjoy chronicling the adventures of my kids, telling their stories, expressing the challenges of parenting, and convincing my wife to participate in challenges.

Sid is great at TikTok challenges.

But I am a mere novice when it comes to TikTok creation. All you need to do is refer to your average Gen Zer for inspiration on how it is done. Take our social media interns at Washington State University, for example. Chloe and Yazzmin are the content creators behind our @WSUPullman TikTok account and do a fantastic job at connecting with the coveted prospective student and current student population.

Make sure to take a look at the @WSUPullman TikTok account to see the excellent work of Chloe (pictured) and Yazzmin.

With most good things, there is always a caveat or two that chips away at their desirability. Unfortunately, TikTok has a couple issues. For one, there is the safety concern that has plagued TikTok since its infancy. The app doesn’t just attract a mature Gen Z audience, it attracts a very young Gen Z audience. As I explained in a news interview 18 months ago, parents need to monitor the TikTok activity of their tweens. But perhaps more damning is the privacy nightmare. The app is Chinese-owned and the risk that one’s data could be compromised has always been a concern. In fact, the potential threat was enough to derail any plans we had at Coastal Carolina University of ever creating a TikTok account.

The Chinese connection is what President Trump used last week to justify his decision to ban TikTok in the United States. In recent days, Trump has thrown a lifeline to the app via Microsoft’s interest in purchasing the U.S. portion of it. We shall see how it plays out.

Privacy or no privacy, it seems like most TikTok-obsessed Americans are willing to roll the dice for their daily dose of Taylor Swift-inspired dances and reiterations of the #GotMilkChallenge. For the time being, count me in that group. Don’t Blink.