One of the best Spokane events for families happened last Friday. Healthy Kids Day is a YMCA national initiative to improve the health of children. The initiative is celebrated locally at the Spokane Valley YMCA the first Friday of each June. We attended in 2023 and 2024 but missed out last year. However, the Resers returned for the 2026 event this past Friday. Continue reading
I feel AI is at an interesting point right now. The technology continues to improve but its public perception can’t outpace a rising cascade of detractors.
Surprisingly, the demographic that usually champions emerging innovation is actually the group that is starting to lash out.
Young people aren’t happy.
Enthusiasm for AI is starting to wane.
Multiple times this graduation season, high profile leaders have been booed for mentioning AI advancements at commencement ceremonies. Of course, the jeers can be attributed to the obvious: AI is taking entry level jobs from the graduating students sitting in the seats at those ceremonies. I would be mad too.
But it seems like young and old people alike are starting to get more irritated instead of awed by AI’s capabilities. Even as AI learns more, those of us who are non-robots are being inundated with generative AI content that doesn’t even try to mask its origin.
It goes beyond em-dashes, buzz words, and formatting. AI-produced work is no longer the exception—it’s the rule—and perhaps that is why a lot of the stuff people are feeding to ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini/etc. is being immediately labeled as slop. It is all just so similar and at times too perfect.
I oversee a team that is split right down the middle. Some are AI experts and strategically use it in their work while others are very knowledgeable about it but prefer to use their own generative talents to complete work. But I think what I can say about my team is that they know a personal touch is still very much necessary to make work shine.
Relying on AI to write all emails, spit out 20-page plans, and write your LinkedIn posts is no longer the way to go. People see right through it and they are no longer saying, “Hey, that person is so innovative.”
Rather, their thinking is, “Hey, that person is so lazy.”
My philosophy with AI is still the same: We need to know it inside-and-out but we should utilize it more as an idea generator as opposed to a project-completer. The creativity of a human brain still trumps the learned knowledge of a robot brain. Don’t Blink.
Happy Friday Eve, my friends! I hope your June is off to a fabulous start and that life is good. Let’s jump right into my latest Thursday Rundown…
250th Anniversary Kickoff – I love a good patriotic event and I also find incredible significance in America’s upcoming 250th anniversary. So when I learned that the City of Spokane Valley was hosting “Celebrating America’s 250th: Picnic in the Park,” it took no arm twisting to get me there. Even though he had a soccer match right before it, I hauled Beau with me to Balfour Park where a military band played, Revolutionary-era groups convened, and the American flag flew. Make no mistake about it, I plan to celebrate all summer long.
Beau hanging with some colonial men at the “Celebrating America’s 250th: Picnic in the Park” event at Balfour Park in Spokane Valley,
Free Ice Cream – I have gone on record stating that the best perk about working for Eastern Washington University is the free bus pass. Well, I can now identify my second favorite perk. On Tuesday an ice cream truck pulled up near our building and distributed free ice cream to everyone—students and staff alike! It was a tough decision between the ice cream Oreo sandwich or the Reese’s ice cream bar but I went with the latter. Nothing like taking a random break at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday for a free sweet treat.
I pose with my colleagues in EWU University Relations on June 1, 2026. We were surprised when the ice cream truck pulled up near our office and started handing out free treats. Ryan Gaard is on the left and Emily Ausere is on the right. Both are very talented designers.
Happy First Birthday, Neteyam! – Over the weekend, we attended our godson’s 1st birthday party. Sid, the kids, and I were honored to be the only non-family members invited to Neteyam’s bash that took place at the delicious Outlaw BBQ. It is hard to describe how cute and good-natured Neteyam is. We told his mom and our good friend, Fidela, that this was one of our favorite ages for our own kids. Speaking of Fidela, she celebrated her third wedding anniversary with Dylan yesterday…congrats!
Fidela, Beau, Neteyam, and Sidney pose for a photo at our godson’s birthday party held at Outlaw BBQ.
Happy Anniversary, Miranda and Jay! – While we are on the subject of anniversaries, I want to give a very special shout out to my sister and brother-in-law. Today they celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. The ceremony took place in Hillyard on a hot day. It was nice to celebrate with so many of our extended family members and the pasta at the reception venue that day was on-point.
Miranda and Jay are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary today.
Top Cheeses – Today is National Cheese Day and 1.5 years ago I celebrated its cousin’s national day (National Cheese Lover’s Day) by counting down my top five favorite cheeses. Because I feel nice tonight, I am going to save you a click if you wish and just give you my list. In order from #5 to my all-time favorite cheese, here you go: parmesan cheese, queso, blue cheese, Cougar Gold, pepper jack.
Parmesan cheese is one of my top five favorite cheeses.
———————
Another Thursday Rundown in the books! Fair warning, there will be no rundown next week but there will be a blog post. Adding to the unusual blogging week is the fact that I hope to post an end-of-school-year entry on that Friday as well—but we shall see. Until then, have a fantastic weekend. Don’t Blink.
Our alumni director, Kelsey Hatch-Brecek, has started a fun tradition within our University Relations department. Upon walking into our suite of offices, a whiteboard presents a “topic of the day.” Each person is encouraged to use the dry erase marker to indicate a preference. Yesterday, the topic was a good one:
You’re at a gas station and the pump says “SEE CASHIER.” Are you staying or leaving?
This was the “Topic of the Day” I walked into yesterday. I was the second person to answer and my response is on the left 😉.
Now I realize some people might interpret the question differently so let me convey the way I approached it…
Imagine yourself driving to the gas station. You pull up to a pump, exit your car, and pull out your card. With card in-hand, you begin to insert it only to realize the message on the screen is flashing “SEE CASHIER”. Or you do make it to the point where you are able to insert your card only to receive the “SEE CASHIER” prompt once your card is read.
Basing my decision on the scenarios I just listed above, my course of action is a no-brainer…
I am staying.
And trust me, I have been tested a lot lately. I don’t know what it is about the gas stations I frequent, but it almost seems like I get a “SEE CASHIER” screen as often as the ice cream machine is out-of-order at McDonald’s.
If the gas pump says “SEE CASHIER” I am trying another pump at the same gas station.
My first reaction upon receiving this extremely inconvenient message is to begrudgingly get back into my car and drive the 10 feet to the next pump at the same station. This has worked in the past but other times the same infuriating message is flashing on that pump as well. Rather than following the adage of “the third time’s the charm” I usually—and never happily—walk inside to SEE CASHIER 😉.
From that point, I give the cashier a specific amount of money I want to fill my gas tank with. I know some stations will allow you to fill up by putting a hold on your account for some larger amount, but I am always skeptical. Instead, I just use my best experience and math skills to give an amount that will get me as close to “full” as possible without going over. Price Is Right at the gas station, everyone 😂.
I can provide my reasoning for “staying” with three straight-forward points…
1. I have no desire to pull into a second gas station and then re-enter traffic all over again
2. Usually I have already targeted the specific gas station I am at because it has the lowest prices and I don’t want to pay more
3. Often I pull into a gas station when I am literally beyond empty so I don’t want to take the chance of driving to another gas station and running completely out of fuel while on my way 😂
Are you staying or leaving? Don’t Blink.
The spring soccer season came to a close for Beau this past weekend. Although the Blue Sharks dropped their final match (but we aren’t supposed to keep score so who knows, right?), it marked an eight-week period of growth and improvement for our little footballer.
Beau had a positive spring soccer season.
I was excited for Beau to play this season just because of his own enthusiasm to put back on the soccer cleats. Since the fall season ended, he would ask me at least once per week when he would get to play again. Needless to say, when we gave him the choice of either baseball or soccer this spring, he didn’t hesitate with his decision. Even when we asked him if he wanted to play on a t-ball team with the boys from his class, he didn’t waver.
Beau chases the ball on the soccer court at Balfour Park in Spokane Valley.
I don’t know where his soccer passion comes from. Although I did play soccer through sixth grade, the sport was unfairly looked down upon in my family—and there is no soccer history in Sid’s family. But nonetheless, we don’t call our son Beaunaldo for nothing.
Even though my dad isn’t a soccer fan, he has been nothing but supportive and helpful with Beau.
It has been a joy watching Beau play this year. I am very realistic about the athletic abilities of my kids and the genes they were given, but Beau was actually the standout player on his team this year. He led the Blue Sharks in goals and was designated as the “fastest player on the team” when he beat his teammates in a race at the final practice of the season. He had the game of his life when he scored four goals during the second-to-last game of the year.
Beau chases the ball in pursuit of another goal during the last game of the season.
Even though Beau is finished playing organized soccer until this upcoming fall, his excitement for the sport continues. He can’t get enough of watching Ronaldo highlights and he is beyond stoked for the World Cup this month. He loves soccer influencers and we have to remind him that he isn’t allowed to kick the ball in the house.
Beau huddles with his team for the last time during the Spring 2026 SYSA soccer season.
Although it will be nice to have Saturdays back again, I admired the way Beau gave 100% this soccer season and will miss watching him play over the next few months. Don’t Blink.
June 1 looks different this year than it did in 2025.
On this date 365 days ago, we had completed most of our out-of-town fun for the summer. We went on a cruise in April and visited Disney World in May. By the time the first “real” month of the summer arrived, I was content that most of our summer days would be spent in Spokane.
After all, we had our fun.
With June’s arrival this year, things are the opposite. Our summer schedule is more packed and we have a couple trips to look forward to.
June is here! It is officially ice cream truck season.
In fact, one of those trips will take place this month. Buckle up, it is going to be a busy June…
Aside from the vacation planned later this month, we have a lot more going on. Our calendar over the next four weeks is marked with some community events, a milestone anniversary, last day of school for the kids, EWU commencement, Catholic Summer Camp, a Father’s Day celebration, and Hoopfest. A lot of memories are waiting to be made.
Beyond the craziness, it is important to recognize the significance of June. It marks the final month of the first half of the year. Once we reach June 30, it will be the halfway mark of 2026. Take that anecdote as you will.
Happy June, everyone! Here’s to good weather, a satisfying conclusion to the school year, visits from the ice cream truck, and long nights of front porch sitting. Don’t Blink.
Facebook