Monthly Archives: September 2026

Distraction

Posted on by
Reply

We do allow Sloan to keep a tablet that allows her to play some games and watch curated videos on YouTube. We set it so she can only access content at certain times during the day.

With that said, when the tablet is “open for business” she definitely takes advantage of it…perhaps too much so.

Over the course of this past year, I have observed her walking with it like the device is her best friend. Whether she is making macaroni and cheese, taking a bath, or (gasp) even doing homework she will have it with her. Many times, her eyes and mind will be more fixated on the tablet than the primary task she is doing.

This “Non-Sequitur” comic strip from 9/16/2026 perfectly describes our society’s addiction to screens.

I have even caught her watching the tablet as she brushes her teeth, walks down the stairs, and searches for a snack in the pantry.

This behavior furiously irritates me and I let her know about it.

“You don’t need your tablet to brush your teeth, Sloan,” I will scold.

But if I am honest, Sloan’s focus on the tablet isn’t a condition she developed and created herself. The comic strip I shared a few paragraphs ago epitomizes society’s dependence on devices. It doesn’t matter what is going on around us, we allow screens to distract us to the point of catastrophe. It is a total lack of prioritization and consideration for others.

And when it comes to “society” I am absolutely counted in the ranks. Sadly, I haven’t done much to steer us away from hyper-device fixation or even pull my head away from my own device. I wonder where Sloan gets it from. Don’t Blink.

Stephen King: Beyond Horror

Posted on by
Reply

Stephen King turns 79 today. Maybe I should wait until next year to write this post for his milestone birthday. But I can’t guarantee I will read any of the legendary author’s works over the next 365 days (although I want to) so I am writing it today.

Stephen King celebrates his 79th birthday today. I have read a few of his non-horror books over the past couple years.

An icon. How else can I describe Stephen King? Well, some people might put a modifier before the word “icon” with the word “horror” but that would be selling him immensely short. Although King is the king of the horror (pun intended), he is also an overall master of literature.

Stephen King established himself in the horror genre but over the past couple decades he has written novel after novel about plots and topics that aren’t scary. Although I really enjoy a good spooky book, I am a big fan of King’s recent work as well. His contemporary stuff is detailed, engaging, and super funny.

Over the past couple years, I have read three Stephen King books that were all terrific. In case you need a good reading recommendation, here are the ones I picked up off the library shelf…

Billy Summers – The story of a former Marine sniper who continues his work as an assassin in the civilian world. Only taking jobs that target the most evil humans and that pay lucratively, Billy accepts an offer he can’t refuse…only to wish that he refused it. This was a serious page-turner and I was impressed with the character development of Billy—definitely someone you don’t want to mess with.

Before I returned “Billy Summers” to the library, I had to snap a quick photo in my car.

Mr. Mercedes – A retired cop who is deeply depressed is brought back into the game when he starts receiving letters from a serial killer. This detective novel includes a love story as well but what really stood out to me was how sadistic Stephen King can get with his villains.

Me clutching my library copy of “Mr. Mercedes.”

Later – Cue the “Sixth Sense” references but this book is about a boy who can see dead people. Only in this story, the dead people can not just talk but they can only tell the truth. When the boy becomes the favorite resource of a corrupt cop, things get very interesting. Although this seemingly has elements of King’s signature horror storytelling, it is more a crime novel…and it is also a relatively quick read by King standards.

Sorry, I didn’t snap a photo of my hand holding the actual book. But “Later” was a mix of crime and creepy.

Happy birthday, Stephen King! Anyone out there read a King novel recently? Or is there a certain work that I must read? Please let me know. Don’t Blink.

Cookie Dough Thursday Rundown

Posted on by
Reply

Alright, we are in mid-September and with that comes a fascinating mixture of summer and autumn here in the Inland Northwest. The best way I can describe this special time is with one word: glorious.

Friday Night Greasy Food – I live for Friday nights with my wife and kids. Whether we are watching a movie at home, catching a high school football game, or going out for dinner I will always cherish the carefree/celebratory evenings after a week of work and school. Last Friday we hit up Ron’s Drive-In, a classic hamburger place in Spokane Valley. We ordered burgers, chicken, French fries, and onion rings and it was so good. Look at the below photo of Sloan and our tray of food. Can you get anymore wholesome/American?

I live for Friday nights with my family. This past Friday evening we ate at Ron’s Drive-In in Spokane Valley. Our tray just looks classic!

Beau In Foam – Our St. Mary Parish Festival was held last Friday and for the second year in a row a foam machine was part of the festivities. Beau went a little overboard and got…ummm…drenched? Excuse my lack of a better word, I don’t know quite the term for being covered in foam (foamed?). Anyway, to be honest, I think Beau regretted his decision a bit. He actually got the chills but luckily I had a beach towel in the back of my trunk to wrap him in.

Beau was covered in foam during the 2026 St. Mary (Spokane Valley) Parish Festival

Quirkie Dough – I love it when one of my big ideas that I was too lazy to implement hits it big. Back in 2015, I pitched my idea for Cookie Dough Café, a dessert shop that resembles an ice parlor but instead of ice cream you are served cookie dough. My vision included edible cookie dough in various flavors served in bowls with toppings. I sat on the concept a little too long because this week I learned of Quirkie Dough, a shop in Coeur d’Alene that delights customers with cookie dough creations. I have not visited Quirkie Dough yet but when I do I will make sure to write a blog post about the experience.

I need to try Quirkie Dough in Coeur d’Alene. Don’t worry, I won’t ask them to pay me for my original idea 😉.

Soccer Season Is Here – Beau is back on the pitch! His fall soccer season started this month and he had his first game on Saturday. The White Sharks came out of the gates with a 6-3 win as Beau notched his first goal of the fall campaign. After this summer’s World Cup it seems like soccer is hotter than ever and our son is still manic for the sport. I will update you on how the season ends next month.

Beau poses with his teammate and classmate, Grant, after the White Sharks won the first game of the fall season.

Don’t Blink Feature – Industry recognition and kudos from your bosses is one thing, but affirmation from those you serve is another. During this week 11 years ago, the student newspaper at Coastal Carolina University (The Chanticleer) ran this front page feature on me. Of course the absolute best part was the title of the piece. The story has been completely wiped from the internet (😂) but the photo of the physical paper I took with my phone remains. Go Chants!

I felt special when Kara Thomas of The Chanticleer wrote this article about me.

————————

That will wrap up another Thursday Rundown. We have an extremely busy weekend that will include a trip to the Spokane Interstate Fair. Wishing you all the best until we catch up again next week. Don’t Blink.

There’s Something About September

Posted on by
Reply

Did you know that September 16 is a very significant date? This might be the coolest fact you learn today, but for many years 9/16 was the most common birthday in the United States. A Harvard study that took years to complete confirmed this fact based on real data that tabulated the births of Americans.

Happy birthday to everyone celebrating their birthday today…there are a lot of you!

However, since 1994, September 9 is now the most common birthday in the United States. This is attributed to C-sections becoming more prevalent. Moms no longer have to wait until their exact due date if delivering a week or two earlier is better for her health or the baby’s health.

But here comes the craziest thing: When it comes to the top 10 most common dates for birthdays in the United States, NINE of them are in September. The only outlier date belongs to July (7/7 to be exact).

By this time I can sense all my readers doing the math in their heads and your likely assumption is correct: Many of these September babies are conceived around Christmas when spirits are high and people are at home.

Makes sense, right?

No wonder Beau has two birthday parties to attend this weekend.

My brother was born on September 23…which equates to almost exactly 9 months after Christmas.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Surprisingly, out of the 16 people who work in our University Relations office here at EWU, none of us have a September birthday! The closest person to a September birthday is your favorite blogger, who was born on October 8.

And a quick look at my Facebook friends indicates that four of them (.3%) were born today—happy birthday Ric, Kailey, Chris, and Neil! Facebook won’t let me easily see birthdays of my friends prior to September 13 but from 9/13 – 9/30, I counted 50 people with birthdays. If you are generous and double that to account for 9/1 – 9/12, it would be 100 September birthdays that equates to 8.4% of my friend list…which is almost exactly 1/12th…and we all know how many months are in a year. So it isn’t like September is dominating in respect to the birthdays of my Facebook friends.

My niece, Mikayla, was born on September 5. 

But don’t worry, I will take the data from Harvard and FiveThirtyEight over my Facebook friend list any day. There is no dispute—September is the most common month for birthdays in our country and we have the birthday of Jesus Christ to thank for that. Don’t Blink.

Thoughts On Tuesdays?

Posted on by
Reply

What are your thoughts about Tuesday?

Is it automatically the second worst day of the week because only Monday is furthest from Friday in terms of the work week? Or do you approach it with more optimism?

Even though most of you know me as an eternal optimist, I don’t even know if I hold Tuesday in high regard—at least when it comes to other days of the week. Although Tuesday isn’t Monday, it kind of is in a sense. Usually Tuesdays and Thursdays are lumped together in a scheduling-sense. Those two days usually mirror each other in terms of how a day is structured and how activities take place. When you think of it that way, the Tuesday is kind of the “Monday” while the Thursday is the “Friday.” I didn’t lose you there, did I?

There’s “Taco Tuesday,” “Fat Tuesday,” and “Teal Tuesday” (IFKYK) but other than that the day of the week is kind of overlooked.

In terms of productivity, I think Tuesdays can be good. We have all suffered through “a case of the Mondays” before. After that band-aid is ripped off, we are usually ready to get after it on Tuesday. So there is that, I guess.

But I would say that Tuesday is definitely the most overlooked day of the week. It seems like nothing truly significant occurs. Even Monday is celebrated multiple times per year when it hosts holidays like Memorial Day and Labor Day. And when those holidays roll by on the calendar, guess what happens to Tuesday? It is yet another example of it being treated as a Monday.

Tuesday is a day that is taboo to take off. Who in their right mind takes a Tuesday off? Well, I pushed for it a couple years ago. You might also mention that Mardi Gras takes place on a Tuesday. That’s true, but how can you get too crazy when the beginning of Lent is just hours away?

If there is one thing that holds a special spot in my heart regarding Tuesdays, it is this: For a period when I was in elementary school, new episodes of “Home Improvement” would premiere on Tuesday evenings. It also happened to be discount night at our local frozen yogurt shop (Didier’s). My parents would get all of us ice cream and we would watch the latest “Home Improvement” episode together. Those were some great times.

See, I told you I was an eternal optimist. Don’t Blink.

The Best Brownie Piece

Posted on by
Reply

As I have mentioned before, our University Relations department has something we do daily called “Topic of the Day.” A whiteboard at the entrance of our office suite displays a question for each member of our team to answer. Every now and then, I will share one of these questions on a Thursday Rundown.

However, sometimes the “Topic of the Day” is too important for just a passing mention on a rundown blog post…

This was the brilliant Topic of the Day within our EWU University Relations office on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.

Such as the one I posted above. Presented in an easy-to-answer and aesthetically-pleasing way by our senior graphic designer, Emily Ausere, the question is quite simple: Which piece of the brownie is the best?

Answering the question as if you had a freshly baked pan of brownies in front of you, the choices included: A corner piece (A), a piece that borders the pan on one side (B), or a middle piece that doesn’t border the pan at all (C).

It didn’t even take a split second for me to answer. I put my tally underneath “C” instantaneously.

I want a brownie that is consistent in texture throughout the whole piece. Give me softness in every bite, please. Corners are chewy at best but most of the time burnt…no thank you. I don’t know about you, but hard and scorched is not my preference when it comes to a brownie.

Thanks to Hurricane Matthew many years ago, we swapped a birthday cake for brownies. You better believe I ate the middle and gave the rest to Sid and her family.

Let me put it this way: The “C” piece as defined in the “Topic of the Day” is the filet of the batch of brownies. It is where all the good stuff resides and where perfection can be found.

My philosophy on opting for and savoring the “filet” goes beyond just brownies (and steak, for that matter). If I am eating a hamburger or a traditional square sandwich, I am eating around the border first so that I can save the best for last when I eat the middle.

This can be applied to pizza, too. We commonly cook a certain type of frozen pizza in our family that is square-shaped. I take the insulated pieces in the middle. Thankfully, this never causes controversy because my wife and kids all want the corner pieces—which brings up my next point…

People actually do prefer corner pieces—even when it comes to brownies. And I guess that is a good thing because in life not everyone can have the filet and when people voluntarily opt out of it, that just means more for me.

Sid, Sloan, and Beau can eat all the corner pieces of brownies and pizza they want. Don’t Blink.

A Quarter Century Since 9/11

Posted on by
Reply

As I wake this morning on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, I can’t shake that it has been a quarter century (I still remember commemorating the 10th anniversary). When the attacks occurred I was a freshman in high school but the time that has elapsed since then hasn’t touched my memory of that day.

However, this blog post isn’t meant to necessarily reflect back on September 11, 2001, but to simply point out three things that are top of mind on September 11, 2026. Three quick thoughts…

Three thoughts come to mind when I reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

First, it is beyond sad how many people have had their lives negatively impacted by the attacks. In addition to the nearly 3,000 who lost their lives on 9/11, they now say even more people have died from breathing the toxic air at the Twin Towers clean up site. And then you have the friends and family of the victims who don’t live a day—even 25 years later—without thinking about their loved ones who perished and the manner by which it happened. The death and pain of 9/11 definitely wasn’t contained to one day.

Second, even though we live in a world that is increasingly violent, I don’t think we will ever become desensitized to the terrible images ingrained in our heads from 25 years ago. From desperate individuals jumping out of buildings to dead people carried out of the wreckage to commercial airliners blowing up upon impact with buildings, those moments of tragedy will continue to live rent free in my head for the next 25 years as well.

And finally, third, if there is one thing to take solace in, it is this: There has not been another major terrorist attack on American soil since that awful day 25 years ago. I am thinking about that a lot this morning and just appreciating the fact that out of all the scheming, plotting, and hating that we all know has inevitably taken place over the past two and a half decades, our government has kept us safe.

What are you thinking about on this solemn anniversary? Whatever it is, take time to remember those who died, honor those who responded, and educate those who were born after the attacks. May we never forget and may we never relive. Don’t Blink.

Couch-Less Thursday Rundown

Posted on by
Reply

Have you treated yourself to anything pumpkin-flavored yet? If not, bravo! I think it is best to wait until the beginning of October to indulge. But something that shouldn’t be confined to a certain season or month (at least in my humble opinion) is the Thursday Rundown. So let’s get rolling with tonight’s five topics…

STA Experience – I mentioned earlier in the week that last Saturday’s EWU gameday experience included a bus ride for my kids. They got to journey on the new STA double decker bus and gave it high marks. Although Sloan battled some brief anxiety once the bus started to move and we hit the highway, her butterflies quickly dissipated. It was cool to let Sloan and Beau experience the same commute that I take often.

Sloan and Beau right the STA double decker bus on our way to the EWU football game in Cheney.

Bye Bye Couch – About four years ago, I made a big deal about us selling a couch. It followed us to four different houses and was the first joint purchase that Sid and I ever made. So, yeah, it held sentimental value and deserved its own blog post. Well, this past weekend we sold the couch that replaced our first one. This second couch provided a comfortable place to sit in three different houses over the course of five years (our first couch sat in storage for a year after we bought our second couch). However, it was time to move on. Facebook Marketplace once again helped us sell this second couch and now we are couch-less until our new piece of furniture is delivered on Saturday. Thanks to big blue for a memorable half decade!

Beau “helps” by assisting the buyer of our couch with loading his new furniture. It served us well!

Green Caterpillar – While on a neighborhood walk the other day, we came across a brightly colored green insect that stood out quite brilliantly on the curb. We spent plenty of time looking at it and admiring the red “horn” coming out at one end of its body. Sloan was especially interested to learn about the creature so we did a Google search and found out it was a tomato hornworm.

Beau looks at a tomato hornworm that we found while on a walk.

9/11 – Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of September 11th, 2001. This week I have been watching a show that reunites people who were at the World Trade Center during the attacks. In most instances, one individual saved the other and the show brings them together for the first time since that awful day. Since I have authored this blog, I have written about 9/11 no less than seven times. To view those entries you can tap here.

I am currently watching the “9/11 Reunited” documentary series.

National TV Dinner Day – I look back at what I put in my stomach when I was a kid and I can’t believe I ate the Kid Cuisine TV dinners. And it wasn’t like I was plugging my nose and swallowing either—I loved those frozen meals so much that I would opt for them over pizza delivery or fast food! To celebrate last year’s National TV Dinner Day, I wrote a blog post that goes into great depth about the “gourmet food” I thought I was eating and how I now realize how badly mistaken (or taste bud-challenged) I was. Happy 2026 National TV Dinner Day!

This box is a fond memory from my childhood. I loved Kid Cuisine TV dinners. Can’t say the same now.

———————

Thanks for reading. Make sure to take some time tomorrow to reflect on 9/11 and the lives that were lost. It is crazy to think that it was 25 years ago. Don’t Blink.

Keeping Us In Our Seats

Posted on by
Reply

This past weekend, I took Sloan and Beau to the Eastern Washington University football home opener. They experienced The Inferno for the first time and obviously gave the Eagles a little luck as the good guys defeated the University of Northern Iowa, 34-24.

The kids pose for a photo with me at the EWU vs. Northern Iowa football game at Roos Field on Sept. 5, 2026.

We rode the Spokane Transit Authority (STA) double decker bus to Cheney, went tailgating, purchased concessions, cheered loud, and saw Swoop. However, even with all that fun, I didn’t know how long we would last at the stadium.

Beau and Sloan admire a rainbow at the EWU vs. Northern Iowa game.

The decision to attend the game was a spur of the moment deal and we battled rain multiple times throughout the contest. We were also in the end zone cheap seats and my kids don’t exactly understand the rules of football. So I figured they would probably be ready to bounce at halftime despite all the fun stuff that was transpiring around us.

I was wrong. We stayed until the very end and there was one big reason why…

The McDonald’s McCafe promotion.

Although my kids don’t understand the finer rules of football, they understood one thing very well: If the EWU football team scored at least 28 points and won, everyone in the stadium would receive a coupon for a free medium McDonald’s refresher drink or craft soda.

A look at the coupon that was up for grabs if Eastern scored 28 points and won.

Game on!

Throughout the game, Sloan and Beau kept their eyes fixated on the scoreboard and cheered enthusiastically for the Eagles to score touchdown after touchdown. They asked me countless times what combination of scoring needed to occur for EWU to reach the 28-point benchmark and the likelihood of it happening. As the game entered the second half—and then the fourth quarter—the desired outcome seemed within reach and the kids started to become both excited and antsy.

Sloan and Beau were fired up about the chance of winning a free drink from McDonald’s.

Their enthusiasm and obsession were familiar to me as I traveled down memory lane. I remembered my childhood years serving as a ball boy for Gonzaga and the Wendy’s three-point promotion that was offered at the time. If the Zags nailed 9 three-pointers, everyone left the gym with a coupon for a Wendy’s quarter pounder cheeseburger. The tension and excitement whenever the team reached 8 three-pointers was so much fun as you could always depend on a player throwing up an ill-advised three-pointer in hopes of sending everyone home happy. I remember some very joyful post-game moments stopping at a Wendy’s restaurant with my dad and brother after the benchmark was hit.

Later on in my life, I became even better acquainted with the mania these promotions produce when I worked at the University of Montana. As a marketing staffer in the athletic department, I oversaw the distribution of coupons for our “Wendy’s Chili is free when the Griz score 73” promo. If the men’s basketball team reached 73 points or more, those in attendance at Dahlberg Arena would receive a coupon for a cup of Wendy’s chili on their way out. My interns at the time had some crazy stories of fans making sure they received their chili coupon…it was like we were handing out $100 bills.

These are the Wendy’s chili card we would pass out when I worked for the University of Montana.

So when Sloan and Beau based their well-being off whether EWU reached 28 points on Saturday night, I totally got it. These types of promotions truly engage fans because who doesn’t love getting something free? Even if it is as trivial as a cup of chili or a medium soft drink.

As we left Roos Field, stadium workers handed McDonald’s free drink coupons to my smiling kids. There was no doubt that I would need to make a stop on the way home.

Sloan and Beau proudly hold the coupons they received outside Roos Field.

When we arrived at the McDonald’s restaurant in downtown Spokane, I made sure the kids knew ahead of time what they were going to order. Sloan got the mango pineapple refresher, Beau chose the strawberry watermelon refresher, and I traded in my coupon for a Sprite berry blast soda for Sid. Although the employee took a hard look at our coupons as we were the first people to redeem them at that restaurant, we received our free drinks.

Ahh the sweet taste of victory. We made a stop at McDonald’s after the game so the kids could cash in their coupons for McDonald’s refresher drinks.

As organizations and universities face the age-old challenge of keeping fans in seats for the entirety of a game, the trick of offering an incentive for team performance can do nothing but help. Trust me, I have seen this tactic work to perfection for multiple generations. Don’t Blink.

15 Years With An iPhone

Posted on by
Reply

It was the start of an era for sure. On this date 15 years ago, I received my first-ever iPhone. The University of Montana purchased it on my behalf for work purposes but it would double as my personal phone, too.

This was not the first iPhone I received in 2011 but rather the upgraded iPhone 5 I received in Oct. 2012.

I was pretty jacked up on September 7, 2011, when I handled that sleek piece of technology for the initial time. How jacked up was I? Upon getting off work I went straight home and wrote a 1,000-word blog post about my enthusiasm.

And perhaps that is the most cringe-inducing part of this story. Go back and read that blog post and have yourself a good laugh at my poor writing, immaturity, and utter cluelessness. It’s baaaaad.

But I want to move on from that. Rather, I just want to mark the 15th anniversary of my entry into smart phone mania. I was totally blown away by the power I had in my hands back in 2011 and I still marvel at everything my iPhone can do today. It is my clock, camera, calendar, web browser, bill payer, instant messenger, navigator, music player, e-mailer, and newspaper.

And, oh yeah, I make calls on it too.

Holding my iPhone 5 in 2012.

Over the decade and a half, I have owned either three or four iPhones plus a couple work-specific iPhones as well. They have lasted me all 15 years as I have never taken a chance on an Android. Although my record with cell phones was spotty before I received my first iPhone, since then, I haven’t lost, cracked, or damaged any of my smart devices. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back.

I will be the first to say that iPhones have not changed me (or society) completely for the better. They have drastically decreased face-to-face communication, caused device addiction, and promoted laziness. So today, I am not necessarily celebrating this anniversary but rather just marking it. Don’t Blink.