Please Don’t Ever Say This

Posted on March 9, 2016 by brent

We are still eight months away from casting our ballots for President of the United States but a certain sentiment I hate is already being expressed. This particular statement I am about to address is uttered and typed by people of all walks of life and political backgrounds. No group as a whole can claim they have taken the high road and refused to say this; not Republicans, not Democrats, not Independents, etc. I heard disgruntled voters express it when George W. Bush was elected, I heard it when Barack Obama was elected. Despite the situation, in my opinion, no one should ever say this:

“If __________ is elected president, I am leaving the country.”

I can’t think of a more bitter, cry baby, sour grapes response to the possibility and/or the actual election of any presidential candidate. Anyone who goes down this line of rhetoric couldn’t make themselves look much worse.

It is probably 99% certain that one of these individuals will become president. No matter the outcome, do you plan to stick around the United States?

Look, I know many say it simply out of spite and I also know that a few actually act on it, but to say it no matter your literal intention is sad.

I think those who express the desire to leave the country if a certain candidate is elected show disrespect to both our founding fathers and the millions of people who don’t live in this country but wish every minute of the day that they did. Believe me, people living in third world countries would gladly trade you their poverty and oppression for your freedom and safety no matter who is the Commander-In-Chief.

Most of all though, I think the statement is a big slap in the face to our military. The men and women defending our country don’t let up during the transition of power. No matter if it is a Democrat or a Republican taking over in the Oval Office, our soldiers in the armed forces will still give their lives at a second’s notice to protect our country. Sure they have their preferences on who they want to see win, but their willingness to pay the ultimate sacrifice doesn’t budge one bit with the outcome. To state or even joke that we would leave this country if a certain person is elected while members of the military stand tall no matter what the ballots say is a striking contrast. We can’t act so entitled.

To threaten to leave the country if a candidate not of our liking wins office is simply a spoiled and ignorant response. It is spoiled in the fact that we are refusing to accept and recognize the democratic process of this country. When we are out-voted we should accept the outcome and live with it. It is ignorant in the fact that we think the election of a candidate we didn’t support would impact our daily lives so much that leaving the United States would be a logical move. By failing to realize that our founding fathers set up this country with necessary checks and balances to make sure a poor president wouldn’t drastically doom our nation just shows misunderstanding.

Heck, we are just in the primary season! This presidential race is going to be the most intense, heated election our country has ever seen. If you are passionate about one side or one candidate, that is great! However, we should all make sure that our passion for this country is either equal or greater to that party or person. Candidates and presidents will come and go but the stars and stripes will still remain. Why would we want to leave? Don’t Blink.

Original Treats I Ate Growing Up

Posted on March 8, 2016 by brent

With the temperature in the mid-70’s here in Myrtle Beach and the days getting longer, I can’t help but be in a good mood. These positive vibes got me thinking back to when I was a little kid and my mom would let me “help” with preparing/cooking some select dishes. The memory was triggered because a couple of these items were made exclusively on warmer days that feel just like this Tuesday. For tonight’s blog post, I want to look back on some of the fun my mom let my siblings and I have in the kitchen.

Ice Pops – This is the one dish that I actually just didn’t “help” with as I mentioned above. Rather, this was all me. Growing up I was fascinated with the freezing process. I would fill up cups with water and throw them in the freezer. I would then take it out after a couple hours and chisel out the newly formed piece of ice. After that got old I would take my action figures and drop them in a cup of water and freeze it overnight. I would free my action figure by removing the block of ice from the drinkware and throwing it as hard as I could on our driveway.

When the weather heated up, I would make homemade popsicles. My mom had a mold that was specially designed for making ice pops. I would make Kool-Aid and pour it into the mold. After putting them in the freezer I would check the solidifying process obsessively every ten minutes, delaying the freezing time with all the warm air. However, once they finally did freeze, I would thoroughly enjoy the summer treat! Even though after just a few sucks the popsicle would turn from Kool-Aid flavoring to plain ice, I couldn’t get enough. I also made ice pops out of soda, grape juice, and Sunny Delight.

Ice Cream – I don’t think I have a fonder memory than when we would make homemade ice cream. My mom had a cook book that contained a whole section on ice cream. I would look at the beautiful photography that captured the heavenly looking dessert and beg my mom to let us make it. Although it didn’t happen that often, I could always count on my mom to lead the charge in making homemade ice cream about twice a summer.

My mom had an ice cream maker that she kept in a storage closet we rarely used. When she got it out, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Throwing cubes of ice into the machine and watching it go to work was a lot of fun. Although it was a long process to reach the final product, I swore that the ice cream we made was far superior to the kind we bought at the store (well at least until I tried Ben & Jerry’s for the first time).

Pizza Cupcakes – What I am about to explain is a Mary Reser original and it was such a good idea that she submitted the recipe to a cooking magazine.

When we made homemade pizza, the three of us Reser kids got to make our own pizza cupcakes. My mom would get out her cupcake/muffin pans and line them with dough. We then had the fun job of adding the sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings we wanted to the designated cups my mom assigned us. After we prepped our pizza my mom threw the pans in the oven and we went downstairs and watched TV. When she called us back up we ate our dinner just like we would eat our cupcakes when a classmate brought them to school for his/her birthday.

Graham Cracker Snacks – My mom got some serious mileage with graham crackers. When I was a little boy, my mom paired graham crackers and a glass of milk together for my ultimate snack. I would dip a portion of the cracker in the milk until it became soggy and then bite it off. As I got a little older, my tastes became more sophisticated. My mom adjusted to this by offering the kids in our family a graham cracker bar. Out on the table would be crackers, peanut butter, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. We would have the privilege of layering our graham cracker in peanut butter and then topping it with a couple of tasty options. This was our candy growing up.

Button Soup – There is an old Disney book called Button Soup. It features the Donald Duck family as they try to curb their hunger by making soup. To make a long story short, the secret ingredient for the delicious meal was a button they dropped into the pot. I loved the book but I didn’t love my mom’s own pasta fagioli. My smart mother found a remedy for this by rebranding her Italian specialty as Button Soup. When she would go to make her pasta fagioli, she would pick me up and let me drop a button into the pot! From there on out, I always loved it when my mom made her homemade pasta fagioli. Funny enough, almost 25 years later we still sometimes just refer to it as Button Soup.

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There was never a dull moment growing up in the Reser kitchen. Believe it or not, my mom wasn’t the only one who helped make eating fun. My dad also had some neat tricks he would pull out every now and then. However, those will be for a different blog post. Until then, if you see my mom, ask her to bring you a big bowl of Button Soup. Don’t Blink.

Loving the Exposure of Facebook Live

Posted on March 7, 2016 by brent

A couple weeks ago, I wrote this blog post glorifying Facebook for adding more ways to interact with content. Instead of just “liking” a status or a photo, you can now do things such as “love” it, “wow” it, or “haha” it. How crazy would it be if I told you that Facebook has recently added something even cooler than that?

Facebook now gives us the option to broadcast live video. Called Facebook Live, users can now utilize their phones to live stream anything they please onto their profiles.

Facebook Live is another really cool feature from Facebook.

Believe it or not, the very limited rollout for Facebook Live started this past August. A few lucky celebrities were given special access to become pioneers of live video streams on Facebook. In December, the social media giant started extending the privileges to a larger audience. Still, only a small portion of users had the capability to go live. Last month, however, the feature started to become available to brands as well as a large percentage of the media.

Our official Coastal Carolina University Facebook page was included in this February activation bonanza. We suddenly had the power to experiment with a feature that many others on the planet didn’t. Wanting to stay ahead of the curve, I utilized Facebook Live as soon as an appropriate time came about. When our baseball team opened up the season in a fully renovated Springs Brooks Stadium, I knew it was time to go live. I streamed the pregame festivities and the first inning. I literally learned as I streamed…

The power of the new feature hit me fast. As I filmed from my phone, people who had “liked” our page jumped on the broadcast and immediately started commenting. You see, when you do a Facebook Live broadcast your audience can interact with you in real time by writing messages via the comment feature (very similar to Periscope). Our audience, who had never seen a Facebook Live broadcast before, was mesmerized. That debut stream garnered 660 live viewers. After any live broadcast concludes, the video will stay up on your page for others to enjoy if you so desire. That initial video now has over 5,400 views.

I just took this screen capture from our Coastal Carolina University Facebook page (accessible to all). This is what the Facebook Live platform looks like.

Over the past couple weeks, I have used the Facebook Live feature in the classrooms I visit for our award-winning “Inside the Classroom” social media campaign. Each time I have used the streaming feature it has been well-received from our audience. Facebook Live is definitely still in that phase where not everyone is fully aware of it. Our fans will jump in on the live stream, act a little confused at first, and then proclaim that it is the coolest thing ever.

Yesterday I did my first personal Facebook Live broadcast! In typical Brent Reser fashion, I streamed my weekly Sunday Wal-Mart shopping spree. As I cruised through the aisles I watched with glee (and some fear) as my Facebook friends, some who happened to be completely random, jumped on my broadcast. I tried to keep my stream somewhat interesting as my viewers asked about the empty Wal-Mart shelves, my shopping choices, and how I was able to broadcast live. I have to say that the first time using Facebook Live on my personal account was exhilarating!

I did my first ever personal Facebook Live video last night. I guess 243 people thought it would be interesting to see me shop.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, 48 of my Facebook friends jumped on the stream to watch me shop. As of this evening, the video has now been watched over 240 times. To be honest, I don’t even think my personal YouTube channel has that many total views combined.

As some of you know, I am a Periscope advocate. So what do I think about its new high profile rival? (Make no mistake about it, Facebook launched Live to directly counter Periscope). Well, I think Facebook responded with a very strong answer. With Facebook Live the videos can last forever, they can be viewed on a computer, and they can be easily watched by people you know. It is a crapshoot on who is going to watch your Periscope videos and it is simply a rinky-dink app compared to the powerful new Facebook tool. As the feature becomes even more available to the masses I think it will take over the live streaming world.

Don’t have the capability to live stream yet? Hang in there, you should have the option soon! I think you will see that it was worth the wait. Don’t Blink.

What I Thought About “Fuller House”

Posted on March 6, 2016 by brent

Although I don’t really watch television shows now, I did when I was a kid. I watched TGIF and Nickelodeon, but we also had a few family shows that the five of us Resers would watch together. Most of you have probably watched “Home Improvement” and a smaller portion of you are probably familiar with “Touched by an Angel.” Both of these shows we viewed as a family on a weekly basis during their runs. Besides eating dinner together and going to church on Sunday, there wasn’t a more sure thing in the Reser household.

But there was one other show we watched religiously as well. In fact, it predates both “Home Improvement” and “Touched by an Angel.” The first television series we really enjoyed as a family was “Full House.” We* couldn’t wait for Tuesday night when we would watch the new episode. “Full House” became engrained in our family fabric and even after the series ended us kids would still watch re-runs on summer days throughout our childhood.

When it was announced that “Fuller House” would be released, I didn’t get too overly excited. My sister on the other hand was a little bit of a different story. Her nostalgia for the show was a tad more intense than mine. For the several weeks leading up to the launch on Netflix, Miranda let her enthusiasm be known with constant giddy texts about the show sent to our group message (comprised of my brother, his girlfriend, Sidney, my sister, and myself). Her constant promoting of the series rubbed off on us and by a week ago last Friday when it premiered, we all had “Fuller House” fever.

The day that “Fuller House” premiered we were all pretty pumped!

It would come as no surprise that my sister watched the whole series that first weekend. However, for someone like me who doesn’t binge watch shows in the first place, it would take a little more time. Just this morning, nine days after “Fuller House” was made available, I finished the 13th and final episode of the first season.

So, what did I think of it? Well, it took me some time to ease into it. Believe it or not, after watching the first episode I was a little turned off. Don’t get me wrong, it was cool to see the whole cast back together. I liked seeing how they had changed throughout the years (many of them look great) but I was perhaps a little overwhelmed. The writing and production is exactly the same as the original series…same sense of humor, same situations, same character development. In that first episode, this reality was literally stuffed down your throat. The opening show was packed with joke after joke after joke. It seemed like the crew was doing all they could to make up for lost time. In theory, how couldn’t this be the best thing in the world?! Call me tough to please but it was just a little too much. In fact, I didn’t know if I would be able to watch the second episode right away. I needed a break.

I started to enjoy “Fuller House” a little bit more once the cast condensed.

As I am not the one to research television shows and movies, I had no idea that “Fuller House” would condense its focus from a full on cast reunion to a different premise. I was under the impression that we would see Danny, Uncle Joey, and Uncle Jesse every episode. When it became clear that the series would center on DJ and her family with Stephanie and Kimmie along for the ride it narrowed everything down and made me a little more comfortable.

With some of the big personalities gone but their character roles reprised by the women, the series made sense and it developed a flow. I could now contently sit down and watch two episodes in a row if I wanted to.

Saying all of that, I managed to develop an opinion on the actual content of the series. In my opinion, I thought it was good. However, this doesn’t mean I thought it was great.

I thought Stephanie, Kimmie, and especially DJ all did a great job in their roles. They were fun to watch and they did a real honor to their past “Full House” selves in reviving their characters for the “Fuller House” version. However, for the most part, I wasn’t blown away with the new members of the cast. The kids didn’t make a positive impression on me (except for Tommy) and Fernando flat out bothered me. So, it is a little rough watching a series when you don’t particularly care for more than half the cast. An exception to my disdain for the new characters though was Matt, who played DJ’s new love interest. He seemed like my kind of guy and he never made me cringe.

The comedy for the most part was pretty good. If you watched “Full House” you most likely could see all the “Fuller House” jokes from a mile away. Like I mentioned above, sometimes it was just too much but for the most part I laughed out loud throughout most of the series (just ask Sidney).

When it comes down to the episodes, I have two favorites. I loved the show where DJ, Stephanie, and Kimmie go to the club and engage in a dance off. I also enjoyed the one where “a secret admirer” sends “a thousand” roses to the house and the three ladies try to determine who sent them (classic “Full House” type of dilemma). My favorite guest character during this inaugural season was definitely Uncle Jesse. My least favorite character who played in “Fuller House” who also played in “Full House” was Steve. My least favorite character in “Full House” who I ended up liking on “Fuller House” was Kimmie.

I really enjoyed the “roses” episode of “Fuller Hpuse” and to add to it, Uncle Jesse was in it.

“Fuller House” definitely wasn’t “must-see TV” for me. But I did enjoy watching the series at my own pace. There really is something to watching kid actors as a kid yourself and then aging with them so that years later you find yourself watching young adult actors as a young adult yourself. It was announced that “Fuller House” will be back for a second season and I can truthfully say that I will watch it. Don’t Blink.

A Thursday Rundown Dedicated to Dr. Seuss

Posted on March 3, 2016 by brent

Is your March off to a good start? I love this month and already know that the 2016 edition will be terrific. Speaking of terrific, that is what I hope this latest Thursday Rundown will be!

Dr. Seuss – After work on Tuesday evening I drove out to River Oaks Elementary for a special performance. Sidney’s niece, Russell, along with her other first grade classmates, celebrated the birthday of Dr. Seuss. In front of a packed gym, the students read from his books and sang songs. It was super cute and it reminded me of my childhood. “Green Eggs and Ham” was my favorite Seuss book growing up, mostly because I got to “help” make and eat actual green eggs and ham in Kindergarten. It is amazing some of the memories we latch onto over the years and eating green food is definitely one of them for me.

The Dr. Seuss performance from Tuesday night (Terrible photo because I captured it from a video I took). One arrow points to Russell and the other one points to a wonderful Cat in the Hat.

#CCUSocialMedia Honored Again – In the fall I broke news that our social media program at Coastal Carolina University received a gold award in the Education Digital Marketing Awards for our Periscope Marathon event. Well, this week we learned we struck gold again. The 31st Annual Educational Advertising Awards winners were announced and Coastal received the gold designation for our “Inside the Classroom” weekly series. It was another great honor and further vindication that our social program is continuing to head in the right direction. Many thanks to CCU professors for making this all possible by allowing #CCUSocialMedia to observe their classes.

Coastal Carolina University earned a gold award in the social media category for the 31st Annual Educational Advertising Awards

Oscars Review – I watched probably 75% of the Academy Awards this past Sunday. I actually didn’t think the show was as bad as many critics made it out to be. I like Chris Rock and laughed most of the evening. I thought it was a decently organized production. In my opinion, the show was much better than the Grammys (something I feel should never be the case). My biggest disappointment was that Slyvester Stallone didn’t win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, I was really pulling for him. Unfortunately the show was just too long and went too late for me to watch the biggest awards of the night handed out. But that was okay, I received my fill of the pomp and circumstance and went to bed in good spirits.

Too Hard Not to Make Fun of Myself – One year ago today, I ended up embarrassing myself by writing this blog post. I questioned whether twins or the same girl made this ad about my blog. My readers responded and exclaimed that I was an idiot for even asking the question. Of course it was Sidney who had originally set me straight. I know I already relived the humiliation once by including the post in my Top Ten of 2015 but I couldn’t let the anniversary pass without saying something.

Twins? Or one girl with a bad wig? Yep, I am an idiot.

Wedding Update #22 – We are now counting down from just DOUBLE DIGITS until the big day. Only 99 days remain until our wedding. Sidney sent all the invitations across the country for my dad to address. Why? Well, my dad has a thing for calligraphy. He writes in beautiful script and ever since I can remember he has had friends and co-workers ask him to “lend a hand” with their Christmas cards or documents. However, he had never received a wedding invitation request up until this point. He gracefully accepted by saying he would be honored to do it. He has already finished them off and will be sending the invites back to Sidney and her parents to mail off.

This morning I woke up and had the great realization that we are only 99 days away.

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It is another debate night! Can’t wait to see the fireworks that will explode during this one so I got to prepare myself. Have a terrific weekend. Don’t Blink.

Thoughts on the Recent Chick-fil-A Promotion

Posted on March 2, 2016 by brent

In this morning’s newspaper I read a very interesting article about Chick-fil-A. In short, the wildly popular restaurant has started a campaign to discourage folks from using their phones while dining in their eateries.

Many Chick-fil-A locations now have paper boxes for groups to place their phones in when they sit down at a booth. Marketed as “cell phone coops,” the boxes are supposed to help provide a peaceful dining experience. The thought is that families dining at Chick-fil-A restaurants will engage with each other as opposed to engaging with their devices.

Obviously it is a nice and wholesome idea to begin with. But customers who crave a digital distraction free meal will be delighted to know that there is more. If a group surrenders their phones into the coop and manages not to grab for them during their meal, a sweet incentive is given. Totally on their honor, successful families/friends/teams/etc. can go up to the front counter and say they passed the challenge. Everyone in the group is then rewarded with a free ice cream cone. Yes, it is a great concept.

This is what the cell phone coop looks like.

However, as a marketer, I am not the biggest fan.

Most companies are tickled to death when customers show themselves using or consuming a product. For fast food restaurants, this equivalent is people taking any sort of media of their food. In this day and age, it is almost second nature for younger generations to take a photo of their lunch, add an image to their Snapchat story with the restaurant’s geofilter, or record a Vine that shows them eating their sandwich in six seconds. Not only is this FREE marketing, but in my opinion, it is also the best marketing! There is nothing more valuable than user generated content and social media testimonials. The booths and tables of fast food restaurants across the nation are where a company’s brand strength is really established.

With Chick-fil-A this sentiment is magnified even more. I don’t know of any other fast food joint that has such a passionate, cult-like customer base. When I look at my social media channels no other comparable restaurant comes close to Chick-fil-A in regards to name and hashtag mentions. I constantly see people who visit the place on a weekly basis tweet about how they can’t live without it. On top of that, I also see the social media reaction from people who must live without it. I have many friends residing in Washington and Montana who freak out by posting snaps, Instagram images, and Facebook photos whenever they travel out of state to a location where they get to eat at a Chick-fil-A restaurant.

This enthusiasm that is expressed on social media is marketing gold. It is brand awareness that money can’t buy. It is the type of exposure that marketers dream of. Why would any company want to sabotage such a prime outlet by asking customers to go device free at the social hub known as the restaurant booth?

Well, to put it simply, it is because your company happens to be Chick-fil-A.

When I read the article I actually wasn’t that surprised with the seemingly blatant slap in the face to marketing potential. You see, Chick-fil-A is just different. This fast food giant prides itself on doing things their way. It doesn’t matter if that means closing on Sundays, taking positions on social/religious issues, or encouraging customers to put their phones down while eating. Whatever they seem to do, it just works.

So while I cringe at Chick-fil-A giving customers an incentive to literally not spread the company name at dinner, I also respect it. Going against Marketing 101 best practices is a hallmark of this unique chain and last time I checked they seem to be doing pretty well. Don’t Blink.

A Day in My Honor

Posted on March 1, 2016 by brent

I have distinctly discussed my disdain for the stupid and gimmicky “National Day(s) of _________ (whatever food/behavior/hobby)” before. These lame days are made up to fuel content for morning radio show hosts and social media marketers who have a creative mind the size of a pea. However, when they decide to throw something on the calendar that specifically mentions yourself, how can you not recognize it?

Today is National Peanut Butter Lovers Day.

Today is a day created for me…National Peanut Butter Lovers Day

You don’t even have to know me that well to understand that I have an obsession with peanut butter. When people label me, they don’t call me a blogger or a marketer or a gym rat. Rather, most folks just dub me a peanut butter nutcase.

Want to know how I celebrated National Peanut Butter Lovers Day? I ate a half of a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and a full peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Some might call it a nice ode to a silly date on the calendar; I call it what I eat every single day.

For my whole life, I have consumed peanut butter sandwiches. But don’t fool yourself, today we are celebrating something far greater than just sandwiches. Let me remind you, March 1 is called National Peanut Butter Lovers Day. If my only venture into the peanut butter world was with two pieces of bread on the outside then I would be making a mockery by asking for recognition on this special day.

I eat half of a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and a full peanut butter sandwich for lunch every single day.

(SIDE NOTE: Although there is much more to this day besides peanut butter sandwiches, PLEASE click this link and read my recipe for the ultimate PB sandwich).

Truth be known, my taste for peanut butter has been applied in more ways than that of Bubba Gump’s love of shrimp. In fact, if you inserted me into the famous scene of “Forrest Gump” where Bubba talks about the different types/usages of shrimp and had me talk about peanut butter instead, the camera would have rolled on for at least a minute longer.

I enjoy peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter pancakes, peanut butter Pop-Tarts, peanut butter milkshakes, peanut butter trail mix, peanut butter cereal, peanut butter pudding, and peanut butter donuts. I like items stuffed with peanut butter such as pretzels, French toast, and Easter eggs. I like peanut butter candy such as Reeses Cups/Reeses Pieces, Butterfingers, and Fast Breaks. I like peanut butter topped on items such as celery, bananas, hamburgers, and graham crackers. And yes, you better believe it, I love peanut butter right from the jar!

This is my peanut butter hamburger I ate at River City Café, a famous burger place in Myrtle Beach.

When it comes to my top flavor of something, peanut butter is my undisputed favorite (sorry marshmallow and banana). And when it comes to the question I am asked all the time regarding my love of peanut butter (what is your favorite kind?) the answer is always crunchy. You see, I don’t really even prefer a brand, just as long as the spread has actual peanut pieces in it. So give me Jiff, Skippy, Peter Pan, generic brand, etc. because it doesn’t matter. As long as it is crunchy, I am a happy man.

Up until this point, I have shared with you common knowledge. You all know I love peanut butter. However, I feel like I have to make this blog post worthwhile and share with you a peanut butter item I don’t particularly care for. In fact, there are two. Oh my gosh, here we go…

I detest peanut butter salt water taffy and peanut butter Jelly Belly jelly beans. I remember as a kid picking out a piece of salt water taffy from a bucket and diligently making sure that I didn’t choose either a peanut butter piece or a purple piece. To me, peanut butter salt water taffy always had a strong flavor that tasted more like coffee rather than the real deal. The peanut butter Jelly Belly tasted very similar to the salt water taffy. It just contained that very fake peanut butter taste, a taste that made me mad that a product would ever try to associate itself with the wonderful flavor of peanut butter. But besides those two disasters, you would be hard pressed to find anything else “peanut butter” that I do not like.

Happy National Peanut Butter Lovers Day to me! If there was a peanut butter cocktail, chances are I would drink to it. But until then, eating to it is just fine for me. Don’t Blink.

Why I Hate Leap Years

Posted on February 29, 2016 by brent

Ah yes, today is February 29, the day we fulfill our leap year obligation. Of course this wacky date would coincide during a year where we have a presidential election, the summer Olympics, and, most importantly, a big wedding in June. No bones about it, 2016 is a huge year and we are somehow already two months into it.

I appreciate that we continue to honor the occasional February 29 solely because of the poor people who were born on the date. Although I know most babies who entered the world on Leap Day will celebrate their birthdays on February 28 or March 1 on non-leap years, I can only imagine that it probably just isn’t the same.

With that said, I have an overall negative opinion surrounding February 29 for one major reason…

It sabotages the clean tracking of time.

I am a concrete sequential person, meaning I like everything organized and quantitative. I love putting into perspective the passage of time. Believe me, I haven’t kept a journal for close to two decades nor checked Timehop on a daily basis for nothing. If possible, I would take the liberty to say “exactly five years ago today I learned to salsa dance” or “13 years ago today I aced my accounting test” but both examples are inaccurate (besides the fact that both events never happened in the first place).

You see, the leap year negates a very common way of thinking. Let us say that yesterday (February 28, 2016) I won $1,000,000 dollars. On February, 28, 2017, I will not be able to say “exactly one year ago I won a lot of money.” Unfortunately, It is completely inaccurate to make that statement. The Leap Day screws this all up. A whole year, 365 days, would have passed on February 27.

Let me give you another example of how messed up this is. Most would assume that when I celebrated my 29th birthday, I had lived 10,585 days (365 x 29). In reality, because of Leap Days, I had actually lived 10,592 days. It drives me bonkers!

Each time we say something along the lines of “exactly 12 years ago this happened…” or “16 years ago today this occurred…” we are completely wrong. I hate it.

Of course I am well-versed in how historians and others get around this messy problem. You simply say “on today’s date in 1986” or “back in 1979 on this date” etc. This is all fine and good but it doesn’t begin to address the fact that millions of people don’t think this way. Most will believe that February 29, 1988, happened exactly 28 years ago today. Not so. Maybe 28 years and a week ago, but not 28 years exactly.

Now believe me, I know why we have leap years. They help hold our calendar together in other ways. I mean how else are we going to control the way the planet moves on its axis? However, the fact that it messes up the congruent passing of time in years bothers me. Then again, perhaps I should have more pressing and relevant problems keeping me up at night. Don’t Blink.

Finally Finding the Comics Section Funny

Posted on February 28, 2016 by brent

Growing up, we had one major use for the comics section of the newspaper: When a friend had a birthday, my mom would take the last couple newspaper issues out of the recycling bin and wrap the gift in the colorful ink of the funnies. Who needs wrapping paper, right?

My mom would always wrap the birthday presents we gave to our friends in the comic sections of the newspaper.

As a kid, starting around the time of third grade, I religiously read the paper every morning before school. However, the one section that usually appeals to children under the age of 12, the comics, never captured my interest. When I got to sixth grade and we had our newspaper unit, many of my classmates skipped right to the funnies. I am pretty sure I scoffed at them.

I found the comics section not meeting my sophisticated standards. I was all about the hard stuff. With only so much time in the morning, I digested the national, local, sports, and entertainment sections of the paper before I had to catch the bus. I told myself I didn’t have time to flip the sports section over and read the brightly colored comic strips on the back.

Besides, the times I did read the comics I never found them funny anyway. Years later, I would figure out that this was my problem.

As time rolled on, I continued to shun the funnies section. By this time I was an adult and had no excuse to read them. Although I let my guard down a little and would start reading “Dennis the Menace” and “Family Circus” simply because they were each just a single captioned panel, I never took the time to read the other offerings. I mean seriously, Garfield and Charlie Brown are for kids.

It didn’t matter where I was living and which newspaper I was reading, I would always become astonished at how passionate adults would get over their comics. A controversy from the funnies page would always spill over from the back of the paper where they belonged to the legitimate and highly serious editorial section. In the letters to the editor, I would read entry after entry from readers upset about either the comics going to black and white, a beloved comic strip being removed from the daily lineup, or a selection that caused a minor uproar by offending a few people. After years of reading these types of letters, I became vaguely aware that the comics section wasn’t just for kids.

In the past few months I have started to find the humor in comics (this strip was from yesterday’s paper).

A few months ago I had some time on my hands. With my electronic version of the paper still pulled up and without anything pressing that I needed to look up on Wikipedia, I decided to glance at the comics. My “quick glance” turned into a detailed reading of every single comic strip on that page. I wanted to see if I was in fact missing anything.

Right off of the bat I noticed a few things. Some themes hit me and I thought maybe I could have been wrong all these years. Not wanting to make any quick judgments, I just kept my mouth shut and continued to read the comics on a daily basis. I feel I can now say this…

Despite the belief I held for most of my life, I can now say that the comic section of a newspaper is probably more for ADULTS than for KIDS. For much of my childhood I neglected the funnies because they didn’t make me laugh. As I reached my adult years I held onto this reason for not giving the comics the time of day. But after reading them now on a daily basis I have to admit a sobering truth: The 11-year-old Brent just didn’t understand the jokes, ironies, and sarcasms embedded in those colorful strips.

The comics section of a newspaper sheds light on the issues, occurrences, and problems faced by individuals. It touches on relationships, office life, health realities, the daily news, financial issues, political battles, pop culture, and so much more. If an average adult read the comics from top to bottom on any given day, he would most likely have a comprehensive outlook on what it is like to be a typical American.

This commentary on everyday life is disguised in colorful ink with talking animals, cavemen, and characters with outlandish facial features. It is not Saturday morning cartoons like I once thought. Rather, it is a funny outlook on what it means to be a member of society. I didn’t understand this as a kid and I didn’t understand it for 10 years of my adult life. However, I am glad I utilized the free time I had a few months ago to give the comics page another look. The joke was on me. Don’t Blink.

Crossing the Aisle to See Hillary Rodham Clinton

Posted on February 26, 2016 by brent

After attending a Marco Rubio rally and a Jeb Bush town hall last week, I had the opportunity to stroll on the other side of the fence last night. In company with an estimated 1,000 people, I watched the current superstar of the Democratic party state her case for the highest office in the country.

After seeing Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush last week, I went and saw a Democratic nominee last night.

Hillary Clinton spoke at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Thursday night. Originally scheduled for 5 p.m., the event was pushed to 6 p.m. because a previous campaign stop of Clinton’s ran long. This provided me the perfect opportunity to get to the venue and watch the rally in its entirety. After waiting in line and getting frisked by the Secret Service, I entered the ballroom of the convention center. With all the seats taken, I stood in the back with the media.

This panorama image was taken by a member of the local Myrtle Beach media right as I entered the venue. If you look to the very left you will see me with the gray and blue polo. I would push myself up directly behind the last row of chairs and enjoy a great view (photo courtesy of Meghan Miller of WBTW).

Believe it or not, this was probably the best arrangement possible. Not only was I positioned directly across from where Hillary would deliver her stump, I was also able to see over the crowd since I was on my feet while everyone else was sitting down. The rally started with a five minute video introduction. Any guesses on who delivered it? Let’s be honest here, if your spouse was a former president you would have him/her introduce you as well.

After Bill’s video, Hillary came out with a local Myrtle Beach politician (I apologize, I can’t remember the man’s name or title). This local elected official gave a brief one minute introduction. Secretary Clinton then took the mic and went to work.

Because I was able to stand, I had a great view of Clinton.

The first thing I really noticed? Hillary Clinton is a great speaker. She is on the same level as Marco Rubio and of course light years ahead of Jeb Bush. She was very skilled in connecting with the audience and telling stories. She drew genuine “ooohhhhs” and “ahhhhhhs” out of the crowd. I couldn’t help but respect it. The energy level from both Hillary and the crowd was present.

This was the scene last night at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center for the Hillary Clinton rally. I took this panorama right when Hillary started to speak.

I had to battle through an adjustment period. After listening to two conservative speakers detail their very conservative ideas it was a little strange listening to a liberal speaker detail her very liberal ideas. But because I am not dead set on the platform of either party, perhaps I took less time to adjust than it might take others. Knowing that she has South Carolina in the bag, she focused most of her negative campaigning on the Republican candidates, basically calling them idiots. However, she did take on Bernie Sanders’ free college education plan and offered a logical critique of it. As someone who works at a university, this was something that was very interesting to me.

Hillary touched on many issues and much of it didn’t stick with me just because a lot of it went over my head. But there was absolutely a defining moment for me, a part of the rally that I will always remember. Probably midway through her stump, Clinton brought up the Osama Bin Laden raid. Except for the cell phones that kept going off, the ballroom became very quiet. She described the meeting that was held to approve the mission, the atmosphere inside the war room when the raid went down, the technology that was available to President Obama’s team to view the action, and the kindness that the Navy Seals showed after eliminating Bin Laden (the Seals escorted the women and children out of the compound and placed them in a safe place so that when they destroyed their downed helicopter no one would be injured from the explosion).

Hillary making a point during the rally.

Of course Clinton used the story to her benefit. Hillary explained that during the meeting when they were deciding whether to order the mission or not, she told President Obama to go through with it. She then mentioned that other people in the room advised him not to go through with it.

The rally ended around 6:40 p.m. and it was a mad rush to the stage area to shake the hand or take a photo with Hillary Clinton. At first I didn’t think most people had a chance because she had another event in another South Carolina town at 7:30 p.m. But much respect to Hillary, she stayed at least 15 minutes after her speech to greet her supporters. For me, this was my favorite part of the whole evening and it had nothing to do with watching Clinton take selfies…

Probably my favorite part of the rally was watching the Secret Service work. I took this photo after the rally ended.

I moved close to the stage and stood on a chair to get a good view of Clinton interacting with the sea of people around her. Within that mob I closely watched and admired her Secret Service contingent. Because I am a United States Presidents buff, I am naturally a Secret Service fan as well. With interest I watched the seven agents who were in clear view perform their job. Three were stationed on Hillary’s right, three were stationed on her left, and one stood directly behind her at all times. When she moved, they moved. Yes yes yes, they all wore suits, ear pieces, and stoic expressions as their eyes scanned in all directions.

As I stood on the chair, Hillary fans came up to me and asked if I would snap photos for them with their phones of the candidate. I happily obliged and took about 6-8 photos with each device I was given to make sure the person would have a nice memory from the evening. In between serving as a photographer I took my own selfie with Hillary Clinton in plain view. I knew this would be my best shot for a photo op with the former First Lady because I wasn’t going to have the opportunity to meet her.

Unfortunately I didn’t get an actual photo like I did with Marco and Jeb…but this will do.

Before she exited the venue surrounded by the Secret Service, I was able to push to the very front. Many of the people around me were freaking out, obviously overjoyed to be so close to someone who might be our president in under a year from now.

Right before Hillary walked out the door and on to her next campaign stop, I got within feet of her.

I feel fortunate that I was able to attend a Hillary Clinton event. Even though I don’t necessarily share her political beliefs (because I don’t have many to begin with) I enjoyed the energy and excitement I could feel. Although I am bummed that I didn’t get to see Donald Trump (he held his rally during work hours) or Bernie Sanders (he didn’t come to Myrtle Beach), I am so happy I took time to watch three presidential candidates speak to me from just feet away. Whatever you feel about politics and politicians, if you have the opportunity to attend an event during this big election year I recommend that you do so. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Author Archives: brent