Author Archives: brent

Halloween Night Thursday Rundown

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Happy Halloween! Who is ready for a night of screams and treats? This post is historic because it is only the second time I have written a Thursday Rundown on October 31. The first time was five years ago in 2019. Before you hit the neighborhood to trick-or-treat, let me offer up five random topics…

Red Tie Gala – Earlier this month, we kicked off the public phase of Eastern Washington University’s comprehensive fundraising campaign—Build Our Future. This was another project I had the opportunity to work on the moment I stepped on campus. The public-facing effort launched with the Red Tie Gala on Oct. 18. This was such a nice event because not only did it generate enthusiasm for this very important phase of the campaign but it was also a celebration of the work completed up to this point. The cherry on top was that I got to bring Sidney. Not only did we have a nice date night, but she got to meet my boss and team. EWU has raised $67M of its $100M goal.

The Red Tie Gala was a blast! Sidney got to meet my boss, Eric Limburg (and we both got to meet his wife, Tara), and she also met members of my team. What a fun time we had supporting Eastern Washington University.

Earlier And Earlier Every Year – I remember back in the day when it used to be pushing it if Santa showed up a couple days before Thanksgiving. Now he is showing up several days before Halloween! In fact, not only did my kids fist bump with Kris Kringle this past Saturday, they said “hello” to Mrs. Claus too. To be honest, this isn’t totally unprecedented. Santa dropped candy in Sloan’s trick-or-treat basket back in 2021, too.

Beau, Sloan, and my niece had a Santa encounter at a trunk-or-treat over the weekend.

Pumpkin Carving – Although the carving of pumpkins is perhaps the one thing I don’t love about Halloween, it doesn’t mean we don’t do it. Sidney always takes the lead on this festivity with the kids. This year, Sloan and Beau got their pumpkins during a Halloween party at Brick West, a brewery in downtown Spokane. They might be smaller in size than carving pumpkins from grocery stores, but they definitely did the trick.

Sid and the kids busy carving pumpkins earlier this week.

River Park SCARE – We didn’t just do trunk-or-treats this past weekend. Cognizant of the fact that cavities aren’t good, I took the kids to other spooky events that weren’t candy-based. One such opportunity was River Park SCARE. It took place in River Park Square, our area’s downtown mall, and offered tons of fun activities. The event offered Lego building, bath bomb creation, balloon making, and princess meeting. It was a nice change of pace from the sugar-paved road of the trunk-or-treat circuit.

Sloan and Beau having fun at the River Park SCARE event.

Candy Inflation – With the prices you see below, I think we might have to opt for more tricks than treats. Or, in my case, we might just have to turn the light out at our house and dash over to my parents’ where they already have their candy stash for trick-or-treaters. Call me a cheapskate, but candy prices for a single bag are getting a little out of control. Granted, what you see below is chocolate and it is packed with 200 pieces but inflation is definitely real.

I encountered this expensive bag of candy at Safeway.

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Have an awesome night, everyone! Stay safe, make memories, and be kind to all the little goblins and ghouls. Don’t Blink.

Candy Corn Vs. Everybody

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Today is an extreme, bitter battle. Move over iPhone vs. Android and Pepsi vs. Coke. Don’t waste your time Uber vs. Lyft and Dunkin vs. Starbucks. In fact, this face off might be more toxic than Trump vs. Harris.

What I am alluding to is a grudge match not for the faint of heart. Hide your kids and hide your husband because I am about to hit you with it…

Candy Corn vs. Everybody.

Today is National Candy Corn and I sincerely question how many people are actually celebrating.

Yes sir, today is the day that recognizes the candy everyone loves to hate…and with good reason. October 30 is an official opportunity to intensify attacks on the most misguided confectionery ever made. Happy National Candy Corn Day, everyone.

Full transparency, I used to like candy corn—but it was before I knew better. At my grandpa’s restaurant growing up, there was a candy case at the cash register that contained candy bars, mints, Skittles, and…candy corn. I would do the unthinkable and actually eat it.

But then one day the weirdest thing happened. It was like a switch was flipped and I stopped liking candy corn. As crazy as it sounds, I went from tolerating the candy to finding it totally repulsive. It happened seemingly overnight.

One of my colleagues brought in candy corn to the office today. She had no idea it was National Candy Corn Day. Even though I hate candy corn, I had to eat a few pieces because of that incredible timing. Thanks, Shelley!

These days I have no time whatsoever to contemplate eating candy corn. I almost dread October because of its prevalence. The chalky, waxy texture doesn’t agree with my body. The only thing I find less appetizing than traditional candy corn? The candy corn that comes in seasonal shapes.

For example, you find pumpkin-shaped candy corn all over the place this time of year. Much in the same way that Reese’s pumpkins seem to contain more Reese’s peanut butter than a typical peanut butter cup, a candy corn pumpkin seems to contain more “candy corn” (haha) than a traditional piece of candy corn. Obviously I find just one of those scenarios pleasurable and it isn’t the one that deals with the product we are “celebrating” today.

My boss isn’t a candy corn fan either, but he says he can tolerate it as a topping. He specifically mentioned that he doesn’t mind a piece of candy corn on a frosted Christmas sugar cookie. Sorry, I still hate it. This past weekend there was a hot chocolate bar at one of the Halloween events we attended. Candy corn was available to either sink (or would it float?) in your cocoa or to top on the whipped cream finish. Blasphemy!

For all those weirdos out there who enjoy candy corn, I hope you enjoy your day. I am personally setting my phone’s alarm clock to notify me at midnight when this nightmare is over. Don’t Blink.

Halloween Costumes 2024

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It is time for a Don’t Blink annual tradition—the Halloween costume reveal of my children. This year marks the fifth time we have had the pleasure (or stress?) of dressing both kids for the spookiest day on the calendar. Although I usually publish this blog post on October 31, I am offering it a couple days early this year due to Halloween falling on a Thursday which I usually reserve for a rundown.

Our costumes this year are courtesy of Target. Although I prefer a more thrifty approach like we pursued in 2022, I realize that occasionally you have to start fresh. Drum roll please…

Introducing the 2024 Halloween costumes of Beau and Sloan.

How do you start fresh when you are the same thing for the third straight year in a row? You totally transform the basics of your costume! Just like in 2022 and 2023, Sloan is a witch. But instead of a black-clad witch from two years ago or an orange-clade witch from last year, Sloan is a battery-powered light up witch. Her costume is adorned with glittery stars to give her a celestial look. The costume helps her stand out from other witches and it helps me keep track of her in the dark. Even though Sloan flirted with dressing up as Wednesday Addams (like her mom did in 2015) or a cupcake, she kept with tradition.

For the third year in a row, Sloan is a witch.

As for Beau, he shocked us all by opting for something other than Spider-Man. After practically living in his 2023 costume for months and months after Halloween passed, he has embraced something new. This Thursday he will be a cuddly, cyclops monster. What you can’t see from the below photo is the big tail in the back. Beau loves to shake that thing with unrivaled passion. He also enjoys charging people head-first—even those he doesn’t know—to “impale” them with his horns.

Beau is a monster this year.

I think a witch and a monster make a dynamic duo. Hopefully they can keep themselves out of trouble and endear themselves to neighbors as they trick-or-treat. I am still in negotiations over whether I receive the candy from every third or every fourth house they visit. Don’t Blink.

My 2024 Top 3 Trunk-Or-Treat Displays

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With Halloween on a Thursday, this past weekend was the opportune time to hold spooky community celebrations. Our family hit the trunk-or-treat circuit as we visited a variety of events throughout town.

During our travels, we saw countless creative/fun trunk-or-treat set ups as Halloween fans went all-out to decorate their vehicles and appeal to kids. I wanted to share with you my personal top three trunk-or-treat displays from the weekend…

Jurassic Park – This trunk was from the St. Mary Catholic School trunk-or-treat on Friday night and it paid homage to a 31-year-old blockbuster film (I feel sooo old). Although I am so sick of the t-rex costumes that ran their course several years ago, my attitude toward the incorporation of dinos in a trunk-or-treat set up is completely different. I am a big fan of Jurassic Park and this trunk used a fierce dinosaur as the centerpiece and surrounded it with plants and plenty of symmetry. If this blog could play sound, you would hear the Jurassic Park theme song because in real life that unmistakable tune was playing as attendees approached this trunk.

This Jurassic Park trunk was at the St. Mary Catholic School Halloween Extravaganza.

Dia de los Muertos – On Saturday morning we went to AM Cannon Park of west central Spokane. The trunk-or-treat offered here was organized by Latinos En Spokane so everything from the music to the booths to the trunks themselves reflected a Latino influence. I especially appreciated the Dia de los Muertos trunk that provided plenty of education about the multi-day Mexican holiday. The decorations, masks, colors, and information made it a very engaging stop at the event.

This trunk was at AM Cannon Park on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Motorcycle Bones – The final trunk-or-treat we attended on Saturday was at the Ponderosa Village (shopping center). After trick-or-treating at so many car trunks, it was nice to approach the trunk of a motorcycle. A much more intimate trunk-or-treat experience is offered when a motorcycle is involved and although this is just a hypothesis, it seems like a more liberal release of candy is also a defining characteristic. The people at this trunk were awesome!

This “trunk” at the Ponderosa Village Trunk-Or-Treat was a nice change of pace.

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Some pretty cool trunks, right? But don’t eat too much candy just yet my friend, Halloween Week is just getting started. Don’t Blink.

October Surprise Thursday Rundown

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It is the week before Halloween—are you ready?! If you have kids, you better be! Halloween festivities will be prevalent this weekend so it is important that your children have their costumes picked out and candy bucket ready to go. Let’s begin with my latest rundown…

Sloan Finishes Another Soccer Season – Last Saturday, Sloan concluded her fall soccer season. This autumn brought about longer games, bigger fields, and more practices. A new uniform color (purple) and team name (the Flying Purple People Eaters) also entered into the mix. For all the changes, Sloan still had Coach Caleb Hatch leading the team along with some of the same teammates from last year. It was another great season where Sloan played hard and honored her commitment to the team.

Sloan with her soccer coach, Caleb Hatch, after her last game this past Saturday.

October Surprise – The term “October Surprise” is meant to convey an unexpected development in a Presidential Election that takes place the month prior to the first Tuesday in November. But a lot of people—including yours truly—use the term loosely. We received an October surprise four years ago on this date when a storm dumped several inches of snow on Spokane. The surprise was magnified even more for Sidney, Sloan, and Beau who had moved out west just a few months prior and never seen snow in October before. Although the kids love the snow, I am fine if we don’t experience this type of “October Surprise” again.

Sid and Sloan out in the snow during the October 2020 snow storm.

Movies – It has been a busy week for movies in the Reser household. I watched the current #1 Netflix film, “Woman of the Hour,” and was underwhelmed and depressed by it. I found the Anna Kendrick-directed film lacking in substance and structure. I get that it is a biographical film on a monster, but there just wasn’t anything there. Sid and I took the weekend to watch “Unhinged,” the current #2 Netflix film. Russell Crowe plays a psychotic villain convincingly enough that it kept me on the edge of my seat. At the same time, the film also managed to instill a worthwhile message. Finally, I watched “Barbarian” on Hulu. It was rated in the highest tier of Huluween’s scary rankings (Very, VERY Scary). It was a unique horror film and provided some decent anxiety.

Three of the movies I watched over the past several days.

National Bologna Day – It is National Bologna Day and some readers might be surprised to know that my mom didn’t make me only peanut butter sandwiches growing up. She would also mix in a bologna sandwich (two pieces of white bread and a single slice of Oscar Mayer bologna) every now and then. Bologna would catch up to me in my adult years as well when the cold cut combo became my favorite Subway sandwich. But my love for the bologna/ham/salami sandwich dwindled when the $5 footlong price nearly doubled. Regardless of inflation paired with Subway’s price hike, bologna is still good!

I am not a huge fan of Subway anymore. But happy National Bologna Day!

Sloan’s Halloween Costumes – I hope my daughter is pleased because this Thursday Rundown has been filled with her…but she deserves it! With Halloween right around the corner, I thought I would share every costume she has worn for the holiday over the years. In order, they include flamingo, Peppa Pig, unicorn, Poppy, Moana, black witch, and orange witch. Any guesses what she will be this year?

From 0-6 years old, here is every Halloween costume Sloan has ever worn.

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Enjoy the Halloween weekend, friends. Take advantage of your annual license to eat candy, watch scary movies, and dress up in your favorite costume. Don’t Blink.

Casting That Ballot

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I performed my civic duty and voted in the 2024 Election. I submitted my ballot by recently dropping it in a mailbox. For those who are curious, Washington has been a “vote by mail” state since 2011. When that law was enacted, I had already been gone from the state for six years. When I did return to Washington in 2020—just in time for that year’s presidential election—it did seem a little strange to vote via mail well before Election Day.

I cast my ballot for the 2024 Presidential Election.

I must say that while I appreciate the conveniences of mail-in voting, actually “going to the polls” on Election Day just hits different. Two past presidential experiences of voting in-person stick out the most…

Dropping off my ballot at the ballot drop box at the Spokane Valley Library in 2020.

This November will mark 20 years since I cast my first ballot. I was a high school senior and had turned 18 just a few weeks prior to Nov. 2, 2004. I went to school that day and followed it up with football practice. After returning home, my mom and I went to the North Spokane County Library to vote. I still remember the room, the voting booths, and making my selections. Even though we were some of the last people in the country to vote and the race between George Bush and John Kerry was already decided, it was exciting!

After we checked in at the voting precinct in 2016, Sid and I were given these little “vote” cards that we eventually would give to the voting official at the front of the line.

A dozen years later, I found myself about 3,000 miles away from that initial polling station standing in line to do the same thing with my pregnant wife. Sidney and I waited for more than two hours inside an elementary school to vote in the infamous 2016 Donald Trump vs. Hilary Clinton election. As South Carolina is the exact opposite as Washington—it is about as red as you can get—we heard a lot of people who were passionate to vote for Trump but not exactly enthusiastic about his chances. We all know how that turned out…

Wearing the stickers to prove it, Sidney and I posed for this selfie outside of Ocean Bay Elementary after casting our ballots during the 2016 Presidential Election.

Although I do miss the excitement and camaraderie that comes with such a public display of democracy, I can appreciate the convenience that exists with mail-in voting. But no matter what option(s) is offered to you, make sure to seize it. The freedom to vote is something we can’t pass up. Don’t Blink.

Another One Rides The Bus

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Every university I have worked at has offered a special perk to its employees. At the University of Montana we received free football tickets, at Coastal Carolina University we enjoyed early release on summer Fridays, and at WSU I benefitted from a very liberal work-from-home schedule.

My favorite perk at Eastern Washington University? A bus pass.

I ride the 661 to the EWU campus a lot. I board the bus at the Jefferson Park and Ride in downtown Spokane.

My new employer provides faculty, staff, and students with a Spokane Transit Authority bus pass. With so many people living in Spokane and with EWU boasting a Spokane campus, it just makes sense for the university to encourage ridership on the STA routes that provide service to/from Cheney.

My vantage point most mornings when I am on the STA bus.

I have seized the opportunity. I try to take the bus 2-3 times per week as I capitalize on the dependability, sustainability, and, for the most part—comfort—that is offered. It serves as a happy arrangement in multiple respects…

First, it saves my vehicle from wear and tear. It is 27 miles from my home to my office. The bus stop where I board is 12 miles away at a park-and-ride in downtown Spokane. Thus, a normal 54-mile round trip for my Ford Escape is reduced to a 24-mile round trip. Sparing my car 30 miles per day adds up. It means less mileage, less gas, and less chance for an accident. It also eliminates driving for an extended time on I-90, my least favorite part of the commute.

Next, there is the convenience aspect. If you know anything about parking on a college campus, it can be scarce and expensive. Taking the bus has allowed me to bypass both those issues. When I use STA, I am dropped off at Eagle Station, the EWU-branded main campus bus plaza that is a convenient two-minute stroll to the building I work in. There is no stress, no driving around in circles, and no time drain.

The Eagle Station is the top bus stop on campus. It is a 2-minute walk to my office.

I also really appreciate the time I am given back that would otherwise be spent behind the wheel. A one-way trip from the park and ride to campus is 20 minutes. That means I have 40 minutes at my disposal on any given day I ride the bus. I use it to catch up on text messages, read the newspaper, check email, and format blog posts.

Finally, taking the bus just connects me better to EWU. Whether I am waiting at the stop or riding in my seat, I am surrounded by Eastern staff, faculty, and students. It has been a great way to solidify/build connections while reminding myself of the diverse EWU community.

It is hard not to smile when you are on the bus.

Thank you to Eastern Washington University for offering this option to all Eagles. Also, hats off to the bus drivers who are always so pleasant! Don’t Blink.

Big Brother 26: Good Stuff

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Although we watched the Big Brother 26 finale a few nights after it aired live, it wasn’t because Sid and I were so ho-hum with the season that we didn’t care. Rather, a packed schedule was to blame for our short delay. But no matter if we watched it live or caught ourselves up a few days after the fact, we thoroughly enjoyed watching our 14th season together.

Sidney and I enjoyed watching Big Brother 26…it was the 14th season we watched together.

Well, to be fair, when it comes to #BB26, there was one thing I didn’t particularly enjoy: the theme. Although the AI twist was extremely timely and something that resonated with me as a marketer, the execution of the theme was finicky at best. Ainsley didn’t do it for me and all the deep fake applications with the houseguests came off as hokey.

But aside from a theme that had good intentions but didn’t deliver, I think the season was pretty solid. And that comes from a blogger who had his favorite houseguest voted out pre-jury. I was a BIG Tucker fan and was truly bummed when he was evicted. I admired how he played with reckless abandonment and the uncanny sense of humor he brought to the house. His move to use the Power of Veto on Angela instead of HIMSELF was unprecedented and ballsy, something that was so audacious that I actually respected it.

Oh wait, did I just mention Angela? Let me just address her now. Commonly referred to as a production “plant” by my wife and popular Big Brother blogs, it was interesting that a former “Dr. Phil” guest and “Price Is Right” contestant was thrown into the house. Her antics did entertain me but I would be lying if I said I never questioned her merits for being part of the cast.

On the other side of the coin, the two finalists, Chelsie and Makensy, certainly deserved to be in that house. They played such well-rounded games and earned their way to the final two. However, despite playing such a masterful game, Makensy made two painfully terrible decisions in the final week. My jaw dropped when she chose to bring Cam to finale night over Rubina. Next, she made the even worst decision of evicting Cam so she could have a jury showdown with Chelsie. WTF.

The Big Brother 26 champion was undoubtedly decided at that point. But even with Makensy sealing her fate with that boneheaded move, Chelsie still managed to impress. I expected that the jury would vote 5-2 in Chelsie’s favor, but her answers to the jury and closing statement were so persuasive and well-put together that I think she flipped Andrea and Leah to her side, effectively securing a 7-0 unanimous decision.

Congrats to Chelsie for playing an incredible game.

A few final random notes…

– I was relieved that the season was played with no controversy in terms of what people said in one-off conversations and that no one was kicked off the show for non-gameplay reasons.

– Watching Jerry O’Connell guest host an episode was kind of fun. I think he did a good job except for the eviction interview he gave to Quinn.

– Speaking of Quinn, he was probably my least favorite houseguest but he was a good player.

– Congrats to Tucker winning America’s Favorite Houseguest…he had my vote!

– The reaction when Julie Chen told the houseguests that Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden in the Presidential Election was priceless. It really put into perspective how long the jury/final two houseguests had been in the house.

Thank you CBS for another season of Big Brother and the opportunity for my wife and I to bond in this annual special way. Don’t Blink.

B-Roll Thursday Rundown

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How is your spooky season going? Well, if your fright-o-meter is already at capacity, you might want to skip this rundown because my writing is really scary! Here are tonight’s five topics…

More Face Painting – Back in August, I devoted a whole blog post to face painting and how my kids are infatuated with the art. Sloan and Beau couldn’t pass up the opportunity once again this past weekend. At Saturday’s Autumn On the Ave event in the Union district and at the Brick West Pumpkin Fest on Sunday, the kids took advantage of the free face painting stations. Both artists were really talented as the faces of Sloan and Beau became canvases for Spider-Man, a unicorn, and a turtle.

The kids naturally gravitated toward the face painting stations while we were out in the community last weekend.

In the EWU Classroom – A project I have spearheaded at work is the updating of our photo and b-roll libraries. On Tuesday and today, I worked with crews to gather student affairs-based content and academic-based content. Today was all about academics as we visited seven different classrooms/labs on both the Cheney campus and Spokane campus. From ceramics to robotics to biology to photography (and so much more), we captured a lot! It was really cool to see the students so focused and to observe the professors engaging with them. Can’t wait to put all this incredible content to use in our marketing materials.

It was a packed day as we visited seven different Eastern Washington University classrooms/labs.

National Pasta Day – Today is National Pasta Day and I actually wrote an entire post to commemorate this special date last year. I celebrated by listing my top 5 favorite pasta noodles (I am sure you are so surprised, right?). You can tap the link for my entire list but I will throw you a bone—or a pasta noodle—by revealing my #1 noodle: it’s angel hair! I appreciate how I can effortlessly twirl this angelic type of pasta on my fork and it seems like all sauces naturally pair well with it.

I like nothing more than bowl of pasta and a glass of milk.

Flavored Cotton Candy – On Friday night, Sloan and I enjoyed a daddy-daughter high school football date night. We went to nearby University High School to watch the Titans defeat Ferris High School. Sloan most likely won’t remember the final score nor the homecoming halftime show, but I do think she will remember the cotton candy stand. Besides the giant servings, this stand was particularly memorable because of the different flavors you could order. Whether you wanted green apple, POG, or even bacon-flavored cotton candy, it was like you were in a Baskin-Robbins with the variety. Sloan opted for watermelon.

Sloan and I pose for a photo with her watermelon cotton candy at the 10/11/24 football game at University High School where the host Titans defeated Ferris High School.

The Office That Ages – As Donald Trump and Kamala Harris battle for the White House, they know that if they win the presidency, unimaginable stress will be waiting for them. And, as we have seen throughout history, that stress will definitely show physically. Make no mistake about it, being President of the United States will age you and Abraham Lincoln is perhaps the most popular example. This photo shows him in 1860 compared to 1865. In my honors humanities class as a junior in high school, my end-of-year project was a study on the aging effects of the presidency. My two group members and I constructed a White House replica and filled it with before and after photos of past U.S. Presidents. We supported our thesis that presidents age more rapidly than an average American with literature, mathematics equations, and death rate data (of course if we did this study today, Jimmy Carter would have skewed our results).

Abraham Lincoln in 1860 (left) vs. Abraham Lincoln in 1865 (right).

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I hope you will be doing the monster mash all weekend long. Thanks for reading and we will catch up on Monday. Don’t Blink.

Three Weeks To Go

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Once upon a time, a notable figure in politics said the following: “When they go low, we go high.”

As Kamala Harris and Donald Trump battle it out for the White House, one thing is clear: Neither of their parties are taking the high road.

This person made this quip as a suggestion that their major political party was somehow superior to the rival major political party in terms of tact, class, and temperament. Their party was about campaigning positively; the other party was about campaigning negatively.

Although I can appreciate the optimism and political savvy of trying to advance such a noble narrative, this non-partisan blogger has one thing to about that position: It’s B.S.

When it comes to the 2024 Presidential Election (and the ones previous to it), there is no such thing as positive campaigning. Both parties have resorted to rhetoric, “gotcha” moments, insults, and lies. It is a complete mess.

And for a lot of Americans, it takes a heavy toll. After months of constant ads, he said/she said drama, angry talking heads, daily polls, and non-stop social media posts, a lot of people have had enough.

With this bitter political marathon now just three weeks away from the finish line (assuming a winner is declared on Nov. 5), hopefully there is a small source of comfort for those who are over it. Although these next 21 days will probably be the most intense and extreme of them all, at least there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

To be honest, I am an election junkie and I do enjoy following the day-to-day developments. But even for a presidential nerd like myself, I can admit that things are out of control. Trust me, this is a big departure from eight years ago when I thought election anxiety was overblown. I can only imagine how excruciating the constant noise must be for those who prefer that potential leaders and campaigns maintain some shred of integrity.

With all that said, let’s pray for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. May they stay safe and set good examples for their campaigns and the American people. Don’t Blink.