Mama’s Boy

Posted on May 10, 2015 by brent

Just yesterday, Sidney and I were having a drink at a bar when she started talking about how she is a daddy’s girl. She talked about it a little bit and then said to me, “But you are totally a mama’s boy.”

I found her comment a tad bit surprising. I followed up by asking if she really thought so and she confirmed it. The topic eventually changed. It did get me thinking though. I picture a mamma’s boy as someone like Bobby Boucher from “The Waterboy.” You know, a kind of an awkward sort who relies on his mom for everything and who in turn lets her rule over his life as if he were a toddler. I definitely don’t think I am at that level.

My mom and I at the beach earlier this year.

Today I turned to the internet for a definition. Wikipedia explains a “mama’s boy” as a term for a man who is excessively attached to his mother at an age when men are expected to be independent. I mean, to a degree I am attached to my mom but I don’t know about “excessively.” Also, I do feel I am independent, especially while living 3,000 miles away from her house in Spokane.

I then turned to Urban Dictionary. The top definition was this: Some loser who takes orders from his mom constantly like a little bitch. They actually got worse from there. It is true that I sometimes take orders from my mom. Just a few weeks ago she pretty much ordered me not to go to a fortune teller and I complied. But constantly? No, I don’t think that fits me.

These definitions were missing the mark when it came to the relationship between my mom and I.

Thankfully the internet is chock-full of lists that will help identify mama boys. In one article meant for women to use to see whether their boyfriend is a mama’s boy, seven reasons were given. They were (separated by slashes): He talks to her every day/He refers to her all the time/He compares you to her/She feeds & cleans for him/He tells her private things about you/She plays a role in his choices/He doesn’t defend you.

That list really missed the mark with me. Five of the indicators don’t describe me at all. If “talking to her every day” means text messaging I would say I am guilty of that. Also, I would say that my mom plays a role in some of my major choices but I am also very prone to just going with my gut as well. With this article totally missing on most cylinders, I told myself that I don’t fit the societal definition of a mama’s boy.

The list of seven things to indicate a mama’s boy fell flat with me.

But if a new definition for mama’s boy came out and described such a person as someone who sends his mom cards through the mail at an alarming rate, it would fit me. Or if it implied that a mama’s boy is one who calls her up whenever the refrigerator makes a funny noise or he doesn’t know what setting to use the washer and dryer with certain clothes I would say I am that guy. Or if it pinpointed such a human as a dude who texts her every single morning with a quote, I would be a mama’s boy.

If it had a clause that demanded that at least one or two Skype sessions a week take place, I could find some understanding in it. If the definition noted that a mama’s boy still asks his mother to send him some of her baked goods across the country every now and then, I would say it accurately depicts me. If it specified that such a person still receives texts and calls from his mom asking if he is okay just because he is battling a cold, I would accept it.

If it noted that a mama’s boy will call his mom on her landline the minute after her cell phone goes unanswered I would concede that it describes me. Or if it meant that the mom would sheepishly tell his girlfriend to please take care of her son, it would make much more sense. Finally, if somewhere it said a little something about this so-called “mama’s boy” writing a corny blog post in honor of his mom on Mother’s Day I think I would throw up my hands and admit it out loud…I AM A MAMA’S BOY.

If the definition said that a mama’s boy is someone who both himself and his mom cry a little bit when they say goodbye as the son moves across the country, then I am one.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom. There is not a more caring or selfless person out there. I love you and miss you, Mary Reser! Can’t wait to see you next month.

Sincerely,

Your Mama’s Boy
(Don’t Blink).

Big Speech, Big Goodbye, Big Appeal, Big Holiday, Big Mountain of Ice Cream

Posted on May 7, 2015 by brent

Hello to all! It is that time of the week where I do a little thing I call the Thursday Rundown. What will the five topics be tonight?

Big Time Speech – This morning I delivered one of my more nerve-wracking public speaking engagements. A couple weeks ago my boss asked me to present at the Board of Trustees meeting regarding our social media efforts. I definitely felt a little tentative speaking in front of such an important and polished group. However, the honor and possibilities of such an opportunity greatly outweighed my nerves. I drafted up my presentation, sweated it out rehearsing last night, and then delivered it at around 10:30 a.m. today. I had butterflies before I went to the podium but once I reached it they all went away. At the conclusion of my presentation when a member told me the Board had taken notice of my work and then they all recognized me with applause it was probably one of the prouder moments of my young career.

This was me speaking this morning at the Board of Trustees meeting at Coastal Carolina University.

One Talented Student – Today one of our student-workers said goodbye to us. Alexandra Morris will graduate on Saturday and I am sad to see her go. Throughout my years working with students I don’t think I have encountered someone as talented as her. A wiz in both writing and video with a deep interest in filmmaking, Alexandra has the luxury to take her career wherever she wants to. She produces amazing work and I can’t wait to see where she ends up.

I am going to miss Alexandra!

Your Weekly Sean Carty Update – Coach Carty’s initial appeal has been presented to the principal at Mead High School and the waiting game has taken over. As the principal has five days to uphold or overturn, a decision should be coming soon. Although this level of the appeals process was never considered Carty’s strongest chance of getting it overturned (it was the principal who made the initial decision), there is always the chance. In fact, the belief is growing that the principal might just do what is right and overturn his original decision to help the district avoid further embarrassment.

Mother’s Day – This upcoming Sunday is Mother’s Day. Remember to celebrate your mom and make her feel special. Also, it is never against the rules to celebrate other moms as well. Someone taking full advantage of this is Sidney. She took the time to create a silhouette of each of her students and then displayed it in an elegant way on colored paper. The kids have a spot to write a short personal message to their mom. What a thoughtful thing to do on the part of Miss Mathis!

These are the super cool silhouettes that Sidney created for her students to give their moms.

Ice Cream Mountain – At the end of the semester, Coastal hosts an event called Finals Frenzy. Our main dining hall opens up at 10 p.m. and welcomes study-deprived students inside to enjoy free food and prizes. Each year, a gigantic mountain of ice cream is created for students to indulge in. The thing is so huge that they have to prepare it in a kiddie swimming pool! Anyway, because of my love for ice cream, I must share a photo I took of it right before the first scoop was taken out.

This ice cream mountain is incredible! Now this isn’t something I could do in five minutes.

———-

Busy, busy weekend for me with four commencement ceremonies to work. I hope you all have a great couple days and I will touch base with you on Sunday. Don’t Blink.

Changing Plans

Posted on May 6, 2015 by brent

Sometimes weather can really screw things up. With a Southern tropical storm threatening to hit the Myrtle Beach/Conway area this Saturday, a decision had to be made early this evening. Would our 2015 Coastal Carolina graduates distinguish themselves as the first class to graduate on our beautiful new teal turf or would the implementation of our severe weather plan be necessary?

Score this one for Mother Nature.

With the storm report worsening for our area, our President had to put the kibosh on commencement exercises taking place in Brooks Stadium. While we were set to continue as planned in rain, when you throw in the possibility of severe weather you must err on the side of caution.

Preparations had already started to make Brooks Stadium ready for commencement.

Of course making the most logical move still stings a little bit, especially for the students. Many looked forward to the unique graduation setting for a long time so I do understand the frustration of going from the Surf Turf to indoors.

Instead of one general ceremony in the football stadium on Saturday morning, four ceremonies spread out on Friday and Saturday will take place in the HTC Center, our on-campus arena. The individual ceremonies will be grouped according to specific colleges (business and science on Friday, humanities and education on Saturday). Although the implementation of the alternative plan will heavily impact the travel itineraries of many visiting families, you must keep people safe.

Graduation will now take place in the HTC Center, our on-campus arena.

My role in all of this? Well, it took a unified effort by our University Communication team to get out news of this major change today. As the final meeting to decide where and when commencement would take place, we had both scenarios ready to roll. The social media front went fine, much quieter than what I had anticipated. My bigger part in all of this will come on Friday and Saturday. Instead of working one ceremony, I will be working four. No matter to me though, I will have much more content to share as opposed to if it was just one ceremony.

Like I mentioned, I know this wasn’t the outcome our students wanted. But I ask them to look at the situation in a positive light. Each graduate will now have the opportunity to walk across the stage in a more intimate, shorter ceremony. Students who graduate on Friday will have the whole weekend to spend with their families without the hassle of attending a ceremony on Saturday. The first group of students on Saturday (humanities) will have the pleasure of listening to the commencement speaker. The second group will most likely enjoy the most organized and flawless ceremony ever…after the fourth time it is pretty much down to a science, right?

Graduation will still go on, diplomas will still be awarded, and memories will still be made. Don’t Blink.

When Grown Adults Get Weird

Posted on May 5, 2015 by brent

Yesterday social media was abuzz with Star Wars Day. More likely than not, you probably observed on either Facebook or Twitter someone posting the phrase “May the 4th be with you.” However, Star Wars Day wasn’t just observed in the cyberspace of social media. Hardly. Rather, it was celebrated with vigor and enthusiasm in gatherings across the country. Adults who dressed up as Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and Luke Skywalker hit the very public streets and swung around light savers as if the word “maturity” didn’t even exist.

This display of grownups acting like little kids reminded me of a weird ordeal I watched play out over a couple days this past summer…

When Sidney and I pulled up at our hotel in Baltimore last August we already felt a little sketched out. Our lodging was in a tough part of the city and the entrance had all sorts of non-guests loitering outside of it. As we scoped out the situation a little more, I saw what I thought was a poor mentally ill person. The lady was dressed in some type of torn pink animal costume that looked like a tattered pajama jump suit. She carried a stuffed animal with her and it looked like she was shuffling aimlessly outside of the hotel. Now this is interesting, I thought.

Despite a slight consideration that we might try to find someplace else to stay, we walked inside the hotel lobby to check in. The lady in the pink ensemble was just a tiny preview of what was to come. A group of “uniquely” dressed humans in brightly colored costumes occupied the lobby. By this time we knew something was going on. We asked the hotel employee at the check-in desk for an explanation.

“It is BronyCon weekend,” she informed us.

She then translated for us that BronyCon was the national convention for “My Little Pony” fanatics. Not only was the hotel we were staying in booked with “bronies” but so was every other hotel in the downtown Baltimore area. It was time to get down with our inner-weird.

The whole weekend while we explored the streets of Baltimore we did it walking side-by-side people dressed in weird suits, colorful wigs, and over-the-top hats. The only time we weren’t around someone dressed as a unicorn or decked out in a one-piece hooded costume was when we were in Camden Yards watching baseball. Other than that, the whole city was overtaken with bronies.

You might think that adults living out their My Little Pony fantasies comprised the minority and the festival was instead attended predominately by tweens. Oh my, you couldn’t be more wrong. From what we saw walking the streets, this convention was 90% dudes in the 18-40 age range. While walking to a baseball game, Sidney and I talked to a mom and her young daughter (probably 12) about the event. The mom told us that she was from California and she was chaperoning her daughter on this once-in-a-lifetime experience. She confirmed that BronyCon was in fact a mecca for adult dudes and that she wouldn’t in a million years let her daughter go alone. We didn’t dare ask how much this excursion was costing her.

Of course the typical questions circulated in my head. What was it about “My Little Pony” that fascinated many so-called adults? What could possess anyone, let alone a 30-year old male, to dress up in a hot, ridiculous costume during a Baltimore summer day? Do any of these people even care what their friends and family think?

But then, just like yesterday, I realized something. We all have some weird in us. Heck, look at me. Although this took away a lot of my scorn, I don’t know if I can completely get over the fact of grown men dressing up as ponies or going on a mythical quest to become a Jedi Master. I think I just need to file this one as an anomaly of our society. Don’t Blink.

My Mania for News Magazines

Posted on May 4, 2015 by brent

I think I have the perfect indicator that I am old. There is no hiding it, I am a news magazine junkie. I like watching programs such as Dateline so much that I opt for wasting my time on these programs as opposed to actually doing fun activities.

Let me back up and explain just a little bit. As I have said before, I rarely watch television…honestly. When I do watch it, I am fixated either on “Bar Rescue,” sports, “Jeopardy,” or non-fictional programs. Except for a short fling with “The Mindy Project,” I don’t do sitcoms. Lumped into non-fictional programs you have documentaries, Forensic Files, and my guilty pleasure, news magazines.

I think my love for news magazines dates back to my childhood. On Friday nights if we were good, my mom would let my siblings and I stay up and watch the 10 p.m. episode of 20/20. This was back in the heyday when Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs would host and John Stossel would contribute his “Give Me a Break” segment. Nerdy as it was, this is what excited me when I was a kid.

Well, old habits die hard. I am still a hardcore fan of news magazines and with the explosion of cable television and the infinite library of re-runs available, my fandom is well-fed.

For the first time in my life I am going to admit this embarrassing fact. Are you ready? I occasionally watch OWN…yes, that is the Oprah Winfrey Network for those who want to rub it in. About two times a week, the network will show around three or four Dateline re-runs and then back it up with three or four 20/20 re-runs. When I am home working and there isn’t a game on, I will keep my TV muted on OWN and check in every now and then to what is on. If it is an especially interesting episode, I will unmute it and watch.

Want to know something perhaps even more embarrassing? Most Friday nights these days, Sidney and I elect to stay in and watch the new episode of Dateline as opposed to going out and engaging in activities that other twenty-something couples do. Yep, I managed to date someone who shares my love for news magazines. But is it really that bad? I mean in all honesty, many of these episodes are pretty engaging. Also, how can you say no to the storytelling of Keith Morrison?

Not that I needed to convince you even more that I am a little strange, but I guess I wanted to get my love for murder mysteries, investigative reporting, and intimate interviewing out there. I am aware that I missed the Dateline last week that took place in Missoula but I plan to watch it as soon as it is posted to the show’s website. Now I need to deal with my disappointment that it is Monday, basically the Sabbath for news magazines. Have a great night, everyone. Don’t Blink.

The Pros and Cons of Living in Myrtle Beach

Posted on May 3, 2015 by brent

As I have now spent a year in Myrtle Beach, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of the city. I really like it here and have enjoyed exploring it over the past 12 months. Although the positives far outweigh the negatives, for the purpose of this blog post I am going to keep it even. On this beautiful Sunday I wish to provide you with my top three pros and top three cons of living in Myrtle Beach.

PROS:

Weather – Some people like it hot. Well, count me in as one of them. When I moved here, everyone told me that the southern humidity would cripple me. It never did. While it was a little bit of an adjustment to get used to the different type of air, I never felt as if I was drowning. The high temperatures and abundant sunshine that accompanies the humidity is right down my alley. I am the type of guy that doesn’t mind 100 degree temperatures three months out of the year.

However, it took Halloween for me to really realize how much I love the climate of Myrtle Beach. I was running a social media promotion outside on campus at CCU for the entire day. Throughout the whole morning and afternoon the sun elegantly shined down on us. The 80 degree day contrasted with the cold, windy, gloomy, snowy days of past Halloweens out west.

The weather in Myrtle Beach provides opportunities to enjoy summer activities throughout most of the year instead of just during July and August.

The Beach – They don’t put the second word in the city that I live in for nothing. I have grown to really love the ocean and marvel at its magnificence. I can drive five minutes from my apartment and be on a beautiful, non-tourist beach. I have started many weekend mornings this way and the peace I get from it is very nourishing. Since arriving here, I have explored other beaches in the area too and always find comfort knowing that I enjoy living in an area where others go to vacation.

The beach is beautiful and calming. It is definitely one of my favorite aspects of living here.

Geographic Location – The city that I live in is also great because it provides me lots of options when I want to get away from it for a day or two. Because of the location of Myrtle Beach, I am able to travel to a whole host of really cool places. Both North and South Carolina have many historical and charming cities that I can get to in no time. Two of Georgia’s best cities, Atlanta and Savannah, are located relatively close to Myrtle Beach. You go a little more south and you are in Florida! Up north the options are numerous as cities like Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia are just a day’s drive away. Location location location!

Not long after arriving in Myrtle Beach, Sidney and I traveled to Atlanta to watch some baseball and to explore the city.

CONS

Traffic – During tourist season, traffic can become a little frustrating. A notorious highway in Myrtle Beach that is necessary to travel on to get to many places becomes a standstill. Vacationers not familiar with the area make boneheaded mistakes that back up traffic. Rush hour becomes a nightmare. Since I go to work very early in the morning and because I use an alternative route going home at night, I do a pretty good job at avoiding the worst of it. However, I still spend my fair share of time in traffic every now and then. I may or may not yell at my imaginary passenger when I really need to be somewhere and instead I am stopped behind a line of 500 cars.

Hellish Roadways – If the traffic on the roads wasn’t enough, the debris that somehow land on them really makes commuting in Myrtle Beach a challenge from time to time. I don’t know what it is, but I have never driven in a city that has more crap on the roads than in MB. Any given day I dodge road kill, garbage, lumber, plants, nails, and remnants from other vehicles. It really is an obstacle course out there. One dark morning I ran over a gigantic log, popping my tire instantaneously. I am scared to enter into turning lanes because these places usually have the most random junk ready to derail your vehicle. If you could see the hodgepodge of items that end up in the roads here you would be very surprised.

Allergies – I had no idea I was susceptible to allergies until I moved to South Carolina. As I mentioned in Thursday’s blog post, I spent most of April putting up with a nasty cough, constant watery eyes, and a bothersome runny nose. The pollen here really does impact your system. When I first moved here I quietly dismissed the people who told me it might take some getting used to but now as I look back on it they were right.

——-

As I said, even though I described three positives and three negatives, the good definitely outweighs the bad. I didn’t even mention the people, the restaurants, the shopping options, the mini golf, the BBQ, and the numerous other characteristics that make Myrtle Beach such a great place to live. In a year from now, I am sure I will have even more positives to add to the list. Don’t Blink.

Reflections on My First Year at Coastal Carolina University

Posted on May 1, 2015 by brent

It is funny. Often times you can look back on a period of time and not quite know if it flew by or seemed to last. If you are like me, sometimes you end up deciding it was a little of both. Today I celebrate my one year anniversary at Coastal Carolina University. For the most part, the last 365 days passed quickly. But then I realize that next week I will cover my fourth commencement and it makes me feel like I have been around campus for a little longer.

This is my one year anniversary photo!

On May 1, 2014, I reported for my first day at Coastal Carolina. I spent that Thursday in new employee orientation learning about policies and procedures. It was an uneventful and low key day. That would be the last one of those. From the end of that initial day on out I had the opportunity to go full speed ahead and that is exactly what I did. I arrived on campus just before the start of graduation week and went right into covering the craziness of it. I covered a lot of events and met a lot of people. Those first ten or so days really helped set the tone for my first year.

My rookie debut at CCU was a good one. Yes, it was successful. Our social channels grew exponentially, #CCUSocialMedia became a brand, we won an award, and we received far more media coverage than I could ever imagine. But that is all I want to say about job performance. My one year reflection blog post is much more than that.

What I want to really hit on is what a good fit this position has been. I came from a job where I wore a ton of different hats and had little free time. For the past year I have showed up for work at a place where my focus is much more defined and my time out of the office much more adequate.

From the start I said I took this job because I could concentrate on social media. However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t grown in other areas. Although I might not have 15 different responsibilities to tend to on a given day like at Montana, I have been able to embrace a diverse set of opportunities that improved me as a professional. Encouraged to create my own news show segment, assigned to write for our alumni magazine, requested to serve on working groups, and asked to help out on search committees, I was enabled to expand my reach. Aside from running our social media program, I relished these additional roles.

Another part of the fit has been the energy and culture at CCU. Our university is growing, both in terms of physical structures and student enrollment. We are an institution on the rise and I wanted to be a piece of that. Additionally, and I truly mean it when I say this, Coastal is just different. We are built on customer service and this attitude is reflected from the top down. There is a pride and a vibe here that is special, one that I relate to and embrace. Our “Feel the Teal” mission motivates me at work each day.

Most importantly, this arrangement has worked because of the people. It all starts out with our Vice President of University Communication who had the guts to hire me. Bill Plate brought me from Missoula to Myrtle Beach and I am so glad he did. He had the vision and rationality to know that a social media position was needed at CCU and he made it a reality. So many other people helped me (and continue to help me) after Bill and I wish I could recognize them all. Although this is not possible I do want to thank a few people really quickly. Thanks to our administrative assistant Kim Harper for helping me with pretty much every office task and organizational logistic you could think of. Thanks to April Betsch for reaching out to me at one of the first events I worked and taking me around to meet many of the key people I would end up working closely with. Thanks to Eileen Soisson for teaching me what it means to Feel the Teal and for going out of her way to support me. Thanks to Matt Hogue, Seth Horton, and Kevin Olivett from athletics for treating me so well and for genuinely caring about my ideas and input.

Year #1 is in the books and it was great. I am appreciative of the opportunity Coastal Carolina University has afforded me and I can’t wait to improve. Don’t Blink.

Carty’s Turn, Perfect Timing, Bye Bye April

Posted on April 30, 2015 by brent

On the cusp of an epic weekend in sports, I am back for the Thursday Rundown. Let’s get right down to the five topics.

Carty’s Turn – After a long and shameful campaign by a small group of parents to derail Sean Carty of his football head coaching position at Mead High School, it is finally time for them to shut up. Coach Carty will submit his appeal to the principal tomorrow. I can’t imagine how life has been for Carty since this debacle started, forced to watch the screw job in silence. But now it is time for his side. Keep in mind that tomorrow starts just the first round of the process. If necessary, Carty would take it to the superintendent and then ultimately to the school board.

From what I have been told, the case against Coach Carty is much weaker and trivial than the group of parents let on. With the support he has garnered combined with his solid 14-year record at the helm, Carty has a chance. In fact, for the first time since I have started writing about this issue, I am going to say he has a good chance. If you have yet to write to the good man running the district, please feel free to send your letters of support to Superintendent Rockefeller by clicking here.

Sean Carty will finally have the floor to tell his side.

Teal-Shaded Summer – Yesterday I introduced our summer social media campaign to our audience here at Coastal Carolina University. I came up with something I am calling A Teal-Shaded Summer. Bribing our students with our really cool Chauncey sunglasses that everyone wants, I had all the volunteers I needed instantaneously to make this campaign a success. What will happen is our students will travel to their summer destination, pop on the shades, and take a photo. They will then submit the images to me and I will feature one student per day across our social media channels. As an astounding half of our student population is from out of state, these sunglasses will travel far.

The Teal Shaded Summer will kick off on May 25.

Perfect Timing – With the firing of the Houston Rockets’ social media director and the uncomfortable back-and-forth between the Twitter accounts of the Yankees and Mets, we witnessed some bad practices in the social world this week. On Monday we released our latest “Coastal Now” episode and my segment seemed to highlight the alternative to the “shaming” route that seems so popular among organizations on Twitter. To view me addressing the benefits of acting with civility 140 characters at a time, click here.

I talk about the benefits that occur when organizations are civil on social media.

End of April, Start of May – To be honest, I am not crying over April passing us by. For the first time in my life, I felt less than my best physically for the better part of a month. These South Carolina conditions just hit my previously untapped allergies like a ton of bricks. However, I am already feeling better as I look forward to May. Tomorrow will mark my one year anniversary of working at Coastal Carolina University. Immediately after finishing this post, I will start writing another one that will briefly commemorate my mini milestone. You can look for that post to be published at noon tomorrow.

Sports Weekend for the Ages – By now it has been well-documented…this is an unprecedented sports weekend. Take your pick between the NFL Draft, NBA Playoffs, Kentucky Derby, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, and NHL Playoffs. Well, of course you don’t really have to take your pick because most of us sports fans will be watching bits and pieces of them all. Personally though, I think I am most excited about the fight. The buildup has been extreme and it is taking place in my all-time favorite city, Las Vegas. I want the fight to go to the last round with Pacquiao knocking out Mayweather just before the final bell.

———–

Have a great night my friends. Time now for me to start writing again so I can be finished by the time Jameis Winston is taken in the Draft. Don’t Blink.

Going on a Field Trip!

Posted on April 29, 2015 by brent

This morning I had the opportunity to go on my first real field trip since probably the sixth grade. After the passing of so many years, I still felt the excitement I did back then of leaving school grounds (or in this case the campus I work on) and doing something special that went against the monotony of everyday life. My gateway to this nostalgic experience came way of my girlfriend who serves as a second grade teacher at Palmetto Bays School. Sidney was nice enough to offer me a spot on the trip as a chaperone.

Sidney invited me to help out on a field trip. This is her and I this morning at Wonderworks. All students and teachers wore their Palmetto Bays t-shirts.

I don’t think I ever went on a field trip to a place as cool as where we went today. An architectural gem, the five second grade classrooms at Palmetto Bays went to Wonderworks, an “amusement park for the mind.” Please, take a look at the photo below. Yes, that is a structure completely built upside-down. Legend has it that the facility was originally located in the Bermuda Triangle but a failed experiment caused it to uproot, take off, and land face down in Myrtle Beach. Thankfully all the exhibits and fun zones remained completely intact.

This is Wonderworks, the pretty sweet place I got to experience this morning. Supposedly it came from the Bermuda Triangle.

Wonderworks has 50,000 square feet of space, four floors, and 100 exhibits…more than enough room to accommodate around 100 second graders. Don’t think these exhibits are corny poster board presentations you would find at a junior high science fair though. We are talking interactive, quality-constructed stations such as a bubble lab, time machine, larger than life interactive games, and a giant piano keyboard. All exhibits encourage young children to flock to them while at the same time teaching a lesson.

Wonderworks is a really cool place. A look at the giant piano, the Bubble Lab, time machine, and one of the giant interactive games.

Walking through the different floors I kept running into cool things such as a mini NASA station, a robot-serviced frozen yogurt stand, a bed of nails for kids to sprawl out on, several fun rides, and so much more. I admired exhibits devoted to sharks, the Titanic, every sport you could think of, and even lite-brite. I fondly observed the endless enthusiasm of the second graders. They were having a blast while also keeping the teachers and chaperones very busy.

Can you spot the student in the costume? If it wasn’t the morning and I had cash on me, I would have ordered some frozen yogurt from the robot (bottom left hand corner).

Sidney and I were assigned to the indoor ropes course. Yes, in addition to the laser tag arena and theater, they also had an extensive indoor ropes course. We climbed up to the fourth floor and let the seven and eight-year-olds tackle their fear of heights. Yeah, right. These kids were absolutely fearless. They didn’t think twice about throwing on the harness and navigating through the course. As the obstacles ascended higher and higher, the second graders didn’t bat an eye. I walked on solid ground and looked up at them. Sidney, however, looked down on me as she was going through the course right with them. I enjoyed myself watching both students and teacher have fun up in the sky.

In the top image you see two student navigating the course. In the bottom left hand image a Wonderworks employee makes sure a student’s harness is safe. In the bottom right hand photo you can see Sidney ascending higher and higher.

What I enjoyed most though was just watching Sidney do her job. She is so good at what she does. As I have written about in the past, a teaching gig is by no means easy but Sid makes it look that way. Although I had a wonderful time this morning, it just reinforced to me that I could never successfully do what these teachers are able to accomplish day in and day out.

Sidney and I right before she started the ropes course.

Spending an hour outside of work to go on a fun activity such as this was exactly what I needed. It gave me a glimpse into the lives of very young youths, a segment of the population that I sometimes forget about. It also let me get inside of Sidney’s world. Finally, it was just a fun, wholesome way to spend the morning. I am thankful to the Palmetto Bays second grade community for letting me tag along. Don’t Blink.

Addressing the Baltimore Riots

Posted on April 28, 2015 by brent

I didn’t want to write about the Baltimore riots. I am knowledgeable and realize I shouldn’t waste space. I know the despicable acts we are watching play out come from a segment of the population that just wants to cause crime, not from protesters who want to make their point peacefully. I wanted to just let this pass without saying a word.

Watching the looting yesterday made it tough. As I watched folks break into a pharmacy, liquor store, mall, and several other locations I got angry. What right did they have to destroy someone else’s business and take whatever they pleased? Whatever happened to working hard, earning your money, and then entering a store with respect and making a purchase? How does stealing and defacing property adequately address police wrongdoing?

For whatever reason it was the looting that got to me. I could get past the acts of arson and the people who stood in front of the police lines berating the officers who were trying to restore order to the city. Okay, fine. But the egregious theft bothered me.

I still held my ground though and decided not to respond to the riots. I wrote a silly blog post about my terrible grammar instead. But this morning I saw a few social media videos that really troubled me.

Taking place right where Sidney and I enjoyed a couple cold ones before walking to Camden Yards this past summer, shameful events took place. I watched as people on the street picked up whatever trash can, debris, brick, etc., they could find and hauled it at groups of folks on the bar patios. It didn’t matter that these groups were comprised of mostly females nor did the sight of a poor young lady in a wheelchair deter them; it was just reckless violence. As the rioters hollered degrading names to the victims they moved on, looking for the next spot to cause havoc. The targeted group went inside the bar where they tended to a woman who was struck in the face. Other videos showed similar things.

As a society right now we are in a very tough spot. With previous examples of law enforcement not doing the right thing, the officers on the street had to be very vigilant not to screw up again. Even though 99% of police officers are great at their jobs with high moral standards, they were understandably hesitant. But with the deep level of violence plaguing Baltimore yesterday, I wish the police would have been more supported by central leadership to step in and stop some of the really heinous acts before things really escalated. The fact of the matter is that the embarrassment going on right now in the streets is caused by many different races and no one group can be pinpointed for the destruction.

After visiting in August I am very aware that Baltimore is a tough city. The police have a challenging job and many citizens have to live in a rough environment. I just hope that the police force is empowered to do its job and that the people of Baltimore do all they can to stand up for their community. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Author Archives: brent