Last night, Sidney and I watched President Obama’s farewell address. Shortly after I returned home tonight, I watched portions of President-Elect Trump’s big press conference. I enjoyed both speaking events, more for the historical significance than the content, but I still appreciated what both men said.

President Obama delivered his farewell address and President-Trump answered questions at a press conference. I enjoyed listening to both.

As many of you know, I am not a political person but I am a presidential person. I love following everything related to the Office of the President of the United States. To watch a farewell address from an outgoing U.S. President is a big deal for me, something that doesn’t matter one bit what party he is from or the success he had in office. I stayed glued to the TV while President Obama spoke.

Today’s press conference was a significant event just because it had been so highly anticipated. After a wild election victory and after two months preparing to take office, I think most of us were ready to hear from our next president. With all that has transpired and with the way the media treats President-Elect Trump, I think today’s press conference was even more historic than your typical pre-Inauguration president-elect reporter chat.

When it came to the content/performance of each man, I will start with the current Commander In Chief. I think President Obama did well. Throughout his presidency, Obama was intensely mocked and criticized for his use of the teleprompter. However, I don’t think he came across stiff last night. With emotion powering him through his speech, I think he spoke with purpose. Supposedly President Obama and his speech writer scrutinized over the address and I think that preparation and care was very evident. Knowing that much of his legacy could very well be completely wiped away the first day that Trump takes office, Obama delivered a speech that won’t be so seamlessly repealed and replaced.

Trump was Trump today. He spoke in the exact same way that got him elected. He was off-the-cuff, brutally honest, and very confident. For anyone out there who thought President-Elect Trump might be tentative or nervous to be sworn in, those doubts were squashed. Despite what many of us feel about Trump, there is little denying that he has probably accomplished more for the country during his time as president-elect than anyone else in that position beforehand. In typical Trump style, he let everyone know about it.

Now we move to the main event of the transition of power…The Inauguration. I can’t wait. Again, this has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with my love for our country and its history. I can remember as far back as Clinton’s second Inauguration and since that event in 1996 I have kept my eye on each one thereafter.

Thank you to President Obama for his faithful service. While the country has decided that it is best to go in a different direction, I am grateful that he tried his best. I am excited to see what President-Elect Trump will do in office. The man has already shown that he can get things done and hopefully it will continue once he arrives in the White House. We need to pray for both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Don’t Blink.

When I exercise, I focus a bit more on weights than I do on cardio. But that is not to say that I neglect the latter. Ever since I graduated high school and started to make up my own workouts, I have incorporated a cardio portion into each one. However, It just so happens that this “portion” I am alluding to has remained pretty much the same over the last dozen years.

My favorite way to get cardio in is to run on a track. Both of my home gyms at the universities I have worked at boast indoor running tracks. I have always completed my weight training first and then started running circles. This went on for year after year after year.

During Hurricane Matthew when the Coastal Carolina gym was shut down, I went to a variety of different area gyms to work out. Of course, none of these particular places had indoor tracks. I was forced to scope out an open treadmill and hope I didn’t look too stupid as I pressed the different settings to begin. During this week where I ran on these types of machines, I actually found them not that bad. However, once my home gym opened up again I was right back on the track.

This holiday season I found myself in a couple more different gyms where I was a visitor. Once again I was on the treadmill working to complete my cardio. This extra time running on the machine made me warm up even more to it. It got to the point where my treadmill experience shifted from “not that bad” to good.

When the Coastal gym opened back up last week, I didn’t exactly “hit the track running.” While I did still use it on certain days, I also used the super nice treadmills we have at CCU on other days. So far this week, I have used the track for one workout and the treadmill for another workout.

Here is the thing: I find running on the track harder than running on the treadmill. However, I sweat more on the treadmill. I can run on the track for 10 minutes and feel much more exhausted than if I ran for 25 minutes on the treadmill. But I am still more soaked after getting off that treadmill than when I exit the track.

My question for my readers who are fitness buffs is this: track or treadmill?

I know I can Google this (I actually already have) and receive a million different opinions, but I rather get feedback that is current and from people I know. If you were forced to do cardio on either a treadmill or on a track and you had to choose the one that would have the most positive results for your body, which one would you choose? Why? Any advice is welcome. Don’t Blink.

Tonight the College Football Playoff National Championship will take place. The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers will battle it out for the second straight year to settle the debate of gridiron supremacy at the college level. I am looking forward to it.

I am looking forward to it despite the 8:30 p.m. start time for a game that will last no less than four hours. I am looking forward to it despite the TV timeouts that will literally take five minutes. I am looking forward to it despite the sobering reality that once this game ends (probably around 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning) it means no more college football until August.

Honestly, I really am looking forward to it.

For all I care, the game could stretch until this Thursday with only old political campaign commercials played during game breaks and I would still watch every minute of it. You see, I love watching college football more than any other sport and what is better than the national championship of anything?

Perhaps I am even a little more excited for this year’s game. It is a worthy rematch between two powerhouses. In 2016, Alabama and Clemson played a great game. However, the two teams played even greater football. Yes, last year’s tilt was a nail biter that kept all of our attention. But besides the close game, the level of football that took place on the field was superb. Sometimes championship games are sloppy because of fatigue, nerves, and other factors. Last year, it was plainly obvious that the two teams playing on the field were the best in college football. It was a hard hitting, fast, well-coached game. It was a pleasure to watch.

When it comes to my heart, I want Clemson to win. I don’t live in South Carolina for nothing, right? More importantly, my two sisters-in-law and my brother-in-law both went to Clemson. In fact, that brother-in-law is in Tampa for tonight’s game. Additionally, I was in Memorial Stadium this season as the Tigers beat Louisville in a nationally televised matchup. So with geography, family ties, and an in-person experience all boding in favor of the team that wears orange, it goes without saying that I will be rooting for Clemson.

However, I won’t be inconsolable if Alabama wins. My dad entered a college football bowl contest and did extremely well. If the Crimson Tide win this evening, he wins a lot of money. How can I be mad if Saban wins another trophy and my dad picks up some extra cash?

In another great game, I pick Clemson to defeat Alabama by a score of 48-40. I hope everyone enjoys the action tonight and appreciates the talent on the field. Don’t Blink.

I find flying interesting. You are jammed tight with random people thousands of feet up in the air. Each passenger has a different story, a different background.  I had a middle school teacher who told our math class to always talk to the person next to you on the plane. However, unless it is my wife, I don’t do a very good job with that. Once I board, my goal is to fall asleep as quickly as possible.

This most recent trip we took across the country was a little bit different from the previous ones mostly because Sidney was flying pregnant. The day of our trip, my dad texted me and instructed me to do all I could to make sure Sid was comfortable on the flight.

This was Sidney and I before we took off from Charleston to fly to Seattle.

We flew non-stop from Charleston to Seattle. Without even including the time spent on the ground for boarding and taxiing up to the gate, it was a five hour flight. When we entered the plane and saw how the seats were arranged and numbered, it became clear that Sid and I would be sitting in the middle and window seats, a major disadvantage for a pregnant lady. Luckily for us, the guy who had the aisle seat in our row was a complete gentleman. We asked him if perhaps Sidney could switch seats with him and without blinking an eye, he obliged.

It was very much appreciated. Sidney had to use the restroom multiple times and was antsy for most of our time up in the air. Having that aisle seat was a big deal. You know what else helped? Alaska Airlines offered tablets to rent. For $10, we were given a device loaded with movies, TV shows, music, and games. On the way out west we watched “Me Before You” and “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.” It sure made the time on the aircraft go quicker than usual.

We didn’t have the same luck coming back. On our flight from Seattle to Charleston, we were once again assigned the middle and window seats. However, this time around we didn’t even bother asking the lady who occupied the aisle seat if she would consider switching. She was already scowling at us from the moment we made eye contact when it became obvious that we would be turning into her row. To make this whole situation worse, we sat on the runway for two hours as we waited for our plane to be de-iced and then finally cleared for takeoff.

The whole time we watched this lady verbally abuse the flight attendants, cuss out her young kids, and mutter to herself how much she was hating life. Sidney, a 26-week pregnant individual trapped on a plane for over seven hours, dared to use the restroom just once. When we asked the woman sitting next to us as nicely as possible if she would allow Sid through so she could get to the lavatory, we were made to feel like the worst people ever.

Our neighbor gave us a nasty fake smile and sneered in the most sarcastic voice:

Sure.

Even though we had braced ourselves for the negative response we knew we would get, her sarcastic and scathing response still surprised us a bit. Thankfully Sid was able to sleep on the plane and she did extremely well considering the circumstances.

Things won’t get easier for us. Next time we fly out west it will be with a baby. We can only hope and cross our fingers for fellow passengers like the guy we encountered on our flight out west. In the meantime, I can reevaluate my own manners on the plane. Like I said at the beginning of this post, my main objective when flying solo was usually to just fall asleep. Perhaps in the future I can actually briefly chat with my neighbor and make sure he/she is happy and comfortable. Perhaps my indifferent attitude in the past helped us get seated next to the uncompassionate individual on the way back to the east coast. Don’t Blink.