I woke to the news this morning that Toby Keith had passed. What a loss.

I was a big Toby Keith fan. In fact, one of my tweets about him made national television on the Today Show in 2019.

Toby Keith is the person who made me appreciate country music. Before I found his work, I held the same lame attitude that too many people hold about the genre, thinking it is just a bunch of moaning and groaning about dogs dying and harvests failing. Man, what an obtuse view.

That all changed with Toby Keith. Long before I even listened to Kenny Chesney, I was all about songs like “How Do You Like Me Now” and “I Wanna Talk About Me.” Keith’s songs told a story and they were fun. Oh, and there was also his voice. But more on that in just a second.

I was saddened to hear of Toby Keith’s passing (photo courtesy of Chris Pizzello).

Even if his talent didn’t win you over as a full-fledged fan, there was no denying his greatest contribution to not just the country genre but American music in general: “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” Perhaps one of the greatest karaoke songs ever and an anthem for all guys who wish they turned out just a little tougher, that song is legendary. I remember belting it out in the weight room with my high school football teammates and my memories associated with the song just multiplied from there.

Another talent of Toby Keith was his ability to create music videos you wanted to watch. “A Little Too Late” builds up and builds up until it turns into one of the most epic music video gags ever. Then you have “As Good As I Once Was” with the over-the-top and hilarious bar scenes. But the video that holds a special place in my heart, simply because it is tied to a memory, is “Red Solo Cup.” Watch the video and you will wonder yourself how many beverages in red solo cups that Toby and his crew enjoyed before/during the making of it 😂. I fondly remember on Thanksgiving when my family, aunt, uncle, and cousin watched that video and found ourselves rolling on the floor in laughter. We sang that song the rest of the long weekend.

Since I started listening to Toby Keith in the early 2000s, I desperately wanted to see him in concert. Known for his high energy and pyrotechnic-fueled shows, a live Keith concert was a bucket list item for any true fan. In 2011, I had my chance. I landed tickets for his “Locked And Loaded” tour as I attended his show at Northern Quest’s outdoor venue with my boss at the time and my brother. It was an awesome night as I watched a true entertainer rock the joint. Keith’s energy, charisma, and talent were on display the entire evening. When the concert ended, little did I know how much more memorable that night was about to get…

Rather grainy photo I took of Toby Keith when I watched him at Northern Quest in 2011 but I did my best.

After the show, I ate dinner in one of the Northern Quest restaurants with my boss and brother. It took a long time and after the check came it was late and most of the casino was cleared out. The three of us decided to take a stroll through the casino floor. As we walked, I noticed a large man wearing a cowboy hat at a Three Card Poker table. Sitting in a chair at the middle of the table was Toby Keith! My boss, brother, and I didn’t think twice—we went right over. My brother sat down and played with Keith while we stood behind him. After playing it cool for a couple moments, we started chatting with him. Keith was engaging and polite. The thing that stood out the most? That voice! Even though he was subdued and out of concert mode, his voice was unmistakable and rich. I became an even bigger fan that night.

Toby Keith was an incredible talent who elevated the profile of country music. He was also a man who stood for something. A patriot and relentless supporter of our troops, he wasn’t afraid to be outspoken about his pride for the United States of America. He was also a man of faith so this morning I pray that eternal rest be grant unto Toby Keith and that perpetual light shines upon him 🙏. Don’t Blink.

It was a momentous evening in the Reser household on Tuesday night. Sloan lost her first tooth.

And thank goodness, because our daughter couldn’t accept having a full mouth of baby teeth any longer. With most of her class losing teeth left and right, Sloan felt the Tooth Fairy had a personal vendetta against her.

After personally wiggling on a tooth that seemed loose-ish for a couple weeks, Sloan allowed her mom to finish the job. With a Taylor Swift song playing in the background to calm nerves, Sidney, who is a self-proclaimed “tooth puller,” extracted Sloan’s first tooth.

On Tuesday night, Sloan lost her first tooth!

I can’t express how thankful I am that my wife wears the pants in the tooth pulling department. I get queasy just watching Sloan wiggle a loose tooth, let alone see one pulled out.

It would have made your night to observe Sloan’s joy as she held her tooth. FaceTime calls were made, pictures were taken, and high fives were exchanged. We had the happiest 6-year-old in the world under our roof.

Sloan cashed in on her tooth by following a Mathis family tradition. In order to avoid accidents and sleep disturbances, a pillow was placed on Sloan’s dresser with a note of explanation: Dear Tooth Fairy – My tooth fell out today! We are scared it might get lost under my pillows with my brother. Hope you will still take it on the dresser. xoxo, Sloan

Sloan left this note for the Tooth Fairy right by the pillow she placed on her dresser.

Indeed, the Tooth Fairy did still take it. Sloan was a little richer this morning and she held her head a little higher when she walked through those school doors. Don’t Blink.

One of the truly great things about our new house is the location. Among many other things, there is a beautiful Safeway grocery store within walking distance of our home. I just need to look out the window and I can see it. Talk about convenience!

But can I make a confession? I miss Walmart.

It felt so nice to be back in Walmart this past weekend that I felt the need to take a photo of the experience.

The price difference between Walmart and Safeway is extreme. However, I can’t justify driving 10 minutes to Walmart when I can drive to Safeway in one. That is 20 minutes vs. two minutes for a round trip. My desire for convenience and gas conservation obviously trumps the grocery savings I would bank.

However, as I think about it more critically, maybe I should gladly drive the greater distance to Walmart. Why? There are a few things that irk me about my neighborhood grocery store like…

– The sky-high prices. It is offensive what grocery chains are charging these days and I think Safeway is the worst here locally.

– The out of control loyalty/membership cards. Just give all customers the sale price regardless of whether they have a card or not.

– The even more enraging “digital deals.” At Safeway, my silly loyalty status is now only good for scoring half the deals in the store. For the other half, I have to use my Safeway app to scan the bar code of the sale item.
At Walmart, there aren’t different colored tags on the products designating regular price, loyalty price, or digital price…there is just one single low price for everyone and it is already much cheaper than whatever deal Safeway is boasting.

Over the weekend I went to Walmart for the first time in months. I was only in need of three simple items (graham crackers, marshmallows, Hershey chocolate…guess what we were making?) but I wanted to return to a place that offers low prices and no gimmicks. It was nice and I saved a lot. But will I do this next time as well? Doubt it. Like I said, the laziness…I mean convenience…is just too great to pass up.

Am I doing the right thing? Don’t Blink.

Last week, news broke that Sports Illustrated is on life support. The publication failed to pay its licensing fees to the magazine’s parent company and now all of SI’s journalists are in jeopardy of being laid off. Unless readers want a magazine written entirely by AI, losing all of your journalists would seem like a death blow.

With the somber developments, I looked back at my own history with Sports Illustrated. I grew up in a time when Sports Illustrated advertised its product on television non-stop. Does anyone remember those commercials that encouraged you to subscribe in exchange for a gift? I will never forget the SI duffel bag my dad received for taking the plunge.

In high school, one of my English teachers, Glenn Williams, utilized the distinctive style of an infamous SI writer to encourage us to be more creative. Mr. Williams had us read Rick Reilly’s “Life of Reilly” column to spice up our own writing. We would read his work, analyze it, and then try to incorporate his techniques into our own writing.

Then, when I made it on my own, I subscribed to Sports Illustrated for many years. There was always something nice about opening my mailbox to find a glossy, crisp issue of SI. The Leading Off photography was always mesmerizing and first class. As an analytics person, I always appreciated the Go Figure side bar and it was always a thrill when a local product made the Faces in the Crowd section.

An X post I made all the way back in 2009. I enjoyed Sports Illustrated for many years.

But once I got past the regular departments, I would get lost in the long cover stories and other features. It truly was sports journalism at its best and as a single dude in his 20s, I was there for it. It is fascinating how things have changed.

When I look back at my past X posts that mentioned Sports Illustrated, they run the gamut from commentary on the cover to excitement for the swimsuit issue to actual story reaction. I loved reading through those pages and the enthusiasm was great enough to translate into my social media posts.

When I look back on it, my excitement for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue was pretty immature. This post was from 2012.

However, like many things, when I started a family my appetite and capacity for Sports Illustrated dwindled. I didn’t have time to devote to a weekly issue and we didn’t need the physical magazines taking up precious space either. I also think SI lost its way in recent years as well.

Despite the fact that Sports Illustrated pretty much has a non-existent place in my life today, I am still saddened to hear of its possible demise. I feel mostly for the journalists themselves but I also feel saddened that a publication that helped millions of people get excited about sports is on the way out. Don’t Blink.