Everyone is a critic. This cliché rings especially true on Super Bowl Sunday. Those who tune in for the big game suddenly become a head football coach, American Idol judge, entertainment guru, and advertising executive. Don’t think for a second that your esteemed blogger is any different. For the ninth time, I am back to offer my unsolicited and annoying commentary on the game action, national anthem, halftime show, and commercials. So let’s get started with my Super Bowl LIX analysis…

The Game: For the fan with no horse in the race who just wanted to see a close contest, could the game have been much worse? Even the lopsided 40-22 final score doesn’t come close to how one-sided the Eagles’ victory over the Chiefs was. Throw in plenty of penalties—many of them of the ticky-tacky variety that nullified big plays—and you can imagine that a lot was left to be desired. With the game at one point 34-0 in the second half, I think most of America was ready to take a snooze. If there was a redeeming quality, the game did feature some big pass plays that went for touchdowns but other than that this game was forgettable.

For the most part, the game itself was a snoozefest.

The Anthem: I fully understand that the game was in New Orleans and the rendition of the Star Spangled Banner possibly reflected the vibe of the city, but it wasn’t necessarily my cup of tea. I thought Jon Batiste was drowned out by his own piano and the background music. He was simply tough to hear. A lot of “extras” seemed to be going on that took away from the song. I questioned whether repeating “land of the free” three times was necessary but my thought paled in comparison to those who bet the under on the length of Batiste’s performance. With the over/under set at 120.5 seconds, the anthem ended right at the 120-second mark. If there was a fourth “land of the free” added in, there would be some pretty miffed under bettors.

Jon Batiste’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner wasn’t my favorite (photo courtesy of Page Six).

The Commercials: In what I would consider an off-year for the Super Bowl when it came to the game/anthem/halftime show, I think the commercials provided somewhat of a bright spot. But first for the bad: I was rather repulsed by the attempts from Little Caesars and Pringles to use Eugene Levy’s eyebrows and mustaches of famous people, respectively, to generate laughs for their products. Sorry, don’t want to think of brow hair or facial hair when eating pizza or chips. Ditto to the Coffee-Mate ad with the hyperactive tongue…yuck. Also, I experienced Matthew McConaughey fatigue by the third quarter from his spots with Uber Eats and Salesforce.

Despite star power, I didn’t like the Pringles ad.

But like I said, there was also a lot to like. Kudos to the brands who incorporated their ads into the game. Rocket.com used the song “Country Roads” as the soundtrack to its impactful spot and when the FOX broadcast resumed, fans in the Superdome were singing it. I also applauded Angel Soft for purchasing the first ad of halftime and using it as a “PSA” to use the restroom. The “drink on the job” spot by Liquid Death made me Google the company, the Dunkin’ commercial that made fun of bougie coffee competitors made me laugh, and the Bud Light cul-de-sac ad made me do my best to keep up with the star power. I feel this Super Bowl also offered effective ads that advocated for women. I loved the NFL-produced ad that pushed for girls’ flag football to be a varsity sport in all 50 states and I thought the Dove ad that used “Born to Run” to warn against criticizing body types was well-done.

I thought the way the AngelSoft ad incorporated itself into the game was pretty creative.

When it came to my favorite ads from Super Bowl LIX, I have three: First, let’s start with the Google ad that promoted Gemini. It pulled at my heartstrings. Practicing for an interview by answering questions relating to the job of a dad was genius and the visuals that went with it sealed the deal for one of the best commercials of the night. The Harrison Ford ad about “freedom” was touching, clever, and even funny . The voiceover was so well-written and the background track fit it perfectly. Finally, on the lighter side, there was the Ritz ad that featured one of my favorite actresses and one of my favorite actors—Aubrey Plaza and Michael Shannon. The hilarious commercial played on the deadpan personalities of both stars and was a lot of fun…even if the spot was meant to draw attention to how Plaza and Shannon aren’t fun. I give the commercials this year a B+.

I always opt for impactful over funny, but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the Ritz Super Bowl LIX commercial that just happened to have two actors I really enjoy in it.

The Halftime Show: I am an admittedly non-hip, old dad. How do I know? Well, I can give you lots of reasons but one of them is that this year’s halftime show with Kendrick Lamar did absolutely nothing for me. Although I dug some of the choreography and lighting, I was never inspired, energized, or impressed. I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised considering I couldn’t name one Lamar song prior to tonight but I was hoping something would have grabbed my attention. To be fair, Samuel L. Jackson’s cameo and speaking parts came close, but for the most part the show was a big “miss” for me (which probably means the Super Bowl did it right).

The Kendrick Lamar halftime show failed to resonate with me (photo courtesy of Getty Images).

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To all those heading to work this Monday morning, I hope you have your Super Bowl recap talking points ready. Congrats, Philadelphia Eagles, on your NFL title. However, can you do me a favor? Please take a break from the Super Bowl next year…and that goes for you too, Kansas City Chiefs. Don’t Blink.

Past Super Bowl Commentary
Super Bowl LVIII
Super Bowl LVII
Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl LV
Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl 50
Super Bowl XLIX

We are in the midst of a February snowstorm here in Spokane. Lucky for the kids in the area, this snow is perfect for snowmen and forts. Lucky for your favorite blogger, tonight is the perfect time for a Thursday Rundown. Here we go…

Beau’s Birthday – We are hosting Beau’s birthday party tonight but that didn’t mean we let his actual birthday quietly pass by last night. He opened presents and dug into an enormous slice of cake I picked up for him at Safeway. In fact, it was so gargantuan that everyone in the family got to eat some. The Spider-Man party theme will be in full effect tonight as we have grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins coming over!

Beau with his slice of birthday cake.

Cookie Comic – When I first looked at this comic in Sunday’s paper, I passed it to Sidney. I am just checking, but do you get this? She immediately started laughing, both at the joke itself and my own stupidity. I guess it was pretty obvious. To be fair, I went with my intuition and was able to tell her the comic’s gist (a chocolate chip cookie jumping to the oatmeal raisin cookie stack to avoid being chosen as someone’s snack since no one likes oatmeal raisin cookies).

Perhaps I am not the smartest cookie.

National Chopsticks Day – Time to embarrass myself again. I am really bad with chopsticks. So bad, in fact, that I have no business celebrating National Chopsticks Day (which is today). Thankfully I know how to function with another mainstay at Chinese restaurants—the fortune cookie. I must plug the time that I shamelessly walked into a whole bunch of different Chinese restaurants in Missoula just so I could compare the fortunes inside. Proud moment for sure.

This is the stuff I liked to do in my free time.

Here – For this weekend’s Netflix binge, you might consider “Here.” The film receives an A+ for creativity (or perhaps laziness?) as 99% of it is shot from the exact same spot in the corner of a house. The movie chronicles the happenings of different generations of families who move in/out of the specific home. The unique concept—and the acting of Tom Hanks—kept me engaged. Although I feel bad that my parents actually went to the theater to watch it (who wants to watch such a 1-dimensional film in a theater), I felt “Here” made the perfect Friday night film.

I thought “Here” captured an original idea.

Super Bowl Saturday – It has now been 10 years since I publicly broached this topic with a Don’t Blink post, but I still feel as passionately about it now as I did in 2015. Simply, the Super Bowl should be played on a Saturday. In that blog post, I stated my case (quite convincingly I must say) that people become way too invested in the game to expect them to begin a new work/school week the very next day. Of course my argument goes into much more detail than that so you will just have to check it out. But again—just so we are clear—the Super Bowl has no business being played on a Sunday.

It was a big thrill for me when the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII. But I wish they would have won it on a Saturday.

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Okay, let’s wrap this thing up. Hope your February is off to a fine start and that you enjoy the Super Bowl this weekend. Time now to party like I am Spider-Man! Don’t Blink.

What an occasion! Today is Beau’s golden birthday and with it comes the freedom to finally hold up all digits on his hand to express his age. Perhaps with both of these things going for him, I was looking for something more profound when I asked him about the day’s significance. But when I asked my son what excited him the most about turning 5, he responded by yelling one word: “CAKE!”

Beau turns 5 today. Oh, how I love this little boy! (photo courtesy of Nicole Lynn Photos).

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Beau is a simple little guy who is easy to please and easy to love. And thank goodness for that, because his older sister brings enough sophistication to our family for everyone. But forgive me, Sloan will have her moment next month, so let me focus on Beau.

Beau’s official Pre-K4 school photo.

Like I was saying, Beau is so easy to love. He is sweet, helpful, and sensitive. I know I sound like a prideful parent, but our birthday boy truly is special. Although most people refer to him as “Beau Bear,” I have always called him “little man” since birth. However, I could get away with also calling him my “little buddy” because that is exactly what he is to me. Always there to assist me, sit with me, ride with me, and do whatever he can to impress me, Beau’s love is so genuine and pure.

This little guy has quite the personality

It was such a joy to be around him as a 4-year-old. Even when Beau went through a two-month period where listening dwindled and boundaries were tested, he would always return to his sweet self at the end of the day and want to cuddle with us. Over the past year he played t-ball, attended many birthday parties, dressed up as Spider-Man a million times, managed to stay out of the emergency room (), and became a skilled Lego-builder.

Throughout his time as a 4-year-old, Beau was often dressed (to some degree) as Spider-Man.

As he begins his next chapter as a 5-year-old, we are buckling up. Beau will travel to some amazing places, play sports, start Kindergarten, ask more questions about Jesus, dance his heart out, and much more. I am certain he will do this all with his optimistic and loving spirit.

Beau sitting at his desk ready to start his first day of Pre-K4.

If you know our son, he loves to extend his arms and flash double “thumbs up” to express his approval. Trust us, Beau’s thumbs are waaaaay up for turning 5. Although my thumbs don’t know exactly which direction to go with my little man turning another year old, you better believe my love for him continues to be sky high. Don’t Blink.

Do I wish the height lottery didn’t pass me over? I guess so. To put it simply, people who possess tall stature are more highly regarded. Those blessed with height enjoy more athletic opportunities, stand out among the vertically challenged, and can perform everyday tasks with more ease.

In the same way that my parents held out hope that I would be a prodigy, they also crossed their fingers that I would be gifted with some of the height they were deprived of. My doctor gave false hope. When I was born, he predicted that I would shoot through the six-foot threshold. He tabbed me at 6’2.

I would have been happy with just reaching 5′10.

From middle school and beyond, I was always average when it came to height. I stood in direct contrast to one of my best high school friends, Erik, who is 6’9.

At first, it looked like my doctor knew what he was talking about. Through elementary school I towered over most of my classmates. I walked at the back of the line, stood on the top risers at Christmas programs, and was placed in the back row for class photos. For those years, I knew what it felt like to be tall.

But it is all a distant memory now. I didn’t grow in middle school but my classmates did. They sprouted past me as I was relegated to a person of average height (if not a tad short). When I entered high school and still didn’t grow, I knew I was destined to be 5′9 forever.

I always say that if I had a few more inches…and some speed…and some natural talent…I might have been a decent athlete . Oh well, I did try hard and that actually did get me somewhere in terms of very minor athletic glory. At least the Reser family wasn’t totally cut off from the height gene. My brother stands at the height I hoped to grow to—6′2.

We never received height projections from the doctors on Sloan and Beau. For their sake, I hope they benefit from the decent height of Sid’s dad while also perhaps capturing some of Uncle Glen’s loftiness. However, I wouldn’t bet on it. Don’t Blink.