Good evening to everyone. I know we are all anxiously awaiting the Memorial Day Weekend––I can’t wait to spend it with my wife and kids! Let’s get started with my latest Thursday Rundown…

Not a Good Mix – I enjoy both of these cereals, but I don’t necessarily know if I would prefer them together. A frosted cereal and a fruity cereal just don’t seem like they would mesh well together. I think Froot Loops and Lucky Charms could possibly work as a duo but for the time being how about we just keep each classic sugary cereal in its own box?

I don’t think I could do this.

Ultimate Tag – After watching the finale of the Masked Singer last night, we decided to stick around for the debut of Ultimate Tag, a show hosted by the Watt brothers. The program is literally based on the game of tag but it takes place in a small arena and has a definite “American Gladiators” vibe to it. The concept is decent and the action itself is entertaining, but it has the same cheesy production style that has turned me off from other programs. Don’t think I will watch again.

This tweet explained my thoughts while watching “Ultimate Tag” last night.

Magic Eye – At my parents’ house, they have several books in the Magic Eye series that was popular in the 1990s. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t do them back then and I can’t really do them now. Last month, my team at work had a Zoom background contest for one of our Friday meetings and I turned my background into a Magic Eye image. I didn’t consider that my big body sitting in front of the puzzle would impact the ability of my co-workers to focus on the design. Oh well, I guess I go with Magic Eyes just about as well as Frosted Flakes and Froot Loops.

A Magic Eye book that I was skimming through at my parents’ house a couple nights ago.

Peanut Butter Sandwiches – Working from home these days, my peanut butter sandwich consumption has dropped to historically low levels. Six years ago on this date, I wrote about how I ate PB sandwiches obsessively for lunch. More recently, I wrote about how I started to scale back. Don’t get me wrong, I still like them, I am just not eating them…at the moment.

My peanut butter sandwich consumption has dropped drastically from six years ago.

Cousin Love – One of the best parts about Sidney and the kids arriving nearly two weeks ago has been watching Sloan play with her cousins. The past couple nights after work, I have walked up the stairs from my office and into the living room to see Sloan running around with Mikayla and Johnny. They are a handful but watching those three interact sure is rewarding.

I took these photos over the past couple night.

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Have a safe weekend everyone. I value your readership and interest. Please continue to pray for a swift resolution to the current pandemic. Don’t Blink.

A collection from my childhood that has gathered dust for the past 15 years is enjoying new life. Granted, it took me moving back to my parents’ house and the curiosity of a 3-year-old girl to make the collection relevant again, but things are once again “ballin.”

Unless you are a major fan of Don’t Blink and remember me making quick mention of it in July, you probably didn’t know that my brother and I amassed a giant collection of bouncy balls during our childhood. During our formative and pre-teen years, we hoarded the miniature rubber colored balls like they were going out of style.

Most kids would go out of their way to collect candy or new toys; we went all-in to bring home bouncy balls.

A look at our bouncy ball collection. More than 230 balls are pictured here.

We did all we could to obtain them from feeding loose change to the bouncy ball machines at Old Navy to trading all our tickets for them at the arcade. We scoured toy aisles and ripped into goodie bags at birthday parties hoping to find them. We accepted white elephant bouncy balls from friends and even sought them out at yard sales. It was a serious collection.

But it was also more than a collection; It was a hobby. We didn’t simply bring home the balls and place them in some shrine to admire. Rather, we played with them…a lot. Out of the hundreds of bouncy balls we collected, we would rotate them out of a large sack and into our pockets. Everywhere we went, Glen and I would have bouncy balls to throw around. Supermarket aisles, the bus stop, basketball courts, and parking lots were a few of the places where we would improve our eye-hand coordination by throwing the balls back and forth…back and forth.

Each bouncy ball in our collection is unique.

By the time I reached high school, I realized it wasn’t cool to stuff my pockets with rainbow-colored bouncy balls. So, a year or so after the new millennium, the balls spent more time in a large white laundry sack than they did on the streets of Spokane.

As I left my parents’ house and lived in different places across the country, my mom and dad threatened to throw out the bouncy balls. I think they were just about at their wits’ end and were seriously going to chuck them just a couple days before I told them I would be moving back to the state to work at WSU.

This is the sack that contains our bouncy balls.

I am grateful for the patience of my parents because those bouncy balls are now being enjoyed by a different Reser generation. It turns out Sloan enjoys bouncy balls just as much as her daddy and uncle. For the past several nights, we have spent time in my parents’ driveway throwing them around in what we call the #BouncyBallChallenge.

You should have seen my daughter’s face light up when I opened the same plastic laundry sack that has held the bouncy balls for two decades. How could a 3-year-old resist the countless colors, designs, sizes, and textures? Each night I let her grab a couple from the sack and we go outside to play. Sidney comes out too and we enjoy some clean, cheap entertainment.

Sloan has grown to really like my old bouncy balls.

It feels good to see your daughter enjoy an eccentric pastime that you couldn’t get enough of as a kid. I am appreciative of my parents for preserving our collection and I look forward to many more fun times with our bouncy balls in the future. Don’t Blink.

Perhaps I will no longer be judged by my naturally weak handshake?

Recently, I have heard multiple predictions on cable news shows that the handshake won’t survive COVID-19. People are saying that once this pandemic is over, the once popular greeting will essentially be extinct.

My days of extending my right hand might be over.

By no means will I be heartbroken if the prognostication proves correct. I have never really bought into the “you can tell a person by their handshake” adage. Besides the whole disease-spreading concerns, I think handshakes can be as awkward as hugs. But, in the same vane as hugs, although sometimes awkward, a handshake can sometimes be fulfilling.

So, if we really do forgo handshakes for the rest of civilization, I won’t miss 95% of the obligatory embraces that I would have extended if this pandemic spared us. However, for the times when a handshake could communicate emotion, warmth, celebration, and/or reconciliation––I will miss them.

I am mildly concerned about people (including myself) having the self-control to cease handshaking. Will it be easy for all of us to refrain from offering our hand when encountering Joe Blow? Perhaps an even better consideration, how will we deal with people who insist on shaking hands? I can see some pretty uneasy situations developing. But I do believe that over time, the urge to shake hands won’t feel so natural and those who are hell-bent on doing it will eventually fall in line.

I used to shake hands freely and even pose for photos while doing it.

What I am genuinely concerned about is replacing the handshake with something that doesn’t involve person-to-person contact. I do believe it is important for some type of non-verbal recognition to take place between parties. What could possibly replace the handshake?

Although I think it would be neat to invent something new, I think our best option might be something that has been around for thousands of years. I would not be opposed to adopting the Asian custom of bowing. Not only is it a beautiful gesture of respect, but it meets all physical distancing guidelines. As long as the bow is about recognition as opposed to an over-the-top maneuver that might be misconstrued as an act of worship, I think it might be the direction that we need to head in.

What are your thoughts on the handshake going away? There is no denying that is has been not just a courteous act but a powerful symbol. However, if it is going to be a casualty of the coronavirus, we need to look at other options. Don’t Blink.

Today, Washingtonians observe the day that Mount St. Helens blew its top. In fact, this year’s date is a milestone––we are talking 40 years! On May 18, 1980, the active volcano in the western part of Washington state erupted, spewing ash EVERYWHERE.

Mount St. Helens was a massive volcanic eruption that happened 40 years ago on May 18, 1980. (Photo courtesy of the USGS).

This event has cemented itself in the fabric of the Evergreen State. As a kid, Mount St. Helens was basically the central part of our science curriculum in grade school. We learned all about the eruption. Teachers would bring in ash, homework assignments entailed us interviewing our parents about what they remembered from the day, and we would “blow up” the cliché vinegar/baking soda volcano.

Our local library had countless books on Mount St. Helens, everyone still hung newspapers in random spots from the fateful day, and you weren’t worth a damn if your parents didn’t have a secret stash of ash somewhere. The eruption had taken place nearly two decades ago but Mount St. Helens mania was still alive and well.

My parents have held onto a Yakima Valley Community newspaper from May 19, 2020.

Fast forward another 20 years and the transformative event has not lost a bit of luster. I did have to return within state lines to feel it, but the anniversary is as significant now as it was when I was a kid. Case in point: the local newspaper is doing a SEVENTEEN-day series on the explosion. My department at Washington State University has written some brilliant pieces on the monumental event. Tonight, Mount St. Helens coverage led off newscasts statewide.

How did I explain Mount St. Helens to my southern wife? I told her the volcano is on the same level in Washington as Hurricane Hugo is in South Carolina.

For all the scientific glory and state pride that surrounds Mount St. Helens, it is important to remember that people did lose their lives 40 years ago. Sadly, 57 people perished in the explosion.

There is no doubt, Mount St. Helens has proven staying power. Although the mountain blew several years before I was born, sometimes I feel like I was alive that day––the sign of an event that has truly been thoroughly documented in a community’s historical record. Don’t Blink.

I write this Thursday Rundown in an especially optimistic tone because it just feels so good to have my family again. Their presence has positively impacted each of my days since they have arrived. But enough about that, let’s get to the five topics…

Don’t Blink Ninth Anniversary – Today my blog turns 9 years old. For the past 3,285 days, I have hosted Don’t Blink on www.brentreser.com. This year’s anniversary is just a reminder that I need to continue blogging for at least another year. As I mentioned in last year’s anniversary post, maintaining a blog for a decade will be a big personal accomplishment for me. Until then, I will continue adding to the 1,815 posts I have already written.

Today is the ninth anniversary of my blog, Don’t Blink.

Trio of Great Moms – This past Sunday, I was able to snap a photo of a few terrific moms. My wife, sister, and mom are all featured in this image. It was the first time in my life that I was able to spend Mother’s Day with all three of them, a truly special occasion. I am extremely appreciative of all that these three women do.

My sister, mom, and wife on Mother’s Day 2020.

My Kids – On Tuesday night, Sloan wanted to act “like a baby” and took a spot right next to Beau who was lounging on our bed. It made for a good picture opportunity because believe it or not, it is harder than you think to get a photo of them together.

These two monkeys posed for a photo this week.

Panda Express Dinner – If you are looking for a delicious and inexpensive dinner option for a family of four, may I suggest the Panda Express $20 Family Meal? For the second time since I have moved back to Washington, we brought home this slamming deal. You receive three large entrees and two large sides. Not only do you get to mix and match but you end up having leftovers the next day as well. Tonight did not disappoint and I know Sidney was really impressed. Go ahead, give it a try.

Panda Express hit the spot tonight.

My Fortune Cookie Message – The only sketchy part about Panda Express tonight was the fortune cookie. While I might go to extreme measures in the name of a fortune cookie, I definitely don’t trust what they have to say. Even with an ego like mine, I still don’t necessarily agree with this.

Yeah….I don’t think so.

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I sound like a broken record but let’s continue to pray for our doctors, nurses, scientists, and other brave personnel on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. Thanks for reading this post on such a special day for Don’t Blink. Have a great weekend. Don’t Blink.

When moving, we decided to leave our vehicles in Myrtle Beach. With Sidney finishing up a lease and with me driving a car with 200K miles, it made sense to start over from an automobile standpoint in Washington. We were able to use the money we saved on not transporting our cars across the country plus the sale of my car to purchase a new vehicle here in Spokane.

We opted for a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan (I said new, not brand new). Sidney saw the vehicle online and fell in love with it. A car novice myself, I had never even heard of such a vehicle until I opened up the link my wife sent me. It looked great! A mid-size SUV, it is basically similar to a Honda CRV or a Toyota RAV4. Perfect for a family of four, equipped to drive in the snow, and with under 6K miles on it, the Tiguan was an ideal choice. Oh yeah, it also met Sidney’s requirement of having heated seats!

Our 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan.

With our budget cushioned a bit by federal stimulus dollars, I went to the Spokane Volkswagen dealership a couple weeks before Sidney arrived. The test drive went well and I decided to pull the trigger.

After leaving our vehicles in Myrtle Beach, we were in the market for a new car. We settled on the Volkswagen Tiguan.

I brought the car home and my parents let me park it in their garage until Sid arrived. My wife joked with me, asking if it would be in a bow when she arrived. Well, I didn’t wrap it in a bow but I did drive it out to the airport so Sid could drive it immediately upon landing on Washington soil. Let me tell you, she loved every minute of that car ride home.

Sid and Sloan with their new car.

It is nice having a keyless ignition, a reverse monitor, and a fancy sun roof, but I am just thankful that we can drive it with confidence knowing that our children are safe. Nice selection, Sid, you deserve it! Don’t Blink.

Last Friday, exactly eight weeks of longing for my family came to an end as we embraced inside the Spokane International Airport. I couldn’t help but think that what I experienced in that moment was to a small degree what military personnel feel when they are reunited with their families after a long deployment. It was one of the best feelings of my entire life.

This is a grainy photo screenshot from the video of our reunion on May 8.

FaceTime can’t fully depict the physical characteristics of your loved ones. Sloan was smaller, Beau was bigger, and Sidney was prettier than what I remembered on our countless video calls. After our airport reunion, I couldn’t wait to get them to their new home.

It was so great to get my best friend back!

My in-laws and dad rode in a rental car while Sidney jumped behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Tiguan I had purchased for her. Needing no introduction to the new vehicle nor the streets of Spokane, she gleefully drove Sloan, Beau, and myself to my parents’ house where we will live until we decide on housing. As we drove the sun-soaked streets on that gorgeous Friday afternoon, I was finally at ease.

This little guy grew quite a bit since the last time I saw him.

However, it was a bittersweet weekend. I was so overjoyed to have my family back but also sad that Sidney’s parents would be returning to South Carolina without them. Despite their looming departure on Sunday morning, we tried to make their stay as pleasant possible. My parents, Sid’s parents, and the four of us hung out at the house and socialized and shared meals together. My dad and I did escape with my father-in-law to Coeur d’Alene so he could see the beautiful scenery and the famous lake.

My father-in-law and my dad walking at Coeur d’Alene Lake.

On Saturday night, we held a cookout for Sid’s family. My siblings and their families joined us. It was a gorgeous night filled with awesome conversation but it sure was tough seeing my in-laws say goodbye to Sloan and Beau before they returned to their hotel later that evening. They departed at 6 a.m. the next morning as Sid and I were there for the tearful goodbye.

We had a cookout on Saturday night.

When I moved to Spokane in March, it was a little surreal to be living here again. Now that my family is here, I have that same feeling again. What isn’t surreal is the bond between Sloan and I. Kid you not, we have not missed a beat. She is just as sweet and silly as I remember. I am making up time with Beau. I left him a newborn and reunited with him as a handsome chunk. He has changed so much but I am happy to be giving him bottles and changing his diapers again. The minimal sleep thing really isn’t that bad either. Both kids melt my heart.

Sloan and I picked up right where we had left off.

What can I say about having my best friend back in the same zip code? Sidney and I get to enjoy each other and co-parent again. On Sunday night, we went and hung out with my brother and his fiancée. They grilled for us and we played a game called Quiplash. On the way home, we opened the sunroof on our Tiguan and blasted music. While the fresh air circulated around us as we belted out lyrics, I couldn’t remember a time I had been happier in the past eight weeks.

Hanging out with my wife, brother, and my brother’s fiancee on Sunday night.

After an extremely special weekend, we are trying to establish a new normal in very non-normal circumstances. Whatever that ends up looking like, I feel so blessed that the four of us can move forward with this amazing new life. Don’t Blink.

On the eve of my family’s arrival, I am giddy with excitement as I type this. Don’t take it personally, but I am going to write this Thursday Rundown quickly so I can get back to preparing for them.

Missing the Derby – This past Saturday was a little sad without a Kentucky Derby to watch. Well, let’s be honest, it was sadder because I didn’t have a Kentucky Derby party to go to. For a few years we had a blast going to my former supervisor’s house to enjoy the Run for the Roses. Dressing up was mandatory. Here are a few photos from non-pandemic years.

A look at some of the past Kentucky Derby parties.

The Last Dance – I have watched the first six episodes of “The Last Dance” and I will do my best to watch the last four. Growing up as a kid, I hated the Chicago Bulls. Hated them. Not a Michael Jordan fan either. But now that I am older, I can forgive the fact that they beat my two favorite teams (Sonics and Jazz) over the span of three consecutive years in the Finals. Not bitter anymore, I have enjoyed watching the colorful personalities and incredible achievements of these Chicago basketball teams. Some of the footage is priceless and the interviews candid.

I am really enjoying “The Last Dance.”

More Local Delicacies – A couple weeks ago, I told my parents I was going to treat them to my favorite donut place in the world, Retro Donuts. I made good on my promise this past Saturday as I visited the shop and brought an assortment of breakfast delights home. Well, I guess I kind of owed it to my mom and dad because the night before they ordered from my favorite Spokane pizza place, McClains. The spicy thai pie is out of this world and it once again did not disappoint.

Was spoiled over the weekend with Retro Donuts and McClains.

A Viral Celebration – With most universities and high schools forced to cancel in-person commencement exercises, many institutions have worked hard to offer online alternatives. On Saturday, Washington State University will host a virtual celebration to honor our graduates. Our digital event will be significant because it will be one of the first in higher education; WSU is on semesters and commencement is held early. Thus, lots of people and other institutions will be watching as we set the standard. I have the pleasure of helping out with the celebration’s social media efforts and am looking forward to a great show!

WSU will host a virtual celebration on Saturday.

Watching Your Weight During a Pandemic – For those not worried about contracting COVID-19 but rather gaining “the COVID-19,” there is some good news. According to a scale maker that is privy to the weights of customers who use its internet-connected product, people are typically gaining just .21 pounds per month during quarantine. That sounds re-assuring but I am still scared out of my wits to step on the scale after nearly eight weeks of not going to the gym.

People are for the most part maintaining weight during the pandemic.

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Big day tomorrow. I ask that you pray for my wife, daughter, son, in-laws, and their pilots as they make the cross-country trip. Enjoy the rest of your evening. Don’t Blink.

It became automatic. Someone would ask me when my family would be arriving in Washington and before they could get the entire question off their tongue, I would respond with the exact number of days until their arrival.

“29 days.”

“22 days, basically three weeks.”

“Only 11 days!”

“My favorite number…seven days.”

“FIVE FRICKIN DAYS!”

You get the picture? I had a page-a-day countdown calendar in my head that would dutifully rip to the next number at midnight. But the page-a-day mental calendar has now been replaced by a digital clock counting down the time in hours and minutes. Right now it reads about 41(h):15(m).

It has been a long wait, one characterized by delays and cancellations, but my wife, daughter, and baby boy are set to arrive Friday at noon. By the time they touchdown on Spokane soil, it will have been exactly eight weeks since I last saw them.

It has been nearly three weeks since I have seen my wife and babies.

As I flew out to Washington, I remember feeling like it would be eternity until I saw my family again. At that point, we had April 16 circled on our calendars for when they would arrive. But COVID concerns halted the original plan and pushed out what seemed like a distant date even further. Thus, a new countdown started with an arrival date of Thursday, May 7.

Just as the new target date switched from days to hours, we received more bad news beyond our control: Delta had cancelled my family’s flight. Thanks to Sidney’s fast thinking, she re-booked a new flight just 20 hours later on American Airlines. She made the arrangements before even telling me, saving my stress levels from going through the roof.

Barring no more surprises, my wife and kids will be here at noon on Friday. My in-laws are graciously accompanying them on the long flight. I am thankful for all the people who have consistently reached out to me with inquiries on the arrival date, words of encouragement, and stories of their own about being separated from their families. I am even more thankful to Sidney, who has done such an incredible job taking care of Sloan and Beau in my absence. Playing this waiting game has been tough, but as my dad told me yesterday, it will only make seeing them all the sweeter. Don’t Blink.