Ice Cream Pie

Posted on May 23, 2016 by brent

Growing up in my family, especially the latter half of my time under my parents’ roof, we enjoyed a certain birthday treat tradition. My mom didn’t bake traditional cakes for our special day. Instead, she made ice cream pie.

This is what my mom’s famous ice cream pie looks like.

When one of our birthdays rolled around, we could expect a dangerously delicious dessert to commemorate it. Ice cream pie is not for the faint of heart. It is a rich treat that will leave you full. It looks as good as it tastes.

My mom’s ice cream pie is a chocolate brownie crust layered with premium ice cream and topped with candy, sprinkles, and chocolate sauce. Each bite is an absolute delight as the ice cream melts in your mouth while you savor the chewy crust.

Here is a look inside the ice cream pie. So good.

What makes these pies so much fun is that the birthday person gets to customize it. For example, my mom always made my pie with peanut butter ice cream. She made my dad’s pie with Cake Batter ice cream from Cold Stone. She made my sister’s pie with double fudge brownie ice cream. She then topped it with whatever candy we wanted and drizzled our preferred sauce on it.

Me with the best birthday treat ever.

If you recall, last week I had Sidney try five different cookie dough ice cream brands. As you can imagine, we had a lot of it leftover! Since I am not into wasting food anymore, we wanted to make sure it went to good use. Sidney decided to use my mom’s recipe to make a huge ice cream pie out of it.

This past weekend actually wasn’t the first time Sidney made my mom’s recipe for me. She baked one up this past October for my birthday (please excuse the awful Instagram filter).

Yesterday at our Sunday dinner, Sidney’s family tested out the cookie dough ice cream pie. They loved it! With this confirmation that it isn’t just my family that finds it somewhat tasty, I decided to share the recipe with all of you. Here is how you make ice cream pie…

Ingredients (crust):
1 package of devils food cake mix
¾ cup of chocolate frosting
¾ cup of water
¼ cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pan. Beat all ingredients for two minutes at high speed. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 25 minutes. DON’T OVER BAKE. Now spread ice cream so it covers the crust. Add toppings. Freeze.

My mom gave a Halloween theme to this pie.

Believe me, it is worth it to try this dessert at least once. With the summer approaching, there might not be a better time to whip it up. Don’t Blink.

Resisting the Urge to Throw Out Food

Posted on May 22, 2016 by brent

While I sometimes might hang on to old documents and cards too long, the same can’t be said for food. Since the time I moved out of my parents’ house, I have been religious about throwing out items in my refrigerator past the “best by” or “use by” date. Just the notion of rotten milk or moldy bread was enough for me to dispose of food no questions asked.

As I have lived ten years as a bachelor, I naturally threw out lots of unconsumed food. Although I do have an appetite and eat more than I should, it still takes me longer to eat a large pack of muffins than it would a family. Thus, it became habit for me to “donate” recently expired goods to the landfill.

Like I said, I took the “best by” labels very seriously. Half eaten bags of carrots, practically full gallons of milk, bunches of bananas, barely used taco shells, and items from the bakery were all put out of their misery by me the second they reached their expiration. Sadly, I frequently used to even toss food a day or two away from its “use by” date.

I recently read a very informative and in depth article on how these “best by” dates are pretty much myth. It turns out that these tags aren’t even federally mandated, it is just merely an ESTIMATE from the manufacturer on when the item will be at optimal freshness. In other words, the date on the package is NOT a warning of when the food will go bad.

The article explained that this is a harmful issue because it takes a big toll on the environment. Valuable land and water is used up to produce food that goes wasted. Furthermore, the carbon footprint associated with wasted food worldwide is more than 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

So while I do care about the environment and while I do find that carbon dioxide number alarming, I am more appalled at my own personal waste of food AND money.

Think of it this way: I eat sandwiches for lunch and I often throw half-eaten loaves out at the end of the week just because of the “best by” date. I have purchased a $4 loaf of bread pretty much weekly over the past ten years. Since I throw away half of the product at the end of the week, that means I waste about $2. If I multiply 2 (the dollar amount) by 10 (the number of years) by 52 (number of weeks in a year) I arrive at a waste of $1,040. Mind you, this is just bread and doesn’t begin to cover all the other food I have liberally disposed of over the past decade.

To be honest, I will probably still err on the side of throwing out food well before it starts to go bad. However, I will do my best to not have such a heavy hand moving forward. Food doesn’t become poisoned the second it reaches a “use by” date. I need to take this for fact, stretch my dollar, and help the environment at the same time. Don’t Blink.

Running It Down on Thursday

Posted on May 19, 2016 by brent

Happy May 19th Day to you! Here we go with the Thursday Countdown…

Perfect Wedding Gift – This past weekend, Sidney and I received a pretty awesome wedding gift. Her parents have a great relationship with their next door neighbors and they are close to Sidney as well. Last Saturday, Sid was visiting with her parents at their house. She called me over saying that the neighbors had a wedding gift for us to open. I arrived and we went next door. The nice neighbors gave us a gift bag that had a gas can in it. After taking the container out and examining it, their garage door opened up and there was a lawn mower waiting for us! What a generous gift and what a fun way to give it. Thanks Sue and Jerry!!

Take a look at our brand new lawn mower.

Two Years of Timehop – On this date two years ago, I wrote about how I downloaded Timehop. Eventually I would write a whole post about the app. Today though I must call it out for being wrong. Under the two year banner for May 19, it has a photo of me with my neice. Nevermind the fact that I took this photo last July. The most glaring error of all is that Mikalya wasn’t even alive two years ago. I am still a Timehop fan but it sometimes has inaccurate information.

This DID NOT happen two years ago. An embarrassing error for Timehop.

“Money Monster” – On Friday night, Sidney and I went to the theater to watch “Money Monster.” The movie stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Clooney is an over-the-top money analyst television star and Roberts is his director. A disturbed man who had his savings depleted by bad advice given by Clooney on the show, takes the television host hostage during the live program. Sidney really enjoyed the film and gave it two thumbs up. I thought it was good but I didn’t necessailry like the villain (the person who took Clooney hostage). I just never got that cold and sadistic vibe I like from deranged characters. However, it is an action packed film.

Revised NBA Finals Pick – A few weeks ago I stated I wanted a Golden State vs. Charlotte matchup in the NBA Finals. Well, since the Hornets didn’t even make it out of the first round I have known that I would need to make a revised pick. I am hoping we get to see the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors duke it out for the championship. Just with the amazing ride the Warriors went on this year I think it would be a shame to not seem them in the finals. However, it wouldn’t bother too much either if the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled the upset and represented the Western Conference. I am adamant about my pick on the other side though. Although it doesn’t look like it is going to happen, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings to see Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals. Slim chance. Enjoy the basketball, folks.

Wedding Update #32 – Sidney had her bridal shower last weekend and in addition to the lawn mower we received some fabulous gifts. We met with the church last night to finalize our liturgy. Now, when it comes to St. Andrew (where we are getting married), we just have our meeting with the priest and the rehearsal to go before it is showtime. Also, earlier this week we narrowed our song choice for our first dance to three finalists. And, believe it or not, we just now decided on which one we will use! It is a special melody indeed. Only 23 days to go!

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I wish you all a great weekend. Unlike last week, I don’t have a big idea for what I will write about on Sunday but I promise I will provide you with something. Don’t Blink.

Disagreeing With Dear Abby

Posted on May 18, 2016 by brent

As I have mentioned before, I read the advice columns. Many times I will just read the question from the puzzled reader and skip out on the advice from the “expert.” However, earlier this week I read a question that was interesting enough for me to read the response.

Here in Myrtle Beach the local newspaper runs Dear Abby. In the Monday column, a high school teacher wrote in. She explained that a fellow teacher had a fundraiser where she sold brownies for $1. A student came along and cleaned her out of the brownies, buying every single one. He then proceeded to re-sell those brownies for $2 each to his classmates during lunch. The teacher who wrote for Abby’s advice praised the student for his entreprenual spirit. However, her co-workers didn’t. The fellow teachers thought it was wrong to profit off a fundraiser. Talk about a dilemma!

Abby responded by siding with the person who wrote in. She explained that the young man was entitled to do whatever he wanted with the brownies. Never one to miss out on the opportunity to slip in a zinger, Abby added “If other students were willing to spend $2 for $1 brownies, well — that’s capitalism.” Nice one.

Here is my opinion. Please, take it or leave it…

I disagree with Abby and the person who wrote in declaring that the student should be praised for making a profit. However, that doesn’t mean I agree with the reasoning offered by the other teachers either.

I think it was in bad taste for the student to buy the brownies and then re-sell them. But I don’t believe it was wrong from the standpoint that he was profiting off of a charitable cause. The fundraiser had a maximum amount of money it could make with the prices that were set. The noble cause reached the maximum goal as the product completely sold out. The money was raised and the effort was a success.

With that said, I think the student acted inappropriately. In my eyes, what he did was incredibly disrespectful to the teacher who originally sold the brownies.

I think it is safe to say that the teacher put some planning into the fundraiser. Most likely she baked those brownies or at least made arrangements for someone else to make them. She arrived on campus and put herself out there by selling treats for a good cause. The product of her labor should have ended with the selling of the brownies and the enjoyment of them by the student and whoever he wanted to give them to (free of charge). The fact that the student bought her out and then immediately started re-selling them doesn’t sit well with me.

Although probably not his intention, the actions of the student is a slap in the face to the teacher. He showed her up in front of the whole school by making it look like he was more savvy than her. What he did displayed no appreciation for the efforts of the school employee and minimized the teacher-student relationship.

I do wonder what the teacher felt like as she watched the student sell her brownies. I bet it was a personal blow and a direction she never thought her good intentions would take.

How about you? Do you agree with Dear Abby and the teacher who wrote in? Do you agree with the co-workers? Or do you side with me? I am interested to hear your opinions. Don’t Blink.

For those curious, this is the question and answer as it appeared in Monday’s Dear Abby column.

Eating at a Brazilian Steakhouse

Posted on May 17, 2016 by brent

It seems as if most people have dined at a Brazilian steakhouse at least once in their lives. Whether they were on vacation or celebrating a special occasion, it appeared majority of the people I talked to had crossed it off their bucket lists. For a lover of food like myself, it might come as a surprise that until recently I had never had the pleasure of eating at a Brazilian steakhouse before. That all changed last night.

Sidney and I celebrated our two year anniversary of being together by dining at Rioz, a Myrtle Beach Brazilian steakhouse that has a superb reputation in an area boasting one of the highest restaurants per capita ratios in the world. Both of us had wanted to eat at Rioz for a while so last night’s occasion provided the perfect opportunity.

This is what Rioz looks like from the outside.

For those who don’t know, a Brazilian steakhouse is a restaurant that provides diners with unlimited cuts of various meats. Employees walk from table to table with big skewers of different types of beef, pork, chicken, and lamb. The restaurant personnel know to approach your table by looking at a card. If you have it flipped to the green side, the meat offerings will come; if you have it flipped to the red side, you will be left alone.

Sidney and I at our table at Rioz.

Actually though, the meat gorging is just one part of the experience. Let me now specifically tell you about the special meal Sid and I had at Rioz…

The place is supposed to be almost impossible to get a table at without waiting a couple hours. Because it was a Monday night, we were seated immediately. Our server greeted us as we sat down. As he gave us the “ground rules” of how the restaurant worked, a basket of rolls appeared between us. It would be like that the whole night…while you have a head server, a large team of restaurant employees take care of you, often working so efficiently that you don’t even notice them.

After the introduction, we went to the salad bar. At Rioz, as I am told is the same with other Brazilian steakhouses, the salad bar is outrageous. You just don’t have the freshest veggies, dressings, bacon, and croutons tempting you. Rather, you have items that make it more like a buffet than a salad bar. Fruits, cheeses, soups, potatoes, pasta, breads, noodles, sushi, beans, and so much more are available to enjoy. The price includes unlimited trips.

The salad bar at Rioz is extremely impressive.

Even though throughout the day I told myself not to load up at the salad bar so I could maximize my meat intake, I still put too much on my plate. It was all good though because it tasted excellent.

My salad plate complete with pasta.

Sidney and I finished our salads (and other items) and then bravely turned our cards from red to green. It was kind of a bizarre moment. I was expecting to be inundated with employees putting their skewers under our noses but there was a calm before the storm. It took a few minutes for us to be worked into the meat rotation. During this time, we were brought over mashed potatoes and served fried bananas and polenta.

Then the meat started coming. Each particular employee would come over and announce what was on the skewer and then it was up to us to either say “yes please” or “no thank you.” Before I knew it, I had top sirloin, filet mignon, and parmesan crusted pork loin on my plate. Okay, hold up.

This was my first round of meat at Rioz.

Sidney and I turned our card back to red and started to really dig in. Drinks were refilled promptly and more mashed potatoes were brought to our table. We took time to really enjoy what was on our plate and I even tried Sidney’s lamb. We were already full after that first round but we knew we had to make ourselves vulnerable to the Rioz wait staff once again. The card went from red to green and the men with skewers returned.

My beautiful fiancé enjoying her dinner at Rioz.

This time around I found my plate topped with bacon wrapped chicken, bacon wrapped beef tenderloin, and more top sirloin. Sidney gave me most of her garlic steak as well. We ate this round much more slowly and although I considered turning the card back around one final time for possibly one more cut of meat, I thought better of it.

This was my second round of meat at Rioz.

However, we couldn’t properly celebrate our anniversary without getting dessert. The staff could sense we were finished and they elegantly cleaned off our table and the young lady with the dessert cart appeared. After tossing around many options, we settled on splitting the crème brulee.

It wouldn’t be an anniversary without dessert.

You might be curious about pricing. The meal was worth the triple digit figure I was originally presented with but because of an outstanding 50% off buffet coupon that Sidney’s mom gave us, it was a real bargain at just $61. Great food, great service, and a great experience.

Either way you look at it, the check wasn’t that bad.

Although I am craving the Rioz meats as I type this, I think it might be a while until we go back. Why? Because I really think my body needs all the time it can get to work off the million calories I consumed. However, I thoroughly enjoyed each one. Don’t Blink.

A Sweet Two Years

Posted on May 16, 2016 by brent

I really do think there is something to be said about fate. I moved to Myrtle Beach at the end of April 2014 to take a job at Coastal Carolina University. The big relocation was 90% about the professional opportunity and 10% about the weather. Not knowing how long I would be in the area, I never thought once that I would find love and meet the person who I would spend the rest of my life with.

May 16, 2014. Two years ago on this date I met Sidney for the first time at the pool of my apartment complex. Shortly thereafter we went on our first date. After that, well, the rest is history.

This is Sidney and I on our first date almost two years ago.

Despite the disorienting hot temperatures of that Friday afternoon and the slight buzz I was enjoying as I tried to keep up with the heat, I knew Sidney was special. What I didn’t know was that an invisible countdown ticker was immediately activated in our hearts. The number was 756.

This was Sidney and I on our one year anniversary in Savannah.

Yes, 756, the number of days separating us from that first meeting at the pool to our eventual wedding date on June 11. As the time has ticked away, our love has grown. When that countdown reads multiple zeroes just 26 days from now, we will have made the ultimate promise to each other, a promise that first started developing that great afternoon two years ago.

Today marks the THIRD May 16 we have spent together. We are off now on our anniversary dinner.

Although we are excited to start counting wedding anniversaries, today’s two year anniversary of being together will do just fine. Sidney, thanks for being my puzzle piece. And God, thanks for our sweet fate. Don’t Blink.

The Battle of the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Creams

Posted on May 15, 2016 by brent

For my big Sunday blog post, I wanted to write about a couple of my favorite topics I have covered in Don’t Blink before. One is ice cream (here, here, and here) and the other is taste tests. I combined these two joys of mine to create an intriguing and nerdy investigation.

I once ate seven scoops of ice cream in five minutes.

Besides the three originals of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, there is another major player when it comes to ice cream flavors. Can you guess it? If you even care a small amount about ice cream you know I am talking about chocolate chip cookie dough. It doesn’t matter what brand you buy, what parlor you visit, or what gas station cooler you raid, chocolate chip cookie dough will be offered. It is an institution in the ice cream world.

We all know that all ice cream isn’t created equal. Even with vanilla, I could give you three different brands and you would be able to tell a difference between each one. However, with chocolate chip cookie dough, the variations in a scoop of generic product compared with a scoop of the Baskin-Robbins version are numerous. Besides the ice cream itself, you also have the quality of the cookie dough, the amount of cookie dough per serving, the size of the cookie dough, and the quality/amount of the chocolate chips/chocolate chunks.

An incredible cookie dough ice cream sundae Sidney and I once devoured.

So while the perception is that the premium brand of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is superior to the generic brand of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, I wanted to test it out to be 100% sure. Today I went to a couple different stores and bought five different chocolate chip cookie dough ice creams.

Representing the generic group, I purchased the Great Value Wal-Mart brand and the Lowe’s Foods brand (for those out west, Lowe’s is a major grocery chain out here on the east coast). Representing the premium brand, I bought Ben & Jerry’s (how couldn’t I?) and Blue Bunny. Representing the middle of the line so to speak, I also bought a tub of the Breyers stuff.

This is the lineup of different cookie dough ice creams I bought this morning.

Striving to be completely scientific and unbiased, I had Sidney serve as my official taste tester. I served a small scoop of each ice cream to her in an unmarked paper bowl. I then asked for her input!

Going in order starting with the best, here is how Sidney ranked each chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream along with her comments on each.

#1. Great Value (tasted first) – In an absolute shocker, Sidney identified the Wal-Mart brand cookie dough ice cream as her favorite. She said the ice cream was creamy and the cookie dough very tasty. She adamantly thought that the Great Value brand was Ben & Jerry’s. At under $3 per gallon, the Great Value ice cream was by far the least expensive but according to Sid’s taste buds it was the best!

In the surprise of the century, Sidney liked the Great Value cookie dough ice cream the best.

#2. Lowe’s Foods (tasted third) – Continuing the surprising results, the Lowe’s Foods chocolate chip cookie dough dairy dessert was rated second best by Sidney. Although she commented that there was only a fair amount of cookie dough pieces in the dessert, she liked the vanilla ice cream the most out of all the selections she tasted today. So there you have it, two generic brands take the top two spots.

Coming in second place was the other generic brand, Lowe’s Foods.

#3. Blue Bunny (tasted fourth) – Although the Blue Bunny brand is third on the list, it is number one for presentation. When you open up the tub, the ice cream is molded into little hills mixed with cookie dough swirls. It makes for easy scooping. Sidney said the ice cream tasted similar to the Great Value version but it just didn’t have enough cookie dough. Also, Sidney thought the cookie dough swirl was a caramel swirl. Additionally, Blue Bunny says the ice cream is cookie dough flavored but it really just tasted like vanilla.

In the middle of the pack was ice cream powerhouse Blue Bunny.

#4. Ben & Jerry’s – If you told Ben or Jerry that their ice cream finished behind Wal-Mart and a couple other brands, neither would be very happy. However, it is what it is. While Sidney gave them points for having the largest pieces of cookie dough, it didn’t make up for the fact that the pieces were too few and far between. But get this, she was less than impressed with the ice cream itself. Sidney said the vanilla ice cream tasted artificial, a major slap in the face to a company that prides itself on being all-natural.

In a million years I never thought Ben & Jerry’s would be so low on the list.

#5. Breyers – In the past I have praised this ice cream brand but it didn’t live up to my praise in the blind taste test. Sidney thought the ice cream tasted the most artificial out of them all. She commented that the small pieces cookie dough just didn’t taste very good. She also noted the lack of both cookie dough and chocolate chunks in the dessert. It was a bad day for Breyers.

Bringing up the rear was Breyers.

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So now we have four gallons of ice cream plus a pint (Ben & Jerry’s) in the freezer. Brenda and Steph, if you are reading this, please come over and take some ice cream off our hands. Hope everyone enjoyed the review. Again I will reiterate that I was surprised by the results. I guess it is never smart to immediately discredit generic brands. Don’t Blink.

Off to the Races Thursday Rundown

Posted on May 12, 2016 by brent

Good evening to you all. You have found the right place for the Thursday Rundown so let’s get started!

Snapchat Strong – Way back in November I mentioned that my mom had created a Snapchat account. Six months later, she is still improving that Snapchat score. Even though she struggles with using the video option, I don’t think I look forward to anyone’s Snaps more than my mom’s. Her “good morning” messages always help to make my day even better. Go ahead, follow her by searching “marykreser5.”

A great way to start your day is with a Snap from your mom.

Dressing Up For the Derby – This past weekend, Sidney and I attended a Kentucky Derby office party. As most people know, I don’t shy away from a chance to dress up so I went all-in with the derby theme. Although I know very little about horse racing, I did know that Nyquist was a 2 -1 favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. Luckily that is who Sidney picked in the pool we had. However, the biggest win of the night came when I was named best dressed. But this honor would never have been possible without a major assist from Sidney…she was the one who put together my whole outfit!

I brought my horse and everything!

Historical George W. Bush Photos – This past weekend I came across this link. The site showcased several photos, along with informative captions, of George W. Bush on 9/11. The images chronicle his expressions and whereabouts throughout the day. Despite the horrific events of September 11, I did find the photos interesting both from a historical and human standpoint. The history you can’t deny but the emotion you feel as a human being is something else. Put yourself in the shoes of a world leader when you are told that one of the most bloody and savage events in the history of the planet just occurred. How do you react and how do you go about the rest of the day? By looking through this photo album you get to see how someone of that stature navigated through the most awful day ever.

George W. Bush visibly shaken on 9/11. Follow the link for more photos.

Latest TV Picks – Back in the day I used to watch “Unwrapped” every now and then. Well, lately I have found myself watching the reruns from 2008. The other day I got to see how Red Vines and Cheetos are made! Yesterday I learned about what it takes to prepare lollipops. As for newer shows, Sidney and I started watching the Netflix series “Kevin From Work”. I won’t get into the plot but if you have Netflix and are looking for something to watch, you will definitely get a few laughs out of it.

“Kevin From Work” is the new show Sidney and I are watching.

Wedding Update #31 – Was my month countdown post not enough yesterday? I don’t know if I have too much more to update you on but we are now officially 30 days out from the big day! This weekend, Sidney’s relatives will host her bridal shower. Also, wedding presents have started to trickle in. It is fun to watch Sidney get really excited when she opens them.

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Have a great weekend! I have an idea floating around in my head for a fun Sunday blog post but we will see if I go through with it or not. I guess you will just have to check back then. Don’t Blink.

The Pre-Honeymoon

Posted on May 11, 2016 by brent

Oh my, where did the month go?! On April 11, I wrote a blog post commenting on the fact that our wedding day was only two months out. Excuse me for the cliché, but that seemed just like yesterday. Today is May 11 and Sidney and I are now only one month away from saying “I do” inside St. Andrew Catholic Church here in Myrtle Beach.

Let me put it this way: the next time the 11th of the month falls, we will be getting married. Crazy!!

Sidney posted this sweet message to Facebook this morning.

Reflecting on this final one month countdown has made me put it in a certain perspective. To me, it is almost as if from now until the wedding date we will be on a pre-honeymoon.

A honeymoon is a time for a new couple to celebrate, go on adventures, and feel really good about themselves. Minus the blue waters of Mexico at our adults-only all-inclusive resort, I feel the next 30 days will pack a lot of the same joyful feelings that our real honeymoon will and that our “engagement honeymoon” did.

We are now just a month away from the big date.

Our long engagement is now at its final month. For the past several weeks I have already felt giddy with excitement. Now that we have passed this major threshold, I expect this feeling to be even more magnified. How can it not? Over the coming weeks we will make final wedding arrangements, Sidney will have her bridal shower, we will meet with the priest who will marry us, my family will come to town, wedding week activities will take place, and the rehearsal/rehearsal dinner will be held.

So yes, it will definitely be a pre-honeymoon, right? Well, I don’t know what Sidney would say to that.

I am sensitive to the fact that while my excitement level goes up, Sid’s stress level will most likely rise as well. As I mentioned at the two month mark, Sidney and her mom have worked tirelessly on this wedding. I can imagine that even with all the fun things going on, they will be very much focused on the big day, pre-honeymoon be damned.

Perhaps my role in this will be to contain my excitement to some extent and help out as much as possible. With that said, I am also tasking myself with the responsibility of making sure that Sid enjoys this special time as well. I need to maintain a balance where I am not overflowing with obnoxious joy but also doing what I can to keep Sidney loose and relaxed.

The month countdown is here! What an incredibly major time in our lives. We will take each day one at a time and enjoy the ride. We are blessed. Don’t Blink.

Remembering Digits

Posted on May 10, 2016 by brent

My memory is interesting. By the age of three, I had memorized the names and order of the United States Presidents. Throughout my childhood, my parents would marvel at details I could remember from years prior. Presently, people ask me to recall how a certain event was arranged or what was served at a specific dinner because they know I am usually spot on.

But then there was the day a few months ago when my debit card pin number vanished from my mind as I was trying to make a purchase. Or the recent unfortunate incident when I got to the gym in the morning and couldn’t for the life of me recall my locker combination. Or just this past weekend when Sidney asked me the name of an instructor and I drew a complete blank.

Needless to say, my memory is sometimes very good and sometimes very bad. I would still say though that for the most part I have an above average memory. However, there is one area where my memory consistently fails me (or perhaps I fail it).

Besides my own personal cell numbers over the years, I haven’t memorized the cell number of someone else since 2004. Why 2004? That was the year I received my first cell phone. Up until that point I would dial the cell numbers of my mom and my best friend in high school from our landline frequently. I still remember those two numbers by heart and I still call my mom using hers (as opposed to pulling up her name and pressing “send”).

Since then, I haven’t logged cell phone numbers inside my brain. Why would I, right? We have contact lists programmed into our phones for a reason.

But perhaps I shouldn’t just blame the lack of 10-digit strings of numbers in my brain on technology. While the person’s name substitutes for the actual number most of the time, we all get glimpses of the physical number every now and then, especially if we are close to an actual person. For example, whenever we open up a contact in our phone their number is displayed. Also, from time to time we all have people ask us for the phone number of the people we are close to. If we don’t just share the contact via our iPhones, this causes us to actually look at and recite/write down the number.

I suppose that if my memory really was worth a darn like I said above, I probably should have memorized the numbers of my brother, sister, dad, and fiancé by now. It is a sad reality that out of these four people, the closest I get to remembering their numbers off the top of my head is the first six digits (area code plus first three numbers) of two of them.

Recently, Sidney asked me if I could take time and memorize her number. She explained that it was more for emergency purposes than anything. By writing this blog post, I know for a fact that I will have it memorized by the time this night is over. Perhaps I will try and cement the digits of some of the other people on the list as well.

Do you remember cell phone numbers? Maybe you are like me and consider it an outdated practice. Maybe you have a little more pride and employ an operator in your head. Whatever your opinion, I think I can admit that Sidney does have a very valid point. There will be situations where we won’t always be able to rely on our personal phones to recall numbers. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser