A Small Way I Annoy People

Posted on August 14, 2014 by brent

I have written just shy of 600 blog posts for Don’t Blink. As many of you know who read my stuff frequently, I write about a very wide range of topics. Because I have covered such a vast array of material many times in random conversations I find myself saying, “Hey, I have written about this before!” But instead of acting like a normal, social person and verbalizing my thoughts I sometimes take an easier way out.

I have family members and friends who despise receiving a link from me. It will come after a conversation about something where I usually said very little. However, once they open the link they will find 800 words written by me on the exact same topic discussed. They hate this little habit of mine for several reasons. It shows laziness. It oozes cowardliness. It implies superior intelligence. It assumes that they have time to read my scribble.

In fairness to me I do it for valid reasons of my own. By nature I am a quiet person. I am not too keen on loud and involved conversations. I am also not the most elegant speaker. I rather have my written words talk for me. I also don’t like to waste the time of others. Rather than force someone to listen to my opinion or thoughts I much rather present it to them in a way where they can choose to listen or not.

My girlfriend has already had enough of my links. At least a couple times a day topics are brought up in which I have written blog posts about two or three years back. I will send her the link and she will say something to the effect of “I’d rather hear you say it out of your own mouth.” I pushed her buttons just a couple days ago when I responded to one of her tweets with a link.

Sidney didn’t appreciate the link I tweeted at her the other day.

Usually I will just send links to people who are close to me. They know all about my blog and they know all about my preference for giving them as much detail through my writings as possible. It is not like I engage in conversations with strangers and then ask for their phone number or e-mail so I can follow it up with a link to one of my blog posts from July of 2011. But sometimes I will send an acquaintance or co-worker a link if we had an especially interesting conversation in which I think a past blog post might add substance or context to it. Also, if I think one of my blog posts might truly help educate someone (take for example the subject of social media) I will send a link their way.

I will admit it, I used to get irked by links myself. Whenever I used to ask a certain friend a question over e-mail or Facebook Messenger he would always send me a link from the internet. Even if the effort was less to just tell me the answer by typing a few words he would always go the link route. But I feel what I do is different. I provide people links to my own original material that I think builds on the conversation.

So if I ever send you a link, please don’t feel offended. I want to communicate with you and express myself in the best possible manner. In my case, that sometimes requires that I share with you what I have previously written in this crazy land of Cyberspace. Don’t Blink.

My Robin Williams Death Coincidences

Posted on August 13, 2014 by brent

Now that the smoke has settled a little on the tragic death of Robin Williams I want to say something: I felt a little spooked when he died. Three particular coincidences occurred right around his death that made me wonder just a bit. In tonight’s blog post I want to briefly discuss these coincidences. I will start with the least dramatic instance and end with the most significant one.

Coastal Carolina Commencement Speech: On Saturday morning, Coastal Carolina University held its summer commencement. The speaker was CCU professor Arne Flaten. His speech was titled “Carpe Diem: Of Dead Poets and Epistemology.” Of course Arne referenced Robin Williams, “Seize the Day,” and “Dead Poet’s Society” throughout his address. If you are sitting there thinking what a cliché subject to speak about, please know that Arne beat you to it by taking several shots at himself for picking such a topic. But that’s not the point…the point is that just a couple days after that address everyone around the world was putting “Carpe Diem” in their Facebook statuses.

A photo I took of Arne Flaten delivering his “Carpe Diem” commencement address on Saturday.

Omitting Gooooooood MORNING: There is an ESPN personality by the name of Jonathan Coachman. Quite frequently he will fill in on the radio show Mike & Mike. Whenever he does so (I listen to the show each morning) he will open by exclaiming GOOOOOOD MORNING in the exact same way that Robin Williams did in “Good Morning Vietnam.” I am talking identical. This past Monday morning Coachman was once again subbing on Mike & Mike. I always look forward to him opening the show with GOOOOOOD MORNING so of course my ears were happily open. However, for the first time ever he didn’t give his normal greeting. I was so puzzled and disappointed that he didn’t start the show in his normal way that I tweeted him. Eerily the exact time that Coachman omitted his normal tribute to Robin Williams was around the same time that investigators said the actor took his own life.

I sent this tweet out to Jonathan Coachman because I thought it was really strange that he didn’t open with his usual greeting.

The Keystroke of Death: Monday evening I was in the middle of composing a blog post on the past ten Redbox movies I had watched. One of them happened to be “The Angriest Man in Brooklyn,” one of the last films that Robin Williams did. I trashed the movie. Five minutes after I finished writing about it the news broke about his death. I felt really weird. I almost considered going back and changing my review of the movie out of respect. I decided against it and instead just wrote a footnote under the review and devoted a couple of lines to Williams at the end of my post.

My quick review I did of “Angriest Man in Brooklyn”….just a few minutes after writing it I learned that Robin Williams was dead.

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Have you ever read the Lincoln and Kennedy similarities before? I used to have the poster displaying them hanging in my room. Thinking about my Robin Williams coincidences made me think about that. May the souls of all three men rest in peace. Don’t Blink.

Ten Lousy (for the most part ) Movies

Posted on August 11, 2014 by brent

As I have written about before, I watch a lot of Redbox movies. Maybe I should start to reconsider.

Just for fun, I went through the past ten Redbox movies I have watched. For the most part, these films that I have watched in the last 28 days didn’t impress me too much. In tonight’s blog post I will very briefly go through each one and give you a sentence or two on whether you should watch it or not.

Movie: “Heatstroke”
Date Watched: August 10, 2014
Summary: Dad takes girlfriend and troubled daughter on hyena trip to Africa. Dad gets killed, girlfriend and daughter must survive.
My Opinion: The movie did manage to keep my attention, although barely. The scenery isn’t very good, the villains are corny, and the daughter will annoy you.
My Letter Grade: C

Movie: “Divergent”
Date Watched: August 7, 2014
Summary: Girl has trouble fitting into one of the personality factions of society. Joins one where she doesn’t really belong and discovers an evil plot to turn society upside down.
My Opinion: I was disappointed with this movie. It went too long and didn’t really compare at all to the “Hunger Games.”
My Letter Grade: C

Movie: “Angriest Man in Brooklyn”
Date Watched: July 31, 2014
Summary: A bitter, mean man is falsely told he only has 90 minutes to live. The man then goes off to do what he can to right his wrongs.
My Opinion: Although Robin Williams and Mila Kunis star in it, the movie is a disaster. A plot line that sounds interesting is tarnished in a B movie type production that doesn’t respect the pedigrees of Williams and Kunis. Stay away.
My Letter Grade: D
*******Five minutes after writing these words I heard the unfortunate news about Robin Williams. May he rest in peace.

Movie: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Date Watched: July 28, 2014
Summary: An established hotel concierge befriends a young employee and the two try to cash in on a will while also battling false accusations.
My Opinion: I hated it. Not my style of movie at all.
My Letter Grade: D-

Movie: “Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Date Watched: July 27, 2014
Summary: The winners from the previous Hunger Games are placed back in the competition in an all-star type version. A revolution is brewing and the ruler of the society is trying to squash it.
My Opinion: Great acting, great plot, and great scenes. Enjoyed this movie even more than the first. The ending will irritate you though.
My Letter Grade: A

Movie: “Heaven is for Real”
Date Watched: July 22, 2014
Summary: A boy almost dies and visits Heaven. His family must deal with the aftermath once he makes a full recovery.
My Opinion: Not a terrible movie but I thought it focused a little too much on the father and his obligation to the church he was the pastor of. The Heaven scenes and descriptions were cool and I wish the movie centered on that more.
My Letter Grade: B-

Movie: “Under the Skin”
Date Watched: July 21, 2014
Summary: An alien disguised as a woman drives around in a van, seduces men, brings them back to her apartment, and then watches them sink to their death.
My Opinion: Super weird, artsy movie. Scarlett Johansson stars in it and does a decent job but I found little meaning or point to the film.
My Letter Grade: C

Movie: “Cleaners”
Date Watched: July 20, 2014
Summary: An organized type crime ring ran by a cunning cold-hearted woman hires her daughter and another girl to do a job. Things aren’t as they seem.
My Opinion: Laughable, low budget movie. Horrendous acting and juvenile storyline. The actresses in the movie are hot but that didn’t even save me from turning it off early.
My Letter Grade: F

Movie: “Simple Plan”
Date Watched: July 17, 2014
Summary: Three guys find millions of dollars in a crashed plane. They take the cash and stress takes over, bad things happen, and a man comes after them.
My Opinion: I got duped…thought this was a new release since I got it from a Redbox but it was made in 1998. Depressing movie set in a snowy landscape complete with depressing characters.
My Letter Grade: D

Movie: “Blood Ties”
Date Watched: July 13, 2014
Summary: A film that takes place in the 1970’s chronicles the relationship between a New York City cop and his brother who was just released from prison. They try to make the best of things but the brother goes back to a life of crime.
My Opinion: Pretty boring and a little too long. Not as bad as some of the other movies but I did have to turn it off about three quarters through because it was 2 a.m. and it wasn’t doing enough to keep me up.
My Letter Grade: C-

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Condolences to the family of Robin Williams. As I neared the completion of this post the news broke that Williams had passed. Despite my less than stellar review of the “Angriest Man in Brooklyn” I have always been a big fan of his. Don’t Blink.

My Best Birthday Party

Posted on August 10, 2014 by brent

Yesterday evening I attended the birthday party for Sidney’s nephew. The Spider-Man themed bash was held at a swimming pool with palm trees surrounding the area. The kids ate Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets and feasted on a beautiful Spider-Man birthday cake. Of course the adults were welcome to indugle as well as I had two slices.

Sidney’s nephew, Harrison, celebrated his second birthday yesterday.

As I watched the children run around and have fun I tried reminiscing about my birthday parties as a little kid. To be honest, except for one certain occasion, it took me some memory jogging to remember my childhood birthday celebrations. After some thinking I remembered various parties at Chuck E. Cheese’s, Laser Quest, a local pizza parlor, and the classic party at home. The one instance that I remebered instananeously though? Let me tell you about it.

I thought I was royalty the October 8 day when a limo pulled up in my driveway to take my friends and I on a cruise through the mean streets of Spokane. After attending a wedding reception the previous summer that gave kids free rides in the limousine used by the wedding party, I couldn’t stop talking about it. Getting a taste of riding in the back of a stretched limo with tinted windows and a phone that called up to the driver had me all kinds of excited. My parents told me after my ten minute ride in the limousine that summer I constantly brought up the “luxurious” experience.

My 8th birthday party was supposed to be just a typical bash at home with games, a Halloween theme, and cake. When my friends had arrived and we were all huddled inside the house my dad told me to look outside. Almost twenty years later I still remember the surprise and excitement that overtook my little body when I saw that stretched limo parked along our curb. We all ran outside. The driver, named Leonardo, opened the doors for all of us to pile in. With the sunroof open he had me stand up through it for a photo op. My head barely made it out. He gave me his driver’s hat to put on as a cool prop.

Me wearing the hat of the limo driver.

With my birthday party celebrants in the back with me and my dad in the passenger’s seat up front with Leo, we took off. The divider separating us from the adults went up and we used the built in phone to communicate with mission control. For that hour (I think it was an hour at least…could have just been thirty minutes) I got to call the shots on where we went. To be honest, I can’t remember the locations we visited except for McDonald’s. I look back on it now and realize how dumb that stop was. Sure enough we arrived at our local McDonald’s but the limo just drove through the parking lot and back on the road. We didn’t even go through the drive-thru. Dumb decision on my part.

The limo driver wearing his actual hat and me wearing my prized Duke hat.

Although I don’t rememebr the other details on where we stopped I do remember us rolling our windows down and waving to traffic. A bunch of kids hanging out the window acting like idiots for all vehicles to see…talk about great marketing for the limo service.

It seemed like no time before the limo rolled back into the neighborhood and pulled alongside our curb. We got out and I am sure Leonardo probably drove away as fast as he could. We entered the house and did cake and presents and that was that.

Looking back on it now I think to myself what a miserable way to spend a birthday. These days I am not too keen on spending any additional time in a vehicle…even if it happens to be stretched and stocked with champagne. But at the time it was cool and to this day I still have memories of that birthday. So whatever inflated amount of money my parents paid for that joy ride I can say it was actually probably worth it. Don’t Blink.

Five Reasons Why My Work Week Rocked

Posted on August 7, 2014 by brent

The first 100 days of my new job have passed by quickly. However, the feeling of excitement and thankfulness that I had at the beginning has not passed quickly. It is as strong as ever. This week has been great. Staying true to my Thursday rapid-fire topic theme I will once again jump from subject to subject but it will all relate to this week at Coastal Carolina University.

Social Media Dream Team Meeting – One of my tasks in my position is to meet with my fellow social media leaders on campus. After sending out twice-a-month e-mail updates to this group we call the “Dream Team,” we finally had our first face-to-face meeting on Monday morning. I had the pleasure of sitting down with some of the major social media players at CCU including: our athletics marketing director, our dean of students, our celebrity dining services director, the leader of CCU’s student customer service program, and our assistant alumni director. We talked for almost 90 minutes about social media (and some other issues) at Coastal Carolina. Although I was running the meeting I probably spoke the least but learned the most. It was awesome.

CCUSA on WMBF – On Tuesday I was humbled when WMBF reporter Mandy Noell called me up and asked if she could do a story on our CCUSA campaign. Absolutely! It didn’t take long for Mandy to get to campus, take the footage she needed inside our offices, and then interview me outside of the Singleton Building. While I thought that my terrible news interviews ended in Montana they unfortunately carried over to South Carolina as well. No matter, Mandy was a true professional and pretty much washed away my awkwardness on camera with an awesome report, one that was praised by our own media legend, Martha Hunn. I was very thankful for the coverage that WMBF gave us. Click here to view the story.

Mandy Noell from WMBF interviews me about CCU Social Media (Thanks to Mona Prufer for the photo).

On Camera Again – On Wednesday, Kevin Olivett of Chanticleer Athletics invited me to go around and help cover a pretty cool deal. Athletic Director Matt Hogue and Chauncey were presenting Big South Conference football championship rings to staff members who were season ticket holders. Along with the video guy from athletics I would take video/photos when we would enter the offices. Well, I was given quite the surprise when the camera was turned in my direction. Before I knew it, Matt was presenting me with two rings. You see, I had recently become a Chant football season ticket holder. However, I thought the ring promotion was just for people who had season tickets during the actual 2013 championship season. Nope! Click here to see my reaction.

My surprised face as I stand between Coastal Carolina University Athletic Director Matt Hogue and Chauncey.

Board of Trustees Meeting – Today I was invited by my boss, Associate Vice President Bill Plate, to attend his presentation to the Board of Trustees. He told me that he wanted to introduce me to these extremely important individuals. Only he did a little more than just that. After he asked me to stand for the formal introduction he proceeded to build me up incredibly in front of the Board. He explained the whole CCUSA campaign, talked about some of the other things I am doing, and mentioned the increases our social media program has seen in the past few months. I felt so honored! It made my whole week and made me walk out of work with a huge smile on my face.

A photo from today’s Board of Trustees meeting.

Graduation on Saturday – This Saturday morning Coastal will hold its summer commencement. When I started working at CCU at the beginning of May I arrived just in time for spring commencement. I had such a fun time working that event and although the summer graduation is much smaller I am looking forward to the occasion. It will put an exclamation point on a magnificent week for me.

Myself at the CCU spring graduation in May.

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I hope many of you out there like your job as much as me. I am truly blessed. Have a great evening! Don’t Blink.

Family Text Messaging

Posted on August 6, 2014 by brent

Every now and then I will write about text messaging. Well, I want to focus on a certain aspect of that subject tonight. What I am about to center on is a real cool way to stay in touch with your dearest loved ones while having a lot of fun as well.

First off, thank goodness for group text messaging. Second, thank goodness for parents becoming more proficient at texting. These two factors have paved the way for a wonderful technology: Family Text Messaging!

It is very common in my family that the five of us will text each other as a group. From 3,000 miles away I regularly engage in a communal discussion via text with my mom, my dad, my older sister, and my younger brother. We wish each other happy birthday, we congratulate each other on accomplishments, we talk about pets, and we send pictures like crazy. We also text about complete nonsense as well.

Just a typical Reser conversation from a couple days ago.

Although our family texts are usually fun and games, when my brother and sister start to “spam” our group texting forum with late night messages or the 36th cat photo of the day, my dad does start to get frustrated. You see, he still has in his own words a “dumb phone,” so he doesn’t enjoy the group messaging capabilities of an iPhone. Instead of all messages going neatly into one single thread he receives each response as an individual text message. Losing track of the conversation and your sanity is very easy in such a situation.

Sometimes it is definitely appropriate to send a selfie locker room photo to the family.

But besides that sometimes uncomfortable problem, we love the luxury of texting within our family unit. It is secure, fun, and beneficial. Sometimes it is even heartwarming. From time to time my mom will send out the sweetest good night messages telling us kids that she loves us and that she is very proud of us. Many times my dad will send out the simple “love u” text when he goes to sleep (which is usually around 7:30 p.m.). This type of communication really helps me feel close to my family even when I am living on the other side of the country.

Many times the conversations are random and pointless.

Of course the Resers aren’t the only ones who do this. I would say that the majority of families with text messaging capabilities participate in dialogue via group messaging. The beauty is that families can talk in their own distinct “language” and communicate through their established brand of humor and sarcasm that has developed over the years.

I am thankful for family group messaging. It allows me to flawlessly communicate with my loved ones while getting a laugh or two along the way. Excuse me now, I must send a picture of my leftover pasta to my family…they should love it. Don’t Blink.

Our Baltimore Blast

Posted on August 5, 2014 by brent

This past weekend I had the chance to go to Baltimore to watch my favorite baseball team play the Orioles in Camden Yards. It was a wonderful time, well worth the toil of getting there. Sidney and I traveled 500 miles, drove through monsoon-like pitch dark conditions, stayed the night in a questionable hotel in Fredricksburg, Virginia, and then finally arrived in Baltimore in a neighborhood filled with gang members and costumed weirdos.

But like I said, it was worth it.

After arriving in downtown Baltimore on Saturday morning we went down to the famous Inner Harbor. We walked around the water and watched the numerous joggers run by us. We took a stroll through the Little Italy district. We had drinks at a tapas place. Sitting on the restaurant’s outside deck by the water we had a fabulous and relaxing lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. After we concluded our meal by splitting a slice of vanilla bean cheesecake we went to the place Sidney couldn’t wait to visit…the aquarium.

Here is a look at our view of Baltimore and our Cheesecake Factory lunch.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore is supposed to be one of the top aquariums in the country. But let’s get real, if they charge $35 per person for entry (which Sidney graciously paid) it better be good. You enter the structure and immediately come upon a gigantic pool filled with sharks, fish, and a gigantic turtle. From there you walk up a ramp system to the various levels of the aquarium all the while maintaining a view of the ground level pool. The aquarium houses birds, frogs, snakes, and turtles. And fish. Lots of fish. Big fish, small fish, exotic fish, colorful fish, and really ugly looking fish. Also, the National Aquarium boasts the crowd-pleasing dolphin area. Numerous dolphins swim in a tank that allows visitors to watch them from stands or through underwater windows.

This was the main tank that the National Aquarium is designed around.

The aquarium has so much to see, including a rain forest. If you go, give yourself ample time. Also, bring your patience with you…kids take over the place.

Some photos I snapped at the National Aquarium.

After checking in at our hotel we walked the rather short distance to Camden Yards. Upon entry to the stadium we hit up the strip of bars and street vendors outside the stadium’s outfield entrance. Each establishment had an outdoor standing section that filled up with patrons lined shoulder-to-shoulder. We were right in the middle of it. Wearing our Mariner teal in a sea of orange we were treated very well by the Orioles fans up until the moment we left. It was then that one intoxicated individual said some inappropriate things to Sidney.

The bar district right outside of Camden Yards.

We walked in Camden Yards and admired the ballpark. We took in the center field and right field views. We walked on Eutaw Street, the famous divider between the warehouse and the outfield bleachers. We finally settled in our seats on the lower level of the first base line. On a pleasant night in Baltimore we watched the Mariners top the Orioles. Robinson Cano and Dustin Ackley both hit homers and Fernando Rodney recorded the save. After snapping a few photos to commemorate the win, Sidney and I walked out of that stadium on Saturday evening smiling that the visitors took one from the home team.

Great night, great seats, great win.

On Sunday morning, I went to church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (called the Baltimore Basilica for short). Located just a block from our hotel it was a great experience celebrating mass in such a beautiful masterpiece. With the 8 a.m. mass only running about 45 minutes I spent some time giving myself a tour of the church when the service concluded.

The Baltimore Basilica is a beautiful church.

I returned to the hotel and after breakfast Sidney and I headed back to Camden Yards. I purchased heavily inflated tickets from a scalper and then we headed back to the vendor/bar area. Sidney and I sat down in the famous Pickles Pub and had a drink. After scarfing down a hot dog I bought from one of the vendors, the two of us went inside the stadium. In a truly fun part for me, Sidney and I went all the way down to the first row right off of the Mariners dugout and watched the pitching staff go through agility drills. Felix Hernandez and Fernando Rodney both ran right past us and a few other players came by and signed autographs. It was cool to get such an up close view of the actual playing field.

Up close and personal.

Instead of going up to our third deck seats we decided to stand on the right field deck. For the whole nine innings we watched over Nick Markakis’ shoulder from one of the best views in Camden Yards. Although the angle was great the outcome was not. The Orioles shut out the Mariners, 1-0. After the game we headed back to the car as a 500 mile drive awaited us. We made it back to Myrtle Beach a little before 2 a.m. on Monday morning.

This was our view from the right field deck.

Camden Yards vs. Turner Field – As I visited both ballparks for the first time this summer, here is a very brief comparison: Turner Field is nicer inside. It also has a better fan experience in terms of video board elements, on-field entertainment, and P.A./Music presentation. Camden Yards tops Turner Field in location. Camden is in a neighborhood that has charm. It also has a vendor/bar/tailgating feel that you don’t get at every MLB ballpark.

Pictures I took from both Turner Field and Camden Yards. Both good ballparks.

BronyCon – Baltimore was the site of the “My Little Pony” National Convention (Called BronyCon) this past weekend. As I mentioned above, we saw hundreds of people dressed in ridiculous costumes…most of them were adult dudes.

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Baltimore was great. I had the opportunity to see a city and a state I had never been to, take in a couple games in a ballpark I always wanted to visit, and watch my favorite team on the road. Thanks so much to Sidney for going with me and putting up with my nerdiness. Where will we go next? Don’t Blink.

North to Baltimore We Go

Posted on August 1, 2014 by brent

After over three months in the South it is time to go north…for a couple days at least.

In less than two hours, Sidney and I will be on our way to Baltimore, Maryland, for a weekend of fun and baseball. Weather permitting, we will watch the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners square off against each other in Camden Yards on Saturday night and then again on Sunday afternoon. As a lifelong Mariners fan this is a real treat for me. Believe it or not, I have never seen the team play in person besides at Safeco Field or the Kingdome. To see them on the road will be fun. Sidney and I will both be sporting Mariners gear so hopefully we get treated decently by the locals.

Our tickets for tomorrow’s Baltimore Orioles vs. Seattle Mariners game.

As you noticed I did say “weather permitting” above. Forecasts that started early in the week and ran through even as late as yesterday had Saturday night and Sunday tagged for lots of rain. Traveling almost 500 miles only to see the games get rained out would be less than ideal. Thankfully as of today the forecast has cleared a little bit and by first pitch tomorrow there should be no rain. Please cross your fingers.

Besides the baseball we hope to experience the city as much as possible. I have never visited Baltimore before and can’t wait to check out another new city. From what others have told me I know two things: 1. I need to walk around the Inner Harbor because it is really cool. 2. I need to watch over Sidney and myself because it is a dangerous and sketchy town.

Here is the travel plan: We will set out at 5 p.m. today. We will drive until we get to Fredricksburg, Virginia, where we will spend the night. Early tomorrow morning we will travel the remaining two hours or so to Baltimore and check into our downtown hotel. Early Sunday evening after the second baseball game concludes we will travel the full eight hours from Baltimore back to Myrtle Beach.

If you care to do so, follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@brentreser for both services) for updates on our trip. There will be no blog post on Sunday but I will provide a recap on Monday. Have a great weekend everyone and GO MARINERS! Don’t Blink.

The Insignficant Five

Posted on July 31, 2014 by brent

Thank you all for joining me for another Thursday. As usual I have prepared five topics to breeze through. Here we go!

First Time Doing This in South Carolina: Yesterday I went and had something done for the first time since moving to the South. Feeling a little like a bum and not in line with the beach dude type persona, I went and got my hair cut. Not knowing the area too well and wanting to get a really nice cut since I work in the administrative building on campus I put a lot of thought into where I wanted to go. After numerous referrals and internet searches I found my place…it is called Great Clips.

Call me tacky but I am a Great Clips guy. I went to the store and got right in. To make things even sweeter they had all my past haircut information from Missoula in their computer. I had a delightful conversation with my stylist Shelley and she managed to make an ugly guy look just a little bit less ugly.

I went and got my hair cut yesterday at Great Clips in Myrtle Beach.

“Lucy”: Last Friday night, Sidney and I went to the movie “Lucy.” Starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman it was an extremely entertaining film. Touching on the concept of human beings only using 10% of their brains it hypothesized on what would happen if a drug existed that enabled 100% usage. While some of the science-fiction went a little over my head there was no denying the action, acting, and storyline exhibited in the film. Some of the scenes were incredible. If you want a fresh and entertaining movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat for an hour and a half I highly recommend “Lucy.” It is a good one to see in the theaters.

Do yourself a favor and go see “Lucy.”

Tobacco Free: Last week for my Coastal Carolina University update I brought news about the change of beverage provider from Coke to Pepsi. Tonight I am happy to report that tomorrow the CCU campus will go tobacco-free. You have to understand that many places in the South still hold very tightly to certain things. Using tobacco is one of them. While many universities across the country went tobacco free long ago you will find campuses in this area that are resistant to making such a change. Because of this, tomorrow is a big deal. Personally I am ecstatic. This makes our campus healthier and more beautiful. I work right next to the woman who over the past three months has educated our campus on the changes and options that will result from this big move. Let me tell you, her and others have put a lot into making this initiative successful. Bring on August 1!

The Unexplained: I am a big enough loser to pay $10 for a nerdy magazine while standing in line at a CVS. This past weekend I purchased “Mysteries of the Unknown,” a special edition magazine published by Time. The over 90-page publication had stories on everything from ESP to the Bermuda Triangle to vampires to haunted houses to spontaneous human combustion to Bigfoot. I eagerly read every page of the book and enjoyed reading the arguments both for and against the different phenomena. In the magazine I found the articles dealing with Harry Houdini, “The 27 Club,” and the UFO sightings at Chicago’s O’Hare airport especially interesting. If you are interested in weird stuff like this let me know and I will pass on the magazine to you (please save yourself the $10).

I enjoyed reading this magazine!

Funny Feeling: In the intercollegiate athletics world, August 1 is the widely recognized date where the party is over and the beginning of a period of seven or eight months starts where you won’t see the light of day because you are working so long and hard. For the first time in several years I am not under that type of pressure. Sure, things are starting to heat up a lot in my new position but it isn’t the overwhelming feeling you get once August rolls around in intercollegiate athletics. Safe to say I am absolutely content with where I am now.

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I got one very exciting weekend planned! I will try to fill you all in on it with a short blog post tomorrow. Until then, have a great Thursday evening. Don’t Blink.

The Obligation to Buy Something

Posted on July 30, 2014 by brent

I have a certain complex that some people find weird. On the other side of the coin, I am sure other people find it justified and practice it as well. To put it simply, I can’t frequent certain businesses without buying something because of my fear that people will perceive me as rude.

Take for example yesterday. I frequented eight stores in a wild goose hunt to find potato chips. Seven of the stores I went inside did not have the sole product I was looking for. Out of those seven stores, five of them were either convenient stores or pharmacies. Right when I walked in the person working the counter saw me walk in and look like a complete idiot as I searched fruitlessly for the #DoUsAFlavor Lay’s potato chips. When I realized that I was at a dead end I couldn’t just walk out of the store. I felt compelled to buy something, either a pack of gum or a bottle of water.

I can’t help it. I feel like the store employees think of me as a weirdo, a shoplifter, or a cheapskate when I walk in a store and then immediately walk out empty handed. In order to avoid this uneasiness I usually always make sure to purchase something.

It gets even worse for me at an establishment such as a restaurant or bar. Many times I will have already ate or had planned to eat a nice meal a little bit later when a friend asks me to please meet them at a certain restaurant. Feeling like I can’t refuse I drive to the restaurant telling myself I am not going to order anything. But then like clockwork I enter the place, take a menu, and order something. I hate myself for it but I can’t resist. I don’t want to be that guy who goes to Red Lobster and when the server comes to take the order awkwardly say, “Ah you know what, I think I am just here to hang out.”

Most servers won’t even hide their disgust for such a stunt. If you pull that you can expect an eye roll and the silent treatment for the rest of the time you are sitting in that booth. I can’t handle that. I don’t want the scorn from the restaurant staff and to be honest I am just too nice of a person. I want to make everyone happy, even if it means at the expense of wasted money, an overload of calories, and a killer stomachache.

Same goes for a bar. If someone pleads for me to meet them at a certain neighborhood hangout I feel obligated to order something even if all I wanted to do was drink glass after glass of water at my apartment. Whether it be a beer or a fancy non-alcoholic drink I feel compelled to spend money on something and tip the bartender. It is just my self-conscious and people pleasing nature that takes over.

Supermarkets and stores in the mall are places where I feel comfortable walking out while not paying a dime. But if I walk into a small convenient store where I am watched from the time I walk in to when I walk out or if I enter a service industry location you can bet my wallet is coming out. I don’t know if this will ever change. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser