Scraggly Thursday Rundown

Posted on by
Reply

Good evening to all my loyal readers and those lucky internet surfers who might be finding this blog for the first time. I am ready for my latest Thursday Rundown so let’s get after it. Five topics are coming your way right now…

Pride – My dad is a retired high school football referee and former Inland Empire Football Officials Association Official of the Year. But his greatest accomplishment isn’t the outstanding ratings he garnered during his career nor the state championship game he was the white hat for in 2014. Rather, it was the sportsmanship award he spearheaded and implemented for the association. My dad had a vision to institute a traveling trophy that would be awarded to a single high school football program that exhibited superior sportsmanship throughout the season. He was successful in making his idea a reality and for years he would travel to deliver the award to the deserving school at their end of the year banquet. At the time, and even after my dad stepped away from officiating, it was just called the Sportsmanship Award. Today he opened up the newspaper and saw that it no longer carries such a generic name. The Tom Reser Sportsmanship Award will be presented to the Ridgeline High School football program on March 31.

The sportsmanship award that my dad established for Inland Empire Officials Association has since been re-named the Tom Reser Sportsmanship Award.

Scraggly Beard – We read a lot of silly books to Sloan but we also like to incorporate some more socially conscious reading as well. Spokane has a large homeless population and Sloan has had some encounters with people on the street. On Tuesday night I read her “The One With the Scraggly Beard,” a story that addresses homelessness in an honest and compassionate way. The book chronicles the questions and concerns of a boy who observes daily a man who sleeps under a bridge and exhibits strange behavior. The boy’s mother is able to help him understand that the guy under the bridge used to be a boy just like him with similar dreams and goals. After reading the book, Sloan and I were able to discuss our own experiences with the homeless and the dignity that they still retain as human beings.

“The One With the Straggly Beard” is a children’s book that addresses homelessness.

Pi Day Creativity – Last week we debuted one of my favorite things that I have helped with while at WSU. On Pi Day we released a video of our math department chair providing an explanation of pi. On March 14, many higher ed institutions and other organizations will try to get cute and incorporate an actual pie into their social posts. It is now cliché. My thought was to take advantage of the world class faculty at WSU and perhaps teach our audience something. Dr. Charles Moore was fabulous to work with as he provided both a one-minute lecture that got right to the essence of pi and a mic drop pun at the end. Our videographers, Jace and Josue, did an exceptional job incorporating the lightboard and perfecting the lighting. Watch the video here.

Charles Moore, the math department chair at Washington State University, was the star of our Pi Day video.

Sloan’s 5th Birthday Cake – Some birthday cakes have received entire blog posts in the past but Sloan’s 5th birthday cake will be given the Thursday Rundown treatment. We bought this unicorn cake at Walmart and had it made with a vanilla bottom layer and a chocolate top layer. All the kids at the party and many of the parents ate a slice and we still nearly half the cake left when we packed up at Chuck E. Cheese.

This was Sloan’s 5th birthday cake prior to its cutting. We ordered it from Walmart.

Shot of the Kids – On Saturday, March 13, we headed to downtown Spokane for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. What a joy it was to attend a parade again! We met my dad, sister, and her two kids for an early afternoon of celebration and fun. While watching the parade, Spokesman-Review photographer Jesse Tinsley spotted our group and asked to take a photo of the kids. Although they didn’t make the front page of the paper, they did make the online gallery that accompanied the story. What a great looking group!

Jesse Tinsley of the Spokesman-Review snapped this photo of Sloan, Mikayla, Johnny, and Beau.

—————–

Thank you for your time this evening. Let us continue to pray for peace around the world. Remember to be positive and lift others up. Don’t Blink.

A St. Pat’s/Birthday Tradition

Posted on by
Reply

The tradition started the first day of Sloan’s life. I had worn a green polo to the hospital on that St. Patrick’s Day and once Sloan was born a photo was taken of one very proud daddy holding her. For five straight St. Patty’s Days after that, including the one last week, I have put on that same green polo and snapped a picture in a similar pose with Sloan. Tonight I am going to show you each one.

Here is the one that started it all. On March 17, 2017, I was a brand new dad and had the beaming smile to prove it…

After this picture was snapped a tradition was born.

This photo from St. Patrick’s Day 2018 was taken at my in-laws’ house with a sweet little lap baby…

By the time this photo was taken, Sloan had already developed her sweet smile.

In 2019, we posed in our Myrtle Beach house. Sloan was starting to grow some of her first curls but she was still small enough to fit on just one leg…

Sloan turned 2 the day this photo was taken.

Full disclosure, this next photo was not taken on St. Patrick’s Day. Instead, it was taken about a week prior. I was sadly not with Sloan on her 3rd birthday because I had left for Washington to start my new job (Sid, Sloan, and Beau would join me a couple months later) but I wasn’t going to let the tradition die. The photo was once again taken at my in-laws’ house and Sloan snuck some cucumbers into the frame…

This photo was actually take about a week prior to St. Patty’s Day because of life events.

On March 17, 2021, we celebrated Sloan’s birthday in Spokane for the first time. With her curls flowing, I had to hold her tight as she was a bit squirmish…

It took some effort to get Sloan to stay still during this photo taken on March 17, 2021.

Last Thursday Sloan and I posed for our latest photo of this tradition. My daughter is growing up before my eyes and I am getting old…

Our tradition is still going strong as we remembered to pose for this photo on March 17, 2022.

To keep this tradition going I need to take good care of that polo and probably even better care of Sloan so that she will continue to participate in my ridiculous tradition. I know it sounds stupid but doing this picture each year means a lot to me. Don’t Blink.

The 5 Questions That Sid and I Ask Each Other Every Day

Posted on by
1

Sometimes when you get into a groove with married life, you find yourself asking the same questions of your spouse on a daily basis. Enter Sidney and I. The other morning I was thinking about some of the guaranteed queries that we ask of each other on every day that ends in “y.” Here are five of them that kept coming to mind…

On a daily basis, we end up asking a handful of repetitive questions.

Did you do the Wordle today? – The morning usually is not over by the time one of asks the other if they have cashed in on their jolt of excitement for the day by attempting the Wordle puzzle. At that point, one of us usually follow it up with the following questions: Was it hard? How many tries did you need? How long did it take you?

Is the dish washer clean? – This question is always tossed by me at Sidney. In our household, she loads and I unload…it is like clockwork. Although we have a fancy dishwasher and you can never tell whether it is clean or not. We are going to order one of those magnets with a “clean” and “dirty” side but until then I will be bothering Sidney with the dreaded question on the daily.

What are you having for lunch? – This one is great. It might seem like a straight-forward, surface level question but there is some strategizing behind it. Although we are naturally curious about what the other person is going to eat, it is also a way to find out if the other person knows about something available that the other does not. But it is also asked as a courtesy as well. If I planned to eat the leftover spaghetti but know Sid might have her heart set on it too, I will ask her what are you having for lunch? If she says spaghetti, I will lay off the pasta. We eat lunch together six times per week so we have gotten pretty good at both asking it and answering it.

Are you in a meeting? – I work remotely four days per week and my at-home office is in our bedroom. Naturally, Sidney needs to enter my “virtual office” throughout the day whether to use the master bathroom to shower or to retrieve clothes and other necessary items. Whenever she does this, Sid will creek open the door and softly say “Are you in a meeting?” If I answer “no” she will walk behind me to do whatever. It says a lot about how polite and considerate Sid is on a daily basis when I am essentially taking up her space.

Can you get me a water? – Ah, saving the service question for last. We are both pretty reliant on having a bottle of water at our bedside tables during the night. However, it usually never fails that once we are in our room and just about to hop into bed that someone is missing a water. This results in one of us asking the other to embark on the dangerous 20-yard hike into the kitchen to retrieve a water so no one dies of thirst in the middle of the night. Of course it is likely that not one sip will be taken out of the water bottle the entire evening.

—————————–

Do you have any questions that you ask your spouse over and over again? If so, let’s hear it. Okay, that’s it for me. Don’t Blink.

A Chuck E. Cheese Birthday Party

Posted on by
Reply

As a Chuck E. Cheese superfan, it probably won’t surprise you where Sloan chose to have her birthday party. This past Saturday, our new 5-year-old hosted seven of her friends at the wildly popular entertainment center’s Spokane Valley location.

Sloan hosted seven of her friends at Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate her birthday on Saturday.

Yes, birthday parties are back as the pandemic continues to loosen its grip on our world. All one needed to do to see this reality expressed was peek inside Chuck E. Cheese for a half second on Saturday. But more on that in just a bit.

If you are a parent and are considering where to allow your child to host their birthday party, I thought I would give you some pros and cons for choosing Chuck E. Cheese.

Pros

Even though Sloan had her heart set on a Chuck E. Cheese party, Sid did look around at some of the trampoline parks and inflatable centers around Spokane. By a decent margin, Chuck E. Cheese offered the most affordable “per kid” price. You might be surprised to learn what some places are asking for birthday parties.

I feel the value of a Chuck E Cheese birthday party is strong compared to other alternatives. Sloan got some special time with Chuck E. and much more.

The value we received was another positive. The per kid price included an unlimited game card for TWO HOURS, pizza, unlimited soda in a Chuck E. Cheese souvenir cup, ice cream, and a party favor bag. We felt like Sloan’s friends were well taken care of.

That value also provides enhanced treatment for the birthday kid. It all starts with the name badge they receive and wrist watch they are given to activate the games, a VIP piece of “bling” that contrasts with the standard card that all the other children get. The birthday designee also receives free tickets, recognition from Chuck E. Cheese himself, and a chance inside the ticket booth where occupants are challenged to grab as many tickets swirling in the air as possible.

Sloan in the Chuck E. Cheese ticket booth with her cousin, Mikayla.

The flexibility is also nice. We could have purchased a cake from Chuck E. Cheese but we weren’t required to do so. Rather, we were allowed to bring our own cake to the facility and our party host gladly served it to the kids. That is another thing, Chuck E. Cheese assigns an employee to your party to facilitate the schedule, serve food/drinks, make the birthday kid feel special, and provide customer service.

We were able to bring our own cake to Chuck E. Cheese.

Cons

On the other side of things, it wasn’t like Sloan had a private party. There were five other birthday parties taking place during the same noon – 2 p.m. time slot as Sloan’s. All these parties took place on the same floor area, with six rows of seating (one row per party) lined up right next to each other.

With so many parties taking place simultaneously, that obviously translates into lots of kids running around. The gaming floor was pretty busy on Saturday resulting in wait times at some games and a long line at the ticket redemption prize counter.

Also, Chuck E. Cheese is Chuck E. Cheese. For those people who experience anxiety walking into a place with kids running wild all over the place or who think that Chuck E. Cheese pizza tastes like cardboard, your perception is unlikely to change even if you are experiencing the venue from a birthday party perspective.

————————

With all that said, judging by my count, the positives still outweigh the negatives. Because of that, I feel like I can recommend Chuck E. Cheese for your child’s birthday party. And oh yeah, Sloan can too! Don’t Blink.

Oh Me! Oh My! Sloan is 5!

Posted on by
Reply

Has it been a half decade already? Today we marked yet another extra special St. Patrick’s Day with Sloan’s 5th birthday. Although it seemed like just yesterday when Sidney gave birth to our daughter after a grueling induction process that lasted nearly three days, our pot of gold is still shining as brightly as she did on March 17, 2017.

The greatest day of my life.

When I commemorated Sloan’s 4th birthday a year ago, I highlighted her sassiness. Trust me, it didn’t wear off over the past year. Quite the contrary, in fact. Our little girl has her own special attitude and it is expressed by over the top expressions, witty one-liners, and multiple wardrobe changes per day. You never know what she will do or say next other than that it will probably be extra. I guess you could say she takes after her mom.

This picture doesn’t really show it, but his little girl is sassy…and I love her for it.

But if you remember correctly, in that same blog post from a year ago I also pointed out Sloan’s empathy. I can confidently say that her empathetic spirit has not just kept up with her sassiness but has actually outpaced it. To listen to her pray for others reveals a window into her kind soul. To watch her look out for her friends is heartwarming. To observe how she tried to comfort others when her great aunt passed away showed wisdom beyond her years.

This girl is empathetic to the core

With all that said, there is one other thing that must be said about Sloan: She could probably be a little more patient with her brother. Ha! But in all fairness, she is his biggest protector too 😉.

Like with any sibling dynamic, there can sometimes be a love-hate relationship…but it is mostly love.

I am so blessed to have Sloan. She is at an age where she still thinks I am cool which allows us to do a lot together. If I need to run the most minute errand, she will jump off the couch to come with me. If I am going outside to bring the garbage container in, she wants to help. If I am making dinner, she wants to operate the salad spinner. I never knew five years ago that our daddy-daughter relationship would be so special.

I can’t put words to how much I value the relationship between Sloan and I (photo courtesy of Nicole Lynn).

Today is Sloan’s day. She is mildly obsessed with her birthday and wasn’t even completely finished with celebrating her fourth birthday before starting the countdown to this one. But what little kid isn’t? For all of her eccentricities, Sloan is also your typical 5-year-old girl. She loves to have fun, play with dolls, and eat ice cream. By her request, tonight we are celebrating at Red Robin. This weekend she will have her long-awaited Chuck E. Cheese birthday party.

Sid took this photo of Sloan after school yesterday. Her St. Mary Pre-K4 class celebrated her a day before her actual birthday.

Sloan, you are a beautiful individual who brings an indescribable amount of joy to your mom and dad. Your pure heart and accepting demeanor are traits that make you the special girl that you are. We love you so much. Happy Birthday! Don’t Blink.

My Second Year at WSU: Growth

Posted on by
1

I ended the workday today in the exact same spot I started my first workday as a WSU staffer exactly two years ago. On March 16, 2020, I walked into my office in the Information Technology Building (true Cougs just call it “ITB”) and tonight I strolled out of it at a little past 5 p.m. During any other two-year stretch over the past several decades for American workers, those first two sentences wouldn’t hold much significance other than I didn’t screw up too much to get fired. But that was before something called COVID.

This was me during my first day at Washington State University on March 16, 2020.

After that first day of work in March of 2020, I was told to work from home for a couple weeks as we tried to flatten the curve. However, those two weeks turned into nearly 16 months before I would return to the office on a hybrid schedule. During those nearly 500 days out of the physical office I did question whether I would ever be on campus again. So, the fact that I did celebrate my second anniversary with WSU in the same spot I started it is a point of pride for me.

On my second anniversary of working for WSU (March 16, 2022) I found myself in the exact same spot (wearing the exact same shirt) in my office.

Speaking of points of pride, just having the opportunity to work at Washington State University is one. To work on the campus where my dad earned his degree and where I spent many childhood Saturdays cheering on the Cougs were motivating factors when I applied.

In fact, two years later those motivating factors still inspire me. But to be honest, my main inspiration is no longer associated with the past but rather the present. I have an incredible team I get to collaborate with and no shortage of meaningful work I get to perform. It makes getting up in the morning quite easy.

During my second year as a WSU employee, I finally got to attend a university event. Attending a WSU football game with my brother and dad was a blast!

My first year I was thrown right into the fire and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I wanted to contribute immediately. The pandemic was ramping up and it took us on an insane ride as we navigated and communicated throughout the numerous twists and turns of an unhinged virus. It was filled with constant statements, twice-per-month town halls, COVID-focused campaigns, academic schedule changes, and other pandemic-induced communications. Although I still got to do plenty of the duties listed on my social media strategist job description (paid social ads, analytics reporting, campaign generation, etc.) it was definitely more of a reactive year.

Things changed during this second year. It was less about working on the fly and more about embracing proactivity. I had the opportunity to craft strategy and experiment. I spent more time on content generation and social media platform building. More time planning videos and overseeing the growth of new social channels (looking at you, TikTok). More time diving into analytics and educating campus partners on the benefits of paid social.

Another difference between my second year and first year was that I actually got to work on campus. That’s me the right covering our Drive-Through Graduation Celebration in May 2021 (photo courtesy of WSU Photo Services).

Yes, I spent a lot of time during this sophomore year focusing on the core responsibilities of my job without as heavy of an emphasis on COVID stuff. But what I will really remember this second year for was the opportunity to branch out beyond social media-specific duties. I took on a leading role working with our enrollment management marketing agency. I was appointed to our strategic communications leadership team. I served on a committee with three other co-workers to foster community within our department. I chaired a search committee and served on a couple others. I volunteered to take the charge of submitting some of our department’s best work for national award recognition.

My dad makes has always made me sketches to commemorate birthdays and anniversaries. He sent me a photo of this drawing earlier today.

This growth was made possible by an amazing boss who has confidence in my abilities and my best interests at heart. I am so grateful to work under Holly Sitzmann, our University Marketing and Communications assistant vice president. Her leadership has made me a better professional while putting in perspective that work shouldn’t be all-consuming.

When it comes to my second year at WSU, I will look back on a few highlights. They include educating the WSU community on how to apply our modernized brand on social media, thinking outside the box with my team to implement creative marketing strategies when our football program played in the Sun Bowl, and presenting to the President’s Cabinet just last month. Again, these things wouldn’t happen without the support of my WSU mentors who include Holly, Dave Wasson (my previous supervisor), and more.

Working at WSU is pretty rad. I am so grateful for my hybrid work arrangement, chances to grow, and the talented individuals I get to work with on a daily basis. I am proud to be a Coug and I look forward to the opportunities and challenges that await in Year #3. Don’t Blink.

Oldies 101.1

Posted on by
Reply

Growing up, my parents owned the car radio. To be fair, they let us choose our favorite station quite a bit but they had first dibs. The go-to FM stations of my mom and dad are eternally cemented in my brain. They were Classic Rock 98.9 and Oldies 101.1.

The former station’s format was primarily guitar-based music from the 1970s. The latter station featured popular tracks from the 1960s. I liked some of the songs but for the most part they didn’t resonate with me. They sounded boring, out of touch, and cheesy. Most of all, they sounded old.

My parents used to listen to Oldies….but I think I listen to Oldies now.

At least that was my opinion from the ages of 8-14. I think as I got a little older I started to appreciate music from different eras a little bit more. But from my pre-teen to early-teen years, I didn’t want anything to do with that “ancient” music. Why did my parents want to listen to old songs? Why didn’t they want to embrace the latest and greatest Top 40 music?

It is so funny how once you become an adult you start to change your tune (no pun intended). I now listen to the modern day equivalent of the classic rock and oldies stations my parents listened to in the late 1990s.

A couple years ago, I wrote about a handful of my favorite SiriusXM Radio stations. Well, over the past many months, I have found myself listening to a few others that are on the more “retro” side. They include…

‘90s on 9 – Some of the first ever sounds that I consciously remember my young ears listening to as they were released as brand new tracks.

POP2K – Although I label the 2000s, especially the earlier part of the decade, as a less-than-stellar era of Top 40 music, I find myself going back to this station more for the memories the songs inspire as opposed to their actual quality.

PopRocks – The spot-on equivalent to when my dad listened to 1970s hits on Classic Rock 98.9 when I was young. This station is ripe with rock and punk hits from the 1990s and 2000s and is an oasis of Weezer, Goo Goo Dolls, The Killers, etc.

Y2Kountry – My guilty pleasure! Whereas I found a lot of the 2000s Top 40 music to be a little irritating, I like a lot of the country hits from 2005-2010, even if the quality probably matches that of its mainstream counterpart.

Although Sloan isn’t quite at the age where she can offer a musical critique of my “oldies” stations I am sure it will be coming in just a few short years. Will these stations sound as outdated to her as my parents’ stations? Although I can’t answer that question with 100% certainty at this time, there is something I can say with the utmost confidence: I am getting old. Don’t Blink.

Bagpipes Thursday Rundown

Posted on by
2

March is in full swing and we are enjoying the sunshine that has been prevalent this week. If you don’t mind, I think I will start with tonight’s rundown…

Garbage Woman – I think it is important for children to have a fundamental understanding of how our modern day conveniences work and who makes them possible. Garbage pickup is such an important resource we enjoy and it has served as a great topic to explore with Sloan. Not only do we talk about who picks up our trash and where it goes, Sloan has embraced an opportunity to help in the whole process by taking the garbage bin back to the garage every Monday afternoon.

Sloan taking in the trash this past Monday.

This Time in 2020 – I have been following my Timehop closely as I look back two years ago. At this time in 2020, we were packing up our Myrtle Beach house and I was preparing to hop on a plane to head west. Simultaneously, a thing called COVID was starting to cause a minor panic. We were also up all night with a 1-month-old and Sloan was looking forward to her 3rd birthday in just a week. What a crazy, stressful, emotional time!

On March 11, 2020, this moving truck pulled up at our house in Myrtle Beach and packed up all our belongings.

Marry Me – My movie of the week that I am highlighting for this Thursday Rundown is “Marry Me.” The Netflix film stars Jennifer Lopez as a music superstar who has her heartbroken and on a whim points at stranger Owen Wilson in a crowd to be her husband. When we started watching it on Saturday morning I was like Oh brother, here we go. But in all honesty it wasn’t that bad. Super light movie without a lot of intellectual depth but some catchy music. “Marry Me” was perfect for Sid and I to enjoy together while the kids entertained themselves.

For what it was, I didn’t think “Marry Me” was too terrible.

Good Luck, Russell – It was a bombshell this week when news broke that Russell Wilson was dealt to the Denver Broncos. What a loss for the Seahawks. I wish #3 nothing but the best with his new team and I hope the 12th Man fan base can truly appreciate everything that Russell Wilson delivered while a Seahawk, especially the Super Bowl title he brought back to the Pacific Northwest. Also, I imagine that now that Wilson is gone, people won’t mistake me as much for him anymore. But you never know.

I would like to introduce you to my double, Russell Wilson.

International Bagpipes Day – There is simply nothing better than the sound of bagpipes. Oh, the feeling that stirs inside of me when I hear that instrument. A half dozen years ago I even went as far as to say my favorite part of St. Patrick’s Day (this was before Sloan was born on the holiday) is listening to bagpipes. I can’t wait to go to Spokane’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Saturday and take it in as that special sound cuts through the air. Happy International Bagpipes Day, everyone.

———————–

Continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and everywhere else that war is rampant. Let us not forget how blessed and lucky we truly are. Don’t Blink.

Madness at the Pumps

Posted on by
1

It has been a running theme in Don’t Blink for about eight years now. Every now and then, usually on a Thursday Rundown, I will report on gas prices. Such is the life when you are a nerd. Let’s take a look at some examples.

First off, if it seems too good to be true it probably is. When I saw all the zeros at this AmeriMart last May, I knew there was most likely a technical difficulty.

I figured the store probably wouldn’t offer me this rate.

At the time I took the photo of the AmeriMart sign, gas was hovering around $3 per gallon. But exactly two years prior in May of 2019, I was filling up at this Circle K for $2.39 while watching the little TV explain that back in the Middle Ages popsicles were seen as status symbols because only nobility had access to the 1500s equivalent of a freezer.

I took this photo while pumping gas in May 2019.

Throw it back to June 29, 2017, and I was pumping gas for just $1.85 per gallon at the gas station right next to Coastal Carolina University. Not a bad price for the week before the Fourth of July.

The gas was $1.85 per gallon in Myrtle Beach today.

Several months before that BP visit, I was smiling from ear-to-ear because despite the major pipeline leak that plagued Alabama in September 2016, Myrtle Beach was pretty much unscathed as I topped my car off at $1.79 per gallon.

I am not smiling at the pump in this manner today.

Think prices couldn’t get much lower than that? Think again. The year of 2016 obviously made a New Year’s resolution to keep gas at super low prices because in January of that year I was filling up for $1.56 per gallon.

Take me back to 2016.

Although gas prices were 33 cents more in September 2015, I surely wasn’t complaining about paying only $1.89 per gallon.

It is harder than it looks to take a photo of gas prices when you are driving. I snapped this in 2015.

Fast forward 6.5 years later and this was the gas price at the Mobil station right next to our house….

I pulled into the parking lot this morning to take a photo of the gas prices at the station right next to our house in Spokane Valley.

Wow. Call me spoiled, but I became accustomed to sub $3 per gallon gas prices over the years. However, things change and we have been dealing with $3.69 per gallon gas over the past several months. It was annoying but I wasn’t complaining (at least not publicly 😉).

Now I am complaining (but not blaming). Gas prices are at historical highs and I understand current events play a role in that. Trust me, I get it. But I think something can be done to relieve the madness at the pumps. Do I know what that is? No. Do I think a solution exists beyond telling everyone to buy electric cars? I think so.

I am grateful that I am not behind the wheel a lot in this current climate. I make the commute to Pullman once a week but other than that I am not logging serious miles on a daily basis. For those who are, I hope relief at the pump comes soon. Don’t Blink.

Dimes N’ Critters

Posted on by
3

When I graded this year’s Super Bowl commercials, I gave high marks to the Meta commercial that followed the “career” of an animatronic dog. As the ad revealed, the awkward canine spent his glory years playing for a band inside a pizza arcade. I admitted I liked the commercial because it stirred up some nostalgia inside of me. Little did I know about the next animatronic-based commercial I would watch just a month later.

I liked the Super Bowl Meta commercial that featured an animatronic dog.

Over the weekend while browsing YouTube, I crossed paths with a commercial from the mid-1980s that also packed nostalgia but included a big side of weird as well. Like the Meta spot, it featured a pizza arcade with an animatronic band…only a lot creepier.

There used to be a restaurant in Spokane called Dimes N’ Critters. It was a pizza place that offered 10 cent video games and an animatronic band. Before you continue reading this post, you must watch the commercial.

The story of Dimes N’ Critters, which used to be in the 5 Mile Shopping Center in Spokane, is pretty wild.

Could this place scream 1980s any louder? I never knew I could enter a time warp simply by watching a nearly 40-year-old commercial. To be honest, in this case, I think the nostalgia was just a little too much for me.

Welcome to the 1980s, folks.

Yep, by the time that rat delivered pizza to the kids I am pretty sure they were scarred for life. Heck, after watching it on Saturday I think I am scarred for the rest of my thirties. Man, that thing looked rough.

This rat featured in the commercial is pretty gnarly.

The band members are sus too. There is no doubt the 80s glow adds another layer of wackiness. Do you notice that the skunk (or at least that is what I think it is) is holding flowers? That is kind of funny.

The Dimes N’ Critters Spokane rendition of a skunk.

I am intrigued about the wide selection of arcade games that Dimes N’ Critters had. And only a dime to play! I wonder if there is a record of the game inventory that the restaurant once boasted?…

It looked like Dimes N’ Critters was a pretty good place to play video games…and affordable too!

Stupid question. There isn’t. Believe it or not, Dimes N’ Critters gets even more interesting/weird. Of course, I had to do some research after I watched the commercial. It turns out the place met its demise via a fiery blaze. Dimes N’ Critters fell on hard times when Chuck E. Cheese came to town. I guess the Dimes N’ Critters rat just couldn’t compete with the Chuck E. Cheese mouse. The local pizza arcade was in so much financial trouble that the owner resorted to torching the place.

The demise of Dimes N’ Critters is pretty wild.

Sadly, the band served as the origin of the fire. The owner doused the creatures in gasoline and lit a match. Wait, was that actually sad?

These guys played their last song shortly after Chuck E. Cheese moved into town.

RIP Dimes N’ Critters. Don’t Blink.