My Top Choice for Thanksgiving Dessert

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When it comes time for dessert this Thursday, there will be no question which option I choose. Pass the pumpkin pie please.

Call me a traditionalist, but out of the 1,549 different pumpkin-flavored foods and drinks we get inundated with starting in August, pumpkin pie isn’t just on my top 5 list, it is my absolute favorite.

I always enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dessert.

I enjoy pumpkin pie so much that I won’t just eat it cold but I will eat it moldy too. However, I prefer my piece warm with a generous portion of whipped cream on top.

The spices, the texture, and the crust are all reasons why I like pumpkin pie. As someone who will devour rich and heavy desserts with plenty of chocolate and peanut butter, Thanksgiving is my time to eat something more focused on flavor than something that is trying to induce a heart attack.

The Costco pumpkin pie is a classic.

So let’s all be sure to make our Costco runs and bring home a pumpkin pie that will last long after Thanksgiving. If you don’t mind, let me give you a pro tip: Pumpkin pie makes for a great breakfast. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week, everyone. Don’t Blink.

Monopoly Thursday Rundown

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Let the countdown begin! We are just one week away from Thanksgiving. On that enthusiastic note, let’s get to tonight’s five topics in my latest Thursday Rundown…

Throwback Thursday – Last weekend, my Aunt Nancy sent me something that I had never seen before. It was a photo of me with Santa Claus at Northtown Mall on Black Friday in perhaps 1997. When I saw the image I remembered that specific day going Black Friday shopping with my relatives, including sitting on Santa’s lap. I also remembered wearing my Duke hat but I would be lying if I said I remembered that striped shirt tucked into my sweat pants. Regardless, it was funny to see my pudgy self a quarter century ago.

Me sitting with Santa at Northtown Mall in Spokane in probably 1997 or 1998.

Special Monopoly – So readers, what do you think of specialized Monopoly games? You know, the ones based off a sports team, movie franchise, or town? As crazy as it sounds, I don’t think I have ever played a non-classic Monopoly board game besides Jr. Monopoly. When I was at Walgreens last night I ran into this display of themed Monopoly games, which included a version based on the city I live in and the employer I work for. If this stuff interested me I suppose I would have had Mac and Cheese Monopoly or Don’t Blink Monopoly a long time ago.

I stumbled upon these Monopoly-based games last night at Walgreens.

Ron’s Gone Wrong – Last Saturday I took Sloan to the movie theater to watch “Ron’s Gone Wrong.” The film is about a future society where all children have “B-Bots,” basically a personal assistant robot who knows everything about their child owner and who helps that child develop friendships with others. I think it was a little over Sloan’s head but if you have a son or daughter in the 7-12 age range, I think they would like it. Gen Z and millennial adults will like it too as the film contains many parallels and jokes about the current digital age.

Besides the price for a matinee, there wasn’t too much wrong with “Ron’s Gone Wrong.”

Latest Movies – I discussed the movie I went to the theater to watch so I figure I should address a couple of the movies I went to my living room to watch. This week I watched “Awakenings” and “A River Runs Through It.” Robin Williams is a doctor and Robert De Niro is a mental patient in “Awakenings,” a 1990 film based on true events in 1969. It is a slower movie but told a fascinating tale about something I knew nothing about. As someone who lived in Missoula for eight years, I am embarrassed to say I had not watched “A River Runs Through It” until just this past Sunday. With that said, I don’t think I necessarily missed out on anything. I found the movie to have very little of a plot and even though it is “based” in Missoula it wasn’t even filmed there.

This week I have watched “Awakenings” and “A River Runs Through It.”

Sunset Scene – One current and unfortunate development with my weekly commute to Pullman is that the drive in the morning and the drive back to Spokane in the evening take place almost entirely in the dark. But a really cool sunset this past Tuesday added at least a little bit of beauty to the drive. Got to think positive!

I took this photo on my way back to Spokane after working in Pullman on Tuesday, Nov. 16.

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For those who will be slipping into a week-long Thanksgiving vacation after tomorrow, have fun! Thanks for reading and enjoy your Friday. Don’t Blink.

Re-United With My Letterman Jacket

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When I graduated high school I left the state. I went to college and then started my career. Fifteen years later I would move back to eastern Washington. Upon my return, my parents started to suggest—no, more like demand—that I take some of the stuff I left at their house as an 18-year-old teenager to my own home. We are talking about high school yearbooks, t-shirts, binders of schoolwork, etc.

This past weekend my parents “allowed me” to take off their hands another item that was literally collecting dust. I happened to drop by their neighborhood at the same time my dad was retrieving holiday decorations in the house’s crawl space. While he was deep inside he could hear me talking to my mom at the entrance to the crawl space. When my dad surfaced he was holding something other than Christmas lights.

In his hand was my yellow Mead High School letterman jacket. I had literally not seen it, let alone worn it, since a couple days before my high school graduation in 2005. I loved that coat. It was my Christmas present my sophomore year and I made sure to get plenty of wear out of it over the next 2.5 years. It fit like a glove, it screamed school spirit, and it made me feel like a stud.

I had to throw on my letterman jacket when my dad brought it out (and Sloan had to pose with me).

Of course the first thing I did was grab the jacket out of my dad’s hand and throw it on. It wasn’t as comfortable as I once remembered and it didn’t hang the same as it did in the early 2000s. But the moment that leather draped my shoulders I was transported back in time and could feel myself walking down the hallways of Mead. Ah, to be young again.

Sloan and I had just finished at the movie theater when we stopped by my parents’ house so it was just the two of us. To be funny, I wore my letterman jacket home and surprised Sid when I walked inside. She wasn’t as enthusiastic about the coat as I was.

I think Sidney could probably do without this Mead High School letterman jacket hanging around the house.

Even as my letterman jacket takes up valuable closet space at our house, I am glad to be reunited with it. I won’t be wearing it to the grocery store or anything but maybe my kids will appreciate it one of these days or ask about the pins on it. Do you still have your letterman jacket? Don’t Blink.

Continuing the Turkey Bingo Tradition

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With inflation skyrocketing, there is one thing that people are focusing on this month: the price of a Thanksgiving dinner. Supposedly, 2021 is supposed to be the year that Americans will fork over a small fortune to provide a Thanksgiving meal. It goes without saying what the priciest item on the table is.

So, how do you make Thanksgiving affordable this year if you plan to serve turkey? You win one of course!

Back as a child, one of the highlights every fall was when the Knights of Columbus council at my childhood parish, St. Thomas More in north Spokane, would hold Turkey Bingo. Our entire family would arrive at the church social hall on a Sunday in November to eat popcorn, visit with friends, and try to win a turkey. It was here that I learned about the competitiveness of bingo and the agony of the words “clear your cards.”

Turkey Bingo is a popular fundraising event for Knights of Columbus councils. Council 4196 (St. Mary – Spokane Valley) is no exception.

Fast forward a couple decades to this past weekend. Once again I found myself at turkey bingo. Only this time I was bringing my own family and I was one of the Knights putting it on.

Our large supply of turkeys we gave out at our Turkey Bingo event.

On Sunday, the Knights of Columbus Council #4196 of St. Mary Catholic Parish in Spokane Valley held its annual Turkey Bingo (you can probably guess…turkey bingo events are pretty common in Catholic parishes). After I moved from Myrtle Beach I transferred from Council #5086 to #4196. What a blessing it has been to go from one awesome council to another and what a blessing it is that we are finally back to doing in-person events!

After we set up all the tables and chairs, I took this photo of our set up inside the St. Mary School gym about an hour before we opened to the public.

I had a lot of fun helping my brother knights put on the event but the best part was definitely playing bingo with Sid, Sloan, and my dad. I was given plenty of time to leave my post and enjoy the afternoon with my family. To give Sloan her first taste of bingo and see how much she was genuinely enjoying it was really cool.

Sloan and Sidney at Turkey Bingo at St. Mary Catholic Church in Spokane Valley.

My wife, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly there to “enjoy” it. She was there to win! She had her eight cards spread out in front of her and knew all the combinations she had to hit in order to score a turkey.

Sidney playing her six cards at Turkey Bingo.

Success didn’t come right away but her persistence paid off. In the second to last game, she won the “top and bottom” round to win a bird for the Resers! In addition to walking away victorious, it was an afternoon marked by sweets, 50/50 raffles, and laughs.

Sidney holds up her winning card along with the ticket voucher she was given for her turkey at the Knights of Columbus Turkey Bingo event at St. Mary Catholic Church in Spokane Valley.

To introduce my daughter and wife to one of our old family traditions and to actually now contribute my time to making the event itself function was pretty special. If there is any Catholic man out there who wants to become a Knight, please feel free to reach out to me. Now, let’s get that turkey cooking! Don’t Blink.

Updating My List of Movies I Can Watch Twice

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I don’t watch movies twice. Well, there are exceptions to every rule. A long time ago I wrote this blog post that listed the five films I actually will watch more than once. But for the most part, after I watch a movie, no matter how good it is, I won’t watch it again. A big reason I watch movies is for the suspense. Remove that drama by giving me something I have seen before and I just assume not watch it again.

But dang, it has been 10 years since I wrote that post. Over that time, a few more films have achieved “Brent Will Watch Again” status. Tonight, I want to recognize those three movies.

Moneyball – I enjoy this movie so much that I do more than just watch it when it comes on television. Believe it or not, I seek it out on Netflix and watch it even when a thousand other choices I haven’t seen before are available. The film offers so many different themes: family, importance of data, career advancement, second chances, and more. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are phenomenal in it. Watching the late Seymour Hoffman play Oakland Athletics manager Art Howe is a treat. The musical score is so underrated. The movie just never gets old.

Acting, script, score….it is all so good.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – I watched this movie the whole way through for the first time in high school Spanish class. We started watching it in Spanish with English subtitles but got the teacher to allow us to watch it in English with Spanish subtitles. From that point on I have watched “Christmas Vacation” multiple times every subsequent holiday season…in English and with English subtitles (because I watch everything with subtitles). No matter how many times I watch Clark Griswold try to provide an “old fashioned family Christmas” I find myself laughing out loud. From the cringeworthy moments with Cousin Eddie to the catastrophic holiday dinner to Clark opening up his Christmas “bonus” there isn’t a more quotable and addicting Christmas movie. It just isn’t the holiday season if I don’t watch “Christmas Vacation” a couple times.

This movie is worth watching multiple times over any given holiday season.

Anger Management – I have tired of watching Adam Sandler movies like “Happy Gilmore” and “Billy Madison” but there is something about “Anger Management” that keeps me coming back for more. Oh, I think I might know the reason—Jack Nicholson. Call them an odd couple but Sandler and Jack made a movie that is re-watchable by my very tough standards. The laugh out loud moments and the degree to which the movie gets more and more ridiculous as it goes on just hooks me in. “Anger Management” is on an “anytime, anywhere” basis with me as Sidney and I watched it while on our honeymoon!

I enjoy this movie so much that I watched it on my honeymoon.

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Let me ask the same question I posed a decade ago: Do you have a certain movie that you can watch over and over again? If so, let me know. Until then, check back in another 10 years to see if I have any other movies to add to this list. Don’t Blink.

Veterans Day Thursday Rundown

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There is no other way to begin this Thursday Rundown than to say thank you to our veterans. If you are reading this and happen to be a veteran, I am honored that you would even read my blog. But more importantly, please accept my gratitude for your service to our country. Let’s begin tonight’s post…

Ears Lowered – It wasn’t the first time Beau got a haircut but it was my first time tagging along. My son got his ears lowered at Great Clips and I got to stand on the salon floor with him as his hair drifted to the ground. After the stylist was done with him it looked like Beau had aged about a year. What a handsome young man!

Beau getting a haircut at a Spokane Valley Great Clips on Sunday,

Not in Prime Films – This week I watched a couple movies from the late 2000s with similar themes. The first one I viewed was “The Wrestler” followed by “Crazy Heart.” Both films told stories of substance abusing washed up entertainers. Both movies also boasted fabulous leading role performances with Mickey Rourke playing professional wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson and Jeff Bridges playing country western singer Bad Blake. The movies did such a great job of portraying the battle to stay relevant, the pains of falling from grace, and the relationships that suffer. Out of the two, my favorite was “The Wrestler” and if you have Hulu I highly recommend watching it.

“The Wrestler” and “Crazy Heart” were both good films.

Thanksgiving Reads – In a previous Thursday Rundown I mentioned how Sloan’s nighttime reading routine becomes a little more exciting during the holidays and I used Halloween as an example. Well, it is now November and we are picking up Thanksgiving books during our regular trips to the library. Our library has a five-item limit on holiday-themed materials (which I think is a good thing) so we are always really selective when choosing our books. My favorite among this handful of books? For those who know our family tradition, it might come as no surprise that it is Milly and the Macy’s Parade.

These are the current Thanksgiving books we have at our house.

College Gameday in Missoula? – Pay attention this weekend when ESPN announces where College Gameday will go on Saturday, Nov. 20. If everything continues to go according to plan, the University of Montana should receive hosting privileges. In recent years, Gameday has chosen one Saturday out of the season to spend at an FCS site, a welcome change to its usual Power 5 tour. The show has been in contact with the University of Montana and a social media campaign spearheaded by the Grizzlies has generated a lot of enthusiasm. I am hopeful that my alma mater will land the coveted show and the beautiful city of Missoula will be on full display for a national audience a week from Saturday. Oh yeah, if it all comes to fruition, Gameday would be in town for one of the best rivalries in college football…THE BRAWL OF THE WILD (University of Montana vs. Montana State).

From what I can tell, it is looking good that the University of Montana will land College Gameday. (graphic courtesy of the Montana Kaimin)

Veterans Day Personal Reflection – During my junior year of high school my dad took me on a very memorable trip to Washington D.C. to really get a grasp of my American roots. We did everything from the monuments to the museums to the cathedrals. We walked past the White House, walked on the steps of the Supreme Court, watched Congress in session, saw the newly constructed 9/11 museum, and walked through the National Mall. For a history buff like me, my eyes were wide open the entire time. It was an awesome experience, one that I will never forget.

However, the part of the trip that will forever be cemented inside my mind and in my heart came when we visited Arlington National Cemetery. We got off the metro and after just taking a few steps you could see it. Rows and rows of white tombstones poking out of the earth and expanding further than the eye could see. As we got onto the cemetery grounds and started looking around a thick aurora of reverence engulfed me. Although other tourists were all around me there was no noise whatsoever. We were on the hallowed grounds of where close to a half million people were buried, people who had the courage and inclination to give up their lives so someone like me could live a comfortable life with invaluable freedoms. It was an absolute overwhelming experience. From that day forward, Veterans Day has always had more meaning for me (full blog post).

Myself at Arlington National Cemetery in 2003.

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Thanks for reading today. It is still early, so if you have not thanked a veteran yet, you better get on it. Happy Veterans Day and God bless America. Don’t Blink.

RAGE

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I vividly remember the scene. I was attending my first ever Seattle Seahawks game when I was either in fourth or fifth grade. My dad, my friend, and my friend’s dad were walking outside the Kingdome prior to the game when we noticed something. There was an old car (I think it was a Toyota?) painted in red and gold with “Kansas City Chiefs” spray painted on it.

For $5, you could take a sledgehammer and whack the car with all your might. I believe you got three swings and I remember one dude winding up the sledgehammer and giving that car everything he had. He barely made a dent but I remember thinking that it was pretty cool.

Well, smashing a beat-up car clad in the colors of the Seahawks’ opponent no longer appeals to me. But I do remember what it felt like to have that desire to go completely ape and destroy something. And, obviously, I am not the only one to have had that urge or else people wouldn’t have monetized the destruction of POS vehicles.

Yesterday I learned this business model has taken a major step up in recent years. During a morning meeting, the concept of rage rooms was brought up. Evidently, there are places you can go and take “weapons of destruction” to breakables such as televisions, lamps, microwaves, glass fixtures, and more. Some of these places have items on-site for you to destroy and others invite you to bring your own. Believe it or not, Spokane has its own rage venue called Rage Xscape.

Rage rooms are a thing.

The testimonials are glowing (or should I say smashing?). People leave these places feeling like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders and pent up anger released. It goes without saying that expelling rage inside a controlled building is better than releasing it in other places that might land you behind bars.

Lucky for me, I don’t need a rage room for therapeutic purposes. To be honest, it doesn’t really even sound that fun to me from an entertainment perspective. Sure, I would do it for the blog but you won’t see me with a punch card.

I am chalking this up as another modern day creative entertainment option on par with axe throwing and escape rooms. What will they come up with next? Don’t Blink.

Lightness and Darkness

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I know I frequently relate lessons learned during nightly reading with my 4-year-old daughter so my apologies in advance for another post spurned by that precious time we spend together.

“The World Made a Rainbow” is the inspiration for tonight’s blog post.

Over the weekend we read a book titled “The World Made a Rainbow” by Michelle Robinson. Toward the end of the story, this particular line stuck out: The light couldn’t shine if it never knew dark.

This line in “The World Made a Rainbow” rings true.

It underscored an important life theme of not being able to truly appreciate the good without experiencing the bad. Similarly, a more cynical sentiment I have heard a couple times in my life goes along the lines of, “I can’t miss you if you don’t leave.”

Perhaps that one is a little on the harsher side. But I think we all get the idea. Many times we fail to understand what we have until it is gone. We see so many instances in our society of a complete lack of appreciation or understanding. It isn’t until darkness is thrust over us that we truly comprehend the brilliantness and warmth of the light.

Much in the same way that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, I think it is beneficial that we all experience dark periods in our lives to truly be grateful for the beautiful things that we hold dear. Don’t Blink.

November 4 Thursday Rundown

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Let me wish a pleasant good evening to everyone! I hope your month is off to a fabulous start and that you are soaking in the fall season. I have a Thursday Rundown up my sleeve tonight so let’s get begin with the five topics…

Sky on Fire – I mentioned that we attended a trunk-or-treat in the parking lot of a trampoline park last Friday. Earlier this week, the business (Altitude Trampoline Park) posted a Facebook album of the event and our family made the cut in a couple of the images. What more can you say about the sunset in this photo? I thought it was too cool not to share.

If you notice the sky before you notice us, that’s okay (photo courtesy of the Spokane Valley Altitude Trampoline Park).

Free Pizza – As I have indicated before, I am a generous Google Reviewer. But if I do have a really bad experience, I will be honest in the review. I aired my grievances about a hibachi steakhouse in Las Vegas last July and ended up receiving a call from the manager and a generous gift card for the trouble. A couple weeks ago, things didn’t work out as promised at a local Spokane pizza chain. I noted it in the review and the manager soon reached out and sent me gift cards as well. I appreciate Pizza Rita’s gesture and we had a great experience when we re-ordered last Saturday.

I received $30 in Pizza Rita bucks to give the local chain another try. Our second experience was much better.

Nov. 4 – Today marks a bunch of “holidays.” It is National Candy Day (shouldn’t that have been five days ago?) so if you want to read about my top five favorite hard candies please be my guest. It is also National Cash Back Day, a day I celebrate because there is nothing I like doing more than bypassing ATM fees and walking into a supermarket to buy a 99 cent soda only to request $60 in cash back. Finally, it is also National Men Make Dinner Day and not only did I cook tonight but I cooked last night too. Happy Candy/Cash Back/Dudes Cook Day!!

Happy National Candy Day!

Muffin Tops – I asked this question on Twitter, but what good are muffin tops? Sid brought one home for me from the espresso stand last Friday morning and the first thing that went through my head was where is the rest of it? It is kind of like giving me a slice of pie with just the crust. Although the calorie count makes a convincing case for why it is just the top, I think I still prefer my muffins whole.

This was the Grandma Ruthie’s muffin top that Sid brought home for me last week. I just really don’t understand them.

Spookiness – On Halloween afternoon, this shady character was standing at one of the entrances to our neighborhood. He was drawing attention to a haunted house that would open later that night. If you know me, you probably aren’t surprised that I rolled down my window and engaged the guy in a conversation (and asked to take his photo). Later that night you better believe I went to the location and went through the haunted house. It had several scenes, strobe lights, actors, etc. I love the effort Halloween fanatics put forth to transform their own residence into a haunted house for the enjoyment of others.

This guy definitely stood out.

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Thank you for joining me tonight. Remember to fall back this weekend and savor that extra hour of sleep! Don’t Blink.

It’s Not Time

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By now, many of you have probably seen the infamous Mariah Carey viral video. Oh, which one, you ask? I am talking about the video released at midnight on Nov. 1 that shows her smashing a row of pumpkins that spell out “It’s Not Time.”

Mariah Carey released a video the moment Halloween ended on Nov. 1.

With her smash holiday song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” playing in the background, Mariah swings a candy cane-patterned bat at the middle pumpkin. At first glance, it appears that the video is encouraging a frenzied transition from Halloween straight to Christmas.

But for those who watch the video to the very end, an encouraging message provides some restraint to the perpetual elongation of the Christmas season: It’s Time!!! To smash that pumpkin and treat it as pie…cause we still gotta get through Thanksgiving.

Thank you. Sure, I would prefer more time than right after Turkey Day to go full Christmas, but at least it’s a start to reversing the trend of the holiday season starting earlier and earlier every year.

I do understand that Americans might be in more of a celebratory mood this year and desire to make up for time lost during the pandemic-plagued Christmas 2020, but come on people. A little moderation and discipline can ensure that we don’t overlook other holidays while simultaneously not watering down Christmas. If getting a big head start on the holiday season is important for your happiness and mental health then I say “go for it” but otherwise try to enjoy this current month before busting out the decorations.

As someone who loves Christmas, I advocate that we celebrate the holiday (and its true meaning) in due time. Happy November! Don’t Blink.