Carty Crusade, Homegrown Honey, Easter Extravaganza

With the temperatures hovering all week in the mid-70’s and a high temperature of 82 in the forecast for tomorrow, life is pretty sweet in Myrtle Beach right now. With the days getting longer, I still have time to enjoy the sunshine before it gets dark so let’s get started with the Thursday Rundown.

Coach Carty Crusade – The momentum has started to shift at Mead High School. The shady attempt by a small group of parents to oust Sean Carty from the head coach football position has met resistance…a lot of resistance. In my original blog post testifying to how much Coach Carty shaped me as a man, I sadly stated that it would probably take a “Hail Mary” for the termination to be overturned. It might now just take a 30-yard pass.

The Mead community has stepped up to the plate for Coach Carty while the embarrassing actions of a handful of parents are being exposed. Here is what you need to know: Carty’s appeal will be heard first by the principal. It will then go to the superintendent. The final possible appeal would be to the school board. Keep in mind that with the time Carty has to file the initial appeal combined with the two five-day periods he will be allotted to take the appeal higher if needed, this whole process will most likely stretch over a month. Although the days might pass with little news, know that you can write Dr. Rockefeller at any time. He is a fair man who will personally read what you have to say. You can e-mail him by clicking here. 

SnapchaNt – Last week I reported on the massive success of SnapchaNt. Although it is cool for our social media events to be covered by the local Myrtle Beach media it is always special when the student newspaper recognizes your efforts. SnapchaNt made the front page of The Chanticleer. To read the article, click here. For awkward entertainment, click here for my Social Circle segment that I used to recap SnapchaNt.

You can read the article (recommended) or watch me (not recommended).

You can read the article (recommended) or watch me (not recommended).

One Final Turf Photo – Last night I devoted a whole blog post to our brand new teal turf. However, as of last evening the field did not have the yard markers and conference logos applied. In the past 24 hours, more progress has been made. I can now officially give you the completed product.

The completed teal turf inside Brooks Stadium at Coastal Carolina University.

The completed teal turf inside Brooks Stadium at Coastal Carolina University.

Homegrown Honey – I work with the best people. Late last week I was beyond miserable. Although I grew up around pollen, I had never battled South Carolina pollen. With the yellow stuff covering the CCU campus I was in pretty bad shape. But our Director of News and Public Affairs Martha Hunn came to my rescue. She told me about an old remedy for allergies that consisted of consuming honey each morning. She didn’t just tell me about the remedy though, she brought it to me. In an extremely nice gesture, Martha brought me a jar of 9 Lakes Honey, the best stuff in Conway, South Carolina.

Of course I would be totally remiss if I didn’t thank my girlfriend for really nursing me back to health. In addition to the medications she provided me and the hot meals she cooked for me, she put up with a grumpy Brent. Thanks Sidney!

Martha presented me with this jar of 9 Lakes Honey.

Martha presented me with this jar of 9 Lakes Honey.

Easter Experience – By the time Easter rolled around I was feeling much better. Although I didn’t get to spend the holiday with my family, I had a joyous time spending it with Sidney and her family. I went on an Easter egg hunt (no joke), attended Easter Sunday mass, created and sent out my holiday message, and enjoyed great Easter meals on both Saturday and Sunday. What a wonderful time of the year Easter is! I hope you all had a blessed holiday as well.

I had a very nice Easter!

I had a very nice Easter!

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Thanks for sticking around for another rundown. Remember to write to Dr. Rockefeller, admire our teal turf, and always take honey for allergies. Don’t Blink.

Campus Marvels and Super Bowl Prediction/Connection

Happy Super Bowl Week to everyone! I hope you are all celebrating accordingly while wearing a lot of blue, green, and gray. Once again it is the Thursday Rundown so here we go!

Chauncey Statue – At Coastal Carolina we will soon join other big time universities as places that have beloved mascot statues on campus. Making our Chanticleer sculpture so unique (besides the fact that it is a Chanticleer in general) is that our own art students created this work of art. We didn’t have an outside company create it for us, it came from the talent we have here on campus. Once fully ready, this statue will be placed outside of our TD Sports Complex entrance. I stopped by to snap a few photos of it yesterday.

Me standing proudly by the Chauncey statue.

Me standing proudly by the Chauncey statue.

Ripped Up Football Field – Last week I mentioned that we would soon be installing teal field turf in our football stadium. I accompanied the news with a photo of our partially torn up field. Well, one week later the field isn’t just partially torn up anymore. As you can see, the once thick green natural turf is completely removed. This afternoon I went over and watched the heavy machinery run up and down the field while shoveling up mounds upon mounds of dirt. I can’t wait for the teal turf to be laid down…it is going to look awesome!

Me inside the grassless Brooks Stadium this afternoon.

Me inside the grassless Brooks Stadium this afternoon.

Super Bowl Prediction – I have said repeatedly that I am nervous for this Sunday. New England is an extremely good football team. They crushed Indianapolis in the AFC Championship while Seattle squeaked by Green Bay. I hate Tom Brady and Bill Belichick as much as the next guy but damn they are good at winning. But do you really think I am going to go against my Seahawks?! I see Seattle winning its second consecutive Super Bowl by defeating the Patriots in a close game, 24-21.

Super Bowl Disclaimer – When it comes to in-game Super Bowl predictions and reactions though, be careful! I guarantee it, this year the commercials and the halftime show can be the most incredible spectacles ever but people will still shoot them down and say they sucked. Three years ago I wrote about the skewed sense of the past many people have and I am 100% sure we will see it again this Sunday. Another no-no for you…don’t be “that guy” who counts a team out long before they should. Time and time again I watch people on Twitter crown one team the winner only to be embarrassed an hour later. Although I wrote about this over two years ago I still see folks make the mistake on a weekly basis. If New England struggles early or if Seattle is down by a couple touchdowns in the second half, don’t leave either team for dead.

Good Luck, Brock! – One last Super Bowl note. Playing for the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday in the Super Bowl will be Brock Coyle, a linebacker on the team. Just one year ago he was still a student at the University of Montana. A standout student-athlete for the Grizzlies, he always conducted himself with class and integrity. It also just so happened that he served as an intern for myself and our marketing director. He did his job in the office with as much dedication and effectiveness as he did it on the field and in the classroom. Brock is one great guy and it has been remarkable to see him rise so fast. It would be incredible to see him get a ring.

Best of luck this Sunday, Brock!

Best of luck this Sunday, Brock!

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When I end these Thursday Rundowns I always like to thank my readers. Tonight is no different. I appreciate all of you for taking time to read what I have to say. There is so much on the internet and for you to spend even two seconds on Don’t Blink is a great compliment to me. Have a wonderful weekend. Don’t Blink.

Five “Super” Things

Having Monday off for Martin Luther King Day really made Thursday come soon. Not that I am complaining, who isn’t excited that Friday is just several hours away? Long week or short week, Thursdays are reserved for my weekly rundown so here we go! Super Bowl XLIX – Well, I wanted a Seahawks-Colts Super Bowl but I will settle for a Seahawks-Patriots championship just as well. When your team makes the Super Bowl, you really can’t get too upset about who they are paired against. This past Sunday’s game was incredible. No one except for my girlfriend knows the outright ridiculous celebration I engaged in when Seattle stormed back in spectacular fashion to smash the hopes of the Green Bay Packers. So many dynamite plays happened in those last four minutes but for whatever reason the onside kick recovery stands out most of all for me. Teams I root for never recover onside kicks so that play was special. I love the Seahawks and I hate the Patriots as much as I do the Cowboys so bring on Super Bowl XLIX!

I was beyond ecstatic after the game on Sunday.

I was beyond ecstatic after the game on Sunday.

Start of Something Beautiful – Isn’t it quite the sight to see a football field getting torn up? I took this photo from the Kline Hospitality Suite in Brooks Stadium this morning. Once the natural grass has been removed, field turf will grace the surface of our football stadium at Coastal Carolina University. But it just won’t be any turf. We are making a statement with TEAL TURF. You can bet it will look beyond sweet when I re-take the below photo once the teal surface is placed. I saw first hand the incredible boost the red turf gave Eastern Washington University and I know Coastal’s new turf will provide a similar lift.

The removal of the grass playing surface is underway at Brooks Stadium.

The removal of the grass playing surface is underway at Brooks Stadium.

Accelerate Aging by Becoming President of the United States – My junior year of high school I was in an honors humanities class. The major culminating project of the class called on us to prove a thesis that we were to present to the community. Teamed up with two of my classmates, we presented and proved our thesis that the Office of the Presidency greatly accelerates aging. Besides all the research, science, and writing that went into our project, we built a walk-through replica of the White House that included before and after portraits of the Presidents from the time started their term in office to when they ended it. If only I had the below images of Barack Obama to back then to add to the walls. The first photo shows President Obama during his first State of the Union Address in 2009 and the second photo is from his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night. Say what you want, the pictures don’t reflect a normal six years of natural aging. It makes you appreciate and respect the stress and the hard work that our Presidents subject themselves to.

President Obama has aged dramatically while in office.

President Obama has aged dramatically while in office.

Learning to Assist in Difficult Situations – Today, my department went through another session of our customer service Feel the Teal Training (I wrote about the program several months back) . We spent the morning learning how to be most effective in challenging situations when a person is upset. Our group talked about past situations we have been in where the people we were trying to serve were not in very good moods. Our Feel the Teal Director, Eileen, then went over with us the different personalities of difficult people and how to adequately deal with them. Not only did it give us some great techniques, but it was also an eye-opener for me and others who have actually been that difficult person in the past. Charlotte Here I Come – To celebrate Sidney’s birthday, her and I will be spending the weekend in Charlotte. A three-hour trip from Myrtle Beach, we will be staying in the city’s Epicentre, an electric area full of shops, restaurants, bars, clubs, and other entertainment options. Besides airport layovers, I have never really done Charlotte before so I am really excited to visit another great American city. —————– After me complaining about Jeopardy, critics, and cupcakes it was about time I had something positive to say! Thank you for reading my blog and I wish you all a great weekend. Don’t Blink.

Latest Weekend in Myrtle Beach

After a great first weekend in Myrtle Beach I went out and did it again. Yes, as this weekend comes to a close I am once again ecstatic with my new life down south. Let me catch you all up…

Actually first off let me back up. My first full week as a Coastal Carolina University employee was AH-mazing. I had the opportunity to dive right into my new job full speed. I had the pleasure to meet numerous staff members, connect with the wonderful students at this university, and cover some great events. All the excitement and adrenaline of the first week seemed to culminate on the final day, Friday, as I got to cover four different events. From an honors induction to a softball game to a convocation and then to a senior celebration I had a blast.

So this of course brings us to the weekend. At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning I was in the office preparing for the big Coastal Carolina University commencement. By 7:15 a.m. I was out on the athletic practice field where the graduates lined up to check in. After taking photos/video of the giddy soon-to-be graduates I entered Brooks Stadium, home of the Chanticleer football team, for the first time ever. For the next three hours I ran around the facility covering the graduation the best way I could. On a warm morning in front of a stadium packed with friends and family over 900 students graduated. Utilizing a tag team approach I covered the event from on-site and provided the content through our main social networks while our Vice President for Communication (and my boss), Bill Plate, meshed all of it into Storify. It was a successful formula.

I had a nice time covering the Coastal Carolina graduation from inside Brooks Stadium.

I had a nice time covering the Coastal Carolina graduation from inside Brooks Stadium.

On Saturday night I enjoyed another exceptional southern dining experience. I drove out to an ocean community right outside of Myrtle Beach called Murrels Inlet. The area is covered with awesome restaurants and bars. I went to an establishment called Flo’s Place. Let me tell you, this restaurant couldn’t be more southern! From the greeting you get when you walk in to the alligator fixture on the wall to the menu stocked with all the southern delicacies you could imagine it was definitely the real deal. My friend Mary served me as I ordered red beans, rice, and sausage with a bowl of clam chowder! I enjoyed every bite of my food and relished the very unique dining experience. No, I did not order the Gator Stew (actual menu item).

Flo's Place was great! Take a look at my red beans, rice, and sausage!

Flo’s Place was great! Take a look at my red beans, rice, and sausage!

This morning I attended 9:15 a.m. mass at St. Andrew’s Parish. After a couple weeks of missing out on mass it felt so great to be back in the pew. The church was packed for the service and although I noticed a few differences from the way mass is conducted in the west it was pretty much uniform. The worship space itself was unique with three different sections of seating and a high ceiling. With so many people at the service you might have expected Communion to go on forever but they had a high number of Eucharistic Ministers who went out to the different seating sections and distributed the blessed gift. The priest was very charismatic and funny. Next week I might attend a different parish just to get a feel for what is out there and give me a couple options.

I attended mass at St. Andrew's Parish this morning.

I attended mass at St. Andrew’s Parish this morning.

At noon today the Coastal Carolina softball team hosted Charleston Southern in the Big South Conference tournament championship game. With a berth to the NCAA tournament on the line I went to the brand new softball stadium to cover the action. While talking with the very welcoming athletic department staff up on the media deck I watched the defensive battle transpire for the whole seven innings. Unfortunately the Chants came up short, 3-1. After sticking around for the awards ceremony I left campus until I return for my workout at 6 a.m. tomorrow.

The CCU softball team stands during the awards ceremony today.

The CCU softball team stands during the awards ceremony today.

Of course I also managed to squeeze in the pool, beach, and sun this weekend but since that is the norm for me now I didn’t feel the need to expound on it. My readership has gone up significantly over the past few weeks so I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read Don’t Blink. If you have any suggestions or criticisms please let me know. Have a wonderful week. Don’t Blink.