The Abu Thursday Rundown

Posted on June 7, 2018 by brent

I have a genuine appreciation for my readers so thank you for returning to Don’t Blink. You picked a good day to do it because it is the Thursday Rundown. If you are a rookie, that means five random topics are about to come your way.

Cup On Head – I want to start the Rundown with a cute photo of Sloan. On Sunday, my daughter managed to put a Cookout cup on the top of her head. Not only did she look absolutely silly, but my sister-in-law made an interesting observation, saying that she looked like Abu from “Aladdin.” I don’t think the comparison was that far off.

Sloan with a Cookout cup on her head. Does she look like Abu to you?

Coin Dance – Earlier this week, my sister and brother-in-law celebrated their seventh anniversary. As I looked through Timehop I saw many photos from the reception, including one from the best wedding reception tradition ever: The Coin Dance. An Italian custom, the coin dance occurs during a designated bride-groom dance. Wedding guests shower the dance floor with coins and all the kids in attendance rush to pick up the silver (don’t think about throwing pennies). Not only does it break up the monotony of a reception while giving the children something to look forward to, it also provides good luck to the bride and groom. Judging by my sister’s marriage and my own (Sid and I did it at our wedding reception), I would say those Italians got it right!

A look back at the Coin Dance at both receptions of Sid & I and Miradan & Jay.

Summer Social Media Campaign – This week I was thrilled to introduce our summer #CCUSocialMedia campaign. With the PopSocket craze still going strong, I came up with something called PopCHANTet Texts. I am asking current students, alumni, and faculty/staff to describe what Coastal Carolina University means to them. However, they have to do it in 280 characters and I am encouraging them to write it as if they were sending a text message. For the visual component of the campaign, I am supplying each participating person with a CCU PopSocket to put on the back of their phone. The volunteer will then have a person snap a photo of them as they “text” what Coastal means to them. See below or click here for what the final product looks like. My goal with PopCHANTet Texts is to encourage the CCU community to be frank and to the point about why they are proud of their university.

I am excited about #PopCHANTet Texts!

Lemonade? – I got wrapped up in a debate with Sid and one of my co-workers about a tweet I sent out a year ago. I had expressed my opinion that I don’t think lemonade really goes with any food item or meal. I concede that it is a thirst quencher on a hot day, but I would never pour a large glass of lemonade to go with my Mexican food or a steak. Geoff, my co-worker, believes it naturally goes with Chick-fil-A and apparently Sid thinks it goes with anything but I can’t agree. What do you think?

This tweet that I sent on June 3, 2017, was debated again this week.

Knockoff vs. Premium – One of my personal favorite blog posts of all-time was written exactly three years ago when I had Sidney do a blind taste test of five products. Each product was represented by its premium version and a generic version. From snack foods to breakfast favorites to macaroni and cheese, I had Sid try all products and give me an honest assessment on what tasted better. I will say this: my wife’s taste buds are on point. I encourage you to read the post!

Sid sampled a popular cereal as part of the Knockoff vs. Premium showdown.

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To everyone attending the Carolina Country Music Festival this weekend, have fun! To all those who don’t live in Myrtle Beach and who have no idea what I am talking about — you have a good weekend too. Catch up with you soon. Don’t Blink.

Jamming Out at the Carolina Country Music Fest

Posted on June 12, 2017 by brent

Once an avid concert-goer, I have slowed down attending shows over the last few years. However, this past weekend I returned to the live music scene in a big way. To celebrate our anniversary, Sidney and I attended the Carolina Country Music Festival. A mammoth four day fest that attracts some of country music’s biggest superstars to Myrtle Beach, the CCMF is a big deal.

The CCMF was actually a first for me. While I have attended arena shows, outdoor shows, and even an awards show before, I had never went to a music festival. I was excited to sit outside, enjoy the vendors, and meet our 20,000 “neighbors”…

….I just wasn’t ready to do it for four days.

Sidney and I during the first day of the Carolina Country Music Fest.

Sidney and I attended the middle two days of the CCMF on Friday and Saturday. While we knew it would be nice to see acts that performed on Thursday and Sunday such as Jason Aldean, Montgomery Gentry, Chris Young, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, and others, the two days we did go provided us with more than enough fun.

On Friday we arrived at 5: 30 p.m. and stayed until midnight. We saw Parmalee, Kip Moore, Billy Currington, and Darius Rucker. On Saturday we showed up at 4 p.m. and watched LANco, Chris Lane, Granger Smith, Lee Brice, and Kenny Chesney. It was midnight when we left on Saturday as well. So, for those keeping count, we saw nine different acts perform over the course of 17 hours. Talk about a lot of music!

A look at where we were standing on Friday night.

Before I address who we liked best, I did want to mention the fest itself. Although the CCMF is only in its third year, I must say that the organizers seem to have it down to a science. Getting inside the event area was quick and easy. The wristband system is extremely convenient. There was no shortage of food options. Beer stations were all over the place. Different sections at the fest (such as general admission, VIP, Super VIP) were clearly distinguishable and a heavy security presence was on hand to make sure everyone stayed where they were supposed to. Large screens were set up everywhere so those who were not close to the stage could still follow the action. Except for a couple instances, I never really saw much disorganization.

I didn’t understand the magnitude of the event until I walked through the gates the first time on Friday evening. The festival was absolutely packed! However, for the most part, people were really cool. Sidney and I had the opportunity to meet new friends while also enjoying people-watching at its finest. Although we felt really young and really overdressed at times, we had a great time being part of the crowd.

Here is an aerial shot of the CCMF on Saturday night. It is a massive event (photo courtesy of CCMF).

When it came to Friday night, my favorite performer was Billy Currington. He brought a lot of energy to the stage and it was fun to sing aloud to his songs (especially “People Are Crazy”). Darius Rucker was good but I had seen him before, and like I said then, he is pretty much no frills when it comes to his shows. Currington played his set during the period when it went from day to night so to jam out as the sun went down was pretty scenic/fun.

I enjoyed the music on Saturday better. Because Sidney and I arrived a little earlier this day, we moved much closer up in our section. We brought a blanket with us that allowed us to sit and relax during the early acts. Sidney loved Chris Lane’s act. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised by Lee Brice’s set. I saw him when he performed at Coastal Carolina last fall and I didn’t think the show was anything special. However, up on the CCMF stage with the ocean behind him, Brice put on an incredible show. The crowd was really into it and he touched the emotions of most of us with both his sad songs and his party songs. Although proposals at concerts are sometimes cheesy, the couple he had come up on stage made everyone go “awwwwwwwwwwwww” when the dude popped the question and the girl responded with “I absolutely will marry you.”

Sidney and I during the day on Saturday. The second day was our favorite.

But it wasn’t even a question of who the best performer was during the two days we were there. Kenny Chesney was by far and away the greatest entertainer that took the stage. He opened by performing “Beer In Mexico.” The moment he sang the song’s opening lyrics, starin’ out into the wild blue yonder, I looked at Sidney and said WOW.

Chensey’s voice was so distinctive, so clear, so effortless. After hearing the eight previous acts, he just stood out so much. We loved his set. He stuck with his more upbeat hits (so no, he didn’t perform “Don’t Blink”) and just entertained us. His band was awesome and he tried as hard as he could to convey that he was having a good time. He told funny and meaningful stories in between playing hit after hit. After waiting so long to finally see him, I can unequivocally say that Kenny Chesney did not disappoint.

Attending the Carolina Country Music Fest was a great way to spend our anniversary weekend. If we do it again, we might opt for a VIP package and just go one night. One thing plainly obvious to Sidney and I over the course of the two nights was that we can’t hang with the young bucks like we used to. However, we did our best and had a very memorable time. Don’t Blink.

Let’s Thursday Rundown It Up!

Posted on April 6, 2017 by brent

Good evening to everyone. I am back again with my Thursday Rundown blog post. Let’s get it all started…

Discontinued Candies – I follow a few click bait Facebook pages. One of them, a food page called Spoon University, recently published an article about candies from the 1990s that are now discontinued. I got a big kick out of scrolling through the list, reminiscing at some of the sweet treats I ate as a youngster that I can no longer eat today. My favorite candies that I miss the most from the list would be cookies and cream Twix bars and Butterfinger BB’s. Make sure to read the entire list by clicking here!

I used to really enjoy Butterfinger BB’s.

Incredible Gift – Today my wife surprised me with an early anniversary gift. This June, we will be attending the Carolina Country Music Fest. A three day festival in Myrtle Beach that brings the hottest stars of country music to town, I have been wanting to attend since it started in 2015. This year, the event will bring in Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean, Montgomery Gentry, Chris Young, Lee Brice, Kip Moore, Big + Rich, Billy Currington, and more. Oh yeah, there is another guy by the name of KENNY CHESNEY who will be performing as well. I have waited my whole life to see a Kenny Chesney concert so this will be a very big deal for me. Thank you so much to Sidney for getting us tickets!

I can’t wait to attend the Carolina Country Music Fest.

Wee Hours of the Night – If you ask any mom or dad of a newborn how they occupy their time in the middle of the night when they are up with their baby, you will get a million different answers. Some watch TV, some read, some answer e-mails, some clean, etc. After the Netflix series ended that Sidney and I watched the first week after Sloan was born, we turned to something else. We now watch music videos at 3 a.m. when we are changing her or waiting for her to go back to sleep. There is a certain channel that plays contemporary beats 24/7 and that is what we have our TV set on. You better believe that Sidney and I have become experts on the top 40 music scene.

Latest Sloan Photos – In my last Thursday Rundown, I warned that I would start devoting a piece of this weekly blog post to recent Sloan photos. Since I am no liar, here are some new ones…

Here are some of the photos I took recently of Sloan.

From the Archives – In the past, April 6 has not been a very exciting day for me because I have written some pretty lame blog posts. One year ago on this date I wrote about a technique I use to maintain discipline while at the movie theater (hint: it involves popcorn). Then, two years ago, I wrote a whole blog post about something that was installed on the Coastal Carolina campus that will always pay tribute to me. I don’t blame you if you decide to read neither.