Tag Archives: Dave & Buster’s

My Pleasure Thursday Rundown

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We have reached mid-April and we finally received some of the showers that make this month famous. Thankfully Mother Nature waited until after a sunny spring break to bring the rain. Let’s jump into tonight’s Thursday Rundown…

Day Off – Speaking of spring break, I had the opportunity to take last Friday off to be with my kids. I took them to Dave & Buster’s for a couple hours and then we followed it up with lunch at the Spokane Valley Mall food court. As I have written before, I always try to take my children out to lunch on spring break.

A few images from our outing to Spokane’s Dave & Buster’s location and to the Spokane Valley Mall for lunch.

Fun Saturday – My day off on Friday was followed by another adventurous day. On Saturday I had the treat of taking Sid and the kids to ONE Stadium for a USL Soccer match as the Spokane Velocity defeated the Richmond Kickers, 3-1. It was EWU Night and my family had the opportunity to sit in one of the suites with some of my other co-workers and President Shari McMahan. For someone like Beau who is a soccer fanatic, the experience was something that he especially enjoyed.

A photo of Beau absolutely loving life at the Spokane Velocity soccer match we attended this past weekend.

Great Horror Film – I watched the best scary movie I have seen in a couple years this past week. Called “Weapons,” it tells the eerie story about 17 elementary students from the same classroom who end up going missing on the same night at 2:17 a.m. The plot of the movie is completely original, the concepts are creepy, the images are jarring, and the scares are real. The film receives an A+ from me for its creativity. If you are looking for a terrific horror movie that might even resonate with non-scary film fans (it did win Academy Awards after all), I recommend “Weapons.”

“Weapons” was a great film.

My Pleasure – On this date eight years ago, I wrote about “the problem” with the phrase no problem. I also discussed why I will say my pleasure for the rest of my life. But in short, when someone says “no problem,” it insinuates that there is/was a problem. When someone expresses their gratitude to you, it doesn’t make sense to respond by saying something that doesn’t convey any sort of warmth or sentiment. At best, “no problem” means nothing. How is it acknowledging what someone said to you?

This was my Instagram post from my Life’s Little Instructions calendar back in 2018 that influenced me to write a blog post about “no problem” and “my pleasure.”

Popes – Today would have been Pope Bendict XVI’s 99th birthday. Shortly after his death, I wrote this blog post about our former pope’s status as a master theologian on complex issues but also his simplicity at heart. When Pope Francis passed away, I wrote about his humility and exemplification of what it means to be a servant leader. When it comes to Pope Leo, I hope I don’t have to write about his legacy for a very long time 😉. But what I can say about him right now is that I feel extremely blessed to have him as my pope and I hope he continues to advocate for peace at every chance he gets.

Pope Benedict XVI was as sharp as they come (photo cred: New York Times).

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That’s all I have for tonight. Thanks for your readership and I hope you have a nice weekend. Don’t Blink.

Hurricane Irma Thursday Rundown

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It is currently a tense time in the area of the country I live in but that won’t stop the Thursday Rundown. Time to roll with this week’s five random topics…

Hurricane Irma – My opening sentence of this blog post was meant to reference one of the potentially biggest hurricanes to ever hit the United States. Hurricane Irma, a current Category 5 hurricane, is forecasted to make landfall in South Carolina. Many meteorologists are saying that Irma will dwarf Hurricane Matthew. Although the hurricane will most likely diminish into a Category 3 or Category 2 storm before it wreaks havoc on Myrtle Beach, it is a very concerning situation. I will make sure to keep all of you updated.

Wife Not a Fan of Football – Sidney can’t stand football season. She becomes quite annoyed when male figures in her life such as her husband and father spend time in front of the TV watching it. If I am going to catch a quarter while in bed, I have to mute it because just the background noise annoys Sid enough that she can’t sleep. When I saw this Blondie comic strip this morning it immediately made me think of Sid and I.

One reason Sidney dislikes football season is because it is so loooong.

Dad Entering His 33rd Year as Football Official – Speaking of football, my dad started his 33rd year as a high school referee this past week. I have written before about his decorated officiating career and needless to say I am proud of him for hitting the field to serve the Spokane youth once again. I wish him well and I will pray for a season of no injuries, understanding coaches, and exciting games. Have fun, dad!

A photo of my dad before he went off to officiate his first game of the 2017 season last Thursday.

Return Trip to Dave & Buster’s – On Labor Day, my father-in-law said he wanted to do “something fun.” To quench his thirst for a good time, we went to Dave & Buster’s. We visited the entertainment center at around 2 p.m. and it really was night and day compared to last June when we went on a weekend night at 10 p.m. We were able to play the games we wanted to in an atmosphere that resembled more of a family center as opposed to a night club. We ate lunch as well. Dave & Buster’s offers a vast and fun menu. Although making a selection was hard, I went with the bang bang chicken. The entire experience was a very nice Labor Day outing.

Sidney (and Sloan) playing Mario Kart this past Monday. My bang bang chicken is pictured to the right.

The Latest on Sloan – Although I don’t have too much new to report on Sloan this week, I do have one of the cuter picture collages to share. The smiles keep coming and her hair does too! When we FaceTime my family, her dark hair is the first thing they notice. She was so happy this morning as she smiled and played in her new overalls. Sloan will turn 25 weeks tomorrow.

No shortage of smiles from Sloan this week!

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Time to start bracing for a hurricane! I hope everyone stays safe and enjoys the weekend. I will try not to blow away. Don’t Blink.

Playing at Dave & Buster’s

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This past weekend, I finally experienced something I had only heard about. After all the legendary stories from friends, after all the commercials, and after all the complaints from the people in whatever city I lived in about the lack of a location, the wait recently ended.

On Saturday night, the place that once seemed only mythical to me was revealed. I finally went to a Dave & Buster’s.

Well, to be honest, I actually got my first taste on Friday evening. My mom, brother, and I went to one of Myrtle Beach’s hottest spots, Broadway at the Beach. It is at this major destination for tourists and locals alike that the new Dave & Buster’s recently opened. At around 10:30 p.m., we walked through the place. Talk about a sensory overload! We needed time to prepare for this one.

The next day, my brother and I made plans to return to Dave & Buster’s with the intention to actually “play” this time. We swapped my mom out with my wife. Exactly 24 hours from our initial brief visit, we walked through the doors again.

Although I didn’t really play too many games while we were at Dave & Buster’s, I made sure to race against my wife.

It was the exact same circus it was an evening earlier.

The facility, which contains a large bar, game floor, restaurant, prize center, and TV area, was filled to the brim with people. On both visits the demographic was primarily in the 18-30 range, with many of the people dressed fashinonably. A sense of excitement that you could feel buzzed around the entire place. Folks were running in every direction and you had to speak up to be audible. It was pretty insane.

What first jumped out to me was how pristine the place was. It was spotless and, for good reason, everything was visibly brand new. The bar area was extrememly inviting and trendy. The televisions were all top of the line big screens. The game floor was covered with the latest and greatest gaming technology on the planet. Well-trained employees did their jobs with purpose. There was absolutely no debating that the Myrtle Beach Dave & Buster’s is impressive.

Although it would have been nice to sit down, order off the menu, and sip the signature cocktails, we came to play the games and drink beer.

Well, that’s what my brother and wife did at least. I primarily just did the latter as I was a little intimidated by the high volume of people seemingly taking up every game in the place. Sidney and Glen both loaded cards with “chips” and got right to it. Throughout the hour or so we were there, they played classics like basketball hot shot and football toss. However, they also played many of the “high risk, high reward” type games where you try to earn tickets by utilizing “skill” to drop an object into a cup, knock coins off a ledge, stop a light strobe on the jackpot, etc. Sidney also played Guitar Hero and Kung Fu Panda.

Sidney playing Kung Fu Panda at the Myrtle Beach Dave & Buster’s.

The value of it all? Heck if I know. Consider this: You pay for all games with a Dave & Buster’s card. Loaded onto that card are chips, the “currency” system of D&B. Topping the confusion off, each game seems to require a random amount of chips to play. Thus, deciphering the amount you are paying per each game gets lost in translation. I had absolutely no idea if the game my brother or wife started playing happened to be $1, $2, or $5 per single play. I do know this: Glen and Sidney each loaded their cards with $25 each and while it didn’t last forever, it also wasn’t gone in the blink of an eye.

The atmosphere of Dave & Buster’s is what appeals to me. In a way, it is much like a casino. I enjoy going to a Vegas style casino every now and then to just soak in the excitement, have a drink, and people watch. I don’t really gamble that much. With Dave & Buster’s, I don’t really “game” that much but I do appreciate the vibe.

Even though we have Dave & Buster’s within 10 minuites of our house, I definitely won’t be going every weekend. However, it is a place I can see myself going to every now and then. Saturday night provided us with a fun evening and a great orientation to one of our country’s most talked about adult entertainment centers. Don’t Blink.