I would like to wish a pleasant good evening to you all. It is Thursday so that means I am able to make my opening paragraph very short. Here we go with the rundown…

International Flavor – This week I helped organize a photo station for Coastal’s international student orientation. I brought our large press conference backdrop over (thanks to Ron for helping me set it up!) and supplied a few props. The students had a blast dressing up and posing for photos. I enjoyed the opportunity to hang around such a group. Because the students had literally just arrived on American soil the day before, it was cool to see them start to become accustomed to their new surroundings. This year’s international contingent is large and diverse and will greatly add to the positive environment on campus.

Photos that I took of our international students having fun at the photo station this past Tuesday.

Fire It Up! – Speaking of Coastal Carolina, we embark on the busiest weekend of the year tomorrow. With classes starting on Monday, students and faculty alike will return to campus over the next few days. Freshmen will arrive for the first time and my university will do all it possibly can to make them feel welcome. With events, presentations, and ceremonies going on, it will be a packed time for me. The next 72 hours will be busy and fun!

Lizard Man – Did you know there is a Bigfoot of the South? I didn’t until last week. Called Lizard Man, this walking seven-foot-tall amphibian with red eyes and scales will occasionally come out of the swamp and spook South Carolinians. Since the late 1960’s, many reports of Lizard Man sightings can be found documented in city logs. Last week, after a hiatus that spanned several years, Lizard Man supposedly re-emerged in Bishopville, South Carolina. The woman who saw the creature had the presence of mind to snap a photo with her phone. Myrtle Beach is much too touristy for someone like Lizard Man to enjoy, but he might do himself a favor by coming here. I am pretty sure that even our most disgusting Goodwill location has costumes better than that. The funny thing about this is that this sham of a photo actually appeared in national news stores.

This grainy photo of a person in a lizard suit portraying Lizard Man was circulated nationally this past week.

Reaction to Trump’s Debate Performance – In last week’s rundown I wrote about how excited I was to watch the Republican debate and see if The Donald could shine. After watching it, I wholeheartedly agree with the majority of political analysts and Twitter all-stars…Trump did not have a strong showing. To me he looked inexperienced, out of place, and not very prepared. I was kind of pulling for the guy but that doesn’t mean I will lie on his behalf. To me, he was underwhelming. Despite the poor debate showing he is still leading the polls and he is still as outspoken as ever. The roller coaster goes on.

Wedding Update #6 – I have a couple informative updates from this front. First, if you look at a countdown clock, we are now at single digits month-wise until our big day. On Tuesday it was exactly 10 months until our wedding. Now we are at 9 months and 29 days! Also, my parents booked a beach house for the week of my wedding. Technically it is a three-bedroom condo but this news got me really excited. It makes me feel good that my parents and other family members will have the opportunity to come down to Myrtle Beach and have a memorable vacation while staying in a nice place.

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Have a wonderful weekend, especially to those who will be going back to school, either as a student or a teacher, this upcoming Monday. I will catch back up with you all soon. Don’t Blink.