Parents Coming to Myrtle Beach

Posted on March 11, 2015 by brent

This weekend I really have something to look forward to. In fact, it actually begins tomorrow night. After over ten months in Myrtle Beach, my parents are finally coming to visit me at my new home.

Tomorrow evening my mom and dad will land at the Myrtle Beach airport around 10:15 p.m. It will be my mom’s first time ever in Myrtle Beach, her first time ever in South Carolina, and her first time ever in the South. When I made my cross country move almost a year ago my dad was my co-pilot but his time spent in the Palmetto State was short and busy. This time around he will finally get to experience what it is like to live down here.

My mom has never been to the South before. That changes tomorrow.

I am so excited to show my parents the beautiful campus of Coastal Carolina and have them meet my co-workers. I can’t wait to take them to some great BBQ joints, seafood houses, and country restaurants in the area. I look forward to walking with them on the beach. I am happy that they will get to hang out with Sidney again and meet her parents for the first time. I can’t help but smile knowing they will experience true Southern hospitality. Also, I am anxiously awaiting my mom’s opinion on what she thinks about my apartment!

My dad will really enjoy some of the places I take him to eat.

Ah yes, my apartment. My parents will be staying with me for the entirety of their trip which will span tomorrow evening through Tuesday morning. With these arrangements we are guaranteed to get lots of quality time together. I totally welcome it though because my apartment complex is a gorgeous place and I know they will enjoy it. I also know that my mom will make sure it is spotless before she leaves.

As for the specifics, here is what I can tell you: I do know a couple of the restaurants I want to take them to. I want to watch a movie with them at my neighborhood theater. They will be attending the CCU Selection Sunday Watch Party with me in our HTC Center. Sidney will be cooking a Southern meal for them on Saturday night. We will spend time talking out on my deck. I will be taking them to Murrells Inlet. But I am going to stop right there because I want to keep some of the itinerary a surprise. Just know that while I will keep my parents occupied with things to do, we will also take time to relax as well.

I hope my Myrtle Beach friends who are reading this will get the chance to meet my folks. It is going to be a happy and fun time. Now I just need the weather to cooperate. Don’t Blink.

A Weekend of Hole-In-the-Wall Restaurants

Posted on February 1, 2015 by brent

Besides beaches and terrific weather, a selling point that is routinely made about Myrtle Beach centers on the restaurants. The area boasts over 20,000 dining establishments, solidifying itself as one of the highest restaurants per capita cities in the country. In Myrtle Beach you will find many of the classy, big name, reputable, and trendy restaurants this planet has to offer. Cool enough.

However, once you get out of the tourist hotbeds you will find areas lined with eclectic, family owned restaurants. These personality-rich eateries are so numerous that if today I started a crusade to eat at a different one daily until I dined at them all I would be on my mission for at least ten years.

For me, my interest in small restaurant gems goes beyond just finding a solid place to find some good food. I am attracted to the real hidden, hole-in-the-wall locations. On my 20 minute commute to work each day I probably pass 100 different restaurants. Tucked away in dusty strip malls, old shopping centers, and intersection-placed stand alone buildings, I keep mental notes on what places I really want to try. With nothing major this weekend going on for me (except for the Super Bowl tonight!) I wanted to take the opportunity to try a couple of new places. For dinner on both Friday and Saturday night I treated my taste buds to some of Myrtle Beach’s most unknown eateries.

Friday Night – China Garden (3570 Northgate Dr.): Right next to my apartment sits an old, decaying shopping plaza. It is anchored by a Dollar General and has other businesses such as a Bingo hall, a shady barbershop, and a dive bar. It is not a place you want to be at night. But after work Friday evening I decided to stop in and order takeout at the Chinese restaurant located toward the end of the plaza right next door to the barbershop.

China Garden sits toward the end of the run-down shopping plaza right by my apartment.

I walked in and couldn’t make out the greeting the nice young Asian girl at the counter gave me. I pointed to what I wanted on the menu after she gave me a confused look when I told her what I wanted (General Tso’s chicken). She told me the wait would be ten minutes. As I sat down and waited I saw a lot of people coming in and out picking up orders they had called in. Even though it was small and dingy inside, I knew this business was legit. I watched the cooks in clear view right behind the counter sweat as they labored to complete the numerous orders that were coming in. A couple of blue collar guys sat at a table to my right indulging in their food. True to her word, after about ten minutes the girl at the counter held up a plastic sack in my direction. I got up and took my dinner and went home.

A look inside China Garden along with a glimpse at the two blue collar men.

My food was great. The chicken was perfect, the broccoli flavorful, and the white rice tasted like white rice. It tasted high quality to me. I paid $9 and the amount of food I got was more than enough to provide me with a very nice lunch the next day.

This was the bowl I fixed myself for dinner on Friday night. I will go to China Garden again.

Saturday Night – Taqueria La Unica (4979 Socastee Blvd.): Last night Sidney and I agreed that we wanted Mexican for dinner. But instead of going to the Americanized and popular Nacho Hippo at Market Common, I wanted to try a place a little more ethnic. Daily, I drive down a street called Socastee Blvd. This road has numerous tiny Mexican restaurants lining both sides. I wanted to give one of these a shot. We literally drove into a few different mini strip malls and looked in the windows of some of these restaurants as we drove past. Each one looked a little sketch. We reached the point where we were at the final one on the stretch. Because we had already eliminated all of our previous options, we went inside Taqueria La Unica, quite possible the seediest one of them all.

The entrance to Taqueria La Unican in Myrtle Beach.

This place seemed to have the same square footage and set up as China Garden only it was Mexican-themed instead of Chinese-themed. Mexican tunes blared from the juke box when we walked in. We sat at a table and a young girl, probably 17, came up to us. She provided us with menus and then stared at us. This was the start of an amazing feat she would pull off. Throughout the whole dining experience she never once uttered one word to us. I figured the blank stare meant she wanted our drink order. I told Sidney to go ahead with what she wanted and I followed.

This is the inside of the restaurant. You can see Sidney’s Mexican imported Coca-Cola.

Before she brought our drinks to us she brought out a basket of chips. Strangely, the basket only had about 14 cold chips in it. We never were offered more even when they were devoured about seven minutes later when our drinks finally came. Sidney received a Coke in a glass bottle that was actually imported from Mexico! We thought that was pretty cool.

This was our chip basket when she brought it out. She never asked to re-fill it.

Our food came out and I was presented with my shredded beef chimichangas. Sidney had flautas. Our plates were very well organized and came out on platters. The rice was completely white in nature which was a little different from what I am used to at a Mexican restaurant. For the most part the food was pretty good. It did taste a little more authentic than what I typically have. As we ate, the restaurant started to fill up. We were the only non-Hispanic people in the place, a good indicator that we did in fact enjoy true Mexican food. I went up and paid at the register and for the first time saw some emotion from our server. As I handed her the tip a huge smile spread across her face. I believe that was her way of saying thank you.

My food is on the left while Sid’s is on the right.

Although I wasn’t blown away with the chips, our service, or the food, Sidney and I both agreed that we had a fun experience eating and socializing in the atmosphere of Taqueria La Unica.

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Next weekend my schedule is pretty open once again. Perhaps I will knock off a couple more small time restaurants I have been wanting to try. To all my Myrtle Beach friends, if you know of any “dive restaurants” that I might like, please let me know. Have a great Super Bowl Sunday. Don’t Blink.

Two Grueling Trips

Posted on January 6, 2015 by brent

As someone who prides himself on keeping long hours and sleeping as little as possible, I think I may have bitten off even more than I could chew. A few months ago, I booked my two holiday vacations to visit my family in Washington state. In order to maximize the time I would have with my family, minimize the amount of work I would miss, and pay the lowest price possible, I opted to purchase red-eye Sunday night return flights to Myrtle Beach for both my Thanksgiving and Christmas trips. I learned that traveling like that was a little harder than I had thought.

On Sunday night, after a delay, I flew out of Spokane to Portland. After backtracking to the Rose City and playing on my phone through a two-hour layover I caught a plane that took me on a four and a half hour odyssey to Charlotte. Although still dark when I landed in Charlotte, the long plane ride and time zone change had turned the night to morning. From 6:15 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. I sat in the airport munching on my mom’s freshly baked banana bread until I boarded the aircraft that finally brought me home. At 8:45 a.m. I touched down in Myrtle Beach. My flight home from Thanksgiving was pretty much exactly the same except for instead of backtracking to Portland I reversed course to Seattle.

I snapped this photo as I boarded my plane in Spokane. I am still surprised we flew out on only a 30 minute delay.

Now this three-stop cross country all-night trip was a monster in and of itself but there was still an obstacle in front of me that would screw up my already messed up internal clock even more: work. After grabbing my lugguage my clutch girlfriend picked me up and rushed me home. After a quick 20 minutes of changing clothes and gathering myself I hopped in my car and made the 25 minute commute to Coastal Carolina University. For the next seven hours I did my best to block out my jet lag/fatigue and get things done. To break up my zombie-like status and to make up for my missed morning workout, I hit the gym during my lunch hour. The best thing about doing that was not the exercise but the shower I was able to take afterwards. Flying all night does little to make you feel clean.

Both last night and the evening after I returned from Thanksgiving break I was on autopilot as I walked to my car at the end of the day. You might ask why I didn’t sleep much on the plane ride. Well, I didn’t shut my eyes on the short trips to Portland and Seattle because I wanted to make sure I was sleep-deprived enough to enter into a deep slumber once I boarded my long flights to Charlotte. However, sitting in a middle seat with no room both times resulted in me getting maybe two hours of terrible, choppy sleep. On both of my flights from Charlotte to Myrtle Beach I elected not to sleep because I didn’t want to be groggy once I landed. A single hour of sleep can sometimes do more harm than good.

I fly a modest amount and these two trips definitely strained me the most. It also gave me even more respect for professional athletes and entertainers who do this type of travel routinely and then perform at very high levels. Although I said above that I thought I may have bitten off a little more than I could chew with my travel arrangements, I would still say it was worth it (if that makes sense). You see, it is important to me to spend every possible minute with my family while also making it back in time for the start of the work week. Yes, it was a little harder than what I thought but for me it was worth the sacrifice. On future trips don’t look it past me to book the red-eye again. Don’t Blink.

Changing My View on Kids Movies

Posted on November 9, 2014 by brent

Early Sundays are a great time to go to the movies. Here in Myrtle Beach, one of the really nice theaters next to where I live offers matinee showings for only $5. To enjoy a show at a really cheap price while at the same time winding down the weekend in a relaxing and fun way is ideal for me. The past two Sundays I have taken advantage of this option.

When you are only paying $5 to see a movie, you can kind of put your selectivity to the side. If I am spending $10.50 for a movie on a Friday evening, I want to see a heralded blockbuster hit on its premiere night. However, if you are paying half that amount on a lazy Sunday I am more inclined to take chances. This was definitely the case today.

Sitting at breakfast this morning, Sidney and I chose to see “Big Hero 6” over “Interstellar.” We chose the animated kids flick over the popular sci-fi movie mostly in part because we could bring Sidney’s nephew and niece. With their parents gone for the week, we could release some of the burden off of Sidney’s mom and dad who have the babysitting duties. Even though I am not a big cartoonish children movie fan, this seemed like the right thing to do. We brought the kids out to the Grand 14 Cinema in Market Common for the 11:30 a.m. showing.

I saw “Big Hero 6” today. You can’t beat that ticket price.

After watching “Big Hero 6” today, my opinion of kids movies is that some of them (well at least “Big Hero 6”) are more complex and more entertaining than your typical R-rated thriller/action movie. I was more intrigued and interested in today’s show than I was with “Gone Girl,” which we watched on Friday night. I wouldn’t even call “Gone Girl” a bad movie, either. Today’s movie was just so fresh, clever, and humorous…even if it was done by Disney and rated PG.

For those of you who don’t know, “Big Hero 6” is about a boy who invents a sophisticated robot type chip that allows someone’s mind to create magnificent structures, anything from high-tech buildings to transportation systems. Because his creation is so incredible, a villain sets fire to the institute where the boy (named Hiro) introduced his invention. While the fire raged on, Hiro’s brother went inside the building to save his professor. An explosion occurred and the brother died. The rest of the movie follows the quest of Hiro to avenge the death of his brother. With several plot turns, the villain isn’t who Hiro originally thought.

The plot of “Big Hero 6” is more developed and provides more surprises than most grown up movies. The animation is beautiful and some of the particular scenes are especially aesthetically-pleasing. It is funny throughout and the ending is great. A faint applause circulated throughout the child-filled theater when the credits started to roll. The adorable little people we were with, Harrison and Russell, enjoyed the show too. Although Russell (Sidney’s niece) said her favorite part was when Hiro’s brother died, I am sure she liked the other not so morbid moments as well.

The gang from “Big Hero 6”.

About 95% of the time, I would immediately write off watching an animated kids movie. However, I need to start re-thinking these urges. Films these days, especially ones made by movie giants such as Disney, are marketed towards children but are made to appeal to everyone. What makes a book, movie, TV show, etc. is a good story that is told well. While you can maybe spice it up a little by adding violence, sex, colorful language, and superstar actors if it lacks an engaging plot it will fall flat. This explains why a movie such as “Big Hero 6” triumphed while a film such as “The Expendables 3” bombed.

Don’t be afraid to watch an animated movie. Take some young people out for a fun treat and be amazed in the same way that I was. Trust me, these days you won’t be watching “Sesame Street” up on the big screen. Don’t Blink.

Halloween Weekend

Posted on November 2, 2014 by brent

It was Halloween Weekend but by all accounts it was pretty chill for me. You see, when you don’t have a working phone it makes you pump the brakes a little bit. On Friday afternoon my phone stopped sending/receiving text messages and my capability to make/receive calls was shut down. On the top left hand corner of my device it just says “searching.” Visits to the store of my service provider and an Apple specializing store proved fruitless. Not wanting to put myself in a situation where I would need to make a call/text if I got in an accident or became stranded, I laid low.

Even though I wasn’t as active as usual for a typical “Brent Weekend” I did have some fun. On Friday night I dressed up as an evil clown and Sidney dressed up as a witch. After we ate pizza at Sidney’s place we went to an area in Myrtle Beach called Broadway at the Beach. This popular Grand Strand attraction consists of a big circle of establishments that runs around a manmade body of water. Half of the circle is totally devoted to theme bars and clubs. For Halloween, this area is the place to be. We had a good time celebrating the holiday and seeing the outrageous costumes that others were wearing.

Before we hit Broadway at the Beach we posed for a photo. I was an evil clown and Sidney was a witch.

Saturday was spent just watching football. I walked down to my local neighborhood sports bar and watched some great FCS football. First I watched the Montana Grizzlies crush Sacramento State, 31-13. It was the first time I watched a game inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium from a television after working so many of them from up in the press box. I then watched Coastal Carolina improve to 9-0 with an easy 38-14 victory over Gardner-Webb. In my opinion, Coastal just needs one more win to clinch a bye in the FCS playoffs.

Today I went to 7:30 a.m. mass at St. Andrew. Sidney and I then went out to breakfast. In Myrtle Beach they have pancake houses that line the streets, much in the same way that espresso stands do back home. Because of my love of pancakes, I had wanted to hit one up for a long time. We chose a restaurant called Plantation Pancake House. I ordered chocolate chip pancakes and they were great! It also came with eggs and sausage and I had a hot chocolate to wash it down. Every now and then I feel it is important to treat yourself to a nice breakfast.

Had a very nice breakfast today at Plantation Pancake House. You bet I got whipped cream added onto my pancakes.

A couple hours later we went to a Sunday matinee movie. For just $5 each, we got tickets to watch Jake Gyllenhaal’s new movie, “Nightcrawler.” While some might find it a little creepy/dark, it was a movie right down my alley. Gyllenhaal plays the role of an awkward unemployed guy who turns to a rather slimy profession. He invests in a video camera and a police scanner and he starts going to crime/accident scenes where he shoots footage and then sells it to a local news station. The film illustrated what local news stations will do to break news first and the shady type of work that people engage in to fuel the ratings quest of news organizations.

This morning I ate at Plantation Pancake House.

My movie ticket for “Nightcrawler.” Can’t beat the price!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween. For the time being, if you need to get a hold of me, please reach out via social media. Have a wonderful week! Don’t Blink.

Dr. Screams Haunted House in Myrtle Beach

Posted on October 24, 2014 by brent

You know how much I love haunted houses? Enough to go through one by myself! Last night I satisfied my craving to tour a South Carolina haunted house attraction by driving to Dr. Screams, one of the major players in the haunted house biz here in Myrtle Beach. Let me tell you a little bit about it.

This year the location for Dr. Screams was in a closed down retail store. For me, the structure that a haunted house takes place in is almost as intriguing as the content of the attraction itself. I walked up to the entrance of the haunted house by my lonesome and paid the $15 admission price. This marked the first time I had never had to wait in line for a haunted house. After I received my ticket I was ushered to the side of the building with 10 other people.

My ticket for Dr. Screams.

After about two minutes of standing outside the side door, we were invited inside. We huddled into a dark, small room where a haunted house worker gave us the ground rules. We were then able to proceed. Because I was unattached to the other 10 people and because I was standing near the entrance of the maze, I was appointed the leader. I walked in as everyone else followed behind me.

It became apparent the moment I started walking that the dude behind me was a “funny man.” He was commentating throughout the duration of the tour and using expletives when actors would jump out. It didn’t really bother me, it did seem like he was having a good time. Anyway, the funny guy had some buddies with him and then there were a few girls and a few additional guys in the group. The girls had already started freaking out from the moment they had purchased tickets.

I liked the layout of the haunted house. I didn’t feel too much pressure leading the group because it flowed in a way in that you knew where you needed to go yet you had no idea where you were at physically in the structure. There was one time where I led us into a dead end dark corner and I had to whip my phone out for some light so I could backtrack just a bit. I actually liked that brief feeling of not knowing where I was going.

The front portion of Dr. Screams Haunted House in Myrtle Beach.

In the haunted house the actors were pretty plentiful and seemed motivated to give a good scare. Unfortunately, because I was the lead in the group, the actors tended to wait to jump out at the people more in the middle. The one costume that really jumped out at me was an evil clown. Yes, I am definitely on one of those kicks.

As for the scenes depicted in the haunted house and the other decorations, I thought they were about average. Here is a stupid moment of mine: I totally missed the boat on the Dr. Screams name.

When Sidney asked me about what I saw in the haunted house I replied, “A lot of scenes depicting surgery gone wrong.”

“Well yeah, that’s why they call it Dr. Screams.”

I didn’t put the twisted medical doctor theme together. I thought “Dr. Screams” was just the general name of the haunted house, much in the same that Dr. Pepper is a general name for soda with no ties to an actual medical doctor. So with that said, it makes sense that the attraction was filled with graphic failed operations and mutilated corpses on gurneys. I understand the theme and appreciate it, but I was hoping for maybe a little more variety. I would have like to seen cemeteries, murder scenes, and vampire lairs.

When we exited the building we were ushered onto an ambulance (another “Dr.” theme that I didn’t realize until Sidney brought it to my attention). I thought this was awesome and unique! The 11 of us piled in and we were driven around to a few different scenes. For example, at one stop the doors opened and there was a fire burning with actors around it with chainsaws ready to scare us. Of course they made the ride anything but smooth and creepy music/hospital sounds played inside. I appreciated this component to a haunted attraction that I had never experienced before.

When they told us to get out of the ambulance, one of the girls in our group had had enough. Scared to tears and disturbed, she said she couldn’t go on. We left her behind as workers showed her out.

The conclusion of the attraction had us walking down this wooded trail. Actors lurked in the trees and it was a guessing game of what side they were going to jump out from. A girl in my group clutched the back of my pullover the entire time we were on the trail. Apologizing profusely, I laughingly told her not to worry about it. At the conclusion of the trail, the attraction was over.

I really enjoyed the different components of Dr. Screams in that you got to go through a traditional haunted house, ride in an ambulance, and then walk through an outside haunt. I also thought the actors did a good job and were professional. My critiques would probably be the admission price being a bit steep ($15) and the mediocre scene creations. But overall it got me into the Halloween spirit and it was so nice not freezing my butt off waiting in line. I am happy to say that I have gone through a haunted house attraction in the South. Don’t Blink.

An Ice Cream Challenge: Do It or Not?

Posted on July 27, 2014 by brent

In the middle of this past week the Sun News tweeted out a link of the ten best ice cream shops in the Myrtle Beach area. Naturally I tapped my thumb on it as I love ice cream and I have had a great time trying out some of the different parlors here in South Carolina. As I read through the article one place especially stood out.

Called O.D. Pavilion Ice Cream it wasn’t the cool looking sundaes in waffle bowls that caught my attention. Rather, it was a cool little (or big) promotion that was advertised. Called the Waterdog Challenge it was the frozen dessert version of your typical eating contest. I learned that the Waterdog Challenge consisted of seven scoops of ice cream, five toppings, whipped cream, a cherry, and a large waffle bowl. Except for the time I took a stab at eating a gigantic hot dog, I have never gotten too excited over eating challenges. I love watching Adam Richman conquer them on “Man vs. Food” but I have never had the desire to do one myself.

This is O.D. Pavilion Ice Cream in North Myrtle Beach.

But the Waterdog Challenge was different. This was ice cream. This was my thing. It was only seven scoops. I could do this.

I told Sidney to block out her calendar on Saturday night so we could go to O.D. Pavilion. I told her about the challenge and my plans to possibly do it. What was my motivation for wanting to complete such a gluttonous task? Quite simply I wanted the free t-shirt, the Facebook recognition on the parlor’s page, and of course a killer blog topic. The challenge weighed heavily on me for the next 24 hours. Because of my OCD and organized nature I called the place on Thursday night to make sure the challenge was still offered and to inquire about pricing. The guy who took my call informed me that they still offered the challenge (great!!), it was $14.95 to do (sweet…not a bad price at all), and participants had five minutes to complete it (oh, crap).

How did I completely forget about a time limit?! All food challenges have time limits. Somehow I totally overlooked this minor detail. The worst part about it was the duration of it…FIVE MINUTES. Are you kidding me? Five minutes for seven scoops of ice cream? I couldn’t begin to think about the brain freeze pain that would accompany such an attempt. For the most part I put to rest my aspirations of completing the Waterdog Challenge.

Last night though we still went on as scheduled for ice cream at O.D. Pavilion. I am pretty sure I am the only one who would travel 30 minutes for ice cream in an area that has shops on every single corner. During the drive from Myrtle Beach to North Myrtle Beach I told myself that when I walked in the parlor if it seemed right I would put my doubts aside and take on the challenge.

But it didn’t seem right. When we walked in O.D. Pavilion I knew it wasn’t meant to be. The place was rather small, it was busy, and disorganization was evident. I was not about to put the employees through the headache of making the ice cream challenge, finding a suitable place for me to do it at, and timing me. I myself didn’t feel comfortable in the close quarters. I kept thinking that I was just setting myself up for embarrassment and failure. So I passed. I totally wimped out and purchased their cookie dough sundae.

After a few days of heavy thinking, I ended up just ordering the cookie dough sundae at O.D. Pavilion Ice Cream.

Sidney and I sat in the corner of the parlor that had photos of the dozen or so successful Waterdog Challenge participants on the wall. All male they looked very normal and in no obvious state of pain. Many of them looked fit and young, with big smiles across their faces. As I ate my ice cream I couldn’t help but think I could have completed the challenge. Clearly I missed out on the chance to obtain eating glory and the opportunity to write a blog post much more interesting than this one. No pain, no gain. Don’t Blink.

Great Way to Pack Your Bar

Posted on July 21, 2014 by brent

In my effort to frequent pretty much every restaurant in Myrtle Beach I found myself in a unique spot with an even more unique promotion. Off Socastee Blvd. there is a dusty place in a mini strip mall with a couple other businesses. Called the Sun-Up Sports Pub & Grill it is your quintessential dive with greasy food and cold drinks. From what I could tell it has its regulars and most likely the place had not been updated in years.

Sidney and I recently visited this establishment for the first time. We sat down and played a trivia game against each other. We finished our trivia contest (in a game where you can easily rack up 13,000 points Sidney beat me by the smallest of margins…ONE POINT) and asked for our tab. With the check came four little raffle tickets. The bartender explained that the raffle tickets corresponded to the couple rounds we ordered. For each drink purchased, she explained, you receive one ticket. You then write your name on it, give it back to the bartender, and it is placed in a pot.

Here comes the interesting part. Tickets are gathered all week long and then on Thursday at 8 p.m. there is a big drawing. A Sun-Up employee reaches into the pot and grabs a ticket and announces the name to the whole place. If the person is present at the time of his or her name being called then the lucky customer receives a cool $500 cash prize. If the person is not present then the Sun-Up doesn’t have to worry about paying out five Benjamins.

The bartender proudly stated that this little charade packs the place on Thursday nights. She also said that about half the time the person is actually present who has his/her name drawn. Of course numbers rushed through my head. Even if they paid out the $500 every single week the Sun-Up would still most likely be bringing in a decent profit each Thursday night with a crowded bar. Heck, chances are the winner would probably be giving most of the money back to the place anyway by purchasing celebratory drinks and shots for everyone else. However, on the nights where a winner isn’t present the Sun-Up gets to take full advantage of a packed place without losing a dime. Even if you pay out or don’t the joint still gets the valuable opportunity to make a favorable impression on customers and increase the chances that they will come back through the doors down the road.

I love something as straight forward and enticing as this. You won’t see me rushing down on Thursday nights (I get up early on Friday) but I know a lot of people who would, even with only one ticket in the probably bottomless pot. In my opinion this a great example of a business doing something innovative to stand out among all the other similar establishments. Well done. Don’t Blink.

Watching “The Purge: Anarchy” With Idiots

Posted on July 20, 2014 by brent

On Friday Sidney and I went to the midnight showing of “The Purge: Anarchy” at the Broadway at the Beach movie theater. Before I talk about a certain issue in our theater let me first briefly discuss the film.

To those not in the know, “The Purge: Anarchy” is the sequel to “The Purge.” These movies depict a future America with a new government that sanctions one night each year where murder is legal. It is basically the biggest “holiday” on the calendar and is credited for bringing crime to an all-time historical low in the country. Although the second Purge movie is a sequel, nothing other than the concept of the Purge night is related to the first one.

I enjoyed the film on Friday. It is definitely not for everyone though. I get a rush out of the spooky/odd images, I find the concept of the Purge fascinating, and I am intrigued by the social economics of such an event. The second film dives much more into the class system and the resulting negative ramifications that the Purge creates. The second film also packs a lot of action, twists and turns, and jump out of your seat type moments. Though you don’t necessarily need to get your butt to the theater and watch this film ASAP I would say that if you liked “The Purge” you will definitely like “The Purge: Anarchy.”

Our movie tickets for “The Purge: Anarchy” on Friday night.

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On to the issue I mentioned above. I can usually effectively block things out that might hinder my enjoyment of something and I think that is why I still enjoyed myself on Friday night. You see, I had never watched a movie with a ruder audience than the one I found myself sitting with during “The Purge: Anarchy.” From the start of the previews to the end credits it was as if everyone thought the audience was there to hear their special commentary rather than watch the featured film.

You can chalk some of it up to us watching a movie at midnight at a theater in a district of Myrtle Beach that is home to the coolest bars and clubs in town. Judging by the antics of most people around us, they more than likely had a few strong ones before entering the theater. But I am not about to excuse the behavior all on the possibility of alcohol and who knows what else. Rather, I think just a lot of immaturity, heightened sense of self, and lack of courtesy contributed mightily to the amateur comedy hour.

People all around us yelled, heckled, and laughed (it was a thriller/horror movie) the whole time. If they had something to say instead of just bothering the person next to them they decided to announce it to the whole auditorium. Besides other things, right off the top of my head I recall people hollering “Kill that B@#$% too,” “SHOOT HIM UP,” and “That dumb@$$ deserves to die!” Like I said, these comments never let up. I will give it to a very select few in the audience, their comments were witty, almost as if they had already seen the movie beforehand and then wrote jokes for their return trip to the midnight showing. However, I don’t care if what they have to say is Jimmy Kimmel type material, I don’t want audience participation during my movie.

I won’t get too worked up about this though. Very rarely does this happen when I venture to the theater. In fact, I guess every once in a blue moon you should expect a bad crowd when going to the movies. I mean l have to be honest, I have sat with bad crowds at sporting events, public ceremonies, and even church. It is just something that you have to block out when faced with. No more midnight movies for me. Don’t Blink.

Alphabetical Order

Posted on July 17, 2014 by brent

As per Thursday tradition on Don’t Blink it is time for the five topic scramble. But let’s bring some order to today’s edition and go in alphabetical order. Sound good?

Baltimore – I have my next (planned) trip locked up. Over the first weekend of August Sidney and I will be traveling north to Baltimore, Maryland. What will we be doing there? Baseball of course! We have purchased tickets to watch the Baltimore Orioles play a couple games. Ever since I became a baseball fan I have desperately wanted to see a game inside Camden Yards and in a couple weeks that wish will become a reality. I can’t wait to catch some action inside the ballpark that inspired the building of all the other modern day ballparks. Making the trip that much sweeter is who I get to see the Orioles play. For the first time ever I will have the opportunity to watch the Seattle Mariners in person in a ballpark other than the Kingdome or Safeco Field. Yes, I do plan on wearing Mariners gear to at least the first game.

Bowling – You know what I just realized? Since arriving in South Carolina I have not yet bowled. I guess all the miniature golfing has kind of filled the void. But really, I need to hit an alley soon and show off my famous 50 MPH straight line throw that has steadily gotten me low scores and weird looks for the past 15 years. I can put up with the embarrassment though just because I am curious to see what a Myrtle Beach bowling alley looks like. I am thinking that behind the pins there might be an ocean backdrop, the player tables might be beach chairs in real sand, and the music played is stuck on a Beach Boys loop.

CCUSA – We are now 13 states in on our CCUSA campaign where each day we feature a Coastal Carolina supporter waving a Chanticleer flag in a different state. So far so good! The photos we received have gone above and beyond. Today we featured Illinois and the rep had taken a picture with an Abraham Lincoln statue and a Stephen Douglas statue that commemorated their famous debates. A couple days ago it was Hawaii’s turn and that state’s rep took a photo with the flag UNDERWATER! Heck, my parents even got in on the act. They served as the reps for Idaho, nicely driving the half hour or so from their home in Washington state to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. To view the CCUSA website, click here.

The CCUSA campaign is off to a great start. States pictured in this montage include (clockwise) Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, and Florida.

Derek Jeter – Pretty much everyone knows that I am a New York Yankees fan. Because I am a Yanks supporter I am obviously a big proponent of Derek Jeter. With that said, the All-Star game on Wednesday went way over the top in making the game 100% about him. I know he has done a lot for the game and has earned a spot in Cooperstown but I thought this year’s Mid-Summer Classic did a disservice by doing every little possible thing to praise him. The interviews, the commercials, the ovations, the introductions, the easy pitching, the 3,587 shots of his family in the stands, etc. seemed overkill to me. But what can I say? All of the Jeter fanfare resulted in big ratings for Fox, the best for the All-Star game in years. It still rubbed me the wrong way.

Planet of the Apes – I admit it, I had my doubts about the new “Planet of the Apes” franchise. I assumed that these recent movies would have human looking apes doing geeky things in a hokey fantasy storyline that only diehard science-fiction fans and weirdos would like. Not so. After watching the first movie last Thursday night to prepare me for the sequel when I went with my co-workers on Friday evening I totally changed my tune. These movies are fabulously done with engaging storylines, top notch acting, and awesome effects. This is not your 1970’s Planet of the Apes! Give it a try and rent “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” I guarantee you will then want to hit the movie theater and watch “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”

My ticket for “Dawn of the Planet Apes” from last Friday.