Tag Archives: Myrtle Beach

Scary Car Collision

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The memory of an enjoyable and fun lunch with co-workers seemed very distant only a couple minutes after exiting the Mexican restaurant where we ate to commemorate the July birthdays of several members on our staff. On a day that saw the heat index rise to 106 I was negotiating a right turn out of the restaurant parking lot onto the infamously busy and dangerous Highway 501 of Myrtle Beach. With the lunch traffic heavy I had to swivel my head left to right numerous times to make sure the coast was clear. About ready to step on the gas I looked to my left one final time.

“OH S@#$!!! OH S@#$!!!” I yelled while looking to the right passenger seat where our student worker, Alexandra, just realized what had happened.

I turned left just in time to see a large full size pickup towing a massive trailer plow right into the passenger side of a Honda CR-V. The violent sound that was produced upon collision was bested only by the violent way in which the truck latched into the CR-V and plowed it off the road and into the grass where it ripped up the turf. All that I could see in those first couple seconds after impact was a deployed airbag and an elderly man hunched over the steering wheel.

The collision that started about 50 feet from my vehicle was now only about 30 feet away. I shut off my car right at the stop sign and rushed over to the carnage. As I was going over the man in the pickup truck, who was unscathed, reached the crushed CR-V and opened the driver side door. The elderly man, an Air Force veteran, was still hunched over the steering wheel but conscious. He was withering in excruciating pain and was badly bloodied. People started coming from left and right to try to help.

The man who was the driver of the pickup truck said “I don’t want to move him, his knew is busted.”
A woman quickly responded “Don’t touch him.”

I managed to snap a shot of the carnage.

I managed to snap a shot of the carnage.

Within just a couple minutes a state trooper arrived. Not that he had many options himself but he was of little help. He just told everyone to stay calm and that paramedics would be there soon. By this time I would guess that 15 people were now spread out around the vehicles, including a noticeably shaken Alexandra. With the sirens now audible, the crowd just getting bigger, and the grim reality of the situation setting in I told Alexandra that we should go. With vehicles lining up behind my parked car we hopped in and made the trip back to campus as emergency vehicles zipped by us.

A co-worker asked the two of us if the authorities needed us as witnesses. I didn’t think so otherwise I would have stayed. So many people converged on the scene around the same time I did. Truth be told, I only looked left at the exact second that the brutal collision occurred. I never saw exactly what happened but my guess is that the CR-V pulled out in front of the truck while trying to make a left turn into one of the businesses.

I have witnessed other car accidents before and I have been in one myself but I had never seen one like that. The sound, the impact, the length of the contact, and the crushed vehicles made this one scary. Add in the serious state of the man on a brutally hot day and I can tell you that I won’t forget this one for a long time.

I can’t find anything online that says if the elderly man survived or not. But please say a prayer for him and for the man and his wife in the pickup truck. Cars are very dangerous machines, please remember to drive safe. Don’t Blink.

An Interesting Restaurant Question

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This past weekend I was reading Dear Abby and I came across an actually interesting conundrum. The reader asked Abby for her advice about a recent dining experience at a “chic” restaurant (for my Missoula readers think Plonk, Spokane readers think Twigs, and Myrtle Beach/Conway readers think the Bistro). This reader was celebrating a birthday with a large party. The appetizers had already arrived and the entrees were ordered when something happened.

The fire alarm went off. The whole restaurant was evacuated and customers waited patiently in the parking lot for over twenty minutes while the fire department arrived. A small fire had occurred in the kitchen. Upon re-entering the restaurant the reader and her guests had a lively conversation on what type of action should be taken by the business. It basically boiled down to the birthday guests taking one of two sides: The restaurant should comp the meals for all people in the place at the time or, on the other side, a heartfelt apology with other minor concessions would be sufficient.

A real good question! One that had me thinking for a little bit. After contemplating it for about fifteen minutes while driving in my car I came up with my answer: The restaurant should NOT have covered the bills for anyone in the restaurant so long as everyone still received their orders and it was satisfactory. In the long run, the people still received the product they asked for. Just because the restaurant did what they could to keep the diners safe by evacuating them it doesn’t mean that they should have to undergo a night of terrible monetary losses.

What I hope happened was that the manager or owner personally visited each table and genuinely apologized for the inconvenient disruption and updated the customers on what happened. Then, in a humble gesture, I would have advised the restaurant management to offer a free dessert to each person impacted by the fire alarm. Abby answered the question by deferring to one of her restaurant friends in California. This restauranter stated that he would personally apologize to the customers and make an adjustment to everyone’s bill to cover the inconvenience but that he wouldn’t flat out waive the entire check. What would you do?

As we are on the topic of dining out, here are two quick nuggets I witnessed in my own dining out adventures this weekend:

Please Smile: On Friday evening I went with some co-workers to the premiere of “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” Before the movie we went for food and drinks at the nearby Gordon Biersch. We had a waitress who seemed by all accounts to really hate her job. Either that or she was having an awful day. Whatever it was she seemed very troubled and seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face. About 45 minutes in we had a discussion at the table and agreed that we would enter into a friendly competition to see who could get her to smile first. She returned to our table and our Director of Creative Services made her smile after just a couple sentences. Honestly, even if you aren’t happy please just try to make the effort to seem like you are. People go out to eat because they want to have a nice experience.

Separate Tabs: Last night Sidney and I went to California Dreaming, a popular restaurant in Myrtle Beach. Next to our booth sat a large party of about twenty. When it came time for the crew to take care of the bill we watched mild chaos ensue. The table needed about ten different checks and according to the customers wrong items were put on the many receipts. We watched the poor waitress go back and forth, back and forth as she printed out new receipts to try to make things right. The ordeal kept dragging out and the trips back and forth kept coming. The patient server finally had enough as we watched her snap at a little boy who went up to ask her something in the hysteria of it all. My take away from this disaster is if you must split up a tab a hundred different ways take one for the team and just shut your mouth and pay for the extra side of nachos that incorrectly gets placed on your check.

A look at our meal from California Dreaming. Even with the commotion right by us, we still had an enjoyable time.

A look at our meal from California Dreaming. Even with the commotion right by us, we still had an enjoyable time.

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Tomorrow my office is celebrating the birthdays of several of our staff members by eating lunch at El Patio, a famous Mexican restaurant in Conway. It should be a fun gathering but would it be bad if I said I am kind of anxious to see if any blog worthy stories occur during the course of the meal? You can be sure that if they do I will let you know. Don’t Blink.

Living in Hurricane Territory

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A week ago at this time it seemed like we were heading into Armageddon here in South Carolina. A tropical storm called Arthur was brewing in the Atlantic Ocean and it had a decent chance to wreak havoc on all of us living by the coast. It almost seemed like Fourth of July would be canceled and violent destruction would serve as the only fireworks this year.

Of course we all know by now that the giant catastrophe never materialized. Even though Tropical Storm Arthur got upgraded to Hurricane Arthur we didn’t experience a major disaster. On Thursday the Myrtle Beach area did receive several hours of heavy rain and strong winds but my apartment complex is still standing and by the time the Fourth of July rolled around on Friday one could only see blue skies and a big yellow ball that provided some glorious rays. I survived my first storm of hurricane season.

What I learned last week is that people here don’t take hurricanes lightly. Because this area has been devastated by horrific storms in the past the folks here don’t take chances. Although I received warning when I moved here that I was entering hurricane territory and even though the message was sent when my renter’s insurance went dramatically up, I still didn’t understand the significance of these storms until I actually settled here. A day doesn’t go by in my daily conversations that someone doesn’t mention Hurricane Hugo or any of the other hurricanes that terrorized this region. It is woven into the fabric of this society.

So it made sense to me last week when Myrtle Beach went into hurricane mode. The news stations and newspaper tracked Hurricane Arthur as their top story. Our hurricane specialist team at Coastal Carolina sent out regular updates. My apartment complex sent out notices on what to do in the event of extreme conditions. My co-workers gave me pointers as well as their best predictions on what the storm would do. Many of the local schools shut down. Things got pretty intense.

In the end though Hurricane Arthur didn’t cause too many problems. What it did do though was prep me for the seriousness and possibilities of such a weather phenomenon. All you do is have to talk to a local here about what these storms can do and the tone alone in their voice will tell you that they aren’t to be messed with. Hurricane Arthur served as my fire drill so to speak of these violent storms. I know it is just a matter of time before I witness firsthand the ugly results that hurricanes are capable of. Don’t Blink.

Great Fourth Of July, Now Atlanta

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This past week some organization came out with a list of the “50 Most Patriotic States” and South Carolina took the very coveted number one spot. With that designation, you can probably imagine that anywhere in the Palmetto State is the place to be for the Fourth of July. Luckily for me this very red, white, and blue state is now home and I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s holiday.

What do you think about the hat I had custom made for the Fourth of July?

What do you think about the hat I had custom made for the Fourth of July?

My Fourth of July started off with me taking my holiday message photo down at the beach at 7:30 a.m. Sidney volunteered to take the photo and showed immense patience with me as I had her take multiple shots while beachgoers gazed at the weird guy in a tacky American flag dry fit shirt sporting an even tackier smile (me). A little before noon I set sail with Sidney, her sister, and her parents. Riding on the very nice boat of Sidney’s dad, we cruised up and down the Intracoastal Waterway for a good six hours in the beautiful weather. I had a great time relaxing on the boat, exploring the South Carolina waters, and spending time with Sidney’s family. We finished our cruise at a little after 6 p.m. and I returned to my apartment for a little rest.

I had a very nice Fourth of July.

I had a very nice Fourth of July.

Once night hit Sidney and I went back to the beach to enjoy fireworks. While sitting on the sand we enjoyed a professional fireworks show off in the distance but we also watched all the amateurs up and down the shore lighting off their own pyrotechnics. It was a cool scene, especially for someone like me who has never experienced fireworks at the beach before. It put a nice cap to a relaxing Fourth of July.

A firework goes off in the distance as Sidney and I watched from the pier of the beach.

A firework goes off in the distance as Sidney and I watched from the pier of the beach.

Today Sidney and I take off for Atlanta! By 6 a.m. we will be on the road heading west 360 miles for another weekend getaway. While we don’t have a set itinerary for this trip one thing is for sure: We are going to today’s 4:10 p.m. Atlanta Braves vs. Arizona Diamondbacks game at Turner Field. I can’t wait to visit another MLB ballpark and to watch a team I grew up watching a lot because of the TBS contract. We will stay the night in downtown Atlanta and then come back at a TBD time on Sunday.

Sidney and I will be attending today's Atlanta Braves game.

Sidney and I will be attending today’s Atlanta Braves game.

What a weekend this is shaping up to be! I had a splendid holiday yesterday and now I get to go off to a major city and watch Major League Baseball. Most likely on Monday evening I will have a recap of our Atlanta experience. Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your weekend. For updates from Atlanta, follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat by searching @brentreser. Don’t Blink.

Putt Putt to Social Media to Ice Cream

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By this time it is tradition. Thursday has become my multi topic, totally random post day and that won’t change this evening. So without wasting anymore of your precious time let’s get right to tonight’s five topics.

Putt Putt Odyssey Continues: This week Sidney and I have tackled a couple more putt putt courses in Myrtle Beach. On Sunday early in the evening we battled the heat and played at Captain Hook’s Adventure Golf. The two of us played a very competitive round on the Peter Pan themed course but when we concluded the 18th hole I had secured a one stroke victory.

I barely hung on for a close victory over Sidney at the Captain Hook course.

I barely hung on for a close victory over Sidney at the Captain Hook course.

On Tuesday night we played under the lights at Shipwreck Adventure Golf. This was by far the toughest miniature golf course I had ever played on. Making the difficulty level seem a little harder was that play was backed up and it seemed like we had a crowd watching us each time we played our hole. However, I performed just a little bit better under the pressure and really infuriated Sid by defeating her for the third straight time on our putt putt tour.

Playing putt putt under the lights is a cool experience. Shipwreck is a tough course!

Playing putt putt under the lights is a cool experience. Shipwreck is a tough course!

#CCUSocialMedia T-Shirts: Last Thursday I picked up our brand new social media t-shirts. When I actually opened the boxes on Friday morning I took a look at the teal shirts with white print and was instantly pleased. Turns out the rest of Teal Nation felt the same way. I got Chauncey to model the shirt for us and when I posted the photos on our social media outlets our audience expressed their instant love for them. On the front the shirt has a three dimensional hashtag with “CCU” right in the middle of it and the words “Social Media” underneath. On the back it has our handle (@CCUChanticleers) up top and our classic athenaeum logo underneath. This week I have given the shirts away to people who participate in our social media contests and I have watched our engagement soar. Don’t you wish you had one?

Chauncey helps me out and models the t-shirts last Friday (left)........I add a classy twist to the t-shirt as I passed out chap stick/pens to incoming freshmen today.

Chauncey helps me out and models the t-shirts last Friday (left)……..I add a classy twist to the t-shirt as I passed out chap stick/pens to incoming freshmen today.

1,200+ Comments Later: Speaking of social media, yesterday I introduced a fun little promotion on our Facebook page that took off rather quickly. At 2:30 p.m. I took a photo of a stack of stickers on my desk. I then posted it on our CCU Facebook page and asked our audience to guess how many made up the stack. Immediately after posting it I went off to a meeting. When I returned about 45 minutes later I checked the page and saw that we had 537 responses! As I had set the end of the contest for 5 p.m. I had no idea how many responses we would receive in the next hour and forty-five minutes. When the deadline rolled around we had 1,262 guesses. Out of that large amount six people correctly guessed the number of stickers…210! All six were sent #CCUSocialMedia t-shirts this morning.

This post generated over 1,200 responses.

This post generated over 1,200 responses.

Premium Ice Cream for Cheap: I tweeted about this earlier during the week but I have a new favorite brand of ice cream that isn’t Ben & Jerry’s but just as good and super cheap! If you have never tried Breyer’s before you don’t know what you are missing. The ice cream itself tastes great and it is loaded with whatever it says on the carton (i.e. brownies, strawberries, Oreos, etc). Right now I have two flavors in my freezer, cookie dough and strawberry cheesecake. Both taste heavenly and do wonders to combat the southern heat. But the kicker is the price. You can purchase a carton at Wal-Mart for under $3! Most places you can’t even get a generic tub of vanilla for that amount. A pint of Ben and Jerry’s will run you over $5 at most places and of course it has half the amount of product that the Breyer’s carton has. I encourage you to try it!

Currently I have cartons of both Strawberry Cheesecake and Mrs. Fields Cookie Dough Breyers ice cream in my refrigerator.

Currently I have cartons of both Strawberry Cheesecake and Mrs. Fields Cookie Dough Breyers ice cream in my refrigerator.

Not Very Good Ice Cream for An Arm and a Leg: One year ago I wrote about my fascination with the ice cream man. Although the products offered and the prices demanded are ridiculous I was obsessed with the ice cream truck when I was growing up. Although to a much lesser degree these days, I still have a special place in my heart for a vehicle that plays music and sells popsicles. So it might come as little surprise that I have taken quick notice of the ice cream man around Myrtle Beach. Let’s just say things are a bit different down here than where I am from. The ice cream men in these parts ride motorized bikes with trailer freezers attached. For someone who has never seen it done quite that way before I definitely got a laugh out of it. Although my ice cream man purchasing days ended about 15 years ago I might need to flag down one of these dudes on a bike and pay the exorbitant price for a fudgesicle…it will just make me feel that much more intertwined with the southern culture.

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Summer officially begins this weekend with Saturday marking the longest day of the year. Sidney and I have a little getaway planned to mark the changing of the seasons so if I don’t write tomorrow or Saturday you can expect to hear the details of where we went on Sunday night. As always, thank you for your readership. Don’t Blink.

Eating a Very Unique Hamburger

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On Sunday evening Sidney and I finished up a hot and competitive round of putt putt golf and then walked across the street to a small burger shop oozing with personality. Called River City Café the place has a pristine reputation for the best hamburgers in Myrtle Beach. In fact the reputation is so solid and the burgers so tasty that the Myrtle Beach area now has five total locations. Sidney assured me though that we were going to the best one out of the five.

The sign of the River City Cafe

The sign of the River City Cafe

The place fit the definition of your typical dive to a T. License plates lined the walls, peanut shells covered the floors, and paper towel dispensers sat on the tables. The party of six in front us received word that it would be 35 minutes until they got a table. Luckily for my girlfriend and I, we got seated right away in an open spot in the corner of the crowded restaurant. As I ate way too many peanuts I debated long and hard between two hamburgers on the menu. After putting in way too much thought coming in second place was the mac and cheese burger. I felt very tempted to order it but I have had a couple of macaroni and cheese burgers at various other restaurants before and although I really enjoyed them I was feeling adventurous this particular night. It was time to try something new!

This place had "dive" written all over it.

This place had “dive” written all over it.

I bravely told our server that I wanted to try the peanut butter hamburger. As I told the server my decision thinking he might take me as a weirdo for ordering it he muttered that a lot of people had requested the same thing that night. I guess maybe I wasn’t as unique as I thought. But so what if everyone else in the joint had already devoured a PB hamburger evening that night?! For me it was going to be a brand new experience and I was excited and maybe just a tiny bit scared.

Don’t think that ordering the peanut butter hamburger was a big shocker coming from me though. Most people know that I eat peanut butter like it is going out of style and after preferring it on my bread, pancakes, ice cream, and candy for so long it only made sense that I would eventually throw it on a hamburger as well. Questions ran through my head before it came out: How would it be spread? Crunchy or creamy? On the burger or on the bun? Peanut butter melting or not?

The front of the menu at River City Café.

The front of the menu at River City Café.

Our server brought out my hamburger right next to a large mound of fries. I picked up the top half of the bun slowly and I experienced a lot of friction as the generous amount of peanut butter slopped on both the burger patty itself and the bun generated some resistance. The peanut butter had indeed melted to a degree and there was a lot of it. After eating a few fries I said “here goes nothing” and I picked up the burger and took a bite. The first thing that went through my mind was how heavy the burger was. Peanut butter is not a light substance and it definitely weighted down the whole hamburger to a degree. The second thing that went through my mind was how rich the thing was! The combination of a greasy, juicy hamburger and a generous helping of creamy peanut butter creates an impending heart attack type feeling. Thirdly I thought to myself “Man, this is actually pretty good.”

This is my peanut butter hamburger at River City Café.

This is my peanut butter hamburger at River City Café.

No lying here, I enjoyed the peanut butter hamburger. I practically ate the whole thing but like I said it was so heavy and filling that I did leave a couple bites behind. My one complaint is that the peanut butter definitely overshadowed the taste of the burger a little bit. My taste buds kept detecting the peanut butter at a much higher rate than the burger. But when the taste of the beef did come through it was really good. I want to go back to River City Café soon! I won’t order the peanut butter burger again simply because I want to try all the other yummy and unique burgers they offer. I also want to enjoy the smell and taste of the actual burger itself.

My first experience at River City Café just validated my love for peanut butter even more. Not saying that I won’t ever have another peanut butter burger again but I will be sticking to peanut butter sandwiches instead of peanut butter buns for the time being. Don’t Blink.

Chap Stick. Shattered Light. CCUSA. Sunglasses. Demi Lovato

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For the third straight Thursday I wish to ramble on about five totally different topics. So sit back and let me quickly take you through the five things on my mind this evening.

Chap Stick and Pens: It is freshmen orientation season here at Coastal Carolina as the first two of nine total orientations took place this week. In order to advance our #CCU Social Media program I hand out a card I had made listing our social outlets to our incoming freshmen. To make the card a little more attractive I tape either a CCU tube of chap stick or a CCU ballpoint pen to it. Standing outside of the main dining hall during their lunch hour I await for the students to walk out as they march to their next session. Both days I did this it was as if I was giving away cards of gold instead of cards of paper with a writing utensil attached to it. I got swarmed and had to put forth an amazing effort in the hot South Carolina sun to keep up with seemingly a thousand hands in my bubble waiting for a card. I never felt so popular in my life.

A look at the card complete with the chap stick that is making me very popular with freshmen college students.

A look at the card complete with the chap stick that is making me very popular with freshmen college students.

Shattered Light: Last Thursday night a violent storm passed through Myrtle Beach. Angry thunder and constant lightning accompanied a downpour of rain. It was pretty ugly. Trying to stay out of it all I hung out in my apartment while, you guessed it, blogging. All of a sudden another round of ear-jolting thunder rattled the area and I let out a gasp as the light fixture right outside of my bedroom and laundry room completely shattered, producing a savage noise. Now I don’t know if the shattering was caused by the sound of the thunder, the shaking it produced, or a bolt of lightning but it could be 100% attributed to the storm. Although I didn’t get too angry with the glass breaking itself I might have uttered a faint curse word when I cut my finger cleaning it up.

A look at my shattered light fixture. It was not pretty.

A look at my shattered light fixture. It was not pretty.

Update on CCUSA: Last night I wrote about our CCUSA: Fifty States, Fifty Flags social media campaign. I explained the initiative and talked about the crazy response we received. At posting time last night 34 states were represented. As I type this right now we have 45 states represented! Missing are Hawaii, Nebraska, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. By tomorrow I think we will have the whole map covered. In between my regular work load today I managed to ship off 25 flags complete with a letter and a couple promo items. By quitting time Friday I hope to have the remaining flags on their way to various destinations across this country.

I spent a lot of time stuffing these tubes with flags today.

I spent a lot of time stuffing these tubes with flags today.

$10 Sunglasses Work Just Fine: Apparently I am very, very out of touch with the sunglasses market. I expressed to Sidney that I wanted a pair. While in Charleston we went inside a Sunglasses Hut to look around. I looked at a pair and glanced at the price…$340!! I went to the other side of the store where Sidney was and she looked at a pair and mentioned it was over $400. Excuse me?!? Why would anyone want to shell out that kind of money for SUNGLASSES? I remember back in the day when it seemed outrageous that a pair of Oakleys ran for $120. To spend triple digits on sunglasses in my opinion is asinine. I know I am tacky and not very hip but I think a $10 pair of sunglasses at Wal-Mart look and work just as well as a $400 pair at some fancy sunglasses shop.

Demi Lovato’s New Song: I admit that I have a low key crush on Demi Lovato. I think she has a great voice and I really like her latest song called “Really Don’t Care.” It is pretty catchy and if you like Cher Lloyd she has a small part in it too. If you care to, listen to it here.

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Everyone in the office seems to have mentioned that this week has seemed really long. I think I have to agree with them. I am excited for the weekend and as is the norm for me in Myrtle Beach I know adventures await. Please remember all the dads this Sunday and you all keep safe! Thanks again for your tremendous support of this blog. Don’t Blink.

What Five Topics Tonight?!

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Last Thursday worked out so well with me doing my multi-topic blog post that I knew when the next Thursday came along I would have to do the same. So here we are today. Same format, same conditions. Time for me to take a deep breath and throw five totally unrelated topics at you. Legggggoooooo…

The Boathouse: Last Friday my friend Seth invited me out to a place called the Boathouse. He told me Joe Diffie was playing a free concert and that it was the place to be. Once Sidney arrived at my place the two of us met Seth at the Boathouse. To say the least, it was an awesome venue. Inside they have a perfectly sized bar/restaurant with attentive service and a very charming country theme. But outside is where it is truly at. You walk out the back door and a grassy hill greets you. At the bottom of the hill sits a stage nudged right up against the Intracoastal Waterway. People pack the hill and overflow to two covered outdoor bars in the back. The vibe is awesome and the atmosphere unmatched. Best of all the quality acts they bring in are free. Everyone says the real party happens during the venue’s “Sunday Funday” series…don’t know if I will be making any of those.

Before Joe Diffie took the Boathouse stage an opening band covered some current Top 40 country songs..

Before Joe Diffie took the Boathouse stage an opening band covered some current Top 40 country songs..

South Carolina Bans Texting: It felt weird driving in a place where I didn’t have to look in all directions before sneakily grabbing my phone to send out a quick text. Both in Washington State and Missoula (the state of Montana actually does not have a ban on texting but many cities in the state do) you would get pulled over immediately if a cop suspected you of talking or texting on your phone. To not have those restrictions here in South Carolina did bring me a sense of freedom even if it did feel different at first. But that taste of liberation will disappear very quickly. South Carolina has become the 49th state to pass a ban on texting (Montana is now the only state not to have one). Although the ban does have an exception that I love: Drivers can still text at stop lights. Believe me, this is a big relief. Myrtle Beach is home to FOUR MINUTE RED LIGHTS and usually in that time when I am stopped I send out at least three tweets, catch up on texts, and respond to e-mails. To not have the option to be productive while wasting my life away in traffic would have been devastating.

Cold Water Challenge: At Coastal Carolina University today we started our own Cold Water Challenge campaign. Chauncey and myself went out and met a staffer who braved the ice water dumped over her head. I filmed, edited, and posted the video. There should be a lot more of that for me come tomorrow as other staffers respond to her call out. Unfortunately, I know my time will come very soon when I have to take the challenge myself. Keep your eye on this blog for an update.

Coastal Carolina University staff member Diane Fabiano took the Cold Water Challenge with an assist from Chauncey.

Coastal Carolina University staff member Diane Fabiano took the Cold Water Challenge with an assist from Chauncey.

“Maleficent”: On Tuesday night, Sidney and I went to the movies after feasting on macaroni and cheese egg rolls at Kingstreet in Market Common. We saw “Maleficent” starring Angelina Jolie. The movie rocked the box office this past weekend and came out with a lot of fanfare so maybe my expectations were too high going in. Whatever the case was, I didn’t get too excited after watching it. I am not a fantasy movie fanatic to begin with, however sometimes I can be swayed. I actually really enjoyed “Snow White and the Huntsman” and thought “Maleficent” might impress me as well. But I just found the movie too slow and some of the characters annoying, although I don’t speak of Angelina Jolie’s title character in that way. Funny to say, but Jolie reminded me of Katy Perry in the movie.

On Tuesday night, Sidney and I saw "Maleficent" at the Grand 14 Cinema at Market Common in Myrtle Beach.

On Tuesday night, Sidney and I saw “Maleficent” at the Grand 14 Cinema at Market Common in Myrtle Beach.

2014 NBA Finals: I thought about writing a blog post about the Finals but figured it would just be the exact same thing I have written for the past three years…I hope the Heat lose. I am not a Spurs fan by any means but my dislike for Miami makes me hope that San Antonio wipes the floor with them. I would love to see a sweep. I admit Lebron has done some great things since making the move to Miami but I still can’t get over “The Decision.” That was a deal breaker for me and I really don’t want to see King James pick up his third title. I want to see the people of South Beach embarrassed by how bad San Antonio beats their team.

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Another movie is in the cards for me tonight (after the basketball game) and a fun weekend is on the horizon. However, that is for another blog post. Have a great Thursday night everyone and a safe weekend. Go Spurs! Don’t Blink.

Thursday Night Top Five

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With the weekend almost here I don’t think there is a better way to celebrate than to write another rapid topic, random blog post. Sound good? Okay! Here are five things you probably don’t care anything about.

Side of the Road BBQ: This past weekend I fulfilled my dream to eat at a hole-in-the-wall, sketchy southern BBQ joint. For the past couple weeks I have noticed a small shack-like structure on the side of the road during my commute to work. I knew I wanted to hit it up sooner than later. This past Saturday night I pulled up to True BBQ and parked in a diagonal lot several feet away. I then went up to the hut, looked at the paper menu taped onto a window, and told the girl inside what I wanted. About ten minutes later she presented me with a heavy Styrofoam container of BBQ. I came home and pigged out. I got the pulled pork plate and for my sides I chose baked beans and a dish I had never tried before called rice and hash. It was delicious! If there weren’t so many other restaurants around here that I need to also try I would say I would be back real soon.

This place was good. The sign is on the left and my delicious dinner is on the right.

This place was good. The sign is on the left and my delicious dinner is on the right.

Great Time to Start at Coastal: I joke that I carefully selected my start date at Coastal Carolina University. To start it all off my first day was on a Thursday, making it a very short work week. I came right at one of the most exciting times on campus, graduation. Then just a week after I arrived summer hours took effect at CCU, a glorious thing where we get off at 1 p.m. on Fridays. To top it off, this past Monday we celebrated Employee Appreciation Day. After a ceremony in Blanton Park (beautiful green area on campus) we were treated to a delicious lunch of hamburgers/hot dogs, chili, cole slaw, baked beans, chips, and desserts. What a great first month at CCU!

“Million Dollar Arm”: Recently I saw my first movie at the theaters in Myrtle Beach. My friend Sidney and I went to the Grand 14 Cinema in Market Common. We watched “Million Dollar Arm” and I must say I really enjoyed it. Typical Disney inspirational sports movie but the whole plot is very interesting and a couple of intriguing acting roles helped to make the movie a winner. You will laugh, cry, and root for the characters involved. A movie is always a little bit better when it is based on a true story, and “Million Dollar Arm” is.

Proof that I actually went and saw the movie.

Proof that I actually went and saw the movie.

Extreme Weather: You can’t beat the weather in Myrtle Beach. Sun, sun, and more sun….except for brief instances. Last Friday the sky opened up and we received golf ball-sized hail. In my lifetime I have heard the term “golf ball-sized hail” but never experienced it nor seen it. Although not all the chunks were that large as you can tell from the picture below some of them were. Amazing that my car didn’t get dominated. As I sit here right now the National Weather Service is warning about a powerful thunderstorm that is about to come through. Looks like a night indoors for me!

I had never seen hail this big before.

I had never seen hail this big before.

NBA Playoffs: I want to see a Pacers-Thunder Finals but most likely I will get the exact opposite. Although it was a little gratifying to see Indianapolis defeat Miami last night it is unlikely that the Pacers will win two more to win the series 4-3. I am just so sick of Lebron James. The Erik Spoelstra interviews get old too. And I won’t cheer for any team that has Birdman on it. In the west I am pulling for Kevin Durant’s team and I am looking forward to Game 5 tonight (series is knotted at 2-2) but I just have a feeling that the experience and poise of the Spurs will eventually win out. If someone made a deal with me and said they would guarantee that one of my teams would make the Finals I would definitely choose the Pacers. I would much rather see the Spurs representing the Western Conference than seeing the man behind “The Decision” and his team rep the east.

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Besides the terrible writing that post wasn’t too bad, was it? Have a great weekend, everyone. Thanks again for your support of this blog and please know I am always open to suggestions and criticism. Don’t Blink.

Playing Putt Putt in Myrtle Beach

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When I flew out to Myrtle Beach in March for my interview I noticed something as my shuttle took me from the airport to the hotel. On the side of the road I kept seeing elaborate themed structures. I saw a pyramid. I saw a zoo like setup with fake animals all around. I saw a tropical jungle. I asked my driver what was with all of these cool roadside attractions. “Oh,” the driver nonchalantly began, “those are putt putt courses.”

I knew Myrtle Beach was the golf capital of the country but I didn’t know it was the putt putt capital too. My new town boasts tons of spectacular miniature golf courses. But don’t call them miniature golf courses, I got straightened out real quick by the locals. It is putt putt. As I was saying, the courses here are insane.

Think “Happy Gilmore” style courses. They are all beautiful, inviting, themed properties that will make you smile. Since arriving here in the area I have had every intention of conquering some of the courses. Well, four weeks since rolling into town I finally got the opportunity last night.

Last night my friend Sidney and I visited the Mt. Atlanticus Minotaur Goff course.

Last night my friend Sidney and I visited the Mt. Atlanticus Minotaur Goff course.

My friend Sidney and I went to the Mt. Atlanticus Minotaur Goff putt putt course on Sunday evening. Couple things right off the bat that differentiate putt putt here in South Carolina from miniature golf in the west. Here, because of warm weather, the game is played primarily in the evening so courses stay open late. Interestingly, these places have higher quality lighting systems than most Major League ballparks. Also, the properties themselves have a couple different courses to play and many of the individual holes themselves have different variations to choose from.

You might think that because these courses are out of this world the price to play might be too. Complete misconception. Sidney and I both played for a total of $14. The Mt. Atlanticus course blew my mind with its beauty. Water surrounded most of the greens. Cool animal sculptures awaited you all over the place. Palm trees and other lush green vegetation grew everywhere. I was definitely playing the coolest eighteen holes of putt putt golf I had ever enjoyed in my life.

A dragon in the water!

A dragon in the water!

Since the course was built to resemble a mountain, it slowly took us up in elevation from hole to hole. Although it seemed like we would only go up a few stairs every other hole or so it really added up in the end. By the time we reached the eighteenth hole we had a gorgeous view from up high of the whole course. From there we had to descend about six different flights of stairs to reach ground level again.

The view of Mt. Atlanticus from the 18th hole.

The view of Mt. Atlanticus from the 18th hole.

The creativity of Mt. Atlanticus was so cool. On one hole if you successfully putted your ball into a stream of water it would take it for a windy ride and sure enough drop it in the cup. The 19th hole (ball return) challenged you to smash your ball across a skinny strip of green while avoiding the sparkling blue water on either side of it. I saw sand traps for the first time ever on a mini golf course. Straw huts lined the course and housed several holes. A waterfall gushed out of the rock structure. Playing the course at night on a beautiful late May evening gave me a wonderful first experience with putt putt in Myrtle Beach.

Sidney and I had a great time playing putt putt.

Sidney and I had a great time playing putt putt.

Sidney and I had a blast. After a week of buildup on who would beat who we finally got to settle it on the course. At the end of eighteen competitive holes I came out on top with a slim two stroke victory (wait…was I supposed to let her win?). Call me a little kid but playing putt putt last night might have accounted for the most fun I have had in a while. I am already looking forward to the next course I get to play and the creativity I will see. Myrtle Beach does miniature golf….um I mean putt putt….the right way. Don’t Blink.