Who out there loves November? While it isn’t in my “top 3,” it is definitely in the top half of how I rank the 12 months. Let’s get started with my latest Thursday Rundown…

In the Classroom – This past Friday, I had the pleasure of speaking to Dr. Katie Walker’s early education class. I present in lots of classrooms over the course of the academic year but this was my first time ever addressing a group of education majors. Asked to speak about social media presence, I made clear that it is important to embrace an active and public social media presence as opposed to a limited and private one. After I spoke, Dr. Walker asked if I would take a picture with her class. Well, of course!!

Hanging out with Dr. Katie Walker’s early education class moments after I spoke about social media presence.

My Current Energy Drink – Five years ago, I wrote about the best energy drink on the planet. However, Xyience isn’t available on most shelves here in South Carolina so I usually defer to the cheapest can of liquid energy I can find. For the Circle K that is located right next to campus, that happens to be a drink called Joker. A little hesitant to try it based on the price and the grotesque can art, I ended up drinking one anyway. It is now my go-to energy drink. Although I try to limit myself to one can every 2-3 weeks, I have actually downed TWO of them this week. For those who want a cheap boost that also happens to contain zero sugar and zero calories, Joker might be for you.

Although it might have one of the more hideous logos you will ever find, I drink Joker energy drinks every now and then.

Rising Up to the Big Leagues – With Nikki Haley in the news so much on the world level, I felt I would share this photo I snapped from three years ago this week. When she was our governor here in South Carolina, she stopped by Coastal Carolina on her 2014 re-election campaign bus tour. As it was a big deal to have the sitting governor on campus, I covered her visit. Little did I know that just a little over two years later she would go from overseeing the state of South Carolina to serving as the US Ambassador to the UN. Talk about climbing the ladder.

I took this photo of Nikki Haley on the campus of Coastal Carolina in October of 2014.

Trick-Or-Treat Update – On Tuesday night, Sidney and I took Sloan around our cul-de-sac for her first ever trick-or-treating experience. As we visited the handful of houses, Sloan remained calm and sweet in my arms. We returned to our home and passed out candy to trick-or-treaters who happened to be older than 7 months. Although we didn’t keep an official tally, we estimated that 30-40 kids came to our door. My parents (who did keep a tally), on the other hand, passed out candy to 250 kids, topping last year’s mark of 224. Hope everyone had a great Halloween.

Dracula took a flamingo out trick-or-treating on Tuesday night.

Sloan Update at 33 Weeks – After being under the weather last week, Sloan is cruising into her 33rd week of life feeling great. Besides her health, not much has changed from last week’s update. In lieu of new developments, let me quickly relate something my wife said yesterday: Sloan is still experiencing so many “firsts.” Today she lived through her first ever November 1. Tomorrow she will live through her first ever November 2. I don’t want to let these days just pass by. Beautifully said, Sid!

This is Sloan’s photo collage at 33 weeks.

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Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Temperatures for our first weekend in November are forecasted to reach 80 degrees on both days. Going to try to get out and enjoy it! Don’t Blink.