Tag Archives: Pullman

Jumping Thursday Rundown

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Greetings to everyone on this Thursday evening. I hope this blog post finds you well and that your days aren’t too mixed up from the Monday holiday. Let’s begin with tonight’s five topics…

Parent Frustration – An annoyance that only a parent would know has happened to me consistently over the last several years. It becomes low key aggravating when you take your kids to the trampoline park and they make a beeline to the arcade area. I battled this again with Sloan and Beau on Monday night at Altitude in Spokane. It’s like they don’t know that I paid a lot of money so they can jump and the very last thing I am going to do is shell out more money so they can play arcade games. It is also frustrating from the standpoint that you take them to partake in a physical activity and they want to ditch it for the exact opposite. Oh well.

On Monday night, Beau preferred sitting at an arcade game he wasn’t playing opposed to jumping.

Pullman Adventure – Last Saturday, Sloan got to experience Pullman for the first time. She walked around campus, attended a WSU basketball game, and ate at Cougar Country. She loved every single moment and couldn’t stop talking about it the rest of the weekend. This dad had a pretty memorable time too. It was nice to finally show her where I go on a weekly basis and give her a taste of the Cougar community. I can’t wait to take her (and hopefully Beau) to a football game this fall.

Some of the photos from the special Pullman trip that Sloan and I took on Saturday.

New Gig – My dad couldn’t stay out of work for long. After retiring a few weeks ago, my dad was already back at it this past weekend. He is lending his talents to Allied Universal, an event services company. In preparation for retirement, he actually started working for them a couple years ago. He has already worked a plethora of sporting events and concerts for the company but he is now available for more assignments. This gig fits him perfectly!

My dad worked the same game that Sloan and I attended in Pullman on Saturday.

Throwback – Speaking of my dad’s retirement endeavors, he spent last week cleaning out the basement. One of his goals was to round up the various photo albums and distribute them to the three Reser children. This photo was uncovered in the ocean of images my dad sorted through. I have no idea how old I was but I shared it as a #TBT Instagram post and decided I would re-purpose it for this blog post as well.

A photo of me from back in the day.

National Popcorn Day – A year ago on this date, I celebrated National Popcorn Day by reminiscing about the times I have addressed popcorn in this blog. Read that superb entry here. Earlier this month, Sid and I watched the “Food That Built America” episode about microwave popcorn. It chronicled the rivalry between brands such as Orville Redenbacher, Pop Secret, and Jolly Time. If you are a nerd like us—and you like popcorn—you might want to mark today by watching that particular episode.

Happy National Popcorn Day!

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Time to put a bow on this post. As always, thank you for reading, your interest is appreciated. Don’t Blink.

Bodyguard Thursday Rundown

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To all my Thanksgiving fanatics, you are just a week away from turkey and football. Until then, here is a five-item appetizer…

Views – When I make my weekly trip to Pullman, it is now dark for most of the drive and the same holds true for my return trek to Spokane. However, the glimmer of daylight I do observe from the sunrises and sunsets are pretty scenic. The below image is from yesterday’s Pullman trip. The top half is from the morning drive and the bottom is from the evening drive. These scenes always provide me with a sense of calmness as I drive in solitude.

During my Pullman commute earlier this week, the sunrise (top) on the way there and the sunset (bottom) on the drive back to Spokane were beautiful.

Turkey Bingo 2022 – Sloan, Sidney, and my dad returned to the St. Mary gym for the second consecutive year to play Turkey Bingo. I also returned for the second consecutive year in my capacity of volunteer. As I wrote a year ago, Turkey Bingo events are common fundraisers staged by Knights of Columbus councils at Catholic parishes across the country. Do you desire a relaxing and fun Sunday afternoon filled with treats, 50/50 raffles, and many chances to win your Thanksgiving dinner? If so, Turkey Bingo is your jam! Although we came away empty handed in the turkey department this year, we sure had fun. As always, I sure am proud to be a Knight!

Sloan and Sidney enjoy Turkey Bingo this past Sunday at St. Mary Catholic Parish in Spokane Valley

Costner Roles – While most of the country is watching Kevin Costner’s portrayal of John Dutton in “Yellowstone,” we opted for an earlier work of the actor’s storied career. Netflix recently made available “The Bodyguard,” a blockbuster from 1992 that cast Costner as a bodyguard who protects a music celebrity played by Whitney Houston. Sidney and I are both Costner fans and we enjoyed watching his chemistry with the late Houston. The music in the film is also on-point so you might want to give it a watch. Elsewhere on Netflix, I am currently watching “Killer Sally” and the third season of “Unsolved Mysteries.”

We enjoyed watching “The Bodyguard.”

College Gameday in Bozeman – Last year, I wrote about the heartbreak that the University of Montana suffered after ESPN pulled the rug from underneath its feet. College Gameday seemed poised to set up shop in Missoula for the Brawl of the Wild but priorities changed last minute and the show went to a Power 5 site. Well, ESPN tried to make things right this year…kind of. College Gameday is finally going to the Montana vs. Montana State rivalry game but it just so happens that the contest is in Bozeman this year. Okay, whatever. The important thing is that the game is receiving the coverage it deserves. But between you and me—as someone who has enjoyed gamedays at both UM and MSU—the Griz experience is just so much better than what the Bobcats offer. Nonetheless, I will be watching on Saturday. GO GRIZ!

I have been to Bozeman for multiple games and it just doesn’t hold a candle to the Missoula and/or Washington-Grizzly Stadium experience. This is me with my former boss Brynn after another Brawl of the Wild victory for the Griz.

Hamster Dance – This past weekend, Sloan and Beau had the chance to become acquainted with a hamster. Some neighbors in our cul-de-sac own Stormy, a friendly furball who took kindly to my two children. I hope their time with someone else’s pet provided them plenty of joy because I don’t know if we will be getting one of our own anytime soon.

Beau holds “Stormy” as the neighbor mom looks on.

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That will do it for tonight. Let the countdown to Thanksgiving begin! Don’t Blink.

Funnel Thursday Rundown

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Don’t look now but we are now officially more than halfway through September! Good evening, friends, thanks for visiting Don’t Blink once again. You have obviously returned for the Thursday Rundown so here you go…

Paw Patrol: The Movie – On Sunday, Sloan and I went to the movie theater to watch “Paw Patrol: The Movie.” Even though we could have watched the film at home, Sloan was itching to do something and didn’t mind spending the afternoon eating popcorn and watching one of her favorite animated series. With only one other family in our auditorium, proper social distancing wasn’t a concern. It was our first time in a movie theater since we watched “Polar Express” back in November and Sloan loved our view from the back row. As for me? I thought the movie was cute.

Sloan enjoyed going to the theater to watch “Paw Patrol.”

Gas…Then and Now – This photo of me at the gas pump was taken exactly 5 years ago today on September 16, 2016. If you look closely you can see that the price per gallon was $1.79. That is more than double what I am paying today (roughly $3.65 per gallon). Dang, I miss filling up for under $30 as opposed to $55.

Gas prices have soared over the past 5 years.

Scenic Commute – I commute to Pullman once a week for work. The 90-minute drive is always beautiful as you drive through rolling green hills and wheat fields. But Tuesday morning was especially serene with the gorgeous sky. I quickly snapped a photo of God’s canvas.

The morning drive from Spokane to Pullman is a scenic one.

My Annoying Habit – Two years ago I came clean. I admitted I had a problem. I conceded it was causing me to alienate my loved ones (my wife). In that fateful blog post I had an about face and revealed that I am a chronic hand rubber. Don’t worry, I wrote those last four sentences in a half-sarcastic tone…but seriously…it drives Sidney bonkers. Take a look into my irritating quirk by traveling back in time 730 days.

I have rubbed my hands together obsessively for a couple of decades.

Falling Cat – By now I am sure most of you have seen the viral video from last weekend’s Miami football game with the free falling cat. If you did not see it, the animal clings from the mezzanine level with its front paws only to lose its grip. Thankfully, alert students were waiting below to catch the cat in an American flag. I know it is just a cat, but I still have a tough time watching that video despite its immense popularity. I must be turning into an old sap because seeing that cat fight for dear life was heartbreaking to me. Watching it fall through the air also gave me negative emotions. I am glad the cat is okay but I would be fine never seeing that video again.

I hated to see this.

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I hope everyone has a nice weekend. If you ever have a blog post idea for Don’t Blink, please reach out. Look forward to catching up next week. Don’t Blink.