Festivus 2014

Posted on December 19, 2014 by brent

Inside our University Communication office we have a very special group. If you are drawn to interesting/nerdy/humorous dudes, you would love our graphic design department. They produce outstanding work while letting their bizarre personalities shine through. The reputation they hold around campus is one of craziness and creativity. I get to eat lunch with them every day.

Our graphics department holds a not-so-typical Christmas party each year. The story is long but to sum it all up, the graphics guys created their own holiday gathering because their twisted sense of humor and tendency to draw a little too much attention to themselves at other parties demanded they hold their own. Every year now, the graphics department hosts Festivus.

This was the brilliant graphic for Festivus.

Inspired by Seinfeld, Festivus is a parody of Christmas. Our graphics folks use the term to create a party that is laid back, fun, and original. The past few years a different type of main event or exchange has highlighted the gathering. For Festivus 2014, the party centered on a bad t-shirt exchange. Attendees had to either create or purchase a bad t-shirt and sacrifice it up to the exchange. With the shirts concealed in gift bags, wrapping paper, and campus envelopes, numbers were drawn to determine the picking order. From there, one-by-one, participants went up and grabbed a t-shirt from the Coastal Ale House table. Drawing roars of laughter as each person opened up a package to reveal a hilarious shirt, he/she then had to put it on and wear it for the rest of the night!

Festivus attendees getting ready for the next person to pick his/her shirt.

By no means is Festivus exclusive to just the CCU graphic design artists. They make sure to invite anyone else who wants to forget about their reservations for a night and “nerd out like a designer.” I definitely had the evening circled on my calendar! Below is the shirt I designed for Festivus. I countered the good-natured ribbing I receive from the graphics department head honcho, Rob Wyeth, with a playful shot at his profession (he is pictured on the back). Although he told me that this means war, and even though the shirt is the exact opposite of what I truly think, everyone in attendance got a great laugh out of it.

This is my shirt that I designed for Festivus.

Jady, one of our other graphic designers, ended up with the shirt I created.

Below is the shirt that I received in the exchange. Created by Ron Walker, one of the designers in the graphics department, you can put the following equation together: Walter White + Donkey + Text = Bad Ass to the Core.

This is the shirt I proudly wore for the whole night.

This is the t-shirt that Ron Walker received. Designed by our graphics intern, Daniel “Scoops” Mableton, he created a Mr. Rogers shirt with the phrase “It’s All Good in the Hood.” Look closely and you will see some “enhancements” to the face of Mr. Rogers.

This is Ron Walker sporting his Mr. Rogers shirt.

Sidney attended the party with me and got to experience the weirdness of Festivus. She had the privilege of drawing a souvenir t-shirt from a roadside attraction called South of the Border. Regarded as the biggest tourist trap destination in the state of South Carolina, the attraction’s t-shirts are just as tacky as South of the Border itself.

Sidney wearing her super tacky tourist shirt.

I want to include Director of Creative Services Rob Wyeth himself, the biggest jokester in the department and the biggest promoter of Festivus. He picked an ice cream shirt.

Rob wearing his shirt.

Finally, our Sustainability Coordinator Jennifer Sellers ended up with this t-shirt that showed it was perfectly okay to simply take a sharpie marker and go to town.

Jennifer received a homemade shirt.

I think we had 18 shirts in the exchange. The reason why I am not showing more of them is because, well….some were a little inappropriate. But let me tell you what, last night was a ton of fun. Even with the weirdos in the graphics department (partly kidding of course) it was a nice evening of conversation, laughter, and holiday cheer. What a unique event I had the privilege of attending! Don’t Blink.

What I Have Learned About the Teaching Profession

Posted on December 7, 2014 by brent

Over the past many months I have learned a lot about two professions: teaching and bartending/serving. Because of who I date and who I hang around with, I have found myself spending many evenings out with people in these two lines of work. Over the next two blog posts I will detail the top five characteristics of each profession that I have gleaned from talking with and listening to the people in them. Tonight I will cover teaching, focusing primarily on elementary education.

My girlfriend is a second grade teacher in Myrtle Beach. Besides our daily conversations, I have also met several of her teacher friends. When Sidney is hanging with her co-workers and college friends who are now also teachers, I take note on what they have to say. Here are the main points I have learned about the elementary education teaching profession.

Teachers Really Care: Don’t think that teachers do what they do just to get a paycheck. They are invested in making sure that the students in their classrooms learn. They put a lot of pressure on themselves to make sure the kids progress and improve. A lot of thought is put in by teachers to make sure they are utilizing the most effective methods possible to get through to every child in the classroom. Besides just the educational portion, however, teachers also care about their students outside of school as well. If they know that certain children have a rough home life, they will spend time after school hours or during the weekend thinking about them and hoping they are doing okay.

Teaching Can Be Draining: Many of us non-teachers become envious of the shorter work days and the summer vacations that teachers enjoy. But the bottom line is this: Most of them deserve it. Instructing a classroom of 25 second graders for six hours a day is hard work. You keep order, you stand on your feet all day, you solve problems, and you educate. By the end of the day, many teachers are wiped out. When you are leading a classroom, you are giving it your all every minute of the day.

Parents Are Crazy: We all hear about parents who think their children are the best, who think they can do no wrong, and who think they will eventually cure cancer. We also hear about those parents who neglect their children, who are apathetic, and who hinder their growth. Teachers deal with both types of these parents on a daily basis. For every parent that will lash out at a teacher for even implying that their child was out of line there is another parent that won’t even answer the phone or fill out a field trip permission slip. There are the good parents in the middle of these two extremes but constantly dealing with rotten apples is frustrating.

Talking Shop: Last night I was joking with Sidney that I enjoy hanging out with her teaching friends because I know I will never be the center of attention. As one who doesn’t like fielding numerous questions about myself, being in the company of educators takes the pressure off of me. When teachers are together, they will talk non-stop about their school, their classrooms, and their techniques. To them, the teacher’s lounge and the bar might as well be the exact same place. While Sidney and her friends tell teaching stories and discuss methods I just sit back and enjoy myself as I zone in and out of their conversations.

In Need of Peer Interaction: During the week when you spend most of your waking hours with children who are seven and eight years old, you start to crave time with people a little older, such as adults. I absolutely loved this Facebook status that Sidney posted:

This status addresses the need for peer-to-peer interaction.

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Teachers are a critical part of society that do a very difficult and noble job. I have enjoyed receiving an inside look at the joys, struggles, and intricacies of this profession. I have a massive amount of respect for Sidney and all the other teachers out there. Don’t Blink.

Lazy Weekend in the Books, Busy Week on Tap

Posted on October 19, 2014 by brent

Sorry to those readers who look to my Sunday evening blog posts as ones that might have a little more substance than the other ones during the week. Quite frankly, this one is pretty straight forward and simple.

I have not had a more low-key weekend for a long time than the one that is just getting over right now. Yesterday I got to enjoy the pool on an 80-degree day in late October…that there is enough to validate my move to Myrtle Beach. Then in the evening I just watched football. No frills, no trips, no amazing stories. Just relaxation.

The major event from today was going to a small South Carolina town called Marion. I went with Sidney to her grandma’s house for the Mathis family’s monthly birthday gathering. About 22 people gathered to recognize the family members who celebrated October birthdays. I got to enjoy a delicious chicken bog, eat yummy cake, and meet some more members of the Mathis Clan. It was a nice little outing.

Sidney and I on our way to Marion, South Carolina, today.

This evening I went to campus and covered the Miss CCU Pageant. The kick off to Homecoming week, the pageant had fifteen young ladies competing for the 2014-15 Miss CCU Pageant title. I enjoyed watching our talented students battle it out in front of a packed house for the coveted title. A student by the name of Natalie Francis Harris was picked by the judges as the winner.

The pageant got started off with a group dance number.

As I just mentioned, Homecoming Week is now underway. This marks the start of a very busy week for me that will ultimately culminate in the Homecoming football game on Saturday. Lots of events to cover and some late nights to come. But it is my first Homecoming at Coastal Carolina and I am excited! GO CHANTS!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Have an awesome week as we inch closer to the big holiday at the end of the month. One thing is for sure, I got the itch to do a lot of Halloween activities this year. Haunted houses, ghost walks, dressing up, passing out candy, and having fun…I want to do it all! Trick or treat. Don’t Blink.

Standing on the Sidelines for Clemson-Louisville

Posted on October 12, 2014 by brent

This weekend it was round two of making the trip back over to Death Valley for some Clemson football. Although this time around there were a couple of major differences. First off, I was no longer cheering for the home team. Secondly, instead of sitting in the stands at Memorial Stadium, I was standing on the sidelines. Let me tell you about my Saturday…

Yesterday started off much in the same way that the previous Saturday had began. Sidney and I got up super early and hit the road at 5:30 a.m. We made it to Clemson by 11 a.m. and after a quick stroll downtown, we started to tailgate. About an hour into our tailgating I received a text from my great friend Kenny Dow telling me that he would be on campus soon. He had flown all the way from Seattle to Clemson to watch his uncle’s Louisville team take on the Tigers (Yes, his uncle as in Bobby Petrino). Sidney and I started walking so that by the time he had arrived with the Louisville team’s police escort, we could greet him right away.

When Sidney and I met up with Kenny at around 12:45 p.m. at one of the parking lots it was a cool deal for me. It marked the first time I had seen someone I knew prior to my move to Myrtle Beach six months ago. Him and I jabbered the whole way from the lot to Sidney’s family’s tailgate spot. Keeping Sidney company while Kenny and I caught up with each other was his cousin and the head coach’s son, Bobby Petrino Jr. A student himself at Louisville, Bobby Jr. was extremely nice and genuinely interested in the Clemson culture.

Kenny and I at Papa Stanley’s Clemson tailgate.

When we arrived at the tailgate, Papa Stanley warmly welcomed Kenny and Bobby and we all had a nice time visiting and getting amped up for some football. About an hour before kickoff, Kenny, Bobby, and myself headed to the stadium. You see, I was very fortunate to have received a sideline credential from Kenny. Although I have been on the sidelines for numerous football games in my life I had never been on one in a non-working role in an 80,000 seat stadium. It was so cool to watch these huge FBS players warm up right in front of my eyes and then witness the pregame show right from ground level.

Kenny and I after we arrived inside the stadium for warm ups.

The game started and let me say this: It was loud! Not to say that last weekend wasn’t loud but this weekend it was at a whole new level. The fact that the game was close, the stadium was packed, and I was on the sidelines (you hear more than when you are in the stands) helped make it a truly rocking place. Depending on what side of the field the action was on, you could find me on that side’s 25-yard line. I really enjoyed observing the sideline organization. When players came off the field they knew exactly where to go and coaches had everything down to a science. When a drunk Clemson fan jumped over the wall right in front of a Louisville sideline meeting, the assistant coaches immediately started screaming out for security. The fan was promptly arrested. They kept all student-athletes inside the player’s box as if they had erected invisible electric fences. Even when Louisville just about scored a game-winning 90-yard touchdown, coaches kept jubilant players from jumping outside the box.

I enjoyed watching the players on the sideline.

Favorite of all for me though was watching Bobby Petrino work the sideline. I got to hear what he really says to the officials and I also got to hear what officials say back. It was so cool to enjoy that type of an all-access experience.

Bobby Petrino on the sidelines yesterday.

During halftime another special thing happened. I was able to bring Sidney down on the sidelines. Kenny very kindly slipped me an additional sideline credential to let her use. Even kinder, he left the stadium with me at halftime to make the long hike to his rental car to retrieve a Louisville football t-shirt for Sidney to wear (she was wearing orange). Kenny is a die hard sports marketer so probably all he wanted to do was watch that halftime show and see how Clemson engages their fans but he sacrificed that opportunity to help Sidney and myself out. What a selfless and great guy!

Sidney and I had a great time on the sideline.

Sidney had a spectacular time with me down on the field. Although she had urges to cheer for Clemson, she was very professional and helped keep the integrity of the Louisville sideline. Her parents saw us on television and her friends and family in the stadium got to see her standing so close to the action. She too commented on how much louder it was on the field than on the sideline.

Sidney and I got to see a great ACC football game up close.

In the end, Louisville lost a heartbreaker, 23-17. The Cardinals had the ball first and goal with a minute remaining but came up just short. I felt bad for Kenny. For him to travel all this way and to come so close to seeing his team steal one in Death Valley it definitely wasn’t the way I wanted it to end. I also felt bad for Bobby Jr. He is such a nice guy and he is incredibly invested in the team. After a few minutes of cooling down time, Sidney and I went outside the Louisville locker room where Kenny and Bobby Jr. were sitting and said our goodbyes.

It was so great to see Kenny yesterday. I am thankful that he afforded me such a great experience.

Despite the less than ideal outcome, I had a great time yesterday. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to see Kenny and incredibly appreciative for the experience he afforded Sidney and I. You bet that I will be rooting for the Louisville Cardinals the rest of the season. Don’t Blink.

My Clemson Football Experience

Posted on October 5, 2014 by brent

I celebrated my birthday weekend doing what I would want to do more than anything else: Watching football. To make the occasion even sweeter my pleasure was maximized as I just didn’t get to “watch football.” Rather, I had the opportunity to travel to a major college football destination for an awesome gameday experience.

Early Saturday morning, Sidney and I hit the road for Clemson, South Carolina. My girlfriend had arranged the whole day for me with tailgating, Clemson vs. North Carolina State game tickets, and hotel reservations. The five hour drive seemed to go quickly as we arrived in Clemson at around 11:30 a.m. After we parked, we walked through campus by legions of tailgating fans before we converged on the tailgate of the father of Sidney’s brother-in-law.

When we were walking to our tailgate, we went past the stadium. I snapped this photo.

Affectionately referred to as “Papa Stanley,” we hung out at his tailgate while enjoying deep fried pork chops, chicken strips, macaroni cheese, and cold beverages. After filling our stomachs, we went to the most popular public tailgate spot at Clemson, the Esso Club. A former gas station, the place is now a famous bar that throws one heck of a party on Clemson football Saturdays. Sidney and I went up on this wood stage structure that overlooked all the tables and activity outside. With a bucket of beer in front of us and a television showing the day’s games behind us, we people-watched and had a great time.

This was the view that Sidney and I had at Esso Club.

Upon leaving Esso Club we made a quick return stop at Papa Stanley’s tailgate and then went right to Clemson Memorial Stadium. We had to hustle a little bit but we got inside the stadium and made it to our seats right before the team took part in the most heralded Clemson tradition: Running Down the Hill. If you haven’t heard of it, the Clemson football team makes its pregame entrance by literally running down a hill located behind one of the end zones as orange balloons fly in the air. Sidney made sure I got to see this iconic college football tradition.

We made it to our seats just in time for the team to run down the hill.

Our seats were located about 20 rows up on the 30-yard line. Take into consideration that the stadium holds 81,000 people and you can probably understand that we had amazing seats. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Kickoff was at 3:30 p.m. and the sun was shining the whole time on a 65 degree afternoon. The stadium was a complete sea of orange, making it a really cool atmosphere to watch a game in. The video board was crystal clear and the game presentation well done. In-game advertisements and sponsorship promotions were just like what you see (and as plentiful) at any other college football stadium. While not the loudest venue, the fans were very passionate and the school’s signature C-L-E-M-S-O-N cheer was always done with great enthusiasm. Fans were also very nice. One woman showed Sidney and I where our seats were and throughout the game the people around us offered up high-fives in our direction.

This was the view from our seats.

There were lots of high-fives to go around. Clemson obliterated North Carolina State, 41-0. We enjoyed watching several highlight reel type plays including a record-tying feat by one of the best defensive players in the country. Right at the part of the field where our seats were, Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley tied the school sack record by leveling the Wolfpack quarterback causing a fumble in which he caught in mid-air and returned for a touchdown. Yep, there was a lot to cheer about throughout the game. My favorite in-game stadium moment came between the third and fourth quarter when the video board showed a sweet video of the Clemson players going through strenuous workouts both in the weight room and on the football field. After numerous instances of student-athletes depicted pushing the limits the team’s “All-In” slogan flashed and the words “Fourth Quarter” appeared. It was a great way to pump up the crowd and show that the Tigers had trained all year for the most important quarter of a football game.

Sid and I in our seats. We had such a great time!

Despite the blowout, we stayed until the very end of the game. Walking back to the car we passed by countless fans getting ready for post-game tailgating. Traffic was heavy and it took us a long time to get out of the Clemson area. We drove for about 50 miles before settling in a town called Simpsonville for the night. Sidney and I went to Applebee’s where we watched the late college football games and recounted the day’s experience. This morning after breakfast at Cracker Barrel we traveled back to Myrtle Beach. I had an amazing trip and am so thankful to Sidney for putting it together. Clemson has a great thing going on! 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.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Tag Archives: Sidney Mathis