I am sure everyone is craving a Thursday Rundown after being deprived last week because of the Fourth of July holiday. Well, your hunger for five random and insignificant topics is about to be fed. Here we go…

Post Falls Horse – More than six years ago, I wrote about my personal allure to coin-operated rides that you don’t seem to see as much anymore. This past weekend we found a coin-operated horse outside of a random Post Falls, Idaho, convenient store. It looked like it had been very well-used over the years.

Sloan saddles up on a coin-operated horse at a random Post Falls convenient store.

Fun Photos – With Beau (and Sloan for that matter) back at St. Paschal’s for the summer educare program, it means more backdrop photos that brighten my day. This firework-themed photo was taken this week and although many were taken I had to choose the one of Beau being Beau.

I love the photos that St. Paschal’s educare program takes of the kids.

Work Ice Cream Social – It seemed only appropriate that I attended an ice cream social on the hottest day of the year. Yesterday I was in Pullman for my once-per-week day in the office and to also attend our University Marketing and Communications ice cream social. The ice cream came from Ferdinand’s in the form of a grabber (ice cream cookie sandwich). As always, it was great to see everyone and catch up. But oh man, the Apple Cup Crisp ice cream flavor is so delicious!

Because of the intense heat, we had our ice cream social inside. I was stoked that my Ferdinand’s grabber had my name on it!

Free Slurpee Day – From one summer treat to another, my parents celebrated Free Slurpee Day with Sloan, Beau, cousin Mikayla, and cousin John by taking them to their local 7-Eleven. The convenience store giant celebrates its birthday on July 11 every year by treating each customer to a free small Slurpee. In theory it is a lovely promotion but I have never known a kid who could drink/eat/slurp a Slurpee without making a mess (simply look at Sloan’s shirt in this photo). Happy 97th birthday, 7-Eleven!

Beau and Sloan hold their free Slurpees right outside of my parents’ local 7-Eleven earlier today.

Fear No Evil – All I can say is that Sloan is doing much better with her summer reading program than yours truly because this book took me an embarrassingly long time to read. But “Fear No Evil” was the first James Patterson book I have read and to be honest, it might be the only one. Perhaps the extended length of time it took me to finish the novel was partially because of my interest level. Even though the book was fast paced with a Mexican drug cartel, a rogue vigilante ex-law enforcement squad, and a massive amount of violence it was never a page-turner for me.

I recently finished “Fear No Evil” by James Patterson.

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That will wrap up tonight’s rundown. I think today was the first day this week that didn’t eclipse the three-digit Fahrenheit mark so maybe we are headed to a slightly cooler weekend? We shall see. Drink plenty of water and wear sunscreen, friends. Don’t Blink.