1. IKEA Not Coming to Cary

Can you believe this? After much anticipation and approval by the town council, officials at IKEA decided to pull a fast one and not build a new location in Cary. The possibility of a second IKEA location in North Carolina has been highly touted as a way to revitalize the Cary Towne Center-area. Now that won’t be happening. According to WRAL, town officials were told by IKEA CEO Jesper Brodin that the company is heading in a new direction, focusing its efforts more online and tapping into new markets overseas.

I wrote about my first experience with IKEA this past year. I’ve actually made a few more purchases since my initial post as well. But now, with this ridiculous news, I’ve made a decision of my own: I’ll never step foot inside an IKEA nor buy any of the store’s products again. I joined the store’s (rather pointless) IKEA Family rewards program and I’ve also begun the process of cancelling it. What a shame!

2. CBS Cancels Code Black 

Speaking of ridiculous news, CBS joined IKEA in the dog house this week after officials pulled a fast one of their own. News broke Thursday that the current season of the rather popular medical drama, Code Black, will be its last. The news, of course, did not sit well with fans and many have begun a #SaveCodeBlack campaign on social media.

You know me, I’m all on top of this. Code Black is one of my favorite shows on television. In fact, it’s one of my favorites all time, right up there with The Wonder Years and Castle. The show has been a breath of fresh air for the network and features an incredibly talented cast and crew. The writing, directing, and acting are some of the most superb I’ve seen. It has provided fans with impeccably beautiful moments and even some fun.

Yet, with an all-star cast and exquisite writing, I simply do not understand how CBS, in my view, dropped the ball with promoting the show. Especially before its Season Three premiere. That, coupled with it being off air for about a year and then coming back to little fanfare, contributed greatly to its 33 percent lower ratings debut and, ultimately, cancellation. Needless to say, I’m done watching any series, new or otherwise, on CBS. Hopefully another network will see the value of Code Black and keep it going.

3. Idol Finale Thoughts

Season 16 – er, Season One(?) – of American Idol on ABC has come to an end. Iowa-native and indie-pop singer Maddie Poppe took the title over country crooner (and boyfriend) Caleb Lee Hutchinson. I can’t say I’m surprised at either of these. I’ve been a fan of Maddie since auditions and she was easily one of my favorites throughout the competition. On the boyfriend/girlfriend side of things, I had suspected this for quite sometime as I follow both Maddie and Caleb on Instagram and saw several posts on their stories where one was almost always with the other. Both are great people so we’ll see what happens!

In other Idol finale news, I have to say I was extremely disappointed in the choice to not hold the two night event – dubbed a “grand finale” – at the Dolby Theater as in years past. In fact, I was underwhelmed by the finale overall, as it lacked the glitz and glamour of finales past (Gerrick D. Kennedy of The Los Angeles Times hits the nail on the head with his critique of the finale, here). While I’m grateful that ABC brought the show back, it’s time for some offseason changes.

4. ACC Baseball Tourney

The 2018 ACC Baseball Tournament is in full swing (sorry not sorry for the pun) and what a game we have on tap for tonight. N.C. State and Florida State will face each other at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to Saturday’s semifinal round. I’ll be at the game to support my alma mater, so be sure to stay tuned to my Twitter and Insta to keep up with the action. Go Pack!  

5. New Content Coming Soon!

I think now is a great time to remind everyone who reads this that you are appreciated! I know the vast majority of my posts have been “My Friday Fives” lately as I can only write when my schedule allows. That being said, I plan on publishing another “Read More Challenge” post soon as well as bring back “New Music Monday” posts! Stay tuned! 

Thanks For Reading