Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the Democratic nominees for President and Vice President, recently unveiled their plan to help first time home buyers. Besides the fine print (for instance: if your parents have ever owned a home, you’re out of luck), Tim Walz said something the other day as part of his speech in Nevada that seemed to skirt by the supporters at his rally. I haven’t seen or heard it brought up in any news reports either. What the pair has promised is $25,000 down payment assistance from the government. Lots of people have pointed out that this will only compel sellers to jack up the prices by $25K but who cares, right? It appears as though Democrats just like to make promises that corral voters to their corner (remember the college debt forgiveness promised 4 years ago right before election time) without genuinely believing it will amount to anything. It’s all about that vote.
But then there’s knucklehead Tim Walz. Sometimes he gets “caught up in the rhetoric”– which is alarming to hear coming from someone who is in such a powerful position– and in part of his Nevada speech he said something he probably didn’t mean to say out loud. In context, he was talking about the $25K down payment thing and practically under his breath he said, “You’ll pay it back,” while the arena cheered in support.
Walz didn’t stop to explain, just moved along to the next empty promise. I’m sure he’s glad no one really noticed because if this “assistance” is really a loan, that’s a big deal and such a dangerous thing to hide from citizens. Voters should know that loans come at a cost– like the interest you’ll have to pay back on that $25,000. If it’s true, not only are they misleading everyone, but also just imagine how devastating it can be for young first time home buyers who think they got free money only to find out they owe the government $25,000 plus interest.
Washington Democrats who tell you everything you want to hear are vile. What they want more than money or fame… is power. Lies seems to be granting them that wish but I hope news outlets will point out the lie about the $25K loan soon before gullible and naive voters cast their ballots.
It’s hard to believe I’ve been living in my fun Gulf Stream Vintage travel trailer for nearly 3 years now. What started out as a wild idea turned into selling my home in Nashville, buying a van to live in full-time, selling that van, buying a travel trailer, and camping around the southeast (and so far, as far west as Texas; recaps here) visiting awesome locations all over the place. My favorite state park– no wait– my LEAST favorite state park is St. Andrews State Park near Panama City Beach, Florida. Definitely don’t go visit that one. It’s not incredibly beautiful, with idyllic sunset views, big sandy beaches, and luxurious campground accommodations. Yeah, don’t go there. 😉
But when I’m not towing the camper, I have it parked on family property. That’s all well and good except in the very beginning, I didn’t think about getting a shelter for it. Some kind of barn or carport. That would’ve protected the roof of the trailer from outdoor elements like sun, rain, leaves, etc. Actually, one of the biggest benefits would’ve been noise reduction. When it rains, it’s pretty loud. One of my pups has developed anxiety from loud noises so when it rains (and a Florida summer basically consists of rain every single day), she gets all shaky and whatnot.
I started looking at ways to cover the trailer with these as my guideline… 1. Temporary, 2. Discrete, 3. Not super expensive. Those metal roofs are surprisingly more pricey than I thought they’d be. Plus I’d have to also think about how to anchor them down, adding more costs. I also didn’t want to bring in something that draws attention to the camper. Nor did I want anything permanent since I’m technically on someone else’s land. I won’t be pouring concrete for a pad, or doing anything that can’t be undone.
As I researched, the idea of using the nearby trees became very interesting. So that’s what I’ve done (and it’s still a work in progress) to cover my trailer, and this would work for an RV, boat, etc. I found a sun sail at Home Depot that’s waterproof, lightweight, and strong. The trick to this was finding the right shape. Of course I’d love to have a rectangle outlining the shape of the trailer but I’m limited to what anchors are available (trees, house roof, etc). So I went with a triangle-shaped sun sail made by ColourTree. Here are a few pics with the sun sail positioned to cover as much of the camper as possible. I’ll be adding a second sun sail to cover the back end of the trailer, as well. A work in progress but I’m happy with it so far…
What do you think? Do you have other environmentally-friendly ideas to help give some shade and noise reduction to the trailer? Chime in below!
**WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS DETAILED PICTURES OF BLOOD AND INJURY**
Fall Guy. I almost saved it. But then in the blink of an eye and yet also in slow motion, I went over the handlebars and slid across the road. It was spectacular enough that somehow I have strawberries on both sides of my hips (still haven’t figured out how that is even possible!). I remember putting my hands down to brace for impact but everything after that is just folklore at this point. One thing is for sure, though, Garmin tracking nailed it.
Superbad. What had happened was I got distracted by a bystander. I shouldn’t have, but I looked back because I thought he was trying to get my attention. Maybe a water bottle had fallen out? Part of my race gear out of place? I had no idea. Nothing was gained by looking back, though. Absolutely nothing. When I turned my gaze to focus on riding again, the traffic cone was unavoidable. It slowed me down immediately but for a second I thought I’d escape without anything embarrassing happening. Nope. Instead of deflecting away, the cone stuck in its place which sent my front fork into a jackknife and up and over I went. Hands scraped. Shoulder, too. The chain must’ve slipped down to the small chain ring exposing the teeth of the large chain ring, a few of which sliced through part of my leg (although I didn’t know that at the time). There were also a couple of bad road burns on my knee. This wouldn’t have been a big deal except for the amount of blood now streaming down my leg. It felt like a superbad situation that might require attention before I could finish the race. In the chaos of the aftermath, I only thought to check my bike when I probably should’ve also inspected my legs, shoulders, etc. The tires were OK, pedals fine, chain was a little out of sync by still grabbing onto the small chain ring. I distinctly remember hopping back on the bike, thinking, “Either I’m screwed or I’m good to go, so might as well give it a shot!” Back to the grind of finishing the bike leg of this triathlon.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I decided to keep racing until I finished or was dragged off the course. I kept glancing down at my right leg, watching the blood ooze further and further until it was soaking my sock. Without further ado, here are photos and remember the warning: if blood or injuries make you nauseous, this is where you want to close this tab and go pet a kitten.
Bubble Boy. For the next couple of weeks I’ll be walking as gingerly as possible so the fancy horizontal mattress stitching stays in tact and I don’t get any infections. Doctor’s orders! I’m not allowed to swim anywhere or do any leg exercises for a while.
Final Destination. OK, now that the gruesome stuff is out of the way… it’s time to show some statistics from the race. I usually have 3 goals– where I finish overall, within my age group, and my overall time. This race I wanted to finish in the top 50 overall, top 5 of age group, and under 1:20:00. Here are the results…
I’m most happy about the run, especially with an injury that was worse than I thought in the moment. The cycling was a bit of a disappointment (crazy headwinds and the clumsy crash) and the swim was not a good test of any improvements (because of the venue change, water depth, etc.)… but I loved the race. Just having the opportunity and ability is such a gift that I don’t ever want to gloss over. This crash, as mild as it was considering how bad it could’ve been, is serving as a reminder that some people are in situations where they want to exercise but can’t. From the first place finisher to the last, the officials, the volunteers, the fans, everyone out there crushed it. It was a challenging race that I hope to do again next year…
There Will Be Blood. He carefully weaved the thin thread through exposed tissue, tying layers of skin together using a stitching technique called a horizontal mattress suture. The needle poked around, under, over, but didn’t cause any pain thanks to the anesthetic administered a few minutes prior. Two other wounds had been cleaned and tended to. Once the stitches were completed, instructions were given and I walked out of the Gulf Breeze Hospital Emergency Room.
[my sister gives the best hugs… photo by Erin Remy @ErinWilderRemy74]
Back to the Future. Six hours earlier. 430am. The morning started in the hotel room with a long, hot shower… something of a luxury when you live in a travel trailer. My sisters and brother-in-law were still asleep. After the shower, I ate breakfast overlooking the beach and the oceanside homes. Quiet. Cool. Calm.
Then it was time to stretch. Suit up. Gather the gear. My brother-in-law and I biked over to the triathlon transition area to set up, thankful to have my headlamp because it was still dark out. I found my assigned bicycle rack and began sorting through the gear, placing items like shoes, helmet, number belt, in the most strategic positions. I also chatted with a few friends from the triathlon club in Tallahassee then continued prepping. Around 645am all the athletes gathered at the start line for a few instructions and the National Anthem. Goggles on. Time to swim.
Just Go With It. The wind had picked up since the day before and foresight from the race organizers called for a change: the swim leg was moved from one side of the island to the other. This turned out to be a significant adjustment for everyone. Not only was it safer, in theory, but it also altered the route from a left-to-right rectangle course to a right-to-left triangle, which was wonderful for me as I’m most comfortable breathing on the left side and now I was able to see the shoreline as I popped my head up for air. Another major factor was the depth of the water. Meaning… there wasn’t much of it! Because of tides and whatnot, most athletes waded through the water for at least 100 yards, almost to the first buoy. For average swimmers like me, I was very OK with that. Kudos to officials for making changes on the fly and high fives to the triathletes who adapted with positive attitudes.
A Mighty Wind. Next up was cycling. The 13-mile course was an out-and-back, cyclists turning around halfway to go back in the opposite direction. What I didn’t know was how gusty the winds were going to be for the first half. It was as if I was pulling someone behind me (I wasn’t) and I swear the elevation was a thousand feet (it wasn’t).
As I pedaled and pushed towards the halfway point, I encouraged myself with little reminders that the wind would be behind me for the 6.5-mile ride back to the transition area. This turned out to be true. My average speed in the first half was in the 15 to 16 mph range and the back half averaged over 21 mph.
[starting the bike leg… photo by Daniel Cook @RunDMC_88]
Chicken Run. As I cruised in on the bike, I successfully completed a rolling dismount without a hitch. I racked my bike, swapped out shoes and shed my helmet as patiently yet as quickly as possible.The last leg of the race is usually my favorite– the 5K run– and that was true for this race. It’s not that it’s fun or easy. After all, I have chicken legs according to my stalker. But a few parts of the 3-mile run give me a mental boost: Knowing the race is 2/3 finished and I’m a stronger runner than I am a swimmer or cyclist. I ran towards the transition exit where my sisters and a college friend were hooping and hollering all kinds of encouragement to get me going in that first few hundred yards. There’s nothing like that kind of support when your body is kind of mostly saying “no.” Strangers along the way offered shouts of affirmation as runners wound through an idyllic beach neighborhood. Would those 630am Tuesday track intervals pay off? That question kept floating through my mind because I had been doing the training for a couple of months, even committed enough to buy those little running shorts runners wear. I grew to love those early mornings and the crew of people showing up every week. It challenged me both physically and mentally and this triathlon was the first test of any improvement.
I kept track of my average pace during the race and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Even when I felt slow, sluggish, moving against the wind (again!) my pace was really good. What a boost of confidence and a testament to the Tuesday morning track runs. I’m so grateful for the coach, the technician who sets up the clocks, the other athletes, it’s such a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction to see hard work paying off. But I’ve teased long enough. Was I able to finish the race at all?
[first mile of the 5K… photo by Daniel Cook @RunDMC_88]
Homeward Bound. Turning into the transition area and being rooted on by triathlete friends and family was everything. But there’s this little thing I’ve been delaying. Remember that whole trip to the ER thing? It was because of the accident that left me lying on the pavement, blood running down my leg, wondering if I’d be pulled off the course altogether.
Come back tomorrow for the rest of the story including more specific details (with pictures!), what I’ll be adding to the list of my most embarrassing sports fails, and the final results of the triathlon…
A lot of people will say good music died a long time ago and they’ll point to poetic and colorful lyrics of songs from the 1970s or 80s as the standard in which modern music fails to match. They’ll pluck out a songs from pop radio and say, “See!? This song is utterly atrocious!” Depending on which song they use from whatever’s culturally relevant in 2024, I’d most likely agree, to be honest. There aren’t many songs from the last 10 or 20 years that will be getting Pulitzer Prize considerations and we can just leave it at that! It could be the melody (or lack thereof), the lack of complexity, or the 3rd grade-level lyrics that exclude so many songs from ever being good in any way but then there are a few that sneak through to surprise everyone. It might not have complexity on its surface, lyrics might be severely limited, but somehow the song slaps (is that what the youths are saying?). It’s a vibe. Something about it works. I’d suggest that this is the case for the soundtrack of this recent iPhone commercial. Check it out then scroll down for the name of the song and more…
When the aliens get here, this song probably won’t be lauded as the best earth dwellers had to offer but without a doubt, the Martians will be dancing. This song checks some boxes for what shouldn’t work– for instance, just using a handful of words for the entire song– and yet, every time I hear it, I’m moving my body. The dubstep song is called “Push” by Skrillex, Hamdi, and Taichu, featuring Offaiah. Here’s the full track…
The genius integration of this song couldn’t be more perfect for an ad highlighting a phone’s zoom in and zoom out function. The dubstep/techno song repeating “push” and “pull” while we watch the camera pushing in or pulling out is as WYSIWYG as can be… even if phones have been zooming in and out for years. As non-iPhone users would say at this point, “Ummm, Android has entered the chat.” Kind of like what happened with my Sony action camera: GoPro gets all the hype but the Sony HDR-AS300 was using some features years before GoPro.
But hey, who’s keeping track? And how can anyone keep up with technology anyway? It’s constantly changing, improving, and we’re living in a fun time of incredible tech gear! Also, Apple has a fun commercial and a great song to go along with it. What do you think? Chime in below…
Out of the Wilderness 