Death by Quicksand?

I can’t even remember how many shows and movies depicted quicksand as a real threat in our lives and as a kid I was very afraid I’d accidentally step in it. I’m sure it was on an episode of MacGyver or something, or maybe even one of those serious episodes from Full House or Punky Brewster. Speaking of Punky, I also had an irrational fear I’d get locked in a refrigerator………………….. because I’m sure that happens all the time.

It turns out quicksand is not much of a killer at all. I couldn’t even find concrete statistics on how many people die of it in a given year, and some websites said it was ‘none’. I’m sure getting stuck in a refrigerator is an uncommon way to die, too. I think a person is more likely to get struck by lightning while an alligator is biting their leg on a Tuesday.

In fact, how many of you out there have even seen quicksand? I’ve been around sand all my life and I’ve never, ever come across any that swallow people up. I think we were misled by Hollywood all along. I guess that brings up another fair question: What is Hollywood portraying in 2024 that will look extremely foolish in a few decades? Aliens, vampires, global warming?

I guess anything is fair game when you’re trying to scare kids.

-Out of the Wilderness

The iPhone Find Your Friends Commercial – The Music and More!

Apple has a mini movie centered around their “Precision Finding” feature which enables two iPhone 15 users to find each other within a distance of a few feet. Pretty accurate if the commercial is being truthful. Take a look at the Star Wars themed ad then scroll down for more info…

The Music. If you want to see all your friends at once, like the main character in this ad looking for his buds, perhaps the perfect soundtrack for you is “All My Friends” by Channel Tres.

The Location. The ad was filmed in the Los Angeles area, as confirmed by the stop in North Hollywood’s Jolly Donuts located at 12835 Vanowen St, North Hollywood, CA 91605.

Do you like the ad? Leave a comment below…

-Out of the Wilderness

Open Water Swim – Gulf of Mexico

I’m really enjoying the improvement I’m experiencing with swimming whether it’s in a pool, lake, or the ocean. The only downside so far, well there might be two… but the first is that my right shoulder hurts a little. I think it’s just inflammation so I’m monitoring that. The other downside is that I’m not fast. But those downsides don’t outweigh the confidence I’m gaining since my first very embarrassing swim a little over a year ago in a sprint triathlon. One of my nieces recorded an open water swim this weekend so this is the first time I’ve seen myself swimming up close. Triathlons and the training that goes along with them has been such a bright spot for me the last year and a half!

My next sprint triathlon is just about 3 weeks away so I’ll keep writing posts as the day approaches.

-Out of the Wilderness

Happy Memorial Day Weekend…

This holiday is about remembering the men and women who have given their lives for the freedom we enjoy every day in America. I hope we’re all able to pause even just for a second to think about what that means and then at the same time, not take for granted being able to be with family and/or friends on one of the beachy-est holidays of the year. While we’re at it, let’s be thankful for all the service members who are currently giving their time and energy for the protection of the rest of us.

Happy Memorial Day!

-Out of the Wilderness

Beach Runs are for the Birds!

I’m on a weekend vacation enjoying the sand, salt, and seagulls of the Florida gulf coast and since I’ve become obsessed with almost everything about triathlons, I’ve planned 2 beach runs and 2 open water swims while I’m here. Those are great plans in theory but it’s always harder to actually do the things than it is to plan them.

Yesterday was the first of the 2 runs and I’m totally not making this more dramatic (meaning I’m about to make this more dramatic)… the wind was directly against me the entire first half of the run! The birds were loving it but I felt like I was fighting a wind machine. Plus running in sand already has its challenges. There were two bright spots in the first half of the run…

  1. I saw my cousin, his wife, and their son walking on the beach which gave me a reason to walk a bit.
  2. Turning around and running with the wind felt a lot better.

This was one of the harder runs in the last few weeks. I’ll credit that to the environment. The plan today is the open water swim and I already have an excuse for why it’s going to be tough. I’ll save that for another post so come back soon… I post every day at 1pm about all sorts of things from triathlon training, TV commercials, music, relationships, and more.

-Out of the Wilderness