Make Songs 3 Minutes Again

Hello there and thanks for reading today’s blog post. You might not know this but I write and post every single day at 1pm central. I actually live in the eastern time zone but it was back in 2020 when I decided to do a daily blog and at that time I lived in Nashville, Tennessee. This is a central time zone city so my posts went up at 1pm. Now I post at 2pm eastern but anyone who’s worth their salt and knows a thing or two about time knows that 2pm eastern is still 1pm central. So here’s my post for today and maybe it’s a hot take, if anyone is still using that phrase?

Make songs 3 minutes again.

Time and time again I come across songs that are either A) 2:59 or shorter or B) 4:00 or longer. What gives!? I’ll admit I get rather irritated internally when I check how long a song is while it’s playing and I see a 2: …or a 4: …maybe I’m just crazy. Am I crazy? 2-minute songs are never long enough (never mind what Johnny Cash said after he recorded “You Are My Sunshine”). And there’s only one song that should ever be over 4 minutes and you know what it is. Yep, “Purple Rain.” Every second of that 8+ minute song is perfection.

Tell me I’m not the only one that’s noticed this. Entertainers, play a little longer! But not too long, mmmmmk?

-Out of the Wilderness

The Alabama Football Post That Didn’t Age Well

The 2025 college football season has been a real corker, hasn’t it? Who ever thought a basketball school would be in the top 5 (Indiana), a baseball school would be in the top 15 (Vanderbilt) and Alabama would lose their first game (to an unranked team) and yet bounce back to also be in the top 5. Me. I’m that guy who wouldn’t believe those things. I was confident enough to post about Alabama’s dynasty falling here. Well, maybe not so much confident. More hopeful. Remember this guy?

I added tears to sell the effect. Right, those aren’t real tears, I’m sure you were wondering. Well, my post hasn’t aged well at all. Since the first-game loss, Alabama has righted the ship and now they’re ranked #4 in the country. I’ll own my flub and to make up for it, I’ll post a new pic (with the help of AI, of course). Happy now, blue shirt guy??

-Out of the Wilderness

Kohl’s Mom is Listening Not Whispering in New Commercial

I can’t be totally sure but I *think* Kohl’s is doing the right thing with Ellie Kemper as the “Kohl’s Mom.” She’s a well-known actress and her best roles are where she can be adorable, likable, and endearing. That’s actually the sentiment behind her character in these Kohl’s ads. Here’s a new one for the holidays.

The best horror movies aren’t the ones with big scares, explosions, and needless gore. They’re the movies where the villain is right behind you and all they do is whisper. Full-body chills for everyone watching, right? It’s why Joe Biden came off as super creepy when he’d switch to a bizarre whisper mid-speech.

And it’s why a handful of “Kohl’s Mom” commercials were really irritating. I’m learning that there’s nothing cute about someone whispering to make a point. It’s horrific. I’m hoping Kohl’s has left that silliness behind and if the new ad is any indicator, *whispers* they have.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Amazon Dad on a Treadmill Christmas Commercial – Funny or Hypocritical?

There’s a new Amazon commercial for the upcoming Christmas season. Not quite as cinematic as ads from the past but it gets the point across. But the more I see it and think about it, it’s becoming a great example of the complexities of society. Take a look and decide if you like it or not, then scroll down for more…

I know it’s just a caricature about dads (and men, in general) who are oblivious to how they dress, how out-of-date their style can be. And it’s funny in the way we all can relate to seeing someone workout in less-than-flattering apparel. Actually, I just saw a woman today at the gym wearing clothes that were very much too tight in the wrong places. Did I say anything? Of course not… I don’t want to get slapped! So imagine this commercial was a woman working out and the narrator said the same thing, “…New shorts for mom. Something with a little more… coverage.”

Amazon would be blasted in all the ways possible. But make fun of a guy who’s trying to be healthy and it’s just a humorous commercial. Where’s the outrage from the people who cancelled Peloton a few years ago?

Go on with your bad self, dad! Your style is fine by me.

-Out of the Wilderness

Yet I Will Rejoice…

I’ve written before about the interesting year it’s been so far. Not exactly one I want to repeat because of this and this and this and let’s just say the hits keep coming. There are things I’d definitely do differently if I had the chance to turn back time. And now I’m just prepping for 2026 to be better. This is where we start today’s post. It’s pretty much in line with the Martin Luther King, Jr. “But if not” sermon. In a nutshell, it references the 3 men thrown in the fire. They said God could save them, but if not they’ll serve him anyway. Of course, I wasn’t really in that mindset as I thought about the hurdles this year has brought. And then I read something in the book of Habakkuk.

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

This section of Habakkuk is a great reminder that even in the valleys, I can rejoice. When nothing is going how I’d like it to, I can still be joyful. OK, so I don’t know the step-by-step process of rejoicing, except to think about choosing to be glad about God when negative thoughts almost overtake me. There is still good to be thankful for. The last verse is pretty cool, too.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

It’s not just poetic. It’s power. Not mine, of course. God enables us to have feet like deer, to tread on the heights. Which I think means to not dwell on what’s going sideways in my life, but to focus on Him, to rejoice in Him. There are a lot of things I don’t have. But I do have Him. So I’m trying to rejoice and not think about what’s been a bummer this year.

-Out of the Wilderness