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
The entire direction of Land Rover over the past few decades continues to baffle my mind. The marketing strategy has gone from being the superior in off-road capabilities to whatever this recent commercial is supposed to mean. From the outskirts of civilization to fitting right in with urban life, Land Rover is so far away from what I originally liked about them.
So from this ad, we’re supposed to run out to buy an SUV that has doors that shut, lights that turn on, wheels that roll, interior temperature settings, capable of maneuvering over small stones, turns right, goes in reverse, and finally, lights that turn off. All the while a guy mixes beats on a turntable…. outside…. with no one around.
Whoa. Stop the presses.
A post on Reddit sums it up very well:
What ComputationalPoet is referring to is the Land Rover vehicles of old. Think: the 1990s and earlier. In fact, here’s an ad from the brand back then…
Land Rover (or JLR as they like to call themselves) decided to trade in a rugged wilderness reputation for an SUV most wouldn’t dare take on the cleanest of dirt roads. So if you’re in the mood for a Land Rover, there ARE other options out there. Like this incredible vintage-Discovery-like vehicle I saw a few weeks ago parked at a Sam’s Club. It’s the Ineos Grenadier and I’d take one of these any day over the least expensive (or even the most expensive) Land Rover available.
My appetite for reading is sort of like a child at the dinner table. Sometimes they eat all the food on their plate and go back for seconds and other times they just push the food around, stubbornly refusing to eat food and all they do is eat cookies for 4 days straight. In the past few weeks I’ve been reading a lot and going back to the library for more. A healthy appetite, I think. In the carousel at this present time is “As Good As Dead,” the third book in the “Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” series by Holly Jackson. Another book in rotation is “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle. And lastly, “Only the Lonely: The Life and Legacy of Roy Orbison,” and it’s this book that I can’t put down.
I’ve liked Roy Orbison for as long as I can remember, going back to the first time I heard “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Actually, there was an unforgettable experience connected to this song at my sister’s Miss Teen Virginia beauty pageant way back in the late 80s and I won’t get into it but let’s just say it involves that song, a feather boa, and an awkward pageant contestant. 🫣
Obviously, Mr. Orbison has a catalog of iconic songs that rose to the top or at least charted really high during his long career as a performer and songwriter. I won’t even try to pretend to say that I know a lot about him but this book has been so interesting, getting into the details of music trends, song backgrounds, and what was going on in the musical entertainment industry in the 1950s and 1960s (and on up to the 80s and 90s, I assume, I’m only halfway through the book at the moment).
Roy’s voice is… how do we even describe it? Rich, velvety, distinctive, even Elvis Presley said it was perfect. Roy was listed at #71 on the Rolling Stone list of 200 Greatest Singers of All Time… which how accurate can that be with Kelly Clarkson at #194 and Carrie Underwood at #158? Give me a break. Those women have two of the best voices in music of any genre! So Roy being at #71 is something to take with a grain of salt. I say he’s top 10, if not top 5. They also list the true Queen of Christmas Music, Darlene Love, at #144 and now I think everyone at Rolling Stone Magazine must immediately be slapped right in the face for their buffoonery. And I’m talking about current employees. You must pay for your coworkers dumb mistakes, even if they’ve already been fired.
The list is bonkers to not have Roy, Darlene, Carrie, and Kelly all in the top 50. I’m scrolling down the list on the way to #1…. oh, Elton John is #100. I hope this offering from Rolling Stone was rejected by everyone. What a sham! Elvis at #17 and Prince at #16. OK, the pages of every Rolling Stone issue ought to just be used as toiler paper now.
Just yesterday I was riding in the car with one of my nieces and relayed the info about Roy Orbison’s B-side song, “Running Scared,” so we listened to that and then I just had to show her my favorite song, “She’s A Mystery To Me.” His falsetto, his vibrato, the lyrics and his delivery of these two songs are simply incredible. I particularly liked the tidbit of backstory about “Running Scared” from the book I’m reading. In the ending lyrics, the book says on page 82…
Two minutes after the tape rolled again, even the most grizzled season player was stunned when, from his hiding place, the singer reached that apocalyptic G sharp with his natural voice.
So then of course I had to go listen to it AGAIN… and wow. What a note to end on. If I could hit that note, I’d be living in a bigger camper, that’s for sure.
What’s your favorite Roy Orbison song? Comment below and let’s talk about it all. I’ll probably write again once I finish the book. I still haven’t gotten to the point where he releases “Oh, Pretty Woman” and I’m sure this is where is already admirable career is boosted to the upper stratospheres.
Zac Brown Band has its share of summer beachy ocean sunburnt hits and I guess they figure it’s time to add another to their repertoire. Truthfully, can summer start without a vibe from ZBB (or Kenny Chesney, right?). It was 12 years ago when Florida Georgia Line aligned themselves with Chevrolet – “In this brand new Chevy with a lift kit” – and now Zac Brown Band goes to the lake with MasterCraft and Tracker Boats – “And it don’t matter if you’re MasterCraft or you’re Bass Tracker, it don’t matter…” – in the video. Take a look and scroll down for more!
Looks fun and all but don’t forget to be generous with the sunscreen! I prefer the ocean (would you rather get bit by a shark or drowned by an alligator?) but this video was shot on Lake Lanier, a bit northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Probably no gators in that water. But because I’m obsessed with triathlons, I’ve heard of this lake not because of fishing or boating, but because there are a few races where athletes swim in Lake Lanier.
I’m definitely just on the outskirts of hockey fandom and when the Nashville Predators aren’t in the finals I don’t have much invested at all. But because of the Predators and my time living in Nashville, I grew to enjoy the intensity that hockey matches sometimes bring. Even when I went to one game on a first date and the date was so NOT intense that we left during the second intermission and never saw each other ever again. But that’s a post for another day.
This Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers has been intense multiplied by a thousand!
For Florida to go up 3 games to none is impressive. However, is it MORE impressive that the Oilers were down 3 games and just tied the series last night? All Florida had to do was win one more game… just one more game, you buffoons… and they’d be hoisting the cup as champions. Well, now all they have to do is just win one more game… again! But for the Oilers, all they have to do is win one more game, too. It’s been so fun to watch an amazing comeback from our neighbors to the north (Canada, eh) and I can’t help but root for them to make the comeback of comebacks by winning game 7 in shocking fashion.
This is why I love sports. The competition. The unpredictability. The underdog (if the Oilers can be called that) defying odds to do what no one thought could be done. In fact, that’s what makes so many stories wonderful to hear, watch, or be part of. On the flip side, when there’s no underdog and the protagonists just go about their business winning everything because everything is possible, there’s no fun in that. Yes, I’m doing a callback to my post about Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1.
Hockey is so fun to watch. And because the Oilers have extended the Finals for one more game, that just means once it’s over football is closer than it was when Florida coulda, shoulda, woulda won it all in game 4.
For a few years now I’ve become so wearied by celebrity politicians. And as most of them say, I’ll say it too: “Let me be clear”… I don’t mean celebrities that become politicians. It’s those public servants who parlay their work into fame and fortune, not for the good of the country but for their own wealth and power. It happens on both sides of the aisle but I do think Donald Trump was on to something when he coined the phrase: “Drain the Swamp.” Washington, D.C. must be full of these greedy roaches who don’t really care about the people who voted them into office, a trick they pulled to help them reach the next level of power and fame.
Just this week I came across a headline that America’s Sweetheart (sarcasm) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in Las Vegas to help the Biden/Harris campaign and it was then that I asked myself a question: “Isn’t she the representative of New York?” You know, NOT Nevada. If I hired someone to remodel my kitchen and while I’m paying that person they go over to a different neighborhood to talk about _______________ (anything else), I’d say that is strike one, two, and three… and that person can just stay in that other neighborhood because they are no longer welcome in my house. This is essentially what’s happening with AOC this week. Wouldn’t it be so nice if politicians did the thing they were elected to do?
This conflict happened with the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, too. As governor, I’d expect most of his tasks, meetings, engagements, and accomplishments to revolve around Florida and things that help the people there improve their circumstances as they enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But then he flies off to Asia and the Middle East for alleged trade discussions. Umm, OK. But what about Florida?
I try to live with a glass half full attitude when I can help it, but the condition of “The American Politician” is pretty bleak. I kind of miss the days when I didn’t know politicians names. They just do their job as willed by the people and when their term is up, they go back to private work. Now there are politicians (who aren’t the President) jet setting all over the world, booking slots on late night talk shows, and staying in power decades longer than they should.
Something needs to change but I have no idea how to go back to politicians who AREN’T seeking fame. Any ideas?
Out of the Wilderness 