Monkeys at Silver Springs State Park!?

I had been hanging out at the end of the boardwalk overlooking the Silver River for probably close to an hour. It was beautiful as I waited for any manatees to swim by. Suddenly, a cackle-like sound and I thought to myself, “That’s definitely not a bird.” We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto! I turn back towards the forest as the sound of a rushing wind grew. But it wasn’t wind. It was a herd (is that what it’s called with monkeys? A herd?) of wild monkeys swiftly approached the boardwalk area. All of the sudden, an overwhelming experience was upon me as dozens and dozens of monkeys hurdled by, some going under the boardwalk and others hopping over it. Big ones, little ones, fast ones, bouncy ones, all headed in the same direction and in the chaos of the moment I had no chance of getting a good photo. I tried, of course, but it was a lost cause with all the things I was feeling and seeing. These photos are basically just to prove it happened because if you don’t have a photo, it didn’t happen, right? Here’s part of the moment that felt like Outbreak Part 2.

It was frightening and at the same time mesmerizing and exhilarating. Definitely one of the more notable wildlife experiences I’ve had in a long time and probably right up there with the time I jogged by a rattlesnake or watched bison surround my camper.

Oh, also I DID see manatees. They were far off but it was pretty neat to see them. Also came across a deer who didn’t seem to mind a whole lot that I was nearby.

Silver Springs State Park is a place you definitely need to visit whether it’s for a day or if you can book a few days at the campground. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Just watch out for the monkeys.

-Out of the Wilderness

Run, Forrest, Run… My First Duathlon Race

I’m not running across the country like Forrest did, but *bad pun forthcoming* I “du” have a duathlon coming up. It will be my first since I’ve only *here’s another one* “tri’d” short sprint triathlons so far. This race is a 2 mile run, 12 mile bike, and another 2 mile run. Thanks for stopping by “du”de! Read on for more thoughts…

One reason I’m more nervous for this race than the sprint triathlons is because of the training. This time especially, I want the training to mean something. It’s not that I didn’t train for the other races. I did. But back in early January I decided I’m going to really push myself for this duathlon. I even made a calendar.

There’s more at stake in this race because I’m more invested. I put a lot of effort into preparing and honestly, the training has been hard, challenging, not something I always wanted to do, but extremely satisfying. That’s sort of a win itself, even if I completely embarrass myself in the duathlon. I was told the course is hilly so I made a point to find hills to run up and bike up. I also practiced transitions, making sure I can do them as efficiently as possible.

Did I do enough? Was my calendar helpful? Will the way I race reflect the way I trained? This time, I don’t want to just get by. I want to go all out. I’m determined to tell my body to keep going even when I think I can’t go faster, and not let my mind hold me back… I believe my body is ready.

A little bit of the specifics: I did 5K training runs (thanks to Garmin workouts) which include running at 5K speed, lunges, squats, pushups, all within the same workout. I also ran in hilly neighborhoods and worked on my breathing pattern. Cycling workouts included 4, 8, 12, or 16 mile rides finding steep hills to strengthen my legs, and finding out where I can, should, or shouldn’t really press hard to go faster (up hill vs. down hill vs. flat areas).

I have a new pair of Brooks running shoes and this will be their first race. I swapped out the laces for Lock Laces to help speed up the transition to and from biking. Also, this will be the second race with my Trek Domane AL 4. I can’t wait to see what I can do with it.

I’m nervous. I’m excited. My goal is to finish in the top 15 male category and I think there are probably around 40 men. I want so badly for my training to pay off and to know that I gave as much as I could.

-Out of the Wilderness

The New Copilot Commercial – The Music and More

This commercial has Super Bowl written all over it… which is good… because it’s a “Big Game” commercial. That is, according to Microsoft’s title on YouTube. Will it air during the Super Bowl, who knows? But we have it now and if you’re like me, Copilot is about as familiar as the mole you just found on your back yesterday. Here’s the ad from the new AI offering from Microsoft… then scroll down for more info!

The Music. The non-AI generated song for this commercial is called “Watch Me” by The Phantoms from 2016. Here’s the full track and be sure to check them out on their YouTube page while you’re there.

Artificial Intelligence is a whole new world, right? I guess it will be used mostly for good things, but just like everything else, it’ll be perverted, too. To be honest, I wonder if we’ll look back and say, “That’s when the world started to spiral down to total chaos.” Who am I kidding? Chaos started years go. I guess if the world’s going to Hell, maybe AI is the hand basket.

Geez, this got dark quick! But hey, hope 2024 is going well for you so far. Check out a few of my previous posts like training for a duathlon, my 7 favorite guitar riffs, and the day I learned that pass interference is really catch interference. Speaking of the Super Bowl and all.

-Out of the Wilderness

Zach Bryan “Nine Ball” Video – The Location, the Actors, and More!

Fresh off a Grammy Award win for his duo performance with Kacey Musgraves (if you’re tired of modern pop country you’ll love the duet, check it here), Zach Bryan has a brand new music video for his song “Nine Ball.” I’m terrible at pool and side note: basically anything related to a pool, like swimming. But this will be my worst swim in a triathlon. I’ll get better! Speaking of which, I have a duathlon coming up in and I’m excited and nervous about it. If only I was as cool as Matthew McConaughey, I’d be fine. Oh yeah, he’s in this Zach Bryan music video. Check out the video then scroll down for more info…

The Location. The video was shot at Sagebrush in Austin, Texas. It’s a country music honky tonk (I wonder if they serve Austin-based soda company Poppi there?) and you can also go there to play pool apparently. Oh gosh, just saying pool makes me gasp for air. I need to learn how to swim better, this is becoming a problem.

The Actors. Just L.I.V.I.N. the dream in this video is actor Matthew McConaughey. He stars alongside actor playing the role of son, Tye Sheridan (Tye’s IMDb page), and the bookie is actor Scott Shepherd (Scott’s IMDb page). Showing a character growing up in just a few scenes is so tricky, but they did it well in the video. The actors playing Matthew’s sons growing up are Jack Benson (son at age 7) and Maddux Spencer (son at age 14).

The Director. Captaining the ship for this project is video director Matthew Dillon Cohen (Instagram: @itsbongoboy). He worked with Zach before on the video for “Oklahoma Smokeshow,” which is a great video if you have time to check it out.

Are you a good pool player? Have you ever bet on it? Are you a good swimmer? Tell me how to do it in the comments below.

-Out of the Wilderness