Lindsey Stirling “Eye Of The Untold Her” Music Video – Is She Too Legit to Quit?

I was a 4th grade student at Underwood Elementary in Newport, Rhode Island when I decided to sign up to play in the school band. The instrument I chose, with zero experience up to that point, was the violin. I filled out the sheet of paper but at the very last moment, I felt uneasy so I switched to the trumpet… a decision that eventually led to me touring with a trumpet for the next 4 years in Rhode Island and Virginia. I say “touring” like I was traveling musician. Nope, my dad was in the military so we moved and I took the trumpet with me. But I definitely crushed the 5th grade Beatles showcase. I don’t mean to brag but *about to brag with no proof whatsoever* we also put on an iconic performance of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” theme song. *sings “heroes in a half shell, turtle power!”*

Abysmal. Was I good enough for a high school band? Probably. But was I good, like… honestly good? No. If I were to, say, try out for “America’s Got Talent” the judges would’ve ripped me to shreds and they wouldn’t be wrong. But sometimes those judges miss really talented people. That’s where Lindsey Stirling comes in. She was on season 5 of AGT and the judges clearly got it wrong. Way wrong. Since her time on the show she’s released multiple albums, has billions of YouTube streams, and if that weren’t enough… she’s toured around the world “…from London the bay,” as MC Hammer would say in a classic 90s song.

Lindsey’s latest music video was just released a few days ago and it’s very, very good. Take a look then scroll down for more…

2 Legit 2 Quit. The judges didn’t think she was good enough but now the question everyone should be asking is this: “Just how far will she go?” It appears as though she is, indeed, too legit to quit. As for me and my trumpet performances, they were always limited to school shows and family members forced to come listen. Now as an adult, I spend my days being jealous of talented musicians and singers, hoping one day in Heaven I’ll have musical talent. Until then, here I am catching frisbees. *watches video, admires hand-eye coordination*

-Out of the Wilderness

Visit California Commercial – The Music and the Locations

There are many states that would be a lot of fun to visit, like the ones with beaches… Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina. Every time I start looking for places to camp, it starts with water access. Are there beaches? A river? At least a lake? The furthest west I’ve driven with my travel trailer is Texas (read about an amazing tour a couple summers ago) but California REALLY wants me to come visit as seen in their latest festive ad accompanying their invitation. They’re calling it “The Ultimate Playground” and it’s explained this way…

From towering redwood forests to sunny San Diego beaches, there’s fun to be found wherever you go in California. Discover the many ways you can play when you visit the Ultimate Playground.

The Music. Someone in the tourism department must be proud of themselves for finding this song to use. It’s over 45-years-old but fits perfectly with the clips in the ad. It’s Electric Light Orchestra with “Mr. Blue Sky.” Here’s the full track…

The Locations. Beautiful locations were highlighted in the ad, which is a smart idea. It’s like a dating profile and California put all the fun stuff in their bio. It won’t be till later you find out they’re addicted to drugs and all they want is a sugar daddy. Personal experiences aside, here are the areas shown in the commercial…

San Francisco, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Joshua Tree National Park, Leoness Cellars in Temecula Valley (the wedding scene), Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, Crystal Cove State Park, Ingleside Estate in Palm Springs, Klamath River, Rady Shell in San Diego (the concert scene).

Speaking of nice locations, here are a few of my favorite pics from that camping trip to Texas I mentioned earlier. If you ever have a chance to check out state parks in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma, send me a message and I’ll share my favorites with you!

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas
Caprock Canyons State Park, Texas
Caprock Canyons State Park, Texas
Fontainebleau State Park, Louisiana
Fontainebleau State Park, Louisiana

-Out of the Wilderness

Chris Young “What She Sees In Me” – Too Little Too Late

Chris Young recently debuted the music video for his song “What She Sees In Me” and it’s fascinating that people can have completely opposite views of the same thing. Some people love the song (and video). I think it’s all too overdone. Just like Hardy’s “Truck Bed” is a relic of bro country but a few years after the trend hit it’s peak, this song/video from Chris Young is boyfriend country but too little too late in 2024. Black and white home-video-style clips. Scenes projected on a wall. Soft lighting. Guy sits at piano worshiping his significant other. Bad acting by good people. It might have struck a chord in the late 2010s but the idea of praising your partner while bashing yourself is just boring and unoriginal. Take a look at Chris Young’s new video then scroll down for more…

This music video also brought a pet peeve to light: People playing instruments that can’t be heard. Chris is sitting at the piano for the entire video. Can you hear a piano? I sure can’t. But it could’ve been a powerful moment… Imagine a music video where the production comes to a halt somewhere in the middle of the song, everything stripped away except him singing and playing the piano. For a song full of relationship clichés, it would have helped.

The entire song is a pet peeve if I’m being honest. Elevating your partner to goddess status while lacing the lyrics with self-loathing words particularly ticks me off for two reasons:

  1. Bashing yourself doesn’t really help anything.
  2. Asking your partner why they chose you brings their good judgment into question… which is not a compliment at all.

Country music uses this formula more than it should and I hope it goes away forever. It’s very possible to lift your partner up and also have self-confidence at the same time. There are plenty of songs out there that get it right.

-Out of the Wilderness

“Gone For Good” Lyrics by Will Moseley – American Idol

Former football player and country music singer Will Moseley made a splash with his American Idol audition earlier this week (episode recap here). He performed an original song called “Gone For Good.” The lyrics are out there on the web (and even Spotify got them wrong) but what I found is not totally accurate so I thought I’d post them word for word so we can all admire his songwriting abilities properly. Here’s his audition then scroll down for the lyrics, and if you want to listen to Will on Spotify, here’s his Spotify profile…

“Gone For Good” by Will Moseley

I keep telling myself it’ll be OK
At the end of the long, hard days
I don’t believe it
No more than I can see it.

She runs off mad to her best friend’s house
And I stay right here wonderin’ how it’ll all work out
I can’t see it now.

It’ll be 10pm, you’ll be seein’ him
And I’ll be at home wonderin’ where you’ve been
I can’t help these thoughts, but I wish I could
There’s no letting go, even though I know I should
Are you gone for bad?
Or are you gone for good?

And if I’m ever an option then don’t pick me
I don’t wanna be caught in your fantasies
I’m tired of waitin’ around wondering if I will.

It’ll be 10pm, you’ll be seein’ him
I’ll be at home wonderin’ where you’ve been
I can’t help these thoughts, but I wish I could
There’s no letting go, even though I know I should
Are you gone for bad?
Are you gone for good?

-Out of the Wilderness

My Second Duathlon – Results Are In!

I haven’t competed in the same race twice which is kind of hard to believe since I’ve been racing for 81 years! OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It’s only been 11 months but it FEELS like 8 decades since I splashed around haphazardly in a lake in Tallahassee trying to finish my first sprint triathlon. After that, I did two more sprint triathlons and now I have proof that I did my second duathlon (recap of my first duathlon here)…

Yep, that’s my right foot. *so proud* All the training for the last month was in preparation for the 5K run, 12 mile bike, 1.6 mile run and I have good news… I didn’t embarrass myself! There are better pictures of me in the race but that was my favorite. It makes me feel anonymous like Sia. The race was really fun (and by that, I mean once it was over it was really fun because it was over). I love the nerves as the race is about to start. Everyone’s kind of chomping at the bit to go but waiting for the official to count us down. It’s exciting. Adrenaline rushes. Then the siren sounds and boom, we’re off and running.

Measurable goals for the race were to be one of the top 15 males and finish with a time under 1:09:00. I accomplished one of the two: With a time of 1:10:57, I was one of the top 15 guys so I’ll take that as a partial personal victory!

Now my sights are set on the Freedom Springs Sprint Triathlon, the first race I will have done twice. I’m very interested to see how, or if, I’ve improved as a triathlete. I know, though, that soon I’ll have to dip back into a pool to practice my “It’s OK, I’m not drowning” stroke. But for this particular race that didn’t include swimming, I’m mostly happy with the results. I will keep trying to improve my run speed, and there’s still lots of potential for being a faster cyclist. It’s certainly not the bike holding me back anymore (my last bike was a 1970s Sears brand commuter and she’s still lovely, but she’s retired from triathlons 🤪). So as I start thinking about the next races, I will pay special attention to improving my leg strength and endurance. Scroll down for the stats from this second duathlon.

Until next time, if you see me running or riding my bike through your neighborhood, say hi or better yet, come along with me!

-Out of the Wilderness