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
This is the first time I’ve written about a United Airlines commercial but I heard the song and couldn’t NOT write about it. Here’s the yodeling ad, then scroll down for more…
The Song. Giving us all the feels is a song called “Yodelay-Hee-Why?” by Wild Earp. Check out more offerings on the band’s website WildEarp.com. I love a good yodel, so here’s the full track for your listening pleasure…
Wild Earp had this to say about the inclusion of his song in the ad…
Since we’re on the topic of yodeling, I first thought of LeAnn Rimes. Here she is singing “I Want To Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart”…
Then I came across a contestant from “The Voice” named Ruby Leigh. I won’t lie, this audition gave me goosebumps. Is that weird?
And to give credit where credit is due, here’s the original version of that song by Patsy Montana from nearly 100 years ago…
Two NFL football players show up to a football stadium wearing the same exact gold leather suit. It’s a tale as old as time! OK, I have no idea if gold suits are common on that level of wealth but Von Miller thinks the mistake by Stefon Diggs is offensive, and not just because Diggs plays offense. Miller gets defensive, and not just because he plays defense, when Diggs accuses him of making the fashion faux pas. Take a look…
Fits the Bill. Both of these elite athletes play for the Buffalo Bills. Surely Progressive did some “Digg”ing and bought Sunday afternoon time slots during Bills games. I could go on and “Von” but it’s a smooth move by Progressive, knowing Bills fans are watching, endearing those fans even more to Miller and Diggs, and adjacently, Progressive, too.
Von Miller also has as supporting role in which of these ads? Guess right and get a gold star!
Not Your Friend. I heard from a lawyer recently that insurance agencies are NOT your friends… even if they have funny commercials like this classic exercise ad from GEICO or Doug getting replaced in this Liberty Mutual spot. At the end of the day, we give them money every month and when we call to get it back, they’re very skeptical. Not a very healthy relationship, huh? But I’m guessing Miller and Diggs are friends, and maybe they don’t hate that they’re wearing the same outfit. Best buds forever. Even if the gold on gold on gold is just too extra.
It was a whirlwind weekend going up to Georgia for a concert in Savannah Friday night and then a sprint triathlon in Macon Sunday morning. Concert, great. Savannah, pretty. Triathlon, hard.
One of my favorite photos from Savannah, Georgia
From Savannah, it was back on the road west to Macon for the Rock ‘N Rollman Sprint Triathlon and I’m proud to say I finished it with a personal best in running! This was just my third race. I remember after the first one (Tallahassee Red Hills recap), it was so hard that when I crossed the finish line, I said, “I’m never doing this again!” But then I did it again in Marianna, Florida (Freedom Springs recap). Then again with this one in Macon, Georgia. OK, OK, I might be getting obsessed. This was also the first race with an absolutely beautiful Trek Domane… my new bike! I will always love my (very) old bike, I say that every time I can. 😃🚲❤️
The Swim. What’s the slowest fish in the sea? An eel? A whale? A manatee? Even a manatee is faster than I am. For some reason, this swim was a struggle which surprised me since I seemed to improve in my last race. I think I saw a manatee pass me swimming backwards. I finished 500 meters in 13:43, a pace of 2:44 per 100m.
The Bike. This part was fun. I LOVE my new bike and it helped me pedal hard, fast, and smoothly up hills and down. The course was challenging, the hardest part was going uphill for the entirety of miles 5 through 10. I completed 15 miles in 50:35, which is 3:22 per mile.
The Run. The run course was uphill on the way, then turning around halfway, downhill on the way back. That helped me get a personal record for a triathlon 5K. My time was 23:10, under 8 minutes per mile.
Recap. I can sum this race up with one phrase: Room for improvement. And lots of it. Eventually I’ll probably break down and get a swim coach or join some sort of swim training because that’s the area I can improve the most. For biking, more leg workouts, longer rides, and pushing my legs to be stronger and faster. Running, keep pushing and training for a time under 22 would be a great thing to accomplish.
I haven’t done the same race twice yet so that will be a memorable experience, most likely happening with the Red Hills race in Tallahassee in 2024. Until then, my excitement grows daily and I’m pumped to swim better, bike harder, and run faster.
Dr. Pepper made USC quarterback Caleb Williams the face of their Fansville campaign and some people are now calling what’s happened since then a phenomenon called The Dr. Pepper Curse. It’s like The Madden Curse but the college football version. Here’s the most recent ad… an ominous, possibly foretelling, commercial from Dr. Pepper and Caleb Williams called “Superstitious.”
There will be all kinds of opinions about this but facts are facts. Here’s a great recap from a Reddit user about the ongoing situation…
So what happened recently is that USC lost to Notre Dame partly due to multiple interceptions thrown by Caleb Williams. He did not look like a Heisman hopeful in that game. Was it just a bad performance? Or was it the curse? All I know is that because of this curse and not wanting my performance to suffer, if Dr. Pepper comes to me with a sponsorship deal, I’m definitely absolutely taking it. I might be a little superstitious but I’m not a fool.
When I think of Lincoln, I think of Matthew McConaughey (or Jim Carrey, if you know you know) but this latest commercial might wipe both of those guys completely from memory and replace them with Serena and this song. Check out the commercial then scroll down for more info…
I’m not sure why car brands are using these emotional songs lately (See: Jeep Drove All Night Commercial) but it’s working for me. The song in this Lincoln ad is called “Too Close” by Marvin Brooks, released in 2021. Check out Marvin’s backstory here.
Out of the Wilderness 