Hard Rock Bet Valet Commercial – Almost A Good Ad With Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

I’ll be the first to admit I can be a little nit-picky when it comes to details. That part of my personality was activated when I saw a recent Hard Rock Bet commercial. Take a look and guess which part irritates my “perfectionist” side.

Did you catch the line “almost as fast as the valet”? Timing matters. Let’s get to the details, shall we? The wager from the guy with the phone was completed and deposited BEFORE the valet arrives with the car. Then the guy says the bank deposit was almost as fast as (meaning= slower than) the valet. But… the deposit went through before the valet arrived. So the deposit is literally faster than the valet.

So why did the producers of the ad give this false line a green light? It would’ve been as easy as pressing a gas pedal to revise the line this way: “That was even faster than the valet,” which then holds a lot more weight when the valet is revealed to be one of the fastest drivers ever, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

This is almost a good ad.

-Out of the Wilderness

Zach Top Does “He Stopped Loving Her Today”… and How He Wears A Watch

After hearing Zach Top’s impromptu version of the George Jones song “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” I’m beginning to think it might possibly be one of the top 5 all-time best country songs. Wait a second!!! Has it been considered one of the best and I’m just late to the party? Gosh, I’m lame. Why didn’t anybody tell me???? Here’s Zach performing the song for a small group, then scroll down for more…

I didn’t really notice Zach’s watch till I read the comments; I was engulfed by the beauty of his voice and the lyrics, my bad. 🥴 But notice how he wears a watch on his right wrist. Wait, does that mean what I think it means!? A million years ago I wrote a blog post called “How To Tell If Someone Is Left-Handed” and it still tracks today. For example, peek around when you’re in public today and most of the time right-handed people wear watches on their left wrist and left-handed folks wear stuff on their right wrist. Based on the video of Zach Top, it appears as though he’s left-handed which automatically means he’s cool. But he’s playing a right-handed guitar. What gives? I know from personal experience how hard that is (but still scored an ‘A’ in my college guitar class 😎).

@spoutpodcast

Interesting fact about @Zach Top: he’s left-handed but plays guitar right-handed! And here’s why… ☺️ Catch our full episode with #ZachTop OUT NOW on the Spout Podcast. #interview #podcast #spoutpodcast

♬ I Never Lie – Zach Top

Just watching that TikTok video gives me anxiety… all the pencil lead or pen ink smearing is a core fear. 😵‍💫 Right-handed people have no idea how brave we have to be every day.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Progressive Dog Park Commercial – Cuz It’s the Dog Park Song

There are two commercials currently airing that I love. One is from Hard Rock Bet, which has me conflicted because of this huge mistake I made a few months ago. But my goofball self aside, the ad is simple and hilarious. The other commercial is from Progressive Insurance and it features Mara, everyone’s favorite emo saleswoman. Check it below then scroll down for more…

The Lyrics. Sometimes less is more and the repeating line “It’s the dog park” is all that’s needed to make the song so funny. Of course, Mara’s deadpan delivery is icing on the cake. Or peanut butter in the Kong ball, if you will. For an insurance company, I’m impressed that Progressive was spot-on with the vibe of most dog parks. There’s nothing more true than this: “…and the people you see that you don’t really know, ’cause it’s the dog park.” IYKYK. You can name every dog in the park but the owners? Nah, haven’t gotten their names yet. Reminds me of that one time my dog got in a fight with this famous person’s dog. Yikes.

We haven’t been to a dog park in a month of Sundays, not because Asia wants to fight, but because… 1) For a long time, the park closest to me had a lake in it. Sounds fine, right? Except this is Florida. They say if the water is wet, there’s an alligator in it. So who in the world thought it was a good idea to section off a dog park around a lake!???? You’re fired. And 2) My dogs were never super social. So the visits kind of turned into us sitting on a picnic table or bench watching the world go ’round.

Mara was a great choice to star in the ad. Her emo era contrasts so well; all the dogs are happy and playful while Mara is definitely thinking the glass is half empty. Plus, did you see the great dane buddy up to her at the end of the ad? Gosh, dogs are the best. In fact, dogs are why I wrote “The Brave Bamboo.” Inspired by Piper’s long beagle ears, the story of Bamboo was born. Check it out and order a copy!

Buy Now

-Out of the Wilderness

The Ontario Canada Tariff Commercial – Full Reagan Speech and More

Oh, Canada. Bless your heart. I’ve seen tourism ads featuring specific destinations (see Visit California) but this has got to be the first time a province of Canada blasted a whole country in a commercial. Check it out below then scroll down for more…

I don’t think their ad comes across exactly how they intended. For instance, if the Buffalo Bills aired a commercial in Kansas City telling viewers how the Chiefs has off-the-books deals with referees, all it will do is two things; 1) Solidify KC fans to support the Chiefs even more, and 2) show that Buffalo *might be* a little scared of the Chiefs. Like, what’s in it for you Buffalo? That’s the vibe I get from the Ontario, Canada commercial. There’s more to the ad than can be fit in a short commercial but it’s obvious that the U.S. is doing something right. Canada has such strong feelings about the tariff deal that they called on a generally beloved president to appeal to Americans. In other words, Canada is on its heels, on the defense. So unless they’re playing chess and I’m stuck on a checkers board, I’m going to support my country and my president, instead of assuming you, Canada, have altruistic intentions for Americans.

For the full Reagan speech, see the video below.

Instead of Ronald Reagan, they definitely should have gone a step further. If they were serious, they would’ve called on the political expert– Robert De Niro. 🤪

Just watch how he swoops in with such enthusiasm to save the day in Virginia.

-Out of the Wilderness

I think I’m maturing – a softball post

Softball. Last inning. The other team’s winning by 7. Their baserunner on first makes a weird and loud noise to distract infield on a routine grounder on the third out.

After we got that out, I felt the familiar urge to make a snide comment to him as we were transitioning to the next inning.

I held my tongue. What? I’ve never held my tongue! I’m maturing right before your eyes.

I was proud of myself. We lost the game. But at least I didn’t get chippy like I sometimes do. A team winning by 7 runs has no business having poor sportsmanship. That’s what bothers me. But I trotted to the dugout and didn’t say a word. Am I getting more mature or was he just too far away from me to say something he would hear?

-Out of the Wilderness