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
Apple has a lighthearted commercial but if you’ve seen it, you know it doesn’t start that way. In fact, it’s somber. There’s a dead lizard. Well, playing dead. Take a look then scroll down for more info!
You had ONE JOB. From the text, it looks like this guy had one main job. Keep Leon alive. He needs fresh water and I believe the text says to feed him twice a day. Here’s the text briefly shown in the commercial.
The Lizard. Is this a zebra-tailed lizard? Or a large gecko? I’m almost certain it’s not an iguana or a newt. Any reptile experts out there feel free to shed light on this for me and the other readers!
The Music. The synthy music is a song called “Alive” by Hanni El Khatib. Here’s the full track.
Music is awesome, isn’t it? I love how people find great songs to use in commercials. Chime in below with your thoughts, and I’ll see you again tomorrow!
Hope you’re having a great weekend already. I had my fingers crossed that the worst of winter was in the past but this weekend in north Florida it’s a bit chilly. For this reason, it’s nice to head south so that’s exactly what I did recently. I went to two state parks (recap of Lake Manatee here: “Are there manatees in Lake Manatee? I’ve got answers!”), the second one was Wekiwa Springs State Park.
There were a few reasons this was a great park for me. One, the wildlife, as you’ll see in the pictures below. Two, it’s close to my brother and his family so I was able to see them for a couple of days, including watching the most boring college football game of the season. Yes, I’m talking about the national championship!
Wekiwa Springs is a great state park and I’d like to come back when I have my kayak. I didn’t paddle and I decided not to swim either, mostly because I remember how cold I felt snorkeling in Alexander Springs Recreational Area last January. Freaking cold!
Wekiwa Springs PROs: Very convenient location to Orlando/ central Florida. Not too far in the woods that cell reception is an issue (with Verizon, at least). Good hiking trails. Some sites have sewer hookups which is a major luxury! Wildlife was pretty good, I think there’s more to see than I saw (deer, bears, gators, big birds, etc).
Wekiwa Springs CONs: Gravel/ sandy sites. Not all sites had sewer hookups. Spread out, need a bike or a car to get to certain areas. Road noise, not too much but close enough that when I was walking the dogs I could see and hear traffic.
I’d definitely recommend checking this park out when you get a chance! I will probably book it again in warmer months so I can swim and snorkel. I hope you enjoy the photos below, all from the fun and adventurous Wekiwa Springs State Park…
KIA is going all in with their commitment to “the greater good.” It’s on full display in a recent ad featuring the new model called Niro. KIA’s had philanthropic commercials before like the one with the homeless people or the one where a guy cleans up a beach. So this new guy saving a small tree is a hero like the last few protagonists in KIA commercials.
Check out the ad then scroll down for more info!
The Actor. Playing the tree-saving hero in this commercial is actor Philip Prajoux. He’s also been in a commercial “with” Arnold Schwarzenegger. Check that one out here and be sure to follow Philip on Twitter and Instagram.
There’s also another funny take on this commercial from writer Codrin Spiridon. Here’s a glimpse of his synopsis which you can read in full here:
He gets it out of the ground and puts it in a cardboard coffee cup, not plastic, of course. He treats it like it’s another person, even placing it in the front passenger seat with the seatbelt on. I think I did that as well at some point, but in my case, it was with beer.
The Music. I love to include this info when I write about commercials but at the time of this post I haven’t found out which song or artist is featured. Boo!! Some say it might be Elliot Smith or Ludovico Einaudi. If I find out more info, I’ll post it here.
It’s Aliiiiive! The biggest inconsistency I can see in the ad is in regards to the tree being saved by the driver. As you can see in the first clip, the little tree is brown. By the end it’s a luscious green color. Great, right? Wrong! How did it grow through the concrete and asphalt and THEN die? Then the driver somehow blasts through the hard ground to uproot it?C’mon, man!
Besides that, it’s a feel good commercial that shows off the convenience of being able to drive the Niro real far without having to gas or charge it up.
Do you like the ad? Are there any other mistakes or inconsistencies in the commercial? Chime in below and see y’all tomorrow!
People dating in the 90s and 2000s had it so easy! Sometimes I tell my married friends how thankful they need to be that they aren’t in the dating world anymore. In fact, I made a meme that encapsulates the adult dating scene so well in 2022/23. For any of my readers who aren’t married or in a relationship, can you relate to this?
Right? I had no idea that the “3 cats” thing would be the least of my concerns because if you don’t know, anyone who has 3 cats is already suspicious 🙂 But seriously, I don’t know what women have to deal with when they’re looking through the profiles of men, but Lord help us if there are more single people out there like this guy/girl/they/them person.
I’m sure another gender will be discovered, adding to the 329 genders already out there. This will add another layer of confusion for everyone, plus more single people with heads exploding from just trying to find a normal, sane, attractive, level-headed person of the opposite gender who DOESN’T already have 3 cats.
My first camping trip in 2023 is to Lake Manatee State Park, down near Tampa, Florida. I’m turning into a regular snowbird, aren’t I? But you won’t hear an “eh” or a “you betcha” quite yet. Last January I went south to Orlando area where I camped in two recreation areas, Alexander Springs (recap) and Juniper Springs (recap). Side note, neither spring campsite had water (ironic isn’t it!?), or power and I thought that was going to be how the rest of my camping experiences went. Turns out, I was wrong! Every single state park and RV park since then has had water and power, and some even had sewer #FancyLife.
Unfortunately, Lake Manatee State Park won’t make the list of my top 5 favorites, but to be perfectly honest, I didn’t come here for the park itself. Oh also, there aren’t manatees at this park. Go to Manatee Springs State Park if you want that experience! The best part about Lake Manatee, well I guess it depends on who you ask because the lake is pretty big and probably good for fishing, I don’t know? But this park is in a great location! It’s close to Tampa/St. Pete and not very far from the central west Florida coast beaches. Did I get all the directions in there… central, west, coast, Florida. OK, got it. I actually booked the campsite so I could explore Venice Beach, on the hunt for sharks teeth. Spoiler alert, I found zero teeth! I’m probably the worst person to have on your team if you’re in any sort of tooth-finding, or manatee finding competition, so just remember that.
I also visited the St. Pete Pier, which is pretty amazing. It helped that the night I was there, the weather was absolutely perfect. From the little food dining area they actually had vegan pizza, too, another major win.
OK, back to the park itself… it’s small but has a few hiking trails. I’ve seen different types of birds but if you’re into birding, I don’t think this park will impress you. What do I know about birds? Well, I didn’t see any eagles, ospreys, hawks, heck I don’t even think I saw a heron! Gosh, that was dramatic. I DID see a heron and quite a few egrets. Sorry I got my feathers ruffled there. I’ll be less dramatic for the rest of the post.
There were small birds like red-bellied woodpeckers and I think I saw a blue jay. Oh, since last year I’ve been really hoping to get photos of armadillos because they’re just so cute. Well, I had the best chance ever while I was walking on the trail but the little rascal was fast! Here’s what I got. It also didn’t help matters that I should’ve been using a different lens.
If you’re wanting to camp in the Tampa/St. Pete/Bradenton area, this park is perfect! Location is its biggest asset. Oh, and I should mention the sites are a mix of gravel and sand (boo!) and after it rained one night, I saw a few sites that had big puddles. Kind of disappointing with the sand and the standing water but overall, I enjoyed my time at the park.
Out of the Wilderness 