Don’t Have a Cow, Man – Affinity Vector Work!

If you haven’t heard by now, Affinity is free. I, along with lots of other designers/artists/creators, was pretty shocked when they made the announcement a couple of weeks ago. I had been using Affinity Photo for a few years and really loved it. I’d given up on the lesser alternative–*ahem* Photoshop— because of Adobe’s idea to make it a monthly subscription. Back in the day, Affinity offered a one-time purchase for their software, an idea I’m definitely all about. But even better than that, now it’s free. I’m not going to ask how they managed to do this and I don’t really want to know because that might take the magic away. I was waiting as patiently as I could for Affinity to release Vector in order to practice design work. I have goals and I can’t share them quite yet but I’m learning how to design pictures– it’s so hard but so empowering to actually come up with designs and images that turn out better (usually) than I hoped. A long way to go for me but I worked on this cow for more than a couple of hours recently. I love the texture of the fur, the eyes, and I’m just so proud of myself for coming up with a cute cow, even if it ends up going nowhere else besides being the star of today’s post. So for now, here she is…

Affinity is awesome. If you have an idea and want to explore your creative side with a fun piece of software, get it today and I think you’ll really like it. I certainly do!

-Out of the Wilderness

Make Songs 3 Minutes Again

Hello there and thanks for reading today’s blog post. You might not know this but I write and post every single day at 1pm central. I actually live in the eastern time zone but it was back in 2020 when I decided to do a daily blog and at that time I lived in Nashville, Tennessee. This is a central time zone city so my posts went up at 1pm. Now I post at 2pm eastern but anyone who’s worth their salt and knows a thing or two about time knows that 2pm eastern is still 1pm central. So here’s my post for today and maybe it’s a hot take, if anyone is still using that phrase?

Make songs 3 minutes again.

Time and time again I come across songs that are either A) 2:59 or shorter or B) 4:00 or longer. What gives!? I’ll admit I get rather irritated internally when I check how long a song is while it’s playing and I see a 2: …or a 4: …maybe I’m just crazy. Am I crazy? 2-minute songs are never long enough (never mind what Johnny Cash said after he recorded “You Are My Sunshine”). And there’s only one song that should ever be over 4 minutes and you know what it is. Yep, “Purple Rain.” Every second of that 8+ minute song is perfection.

Tell me I’m not the only one that’s noticed this. Entertainers, play a little longer! But not too long, mmmmmk?

-Out of the Wilderness

The Alabama Football Post That Didn’t Age Well

The 2025 college football season has been a real corker, hasn’t it? Who ever thought a basketball school would be in the top 5 (Indiana), a baseball school would be in the top 15 (Vanderbilt) and Alabama would lose their first game (to an unranked team) and yet bounce back to also be in the top 5. Me. I’m that guy who wouldn’t believe those things. I was confident enough to post about Alabama’s dynasty falling here. Well, maybe not so much confident. More hopeful. Remember this guy?

I added tears to sell the effect. Right, those aren’t real tears, I’m sure you were wondering. Well, my post hasn’t aged well at all. Since the first-game loss, Alabama has righted the ship and now they’re ranked #4 in the country. I’ll own my flub and to make up for it, I’ll post a new pic (with the help of AI, of course). Happy now, blue shirt guy??

-Out of the Wilderness

Kohl’s Mom is Listening Not Whispering in New Commercial

I can’t be totally sure but I *think* Kohl’s is doing the right thing with Ellie Kemper as the “Kohl’s Mom.” She’s a well-known actress and her best roles are where she can be adorable, likable, and endearing. That’s actually the sentiment behind her character in these Kohl’s ads. Here’s a new one for the holidays.

The best horror movies aren’t the ones with big scares, explosions, and needless gore. They’re the movies where the villain is right behind you and all they do is whisper. Full-body chills for everyone watching, right? It’s why Joe Biden came off as super creepy when he’d switch to a bizarre whisper mid-speech.

And it’s why a handful of “Kohl’s Mom” commercials were really irritating. I’m learning that there’s nothing cute about someone whispering to make a point. It’s horrific. I’m hoping Kohl’s has left that silliness behind and if the new ad is any indicator, *whispers* they have.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Amazon Dad on a Treadmill Christmas Commercial – Funny or Hypocritical?

There’s a new Amazon commercial for the upcoming Christmas season. Not quite as cinematic as ads from the past but it gets the point across. But the more I see it and think about it, it’s becoming a great example of the complexities of society. Take a look and decide if you like it or not, then scroll down for more…

I know it’s just a caricature about dads (and men, in general) who are oblivious to how they dress, how out-of-date their style can be. And it’s funny in the way we all can relate to seeing someone workout in less-than-flattering apparel. Actually, I just saw a woman today at the gym wearing clothes that were very much too tight in the wrong places. Did I say anything? Of course not… I don’t want to get slapped! So imagine this commercial was a woman working out and the narrator said the same thing, “…New shorts for mom. Something with a little more… coverage.”

Amazon would be blasted in all the ways possible. But make fun of a guy who’s trying to be healthy and it’s just a humorous commercial. Where’s the outrage from the people who cancelled Peloton a few years ago?

Go on with your bad self, dad! Your style is fine by me.

-Out of the Wilderness