Paddleboarding in the Ocean

I don’t know if I’m crazy or psycho. The truth is, there’s always a secret third option— nuts. That’s me and it definitely applies in this particular instance… paddleboarding. I prefer it over kayaking, although when I camp, I bring a kayak. During a recent family vacation, I asked my dad if I could return his boat to the marina and paddleboard back. He was on “board” so that’s what I did. Two miles doesn’t seem like a long way when you’re driving or walking or riding a bike and paddling that distance turned out to be quite a workout. But…

I LOVED IT.

I listened to music part of the way, till my phone got wet and the speaker started to sound like a Fisher Price toy music box. After that, it was just the sound of the birds, wind, and water splashing around me as I floated northwest. Perfect. Totaling 35 minutes from start to finish and although I was in the ocean where almost anything can happen, it was mostly safe. This bay is pretty well protected from wind and waves, and as far as sharks go, they DO swim here but it’s not common to have any issues with them. We see a lot more dolphins than sharks. 

Would I do it again? That’s like asking a president if he’s going to run for reelection. Of course!

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Top Gun – I finally saw it! But who’s Penny?

My dad and I went to watch Top Gun recently and, unlike when we watched the Elvis movie, we had perfect seats! I’m not going to bore you with my opinion on how good it was because you already know it’s great. In fact, I haven’t heard any review in the weeks the movie’s been out that have said anything negative about it. Everyone loves it. We loved it, too. Our only question was this… who is Penny?

Played by Jennifer Connelly, the Penny character was a mystery to me (and yes, I’m now singing the Roy Orbison song), until we looked into it. According to this explanation, Penny was mentioned in the original Top Gun but was never seen on-screen. Here’s a scene…

If I had to pick one thing I didn’t like about Top Gun: Maverick, it’s the Penny character. Was a love interest needed? I don’t believe so. I believe she was included because the relationship she has with Maverick helps the story move along and go deeper. Without her, how would we find out more about Maverick’s relationship with Rooster? He had to tell someone the backstory so I guess a love interest is the best option. So they needed a love interest with some connection to the original movie, and Penny was the only choice. Well, unless they brought Charlie back. I bet they didn’t include her character because no one wants to see a couple who’s been married for 30 years. There’s no newness, no sparks flying. So Penny became a big part of this new movie.

I don’t love the choice, but I get it.

If I had to pick one scene I really liked, that’s really difficult. But one was the end of Maverick’s conversation with Iceman. Iceman asks him who’s still the best pilot. Maverick’s response was perfect.

Did you watch the movie? What stood out to you about the story or the characters? Chime in below!

-Out of the Wilderness

Elvis the movie experience!

Good Luck Charm… Obviously it was expected that Tom Hanks would do a great job but I’ll just echo what everyone is saying… the acting was amazing. And all I can really say is, Austin Butler. Austin Butler. Austin Freakin’ Butler! He played Elvis and I’m not exaggerating when I say that, at times, I wasn’t sure if I was watching Austin or the real Elvis. He was THAT good.

It’s Now or Never… The movie’s been out for a few weeks so my parents and I watched it kind of late in the game. Soon, I’m sure it’ll be out of theaters and on its way to Netflix or Redbox or whatever. But even on a random Tuesday at noon, we could only get tickets in the front row. It was THAT crowded.

Suspicious Minds… Even as a big Elvis fan over the last few years, there was quite a lot of backstory that I hadn’t heard before, my favorite being everything that went into the ’68 Comeback Special. I won’t spoil anything but just the dynamics and suspicious minds surrounding that whole performance (and the lack of Christmas songs 😉 ) was really interesting to follow along with. I have a huge and whole new appreciation for “If I Can Dream,” as well. It was THAT powerful.

I had a few questions in yesterday’s post about the movie– what to expect, etc. Here are are the follow up answers….

1. Will it live up to the great reviews it’s been getting? And then some.

2. Will it include a few of my favorite Elvis songs, like “Tiger Man,” “Love Letters,” or “An American Trilogy”? The montage of music throughout the movie was simply amazing. “An American Trilogy” in the first few minutes, and “Tiger Man” as part of a scene later on. I didn’t hear “Love Letters” but now after seeing the movie, it wouldn’t have really fit anywhere.

3. The ’68 Comeback Special is one of my favorite performances. Will the movie capture it well? So, so, so, so, so, so, SO WELL.

Go see the movie. Especially while it’s still in theaters. Just get your tickets early so you aren’t stuck in the front row. 😉

-Out of the Wilderness

Going to see Elvis in the theater

It’s one for the money, two for the show… three to get ready now go, cat, go! That’s exactly what we’re doing. Going to see Elvis in theaters, that is. My parents and I are doing a matinee showing of the new Elvis movie and all three of us are as happy as a hound dog with two tails. 

Tails GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY
close enough

The movie’s been in theaters for awhile now, but because of other things going on (like camping), I haven’t been able to see it. You saw me crying in the chapel… OK, I wasn’t quite crying, but I was getting worried we’d miss it in theaters. Today, that all changes! I think watching this movie will be the next best thing to going to Graceland, which I’ve done a few times.  

I’m pretty excited to find out a few things: 

1. Will it live up to the great reviews it’s been getting? 

2. Will it include a few of my favorite Elvis songs, like “Tiger Man,” “Love Letters,” or “An American Trilogy”?

3. The ’68 Comeback Special is one of my favorite performances. Will the movie capture it well? 

Question Mark Mario GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

I guess this should be considered part 1 so tomorrow I’ll post part 2, which will include my reaction and whether I loved it a lot or a little, and what my hounds got into while I was off having fun. 🙂

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

Amazon’s 1980s style Prime Days Commercial – The Music and More!

Amazon Prime Days (yes, I says “days” because it’s two days!!) are coming up this week and they promoted the extravaganza with an 80s style commercial featuring the talents of Jon Batiste. Take a look, then scroll down for more info!

Channeling the 80s heavily in this one, are we? If you recognize the melody, it’s a parody (I think?) of Billy Ocean’s “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car.”

I love this because many years ago I chose as the name of my Fantasy Football Team, The Billy Oceans. So any reference to him is automatically near and dear to my heart. 🙂 Although I still can’t understand why they call it Prime Day when it’s actually two days. Just add the ‘s’ Amazon! I vent more about that in this post, a throwback to the Amazon Prime Day commercial from 2021.

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness