Conditioned response to gas prices

Everyone and their mother knows gas prices are one of the hot topics on news shows and in barber shops. It’s an easy conversation to start because I’d conservatively say 90% of driving Americans are not cool with the prices rising by the dimes and quarters every day.

I remember very recently I bypassed Sam’s Club gas because there was a line I didn’t want to wait in. The price was $3.22/gallon. I thought I’d just wait it out a few days in case the cost went down. I was wrong. A little over a week later, $4.15/gallon. Yikes!

It became common for gas prices in the afternoon to have raised from what they were that same morning. Ludicrous, I tell you! But then…

…like seeing a double rainbow, watching a butterfly break out of a cocoon, or two ice skaters completing the Pamchenko twist, it happened. One day last week gas stations all across north Florida kept the afternoon prices the same as they were in the morning. Honestly, I felt like this:

Sad, isn’t it? Such a conditioned response that either big tech (or big government?) has us in the habit of. It’s crazy to realize that gas prices (and this isn’t necessarily limited to gas) go up nickels and dimes and quarters at a time in just a few days but they go down a few pennies a month. Something’s off about that and I don’t think electric vehicles are the solution. Here’s why: as soon as the government realizes we’re all saving a bunch of money (not just by switching to GEICO, mind you!), they’ll fiddle with the price of electricity.

Has me thinking we might as well return to horseback!

I’m trying not to be cynical about it all, and truly life is pretty grand when we don’t let other people determine our happiness and joy, but show me a politician who’s NOT in it for power, money, and prestige, and you’ll have my attention.

-Out of the Wilderness

A year ago today

Hi there! If you’re new to the site, I post every day at 1pm central. It started as something to challenge myself with in 2020. Now, I feel weird imaging how I’d go through a day without posting something. In fact, I’ve posted something daily through 2020, 2021, and plan to do it for the rest of 2022, as well. So click around, there’s bound to be something you enjoy reading. Thanks for dropping in! And now, on to today’s post. I am kind of reflecting on what I was doing a year ago, this very day, and how much has changed in my life since then…

It’s hard for me to believe that just 365 days ago, this very day in 2021 I was writing about bad band names without any inkling of an idea that later in the year I’d be selling my house, selling my car, and calling Florida home. A bit of my backstory is that I’d lived in Nashville, Tennessee for 16 years and while I thought that one day I’d want to live in Florida again to be closer to family, I didn’t have any plans to go there anytime soon.

Going back 2 years (March 2020), I had just posted a clever (if I do say so myself!) post about everything going on with the pandemic which was really just beginning to take over all parts of our lives here in the US.

Now it’s two years later and there’s a lot less fear about the coronavirus. Unfortunately, it’s still around. Much less back then did I think that in 2 years I’d be living in a travel trailer on my family’s property. It’s pretty crazy how fast things can change. In fact, the decision I made about selling my house to live closer to family happened so quickly, too.

I had been to lunch with a couple of former co-workers. One had become a real estate agent and we joked that our little lunch hang out was his way of tricking us into his realtor pitch. It was just a few weeks later I called him and said, “I’m not doing this, but if I WERE to list my house for sale, what kinds of things should I start working on at the house?” The truth is I WAS doing that. I flipped from not leaving Nashville anytime soon to boom, let’s get this thing on the market. He and I listed it just a few weeks later and it sold 2 days after that.

A whole lot has happened since the day I walked out of that house for the last time. I’ve been able to spend time with family in ways I couldn’t have if I was still in Tennessee, so for that reason alone, the ups and downs of such a big lifestyle and location change have all been worth it.

So did I think I’d be living in Florida on March 14th, 2022? Heck no. But it’s true and I’m pretty pumped about it, and excited about what’s to come.

-Out of the Wilderness

Buick’s “See Her Greatness” Commercials – Genius or Ironic Fail?

Hello and thanks for coming over to this blog post today. I post every day at 1pm central about all sorts of things. Today’s entry is about a series of ads from car manufacturer Buick. The message couldn’t be more culturally relevant. Take a look (more accurately, a “listen”) to this ad…

I know YouTube comments aren’t an official poll, but when the majority of viewers call you out on the irony of your commercials, it deserves a second glance.

The first ad I saw from Buick in their “See Her Greatness” campaign was on Instagram. Unlike the ad above, they actually included video of the amazing basketball buzzer-beater 3-point shot. But to illustrate their point, they VERY ironically didn’t show the shot! Here’s a screen grab of that ad.

The block out the screen to drive home the point that most people didn’t see the women’s basketball game and, therefore, missed seeing the amazing play to win the game. The biggest problem, though? BUICK HAD A CHANCE TO SHOW VIEWERS THE PLAY, BUT THEY DIDN’T! Buick scolds Americans for not paying attention to women’s sports, while simultaneously not showing us why we SHOULD watch women’s sports.

On the other hand, it’s effective in that folks are talking about it. But, to steal a line from “The Bachelor” (which is a failing show, here’s why), I’m not sure people are talking about it “for the right reasons.”

Final Thoughts. I keep coming back to the 90s hit from Alanis Morissette. Buick has a mess on their hands, or at the very least, they have a lot of work ahead just responding to and explaining why they presented their message the way they did. If you want us to see her greatness, you paid for the ad space, so SHOW US HER GREATNESS! Till then, this campaign is 100% like rain on your wedding day.

Amazon’s Wedding Commercial part 2 – More About the Cast and Crew

I recently posted about the actresses and music of this Amazon ad, so for part 1, click here. There’s more to discover about this ad but before that, check out the commercial…

The Director. Directing the shoot for this ad is a man with quite the resume. His credits include Portlandia, Saturday Night Live, Baskets, and more. It’s Jonathan Krisel. He’s also directed commercials for Old Navy, Sony, Dr. Pepper– one of my favorites from Fansville. Find more info about Mr. Krisel on his IMDB page.

So Cheesy. As listed in Amazon’s Wedding Commercial, the part of “Bride” is played by Kristen Lundberg. You might think she looks familiar, perhaps you’ve been to one of her stand-up comedy shows (tour dates here), or you might be thinking of a cheesy ad on TV lately. Starring in this commercial for Grubhub is none other than Kristen Lundberg! Take a look at “Eggzilaration”…

If that’s not it, you might recognize her as a part of the Geek Squad in this Best Buy commercial…

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness