Anne Wilson “Carry Me” – The Video, The Redemption, The Christmas?

I’m guessing you’re already a fan of Anne Wilson and that’s why you stopped by to check out my blog post today. So first of all, thank you! I’ll try to entertain you in this short post and if you’re feeling wild, subscribe because I post every day at 1pm central.

Anne Wilson. What can I say since I’m relatively new to the fan club? The first song I heard from her was “Songs About Whiskey” and I knew right away that I’d like hearing more from her. Her latest music video is for the song called “Carry Me.” Check it out then scroll down for more thoughts…

This is a song about nostalgia, regret, hardships, and it makes sense because Anne Wilson sings country AND gospel. This song hits home for me, not because I sing country OR gospel… it’s because I’ve lived long enough to have regrets. A lot of people say they wouldn’t change a thing, but as Kenny Chesney sang in his song “A Lot of Things Different,” I would. There are plenty of things I’d go back and do differently if I could. That’s the thing about the past, though. It’s impossible to change. But it’s not impossible to redeem.

That’s one amazing part of the Christian faith. Beauty from ashes. Strength from weakness. Things that have been terrible in the past can be made into something different, something good. That’s what I’m hoping for, anyway. Would I do a lot of things different? Sure. But various bad decisions I made in the past might very well be something I’m grateful for in the future because they left open an opportunity for God to swoop in, rescue me, and bring Himself glory through it. For Him to be the strength where I was weak. To bring the beauty when all I can remember is the ashes.

OK, random faith rant is over. I like this song from Anne. Something about her vibrato, the tenderness of her voice is simply peaceful and addicting. But I’d still have to say my favorite of hers at this point in my life is a cover song she performed of one of my favorite Christmas songs. Any guesses? Click here to find out which one she absolutely gives us as a gift, like Christmas all year round…

-Out of the Wilderness

Kohl’s Wants You To Silence Your Phone in New Commercial…

I’m not the only one who can’t stand the Kohl’s commercial featuring actress Ellie Kemper as the “Kohl’s Mom.” She was cute on The Office, I understand that, but these commercials are so irritating I’d almost want to watch the Danny DeVito Jersey Mike’s ads instead. Almost.

The most recent Kohl’s ad hasn’t been posted on their YouTube channel yet but you can take a look here. It’s got all the annoying elements of the Kohl’s Mom ads but wait, there’s more! They also firmly command you to silence your phone. 👀

Why is a retail store telling me to turn my phone off? In a theater, I get it. In church, of course. Driving through a construction zone, maybe. But pigs will fly sooner than I go into any store and turn my phone off to grant their strange wish.

Have you seen the commercial yet? What do you think about the Kohl’s mom? What’s crazy is that Zack Morris was right all along. Cell phones are ruining our attention spans. But still, Kohl’s isn’t going to tell me what to do. 😎

-Out of the Wilderness

Is Kamala Harris running for President again?

Well, everyone loves a sequel right? And when is the last time a politician said “no” to the opportunity for more power, fortune, and fame? Kamala Harris recently published a book, the contents are basically a long excuse for why she lost to Donald Trump. It’s right there in the title: She didn’t have enough time for a proper campaign– her book not-so-subtly called, “107 Days.” I haven’t read it but the movie will be great.

Indications are pointing at another run for President. Maybe this time Kamala will let Beyoncé sing? All the Republicans are thinking, “Yes, please. Please run again, we beg you!” Democrats on the other hand… “Hmm, if we let her run again, we’ll lose but if we don’t let her run again, we’re racist and sexist.” What a predicament liberals find themselves in, huh?

For what it’s worth (and I think it’s worth a lot) Kamala Harris has still not received one single party nomination vote for President… a bizarre fact that no Democrat seems to think is obviously problematic in their quest for authentic democracy. I can’t tell if they’re looking at everything through rose-colored glasses or they’re actually, by definition, ignorant.

Mrs. Harris, you deserve to represent Democrats. Go for it!

-Out of the Wilderness

ChatGPT Commercial – A First Date, A Song, and More

I was saying hello to my niece’s dog– a dog that must be on crack with the level of energy she has– and was totally fine thinking to myself, “I like dogs but I must be getting old– this is too much!” I think I finally get what my grandparents meant when they told us to stop cutting up at the table.

Enter ChatGPT. I’ve never used it and I don’t plan on changing that streak anytime soon. In fact, prior to this post, I had no idea what GPT even meant (it means this). OpenAI is the creator of ChatGPT, which is becoming synonymous with AI– kind of like Kleenex is with tissue paper. In a recent commercial, a guy prepares a dish for a date and he definitely scored a second date, which is more than I can say for my dating experience in 2025. 🥴

The Song. It’s from 2014… a song called “Fool” by Perfume Genius. Here’s the full track.

Have you used ChatGPT yet? I’m a fan of artificial intelligence, except when it’s used just to enable laziness. What do you think about the commercial? Comment below and subscribe for daily notifications of my posts.

-Out of the Wilderness

I’ll never look at the iPhone 17 the same again…

Most of us probably swap out our old ones for new ones every few years. No I’m not talking about spouses! Get your head out of the gutter and I’m sorry your stepmom is 5 years younger than you 🥴. New phones are always being plopped in front of us, teasing us with their screen sizes and camera lenses and chip powers. What you bought last year is already outdated and even though I love my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (I’ve had it for a few months now), I’m sure something faster and sleeker will come along soon. The same goes for iPhones, too. Your iPhone 17 will be old by this time next year… oops, the 17 max pro double plus just dropped. Heyo.

But seriously, the 17 is fresh on the market and I’m sure it’s a good smartphone. But as far as hardware– and as the kids say, aesthetics– goes, there are a couple of things about it that I can’t bear to look at. Here’s the phone…

Looks fine, right? Multiple cameras. Standard rectangular shape. That raised plateau (where the camera lenses are) everyone is doing now. I don’t love that trend but there’s something else even worse. See if you can pick up what bothers me by watching this ad for another sneaky cool phone, the Xiaomi 17 Pro.

Did you catch it? It’s why I’ll never look at the iPhone 17 the same way again. Instead of a boring and bare plateau on the back, Xiaomi made the entire area a viewing screen. How do you like them apples, Apple??

All I can ever think now is why WOULDN’T there be a screen there? And then I look at the iPhone 17 again and it just looks like an imitation of the Xiaomi instead of the other way around. But there’s still something else… a visual part of the phone that irritates me so much. It’s this:

I cannot stand the flash and LiDAR scanner sensor on the right side of the phone. Why is there so much separation between those two features and from there, so much empty space towards the 3 camera lenses? It reminds me of the back of the Hyundai Santa Fe. Cool ride from the front but the back is hideous… it’s like the Pontiac Aztek was resurrected from the car cemetery to haunt us again. This part of the iPhone 17 is such a frustrating design choice. But even if it looked more cohesive or they grouped everything together like previous iPhone designs, the Xiaomi integration of a screen still wins and it’s not even up for debate. I mean, unless you want to comment below and we can chat on why the iPhone 17s are boring, Xiaomi 17s are not, and why the S25s beat them all.

-Out of the Wilderness