It’s hot in Nashville, Tennessee – a general update

I made a promise to myself this past winter that when it got hot again, I wouldn’t complain. This commitment came because of how long winter seem to go on (and on and on and on…) so I was really trying to will the warmer days to get here. I guess it worked? Well, it was either my will or just the natural progression of the seasons that has been happening for centuries and centuries.

But thank the Lord it’s warm and I am loving it! Even on the hottest days, I just smile and DO NOT complain because I remember the miserable cold days when things like this happened: shocking my fingers getting in or out of the car, slipping on icy walkways, wearing 97 layers of clothes just to walk the dogs, slushy slick roads, cold rain, and much more. But! there were good days, too. I love watching my dogs explore the snow. It’s really beautiful to see the snow falling. There’s something deep and divine about the resetting of nature, all things starting over in the spring.

But I’m a summer guy. One hundred percent. I played softball last night and sweated a ton, loved it. I also captured this image of the International Space Station floating overhead last night. This is 8 seconds captured in one photo. I need to figure out how to get a more cool photo, but I thought it was still pretty neat to see it, and be able to get a pic of it in motion.

On these warm days, I roll my windows down and let the warm air breeze through my car, love it. I sit in the backyard watching the dogs roll around on the warm grass, love it. I breath in without worry of pollen, love it.

What’s not to love?

The only drawback of summer that I can think of is that most sports I care about are not happening anymore. Football is still a few weeks away. Hockey ended. Baseball and basketball are still on TV but I can think of 1,293 things I rather do than watch baseball.

How are you enjoying the summer? Is it warm where you live? Do you prefer hot days or cold days? Chime in below!

-Out of the Wilderness

My brand new photography on FineArtAmerica!

After a week of vacation where I wasn’t posting images on my FineArtAmerica page, I’ve added multiple images. Some are actually from that vacation and then some pictures in and around Nashville. Here are a few of my favorites from the new batch. Click on the description of each to be taken directly to their listing on my page. Thanks for stopping by!

Shells half-buried in the sand.
Abandoned church building in Florida.
Take me to the beach.
The Cross.
RIng of fire.
Big serious eyes.

-Out of the Wilderness

“You’ve done nothing wrong” – The worst thing you could say during a breakup – a Bachelorette breakdown

I haven’t been watching much of The Bachelorette this season – the one featuring Katie Thurston – because I can think of 2,392 things I rather be doing than watch Katie figure out which guys she wants to sleep with (all of them), who to give the final rose to, and how long till she can break up with the guy she will have just given the final rose to. I mean, let’s be honest… this is the show’s formula for the last handful of seasons, especially since contestant Nick Viall finally said out loud what we already knew, sex happens in the fantasy suites. Since then, intimacy has become the focus of every episode of every season.

The show doesn’t seem to be about finding true love anymore (was it ever? who knows!) BUT! I happened to turn it on for a few minutes on Monday evening and caught a line that reconfirms why I won’t be watching this show consistently anymore.

Moments after a kiss where Katie didn’t feel the spark she was hoping for, she said to fan-favorite Connor, “You’ve done nothing wrong.” Yes, this signaled the end of Connor’s time on the show. Katie surely meant this as an encouragement to Connor but here in the real world, it’s the most hurtful thing you could say to someone during a break-up.

Saying they’ve done nothing wrong sounds good on the surface, but think about it: Katie said he did everything right and she STILL doesn’t like him. At least if he had done something wrong he might could fix it. She basically said I like everything about you, I just don’t like you.

Ouch.

I get it. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. She might not be one to say hard things. Maybe she doesn’t like confrontation. But what she said was a slap in the face. And I feel slapped in the face for having watched it.

That’s 10 minutes of my life I’ll never get back.

What are some other break-up phrases people use that sound good, but are actually cruel and unusual punishment? Comment below and thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness

Apple iPhone “Haystack” commercial music, the truck, and more!

Apple is out with a new ad playing off the well-known phrase: “it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.” For this commercial, though, it’s not a needle the rancher is looking for, it’s his iPhone 12. Take a look…

The song. The soundtrack to this ad is “Searching (For Someone Like You)” by Kitty Wells. This song was on radios in 1956, over half a century before the iPhone was released to the public (2007). Here is the full track…

Unrealistic. The ad has a short amount of time to convey it’s message but in the real world, no one finds their phone on the first try. The rancher reaching into the haystack and finding his phone this quickly would NEVER happen in real life. Secondly, who has a phone without a case? Especially a phone that costs nearly $1,000.

Connection. The ability to use your Apple watch to find your iPhone as seen in this ad works with the iPhone 12 and Apple watch series 6. Other models of each device can be used, but might require a third party app for a “find my phone” feature.

The ride. Based on the wood paneling on the interior door, and the steering wheel style, this looks to be a 1982 Ford F-150 pick-up truck.

Do you like the ad? What would you do different to convey the message of easily finding your phone when it’s lost?

Thanks for stopping by!

-Out of the Wilderness

Announcer who always says “Bang!” during NBA Finals

I recently watched a few minutes of the NBA Finals. With six minutes left in this particular game, the Phoenix Suns were winning by about 10 points. From what I could tell, they had been dominating the whole game so there wasn’t much drama happening.

Maybe it was because my heart wasn’t in it (I haven’t cared about the NBA since the Sacramento Kings of ’99), but it was clear the announcers were trying to create tension and excitement where there wasn’t any (unless you are a Suns fan, I guess?).

To set up the situation… and using sports comparisons… think of a football game when there are just seconds left and the quarter back heaves a game winning touchdown. The crowd goes wild! The announcers shriek with disbelief. Or in a baseball game, the batter hits a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th. It can be mayhem when something like this happens.

This NBA game? Not anywhere close to that. The Suns were up by 10 points, remember that… they dribble down and take a shot. They miss. Offensive rebound and they take another shot and miss. Talk about disappointing, right? But they’re up by 10 with minutes to go, so there isn’t really any drama. After that last missed shot, they get the rebound AGAIN (does anybody in the NBA play defense anymore??) and take a 3-point shot. Finally, it goes in. The announcer, Mike Breen, exclaims, “Bang!” like the Suns had just made a game-winning shot. Umm, they JUST missed 2 shots before that so calm down there mister. It felt weird in that moment to have such excitement for a made shot by a team that just missed a couple, and they’re already winning by a lot. I laughed and was very annoyed.

I’m not trying to poo-poo the league or Mike Breen, but call a spade a spade. The game was already over. His “bang” was so out of place.

Here’s Mike delivering his signature line in games where it actually makes sense…

How’s THAT for an nit-picky examination of the NBA Finals? If everything goes well for me this week, I won’t have to suffer by watching the rest of the series… because, let’s face it, no team could pass and shoot like the ’99 Kings.

Vlade Divac sets a pick and dramatically flops to the ground, Jason Williams behind the back pass to Chris Webber, slam dunk… BANG!

-Out of the Wilderness