What’s Your Go-To Road Trip Playlist?

I had around 5 hours in the car recently and the array of entertainment was pretty narrow. There was local radio, of course. My truck doesn’t have a scan button, which is a shame, but I buzzed through local stations trying to find 1) music I liked and 2) any station that wasn’t talking so much. I pretty much can’t stand the gamey gimmicks from most music stations these days. Then there was a book I reserved on Libby. Great story of a thriller/murder mystery and I got it all the way up to 2x speed. New record territory! And then there was Spotify.

Full transparency, my trip was 5 hours one way and then naturally that means I had 5 hours for the return trip, too. The music I went to on both sides of the trip was from The Head and the Heart. Easily one of my favorite bands. I hit play, selected random in the band’s song catalogue and let the music play. Such a great band. When you’re on a trip, is there a band you can listen to without skipping ahead much? For me on this trip, it was definitely The Head and the Heart.

-Out of the Wilderness

If I Had A Boat – Marina Pics with A $10 Million Dollar Yacht

Something fun I did this week was walk around a marina on the coast of Florida. It wasn’t big but when the average boat– or more accurately, yacht– is worth millions, it’s a lot of fun. See if you can identify which one from the pics below is worth $10,000,000. Comment with your favorite, too!

-Out of the Wilderness

The Genesis Holiday Commercial – Christmas Cozy Animation…

If you’ve come across the new Coca-Cola Christmas commercial, you’re most likely keenly aware of the misuse of AI. One might say the greedy (saving money) or lazy (path of least resistance) production of the ad isn’t sitting well with a lot of viewers. And then you have the car manufacturer Genesis. This, Coca-Cola, is HOW. IT. IS. DONE. Very cute, let’s go ahead and call it Christmas Cozy. Check it out…

Where Genesis shines is in the presentation of a cute commercial, not trying to trick us that something is real when it’s not. Clearly animation but done in a fun way. Kudos.

-Out of the Wilderness

Who’s the Best White Rapper?

Not that color really means anything but it would be foolish to NOT acknowledge someone’s color in certain circumstances, right? The rap music genre is generally dominated by black men and women and that’s because when they’re good at rapping, the can be VERY good at it. I’m thinking of Busta Rhymes, who is one of the best, in my opinion. The speed at which he delivers lines is breath-taking. There are different styles and all that so someone else’s favorite might be a more methodical rapper or one has better beats. All kinds. And then there are the white rappers. Some are good and some try real hard. Bless their hearts! The few that come to mind in modern culture… Eminem, Tom MacDonald, and NF. Three different styles, different subject matters generally, but all very talented. From those three, who would you say is the #1 rapper? For a long time, I’d say it’s Eminem. “Headlights” with Nate Ruess is one of the best I’ve ever heard.

When Tom MacDonald came on to the scene, I was blown away.

And NF. What is there to say about this young man? At first I thought he sounded like Eminem but the more I’ve listened, the more he separated himself and if I were to vote, I’d pick him as the best white rapper in 2025. His new song “Fear” had me in all sorts of fits with emotions and wide eyes. So honest and parts I can relate with in ways I don’t talk about out loud.

-Out of the Wilderness

The UPS Store Commercial – The Song and More Holiday Stuff

Did anyone have “Touching Commercial from the UPS Store” on their 2025 bingo card? Didn’t think so! But here we are. With Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman splitting, I guess anything is possible and I mean that in the worst way. But this ad *is* a sparkle of joy for the holiday season. A man is struggling to find the perfect gift for his mother, and I bet a lot of us struggle with that same thing– a gift for a parent or a loved one that is hard to buy for. Check out the ad then scroll down for more…

The Music. The soundtrack for the commercial is a song called “Iris” by Wim Mertens. Here’s the full 10-minute version…

A slap in the face of online retailers and I absolutely love that we never see what the son bought (in person) for his mother. It leaves it open ended and YOUR gift is what fills in that blank. The gift you get for your mom or loved one… preferably in an actual store. Good work UPS!

-Out of the Wilderness