Piper Part 1 – The Beginning of An Era

I saw a picture of a bin of beagles and my schedule for the following day was immediately changed. I’d go visit Happy Tales Humane Society in Franklin, Tennessee and find the one puppy that already had all of my attention even just from that one picture. Somehow I knew that that one, not having met her or seen her in person yet, was meant to be my companion. The next morning I drove as fast as I could and I found her and she sat on my lap for 3 hours right there in one of the rooms of the office. I kept asking myself, should I do this? Is it time to be a dog dad? I already knew the answer, though.

Our journey together began that day. Before showing her her new home, we stopped by PetSmart for supplies and a bed, pictured below.

I had a little bit of an idea that Piper would change my life but I didn’t know exactly what the next 15 years would bring. From naps together to me chasing her through the woods, traveling around the southeast as far south as Key West and as far west as Texas, a million cuddles, and countless meetings by the space heater, we were pretty much inseparable and I have been so blessed and lucky and thankful to be her dog dad. Even when she magically escaped and went on adventures led only by her nose, we’d come back together and be as happy as two peas in a pod.

My time with Piper drew to a close last week. She was 15 so as my way of loving her even when she’s gone, I’ll be writing 15 Piper-related posts to represent the amazing years we had together. Please check in daily for more of my memories and experiences with the loyal and royal Piper Wilder.

-Out of the Wilderness

Are liberals genuinely mad about Sydney Sweeney, American Eagle?

There’s a lot of chatter about liberals hating the new campaign from American Eagle. In the left’s defense, I haven’t seen anything online ripping the ad apart. What exactly is in the commercials that could be so divisive… pro-bullying? Ketchup on mac and cheese? A tax on breathing air? Let’s take a look…

An attractive woman talking about her nice jeans. Surely there’s something I’m missing, right? Is it because she’s young? Thin? White? I don’t remember anyone getting all turnt up when Jeremy Allen White (also caucasian and also my body double, obviously) ran around on a rooftop in just his Calvin Klein underwear. Sydney Sweeney is wearing a lot more clothes than Jeremy so any real backlash she or American Eagle is facing is just a bunch of hooey. Well, that or the ugliness of jealousy in people who aren’t as pretty as Sydney (and Jeremy… and me since he’s my body double, remember?).

What do you think about it? Chime in below and be sure to subscribe, it’ll take you all of 15 seconds. Thanks for coming by today.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Samsung Z Fold 7 Has Me Big Mad

So many screens. So many cameras. You’d think a device like this would delight me like nothing else and yet all I feel is rage. OK, it’s not quite that strong but after watching the video below, OK yes I’m raging. Evidently there are warnings about the phone’s ability to withstand dust, sand, some water, and it can’t go near devices sensitive to magnets? Who is the shmuck that’ll buy this phone? What a goofball.

I bet the Flip 7 is going to send me into a road rage, too. A phone that was originally designed to close it and be present in the moment now has 2 huge screens, inside and out. I guess that whole “don’t let your phone distract you” thing was just a short-lived idea, huh?

I’m raging.

I can’t hate these two pieces of crap any harder. With that said, I can’t burn the Samsung bridge completely. The phone I have now is the Samsung S25 Ultra (a few cameras, one screen) and I pretty much love it more than any phone I’ve had. Mainly because of [this feature] but also the square edges and the killer still photos and crisp videos.

I’m glad I don’t have to worry about sliding a fingernail gently across the screen and leaving a permanent mark…….. LIKE THE IDIOTIC FLIP 7 AND FOLD 7.

RRRRRAAAGGGEEE.

-Out of the Wilderness

The Awkward Doritos Barbershop Commercial… Funny Or Nasty?

Have you ever gone to the barbershop and got kicked out for licking the barber? Yeah, me neither. But then again, I can’t remember a barber cutting my hair with the cheesy, delicious flavoring of Doritos on his or her fingers. Sure it would be very awkward but the payoff is worth it. At least that’s what the guy from the commercial is going to say. I’m pretty confident in saying there hasn’t been a commercial this year that’s made me laugh as much as this one from Doritos. So funny. So cringy. So great.

The acting, editing, audio mixing, it’s all perfect. And the guy walks out with half of a hair cut. Amazing commercial and proof that you don’t need to make it complicated. Just make it well. Two cheesy thumbs up on this one!

-Out of the Wilderness

God Did It… But Who Else Did It, Too?

I’ve been finding encouragement in a few songs lately. One is by Colton Dixon. Have you heard, “Up + Up” yet? It’s a great, upbeat song with a play on the title– God lifts us up and up again (when we’re feeling down and out) and then there’s a reminder that we can lift God up and up again (in praise). From not even thinking about trying out for American Idol and then finishing in the top 10, Colton Dixon is meant to be doing what he’s doing.

There are a couple of other songs I go to when I’m in the car. TobyMac “A Lil Church.” A great song, Toby reminding us of his hip hop gospel roots, one of his best songs as a solo artist.

Toby is on this list again with “God Did It.” I love his speaking-style delivery of the lyrics in this song. When all else fails, who can do it? God. But also, we shouldn’t wait till all else fails, kind of the point of the song, I guess. But did you know there’s another song with the same exact title by a totally different artist? “God Did It” by Micah Tyler. The two songs have the same title, same melody in the chorus, released on the same day, and yet were written by two different trios of writers. What in the heck??

Micah’s version was written by Micah Tyler, Jake Henry, and Jeff Pardo.

TobyMac’s version was written by Toby, Jordan Mohilowski, and Benji Cowart.

I like both songs but all the similarities are super bizarre. I can’t find anything from either camp that references the titles and choruses matching so exactly and only a few articles mention it, too. The best way I can describe the pairing of songs, given that the writers absolutely must have been in cahoots in some form or fashion, is one is avocado and the other is guacamole. The same thing but not exactly the same thing. Do you know more about these two tracks? If so, share so we can get to the bottom of these twin tracks!

-Out of the Wilderness