Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
I love when people have a sense of humor. This week’s news is all about riots and Riley Gaines vs. Simone Biles, but let’s all take a second to forget all the drama and laugh a little. Where have these videos been all my life? Below are a just a few “video doesn’t match the song” clips. Enjoy!
If those don’t make you laugh, then something is seriously wrong!
-Out of the Wilderness
It’s the afternoon and I’m walking through the parking lot in front of the gym. As I think about what I’m wearing– a dry fit shirt, athletic shorts– and carrying a water bottle and a towel, there are other people walking in this same parking lot but dressed quite a bit differently. They’re walking towards the restaurant connected to the gym. I’m underdressed… except that I’m not going to the restaurant. Now I feel uncomfortable but I don’t know if it’s for me or for them.
45 minutes later and I’m on the way out. Except now I have an empty water bottle and I’m really sweaty, walking alongside people arriving at or leaving from that restaurant. I guess it just seems weird to me that there’s a restaurant sharing a wall with a gym. Doesn’t it ruin the atmosphere for anyone trying to have a decent evening out? Pulling into a parking spot, making sure your shirt is tucked in, walking hand-in-hand with your significant other, but then glance around to see people in gym clothes trying to get buff. It must break the mood, right? Plus, connected to the other side if this restaurant is Dollar Tree.
It’s kind of like seeing an 8 in a group of 5s. Something just doesn’t fit. But I guess it’s nice that we can all coexist in this strip mall parking lot. Howdy, I’m Ben. I’m going to the gym to become a better triathlete. Have a good dinner!
-Out of the Wilderness
It’s Pride month so you know that that means– All the LGBTQIAs are flaunting their skirts in public. If that’s you, slay queen! It’s not Mabeline, you were born with it. Just shave those legs, mmmk? My first kiss was with a lesbian (I was such a good kisser, she swore off all men a few years later 😎😚). Hope Tracy’s doing well.
Let’s put aside the science that theorizes that if everyone were gay, mankind would cease to exist in about 100 years because, like Joni Ernst said a few days ago, we’re all going to die. Eventually. But if you’re a gay man, there’s a new reason to have hope you’ll die later, not sooner. Just take some pills!
Truvada is one of a handful of pharmaceutical companies trying to eradicate a virus that affects gay men more than any other group– HIV/AIDS. Admirable sure, but their commercials are just… sooooo…. gaaaaaay. In Truvada’s defense, commercials from Cabenuva and ads from Biktarvy are quite gay, too.
I found a video from 2012 with an expert giving his advice on how Truvada works and who it’s for (spoiler alert: men who have sex with men, primarily). The expert interviewed is Dr. Fauci so knowing what we know now about his COVID involvement, take what he says with a grain of salt. Some might think he’s trying to spread HIV just so he can be the one to save everyone from it (allegedly). 🥴
People in the homosexual community are usually some of the nicest people I meet. I have nothing but love and respect for them as people created by God to do good things, the same for everyone. What I find funny is how businesses and institutions treat homosexuality. Like this ironic “Love is healthy” post from the World Health Organization…
Love is healthy. Contracting AIDS from a male homosexual encounter is not. You’d think WHO would know that. Whether you’re gay or straight or bisexual or wondering about it all, do your thing. I’m not sure there needs to be a month celebrating who we love. There’s already a day for that and we all know Valentine’s Day is a manufactured holiday. But Truvada should really think about sponsoring June. Then they’d have more money to make more (less gay?) commercials.
-Out of the Wilderness
Ed Sheeran clearly had a lot of fun making his latest music video (and here’s the behind-the-scenes rundown of the shoot). It’s for the song “Sapphire” and it’s shot in a handheld camera type fashion throughout India. The director was Liam Pethick and the director of photography was Nic Minns. Honestly, I wasn’t fully prepared for all the happiness. Check it out then scroll down for more…
Co-starring with Ed is an Indian musician/singer named Arijit Singh (@ArijitSingh). He’s only following 3 people on Instagram, maybe you can be the fourth so be sure to follow him so he can find you! While you’re at it, follow me, too… @TheBenWilder. Arijit isn’t the only Indian star in the video either. This article from the Times of India gets more specific including an appearance from a Bollywood actor.
According to a statement from Ed, there’s another version of this song coming out soon and it’ll have much more of a Punjabi influence and more of Arijit, too. So what’s with the title of the song? I think Ed must’ve done his research because a traditional Hindu belief holds that the sapphire stone causes the planet Saturn (a heavenly entity named Shani) to be favorable to the wearer. Sapphire is also the gemstone of those born in September. And for anyone wondering, Ed was born in February which connects to amethyst as its birthstone.
Did you catch Ed singing in Hindi in the chorus? I didn’t catch it at first and then I figured it was English and Ed was doing some kind of lyrical riff that singers sometimes do. Once again, I was wrong! The lyrics are “Cham cham chamke sitare wargi” which, translated from Hindi, means “the stars shine brightly.”
-Out of the Wilderness
I don’t know why I put this on myself. It’s so hard to narrow down my favorite bird photos from my “Only Birds” Portfolio. Check out all the images in that link and let me know if there are any you like better than the following…
Woody. This is a woodpecker (not the same kind as Woody but let’s just move on…) as you can tell by the red head. But I wanted something more pastel-like, so with a little editing, this is the final presentation.
Briefly. Pelicans are special to me because of a moment that happened on a boat a long time ago. My grandfather had just passed and there were these two pelicans flying side by side and I watched them for a long time, even while the boat was motoring on towards land. There’s more to that story but for now, here’s one of my favorite pelican pics.
New. Eggs in my favorite color and a newborn bird hungry for its next meal. This was a little nest in the bushes right at the front of my house in Nashville when I used to live there. I monitored this nest for weeks and it was a pretty cool moment when the hatching started.
Wing-Span. I was still pretty new to having a professional camera so I sort of messed up the settings of this shot but thankfully the juvenile eagle flew around enough for me to get a few pictures worth hanging on to. This one will always be a favorite because of the colors, the wings as the eagle made a turn, and just the overall composition, which isn’t much with the blueish sky in the background. I guess that helps keep attention on the features of this big bird.
Simplicity. This one has a bit more going on than the others. Isn’t it a great reminder from kids that life’s simple things can bring so much happiness? Chasing birds and watching as they scatter in all directions. It’s the beach. It’s the sun. It’s the little things that become what we cherish most, I think.
I’m curious to know which other pictures you enjoy too, so check out “Only Birds” and let me know in the comments!
-Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness 