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
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine earning a gold medal during the 2014 Olympics. In fact, earning any kind of recognition at all wasn’t on my radar. But yesterday, among a select few, I bowed to accept a medal around my neck. OK, it’s not an Olympic gold medal per se. But 1st place in my division came with perks. Namely, a medal that’s gold in color. I was speechless. Mostly because the woman who was speaking didn’t offer me the mic. The Cupid’s Chase 5k was a fun race even though Nashville weather is the true definition of bipolar. Snowing when the gun went off and sunny at the finish line.
The following afternoon I joined the Governor of Tennesseee for brunch at Cracker Barrel. OK, it wasn’t brunch with the Governor per se. But I was eating at the same time he was eating which means my Mama’s Pancake Breakfast came from the same kitchen as his meal. So that obviously makes us best friends. I would’ve showed him my gold medal but I didn’t want to hurt our friendship. To say this was a good weekend would be politically incorrect. It was a landmark weekend!
You can’t go anywhere in Nashville without hearing live music, however hearing great live music might be a bit more elusive. But not if you were at 12th and Porter last night.
A Great Big World
Loyal fans crowding the floors of the the downtown bar venue were all quite aware of the guys currently holding the #5 spot on the iTunes singles chart, but A Great Big World was new to me. I’ve heard their song with Christina Aguilera but that’s about all I knew. But before we get to them, let’s start with the openers. First there was My Red and Blue whose lead singer (I’m sure he’s heard this a million times) looks a lot like a European version of Eminem. In fact, if he announced to the crowd that he was from Detroit I would’ve shouted out, “We love you Marshall!” But he didn’t. So I didn’t. I don’t think he’s European either and for what it’s worth, this guy has a better singing voice than Eminem. But taking advice from the white rapper, My Red and Blue seems to be seizing their one shot, their one opportunity! They were really good. They performed original songs and even did a cover of Tal Bachman’s “She’s So High.” I really enjoyed their set!
Next up was the biggest surprise of the night for me. The female band plus one guy (that’s what I’m going to call them even though the guy is obviously a very important part of the team!) called Secret Someones. I have a feeling there one hit away from being the all female band plus one guy now called Not-So-Secret Someones. They were great! I don’t typically expect a pop/rock band to feature singers that can you know, actually sing. It seems like those kinds of bands are mostly rockers that can hold a tune well enough to make music. But time and time again, the vocals of Secret Someones really took me by surprise. Not only did they sing well, but they each had quarky personalities in the best possible way. They were just plain fun to watch. Plus, I always appreciate when a band plays hard, but you can still hear the lyrics. Perhaps that’s a shout out to their sound guy. So if you have a chance to go see either of these bands, My Red and Blue or Secret Somethings, you should go.
Of course, the night wasn’t near over. The headliners A Great Big World were still to come! If I’m being honest, I was worried that every song would be that sort of woe-is-me-my-heart-is-broken-let’s-go-get-some-pizza-at-Five-Points vibe you find in east Nashville. But as sure as pigs get muddy, the band kicked off with a few fast-paced songs that had me enamored with the melodies, the harmony of voices, and the lyrics the whole way through. They were entertaining, funny, comfortable on stage, and seemed genuinely happy (and thankful) to be in the position they were/are in, which is playing on a stage in Music City. Another win for them was when they incorporated a muted trumpet, a ukele, and a triangle. Yes, the triangular bar of metal you remember from church choir.
I’m so glad I was able to catch this awesome show! Much like Kings of Leon or Needtobreathe, there’s going to come a point where you’ll say, “Man, I shoulda seen ‘em back when tickets were affordable!” This is that time for these 3 bands. Check them out, you’ll be impressed and that will make you happy.
Wilderness Ratings for headliners A Great Big World:
Entertainment value: 8/10
Enjoyable Music: 10/10
Believability: 10/10
Length of show: Too shortPerfectToo long
Encore: Not this time
Special Category- Did Christina Aguilara show up: YesNo
Was their music good enough to buy the whole album: YesNo
Will you regret not going? YesNo
Build a snowman, really? This guy would ask that question on a first date… IN JUNE! He’s a bit wacky, but hey, he can work some magic with the hair clippers.
The inch-and-a-half cut on my finger was from a punch I landed on a jerk at the grocery store. When he hit the ground, I bent down and said to him, “Ring that up with a coupon, Sally.” The cut was deep and I knew it would bleed. But the pain, it was instant and an immediate signal things weren’t going the way they were supposed to.
That’s a cool way to tell you about the cut on my finger. However, I’m not a vigilante. I’m a dog owner. Here’s the real story.
It all started on a beautiful Saturday morning. Rare in this bitter cold winter Nashville’s having. Taking advantage of every ray of warm sunlight, I ventured off to the dog park with Piper and Asia. It’s been awhile since we were in the habit of afternoon park visits. It was a great day, the dogs seemed friendlier than usual and there were multitudes of dogs and owners at the park that afternoon. Piper, the less social one, was more social. And I was, too. After chatting with a few folks, I rounded the girls up and we headed for the exit. That’s when it happened.
I was exiting and there was another group entering. When Asia saw the dogs waiting for us to pass through the gated entry, in her excitement she hurdled towards the dogs. Holding on to the leash with a death grip, my hand slammed into the gate latch and like I said, the pain was immediate. The cut on my finger reminded me of babies when they fall down and hit their head. They get up. It looks like they’re crying but you don’t hear anything. That’s when you know it’s going to be a doozy. The hysterics begin with a loud scream and it goes on from there. Likewise, my finger was cut, but there wasn’t any blood… yet. I knew it was coming so I did the best I could to be curb the flow. Instead of getting in the car, I let my finger soak up the sunlight, raising it as high as I could without looking like a weirdo, and blew on it occasionally.
So if we ever cross paths and you ask about my wound, I might say, “Hey, you should see the other guy!” but you’ll know the truth. I cut my finger protecting a young goat from a puma.
There’s a wind of change coming on in my life. The only way I can think to describe how I feel is a deep ocean. And at the same time, I sit paralyzed by recent events. But I mean stillness in the best possible way. Like my life is being altered and decades from now I’ll look back and be able to pinpoint this season I’m in now as a major landmark in my life. From the sadness of grandparents passing to a sister who’s finally getting a ‘yes’ for her prayers. Seeing old friends and saying goodbye to other friends. Things are changing. My brother calls 2014 “The Year of New Things” and it’s looking like he’s exactly right. New things. And I’m reminded of the words of Jesus, “I’m making all things new.” I can’t quite piece all this together, but the ground is shifting. It’s like the earth. Lots of movement underneath the surface with plates shifting and moving. It seems like now those kinds of changes are really becoming visible and it’s good. And since my grandfather died a few weeks ago, I can tell the way I date, and maybe eventually the way I love someone, is changing, too. Because as I’ve looked through photos of him and my grandmother, and worked on a couple of videos with those pictures, I’m frozen in place by the love they shared. Yes, he was a soldier, a Christian, a father, and many other things, but gosh, man, if I had to boil it all down to one thing, he loved my grandma.
I don’t think I can live up to that standard, heck I haven’t gotten off to a good start by any means. But I’d rather be single forever than settle for anything less than that kind of love. I just won’t do it. Pop didn’t settle. Mom Mom didn’t settle. My desire to marry my best friend far outweighs my desire to marry. So it’s settled then. I might be single forever and that’s OK. But one day, if I’m lucky, I can have a love like this…
OK, it’s not an Olympic gold medal per se. But 1st place in my division came with perks. Namely, a medal that’s gold in color. I was speechless. Mostly because the woman who was speaking didn’t offer me the mic. The Cupid’s Chase 5k was a fun race even though Nashville weather is the true definition of bipolar. Snowing when the gun went off and sunny at the finish line.
Out of the Wilderness 