I was feeling pretty manly, then I watched Beauty and the Beast…

Talk about something there that wasn’t there before, it’s Beauty and the Beast on my new-movies-that-could-be-a-big-hit list! Like me, you may think the movie is tailored for the female gender, what with all it’s singing and pretty dresses, a formal dinner, and a ruggedly handsome hunk of a star that plays the part of villain, a la Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice. Yes, I mean Gaston. And no, don’t even get me started on the fantasy that men like Darcy are actually preferred because he was not nice to Elizabeth. Of course, he definitely looked like a normal human man. beauty3C’mon Belle, you know you rather have Gaston. This just got real. I’d also like to thank 2011 for the “said no girl ever” punch line. It’s just as funny 3 years later! But we all know deep down Bingley was the man, right? Unlike Beast, though, who was not a man. Because he was a beast. Listen, if I have to spell all this out for you it’s going to be a long day.

Beauty-and-the-Beast-Wallpapers-5Though Beauty and the Beast started with the much-feared lullaby-like song, the pace picked up. It was crystal clear what was going to happen. Belle was going to rescue the beastly handsome animal (and fall in love) while also rejecting the arrogant fella, Gaston, who acts like he deserves her as a wife. There’s really no need to get into the details of her falling in love with a beast because hey, we’ve all seen some pretty rough online dating profiles. The beast actually may be an upgrade.

I give a high five and a heartfelt chuckle along with a nod and a slippity slap secret handshake to whoever was in charge of details in this movie. Get past the predictability and check out the endearing details that remind us of how fun and funny it is to be human. For instance:

The “a hem mm hmm memm” before stating “dinner is served” made me laugh so hard. I skipped back a few times to watch it again and umm, yeah, even recorded it on my, uhh, phone. In the end, I’m a fan of this movie. I really think it’ll catch on and be a hit… as long as Darcy and his pride don’t make a cameo and ruin everything ever.

A Fridge Full of Hipster Food

Thanks to a 48-hour challenge from my friend Nick Shell, I’ve got moldy cheese, expired eggs, a fridge full of hipster food… and I couldn’t be happier about it. If this were 2013 and you offered me almond milk I would’ve said, “Get outta my face!” But how quickly things can change (not “Get outta my face!” that won’t change, don’t you worry. It just won’t be about almond milk). I’m not a newly-minted hipster, either. The next time I visit family in Florida, I won’t bring kale or PBR or a fedora, but I will have a cooler full of spinach, rice, spaghetti, mixed nuts, carrots, hummus, and almond milk. Cutting out dairy altogether seems to have eliminated my allergy symptoms and a quick side note, Nick pointed out that humans are pretty much the only ones to drink milk from a different species. If that doesn’t gross you out, maybe this will. Yowza. Kingpin was a good movie. The next time you drink milk from a cow, imagine it’s from a bull and POW! You’ll at least be a vegetarian. You’re witnessing the biggest shift in my life and I’m excited to continue the journey! Do you have any stories about your diet and changes you’ve been making? Any advice for a newby healthy eater? Share in the comments!

-Out of the Wilderness

GoPro Floating Attachment

I’m so proud of this little device. I’ll be testing it this weekend in a nearby creek but I think it will be awesome to use in an ocean, lake, or pool. It’s mostly PVC pipe, 1 long screw, a couple of hex locknuts, a washer, and a tire that I found in a creek last week! The GoPro will mount to the screw using the GoPro tripod adapter and can be used right side up or upside down. Underneath I used a PVC pipe that allows line to go through it in case you want to pull it back to you, or attach small weights to give it more stability. That part hasn’t been tested yet.

The Kindness of Strangers

I recently read made up a statistic that for every ten Justin Biebers there’s one Ginny Mayes. Don’t know who Ginny Mayes is? I’ll explain. While Justin Bieber is a good example of poor choices and selfish ambition, Ginny Mayes is the perfect example that there are still good people in the world. And while saying “the world” sounds good, it should be noted there are still good people in the U.S., too, no matter what we hear from our friends on Facebook the news.

It was a normal weekday when I left the house. It was a normal weekday when I took the interstate to downtown Nashville. But then it became anything but normal. I pulled into the parking garage at work and buh bam! I didn’t turn sharp enough into the parking spot and this happened to the car next to me:

This car was spotless. No scratches, no dings or dents. Sharp. So I left a note then called the bank to set me up with a loan! As I waited for a call from the owner, I decided I wouldn’t pray for God to magically get me out of the situation, because it was my fault, my responsibility. I don’t think that’s fair to ask God that. It’s sorta like eating fried chicken and drinking a milkshake, then praying for God to bless my health. Well, uh, you just ate horrible food so no, no that’s not going to be good for you. What I really wanted from this is a reason to believe people still have good in them.

All afternoon felt like a cliffhanger waiting for the rest of the story. So a few hours went by and then Ginny Mayes called. Would she set it up through insurance? Would she inflate the real cost of the fix? Well, it turns out… neither. She was confident the marks left on her car could be washed and buffed out. What? You’re not trying to milk this? Hallelujah! There are still good strangers around. She’ll never make the news with her act of kindness, but when she could’ve taken advantage and didn’t, she made an impression on me that will last longer than the 30 minute evening news. Even weeks later she texted me to say everything was fine. I’m glad she didn’t go the way of the greedy drones we hear about too often. So the next time you have the chance to be like Ginny, do it! You might be doing a lot more than it seems.

-Out of the Wilderness