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
Hey there! Clearly you stopped by to check out a new list (I love lists) featuring songs that are only numbers. I just saw that Brandon Lake has a new video for a song called “SEVENS” so I thought it would be fun to think about other titles that are only numbers. Can you think of any that aren’t included below?
There are quite a few more but these are the few that came to my mind right pretty much right off the bet. What are some of your favorites you’d add to this list?
-Out of the Wilderness
And the winner of American Idol is… Lights dim. Arena goes quiet. The entire season’s been building to this moment. By now you know the person taking the title of American Idol is Jamal Roberts. He arrived on the scene without a ton of fanfare but as the weeks went by, he became a gem. His final full performance was a repeat of a song called “Heal.”
John Foster was gracious in his 2nd place finish and had time to prepare a reaction since he peaked and saw the name written on the “winner” card. I don’t blame him, though. Host Ryan Seacrest should’ve shielded that info for a few seconds longer but in the end it doesn’t really matter that John knew before the rest of us.
Does it even matter that my favorite singer didn’t win?? Slater was and is a great singer, Thunderstorm, too. In fact, the top 10 was so strong. Top 15, top 24… not so much! But I enjoyed this season of Idol: Tracking the episodes, transcribing original songs lyrics. Good times. Eventually I’ll get over the part where they didn’t let Sophie Powers move on to the Hollywood rounds. 😵💫
The only negative thing I’ll say about this episode, and it was a great lineup of guest singers, is Jamal’s song after he was announced winner. The season crescendos as the winner is named and the song they had him sing was a sappy break up song? Such a missed opportunity to have Jamal sing “Shout,” one of his best performances from earlier in the season! Aren’t we supposed to be in a celebratory mood?
Comment below with your thoughts about the finale and if you have a sec, add your email to subscribe to my daily blogs!
-Out of the Wilderness
I happened to catch a news segment about the most innovative thing I’ve seen in sports since quarterbacks started wearing wristbands with plays on them. It’s a new floor that could change sports forever. Take a look at the news piece, then scroll down for more…
This floor totally would have helped me get more playing time when I rode the bench in JV basketball! Instead, coach put me in the game when the score was so lopsided even Steph Curry couldn’t have tied it up. But I digress. I was glued to the TV watching Chris Thornton explain the court and its tethering to the iPad. He didn’t say if Android users can participate, but just calm down all you anti-Apple people!
All kidding aside, I think it will have a huge impact on basketball practice/training in teams’ private facilities but the integration of the court in public settings might be more difficult, especially in arenas that share space with hockey teams. Plus, isn’t there always “that fan” who throws stuff on the court? If the glass court gets shattered or cracked, does the game end right then and there? But for practices, what an amazing tool to be able to draw on the court. It opens up an entire new world for the players, and back to the fans… it has the potential to enhance game day experiences with animations on the court and even changing court colors often. It can also be used for volleyball, tennis, and more, and I love the idea of not having all those boundary lines overlapping each other. We’ve all been there, right? When you’re playing a sport and its boundary lines are one color but there are lines in blue, red, yellow, green, and it takes 21 minutes to figure out if your sweet volleyball shot was in or out.
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-Out of the Wilderness
Target’s running a new commercial prepping us for all the summer fun we’ll be having beachside, poolside, or curbside. And yes, shopping in Target is fun for some people. Just ask any woman you know! Here’s the ad, then scroll down for the name of the song and more…
[if you’re looking for the Circle week ad in October 2025, click here]
The Song. The song backing this ad is called “Sunshine Superman” by Donovan. It was released in 1966 and ranked pretty high on charts all over the world, even reaching #1 in the U.S. Here’s the full song…
A song resurrected from the past that pairs really well with the visuals in the commercial. Have a great summer and be safe! If you enjoyed today’s post, consider a one-time $1 donation to help me continue posting daily. Then go out and enjoy the sunshine…
-Out of the Wilderness
Hi there! Lots to be thankful for this week so I hope you’ve made a few good memories with family or friends. Comment below with something you’ve appreciated about this week and now let’s get on with Five-Photo Friday. Today I thought I’d dip into my black & white gallery, selecting a few favorites for you to check out. For the photographers out there, do you take photos with the idea of turning them into black & white images or do you prefer full color? The photos below were captured in color but when I opened them up to edit, I could picture them in black & white so here they are… let me know what you think…
Lighthouse. It’s not ever easy to pick a favorite but also, this one is probably my favorite, at least for the mood I’m in today. The image is kind of chaotic (and yes, the original image has been edited) except for the beacon that is the lighthouse, exactly what they’re intended for– keeping ships from running into land. This is the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse just south of Daytona Beach, Florida.
Circular. I love pictures from a low perspective and this one fits the bill perfectly. I found this little shell while I was camping at Blue Springs State Park in Florida and with a little bit of outside help (me propping it upright for the pic), the shell has a great contrast with the bright background. The color version is pretty neat too, but I do prefer the B&W on this one.
A Man’s Man. I had parked my camper for the night and walked down a nearby road lined with homes on one side and fields on the other. This gentleman was taking his tractor to one of those fields and, very not introverted of me, I asked him if I could get a few pictures of him on his tractor. There’s something humble and cool about a person working the land, ya know? He obliged and this was one of the pics. If anyone at Kubota is seeing this, message me and maybe we can get it framed for your main factory office? 😋
Squirrel! One of my newer edits is this squirrel spotted on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Some might call it an albino squirrel but a more accurate way to describe it is… a white squirrel. Not quite as exotic as albino, sure, but still somewhat rare to see these when most squirrels are gray or brown or black (I think the north has black squirrels?). This is a condition called leucism… a reduction of pigment. If you see one of these white squirrels, check the eyes. Normal colored eyes is most likely leucism, but if everything is pink, it’s an albino squirrel.
Inter(twined) State. This is one of the most interconnected interstate overlaps in Nashville, Tennessee. You’re looking at Interstate 440, Interstate 65, Franklin Road, and various splits of those roads. Chaos is what it is but hats off to the engineers who put all of this together to help traffic flow smoothly.
Check back every Friday for a new gallery of favorites or to make it easy, subscribe below for email notifications. If you enjoyed today’s post, consider a small donation to help me continue posting daily. See you tomorrow!
-Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness 