Five-Photo Friday #2 – Oh, Deer

Today marks the second edition of Five-Photo Friday and I’m excited to say the theme this time is deer (take a look at Five-Photo Friday #1 here). It’s tough to narrow down my favorites but to have any more than 5 would definitely ruin the whole alliteration thing I’m going for here! Twenty-Three Photo Friday just doesn’t have a ring to it. But nonetheless, here are 5 favorite photos of deer with a short background story for each. If you have some extra time, check out the rest of the “BW Wildlife” gallery where these photos are gathered. Hope you like what you find, they are available for purchase, too!

This photo marks my favorite wildlife day on a camping trip I took from Florida over to Texas and up to Oklahoma. In Texas, Caprock Canyons State Park has all sorts of wildlife but they’re known for bison and prairie dogs. There are also mule deer and I saw a roadrunner, too. Meep meep. But this mule deer pictured was very high up on a canyon side one quiet morning. He wasn’t alone, one other deer must’ve bedded down for the night there, too. I just happened to look their way and my day, my entire trip, were both instantly made.

This was the first fawn I’d photographed with my Sony A6600. I was walking around Radnor Lake in Nashville, Tennessee and a few deer were off to the side of the main trail. I’ll always love the spots on young deer.

I think this one will always top the list of favorites. She was the rearguard for 2 fawns and when I was approaching for a photo, she was on alert. In fact, she even took a stance in a way that I interpreted as her meaning business. She was fearless and I love that. Not to mention that her wounded eye clearly shows that she’s been through some stuff and has kept on going. So the photo itself isn’t anything spectacular, but the subject herself is.

Crossing the road in Payne’s Prairie State Park in central Florida was this adorable fawn and its mother. I love low angle shots so I got down on the ground for this one. I also love the contrast of green, gray, and golden brown. This was a fun photo to capture!

I’ve never once in my entire life seen a deer swimming, that is until this day at Village Creek State Park in Lumberton, Texas. I noticed her at the bank of the river, thinking she was just stopping for a sip of water. Then she waded on in and proceeded to cross. As a native Floridian, it gave me so much anxiety… alligators… sharks… snakes. But there she went and thankfully she made it to the other side without a hiccup.

And there we have it! Five-Photo Friday #2 is officially in the history books now. Check back next Friday for a new theme and in the meantime, I post every day at 1pm so subscribe by adding your email below and if you’re feeling generous click the button below to see how you can help me continue posting daily with a small donation. Thanks for coming by…

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Why I’m Not Excited About Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Hey there! I guess you’re here for one of two reasons– 1. Like me, you’re also not excited about the second half of Mission: Impossible or 2. You think I’m crazy and rude. The truth, actually, is that both are probably true about me but that’s beside the point! Don’t get me wrong here, I’ll watch The Final Reckoning but I’m going into it with the most sour outlook possible.

It was in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning that my biggest film pet peeve took the spotlight. It dawned on me during this movie (more than any other M:I movies) that our protagonist hero is capable of anything. Sure there are enemies, lurking danger, and big hurdles to overcome. Every hero of any story needs to have adversity for the audience to want to rally around him or her. This happens with Ethan Hunt, no doubt, in Dead Reckoning. But was there ever a moment that I thought he might lose to an insurmountable task or a worthy opponent? No… because he was able to do everything, solve everything, and had tools for every scenario… and that’s not good. It’s not relatable, believable, and I still feel nothing towards Ethan. How am I supposed to root for the underdog when there’s nothing he can’t do? If anything, all of his enemies are the underdogs… maybe we should be in their corner?

I’ll watch The Final Reckoning but there’s a high chance I’ll be scoffing at all the ways Ethan Hunt “miraculously” gets out of every jam. If you don’t like what you read today, I’m sorry. But if you DO like it, consider a small donation to help me continue posting daily at 1pm central. Comment below with your thoughts on the upcoming movie.

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We Are All Dr. Rick When It Comes To Privacy In New Progressive Commercial

Dr. Rick is the living definition of “can’t catch a break.” He’s constantly coaching up these people who are so persistent about turning into their parents. Take a look at the ad below where Dr. Rick probably escaped for some me time and yet he’s still on the clock. Poor guy.

I don’t have kids but I bet every parent can relate to this commercial. When I got my first dog, Piper, I remember talking to my sister about the new lifestyle I’d have to be living. I said something like this about the beagle, “What if I need time alone? She’s always around wanting something!” The feeling of constant responsibility gave me anxiety, for sure. But as time went on, we developed a routine and it all worked out. She’s 15 yrs old now and, well, we’re still on a routine. She’s a good pup, although she still hasn’t learned to give me some space sometimes! 😉

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American Idol Reveals Top 10 and Is There Something Fishy with the Voting?

If YouTube views are an accurate indicator of who’s getting the most votes, it’s safe to say Jamal Roberts had the best performance in last night’s episode when he gave us his interpretation of “Heal” by Tom Odell. In spite of the quiet ending, it was SO GOOD. Jamal was the last of the 12 to perform and when I went to text in my vote just two minutes after he finished singing, the text response was that voting had already closed. What gives? So we’re expected to believe that in 2 minutes, Jamal gained enough votes to NOT be in the bottom two when other singers had 10, 20, 30, 70 minutes for fans to vote. Something’s fishy, don’t you think? Even if producers are rigging parts of the show (which wouldn’t surprise me), Jamal is still very, very good and I’ll predict he’ll be in the top 3. Check out last night’s performance…

All along (meaning: in the last few weeks) I’d been secretly thinking Thunderstorm was the one to beat. There’s just this air of excitement every time he’s on stage, reminds me of Iam Tongi from a previous Idol season. It was obvious Iam was going to win… and he did. Is Thunderstorm following in those same footsteps? I had thought so but I woke up this morning with some doubts. A doubt named Jamal Roberts! Maybe he’s peaking at the right time and his popularity is swelling and swelling right up to winning the show. But then again, Thunderstorm can take a song that I’d turn off the radio and turn it into something incredibly beautiful.

And then there’s Slater Nalley. My early choice to become the next American Idol. He consistently reminds me of Jennifer Jeffries (if you recall her from last season). Their tone is similar, that raspy growl is my favorite sound. He did a great job with “Angel From Montgomery” but at the time of this post his YouTube view count (of that song specifically) is in the middle of the pack.

Of course, you can’t count out Gabby Samone either. She was a star last night with her performance of “A Song For You.” My reaction was something like: I don’t know that song but now I love it. She is very, very good.

All that to say, I have no idea who’s going to win American Idol this season. If I had to guess my top 3 at this point with 10 contestants left I’d go with Jamal, Thunderstorm, and Gabby. But who really knows? If you like what you read today, consider a small donation to help me continue posting daily at 1pm…

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American Idol and a Top 12 Scare!

The judges may sugarcoat their thoughts and reactions after each contestant sings but I am not subject to the same rules. I don’t have a career to worry about like Carrie, Luke, and Lionel so I have not one reservation telling you that the first 15 to 20 minutes were boooooorrrriiiing. Filo and Mattie Pruitt performed but I already forgot what songs they did. John Foster did an OK version of Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock,” although it was only worth a little more conversation. No one is going to write Love Letters about the first few singers but if they do, expect a Return To Sender. See what I did there? Gosh, Elvis has some amazing songs and renditions. You might as well just fast forward the DVR to Jamal Roberts (@OfficialJamalRoberts) because he is when the show really started.

It wasn’t till he got us all to “Shout” that there was some entertainment value coming from the two-hour episode! Some of the song choices continue to baffle me. For instance, Amanda picked a Michael Jackson song. Awesome!! What will she rock out with, “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” or “Man in the Mirror” or “The Way You Make Me Feel”? Any of those would have probably been incredible but we’ll never know because she sang… wait for it…. WAIT FOR IT………….. “I Can’t Help It.” Huh??? Who’s even heard of that song by MJ?

All the top singers proved why they’re continuing to the next round, including my favorites Slater (@SlaterNalleyMusic), Thunderstorm (@ThunderstormArtis), and Jamal. I swear Thunderstorm makes me like songs that I didn’t like before he sang them. Confession alert! My official pick to win is Slater but secretly I think Thunderstorm is going to be the next American Idol. But Jamal is so great, too. Actually, the show gave us a scare as they narrowed 14 down to 12 and when there were just a few contestants left with 2 eliminations still to come, Jamal was in that group! Maybe they’re just stirring up drama because Jamal must be one of the top singers in regards to votes. Especially seeing him carry both daughters right after his performance. How can you not vote for this guy!?

Going home without a rose this episode was Amanda (wrong song choice) and Desmond Roberts, who might’ve finally proved that voters don’t care about runs and high notes as much as they do connecting to the song. We don’t just want to hear something, we want to feel something. I didn’t feel anything with half the singers in this episode.

I have no idea what the blueprint is for tonight so maybe 2 more will be eliminated or maybe they’ll introduce a judge save? One thing is for sure: Lionel will say “I love it!” mid-performance, Carrie will gush over all the talent, and Luke will look over to the judges with a bewildered expression at least 13 times. Oh, those silly judges.

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