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
The little kid in me had been hoping for days that what they were saying about snow in Florida was going to be true. Could it really happen? Snow in Florida? And not just flurries, but inches of snow!? The adult in me, though, kept spoiling the party; telling me it’s just a fluke, it’s going to be a dud, stop hoping for good things…
Well, yippee ki-yay… adult me was wrong! Fluke Skywalker showed up in Florida this week in the form of the once-in-a-lifetime snowfall you’ve probably been seeing all over Facebook, Instagram, and the news. I hadn’t seen snow since I left Nashville and I think they’re saying north Florida hasn’t had snow like this in over 100 years. That’s crazy!
Naturally, I took a few obligatory photos and then put my phone down to have a little fun. Only in Florida will you see someone slide down a hill on a toucan pool float. Good times!
I couldn’t decide which commercial to write about first: Volkswagen or Expedia. But Expedia was about Nashville so I went with that one. That just means that today’s post is about Volkswagen. Good things come to those who wait, and a good thing is on the way now… here’s the VW ad featuring a song from nearly 75 years ago.
The Song. It was also used in a Google Pixel phone commercial (check it out here), a song called “Are You Having Any Fun?” by Elaine Stritch.
The Split Screen. The commercial is so well-made. Highlighting the two-tone paint offerings of the van, each scene in the ad is cut in half with color. Basically your television or phone or whatever you’re watching on has a color on the top half of the screen and another color on the bottom half… just like the VW. That surely takes some planning when you’re shooting in so many different locations. I love that aspect of the ad!
Are we having any fun? Well, not if we look at the details of the ID. Buzz. No fun at all. Buying one will set you back nearly $70,000 and on top of that, the electric range is going to get you to the next town over and back… but don’t be a goofball and try taking this thing cross country. The ad gets an A but the actual product, C+ at best. They look good and that’s about where it all ends.
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Anyone can boot-scootin’ boogie in Nashville and that sentiment shuffles on in a commercial from Expedia that’s been airing and streaming lately, although the ad is about a year old. Take a look then scroll down for the name of the song and more… and if you like what you read today, I’d love a little help to continue posting at 1pm central. Consider a small donation before you leave!
OK, they call the ad “Two Step” but she was scootin’ her boots, right? Atta girl! I haven’t line danced in ages but I remember it being fun. I’m more into contra dancing these days. Perhaps on their next trip, these dancers can stop by any town in America for a little bit of swinging, promenading, and right shoulder rounds (all dance moves included in various contra dance choreography)! But the music… they don’t make it like they used to, do they? This song is from over 50 years ago… 1967, to be exact. Here’s the full track of Tammy Wynette’s “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad”…
The main actresses in the ad are from Japan and it’s stated in a behind-the-scenes video that this was their first trip to the U.S. I’d say Nashville was a great place to experience the country for the first time. Hope they danced till the cows came home. Come on back now, ya hear?
I can’t remember the last time I wrote a blog post about my blog posts but I guess today marks the first one for 2025. I logged on this morning to start writing and finally admitted to myself out loud (and to the WordPress chat agent) how much I dislike the layout of their admin page…
Maybe I’m just old. Maybe I’m doing something wrong. If that’s the case please let me know, but everything I tried yielded no solutions! The previous layout, what WordPress calls the “classic version,” was so much better and I want it back so badly. This frustration is occupying more of my mental bandwidth than is healthy, I’m sure. WordPress, if you’re reading this: Please fix it! For my health!!
Sometimes I don’t like change. Maybe most of the time. But you have to admit the new layout is a bit bungle some right? Chaotic. Messy. Busy. Less calm. Terrible.
Why can’t certain things just be left alone, you know? Not everything has be upgraded, modified, added to. Some things are great and shouldn’t be touched. Like a movie that is simply perfect but then someone comes along and makes a sequel or turns an animated movie into live-action.
So, folks, today’s post is about today’s post host. WordPress. Stop being goofballs and change it back to how it was before!
Tom MacDonald has his tattooed finger on the pulse of politically conservative rap, if that’s such a category. From the very first time I heard one of his songs (“Fake Woke”), I was like yes, yes, and yes. It was about time someone added beats to lyrics that related to a lot of people across the country. Rap doesn’t always have to be about drugs and naked women (I’m being very stereotypical, of course!). Tom’s latest features Tom’s ex… that is Tom Arnold’s ex-wife Roseanne Barr. Take a look then scroll down for more…
Roseanne has been an outspoken Trump supporter and while she’s not the best rapper, I don’t think the legitimacy of her rap career is the point of the video anyway. She probably doesn’t really give a flying flip what I think or you think or anyone thinks, which is kind of refreshing. Another good one from Tom as far as creativity goes, but I do have to take issue with the premise, the title.
Referring to a president as “daddy” is more in line with Democrats, though I’m not sure they even know that. When they look for someone to be elected in their party, it’s as if they’re searching for a father figure (maybe that’s why Kamala had to be forcefully situated on their ticket this election cycle, she’s not a daddy). They love to have authority over them, telling them what to do and how to do it. Actually, it might be more accurate to say they love someone having authority over YOU. Why else do they often fight for citizens to have less rights in this country?
One part I love about conservatives is that this weird Democrat fetish of an elected official being a savior is rarely, if ever, the case. Now it might be said that a lot of people think of Trump as the savior of the Republican party but I disagree with that, too. At this point in time, he fits what the Republicans want in a leader. He works for them (and us, the people). Conservatives aren’t looking for someone to bark out orders, in fact, it’s probably the opposite. We want someone who kind of does what they’re hired to do and gets out of the way.
Democrats, on the other hand, look to these leaders to solve all their problems. They want someone to discipline anyone who disagrees with them, give them an allowance, tell them they’re being good citizens. It’s weird. So in that sense, I don’t like playing their game of calling a President daddy, but I suppose if this Tom MacDonald song is aimed at liberals, its title is phrased in a way they’ll understand. Tom… a man of the people.
But I’m absolutely never calling Donald Trump daddy.
Out of the Wilderness 