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
We’ve all heard of ghosting and I can assure you, the practice of disappearing mid conversation, or never uttering a word at all, is alive and well. Here are just a few from the nightmare of dating online. These are all 100% real because they’re from my own personal experience…
This first one was a woman who used AI to compose her profile bio. Of course I used that against her, just like a good bad robot.
Anna must’ve been having a bad morning.
New year, same Lori.
Michelle’s bio said she was really easy to talk to. I beg to differ.
You can’t be a beggar and a chooser, they say. Flores is out to prove them wrong.
Alien abduction wasn’t something I saw coming. When she returns, I really want to know everything.
Angie? Rebecca? Brian? Bueller???
Nichole seemed fun.
But wait… there’s more! Check back in tomorrow at 1pm central for the rest of the list. There are some spectacular interactions on the way…
OK yes, I left out 2010… the real title of the song is “Way Too High (2010)” but a song title with something in parentheses is a gray area, isn’t it? Like, do we include the words or not? Parentheses are used as a way to include nonessential information… so what the heck are we supposed to do with (2010)??? Also, is it weird that 2025 to 2010 is like 1990 to 1975? Yes, it’s VERY weird! You know those comparisons blow your mind, just admit it. Thinking about 1990 (35 years ago but this is nonessential) now is like living in 1990 and thinking about 1955. 👀
Muscadine Bloodline’s new video for their song “Way Too High”………hmm ok fine…………… “Way Too High (2010)” 🙄 is basically a list of things the pair of singers did in 2010. Actually, now (2010) is sounding pretty essential to the song. The lyrics orbit around the title “way too high” so I thought they’d be singing about smoking in the boys bathroom. But the writer cleverly connects the phrase to pick-up trucks. Riding around in a truck up way too high. It’s a subtle way of saying they’re all growed up now. What’s cool when you’re 18 looks pretty dumb when you’re 30, and darn near idiotic when you’re 40. But in their defense, a jacked up truck looks waaaaaaay better than a half jacked up truck… like this one I saw at Target. What the heck??
The lyrics list all the things high schoolers were into in Alabama in 2010: Trucks with a lift kit, smoking cheap cigars, Lil Wayne (the song the guys chat at the start of the video), beer, Friday night football, hunting, and burning CDs. I never lived in AL. I had a 4-cylinder truck in high school. I think I smoked two cigars in college. Never drank beer. Didn’t play football. Never hunted. Oh, but I did burn CDs… although that was college, too. You see? I have nothing in common with this song.
So why do I like it??
The melody. The guitars. OK fine, I’m a sucker for a good acoustic song with a great melody. The harmonies are pretty nice, too. And I swear I hear an harmonica and I totally approve. I guess this song is further proof that country music is becoming listenable again. Thank you Muscadine Bloodline and others like Benjamin Tod and Lainey Wilson. You might just save the genre after all!
These pictures are from the northern Gulf coast of Florida, about an hour south of Tallahassee. I love sunsets, I love the flag, I love birds. Oh, and there’s a mediocre photo of the lunar eclipse, too.
This season, one of the most watched auditions (according to YouTube views) is Sophie Powers song “STFU.” It’s so unlike any other Idol audition I’ve seen and even now, two days later, I really, really wish they had let her through to Hollywood. But they didn’t. So now all of us are going down the rabbit hole and there’s a treat for us directly from Sophie. She uploaded a teaser of sorts, here’s her audition song in a music video without the censors. Beware, there are cuss words…
Should the judges have let Sophie through to Hollywood? Why, or why not?
This is not a recap of the entire episode but what I’m doing here is pointing out my favorite contestants from the show. For instance, in the first episode my top favorite was either Gabby Samone or Insite (read that post here). The best moment was Carrie Underwood knowing the words to practically every audition song, even the rock metal lyrics.
Now episode 2 has come and gone and of course I have more favorites. Obviously, my #1 for the episode– and the entire season so far– is Sophie Powers. If you disagree, you know what to do. Plus, I’ll say this again: The platinum ticket is a curse! Abi Carter notwithstanding, contestants should avoid it like the plague. Missing a round of auditioning (the platinum ticket automatically advances the singer to the second round of Hollywood auditions) means the viewers at home are connecting with contestants while you wait multiple weeks to have any screen time.
Back to the current auditions from episode 2, there’s Sophie and then there’s everyone else.
It’s all down hill after Sophie blew up the entire process, right? But if I had to pick other favorites, the list is as follows…
Out of the Wilderness 