The Top 7 Superbowl Commercials

So, considering the fact that I was on the cheer squad in high school, you’d think I’d know something (anything) about football. Alas, I do not. But, like most North Americans, I do watch the Super Bowl, but mostly for the commercials (and occasionally for the half-time show). I’ve been doing this for countless years and there have been some commercials that really have stuck with me, for one reason or another. Below is a list of my favs and I’ve graciously included a YouTube link for your viewing pleasure:

1.     Bridgestone Screaming Squirrel

It’s rare that a tire commercial sets a lasting memory, but when all of nature erupts in a scream…we remember and we all laugh while praying for that poor screaming squirrel.

2.     Bud Light What’s Up

This is one of the first commercials that I remember talking about in school the next day. I’m sure it wasn’t the beginning of the memorable Super Bowl ads, but it was the beginning of that for me. My friends and I wore out Wassup and so did Bud Light.

3.     Etrade Milkaholic

Etrade struck gold with their Etrade baby and this particular commercial became water cooler fodder for weeks, maybe even months after the Super Bowl.

4.     Old Spice Look At Your Man

Isiah Mustafa became a household face after this commercial aired. The innovation for this one was that Old Spice ran the commercial online during the Super Bowl and it still became a complete hit, which relaunched them as a brand for the 21^st century.

5.     Budweiser Dalmatian Trainer

Anytime you combine a horse and a dog, you’ve get all of the feels. What makes this commercial stick is that it’s actually funny. It doesn’t simply play on the cute animal effect. They add in the Rocky theme song and really get you rooting for this Clydesdale.

6.     Volkswagen Darth Vader Kid

Although Volkswagen has been a major brand in the US since the release of the first VW Beetle, this commercial had a revived a lagging brand and left us with something nostalgic, modern, funny and memorable at the same time. Doesn’t hurt that the kid, whose face we never see, is absolutely adorable.

7.    Betty White Snickers

No one, I mean no one, knows how to get a laugh better than Betty White! This snickers commercial launched an entire series of commercials that you’ll still see today. But none of them tops seeing Betty White play touch football, until his girlfriend gives him a Snickers and he kicks off his old lady drawers and gets his head in the game!  Abe Vigoda takes a good hit at the end of the commercial, just topping off this comedic commercial gold mine.

Hopefully, this year’s Super Bowl is as entertaining, for us non-football watchers, as it has been in the past.  

*Written by Lindsay S., commercial-watcher and Redwood resident

How To Live The Life Of Your Dreams

Sometimes the lyrics to a Queen song are just so spot-on that it’s painful. Okay, to be honest, the first song that popped into my head as I wrote that sentence was Fat-Bottom Girls (which do indeed make the rockin’ world go ‘round), but what I’m actually talking about is the first line of Bohemian Rhapsody – “Is this the real life, is this just fantasy?” These lyrics apply in both good times and bad. Some days I look at my life and wonder how I’ve managed to design a life that I really love – and other days I look at it and wonder how I got myself into this nightmare! 

Before I came to Northeast Ohio, I was attending a PhD program at a #1 research institution, doing research that I hated with and for people I didn’t like…not even a little. The majority of the time, I was completely miserable. I loved the teaching, loved the town, and the fact that I could take my dog into the woods and roam about for hours, but I also recognized that none of that was why I was there. And none of those loves were enough to outweigh the fact that I was spending countless hours of my life doing work that I didn’t love. 

Fast-forward 8 years and my life is completely different. In some ways it is better, and in other ways it's worse, but the biggest difference between now and 8 years ago are two resolutions that I made and have kept (and keep renewing) all these years – the first was a resolution to start actively living a life that I wanted, the second was a resolution to be content with whatever life I was living at the moment.

The Balancing Act

Essentially, I decided to live an emotionally balanced life; going after my dreams and goals, while being okay with whatever daily grind I have to do to get there. The reason the balancing act is important is because I’m not (nor have ever been) rich, wealthy, or well-off; I couldn’t swipe a card or write a check to start making my dreams come true. I had to do the work. And boy, that work is hard and sometimes painful. But in the end, it’s much more rewarding. 

How did I do it? The key for me was not doing it all at once. It was around the holiday season in 2007 that I decided to make a simple, but significant change. I decided that I was going to move to Cleveland. I didn’t quit my PhD program, I had completed all of my coursework and comprehensive exams, and I didn’t need to stay in the town to write my dissertation; I simply decided to move. That simple decision was the beginning of a series of simple, but significant decisions, all leading me to living a life that I truly love. Each year, I made a new resolution to walk forward into the life that I have now.

Deciding to Make a Change

So you’re wondering how I got here or if this is just who I am and that’s why it works for me? I can’t even begin to tell you how “not me” this whole thing is. I wasn’t raised to go for my dreams or to be content with what I have. I was raised to get a fantastic education and to achieve the standard societal goals (job, marriage, house, kids) and that my happiness was contingent on those achievements. I’m not sure I’ve mentioned it, but I don’t have any of those things, and I absolutely love my life. But, it was hard to decide to go against the grain and do something different from what I was taught and what my family expected of me. It was difficult, but obviously not impossible. All I really had to do was decide to make the change. I had to choose the harder path, the one that wasn’t already carved out, the one that no one in my family had taken – we’re not talking Robert Frost “Path less traveled by”, we’re talking Lewis & Clark uncharted territory

Look, my point in talking about this now is this…New Year’s Day brings about the pressure to resolve to make changes in our lives – but those changes are always pretty standard stuff (lose 10 lbs, get a new job, spend more time with the kids, go on more dates). What helped me wasn’t looking at my entire life and trying to change it all, but looking at my biggest pain and deciding what I was willing to give up to change it. This new year, don’t be like everyone else. Evaluate your life, highlight your pain, ignore the negative voices (especially the ones in your own head), and make a decision to change just one thing…but make that thing the one significant thing that will honestly change your life. And resolve to be okay with charting your own course to the life of your dreams.

*Written by Lindsay S., avid dreamer and Redwood resident.

A New Gift Idea For The Hard-To-Please

A lot can be said for following trends, and not much of it is good. Being trendy has always had a sort of negative connotation, as if all trends are likely to fizzle out and following them makes us seem like dopes. Well, I think that’s all nonsense! Trends are awesome, and if you find a trend that has some staying power, stick with it (hello, wrap dresses have been trending for 40 years). At this point, you’re probably asking what trends have to do with gift buying, and the answer is...well...everything. When you have a hard to buy for family member, it’s time to start thinking outside (or inside) of the box. Outside of the standard box, but inside of a monthly subscription box. 

Of course, you’re asking why on earth would I suggest a monthly subscription box for someone who’s hard to buy for? Well, because you can choose a box based on their style, personality and hobbies. Also, each month is providing them with a new gift and a new opportunity for you to score a win!  If the idea of a yearlong commitment seems a bit daunting, don’t worry, most subscription services offer shorter terms for gift subscriptions – 1, 3, 6 and 9 month options are standard. These shorter subscription options also make these gifts pretty budget friendly. You can give a pretty nice gift without breaking your own bank to do it. 

If you’re only familiar with the good ol’ book-of-the-month clubs, this whole subscription box idea might seem limiting. Fortunately for all of us, this trend comes with a wealth of options. If your family member loves to cook, you could get them a subscription to a meal-kit delivery service like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh; there are even options for special diets, such as Terra’s
Kitchen for your paleo, vegetarian and gluten-free family. 

If you have a family member who has a hobby or passion but they happen to also be very picky, you can give them a subscription that allows them to choose what’s in their box each month. My mother loves fragrances, she’s nuts about perfume, but she’s also insanely picky about them. As much as she loves perfume, my sisters and I never surprise her with a fragrance, she picks it out and we buy it for her. I personally think that presents are mostly about the element of surprise and it bugs me that the one thing she loves is the one thing I can’t surprise her with. Well, this year, I’m getting her a Scentbird subscription. Scentbird is a fragrance subscription service that has hundreds of fragrance options from around the globe. They’re constantly adding new options and they even have a variety of selections for men. Each month my mother will be allowed to select three fragrances to try – it’s a total win-win! She’ll be able to build her perfume collection and I’ll look like a genius/rock star for getting it for her.

For those picky friends & family who don’t have a specified “hobby” but maybe just like to look good, you have the option of Stitch Fix, Adore Me, Bespoke, Dollar Shave Club and Birchbox. Each of those has a variety of customization that can be made to fit their style. If you’re liking this idea, but need a wider set of options, check out Crate Joy. Their website is a go-to resource for subscription boxes. You’ll find everything from subscription craft supplies to subscription culinary tools. There’s even a subscription box for dogs (Bark Box). One more tip – when searching for subscription services, use a laptop, not a mobile device. Many mobile websites hide certain navigation (usually the part with the gift options) to conserve browser space, so you might not see all of the options available. 

On a completely self-serving subscription side note: getting your loved one a 12 month subscription also means that this time next year they’ll remember what you got them last year – almost guaranteeing you’ll get a pretty darn good gift yourself. 

*Written by Lindsay S., gift-giver and Redwood resident.