One of my Fantasy Teams

Jeep or Bike

This post is going to be far less deep than what I usually write, but this is what is on my mind today.

So the above picture is the ideal, this is the combo I want a jeep with all-terrain bike(probably a dual sport bike) in the back. However, because I need to be somewhat fiscally responsible I will only get one. They both promote and outdoor life. They inspire adventure and exploration and just good honest fun. They both have pros and cons that the other one doesn't. So lets look the pros and cons for me:

Pros:

Versatile all terrain vehicle 

Possible to use in all types of weather

Decent for long trips

Room to haul anything from camping supplies to a motorcycle

Able to talk with people riding with you

Fun to drive around in

Rugged and durable

Cons:

Not great gas mileage 

Higher cost than a bike

Not the easiest to get into for all people

Pros:

Versatile from road to off road

Great gas mileage

Fun activity to do with people

A different form of transit than 4 wheel vehicles

Can park almost any where

Easy to maneuver  

Cheaper than a Jeep

Cons:

Not ideal for long trips

Very little hauling capacity

Need to take the class and get my license 

So this is where I am at so far. I am still at an impasse on which would be the better purchase or which I would enjoy more.

I am open to suggestions and comments especially from people who have one or the other. Even better if you have both!

Farmer Finn

A simple farmer plows away
Doing about the same each day
Sometimes he must go into town
Same plan, same goods, same road to walk down

A dear sweet wife he has named Jane
He loves her dearly though some call her plain
He has hope of a life to put her at ease
Able to give her whatever to please

As he walk it starts to rain
He knows the water could ruin the grain
So up the way he finds a cave
Hes never been in but he can be brave

He settles in as the rain gets worse
As he sits his ear hear an unearthly verse
Not sure what it might be, he explores
He starts to see light on the ceiling and floors

The music draws him as a sirens call
Faster he goes over obstacle and all
Then he sees whats calling out
Its what hes wanted with no doubt

The golden hilt encrusted with jewels
The power to conquer in this beautiful tool
Taking it in his hands he sees what could be
This sword could give him all that he sees

The power, the riches, the fame, the glory
The very ability to rewrite his story
Along with this he saw what he would lose
All of this or his wife, he must choose

The rain has stopped, the grain still good
He trades the wheat and sells the wood
The day is done, and no more rain
He heads home to see his Jane

Dangerous Love

Recently I was, finally, convinced to play League of Legends. Well done David and Jay, you succeeded where many others have failed. I decided to give in simply because I have been bored lately and I figured it would be something to do. It also has the added bonus to help me stay in contact with some of my friends.

I was reluctant at first, but now I am hooked. It gets my adrenaline pumping and my heart racing. I feel like I am in the battle instead of my champion.I get to work as a team (or at least that is the goal lol) and defeat an enemy that is standing between me an victory. It is everything that I feel like I haven't been doing lately.

I think that the reason that League and other video games have such a draw for men is, because it plays exactly into how we are wired. We love warfare games because we long for battle and protecting our loved ones. We love open world games, because we desire for adventure and stacking our own claim. We love strategy games, because our minds are designed to figure things our and create new items and opportunities. Whether game makes did this intentionally or they stumbled upon it, I don't know, but it has created a massive industry that has many of the men in America enthralled.

The danger however is that these games make us feel like champions, adventurers and strategists. The reality is entirely the opposite or at least there is the potential for it to be. These games can make us passive, housebound loser. They provide for us mentally, but leave us physically inept. I am not saying that this happens to everyone, but it is like playing with fire. you might get burned.

So while I am excited to play more League I am also aware of these pitfalls. I know that I want to play the game, not let the game play me.

Rest in Peace Alan

Magic is darkened today. I think this is the first time that I have ever felt a sense of loss with an actors death. Though there have been others whose contribution to society I have appreciated and I knew that after they were gone the world would be different. But with Alan Rickman's death I actually felt loss. I think it is because he is intertwined so heavily in one of my childhoods biggest loves. He became Snape to me. He fit. What I pictured in the books he portrayed one the silver screen. Though I hated Snape, feared Snape, and even felt pity for Snape, I loved the way the Alan portrayed him. He became so real through the acting that I feel like I have lost someone I grew up with. Though Snape died in 1998 he really died to day. Along with the wonderful Alan Rickman.