On the Discovery Channel, they have this show on about the Punkin Chunkin World Championship in Millsboro, Delaware. This is an event that happens every year just after Halloween. The point is to launch a pumpkin as far as possible. This is done with all manner of enormous mechanical catapults, trebuchets, slingshots, and air cannons. The record so far: over 4700 feet. These guys spend all year designing, building, and testing their machines. Many even breed their own pumpkins, hybridized for shape, weight, and density.
This competition is precisely the kind of thing that would not exist if there were no men in the world.
I’m not trying to make any kind of political statement comparing men and women. I’m just saying, when women get a little free time on their hands they’re not devising ways to hurl a squash into the next county. This is a competition born of testosterone and boredom. When you hear about “male bonding,” this is what they’re talking about. This is the Ya-Ya Brotherhood.
At any given moment, some man is engaging in some project that is making his wife roll her eyes. This could be anything from building a pumpkin cannon, to shooting skeet, to improving the airflow inside his carburetor or his computer. But keep in mind that men have two primary action modes: ‘create’ or ‘destroy’. So, though they seem pointless, these ridiculous hobbies serve an important purpose – to keep us in ‘create’ mode. With this in mind, “because I can” suddenly becomes an acceptable answer.
Bye for now.