I believe a case could be made that every two things in life somehow intersect. Arguendo, beautifully hand-crafted chinaware dating back to the Ming Dynasty and a complete boxed set series of 24. They will both be collecting dust somewhere. Another example – myself and Apple Inc. We both have no ‘Jobs’. And for the sake of this website, I am going to be making a case for the mutual interest that bull riding and the ruins of a building share.
Photography
I will go ahead and pick off the low hanging fruit from this tree that urbex and bull riding both grow on. Photography is an art that gives meaning to anything if done the right way. We find puerile joy and jubilation through the photos we take on these adventures. We unite our hobbies this way, and we will continue to do so as long as freedom of expression reigns.
That being said, I would feel incongruous if photos weren’t being taken. Two men in an abandoned building together, just hanging out? What a recipe for abnormality. Or us sitting nosebleeds instead of on the floor picture-snapping at the P.B.R.? Not that there is anything wrong with two queers watching steers, but by definition, there are no steers in bull riding. That would make us just two…
The Adrenaline
I wouldn’t put bull riding or urbex on the same playing field as, oh I don’t know, say, throwing your parachute out of the plane and jumping after it. That’s a real rush of adrenaline and a bucket list of mine. However, I would say that bull riding and urbex do get those adrenal glands kicking.
Whether you are heading down to a dark basement, or watching a kid who just got his GED hop on Dana White’s prize bull, there is still that thrill of the unknown. What the fuck is about to happen? Is anyone here going to be mutilated? That blonde in the Monster Energy-sponsored leather jumper definitely has a boyfriend, right? All fair questions that flood your mind the same way excitement floods your body during these enthralling moments.
Potential Injuries
This is a stretch. There are potential injuries in anything you do. Just a few weeks ago, my middle toe found the vertical side of a boulder during what was supposed to be a simple polar plunge in the harbor. That little piggy skipped the market and instead crumpled into little shards of bone that used to be my metatarsal. It speaks on the fact that possible injuries are imminent everywhere, as well as the importance of sobriety while polar plunging.
These possible injuries, however, are much heavier in comparison than my little dust up with mother nature. Being bucked off a bull is fine until 1,500lbs of flank steak comes crashing down onto your sternum. The same goes for being on the 8th floor of an abandoned hotel. One wrong step and you’ll end up at the pearly gates listening to St. Peter tell you it was wrong to do *that* while your grandpa was home. But you already knew that, didn’t you?
Those types of injuries cost you much more than just a co-pay.
La Fine
All in all, these two really do not have anything in common other than being a hobby of ours. Honestly, these three things can be said about most things in life. I just wanted to write a blog post. But I am able to unite these two hobbies here, The Shaved Bear, and will continue to do so. Thanks, y’all.