Irondale

Two modern American dreamers, one a knight and the other a warlock, debate about the values of capitalism; the knight (Alas) lives in a special Colorado lake-house called Irondale!

Alas was an Ivy League graduate and capitalism-idealist and wanted to use his admiration of chivalry consciousness to embrace a new age aesthetic devoted to the praise of modern ambition. He believed in the American Dream, globalization and anti-terrorism, and pedestrian peace through righteous commerce! Alas lived in a very nice Colorado lake-house with an incredible wall-window offering a breathtaking view of the water. He told his friends who visited him there that the view he beheld of the Colorado lake outside his bedroom wall-window reminded him of the value of attaining the American Dream through hard work and positive imagination. Alas purchased a classic Medieval sword from England and kept it as a special relic in his Colorado lake-house, and when people asked him about it, he explained the mystical sword, which he named Thanksgiving, represented social intelligence.

Alas' Colorado lake-house with the wall-window of the crystal lake outside was so breathtaking that his friends who visited him there were certain he must've been some kind of 'modern knight' and champion of general American idealism! In fact, his friends often praised Alas for his general championing of modern American values arguably necessary to promote global peace in a new millennium plagued by fracturing anti-capitalism terrorism (e.g., 9/11). Alas' lake-house in Colorado was where Alas rested and meditated and read his Bible and used his inspiration from his office-work as a real-estate development consultant to promote modern values regarding the development of commercial properties that highlighted the beneficial aspects of immigration. After all, an immigrant thinking about moving to America might dream of finding a lake-house like the one Alas lived in and think fondly of how commercial ambitions in the modern world might yield basic human comforts conducive to real social sanity! In other words, Alas was a modern 'prince' and he named his lake-house in Colorado Irondale, to signify a man's admiration of hard work.

Every good warrior or knight has a rival and challenger or someone who contends to make the fight for American righteousness that much more intriguing. Alas' rival was a German-American immigrant named Gerd Adams who wanted to embrace capitalism as a bold opportunity to create definitive realms of celebrity and power. Gerd lived in a house in Colorado near Irondale, where Alas lived peacefully! Gerd believed in everything that Alas did not --- profiteers, pirate folklore, pickpockets, powers, Poison Ivy eco-terrorism comic books, Prada fashions, and pocket-knives. In other words, Gerd was a real modern warlock, serving as the opposite of the modern knight Alas! Gerd carried a pet raven as a pet and believed it informed him how to become a modern American legend. Gerd wanted to use the stock market to magnify his inherited wealth and become a real tycoon. Gerd had heard of the prestige of his Colorado neighbor-knight Alas and wondered how he could challenge him! Gerd was the 'right' Devil's Advocate.

Gerd lived in a Colorado lake-house too, and it was comparable to Alas but it was also like the mirror-image opposite of Irondale, the house where Alas lived peacefully and righteously. Gerd didn't named his Colorado lake-house, but it had the certain proportions of a warlock's 'lair' and was complete with large windows, hanging lights, wood beams, and spread out furniture. It had all the aesthetic and kinesthetic appeal of a giant pleasure-dome, and Gerd considered himself to be the 'antagonist' of great American adventuring capitalists like Andrew Carnegie and Steve Jobs, a real man of piracy! Gerd's lake-house in Colorado was so darn 'imposing' spiritually that a knight such as Alas would comment that it was something like a modern-day rendition of a 'dark palace.' In fact, Gerd liked throwing wild parties and offering his guests all kinds of indulgences, perhaps to highlight how American opportunism could yield real ecstasy. Alas would immediately recognize that Gerd's Colorado 'palace' was nothing like Irondale. Gerd's palace was a real lair.

ALAS: So we meet at last, Gerd.

GERD: Many know we're opposites, Alas!

ALAS: We are opposites...
GERD: You're considered to be a real modern knight.

ALAS: You're my opposite --- a real modern warlock!
GERD: I believe in the bravado of piracy.

ALAS: I champion the views of the chivalrous capitalist.
GERD: In other words, you're an advocate of Wall Street virtue.

ALAS: Wall Street is not without virtue, Gerd.
GERD: You realize how different our dwellings are, Alas?

ALAS: Yes, my Colorado house, Irondale, is nothing like your palace.
GERD: My Colorado palace represents American boldness...

ALAS: It's almost a lair!

GERD: Well, I'm not certain there's something tangible like 'Wall Street virtue.'
ALAS: There's always spiritual virtue in places if you look with focus.
GERD: What, are you suggesting I'm some kind of maniac?

ALAS: I don't think you're a fanatic or maniac, but you're certainly a radical!
GERD: What makes you so different from me?
ALAS: I admit, we both feel very 'loudly' about capitalism's magical branches.
GERD: You may not be a 'radical' but it seems you're a philosopher of some kind!
ALAS: You need not be radical to be a philosopher, I don't think.

GERD: Explain...

ALAS: Well, Gerd, my philosophy is to espouse simple rewards of hard work.
GERD: Perhaps then you're a basic traditionalist...
ALAS: I don't mind being labeled as a deference-guru as long as I'm considered an American lawyer!

GERD: Lawyer?

ALAS: Yes, Gerd; the law can set us free and give us Christian wings, and I enjoy the idea of defense.

GERD: So who (or what) do you defend, as a lawyer, Alas?
ALAS: I like to think that, as a 'philosophical' American lawyer, I defend modern grit.
GERD: Are you a fan of Bonnie and Clyde?
ALAS: I appreciate society folklore about the youthful excitement towards fortune and adventure.
GERD: Are you a fan of the Oliver Stone film Wall Street?
ALAS: I like Stone's view of capitalism as a 'diarist' cauldron...
GERD: Perhaps we can agree that America is a place of great thanksgiving!

ALAS: Surely, we both see how capitalism can create 'pockets' of dogma.
GERD: Maybe we should host a capitalism-debate in front of our friends/peers.
ALAS: That sounds excellent; we could invite journalists from a gazette/fanzine!
GERD: You may espouse your unique Christian views towards modern ambition.
ALAS: I'm certain you'll argue your points about human muscle...
GERD: It's settled; we'll be Colorado rivals!

ALAS: They might write about us as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (dream-pilots!).

GERD: Who knows?

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"And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:17, KJV Bible).