Oktoberfest Parade - The Men Pt. 4

Looking a bit Aussie, but I like it. Leather pants, leather vests, and leather caps. Yes, mate! Trumpets on parade! Still love 'em after all these years:
I think this chap could be categorized as "flavor" in this parade. Lovely.
No open-bottle laws here. Drink up brutha! And rock that red vest!
Magnum P.I.-esque mustache? Pulling horses? Yep, that's hot.

Oktoberfest Parade - The Men Pt. 3

Fresh-faced peasant boys, all with a look of mischief: Someone isn't too happy for being Mr. Runner-Up:
"Hi-ho, Hi-ho, it's off to work we go." Just like happy Dwarfs...only hotter.

"My beer was here a second ago. WTF? I'll check my pocket."
Driving a brewery's beer wagon gives you instant street cred and a high hotness quotient:

Oktoberfest Parade - The Men Pt. 2

Here's some more bone men again, albeit a bit more...um, flaccid.
Nice pink tie? Yep, the 10% theory seems to be right on the money.
Who says leather shorts aren't perfectly safe for riding a motorcycle? A BMW no less.
"I kept thinking, Helga or Uva. Which one am I going to take? Then I thought, why not both? Can I borrow your whip for the night?"
I swear this guy was in "The Sound of Music."
I had to use the fancy special effects to clarify this next picture:

Oktoberfest Parade - The Men Pt. 1

The Oktoberfest Parade in Munich is always the first Sunday of Oktoberfest and we were lucky enough to be there and see it. Lots of great bands, terrific marches, and men in lederhosen. Here's a sampling of the guys.

A nice big bone is always good... trombone that is:
Well-groomed beard, peacock feathers, and weaponry? Nice.
This guy was part of the hunting contingent w/ dogs and various birds of prey. Is that a falcon in your palm or are you just glad to see me?

I dunno. I think this fellow is lovable in a dorky kinda way.
Snares anyone?

Leather shorts, big plume, big... well, you get the idea. Big calves! So big he needs to cover them to keep them warm.

Eurythmics - Love You Like a Ball and Chain

Summer of '85 - Dorm room at Academy of Art College in San Francisco

Tom Bosley R.I.P.

I loved Mr. C on "Happy Days." And I remember my mom watching Tom on "Murder She Wrote". He was an affable guy and a terrific character actor. Heck, he even made Glad trash bags seem interesting. I'll miss him.

Here's the NY Times obit.


And of note, I have the recording of "Fiorello!" the Broadway show that gave him his first break and Tony Award. It's terrific (thanks Uncle A!). Here's a pic from that show:

Shakira: En Vivo

I went to the Shakira show last night. I was entertained with the swiveling hips and the gyrating torso – and that was just the audience! Lots of plunging necklines, raised skirts, and spilled Bud Light.

And Shakira – the woman’s body is national treasure! But after about an hour of the undulating, I was thinking “tone it down girl”. She has a unique voice and I wanted to hear more of it. I think the bass and over-dub tended to drown her out. Call me old-fashioned.

All the hits were there, “Hips Don’t Lie”, “Underneath Your Clothes”, and even the irritatingly catchy, “Waka Waka” (used to hate this song, but now like it). Painful as it was, Shakira’s worst song was there too, “She Wolf”. Really? Is that necessary?

I was glad to see an extended belly dancing routine during her early hit, “Ojos Así”. And I pleasantly giggled at her brief cover of EMF’s “Unbelievable.” But what had me most excited was my favorite Shakira song, “Inevitable.” She sang it with no dancing, just straight forward, showcasing her singing and song-writing (the way I like it).

Bad camera phone pictures alert!




Speaking of “Inevitable”, this is my favorite version of the song (I prefer Shakira a brunette too) from 1999’s MTV Unplugged.

Amsterdam: Apartment View

Every morning with coffee, me in a chair and this view.

Every evening with a beer, me in the same chair and this view. Watching boats go by.


Looking down to the left a bit... same view. One morning I saw a naked woman in a window. Didn't deter me. This view is still my new "happy place".