1. As the seasons change from summer to fall, I continue to kayak until conditions change to when it’s so windy when one paddles, you barely move. But for now, the perfect conditions prevail.

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2. I saw a great t-shirt that read: “I’m not completely useless. I can be used as a bad example.” #TrueDat

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3. It’s that time again when beer-filled steins are aplenty, bratwurst and sauerkraut sandwiches are all the rage and people arrive wearing goofy German clothing, of course I’m speaking of Oktoberfest. I attended the 2nd annual Oktoberfest at the Ventura Fairgrounds this week and I was a little annoyed that you have to pay to get in, you stand in line for an “over 21” wristband, you stand in line for a beer ($15-$30 each), you stand in line to order food and then wait in line to pick it up and while all the time you’re being overwhelmed by German polka bands.
I did indeed enjoy the sandwich along with a warm soft pretzel straight out of the oven along with my beer (sorry…did not opt for German). I also enjoyed the Steinholding competition. I had never witnessed (nor heard of) one before. People lined up with a beer stein in front of them filled with water (no need to waste good beer), and then they pick it up and the last one to hold it with out spilling a drop wins. Turns out, there’s a US Steinholding Association which delineates rules for the competition. I won’t list all (you can read them here), but these are my favorites.

• The arm holding the stein must remain parallel with the ground and, from a side view, should remain close to perpendicular with the line of the torso from the neck to the bottom of the rib cage.
• If any amount of the liquid filling the stein spills or drips off of the stein, the competitor is immediately disqualified, regardless of the number of strikes otherwise assigned.

I did mention people dressed up in their best “traditional” German garb, well I came across two of my father’s friends (and mine), David and Marni who were all about the festivities. It was good to catch up with them!

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4. Congratulations to local filmmaker, Travis Greer, on his short film, “Late for the Sky.” I caught a screening of it last weekend here in town at the Cinefest held during ArtWalk Ventura. Both Greer, and local musician/artist, Aaron Orbit starred in in and it was really well done. I was enthralled by the cinematography. The close ups were amazing and truly mesmerizing. A job well done and the film was the winner for Best Comedy.

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6. Things that live in my head rent free:

• Tom Cruise’s latest movie, Digger
• (To be continued…)

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7. Why is prostitution illegal and not porn? Of course prostitution is legal in areas of the state of Nevada; and as I delved into the subject, I found that porn is argued that it’s a first amendment issue with actors regarding “artistic expression.”
But if a woman is 100% willing and not under duress, why is it illegal? It’s her body.
I thought of this workaround: Start a FansOnly page, and prostitute one’s self, but position it as being hired for an art project so she would film it in order to post it so it would pass the First Amendment rights provision. The “John” would either give consent to be filmed or be blindfolded, which could be fun.

While researching this, Wikipedia provided this tidbit: “Prostitution is illegal in every US state except Nevada, where licensed brothels are permitted in some counties, and Maine, where selling sex is decriminalized but buying sex is illegal.”

9. From my favorite quotes file: “Why is it immoral to be paid for an act that is perfectly legal if done for free?” – Gloria Allred