Key Party

In the 1970s, the “key party” became a popular phenomenon for swinging couples, where the attendees would pick keys out of a bowl or off of a table and go home with whoever’s keys they picked.  They would socialize and drink, but at the end of the party, all the women would blindly select a set of keys to determine who she goes home with for the rest of the evening to have some naughty fun.  The couples who are invited to these types of parties most likely know how they are going to end, and what upsets the rules of relationships for some might make it more exciting for others.  This unpredictability does not seem fair to the women at all, as why should they be stuck with some loser.  People don’t always fit together even when they go to the same parties and do the same things, but consenting adults should be able to choose who they want to sleep with.  Humans need to belong, so it is completely normal wanting to be included in a group and some people will pretend that they are someone else just so they can fit in.  This randomized sexual pairings supposedly was a big thing and on The Simpson’s Marge and Homer attended a function like this without knowing what it was.  I think that couples that are involved in this lifestyle are clearly not happy and satisfied in their own relationship and they want to use others to spice up their own lives.

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #448 hosted by weejars aka Sarah.

Schnitzel and Strudel

I love being in Vienna and smelling the aroma of the food that they have here.  My favorite is wiener schnitzel, which is not a wiener at all.  Wiener schnitzel means “Viennese cutlet” in German, and it is one of Austria’s most traditional and representative dishes.  Schnitzel consists of a thin, pan-fried veal cutlet that is pounded thin by a meat tenderizer, then dipped in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried until golden.  Some places will make this dish with pork, turkey or chicken and they are all pretty good, but if a restaurant makes their Schnitzel with some meat other than veal, then they have to indicate that on their menu.  If I don’t get filled up on the schnitzel then I order strudel for dessert and depending on my mode, I may opt for a streusel.  Let me explain that as although strudel and streusel sound very similar, they are actually different types of dessert.  An apple strudel has thin sheets of pastry wrapped around the filling, while streusel is a crumbly sweet topping of sugar, flour, and butter that is often layered over pies and cakes.  Yum, to both of them.

Besides the scrumptious food, I come here for the nude bathing, as I am looking to placate my inner nature lover.  It is part of the heritage and naturalists come from all over to enjoy their time without the restriction of having to wear clothes, as you have to be completely naked in the FKK area.  If you are wearing any kind of clothes it offends the other visitors of the FKK zone.  Freikörperkultur or FKK is the German term for nudism and staying in this area allows you to enjoy sunbathing protected from the gaze of curious suitors.  If you go for a dip into the water, you can put on your bathing clothes, and when you leave the FKK area, you have to get dressed again.  Wrinkled, skinny, chubby or in shape, at this place all folks meet, and they don’t care about their looks.  Bare-breasted women are always a welcome sight here in Austria.  I come here because I like it and if you don’t want to see it, you can go elsewhere.

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #446 hosted by weejars aka Sarah.

All About the View

The Ferris Wheel has always been my favorite ride, as it takes you high up in the air and brings you back down again, but it is not jerky like a roller coaster.  I like being near the clouds when I am at the top, as it makes me feel like I can touch the sky or fly like the birds.  When my carriage rotates back down to the bottom, I cannot wait to get back up on top again.  This one is probably more for kids, but when the fair comes to town, I never miss my chance to ride on the Ferris Wheel.  It’s beautiful in the daytime, but it becomes irresistible at night with its neon lights glowing.  I have been on The London Eye and The Orlando Eye, and I have also ridden the one on the Santa Monica pier, which is probably my favorite.  I learned about apparent weight in my Physics class and although I think of the Ferris Wheel as being a slow-moving object, I can detect that I feel “heavier” as I approach the bottom of the ride, because the normal force of my seat must increase, and the centripetal force is now pulling me up.  Acceleration which is the rate of change of the velocity has caused my apparent weight to change and this is the exact same thing that happens to astronauts when they are in orbit.  I know that I am not weightless, but I do enjoy the feeling of being lighter.

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #443 hosted by weejars aka Sarah.

Magnificent Aquatic Plant

This gigantic lotus flower rises from the mud, emerging from murky water with clean petals, so we can appreciate the beauty of nature in its full glory.  Its large, round, water repellant, pink banana squash-colored leaves surround the cone-shaped center, and this makes it the ideal place for spawning fish and frogs, as they will be afforded protection from predators and thus will be able to overcome adversity.  These day-blooming plants cover up at night, submerge, and then emerge above the water the next morning as the opulent blossoms grow and unfold one by one.  They exhibit transcendence because they exist beyond the physical level by spreading the essence of love and allowing us to smile and dance.  The magic flower creates an atmosphere where we can forget our pain and become one with our dreams.  Its fragrance spreads far as it reaches upward toward the sky, while the young girl faithfully comes here every day to watch it rise and greet the day.

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #440 hosted by weejars aka Sarah.

Kayaking in the Reservoir

Raymond was looking to spend some quiet time with his best friend Lucy, so he purchased a 2-person kayak.  Kayaks were originally a one-person water vehicle, but nowadays, there are tandem kayaks that can accommodate two people.  A two-person kayak can move more quickly and they require much less effort than paddling by yourself.  You may lose some control in a tandem kayak, especially if your paddling partner is out of sync with you.  If it turned out that Lucy did not enjoy kayaking, then Raymond would use the extra space for his personal items.  He would place his camping gear, fishing equipment, or other supplies there.  Raymond replaced his existing kayak deck rigging with a black bungee cord to help secure all the necessary items on the front deck.  Since this would be Lucy’s first time in a kayak and knowing that all bodies of water differ somewhat, Raymond thought that the safest place for her to hone her skills would be in the reservoir.

A reservoir is an artificial or a man-made lake or large freshwater body of water that is created when a dam is built on a river, thus diverting the flowing water into a holding area.  Raymond reasoned that the still, flat, non-moving water in the reservoir should be peaceful and calm and this would be the perfect for a beginner.  All forms of kayaking come with some level of risk and motorized boats and jet skiers are not friends of the kayaker.  These boats create larger waves, and this could make you flip upside down.   If a kayak flips over and a significant amount of water enters the hull, there’s a chance it will sink, and you always need to have a plan just in case you capsize.  Kayaking is an excellent way to enjoy the great outdoors, but Raymond didn’t want to push Lucy too hard on her first trip, so they were just going over to the island and then heading back.  They both wore life jackets, and Raymond brought along a whistle, in case he needed to call for help.  Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra ACT the Australian Capital Territory ended up being the ideal water playground for their first adventure.

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #439 hosted by weejars aka Sarah.

Scary Mental Hospital

This particularly creepy abandoned psychiatric hospital is where the screenplay for what would eventually become the Hollywood film “What Ever Happened To Baby Jane” was written.  The two sisters were in a lifelong feud with each other while they were both locked up in adjoining cells inside of this insane asylum.  They were born 15 months apart and their rivalry was apparent even in childhood when they shared a bedroom.  They had simple arguments at first, just kid stuff about letting each other borrow their clothes with warnings that if the clothing item got stained, ripped up, went missing, or if someone else wore it, or it got stretched out to the point where it could no longer be worn, that the one who borrowed the item would be held responsible for buying a new one and they would never be allowed to borrow anything again.

Things escalated when the girls started dating and the older sister accused the younger one of stealing her boyfriend, which she was guilty of, as she seduced him, just so she could take him away from her sister.  Since hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, these two sisters spent the rest of their lives trying to destroy the other, as it became a snake pit of jealousy, angry fighting, hurt feelings and constant jockeying for the dominate position.  They fought over everything, like who should have put the dishes away, or why one of them didn’t clean the bathroom.  The boyfriend couldn’t decide which sister he found more appealing, so he kept on seeing both of them, until one day when he went missing.  Both sisters were brought up on charges for murder and they each accused the other for this dastardly crime.  A psychiatric evaluation was ordered by the judge, and they were hospitalized and subjected to dozens of sessions, and it was determined that both sisters were insane.  They never figured out which sister killed the boyfriend, but since they were both locked up, the case was closed.

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #438 hosted by weejars aka Sarah where today she is using a photo titled Z Ward by Adelaida.

Oktoberfest

I told my wife Sharon, “I know we are two weeks late for the festival this year, as Oktoberfest ended on Monday, October 3rd, but since I didn’t get any pretzels and schnitzels, I booked us a table at this fancy German restaurant.  I heard that the Sauerbraten is out of this world, and I plan on ordering that traditional German roast recipe which translates to “sour roasted meat”.  I can’t wait to dig into that tender meat covered in gravy and you know how much I enjoy potatoes.  I heard that they have some soft, doughy bread like Dinner Rolls that I could use to sop up the gravy and of course I will wash it down with some cold German beer.”  Sharon replied, “Alfred everybody gets the Sauerbraten, you should try to be more adventurous like me, as I am going to order the rabbit stew, which is called hasenpfeffer, because I never tried that before.  Alfred, are you listening to what I am saying, because you are just standing there with a dumb look on your face?”  Alfred said, “Sorry dear, as when you said more adventurous, my mind wondered and I thought you were going to talk about some crazy sex stuff, like us going on a naked adventure together.  Last night we were talking about what we are both willing to do and what is absolutely off the table, but I don’t think we ever finished that conversation, and I was waiting for you to bring it up again.  Since this place is also a hotel and hotel sex in the same town that we live in would feel pretty wild.”

Sharon replied, “I want the emotional and physical release that comes with sexual activity, but right now I am hungry, however I am certainly willing to discuss this further over dinner.  Did you get us a reservation, as this place looks packed?”  Alfred answered, “Yes, they should have a table waiting for us in my name.  I don’t want to come off as a satyr, but I find the sexual intimacy that we share to be very satisfying, and I guess that is because we are in a committed relationship.”  Sharon stated, “I love it when it is the end of the day and we are at home with the dishwasher humming quietly, the kids have been put in bed and we’re sitting on the couch and you give me that look, you know the one that tells me that you want sex.  I am so glad that we never lost that spark in our relationship.”

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #436 hosted by weejars aka Sarah where today she is using a photo by Hahndorf Village.

Making it to the Top

She was always ambitious, and she had no doubt that she would make it all the way to the top of the corporate ladder.  Her mind was set on being the CEO Chief Executive Officer, but she knew that these positions were not just handed out to anybody.  She had worked as a CFO Chief Financial Officer, a COO Chief Operating Officer, and a CRO Chief Revenue Officer, but her goal was to be responsible for everything.  At night, she would dream beyond her job description, and she wasn’t about to let anything get in her way that could become a roadblock to her career.  She was a born leader who was always able to think and act a level above all of her peers.  The potential for a promotion or a career advancement was always motivating her, and it was more about having greater responsibility than gaining a higher salary for her, but she had no problem taking the money.  When things became difficult for her, she would always picture these punishing steps that she had to climb every day, which she used to prepare herself for running marathons.  She had to propel herself forward, while lifting the whole weight of her body up and this practice helped her to develop a high resistance to fatigue.  She also knew that once she reached the top, that going downhill was always going to be a lot easier and her ambition would not let her stop till she was at the top.

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #435 hosted by weejars aka Sarah where today she is using a photo by Elm Cottage.

Sexual Innuendo

He looked fine to her and she wanted him to satisfy her needs, so she left this bell outside in her backyard and told him that when he was ready, that he could ring her bell.  She hoped that he felt a mutual sexual attraction for her, but she didn’t want to throw herself at him, as she anticipated that he would be able to take the hint or this insinuation that she was dropping his way, by letting him know that she had romantic feelings for him.  There was no way he could miss this giant bell that she hung outside and she figured that her being a very beautiful woman, that she should not have too do anything more to encourage this guy to pursue her.  Living out in the country, she didn’t have a lot of suitors, so she knew that she had to do something quirky to get this guy to ring her bell.

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #434 hosted by weejars aka Sarah where today she is using a photo by Elm Cottage.

High in the Saddle

Oliver was weary from the long ride, but he was able to make the trip because he relied on posting as a way to smooth out the bouncing and jarring of being in a saddle for a long time.  He would rise out of the saddle seat for every other stride of the horse’s forelegs, thus smoothing out the jolts that he would have encountered if he had just sat still for the journey.  This made riding his horse much more comfortable, as he would squeeze his legs or give his horse a light kick with his heel to cue it to start trotting.  Once his horse started trotting, he would rise up and move forward in the saddle simultaneously, and then he would return to the saddle softly when the horse brought its other leg forward.  This worked out for Oliver, and it was also appreciated by his horse, because his weight was distributed more evenly which allowed his horse to maintain its balance better.  It is always important for the rider to know which way their horse is going to move and how it will behave, so Oliver always tried to stay in tune with his horse.

Oliver was dead tired, but he understood that he would not be able to have control over his horse’s balance unless he had control over his own balance.  He had the experience to see things from his horse’s perspective and he understood that their vision differs considerably from ours, as they have little to no depth perception.  By recognizing the unique ways in which horses see and interpret the world, Oliver was able to develop a trusting relationship with his horse.  All horses want to be mounted on their left side, as this is the way it has been done for centuries, so Oliver carried his rifle on his right, which kept it out of the way.  Oliver was almost back home now, and he would be dismounting soon and then make sure that his horse was watered, fed and groomed, as this was a way for them to bond.  He had ridden his horse hard to get home in time for his daughter’s birthday, but he was not going to put it away wet.  The ride caused a lather of sweat to form on his horse, but he would never think about putting it into the stable without first drying it off.

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Photo Challenge #432 hosted by weejars aka Sarah where today she is using a photo by Sarah Whiley.