Incoherent Scribblings

The Big Three - Oh No!

Today it is exactly one month until my thirtieth birthday.

A while back I started writing a little essay on my personal feelings towards turning thirty. After I revise it a little, I will post it here.

However, I can honestly say thus far I haven’t made a big fuss about turning thirty. When I turned 25 I made a conscious decision to reject the idea of dreading my birthday because I am aging. Instead, I choose to celebrate my birthday as a day that was made especially for me. Because of this, though I am getting older, I still look forward to celebrating my birthday every year.

Nude Sunbathing in the English Garden

Today was a perfect day for a stroll in Europe’s largest municipal park, the English Garden. It was about 20 degrees Celsius (approximately 70 Fahrenheit) and sunny. In the shade, no jacket was needed and in the sun, even less clothing was required. In fact, you might say that on a warm spring day in the English Garden, clothes are optional!

I had, of course, heard about the nude sunbathers in the English Garden, but had never actually seen them until today. As I aimlessly strolled along shooting pictures with my new camera, I suddenly noticed that most of the people lying in the grass (and even a few playing Frisbee) were completely nude. At that moment I realized that I had made my way to the nude sunbathing area. Out of respect for the people sunbathing there, I took no pictures in the nude sunbathing area, but let me tell you it was refreshing to see so many people completely unconcerned about showing their bodies the way that Nature intended. What a perfect way to celebrate Earth Day!
I was not shocked by any means. First of all, I knew that nude sunbathers frequented the park. And second, I remember when I lived in Paris, I would see topless sunbathers on the banks of the Seine on a regular basis. However, nudity in America is such a taboo on so many levels that I am not sure if I will ever get used to the casual European attitude concerning nudity.

Personally, I am not sure if I could sunbathe nude or not. I am not ashamed of my body by any means, but I will admit to being a little shy. And when you’re naked you are just so… exposed! In addition, there are parts of my body that have never seen the sun and with my fair skin I imagine someone would end up blind because of its reflection or I would get such a sunburn that I would look like a lobster!

Budding trees, blooming flowers, warm sunny weather, and nude sunbathers… a sure sign spring has sprung in Munich!

P.S. I will post the photos (sorry, no nude sunbathers) in my photo gallery.

A Bra Story

Most women will agree that bra-shopping is one of the most horrendous events that we must endure. This is doubly true if you happen to be (as I am) well-endowed but not fat. This means that though I need a D-cup, my torso is not that big around and so finding a bra that properly fits me is, at best, a chore.

This is because for some strange reason bra-manufacturers seem to be under the mistaken impression that someone who wears a D-cup must also be a portly woman who is satisfied with an ugly-ass battle bra that has no underwire and no lining. Given the fact that I am not happy with the afore-mentioned attributes in a bra and that I had not yet shopped for a bra in Germany, yesterday’s bra-shopping trip can only be compared to going to the dentist… I was dreading it that much.

My first assignment was to try and figure out what German bra size I wear. However, I got lucky as the bras that I looked at had “International” sizes printed on them. (Whether I find any comfort now in saying I wear an 80D as opposed to a 36D is still up in the air.) After learning my correct German size, I spent some time looking for “80s” in the cute bra section, but as I feared none of them came in a D-cup. Therefore, I consented to a quick browse through the battle-bra section.

As usual, there were rows of bras with no underwire, no lining, all white, and with 3-clasp backs. I was about to give up and give my mom a call asking her to send me as many new bras from the brand that I have worn for some years now as she could afford, when divine intervention happened.

I saw in the corner between the cute bra section and the battle-bra section a rack of bras that appeared to have underwire and came in multiple colors. Full of hope, I approached the rack. Yes, they had underwire and a lining. I looked and saw the sizes… 75, 80, 85, 90. Things were looking promising. Then I glanced at the cups, B, C, and… YES!!! D!! Now were there 80Ds? I couldn’t believe it, not only was there an 80D, there were multiple 80Ds and in different colors even! But I couldn’t let my excitement get the best of me. They had not yet passed the final test… Would they fit? And if so, and even more important, would I LIKE the way they fit?

To sum the story up, yes, they did fit and what’s more, I liked the way they fit, so I bought three.

Art Notes

Today, A. and I went to visit the Lenbachhaus here in Munich as there is currently a Picasso exhibit being shown there. It is a very nice collection consisting of a variety of his works, including a huge collection of sketches.

However, in addition to seeing the Picasso exhibit, we also toured the rest of the Lenbachhaus. One of the highlights of their collection is a collection of works from a group of Expressionists that were centered around Munich in the early 20th century: Der Blaue Reiter.

One of the main artists of this group was Wassily Kandisky and I just fell in love with his works. They are abstract and so colorful. I am in the process of reading up on him and his works, but if what I saw today is any indication, I think I will be adding him to the list of my favorite artisits.

The Onion

Billed as “America’s finest news source,” The Onion is a farcical newspaper featuring world, national and community news. However, according to this article in Wired, some people apparently take The Onion a little too seriously.