Oktoberfest reveller stuck in chimney for 12 hours

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man who had been drinking heavily at Munich's Oktoberfest beer festival got stuck in a chimney for 12 hours while trying to climb into a friend's apartment, police said on Friday.

After finding his friend was not at home, the 27-year-old climbed on to the roof of a neighbouring building at about 2 a.m. (1:00 a.m. British time) on Thursday and headed for what he thought was a gap in the wall between the two houses.

He found himself sliding almost 30 metres (98 feet) head first into a chimney, a spokesman for Munich police said.

An 82-year-old janitor from the hotel next door eventually heard the man's calls for help and he was rescued at around 2 p.m. by fire brigade officers who knocked a hole into the side of the chimney to liberate him, the spokesman said.

He had managed to turn around and had removed his clothes to try to help him squeeze back up.

"Miraculously, he was only slightly injured in the fall, sustaining just grazes and bruising," police said. The man was taken by helicopter to the hospital, where he is being treated for hypothermia, they added.

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Why did I post this article today? Well, it got me thinking; if I'm ever lucky enough to be able to attend "Oktoberfest", and I find that circumstances have presented themselves in such a way that I find myself drunk, naked and in a chimney, I really hope that:

1. I'm thin enough to not get stuck. In a perfect world I'd be able to simply slither down the open chimney shaft and land quietly and with grace in an unlit fireplace. I'd deliberately dust of my shoulder and be on my way.

2. I'm in good enough shape so that if those circumstances do happen to unfold in a such a way that I need assistance in extracting myself from said shaft, that I'm not embarrassed of my pale, nude stomach and behind as they are being pulled out by the 82 year old man and the local police force.

After all, everyone should have that look of good proportion, muscle and dignity as the camera catches them being forcibly yanked from a chimney shaft at 2pm in the afternoon in the middle of Oktoberfest.

So here we have reason 9,345 to lose weight and get/stay in shape:
Some day you may find yourself drunk, in a chimney shaft, naked, being videotaped: - you need to be prepared.

Also, always keep a power bar in your back pocket, because 12 hours alone in a chimney with no food is a long time.

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So it's time for another busy weekend. It's now wedding time for my friend who had the bachelor party last weekend. That means more drinking, eating, and little time for exercise. Am I worried? No. I'll do what I've been doing for over two months and watch what I eat and drink, and hopefully make up for some lost exercise next week.
I think the weight loss is coming a little slower now than it was initially, but I'm still doing 2 pounds a week or so which is admirable. The last 3 days my weigh-ins have been exactly the same down to the 1/10th pound. If this keeps up I'll have to make some changes, but I'm going to give it a few more days.

It's time to get some work done so I can leave work early. With any luck, you won't read about me and a chimney on Monday morning. I'm just not quite that happy with my body just yet, but give it some time.