Category: Fourre-tout

First of all, let’s define the word conversation…

As I understand it, it is a talk between two or more people, in which news, ideas, thoughts, and feelings are exchanged.

But are conversations now outdated? Are they another collateral damage of COVID-19? Yes, you still can call your friends, but what is there to talk about besides the cursed pandemic? Everybody is dog-tired of that old potato and running out of new subjects… If you don’t go anywhere, don’t see or get it on with anybody, what are you going to gossip about?

A phone call today feels like conversing with an inmate or a nursing home dweller… Since they are confined, they have nothing interesting to add to the conversation, and very soon, you are going to run out of material.

What about your spouse, your inamorata? It does not get any better… Remember the old saying “familiarity breed indifference.” After a long time cloistered in your abode with anybody, you are ready to erupt.

Even if you are very close to that person, it is very difficult to keep the conversation going… they know everything about you and you know almost everything (?) about them…
You need to regularly get away from each other to keep the relationship sustainable…

But fortunately, I am a conversation camel… I can go a few days without talking to anybody…. I dabble in writing… often a lot of nonsense, but for me, it is a safety valve. It is an occupation which distracts me from our painful problem and  releases the pressure generated by imposed inactivity. And this hobby carries a big bonus! It also distracts you from raiding the fridge too often.
I wonder what we are all going to look like in a month, a year, when the damn virus finally disappears?

When writing (or toying with words and ideas) my main purpose is to entertain. Especially now when everybody is down in the dumps…

So when are we going to reopen the country and reintroduce the art of conversation? Our feckless fearless leader is eager to start making money again, but you cannot set an arbitrary date based on a personal whim.

I have the feeling that it is going to be a very long process, based on scientific facts and not on wishes.

In the meantime, keep a stiff upper lip under your mask!

Alain

It occurred to me recently that I was a fetishist… and after some consideration, I decided to come out and share my perversion with you.

But before I confess though, I want you to know that this deviance of mine is not unique… unbeknownst to you, many secret fetishists are gravitating close by. Someday maybe, after a few drinks, you will also come clean and share your guilty pleasure with us.

“Tie me up, please…” Chantal said.
A little bit of kink was one of the most delicious of erotic pleasures. Catholic school girls were often the horniest…”

 Yes, bondage is one of the common fetishes. Some people just love to be tied up and toyed with…
Among the best-known fetishes, you have the foot fetish, the panty fetish, the high heel fetish, the hair fetish, the nylons, the spanking fetish, voyeurism, whipping, etc. To each his own.

My fixation (I bet that you are dying to know) is box fetishism. Yes, I am a box fetishist. To be more accurate, I love them and I am unable to dump them. I hoard them… Not because of their supposed magical powers, or because they are inhabited by a spirit…

No, I keep them because I know that someday I will regret abandoning them… Not today, not tomorrow, not even in a year… but I am aware that in due course I will want to renew my relationship with them again.

A little while ago, being unoccupied, I decided to reorganize a closet. In my newfound zeal, I made the capital mistake of discarding some of my precious shoe boxes. Without fail, a few days later, I desperately needed one of them…

There is something about a box that fascinates me. To entice customers, merchants now spend more time designing and constructing these boxes, and some are lovely. I specially think of the iPhone boxes… little jewels.
It seems to be a crying shame to put them in the garbage bin.

And anyway, there is too much waste in America… and around the world. We should not be so eager to discard things (or people) that could be useful again.

In closing

If you are a fetishist, don’t be bashful about it. Come out of the closet and enjoy your longing while you can. Nothing is taboo anymore and you should know by now that life is precarious.
We are only human and we only live once.

La vie est courte, amusons-nous. (Life is short, let’s have fun.) Victor Cherbuliez 

Alain

Today, the cottage industry is the new voguish trend!
For those unfamiliar with the concept, a cottage industry is a small manufacturing activity practiced at home with your own equipment.

Due to the Coronavirus plague and its dire financial consequences, many people are jumping at the chance to generate some new income. Their guiding mantra is “Find a need and fill it” and they are looking hard at those needs. So now is the ideal time to start your own business… from your kitchen or your garage. Bill Gates did it, why not you?

From the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a shortage of face masks in America and many homepreneurs? jumped at the chance to fill that demand. Anybody with a sewing machine could manage it and many people (my wife included) did it. The field is now getting crowded with big outfits horning in.

But this is not the only product offering cottage industry opportunities.

I did a little research on that subject and Google presented me with a few possibilities.
In the products area, I found that toilet paper, deodorant, disposable diapers, shampoo, hand sanitizer, feminine hygiene products, t-shirts and socks, were very much in demand. But I don’t see an opportunity there for myself.

Then there is knitting, sewing, baking, soap making, noodles making…
This is Tamara’s line, and she is very good at it… especially the knitting and the baking… I will leave this field to her.

In personal services, I saw on-line tutoring, freelance writing, proofreading, marriage counseling, mental health treatment, masseuse, personal waxing… Occupations more in tune with my experience and capabilities.

I don’t want to brag, but I think that I could do some of those things… especially the massage thing and the mental health gig. We have a good ironing board at home and because of my pétanque experience, I have a solid grip. I guarantee satisfaction… especially if you are  beauty contest material.

As far as mental health issues are concerned, I have seen enough movies to adequately deal with this. My patient will lie on a couch… I will sit out of sight, at a social distance of course, and I will listen to him/her, without ever interrupting.

Soon my watch will vibrate indicating the end of the session. I will say as they do in movies “your time is up” and I will collect my fee (below the standard rate). My client will leave satisfied, having unburdened his/herself without being interrupted.

As you can see, there are many opportunities for small cottage industry and since we are not yet out of the woods, I encourage you to find your own niche. It can be very rewarding.

Alain