Category: Fourre-tout

When there is a tournament, weather conditions are important; if it is too hot or too wet, things can get sticky and affect the outcomes of the games.

Yesterday though, we were blessed with almost perfect atmospheric conditions; I am pretty sure that this happy set of circumstances was due to Mark and Sandra Shirkey’s organization and diligence. Without fanfare, this power couple is doing a heck of a job and has to be recognized for their hard work… I petitioned the French government for a medal.

The only grousing I heard on the field had something to do with the lack of available women. I saw a few haggard-looking men (with a wad of dollars in their hands) desperately trying to book a partner for the tournament, to no avail alas.

I believe that we need to address the Board about importing some women from the former Soviet Union where there is a surplus of women.

“The gender ratio in Russia is currently 86.8 men per 100 women, and the ratios in Latvia (84.8), Ukraine (86.3), Armenia (86.5), Belarus (86.8) and other former Soviet nations are similarly low.”

Fifty players  answered the call and showed up on our beautifully groomed field eager to rumble. As usual, 3 timed games were played in the morning to separate the Big Boys from the small fry.

I always believed that my aptitude to function has something to do with the stars’ position and yesterday something was definitely out of alignment.
Tamara and I lost our 3 starting games 3/13, 12/13 and 11/13 and were relegated to the Consolante. I felt totally out of sync and unable to concentrate. Despite some Ibuprofen, my left heel hurt like hell and I almost threw in the towel.

Around noon we were graced by the presence of Calvert Barron and her sister Sally. It was good to see Calvert smile and hear her laugh again. We all miss her and hope that she will soon come back to our field.

In the afternoon, despite my lack of enthusiasm to persevere, the gods took pity on me and lent me a helping hand. I found my mojo back and suddenly everything seemed to click; due to Tamara’s superb pointing, we won every game in the afternoon… and the Consolante.

During our crossing of the desert, a lot of things happened and I was unable to catch any of it. It is only around 3:00 pm that I was able to grab my camera and take a few shots.

In the Concours finals, Tom Lee (the Cobra) and Suzie Lee faced Christophe (freshly inked) Sarafian and Michelle Dang. All excellent players.

Both men and women played very well, but in the end, Christophe and Michelle prevailed 13/7.

Concours:
1^stplace: Christophe Sarafian and Michelle Dang
2^ndplace: Tom Lee and Suzie Lee
3^rdplace: Toy Vorachak and Cindy Vorachak

Consolante:
1^stplace: Alain Efron & Tamara Efron
2^ndplace: Jean-Claude Etallaz & Liliane Sebban

By 6:00 pm it was all over and we drove back home to collapse on our bed.

Alain

Due to weather conditions (too much shade) the pictures are not outstanding but still pleasant to look at.

“Why don’t you get a haircut? You look like a chrysanthemum.” P. G. Wodehouse

A person with unkempt long hair will benefit from a good haircut, and so will your pictures.

In the days of the ubiquitous “smartphone”, there is an orgy of snapshots or selfies. But when you do so, you only get a raw product, something like a debutante who needs polishing before being introduced to society.
To make your pictures more interesting, you need to focus on the main subject and remove distracting details; cropping is your ideal chiseling tool to do this.

 “Cropping is the removal of unwanted outer areas from a photographic or illustrated image. The process usually consists of the removal of some of the peripheral areas of an image to remove extraneous trash from the picture, to improve its framing, to change the aspect ratio, or to accentuate or isolate the subject matter from its background.”

 You will better appreciate the value of cropping, after looking at before and after pictures. A shot that looked dull and uninteresting suddenly comes alive after some skillful trimming.

Before sending or posting a photograph, ask yourself: do I want to keep it as is or should I improve it? If so, what do you want to emphasize? The man’s mustache or the building behind him? And do I need to show the entire body of this person? Unless it is a woman with Betty Grable’s legs, probably not.

When taking selfies, women (don’t deny it) try to emphasize their best assets. Nothing wrong with that, but before sexting a selfie to your admirers, watch the surroundings. Remove (crop) the dirty laundry on the floor or the naked man in the shower. Carelessness can be quite embarrassing.

Just about any photo software now includes some editing tools. Some are more intricate than some others, but all offer basic editing means.
Trimming and correcting an image can be time-consuming, but it is well worth the effort.

Sometimes, years after a picture has been taken, you glance at it and you realize how dull it looks. In a matter of minutes, you can rejuvenate it and make it attractive again.

Before posting anything anywhere, take a few minutes of your time to experience the joys of cropping. It sounds kinky, but it is not.

Trust me, crop before you flop.

Alain

“E pluribus unum”(One out of many) was the original motto of the United States adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782. It clearly indicated that the nascent country yearned to unite and cooperate with its various states and interests.

This inspired motto was highjacked in 1956 when, under pressure by religious zealots,  Congress adopted “In God We Trust” as its new official slogan.

This move flagrantly violated the First Amendmentwhich expressly says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…”

As an agnostic, and a confirmed believer of separation of Church and State, I strongly object to this outrageous appropriation. In our troubled times, mortals would be better off relying on laws and unity than banking on divine intervention.

“United we stand, divided we fall” is still a pertinent dictum.

Great civilizations that flourished for centuries collapsed suddenly due to internal struggles, and that what our Disunited States are facing today.

By opposing crucially needed gun control regulations, our President, Mitch McConnell, and the NRA have shown themselves to be enemies of the people.
Their hypocrite condolences and weak signs of contrition does not mean much. No matter what the carnage, they will stick to their guns and ignore the grief of thousands.

Despite what the President is saying, guns don’t have a say in all these massacres. Guns don’t make decisions. They are just obedient servants of depraved individuals.
Take automatic firearms away from them, and you will reduce mass killings by 95%. It is that simple.

In a democracy, leaders have to lead or get out of the way. If they don’t, it is time to throw the rascals out. At the polls, vote for the Devil himself if he solemnly promises to ban assault weapons, large magazines and insane amounts of bullets.

“As of Monday morning, there have been 255 mass shootings in the U.S., according to figures kept by non-for-profit group the Gun Violence Archive. A mass shooting is generally accepted as an incident in which at least four people are shot.”

 America is the laughing stock of the world when it comes to gun violence.

 To be effective, you need to know and pressure your elected representatives. In California, we have 2 senators: Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris.

Petition them relentlessly to make gun control a reality.

Alain