Category: Fourre-tout

« Aux âmes bien nées la valeur n’attend point le nombre des années. » Pierre Corneille

“For souls nobly born, valor doesn’t await the passing of years”

I could not have said it better. You don’t have to belong to a specific age bracket to show talent.
Yesterday, on the pétanque field, I played with an amazing little girl. She is only 10 years old, but she is oozing brilliance.

My talent-detecting radar started to buzz just a few minutes after I started to play with her. The first time that she shot and hit her target, I registered this as a lucky happening. The second time she did this, I continued to believe that she was extremely lucky. The third time though, I had to stop and recognize that this was unusual.
She is still young and plays a little too fast, but by George she sure is gifted.

If I were a talent scout, I would take her under my wing right away, before anybody realizes how good she is. I predict that if she keeps it up, in a few short years she is going to be a dominating force on our court(s).

A while ago, I was starting to despair about our club’s “relève” (taking over from somebody), but now, I am convinced that someone will be there when we are gone.

Pétanque does not discriminate. You don’t have to be of any specific gender to participate and be good at it. As long as you have the will and the dexterity, the field is open to you.

And this little girl (her name is Tait) seems to have both. She has a good lineage. Her entire family is athletic and sports-minded and it must have something to do with it.

My dream is to have this little girl play with us regularly, AND bring her little friends with her. We need to have youngsters playing with us, challenging us and beating the crap of us. I always said that pétanque keeps you humble; the minute you start thinking that you are hot stuff, some kid will show up and shatter your fragile image.

Pétanque is not an old man’s sole domain. Everybody can play and be good at it. The only thing that you need is practice.

Science is the captain, and practice the soldiers. Leonardo da Vinci

Like Charlie Brown, I long to play with the little red-haired girl again. Brigitte, I want to play Tait à tête!

You must bring her back… or I will send my goons to do that.

Alain

One more mass shooting: 3 people dead, 12 wounded. The culprit? A kid armed with an AK-47-style rifle… bought online.
Why is the press so worked up? It happens all the time… In America, this is nothing but a short news item.

After countless random shootings all over the land, legislators continue to turn a blind eye to this calamity. They have much better things to do (?) than trying to protect the lives of their fellow citizens.

What about the public at large? Do they feel any outrage besides holding pitiful vigils and praying? Not really. If you are an American, you have the right to bear arms… and use them whenever somebody pisses you off.
After all, this the way the West was won.

The obvious problem in this land is the overabundance and the unregulated flow of weapons. Any halfwit can buy an automatic killing machine. Does it make any sense?

Why in hell are people allowed to purchase weapons of war? And would these Sunday “warriors” be on the frontline if we were suddenly invaded? I very much doubt it. They just like to dress the part.
So, what are they defending? The right to kill defenseless people?

In most of the civilized world, the authorities have final say in whether a person may obtain a license and/or firearm(s). Not in the Land of Free and the Home of the Brave where the holy second amendment is venerated like the Black Virgin of Guadalupe.

According to the Business Insider, “There are only three countries(in the entire world), that have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms: Mexico, Guatemala, and the United States.”

 But in Mexico, “Perhaps the biggest hurdle of all is that there is only one shop in the entire country where Mexicans can go to buy guns, and it’s located on a heavily guarded army base in Mexico City.”

 If there was such a place in the United States, I probably would be much less vocal about this issue. But chances are that in America there are more gun shops than donuts shops.

Will America ever wake up from its irresponsible slumber and stop this insane love affair with military-grade weapons? For my part, I don’t want to be at the mercy of some sociopath having a bad hair day.

Join me and advise your elected officials that, if they want to keep their jobs, they better start working on some legislation to seriously curb the proliferation of guns and homegrown terrorists.

This might  get them off their heinies.

Alain

What makes a commodity valuable? It is elementary my dear Watson: it is supply, demand and resale value.

With strong demand, a rare product becomes valuable. And it is usually vanity that drives that process. By virtue of my wealth, says the well-heeled, I can acquire what most people can’t… And I do it, just to show that I can.

The best way to generate value is to provide something lots of people want, and where you have a unique advantage in providing it. 

Every year our club sponsors at least 2 “mixed” (one man & one woman) tournaments. The idea sounds interesting, but due to the scarcity of female players, finding a teammate is always a struggle.

In our club, under the best circumstances, no more than 12 women are available to play. When a mixed tournament is looming on the horizon, every man scrambles to secure a partner, but there are alas few to choose from.

“Necessity is the mother of invention” is an old English expression meaning that when there is a need, there can be a (lucrative) solution. And as a newborn-entrepreneur I have seen the light, and I just realized that I am holding a royal flush in my hand.

Due to her prowess on the field, my wife has become very popular and her re-sale value has increased significantly. She is very much in demand on the pétanque circuit and she is being courted by many players who would like to secure her services for a tournament.

A star does not like to taint her dainty fingers with money, so my wife has tasked me to handle her contracts and bookings. I have never been very good with money but I will try my best to accommodate her.
As her new impresario, besides taking in the money, I will also deal with costumes, backup dancers, light, and music.
I am what you might call her new Colonel Parker.

Of course, Tamara’s fees have gone up appreciably since she won the Bastille Day tournament in Sonoma. But she is still affordable.

If you are dying to shine in a tournament, give me a ring (and bring some cash). Don’t forget that to play well, a diva also needs to be wined and dined before entering the arena.
Last but not least, her trailer will also have to be well-stocked with caviar, vodka, and pickles.

But don’t be intimidated by her fame. She is still down to earth and always willing to share a good laugh with the little people.
And you won’t have to curtsy either.

Call me anytime.

Alain