Category: Fourre-tout

The Commemorative Cup is a special tournament where people compete for glory instead of cash. The competitors fight for the privilege of having their names engraved on the cup… for eternity. Something worth fighting for.

Last Sunday turned out to be a sunny day with mild temperatures hovering around 74 degrees. It was an ideal weather for playing pétanque but inappropriate (because of the harsh light) for taking photographs.

Upon arriving on the field, I could not help but notice the yellow numbers identifying each playing areas. If you want to know, Mike O’Leary (a heck of a hard worker) did it.

The tournament was managed by Christine Cragg, and 20 mixed doublettes signed up to play.

As usual, 3 timed-games were played before lunch to determine who would compete in the Concours and who would play in the Consolante.

My partner (Tamara) and I did well in the morning, winning our 3 first games and qualifying (sigh…) for the Concours.

12 teams qualified for the Concours and 8 for the Consolante.

After lunch, things got a little stickier when we encountered Brendan and MaryAnn. I was secretly hoping to send him back to Machu Picchu, but it did not work that way. Brendan demolished us 13/5. Curse you, Red Baron!

After being eliminated from the Concours, I spent the rest of the day taking pictures with Sneaky Pete my small Canon camera. Unfortunately, my camera’s spare battery ran out of juice unexpectedly and I had to shoot the finals with my iPhone. It is not as convenient as a true camera, but I managed fairly well.

Sandra and Mark had a good run but were ultimately defeated 4/13 in the semi-finals by Brendan and MaryAnn.

In the finals, Brendan and MaryAnn faced Hans and Maggie. The game started well for Hans’ team with Maggie pointing well and Hans shooting extremely well.
But little by little the Great Brendini and Fair Maiden MaryAnn caught up with them, passed them and finally overpowered them 13/5.

I felt (a little) sorry for the losers but at the same time comforted by the fact that our team was eliminated by the same mighty ruffians who won the tournament.

The names that will be engraved on the Commemorative Cup are Brendan Cohen and MaryAnn Curley.

Concours:

1st place: Brendan Cohen and MaryAnn Curley
2nd place: Hans Kurz and Maggie lane
3rd place: Patrick Vaslet and Shannon Bowman

Consolante:

1st place: Erin McTaggart and Mike
2nd place: Peter Wellington and Lynda Evans

Alain

Enjoy the (so-so) pictures.
My own (excellent) portrait was taken by Carlos Chavez.

Like millions of fans all over the world, I have been watching many of the football World Cup (soccer)  matches that are currently taking place all over Russia.
According to my sources, “a total of 79 national teams have entered the 2018 FIFA World Cup.”

Watching the competing teams fighting it out, I have been marveling at the synergy displayed by all the nations involved.

It seems that for a brief moment in time, all countries associated with the World Cup have agreed to stop bickering and abide by FIFA’s rules. Wouldn’t be nice if this sort of gentleman’s agreement persisted throughout the years?

Countries with different languages, customs, and religious affiliations agreed to a truce ( not including vicious tackles) and to shake hands with their mortal enemies.

As a matter of fact, I have been wondering what language all parties are using. I would think that English (due to its facility) would be the first choice and I turned out to be correct.

“FIFA referees take English courses to learn the basics of what they need to know to communicate on the field.”

This does not mean that they are no misunderstandings. They do happen, but during a match, right or wrong, a referee’s decision is law.

They also use colored cards that are universally understood to enforce their decisions. A yellow card shown by the referee indicates that a player has been officially cautioned. A red card means that a player must be sent off.

In America (except for the First Nations) we are all immigrants, and even if you have been living in this country for 40 or 50 years, when it comes to soccer you are still rooting for your birth country.

As of today, France (presently in the quarterfinals) is still in the running, and with a little bit of luck (a good sprinkling of luck actually) the Grenouilles could take the Cup home.

The current champion is Germany, and the most successful nation in the competition is Brazil, who has won the Cup five times.

If…

If the French succeed though (they made in 1998, 20 years ago), I will naturally take a good part of the credit… and glory. Be ready for that.

Allez les Bleus!  ??

Alain

Erratum:

Jean-Michel Poulnot reminded me that 209 countries (not 79) entered the FIFA qualifications. Thank you Jean-Michel!

“A Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation.”

With age comes wisdom (?)… Invariably accompanied by stiffness, its loyal sidekick. When you reach a certain age it becomes increasingly difficult to tie your shoes or paint your toenails. I find this frustrating… the shoes I meant. Picking up a coin on the ground also becomes a highly optional activity.

After a complex back surgery, it becomes even more difficult to perform these elementary tasks. Seeking to comfort me and alleviate my predicament, my resident nurse recommended yoga. She practices it regularly and it seems to do her good.

“Your body can do it.  It’s your mind you need to convince.”

Precisely. My mind is stuck in an old familiar groove and it is difficult to pull it out of its rut. It takes a lot of determination to convince your body to move and bend in unusual positions.
Hey, it says, what are you trying to do? Attempting to become a contortionist? Don’t rock the boat buddy… I do as well as I can.

So, this is the first problem: Getting body and mind (like members of Congress) to work together. An almost impossible assignment. But I know that I should do this and overrule the objections of my body.

Well, first you have to lower yourself to the ground, which is not a natural position for a grownup. Infants do it all the time but what the hell do they know? Then you have to go through a series of uncommon, unfamiliar, peculiar moves to unclench your reluctant body.

Yoga is the fountain of youth. You’re only as young as your spine is flexible.– Bob Harper

But who wants to be young? And unworldly? I just want to be able to keep up with our grandson. This little guy is made of rubber and can bend in a thousand unnatural different ways. Life is not fair, I know.

Sigh..

So yoga it has to be. Pray for me. I might bust a gut trying to keep up with a toddler (and my wife) but I will give it the old college try.

Om Namah Shivaaya, Namah Shivaaya, Nama Shiva ♬

Alain