Category: Fourre-tout

 

“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.” Henry Ward Beecher

? ????

I am not a believer but I totally agree with you on that Reverend.

Making friends, especially after a certain age, is an arduous pursuit. You are set in your ways and find it difficult to accept new people and new ideologies. Friendship is best started when young and open-minded. It gives you time to adjust to the idiosyncrasies of a would-be friend.

To gauge your degree of compatibility with someone, you need to take that person to a few different venues and observe his/her reactions. Is this person able to laugh at anything and most importantly at himself?

What I personally look for in a man or woman, is an easy smile AND a good sense of humor. Without this essential ingredient, regardless of any other qualities, a friendly relationship could not develop.

Making friends is almost like buying a new suit. You need to feel comfortable in it. You need to be able to bend in all directions without feeling constrained. If the suit feels uncomfortable, it is not meant for you.

“It’s very important when making a friend to check and see if they have a private plane. People think a good personality trait in a friend is kindness or a sense of humor. No, in a friend a good personality trait is a Gulfstream.” Fran Lebowitz

It is true. A private jet is always a plus but it is not enough to win me over. I will settle for somebody with roller skates if he/she can make me laugh or laugh at my own jokes.

I am leery of puritanical folks who get easily offended. In my book I want to feel free to laugh at anybody or anything. When it comes to humor, nothing, absolutely nothing is off-limits as long as it is truly funny. Even dictatorships cannot stop people from laughing.
Off-color jokes by the way are not my cup of tea.

It is sometimes in stressful situations that you discover somebody’s sense of humor. When the Titanic hit the iceberg, somebody might have said:

“Which one of these is the non-smoking lifeboat?”

Remember: laughter is a universal lubricant that reduces stress. If you feel moody, stressed and have high blood pressure, go to “laughter rehab” for a week or two.
It will help, I promise.

Alain ?

 PS: For Sale: Parachute. Only used once, never opened, small stain.

 

“My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work, and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition there.”  Indira Gandhi

 ? ????

There is a French saying that goes « Toute peine mérite salaire” which can be loosely translated as “Any type of labor deserves recognition.” I totally agree with this.

It has always been my policy to give credit whenever it is due and whenever I can. When somebody endeavors to do something that will benefits others, I want to recognize that individual and publicly acknowledge what he/she has accomplished.

In accordance with this policy, I thereby recognize and praise Mark Shirkey for creating and implementing a functional website for La Pétanque Marinière.
Congratulations for a job well done.

But keep in mind that a website is always a work in process. It needs to evolve and adapt to various kinds of situations and that’s why your suggestions are important.
If you perceive that something is missing or should be corrected, inform the Webmaster and offer creative suggestions. I am sure that it will be appreciated.

Now what is the difference between an official website and a blog like mine?
An official website keeps its adherents informed and articulates the policies of the club.
A blog on the other hand is more personal and independent. It wants to remain free to express sometimes-unorthodox ideas not always condoned by the club.
A blog also can (and should) have a sense of humor whereas a website is generally more constrained.

Recognition also means that when you make use of somebody else’s material such as writing or photographs, you have a moral (and legal) obligation to name the original authors.

It is also ethical to ask permission to use somebody’s photographs and more often than you think, that permission is denied. In our highly litigious world you can even be sued for plagiarism of for using photographs that are not your own.

This being said, I applaud Mark Shirkey again for a job well done, and to facilitate access to La Pétanque Marinière’s newly created website I just added a link to it on my own blog. Look for it.

Alain ?

Never miss an opportunity to say a word of congratulation upon anyone’s achievement.   President Lyndon Johnson

 

 

“The road to success is always under construction.”
Lily Tomlin

? ????

Never rest on your laurels. It has widely been proven to be detrimental to your health.
Regardless of your field of expertise or your past achievements, you should never forget that success is fleeting. You need to constantly reaffirm that your success was not a fluke, a one-time wonder.

The key to sustainability is to remain open-minded and to keep an ongoing commitment to innovation. Smart people start working on a new idea the minute they launch their latest creation. What makes them successful is their ability to constantly renew themselves.
And the words “cannot be done” are never part of their thinking.

Old ways were good (for a while), but to stay ahead of the pack you need to constantly innovate.
In the 16^th century, Japanese samurais initially shunned the use of firearms that they found primitive and cumbersome.
“According to one estimate, in 16th century Japan, an archer could fire 15 arrows in the time a gunner would take to load, charge, and shoot a firearm.”
But after some reversals on the battlefield they saw the light and adopted firearms. At the end of the century Japan, continuing to innovate, was making some of the best rifles in the world.

On the other hand, the extremely successful Eastman Kodak Company (founded in 1888) due to its failure to quickly transition to digital photography, ran aground and finally filed for bankruptcy in 2012.

Not all improvements are great, but those who fail to adapt are doomed to early retirement.

Moustache Petes, (old style mafia bosses) didn’t believe in change either. Notorious Joe Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano were unceremoniously dethroned (quickly met their maker) by the Young Turks such as Lucky Luciano and Vito Genovese.

Never stick to old beliefs for fear of change. It could impair your breathing.

Last word of advice:

“Be nice to people on your way up because you’ll meet them on your way down.” Wilson Mizner

Alain

New Photo Book. Inquire for availability.