Category: Fourre-tout

“Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer

 

 

I totally agree. Show me a man who mistreat an animal and I will show you a potential wife beater, or worse.
I am an unabashed animal lover and animal rights advocate and absolutely nothing will ever change my mind.

In many cases animals are better than humans.
A human is notoriously unreliable. Friend today, foe tomorrow.
Animals by comparison are the ultimate friends. They will never betray you and right or wrong, you can be assured that they are unconditionally on your side.

Nothing will ever sway them. They are not interested in money or all the things that mortals crave.
Pets don’t pass judgment. They are always glad to see you. They don’t ask questions and have no recriminations.

And a pet will never misplace the house keys and will let you watch whatever you wish on TV. Porn, horror, politics (combination of the two previous items) comedy, everything is OK as long as they can cuddle with you.

When you fall in love with a critter, no “prenup” is ever necessary. It is unequivocally understood by both parties that this commitment is valid until “death us part”.
When an animal loves you, it is for life. The same cannot be said for humans.

You can never get bored with an animal. They don’t have much conversation but they are very good listeners (when they don’t snooze).

Even though it is not obvious, animals have distinct personalities and feelings. Humans might forgive, but never forget. Animals will always forgive and forget.
They are unconditional friends.

Regardless of his or her own physical or mental conditions everybody responds positively to an animal. It has been proven over and over in hospitals and nursing homes that one therapeutic session with a four-legged beastie is more effective and cheaper than any overpriced medication.

Give me any four-legged creature and I will show you the potential for a beautiful undying friendship.

Alain

“Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.” ― Colette

Enjoy a Day in San Francisco with me.
Turn your computer’s sound on, and click on the link “My Photos” located on the right side of this page. For best viewing, go Full Screen.

“If a man smiles all the time, he’s probably selling something that doesn’t work.”
George Carlin

 

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far far away, lived an amalgam of quarrelsome tribes called “Terriens”.

They coexisted under an eccentric set of rules called “democrazy”.
Under this arrangement, every four years all tribesmen (regardless of their mental condition) were summoned to select a chief, a liege lord.

And so one year, after being deluged with fantastical claims, the Terriens picked an individual who vowed to bring them back to the Promised Land. A land of milk and honey where everybody (except a few of course) would live a prosperous and happy life.

They chose a leader who was called Drake (the name of a male duck by the way).
He was very wealthy and he was also dubbed the Gift-Bringer of the East. All his followers expected a great deal of plundering and looting in return for their votes.

During his drive for control, Drake made numerous promises but shortly after being triumphantly hoisted on a shield by his warriors, he wavered.
He realized that there was a very big gap between free flowing rhetoric and action.

He also quickly discovered that people can be fickle, and that hell has no fury like scorned mercenaries. After a brief honeymoon period, peasants carrying pitchforks and torches soon started to gather nightly in front of his castle demanding satisfaction.
They also began to call him the Flapdoodle Whisperer.

Drake who was notoriously thin-skinned didn’t like that. He retreated to his ivory tower and ordered his minions to raise the drawbridge. He also decided to ignore troubadours and minstrels to disseminate his ideas and only communicate with his legions with tweeting birds.

In the meantime, Christmas was fast approaching and in spite of the existing hardship, people furiously engaged in the greatest commercial hustle of the year.

On Christmas Day, Santa who was traveling on his SPPS (self-propelled photovoltaic sleigh) noticed a disturbance on Drake’s estate and decided to have closer look.
He did not like what he saw.

Drake had been talking ceaselessly about “cleaning the black lagoon” but when Santa looked at Drake’s swimming pool he couldn’t help but notice that the pool was full of very wealthy “swamp creatures”.
He decided to give the Drake a taste of his own medicine.
Instead of the gold, frankincense and myrrh that Drake had expected, Old Nick dropped a big lump of coal in his stocking and disappeared, chortling in the dark.

And if you paid close attention, you could have heard his jolly voice roaring in the night: Ho, ho, ho chump! Or was it hump, bump, dump, trump?
Who knows?

‘Merry Christmas, nearly everybody!’

Alain

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” –Virginia Woolf

 

After years of indifferent, faux French cuisine and bad service, it looks like the Larkspur Left Bank Brasserie finally got it right.

Last Sunday, on the spur of the moment, we decided to go the Left Bank for brunch.
We arrived around 1:00 pm and were seated right away. In the past, a disagreeable (bordering on rude) hostess gave an unpleasant welcome to people who dared showing up without reservations.
This time, without having to flash a Global Entry security pass we were promptly seated.
Restaurateurs should never forget that the smile or the frown of the hostess sets the tone for the dining experience.

Since the weather was clement, we opted to seat outside.

The patio of the Left Bank is dog friendly and we dined surrounded by a multitude of four-legged beasties. Personally, I think that dogs should be accommodated in any restaurant. They are usually better behaved and less troublesome than some overindulged brats.
Brats could be seen, not heard!

The brunch menu is not large but varied and reasonably priced. Every dish is priced between $11.00 and $16.00.

I ordered the Assiette de Saumon (smoked salmon, radishes, crème fraiche, capers) and my dining companion opted for a Lamb sandwich.
We were both pleased with our choices.

Our waiter was friendly and diligent and we did not have to fiddle with our smartphones waiting for our dishes to materialize.

After years of wandering in the restaurant wilderness, it looks like the Left Bank finally found its mojo again.

A pleasant dining place. I give it my seal of approval.

Alain