Category: Fourre-tout

In 1936 the Popular Front government led by Leon Blum granted paid holidays to French workers.

Today France mandates 30 paid vacation days* a year for all workers.
Coming July there is a mad rush of hell-bent urbanites speeding towards the Promised Land of summer vacation.

As a matter of fact, besides politics and retirement, that’s about the only thing that French people are constantly talking about.
In the summer while bronzing on the beach they talk about their upcoming winter vacation, and in winter while sunning on the terrace of a fashionable ski resort they fantasize about their next summer vacation.

The French, like most Europeans take their main vacation in the summer.
There are many reasons for that (mostly kids’ annual break) but summer is probably the worst time of the year to go on a vacation.
All the resorts are packed, service is erratic and prices are sky-high.

Vacation time should not be dictated by the calendar but by the prevalent weather.
If it rains in the summer, wait for Fall. If Fall is inclement, aim for winter.

Fall, especially late-September to mid-November (the fabled Indian summer) is definitely the best time to take a vacation in California.
The crowds are gone, the weather is mellow and hotels rooms are plentiful and cheaper than in the summertime.

Last Wednesday I happened to be in Sausalito (had not been there for a while) and I was totally taken aback by the astounding availability of parking spaces and restaurant tables.
Instead of seeing you as alien invaders, the locals now welcome you with open arms and will bend backwards to accommodate you.
We found a table easily at the usually packed Le Garage restaurant, and I noticed with pleasure dogs wandering unimpeded in and out of the establishment.
The food was extremely good (steak-frites: $25.00 & lobster salad: $17.00) and the service was excellent. No complaints.

So, if you still have unused vacation time left, now is the time to put it to good use. In the Bay Area!

Alain

*The United States is the only advanced economy that doesn’t guarantee paid vacation.

 

An exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor:
She said, “If you were my husband I’d poison your tea.”
He said, “If you were my wife, I’d drink it.” 

A Member of Parliament to Disraeli:
“Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.”
“That depends, Sir,” said Disraeli, “whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.”

“He had delusions of adequacy.” – Walter Kerr 

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.” – Winston Churchill 

“He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.” – William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway). 

“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it” – Mark Twain 

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends..” – Oscar Wilde 

“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend… if you have one.” – George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
“Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second… if there is one.” – Winston Churchill, in response.

“I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.” – Irvin S. Cobb

“He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” – Samuel Johnson 

“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” – Mae West 

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” – Oscar Wilde 

 

The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naïve forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget. 
Thomas Stephen Szasz

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Life is full of unexpected vicissitudes, but generally speaking we harvest what we sow.

Unconsciously or consciously we judge the people around us and store our feelings in one of our brain’s little compartment.
When one of these storage units overfills, the spillage spoils the smooth running of the human machine.
We become tense, anxious, volatile.
Any careless remark can trigger a tsunami of contained emotions.

Forgiving those who hurt us is not easy and is often difficult to contemplate. It takes courage to do so.
But forgiving does not mean forgetting. It does not give the offender a clean slate.
Forgiving means that you are willing to let some hurtful language slide by with the caveat that you won’t be so lenient if it happens again.

In life there is an unwritten code of conduct that civilized people go by.
And one of the first rule of that code is not to speak carelessly and hurt people by insensitive remarks.

“A knife wound heals, but a tongue wound festers.”  Turkish proverb

Offensive language from a stranger is less hurtful than when coming from somebody you know, but no matter what the source, it hurts.

A responsible adult is somebody who is able to control his thoughts and keep his mouth in check.

Alain