Category: Fourre-tout

Lately I have been toying with the idea of a European vacation, but what makes me hesitate is the unsavory prospect of spending twelve hours cooped in the confines of a jetliner.

I enjoyed flying when the hostesses were perky (coffee, tea or me?), the food decent and the legroom adequate. But with these criteria long gone, I now loathe taking to the air.
The idea of being stacked like a bunch of smoked oysters in a tin can is totally abhorrent to me.

Paradoxically, while planes are getting bigger and more fuel-efficient, the cost of flying is increasing and the breathing space allocated to each passenger is shrinking. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Something seems to be rotten in the state of Denmark!

If at least I could fly in a prone position I would not mind that much, but this a privilege that only the ultra-rich, elected officials (or flesh-baring performers) can afford.
Another depressing sign of rising inequality.

A normal human being, if not asleep, needs to remain in motion. Kids instinctively know that and prove it by constantly carrying on.
Having to remain seated for twelve hours is cruel and unusual punishment and ought to be proscribed by law.
I would like to see activists becoming interested in that idea.

If unable to lie down, passengers ought to have the option of exercising. A unidirectional running track around the plane would be a very innovative idea that farsighted airline executives ought to consider. Every hour, according to a predetermined order, passengers would be allowed to stroll around the plane and restore some blood circulation to their lower limbs.

But sadly enough, it looks like airline executives are only motivated by profit and show very little inclination to alleviate the misery of their cash cows.
I would like to introduce a motion stating that each time an airline executive travels, he should be compelled to fly coach to experience the punishment inflicted upon casual travelers.
Maybe then, and only then, is something going to be done about the inhumanity of air transportation.

In the meantime, I am mulling over the idea of starting a drive to collect enough money to fly at least once in the style of the rich and infamous.

After all these years flying steerage, I think that I deserve a little pampering.

Alain

Don’t piss off a Frog:

 

La Pétanque Marinière (the Marin County Pétanque club) has been in need of a tool shed for a long time and up to now, not much had been done about it.

As far as I can remember, the first person to bring up that subject in recent years was Ken Lee.
He proposed to buy a shipping container (a large metal box used for the transportation of goods) to serve as the club’s tool shed.
At the time, I didn’t think that such a structure would sit well in the middle of a bucolic setting; I also thought that it might attract undue attention.
While being in favor of purchasing a tool shed, I preferred a more subdued model like the popular “Tuff Shed” construction.
But the Tuff Shed proposal was rejected because it was not deemed theft-proof, and the shed idea lay dormant for a few years.

Then, a little while ago, almost overnight, a container-like structure appeared on the dog park adjacent to our field.
Our people suddenly wondered “why not us?” If the dog park people could do, so could we.

Spurred by Roger and Sabine Mattei (who did all the research), the board approved the purchase and installation of a mini-container.

On sunny March 18, the 3 M’s (Marchand, Moser and Mattei) came to the field to prepare the ground. They cleared a section bordering the pétanque field and laid four 8 x 8 wooden beams to support the heavy metal box.

One week later, on a rainy day, a flatbed truck delivered the container.
The thing looked like it had seen better days, but I was re-assured that after a fresh coat of paint it would look good enough to pass muster.
The truck driver slowly raised the bed of his truck and after a few tense minutes, the container (weighing close to 5000 lbs) slid unto the wooden beams lying on the ground. After the box settled, I could almost hear a palpable sigh of relief from everybody present.

Unfortunately, a rainstorm thwarted our plans.
The weather bureau announced that it would rain intermittently for a week thus preventing us from immediately painting (and camouflaging) the container.
We had to wait to complete the operation.

On April 7, the mighty MMM’s + D (Davantes) showed up again.
François Moser (aka Heisenberg) seconded by Roger Mattei started to paint the outside of the container.
He used a spray gun and 30 minutes (and about 2 gallons of paint) later the outside of the box looked rejuvenated.
With some paint left, it was decided to spray the interior of the box as well and this was promptly done.

In the meantime, Alain Marchand and Charlie Davantes trimmed and reinforced the wooden planks in the immediate vicinity of the container.
They did this to allow for a clear path to the storage shed.

Not satisfied with this, they attacked the tables that used to sit under a now defunct tree.
These tables were bolted to metal rods embedded in concrete blocks buried in the ground, and in order to move them the rods had to be cut.
Using a battery-operated electric saw Alain and Francois alternated to get the job done.
Freed from their anchors, the tables were then finally dragged to their present location.

The entire operation started around 9:30 a.m. and was completed around 12:00 noon. Two hours and a half of backbreaking work.

I think that we owe these lads a big debt of gratitude.
Next time you see any of them, the least you could do is to shake their hand and let them know how much you appreciate their hard work.

Personally, I think that to properly complete the launching of our new ship, I meant shed, we ought to christen it with a bottle of champagne.

In any case, I propose three hearty cheers for the MMM’s and the big D!

Alain

To look at photos of this event and listen to the accompanying background music, turn the sound on, and click on the “My Photos” link located on the right side of this page.