Category: Fourre-tout

Thirty-eight people gathered yesterday in San Rafael for a late season mêlée tournament. It was foggy and cold, and the weather did not improve much for the rest of the day. But the lack of shade provided an ideal setting for photography.

The games did not start until 10:00 am due to some late arrivals and last-minute changes to the players list. I for one, due to a stubborn back pain, was very ambivalent about playing and ultimately gave my spot to somebody else. The Moirai, or Fates, (the three goddesses of destiny) had decided that I should not play and take photographs instead. And so I did.

As usual 2 games were to be played in the morning and 2 more games in the afternoon. The mêlée format is attractive to beginners and dedicated pointers alike  for it gives them a chance to be paired with stronger, or dedicated shooters. And as proven in this tournament, pointers were the real heroes of this event and were instrumental in bringing the bacon home.

In Pétanque, pointers are like infantrymen and shooters are like the artillery. As any general will tell you, no battle can be won without the infantry.  Louis Toulon, a member of the winning team, told me himself that Sandra’s excellent pointing was a major factor of their victory.

The event mercifully ended around 3:00 pm and laurel leaves crowns (and some cash) were awarded to the 4 best teams of the day.

Despite my aching back, I managed to hop around the field to cover the action. At the end of the day, I ended up with over 500 shots that I had to review, correct or discard… an extremely time-consuming operation. I tried to keep the number of photographs published under 200 but I did not  succeed. Sorry about that.

Anyway, here are the finals results:

1^st place: Louis Toulon and Sandra Shirkey
2^nd place : François Moser and Robert Brown
3rd place: Colin Kennedy and Tamara Efron
4^th place: Bernard Passemar and Teri Thiebault

Alain

PS: Be sure to check My photos section to see how the day went on.

Be aware that because all the photos were taken with 3 different recording devices, they are not in a chronological order.

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!”

This is the first line of a speech by Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare.

Well, Mark Antony, I am willing to listen, but unfortunately, it becomes increasingly difficult for me to lend my ears to anybody. Particularly to people who speak in whispers, who talk too fast, or  mumble.

And I am not alone. According to the National Institute on Deafness “Approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing. Mar 25, 2021

 I don’t deserve this. I never went to any thunderous Rock concert whose only goal is to ruin your hearing or to any Far-right rally.

“On average, rock concert decibel levels are between 90 and 120 db. This decibel level is concerning as it can threaten your hearing health. Sounds above 85 dB are considered harmful to human hearing.”

 It is more than obvious that Rock musicians are in cahoots with hearing aid companies. Make everything shake, they preach  and you  shall get a nice cut of our ridiculously high profits.

Hearing aids are extremely expensive, but my main complaint is that they don’t stay in your ears.  No matter what, soon or later, they will attempt to escape… and they do it the English Way. You don’t feel anything, but two thousand dollars (a piece) just disappeared catimini. And it can be replaced only once! After that, you are on your own.

The other day I went to see the latest James Bond flick (No Time to Die) and the sound in the theater was so loud that I had to cover my ears… But when I uncovered them, I still could not understand much of the dialogue. And the plot was so far-fetched that even if heard it I would not understand what was happening. I like Daniel Craig, but the movie is more about car chases and shooting than anything else. We left before the movie ended.
Why don’t they have subtitles in movie theaters? This way  we could cover our ears and still enjoy the show.

A quick word of advice: if you absolutely want to see this movie, first go to the Internet  and read the script. It might help you (a little) to understand why all these people are trying to kill each other. On second thought, with the abundance of guns in America, you probably can stay in your neighborhood and witness the same carnage for free.

But every cloud has a silver lining.  Sometimes, not hearing what people say is a big plus. Why clutter your mind with insignificant gibberish?

 Alain

It is hard to believe, but evidence is pointing to this direction. The stupidity virus (StuVi20) has proven to be highly contagious and difficult to contain.

Unlike the Covid bug though, it does not physically hinder those affected. It is rarely lethal, but those contaminated by it usually experience a net slow-down of their mental faculties. It takes noticeably longer for them to process and absorb new facts and figures.

“The two most common elements in the world are hydrogen and stupidity.” Anonymous

Unlike Covid-19, the stupidity bug seems to affect the intellect rather than any other parts of the human body. This disorder seems to be a tribal phenomenon that strikes some families, political and religious affiliations groups, or people living in small, isolated communities.

Covid-19 has proven to be beatable for people whose brain has been spared by the stupidity virus; but for the so-called “dissenters”, it will be a long arduous road ahead. It is difficult to get rid of some thoughts when everybody around you seems to share the same beliefs.

“Obstinacy and vehemency in opinion are the surest proof of stupidity.” Bernard Barton

For some people, fellowship is very important and breaking away from the pack is always difficult. It probably feels like an Amish youngster trying to escape from his rigid environment.

It takes pluck to disagree with your clan, and few people have the nerves to do that. But some children, not yet contaminated by the stupidity virus, used their brains to think for themselves and opted to throw in their lot with doctors and scientists.  They might in turn convince their parents to abandon the church of ignorance and join the cult of reason.

But no matter what, virus or no virus, some people are born stupid and will remain stupid until the Saint-Glinglin.

“Feeling pretty proud of myself. The puzzle I bought said 3-5 years, but I finished it in 18 months.”

I told you so!

Alain