Category: Fourre-tout

It is said that “The face is the mirror of the mind… “

I tend to believe this, but the past year has been rather difficult for mind or lips readers. With masks concealing most everybody’s faces, it was hard, if not impossible, to pick their brains

But things are starting to look up. With the pandemic showing signs of subsiding, masks are slowly starting to fall off, and you are suddenly allowed to gaze at faces again.

Friends’ faces were familiar, and when the masks came off, you did not expect to see any changes; but sometimes you are in for a surprise. After a stressful year, the person behind the mask has visibly grown older and you are sometimes taken aback by the change. It would be rude to mention it, but it leaves a somewhat sobering impression. People are not supposed to age that fast. The process is meant to be progressive and unnoticeable to the naked eye. And when it happens, (unless you are Jane Fonda), you should not notice it.
Getting older is like politics and religion; you don’t mention it in a polite social gathering.

When the masks come off, you are also surprised to discover the faces of the people that you met during the pandemic. You got accustomed to their eyes but never their mouths, an organ that says a lot about a person. And when they unveil their faces, it finds you non-plussed. You are aware that you know that person, but you are sometimes startled by what you see.

This welcome turn of events is also appreciated by the “hard of hearing” crowd.

 You might not be aware of it but “Approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) aged 18 and over report some trouble hearing.”

 Sometimes when you don’t hear well, you try to compensate for this condition by reading lips, but when everybody’s face is concealed, it becomes a little more problematic. In cases like this, you seldom disagree with what you hear, because you have just a faint idea of what is being said.

This is probably what happens in popular political rallies. Somebody is whipping up the crowd inciting them to violence. But not everybody fully understood the speech. So… if the majority around you applauds and shouts, you feel that have to do the same thing.
And that’s how riots start…

In the meantime, bathe in the euphory of rediscovering forgotten friends’ faces… and as Groucho once said:

“I never forget a face, but in your case, I’ll be glad to make an exception.”

 Alain

Good, fair, or rather shoddy? I will let you judge.
To start with, try to pronounce the following French tongue twister:

Natacha n’attacha pas son chat qui s’échappa. (Natasha did not tie up her cat which escaped.)
Not easy, even for a Frenchman…

Mastering a foreign language (especially French) is no small achievement. It is an arduous and frustrating process that can easily take a few years. And when you finally think that you can ride the French bull, you are suddenly confronted with a slew of peculiar expressions that leave you totally bewildered.

So, out of sheer compassion, I will try to shed some light on some common French expressions that only make sense to the snail-eating crowd.

Les carottes sont cuites – the carrots are cooked (the jig is up)
Poser un lapin – to drop a rabbit (to stand someone up)
C’est la fin des haricots – it is the end of the beans (it’s all over)
Tomber dans les pommes – to drop in the apples (to faint, to pass out)
Raconter des salades – to tell salads (to tell stories, to lie)
Avoir les portugaises ensablées – to have sand in your oysters (to hear poorly)
Donner sa langue au chat – to give one’s tongue to the cat (to give up trying to guess something)
Prendre son pied – to grab your own foot (to greatly enjoy, to reach orgasm)
Faire les 400 coups – to do the four hundred tricks (to raise hell)
Triste comme une femme sans fesses – as sad as a woman without buttocks
Un coeur d’artichaut – to have an artichoke’s heart (to be hopelessly romantic)
Un mouchodrome – a fly landing strip (a bald person)
Elle a de la conversation – she has conversation (she is a well-endowed)

Does it make sense?  Mais bien sûr…

Now, don’t utter a French word unless you are absolutely sure of what it means… and how to pronounce it. For instance, “un bras” is not a brassiere, it is an arm. So, don’t put your “bras” in your mouth.

As a general rule (but not always), when a word ends with a consonant, the last consonant is not pronounced.

Often mispronounced words:

 Bon appétit (the last “t” is never pronounced)
Coup de grâce (pronounced “coo de grass” and definitely not coo de graa)
Sauvignon blanc (the “c” in “blanc” is silent)
Déjà vu (not déjà voo)
Cul de sac (silent “l” in cul – and surprise, the last “c” in “sac” is pronounced)
Double entendre (never use this horrible saying in France if you don’t want to be laughed at; it doesn’t mean anything)

Hoping that this little tutorial was helpful, I wish you “mesdames et messieurs, une excellente journée”.

Alain

It is said that “Travel broadens the mind” so, always wishing to be enlightened, yesterday, accompanied by my mate, I journeyed to fabled Lamorinda.

For those of you not quite familiar with that word, it is the portmanteau from 3 adjacent cities:  Lafayette, Moraga , and Orinda. From Marin, it is a rather tortuous expedition, but nothing is too hard for a true believer.

The first thing that you should know about the Lamorinda Pétanque Club is that it is a very welcoming place. Just show up with your boules and very soon you will be included in a game. This has a lot to do with delightful Jackie Hackett; if I am not mistaken, she is the president of the club and she is endowed with a great personality. She always warmly greets newcomers and makes them feel immediately comfortable. She is an excellent player to boot.

Lamorinda, I believe, attracts many people by the caliber of its players. Many people will travel rather long distances for the privilege of measuring with worthwhile competitors, particularly shooters. Among those, Brennan, Pete Hackett, Eric Thiebault, Max, Sebastian, Antoine Lofaro, and a few more that I am not familiar with.

Did I forget to mention Ann Krilanovich? She was there, also shooting her heart away.

I came to Lamorinda to play a few games, but my !%&#*$ back did not allow me to proceed as intended. After two rounds I had to quit. But I still had the opportunity to play with Brennan and Pete Hackett and it was quite an experience. Both are great shooters and a joy to play with. In a game where I teamed up with a certain Ken (?) and Tamara paired with Pete, Pete scored many direct hits that blew the cochonnet to a great distance. There were at least 4 or 5 occasions when the cochonnet ended up about 20 meters from the starting circle and when we labored to finish the round.

Pete, like his wife Jackie, is also a very pleasant and industrious fellow. Since (like many Tamalous) he is also afflicted with a troublesome back, he came up with a little trick to pick up a wooden cochonnet and a plastic circle with a magnet. It is a great idea that I will definitely adopt and use whenever I am playing.

As I previously said, pétanque is a sport, but it is also a great occasion to keep in touch and socialize with your friends. You don’t even have to play; just show up and enjoy the companionship… and many do.

After quitting the game, I managed to take a few quick shots that you can view in the album called “Lamorinda”. Due to the harsh lighting conditions, they are not great but reflect the atmosphere of the event.

It was a great day, and since I still have a lot to learn, I will do my best to return.

Thank you again Jackie and Pete for your warm embrace.

Alain

Watch the pictures in “My photos

Erratum: Thank you to Gilbert Sonet for setting me straight. Pascal Gravier is the President of the Lamorinda club and Jackie is the secretary. My apologies to both for this error.