Au Cochonnet Marin

I am bored…
Lately, after a significant increase of Covid positivity among the citizenry, the local authorities clamped down on almost everything fun… Cafés, bars, restaurants,  bordellos… Everybody was ordered to close shops.

Right now, besides walking or howling at the moon there is absolutely nothing to do. And alas, when I am bored, I have a tendency to pay a (courtesy)  visit to the fridge… a distraction that I need like a hole in the head.

So, after pondering the situation for a while, I proposed to Tamara, to drive to San Francisco and stroll for a while on the Chrissy Field Promenade Trail. Despite having already walked 4 miles in the early morning, Tamara accepted enthusiastically. The Iron Lady is always game for any physical activity, and a while later we were on our way to the City.

The Marina area was sunny with a slight haze hanging over the bay. During the week, this area is a little less crowded than on weekends, but it was still well attended. And that’s what I like about this place. You can always catch a microcosm of the local population. Joggers, cyclists, nannies, elderly folks, dog walkers, and a multitude of mutts running excitedly by and in the water. This area is civilized, and everybody was wearing masks. There were no belligerent “freedom fighters” dissenters to spoil the mood.

Today, the tide was exceptionally high (something to do with the White House’s stormy atmosphere I have been told) and most of the beach was covered with some foamy white stuff. This did not stop the dogs from chasing each other and taking an occasional dip in the water. I could not help but snap a few pictures, but the light was not propitious and with very few exceptions I didn’t bag any decent shots.

As I said, everybody was wearing a mask and you are starting to take this anomaly in stride. This is the new normal. What is now shocking are bare faces exposing noses and mouths. Those are becoming known as the new nipples of the 21^st century. Decent folks don’t show them… just suggest their presence.

And talking about masks, last night, at our Zoom meeting, I was surprised to see the bare faces of our new members for the first time. It was rather odd. It suddenly occurred to me that Muslim women wearing niqabs must have a lower mortality rate than the shameless floozies daring to show their “nipples” in public.
But please excuse my digression… I was carried away by the flow of my eloquence.

To sum it up, we enjoyed our time frolicking at the beach, and I am (temporarily)  “unbored”.

Alain

“A dilemma is a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones.”

The business community is presently facing such a dilemma. To keep its people alive or face financial ruin. The Covid-19 pandemic is forcing some administrators to make this damnable choice and I understand and sympathize wholeheartedly with both sides of this predicament.

Local authorities are desperately trying to slow down the spread of the virus by restricting attendance to many places of business. But by doing so, it is also signing the death warrant of many small enterprises. Especially during the holiday season when merchants often make 20 to 30% of their annual profit. It is difficult not to feel sympathy for people who are witnessing powerless the slow death of a business that took years to build and sustain.

But while I commiserate with the merchants, I also understand the need to bring to a stop the proliferation of this terrible decease… which by the way is not and never was a “hoax”. Sometimes people need to have a brush with death to admit that they were wrong. And I have seen in the evening news enough contrite intubated patients doing so. Covid 19 is like gangrene. You might have to amputate a limb to keep the patient alive.

We have been told that the cavalry is underway. In the meantime, we just have to circle the wagons, greet our teeth, and get vaccinated as soon as possible. There cannot be any dilly-dallying, time is of the essence.

The quickest way to get back to normal is to bear with the impositions and comply with the scientists’ decisions. If the ship is sinking, regardless of your beliefs, you have to reach for the lifeboats. There is no alternative.

I understand and empathize with those facing this terrible dilemma, but If you want to enjoy a few more years on this planet, get vaccinated the first chance you get. I will.

Alain

“There is no vaccine against stupidity.” A. Einstein

But Covid vaccines, like long-awaited wishes, are on their way. They will be here any day (so we are told) and offered immediately for public consumption. But who will get them first, and more importantly, who wants to be first to get them?

For there are many doubters and deniers in this ragtag country of ours… Even though the effectiveness of vaccines has been well documented, some people (for mainly irrational reasons) still refuse to be vaccinated.

This situation is reminiscent of what happened in France in 1785. It was a year of bad harvests and people were starving and dying. They were told to eat the then little-known potatoes, but nobody would do it because it was thought to cause leprosy among other things. So, French pharmacist, Antoine-Augustin Parmentier concocted various plots to entice people to eat what he called Pommes de Terre (ground apples).

His most famous scheme was to start a potato patch and put armed guards around it. If you guard something reasoned some people, it has to be valuable. The same guards were intentionally withdrawn at night, allowing starving people to sneak into the patch and steal some potatoes. They cooked them, ate them, and liked them. The word quickly got around. It was good stuff, with no side effects. That year famine was avoided.

Celebrities were also enlisted to promote the humble potatoes, the Covid vaccines of that era. Today many personalities (particularly in England) have volunteered to lead the movement.

“Ron Wood, the 73-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist said, “It’s a blessing”, while fellow rocker, Who frontman, Roger Daltrey, aged 76, stated, “My generation avoided some of the worst diseases known to man thanks to being vaccinated when we were young. We owe it to the young to prove its safety”, and Scottish singer, Lulu, aged 72, “I cannot wait. I have no fears or qualms about it. I’m looking forward to being able to hug loved ones and get back to normal”.
Euroweeklynews.com

When the Covid vaccines will become available in our area, I will promptly march to the prescribed area and, with a stiff upper lip, I will offer my arm to be punctured. I am no hero… I simply believe in science and want to do my share to stop the spread of this terrible disease.
I also wish to be around a little longer… mainly to refine my pétanque skills and annoy my detractors.

Isn’t this the right spirit?

Alain