Au Cochonnet Marin

“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 The same guards were intentionally withdrawn at night, allowing starving people to sneak into the patch and steal some potatoes.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

In Marin County, some LPM club members are now using an app called “Signal–Private Messenger”.

Under normal circumstances, we have traditionally played pétanque on Saturdays and Sundays. But due to the pandemic, nothing is ordinary anymore and many habits are evolving… and will soon become the norm.

Covid-19 is the main reason behind those changes. With a sharp increase of new cases, the authorities have been begging citizens to wear masks and avoid enclosed public areas. Since most everybody hates being cooped up for long periods and craves some kind of physical activity, pétanque has been a godsend. It is not a contact sport and everybody can enjoy himself/herself while keeping a safe distance.

And “habitués” have noticed a distinct increased activity in our field. We owe all of this to Eddy Pay. Eddy has talked our club into using “Signal–Private Messenger” to allow club members to easily communicate with one another… and it is catching on. This app can be found in the App Store and has to be downloaded to your smartphone. After you have done that, you simply join a group called “LPM Casual Play” and you are ready to roll. Our club president Christine Cragg is also sold on this initiative and if you need additional help, she will be glad to oblige.

To communicate with any member of this group, you simply enter a query on your smartphone and wait for a reply. Something like “Who is playing today?” And you will probably get an answer from somebody.
To the best of my knowledge, more than a dozen people have already joined this group and are presently active on that network. This app is free, easy to install, and easy to use.  I recommend it to all our club members.

Eddy (who by the way is fluent in  6 foreign languages) is also very supportive and is always willing to show you the ropes. And as a bonus, you can probably question him in your own native language and he will respond in kind.

Signal–Private Messenger is not extremely sophisticated, but it serves its purpose. If you want to know who is going to be on the field on a particular day or at a particular time, ask… and you shall receive.

Don’t be shy, send me a  Signal!

Alain

2020 has been a very challenging year. The double whammy of the Covid-19 pandemic and the turmoil of the presidential election have traumatized and driven Americans apart. Recommended safety measures like social distancing and confinement have also exacerbated this already sensitive situation.

Being cooped up for weeks on end is hard on everybody. It is eerily akin to being locked up. The human being is a social animal who needs to mingle with his own kind regularly, and if unable to do so, he will become hostile and aggressive. And there has been a significant increase in cases of domestic violence to prove it.

Our club president, Christine Cragg, has been tirelessly working with the local authorities to allow us to play again and she finally succeeded in doing so. After many long months of inactivity, we are finally free to come to our field to do zoomies, wag our tails… and “en passant” play pétanque. Just like our four-legged friends’ next door!

But we are now playing a slightly different game called “Pandétanque”. It is very similar to the classic game, except that all players are now wearing masks. The purpose of this innovation is to protect some people’s fragile egos. After a defeat or a victory, nobody will know who is exulting or who is fuming. Isn’t this a great way to humor everybody?
Let’s not forget that our sports club also functions as a social club and it does wonders for your mental health.

Besides keeping our club alive, CC has also managed to recruit a sizable number of energetic young women. They are a much-needed and welcome addition to our club.

I am presently working on a new pétanque book tentatively called “Pandétanque.” If you can come up with a better title, let me know. To this effect, I am currently shooting additional pictures to add to my portfolio. If you look good without a mask, you will look even more attractive showing only your “yeux de braise”.
Don’t be surprised if I sneak up on you to snap a quick shot.

A book publication though requires a lot of preparation and calculations. To be affordable to all, the books have to be ordered in a quantity ranging from at least 15 to 20. The higher the order, the lower the price. To facilitate my task, let me know in advance if you intend to purchase such a book.

Parting thought:

If you have a few minutes to spare, please perform a small rain dance. We need the wet stuff more than we need oil.

Alain