Au Cochonnet Marin

I am doggone tired of the “news” … the daily avalanche of negative reports that are rolling in every single day.
Just keep in mind Walter Lippmann’s saying:

“The news and the truth are not the same things.” 

I am tired of the pandemic, the confinement, the masks controversy, the people’s stupidity, the demonstrations, the vandalism, trigger happy cops, racial strife, wildfires, hurricanes, the divisive state of the country, our government…
How can anybody keep his sanity in such a toxic environment?

I am tired of flags waving and gun-toting individuals. Flags are nothing but divisive tools that pit different thinking people against each other. And WTF is the reason for wearing an American flag on a lapel? Are these people telling us that they are more patriotic than the rest of us? Are they afraid to be taken for undocumented immigrants? Are they paying more taxes than us? Most probably not!

I am tired of this “America über alles“ fascist trend. Contrarily to what has been hammered into you, we are not better than the rest of the world… maybe we were once, but not anymore. And many of Europe’s so-called socialist countries that some Americans are so afraid of (Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Ireland) are treating their citizens more fairly than our government. Even Canadians are more satisfied than us.

A country should not be judged by the wealth of a few, but by the way it cares for all his citizens. And right now, Americans of all shapes and colors are mightily unhappy and bitterly divided. Russian interference might be a factor. Some people are so gullible that they will believe anything posted on the internet.

At the end of the year, I don’t want any Christmas gift. I just wrote to Santa to explain my decision.

Dear Santa, since many mailboxes throughout the country, have been removed, I am writing to you ahead of time to make sure that you get my letter.
I would like you to know that even though I have been a very good boy, I don’t want any Christmas present this year. Instead, I would like you to do me a tiny little favor.

You probably know that lately, I have been very disturbed. I need some rest and peace of mind. As a personal favor to me, I would like you to use your connections to clean and disinfect the White House. We are expecting new tenants and we would like them to feel comfortable.

Ask your helpers to use a high-pressure hose if necessary, and please tell them to do a thorough job. My sleep (and millions of others) depend on it.

I virtually rub elbows with you.
Your devoted follower,

Alain

If you are hankering for a kiss and outdoor dining, Beso (kiss in Spanish) is the place to get it. It is a quaint little eatery tucked in the heart of the old Hamilton Air Force AFB in Novato. It is relatively difficult to find, but worth the trip.

Due to Covid-19, the restaurant industry is going through a tough phase, and to survive, it needs to be creative… and to be blessed with outdoor space. Luckily, Beso has both.

Since indoor dining is proscribed, Beso is catering to its patrons on an airy, spacious deck; if need be, the staff will also accommodate the customer overflow on the lawn surrounding the building.

Yesterday, after an invigorating trip to foggy Chrissy Field (which by the way has become a paradise for dog walkers), Tamara and I went to Beso for lunch. After making a reservation (and a short wait), we scored a table on the deck.

Respecting social distancing, the tables are neatly spaced and thoroughly scrubbed each time a customer leaves his table.
The menu (flavored with a Peruvian touch) is eclectic and reasonably priced. I was considering the snapper & shrimps ceviche, but I settled for a “Beso burger”. Tamara, always a fish devotee ordered some Fish and Chips. Despite the busy environment, our orders materialized pretty quickly.

The place seems to be a haven for older adults (with about 80% of women) but I also spotted a table with 6 attractive young ladies.

If you crave an outdoor relatively inexpensive dining place, I recommend Beso. The place is now thriving, especially at lunch, and you will definitely need to make a reservation to be seated.

The restaurant is located in an old palm grove, in Hamilton Field, at 502 South Palm Drive.

Alain

PS: Don’t forget to check the few pictures (My Photos) that I shot yesterday at the beach.

You might not be conscious of it, but your computer is a packrat!
From the minute it enters into service, your devoted assistant will preserve every document that you ever produced or received.

The keeper of all your secrets works silently, diligently, efficiently… and never complains or rebels. Its motto is simple: “ask and I shall deliver.” A perfect civil servant.
But one day, after years of irreproachable service, you will start noticing that your collaborator is slacking off. It does not respond the way it used to do. It is taking its time… and you will have to wait to have your requests acknowledged.

Truth be told, the poor thing is not healthy anymore. It is bloated, and its arteries are clogged. It is now incapable to keep up with you.
Don’t look any further… your computer is simply growing old and unable to promptly respond when you call. It might need a physical, go on a strict diet, or (shudder) put out to pasture.

On average, a person that relies daily on a computer keeps the same device for about 5 years. After that time, he needs to send his assistant to a rehab center for a thorough cleanup or purchase a new one.

Most people don’t realize that, after a while, a lot of “undesirables” are entering and squatting on their computers. These uninvited guests try to be discreet, but they significantly affect the smooth running of your machine.
A computer is a packrat, no questions about it. It stores everything that you receive or create, and if you don’t do a thorough Spring cleaning every year, you are headed for trouble.

If you get a new computer, you naturally want to transfer all the data from the old machine to the new one… and this can be troublesome. Because when you do this, you will also include the illegal (and sometimes dangerous) residents of your former device.

So, yes, I got a new iMac, and I used Apple’s Migration Assistant to transfer all the stuff from my “old” machine to the new one. But unlike “La Migra”, this assistant showed great understanding and asked no embarrassing questions.

A while later though, I discovered that this “understanding” also allowed over 4500 old Gmail messages… and a multitude of space grabbing attachments to move into my new machine.
I had to perform a tedious manual cleaning operation to get rid of it.

Moral of the story: your computer is a packrat! You have to regularly scrub it to dispose of unwanted energy-sucking varmints to keep it running smoothly.

Alain