Au Cochonnet Marin

“All women of all ages do not feel their ages anymore. The young girl feels older, and the older woman feels younger.” Reem Acra

Old age is not what it used to be.
According to Wikipedia, in the 1800s life expectancy for people of most countries was less than 40 years. In 1950, the global average was 46. In 2015, the global life expectancy was around 71, while in Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom it was above 80.
So today, at 40 a woman is still a fully functional, low mileage individual.

But women seen today on television or in movies are basically navel baring ingénues or know-it-all-ass-kicking-marathon-runners. They are usually under thirty and pretty much self-centered.

Why stick with such empty, insipid characters, when older women are sooo much more interesting? Any true aficionado will tell you that a woman doesn’t come into her own until she reaches the forties.

The advantages of older women are obvious to anybody who cares to find out. And French President Emmanuel Macron was always fully aware of this. He married his wife Brigitte who is 24 years his senior, and who has been pivotal in his career.

Most of the time older women know how to cook. It can be very beneficial if you are a fast-food regular.
They have grown children who are out of the way and don’t require babysitting.
They know how to mix drinks. They are more experienced in the art of Kama-Sutra (they probably can teach you a thing or two). They are not built for speed, but for a smooth ride… and above all, they are grateful.

A young woman is like a pair of jeans. It doesn’t fit and doesn’t have any character until it has been kicked around for a few years.

So why would anybody bother with nymphets or Barbie dolls look alike? Can they cook? Can they part with their smartphone for more than fifteen minutes? Are they solicitous enough listen to your problems? Can they empathize?

Take my word gentlemen, invest in a mature woman and you’ll get more bangs for your bucks.

“Age to women is what kryptonite is to Superman. Inside every older woman is a younger woman screaming, ‘Get me the hell outta here.” Kathy Lette

 Alain

A little while ago I read in Time magazine that a person who was born female, journeyed to manhood, and then gave birth to a child.
The man wearing a beard is seen breastfeeding the newborn baby.
I have nothing against public breastfeeding, but I find this picture a little unsettling.
The beard might have something to do with it.

When I was a child, gender identity was simple. There were men and women. Period. Something easy to remember. And we were taught to be polite… bonjour madame, bonsoir monsieur, merci mademoiselle.

But now, the distinctions are more fluid or diluted. With age, it becomes a little more difficult to absorb new notions, particularly about sexual orientation.
Today you have asexuality, bisexuality, demisexuality, homosexuality, pansexuality, and God knows what…

And then you have the transgender phenomenon.
Transgenders are individuals who feel uncomfortable in their own skin.
They might have been born with the attributes of a male or a female, but they feel that they really belong to the other group and yearn to transition to the other side.
Many do.

I don’t mean to be disrespectful, and I understand their aspirations but I feel a little uncertain about the whole thing.

As I understand it, trans gendering is a complicated and lengthy physical and emotional process, and it takes a long time to reach the desired sense of well-being.
I sincerely tip my hat to those who dare to jump to the other side and I wish them all the happiness they are seeking.

But no matter what, trans gendering is still viewed with suspicion, even hostility.

Let’s say that this nice Jewish boy meets this charming, smart, good looking girl. He becomes besotted with her and he shares the good news with his parents. They are is thrilled and they want to meet her.
But at the last minute, he blurts out that his inamorata used to be a man.
Oy vey! goes the Greek chorus.

Life used to be a bowl of cherries, but now it seems that there are many pits among those cherries.

Alain

With fires raging all over California, Marin has been without power for the last 48 hours and it feels like we traveled a hundred years back in time.

Suddenly deprived of electricity, heat, the Internet, computer, television and other modern conveniences we were in an instant thrown back to the dark ages… an eerie an uneasy feeling.

The scariest part though was the realization of how vulnerable our infrastructures are. Without power, mighty California ceases to function and we are as impotent as a Banana Republic.

Our grandparents were much better prepared than us for such stressful conditions. They faced early powerless cold nights without apprehension.
Did you ever wonder by the way, why they had such large families? Well, let’s see… early darkness, cold nights, no internet, no television, no videogames…
Let’s go to bed to keep warm… and be productive.

So, are we better off today than we were one hundred years ago? It is open to question…

In Marin county, the power was cut off Saturday evening, around 8:30 pm. Initially, it was not too bad except for the fact we are not used to wandering in complete darkness. My cat did not seem to mind, but I did.

With invading obscurity and little to do, I went to bed around 6:30 pm and woke up at 2:00 pm. Went to the bathroom with tentative steps and after hitting a few things went back to bed again.

Like many people, we were woefully unprepared for this eventuality. We had some food but with an uncooperative electric stove, we could not cook anything.

After calling my brother in Sonoma we were greatly surprised to hear that its denizens had power. We later discovered that this was due to the fact that their electric lines are running underground. Why aren’t ours?

We then decided to escape our stricken environment and have some breakfast in this oasis. In Sonoma, we stopped at what was once known as the old Basque Bakery. The coffee was Lukewarm and the pasties stale. A far cry of what this old establishment used to be.

We then ambled to the pétanque field for a little practice. Tamara is now aiming to play the game as a “shooter” and wanted practice. I was surprised by how well she did. This dame has potential and with a little preparation, she will confound many. Watch out for the Russian Sniper!

For lunch we went to the new Picazo Kitchen & Bar. A newly renovated establishment serving American/Mexican food. It was decent and reasonable.

Back in Marin around 4:00 pm. Power came back Sunday evening around 6:00 pm.

Bracing again for new power shutoff.

Many thanks by the way to all the first responders. Firemen, policemen, civic leaders… They are all doing a  magnificent job. Thank you again.

Alain