Au Cochonnet Marin

“Keep a small can of WD-40 on your desk—away from any open flames—to remind yourself that if you don’t write daily, you will get rusty.”
—George Singleton

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It is a good advice.

Like most bloggers, once in a while I experience “writer’s block” or as the French would say, “le syndrome de la page blanche », the condition of being unable to think about what to write.

Writing, if you must know is an addiction and it is like any other craving. If you don’t indulge, you will feel restless, fidgety, cranky.
To get a fix, you MUST write. About nothing and everything.
As the saying goes, “It is not because you have nothing to say that we must keep your mouth shut.”
Just like jogging, you must continue writing in order to keep your mind fit.

My best personal medicine to relieve this curse is a long solitary walk, letting your mind wander like an off leash dog. The creative process is a lonely activity that does not suffer companionship. It is probably similar to a hen laying an egg. I surmise that to do this she must concentrate and not gossip with another hen.

Contrarily to what you might think, sleep does not stop the creative process. I have often awakened in the middle of the night to jot down some idea that came to me during my beauty sleep.

“I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a dirty mind.”—Patrick Dennis

Another good piece of advice.

A dirty/naughty mind is necessary to titillate one’s libido and make your writing a little more entertaining.
To resonate with your audience, you must write about what you have experienced. Bad and good. Clean and naughty. These last few weeks as you have probably noticed, I have indulged in the naughty: stinking politics.

To my everlasting sorrow, it seems that good guys often finishes second. But politics is often akin to a marathon. A triumphant start does not necessarily augur a victorious finish.

Neville (“peace for our time”) Chamberlain had a good start and a much less brilliant finish.

Thank you for reading a Seinfeld-like story “about nothing”.

Alain

Once in a while… What am I saying? Almost daily I read about celebrities’ pregnancies.

Some personalities are very coy about it. They are single and they don’t seem to be in a widely known relationship.
So what the hell happened? One-night stand? Artificial insemination? Or was it simply an “immaculate conception” or as they say a “spontaneous combustion”?

And talking about Immaculate Conception… What an extraordinarily convoluted story!
I am not sure I am almost certain that nobody really understands what it means.
The Roman Catholic Church said, “God preserved the Virgin Mary from the taint of original sin from the moment she was conceived.”
What kind of gibberish is this?

And what is the Original Sin? Is procreation a sin? Didn’t God say, “be fruitful and multiply”?Excuse my French, but I recall that this verse was originally written in Hebrew…
Could some misanthropic monk have deliberately induced the public in error and called “discussing Uganda” a sin? I don’t put anything past someone who abjured sex.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t begrudge any woman the right to get pregnant, but raising a child singlehandedly is a tough job. A very badass job.

“Life is tough enough without having someone kick you from the inside.”–Rita Rudner

Single celebrities set a bad example for the rest of the women folk because what’s relatively trouble-free for a wealthy celebrity is hardly manageable for the average woman. Celebrities have the means to hire nurses and nannies, but single women in general don’t have the money to do so and become hopelessly hobbled by the responsibilities.

When I was a schoolboy a woman got engaged first, then married and then had children. Today, in the age of instant gratification, many women prefer to have their dessert first without bothering with the appetizers.

To each his own, but if you are not swimming in dough, think twice before having your “Baba au Rhum” before your antipasto.

Alain

“Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer

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I totally agree. Show me a man who mistreat an animal and I will show you a potential wife beater, or worse.
I am an unabashed animal lover and animal rights advocate and absolutely nothing will ever change my mind.

In many cases animals are better than humans.
A human is notoriously unreliable. Friend today, foe tomorrow.
Animals by comparison are the ultimate friends. They will never betray you and right or wrong, you can be assured that they are unconditionally on your side.

Nothing will ever sway them. They are not interested in money or all the things that mortals crave.
Pets don’t pass judgment. They are always glad to see you. They don’t ask questions and have no recriminations.

And a pet will never misplace the house keys and will let you watch whatever you wish on TV. Porn, horror, politics (combination of the two previous items) comedy, everything is OK as long as they can cuddle with you.

When you fall in love with a critter, no “prenup” is ever necessary. It is unequivocally understood by both parties that this commitment is valid until “death us part”.
When an animal loves you, it is for life. The same cannot be said for humans.

You can never get bored with an animal. They don’t have much conversation but they are very good listeners (when they don’t snooze).

Even though it is not obvious, animals have distinct personalities and feelings. Humans might forgive, but never forget. Animals will always forgive and forget.
They are unconditional friends.

Regardless of his or her own physical or mental conditions everybody responds positively to an animal. It has been proven over and over in hospitals and nursing homes that one therapeutic session with a four-legged beastie is more effective and cheaper than any overpriced medication.

Give me any four-legged creature and I will show you the potential for a beautiful undying friendship.

Alain

“Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.” ― Colette

Enjoy a Day in San Francisco with me.
Turn your computer’s sound on, and click on the link “My Photos” located on the right side of this page. For best viewing, go Full Screen.