Au Cochonnet Marin

It is unfortunate, but it seems that the number of people that I dislike vastly outnumbers those that I like. Is it just me?
We dislike some people for various reasons, but personally there is nothing I hate more than braggadocio, an arrogant kind of behavior.

Nobody likes a braggart, and the best thing that such individuals could do, would be to keep their mouth shut, for as the saying goes “A shut mouth catches no flies.”
But the fear of flies might not be enough to stop those individuals from flapping their gums.

On the pétanque field, it annoys me to no end to hear one individual boasting “regardless of who I play with, I always win”.
This infantile bragging makes me (and everybody else) more determined than ever to make him eat his words.

I like modesty and humility in my heroes. “Speak softly and carry a big stick” is more in my style.
It is far better to surprise people with a homerun than to trumpet promises that you often cannot keep.

I always liked Winston Churchill’s quote about modesty.
“Mr. Attlee is a very modest man. Indeed he has a lot to be modest about.”

And the aforementioned individual has indeed a lot to be modest about.

As long as I am in a quoting mood, I would like to conclude with:
“Be nice to people on your way up because you’ll meet them again on your way down.”
Wilson Mizner

Have good day, and don’t forget to “turn your tongue seven times in your mouth before saying anything that will ultimately embarrass you” (and make everybody else snicker).

Alain

Thanks to Pascal Gravier, the best f****g” forecast I ever heard!

One of my oldest friends just passed away.
I had been told recently that he was suffering from a debilitating affliction but his demise a few days ago took me entirely by surprise.
I had talked to him about two weeks earlier and he sounded ebullient and optimistic.
His sudden departure was totally unexpected and greatly shocked me.

Even though his passing deeply saddens me, I am glad that he didn’t linger on.
He passed away very quickly and as far as I know without suffering too much; an ideal curtain call that many people wish for.

I met my friend and his wife a long time ago, probably around 1964, shortly after my arrival in San Francisco.
He was then a struggling but very talented young designer and we clicked right away.
We went on picnics, sailing parties and bike rides together.
He also designed the T-shirts and the posters that I used to promote a radio program that I was then hosting.

When I met him, he was in his Buddhist phase, a thing that was foreign to me and also deeply worried his Norman catholic mother.
But the Buddhist interlude passed and my friend regained his bearings.
A first child was born. I became the godfather of this cute little girl and I carried her in my arms when she was baptized.

Unfortunately, our paths parted fairly early when my friend decided to move back to France, and later to New York City.
In the Big Apple he thrived and became the CEO and motivational speaker of a very successful think tank called Emotional Branding LLC.

After this, I saw him only occasionally for he was a very busy person travelling far and wide.
Luckily I saw my godchild more frequently since she worked (with her father) and lived in Los Angeles.

Friends are a rare gift, and you should hold them dear because as you will soon discover, our time on the planet is frighteningly ephemeral.

 

 

I will miss my friend, but through the miracle of photography I still can him today as I saw him 50 years ago.
Young, vibrant and fun.

Rest in peace dear Marc.

Alain

 

PS: Although the pictures that you see on this blog appear sometimes small, you can visualize them full-size by double-clicking on a particular image.

Or Happy New Year as you plebeians would say.

As long as I am wading trough Latin, I’ll share with you a sentence that could prove to be very useful in Latin countries:
Ubī sunt lātrīnae? Where is the bathroom?
But I am digressing…

I woke up this morning expecting things to be different.
After all, it is a new year, and like all new things the newborn annum should be exciting, shiny, pleasurable to use or wear.
But so far, it doesn’t feel much different from the last days of last year.
How could it be? It is new isn’t it? The wrapping is still on the floor…

If not entirely satisfied, could I get a refund?

Like every calendar year, politicians and businessmen find it expedient to raise the price of just about everything without antagonizing too many people.
They are banking on Holiday Fatigue, and it works. When revelers will wake up from their drunken stupor it will be too late to object.

In the blessed New Year everything (including your blood pressure) will go up, not down.
So why are people celebrating?

In a few days, like millions of Capricorns (Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Gerard Depardieu) I will be one year older.
Do I get a medal for this? Or a price break in strip joints?
Nah… Just a lousy cake.

Unlike antiques, our value doesn’t increase with each passing year. Where is the logic of that?
After careful evaluation, I conclude that it doesn’t pay to get elderly. If you can help it, boycott it.

Only consolation: on this January 1, 2014, the sun is shining and unlike the rest of the country the temperature is mild and pleasant.

But where is the rain?
Will we have to save water again?
I still remember the bad old days when we were told “If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down”.

With the help of some French-friendly Huron Indians I am considering a rain dance.
It might work better than the empty incantations of our elected officials.

In spite of it all, « Bonne et heureuse année mes amis! »

Alain