Au Cochonnet Marin

I’m mad as Hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!
My birthday is coming in a few days and due to the crass ignorance of a bunch yahoos, I will have to forego this celebration again. Twice in a row already. If this trend continues, I might reach 100 years without ever celebrating another birthday again.

It is not that my birthday matters that much but it also happens to be the Epiphany. It is the day in France when you share Champagne and “Galettes des Rois” with relatives and friends. It is above all a nice way to start the New Year and rekindle old friendships. But unfortunately, prudence now dictates that it is unwise to pack a bunch of people in a small, unventilated area and this celebration won’t happen in 2022.

I won’t be able to have my little “fête” because of the Omicron surge and above all because a bunch of people refuses to get vaccinated and continue to spread the disease. It has been proven time and time again that vaccination is the surest way to stop the spread of this plague. But some people, invocating their “rights” (what rights?) still refuse to do so.

“Some opposition to vaccines comes directly from a mistrust of science, or mistrust of the government. Some people believe that pharmaceutical companies and scientists want to sell a product regardless of harmful consequences.”

 Where do these unlearned, unread, uninformed, unenlightened, unscholarly, unqualified people get their information? From their doorman, fishmonger, the Twilight Zone? Can these people read? Or think? Or use common sense? Watching too much Hee Haw reruns can do strange things to you…

Some parents also believe that vaccines can cause autism. This myth has been debunked a long time ago and only remains with some folks who are afraid of the prick of the needle.

And now, to make things worse, my birthdate has become infamous. It will be remembered for a long time that January 6 is “a date which will live in infamy.”

It is on this date that some “patriots” egged on by a certain Donald Trump and his cronies stormed the Capitol. An action eerily similar to the burning of the German Reichstag in 1933… with its horrific consequences.

Ignorance is a calamity worse than the disease itself, and those who ignore the warnings of the medical establishment will be the first to pay the ultimate price. And since Omicron spreads twice as fast as Delta, 2022 promises to be extremely tough on the people who spoiled my birthday celebration.

Alain

Old Man Winter (Ded Moroz) is coming and to announce his arrival, he sent a few storms our way. The accompanying wind and rain stripped all our trees from all their remaining leaves and left a thick brown blanket on our pétanque field.

You can play pétanque practically on any surface, but dead leaves are not one of them. To indulge their passion, volunteers have to roll up their sleeves, grab a few tools and go to work. And this is what happened last Saturday.

About 8 to 10 people were already at work we arrived. Luckily Saint Nick gave us a break and allowed a few weak rays of the sun to shine on the court. It was still cold, but it encouraged the volunteers to do their job. And they did excellent work. Within an hour or so, the field looked as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

The field was clean but still wet, and when you play on a damp surface, you have to adjust your playing style. You have to throw your boule a little harder and avoid the little craters created by previous shots. The best way to deal with such a surface is to use “plombés” (lobbing shots) but it is not as easy as it looks.

Anticipating the cold weather, Tamara concocted some kind of Glühwein to warm up our valiant workers. After the cleaning job was completed, everybody was invited to make merry and have a little sauce. Nothing like a little mother’s milk to keep your fighting spirit up.

Despite the chilly weather, a surprisingly high number of people showed up to play. I managed to take a few pictures before we started playing and Tamara shot a few more while I was playing.

Old Man Winter is going to stick around for a few months and certainly entertain us with some more spectacular atmospheric conditions, but you will have to pardon him. What else can an old man do to have a little fun?

I still believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, and I will let the accompanying photos tell the story.

Ta ta for now…

Alain

Look in “My Photos“

Ho Ho Ho, tis the season to be jolly… and excuse my cynicism, extremely vigilant. During the holidays, the scammers are working overtime to separate you from your money and your jolliness.

For the rest of the year (and beyond) pay extra attention to your e-mail. This is the scammers’ Trojan Horse and their most common way to penetrate your vault room. Scrutinize all your e-mail and above all, do not respond or click on any unknown link.

In the holidays season, spam reigns supreme. One way or the other the stuff is bad for you. If you ingest it, be aware that it is high in sodium, fat, and calories. Even just looking at it, will perturb you and prompt you to react quickly. Big mistake. No matter what, stay cool and if need be, carefully deal with the fraudulent scheme.

Recently I received the following message:

“Dear user,
You should contact Security support if you haven’t received the update. We are happy to provide you with the best and most secure protection available as a Norton Security customer. A one-year subscription for Norton Security has been purchased for $385.32. You will soon see this charge on your account statement. Thanks for your patience.

Within 24 hours, the charge will appear on your statement. Your bank has already deducted it. Once the subscription’s expiration date approaches, the subscription will automatically renew if automatic renewal is selected.”

Upon reading this, I immediately detected the unmistakable smell of spam. I have not used Norton for years, and I don’t have an account with them. So, I just played dead. I didn’t respond in any way to this message, but I flagged it as spam on my computer. In G-mail, the spam folder is located somewhere under the Inbox. I also checked with my bank to see if any money has been deducted. None had been withdrawn.

When you get a spam message, don’t panic. This is what the scammers want. A panicked reaction to counter a perceived threat. Simply ignore the message and let it know on the Internet that this is spam.

Happy holidays! May you be surrounded by jolly elves, and may your egg nog be potent enough to get you through the Christmas season!

Alain