Au Cochonnet Marin

Last Sunday was my first time visit at the Napa’s di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art and I was amazed by its size (close to 900 000 square meters) and scope. I particularly noticed the twelve minutes life-size video rendition of Chartres Bleu, a stained-glass window exposed in the Chapel.

We were there at the invitation of Paul Kos (conceptual artist, educator and pétanque aficionado) and even though I was aware of a planned pétanque contest, I did not anticipate playing.

But, always expect the unexpected… At the last minute, due to the defection of some players, Tamara and I were persuaded to fill in. So we did. We played 3 thirty-five minutes games under a blazing sun… and lost them all. We were bested in the two first games by the identical scores of 9/11 and were routed in the last bout by an infamous Fanny. The culprits: Lynn Bell, Richard Bell and Bernard Passemar who all played an excellent game on a difficult gravel-filled terrain.

The only way to win on such a field is to be an excellent (tire-au-fer) shooter or a pointer who excels in “plombés”. And unfortunately, I am neither of those. By the way, I was never able to find an exact English translation for this word in English. If you find one, please let me know.

This “contretemps” (setback) prevented me to act on my initial plan which was to photograph the pétanque part of it. It is only after our ignominious defeat that I able to grab my camera and take some pétanque shots.

The winners of this hotly contested event (excuse the pun) were Ken Stutz,  Hady Kahale and our own Ann Krilanovich. I always said, “Watch out for Ann. Some day she will beat the “merde” out of you”. They were rewarded for their hard work by a golden ball adorned with Paul Kos’ signature, a di Rosa memberships for each member of team and a private peak at Zizi Va.

Thank you, Paul, for a fun-filled day at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art.

Alain

PS: Click on the “My photos” link for a peak at the pictures taken during this event.
Thank you Isabelle for your photo added at the last minute.

 

“Whenever a taboo is broken, something good happens, something vitalizing. Taboos after all are only hangovers, the product of diseased minds, you might say, of fearsome people who hadn’t the courage to live and who under the guise of morality and religion have imposed these things upon us.” ~ Henry Miller

The older I get, the more I deplore the fact that I was born a century too early. When I was growing up, taboos were a fact of life and few people bothered to question their validity. “Decent people” couldn’t and would not talk about certain subjects. They were things that must be accepted without questioning they said. That was also the standard answer of the religious establishment to any inquiry.

Taboos were sustained by ignorance, and the powers that be tried to keep the masses uneducated as long as possible… especially the women. But through education came salvation and today taboos are being debunked one by one… for everybody’s benefit.

This mighty movement has been spearheaded by women. Today they are educated, vocal and fearless. They are a far cry from yesterday’s generation. They are not the timid, innocent little things that had to be shielded and protected at any cost. Men have half-heartedly followed the movement, but the heavy lifting is still done by women… bless their little determined souls.

Today no subject is taboo. If you go to YouTube, you can see and hear women talking at length about the greatest taboo of them all: SEX. And they spare no detail.
If you are a newbie in the game of love, they will set you straight. Forget the sexual education that you received in high school. The practical details about all common sexual practices are there for all to hear and see. Today a teenager knows more about sex than his parents.

There are still a few enduring taboos like personal finances, political and religious opinions, but most of the others are dead or dying. The old stigma about living together and having a baby outside of marriage has long been buried. Today everybody (especially celebrities) does it and nobody raises an eyebrow.

Being gay or being anything other than heterosexual is now old shoe. Closets are emptying faster than toilet bowls and most of us are yawning at this occurrence.

Guys used to make the first move… they don’t have to, anymore. Girls now don’t hesitate to put the make on anybody they set their eyes on. And why not?

Tattoos were for a long time the exclusive domain of men and it did not help a girl’s reputation to get inked. Forget about that ancient notion. Women are now covered with tattoos from head to toes (including the parts not usually seen). It is OK by me, but a girl tattooed like a French Foreign legionnaire is not my cup of tea.

And so it goes… tattoos are now biting the dust faster than old campaign slogans and they won’t be missed. Unfortunately, some taboos are like vampires…when one dies a  new one takes his place… like the new anti-vaccination charade.

Keep a wooden stake handy and if you come across a new taboo, don’t hesitate… plant the stake through its heart.

Taboos are bad for you. Get rid of all of them and let the sunshine in!

Alain

“To become really good at anything, you have to practice and repeat, practice and repeat, until the technique becomes intuitive.” Paulo Coelho

For most people pétanque is a pastime, for a few others, it is a consuming passion. A holy grail pursuit inspired and brought on the wings of angels. Like priesthood, it requires a faith and discipline that few people possess.

Yesterday I had the pleasure to play with against Mark Shirkey and I could not help but notice his growing dexterity. He has become a solid “shooter” (and pointer) and least but not last, he is blessed with an excellent form. He has a fluid style, smooth and graceful, and it is always a pleasure to photograph him. His team also gave us a good drubbing.

In any discipline, people like to compete against better players. For as the French dramatist Pierre Corneille wrote, “There is no glory in winning an easy battle.” And that’s why people like to tussle with Mark. He is a tough dude and winning (sometimes) against him is such an accomplishment.

Mark (and Sandra) eat and sleep (and probably dream) pétanque. They practice almost daily, and this perseverance has paid off big dividends. They have started to make a name for themselves in the Bay Area, and who knows… someday in the world.

They have the equipment, they know all the rules and the pétanque jargon, but to my mind they are still missing something. To be real bona fide players, they must learn to curse… In French naturally! They don’t need a huge vocabulary, just a few energetic, colorful words like “merde”, “bordel” and “putain” (preferably pronounced “putaing”).

Pétanque aficionados are usually passionate people, prone to curse or yell over a missed shot, and when they fall short of the mark thry need to let off some steam.

But I don’t think that it is Mark’s style. He is a cool dude and (unlike little unholy me) I never heard him curse, or even voice disappointment over a missed shot. He is as stoic as Seneca the Younger.

 When I think of steadfast practice, the name of Ann Krilanovich also comes to mind. She took up the sport fairly recently, and in a few short months, she has become the incarnation of Miss Pétanque. She plays almost daily, has probably visited all the Bay Area clubs and knows anybody worth knowing.

Just like for Mark, daily practice has helped her a great deal. She is now a reliable pointer and a budding shooter, but above all she is very friendly and has a great sense of humor. Does she have any other relatives that we could entice to play with us?

All the above to say that there is no shortcut to glory. To win, you must practice, practice and practice again. Maybe, just maybe, it could metamorphose you into a great competitor like Mark.

Alain