Au Cochonnet Marin

Call me old hat if you wish, but I find contemporary American music crass and devoid of musicality and interest; I seldom if ever listen to it.

Imagine my delight when one day on YouTube, I stumbled across something new and refreshingly different. It was a wondrous little group called “Isaac and Nora”, and although their father Nicholas is not featured in their performances, he always accompanies them with a guitar. Nicholas who was born in South Korea and was adopted by a French couple is a fine musician on his own.

Isaac and Nora are French, but although they do not speak Spanish well, they like to perform Latin tunes and melodies. They study the lyrics carefully and when performing, articulate as well as they can. I understand that their Spanish is not perfect, but they are charming, especially Nora who is cute and impish. She still has a tiny voice that will improve with time, but she is above all a breath of fresh air.

Isaac is now 13 and Nora is 10 and they are extremely versatile and talented. They both got hooked on music when their father and his friends gathered to play and entertained themselves with Latin tunes.

Isaac started to play the trumpet when he was 7 and Nora who wanted to join the fledging group started to sing shortly after. She is now the lead singer and plays the guitar and accordion while Isaac plays the trumpet and drums.

They live in Quimper, southern Brittany, and have recently traveled to Spain to record a few songs. They are also planning to travel to Latin America where they are very popular to perform and improve their Spanish. I am not fluent in español, but I love the way Nora convincingly rolls her rrrs’.

I particularly like their Spanish-French rendition of “Que Nadie Sepa Mi Sufrir” (Let no one know my suffering) an original song written in 1936 by Argentine composers Ángel Cabral (music) and Enrique Dizeo (lyrics). This song was later made extraordinarily famous in French by Edith Piaf under the name “La foule”.

Isaac and Nora also sing in French and often perform locally in Brittany but I by far prefer their Latin interpretations. Their popularity on YouTube is phenomenal and they have millions of followers. I predict a bright future for these unpretentious youngsters who just recorded their first album.

If you love Latin music and fresh talents, go to YouTube, look up Isaac and Nora, and give your long mistreated ears a treat. Tell them Alain sent you… and let no one know my sufferings.

¡Hasta la vista compañeros!

Alain

Yesterday a sizeable crowd gathered on the Pierre Joske court in Marin County to participate in La Petanque Mariniere’s first official tournament of the season. Besides the 64 players registered to play, a bunch of friends, parents, groupies, and canines also showed up to soak in the atmosphere of this silly French game called Pétanque. And they came from all over… Fresno, Sacramento, Sonoma, Petaluma, Lamorinda… Altogether, I guestimate that around noon we were between 80 to 90 people on the field.

Many came to play, but also to escape the oppressive heat of their respective areas. To put things in perspective, it was around 110 degrees at noon in Fresno while it was 72 at the same time in San Rafael. The local weather was unexpectedly cool, even cold, and caught many people by surprise. Many had to run back to their cars to retrieve some warmer garments.

The tournament started a little late (around 10 am) and lasted probably until 7:00 PM. As for myself, I left after 6:30 pm after completion of the Concours’ finals.

In the morning, shortly after Christine Cragg gave us our marching papers, Le Facteur entertained us with an enthusiastic rendition of La Marseillaise. Those who were familiar with the lyrics sang along. Applauds followed and the tournament was on.

Until the last minute, I was not sure if I would play in this tournament or not. I wanted to do it, but my back didn’t quite agree.
Hey dude, it said, don’t be foolish… don’t play, take a raincheck. Your millions of fans will understand…
They might, but I really want to play…
OK then, but don’t blame me if tomorrow morning you walk like an arthritic crab.

I overruled my whiny back and played… poorly.
Tamara and I lost our 1^st game 3/13 to Jer and Janice.
We lost our 2^nd game 0/13 against Eric and Paulo. A quick, merciless execution.
And to remain consistent we lost our 3^rd game 3/13 to Mark and Sandra.
A perfect “triplé”

In the afternoon, we lost our Consolante game to George and Elke 12/13 and we were out.

After I was ejected from the competition, I devoted the rest of the afternoon to record this event. But this time, instead of focusing on different games and players, I chose what the military calls “Targets of opportunity”. “Targets on which attacks are unplanned and which are implemented upon favorable or unexpected circumstances.”
Keep in mind that some pictures are uneven due to the difficulty of taking balanced shots in shaded areas.

I also integrated into my photo album 2 pictures taken by Gilbert Sonnet (Noah and little old me) and 3 others, taken by Christine Cragg after I left the field.

In the Concours finals, Wolfie and Barry defeated Phomenick and Chan by the rather surprising score of 13/3.

Concours
1^st place: Wolfie Kurz and Barry Serota           $115.00 each
2^nd place: Phominick Lee and Chan Lee           $76.00 each
3^rd place: Fraser Bradshaw and Ian Colon       $57.00 each

Consolante A
1^st place: Antoine and Max Lofaro                      $57.00 each
2^nd place: Hans Kurz and Carlos Chavez          $38.00 each

Consolante B
1^st place: Jean-Michel and B. Passemar           $38.00 each

It was a grand, glorious day… despite my miserable performance.

Alain

As usual, click on “My photos” to look at the pics.

We are facing another heatwave and people are shedding their garments like Florida strippers. Shorts and bare legs are appearing everywhere, but often with mixed results alas.

It is definitely not my intention to body shame anybody, but rather to caution people about the pitfalls of fashion. Let’s face it, few people look good stark naked or even lightly dressed; and before stepping out in your short shorts, spend a few minutes in front of a full view mirror. And turn around and look critically at your tush, because if you don’t, other people will… often negatively.

Most people are not equal opportunity mannequins, and many would fare much better fully clothed than partially undressed.

“I have a body like a mannequin. I must, because instead of women trying to get me naked, they only want to see me with clothes on.” –Jarod Kintz

It is of course everybody’s prerogative to be comfortable and to dress as they please, but a first glance is all it takes to pronounce a “guilty” judgment.
You should not dress according to fashion magazines, but in the function of the body that you inherited. If you have fat thighs, I beg you, don’t wear short shorts. It hurts people’s eyesight, especially mine after very recent cataract surgery.

Some lucky people (I hate them) can wear anything and look great. But most of us peons, have got to think twice before trying to emulate the showbiz crowd. We, common mortals, have to remain modest… so have ordained Gods.

“Clothes are not Botox. Wearing a miniskirt does not take 10 years off your face.” – Stacy London

But if the deities smiled on you, and if they blessed you with great legs or a superb “derrière », flaunt it. I was about to say “You will make everybody happy” but on second thought, you might spoil the day of hundreds of women who are not that blessed.
Of course, I am speaking as a member of the brotherhood of men, but keep in mind that women can be much more scathing than men. And hell has no fury like a woman scorned…

Out of sheer charity, I have been thinking of opening a street booth, (just like Lucy van Pelt of Peanuts’ fame), to advise women of what not to wear. But on second thought I will recommend a much better-qualified individual. Her name is Abi and she is running a fashion blog called “Update your style”. Sneak a peek, I guarantee that she will provide you with good advice.

Alain
Freelance Fashion Advisor