How to deprogram a trumpist

There is no question in my mind that if trumpism is a cult, we should all endeavor to “deprogram” our fellow trumpists, but that appears to be a heavy and difficult task. In studying that challenge, I learned that in the past, it was believed that the hold of brainwashing over cognitive processes of cult members needed to be broken by means that would shock or frighten them into thinking again.

For that reason in some cases cult leader's pictures were burned or there were highly confrontational interactions between deprogrammers and their targeted individual. The idea was to trigger an emotional response from the shock, the fear, and the confrontation. In modern days, it is said that the focus should be placed on the following process. 

First, it’s essential to engage, rather than ignore, the Trump supporter, which I wholeheartedly believe. Then by asking questions and presenting contradictions around the former president’s behavior, it should be easier to discredit him. For instance, for example, by asking "How does he lie every time he says something?” 

The breaking point is supposed to be reached when the subject begins to accept the deprogrammer's position and begins doubting the ideology. Often, it leads the subject to start voicing criticisms and complaints against the new Republican Party. The subject begins to identify with the deprogrammers, thinking as an opponent of the cult rather than as a member. 

This approach might appear too simplistic to many, including myself. Some assert that it might cause the subject more harm than good. For that approach to work, the subjects must be convinced that they joined the Trump political movement against their will. They then must renounce responsibility and accept that in some mysterious way, their minds were controlled. 

Instead, I believe that many love Trump because he was able to validate their darkest sides and this goes against a breach of their free-will.

Is Trumpism like a cult?

Sometimes I tell myself there has to be more than charisma and admiration for Trump as his die-hard supporters keep on sticking with this horrible man. I think to myself “It’s just like a cult”, or is it not? 

Just like Trump, cults frequently use fear tactics to control their members. This can involve threats of punishment, including physical or emotional harm, ostracism and other tactics. Then there’s information control by means of certain social media like Truth Social, Newsmax and Fox News limiting exposure to other news media, or alternative viewpoints. 

This keeps members controlled and reinforces their belief in the MAGA’s ideology. Obviously, Trump always asks his supporters for money (for legal help and campaign financing) to create a sense of control over his fans' lives. The same way, Trump needs an environment of “group-think”, where critical thinking is discouraged, and conformity to MAGA’s beliefs becomes the norm.

That way, individuals are less likely to question Trump’s leadership. It’s also clear that Trump knows how to exploit his supporters’ vulnerabilities, like jealousy, racism, easy solutions to complex problems and a general lack of education. 

Finally, Trump is seen by many who love him as a charismatic figure, exuding confidence, authority, and unwavering belief in his political ideology. This, too, attracts followers who are seeking direction and purpose in their lives. Under the right circumstances, even sane, rational and well-adjusted people can be convinced of the most outrageous ideas. 

If Trump’s followers are truly cult members, we’ll see in another blog how we might deprogram them...

Soft California snow…

As I watched the men’s world cup ski race in California last weekend, I was struck by how most racers had a hard time adapting to Western US soft snow after a full season of racing on concrete-hard courses. 

I didn’t heard much about on the media reporting I saw and read, but it was visible as the plumes of powder snow trailed behind each racer. Too much edging, more slowing down and hundredth of seconds added! 

Ski flatter, guys! 

It had to be hard on the less experience and the less adaptable athletes. 

Constant change is what skiing is always all about...

How can one be mortal, but eternal?

If there is something I’m quite certain is about my own mortality, meaning by this, my potential lack of eternity. I don’t buy the concept that body and mind are separated and one can float into yonder while the other will decompose. I might be surprised if my assumption were false, but we’ll see!

This said, I believe in what my countryman Antoine Lavoisier once said: “Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed" as my cells are certain to be recycled for another purpose after my demise, and whatever I’ve done or created, good or bad, is likely to follow me for a long time if someone doesn’t decide to trash it. 

Did I mention the tiny part of me that created my offspring? 

So, based on these considerations, I can console myself by thinking I’m leaving a trail of eternity in or around me, maybe not as lasting as Mozart or Spinoza’s, but who cares? Mortal body and mind, but eternal legacy...

Processing bad news daily

Each day, as I wake up, I love to discover what’s new and exciting by listening to NPR, my favorite source of news and I’m quickly reminded how bad and rotten our world is. Navalny’s death, Ukraine abandonment, Gaza genocide, Trump’s demented lies and Biden’s advanced age.

All signs that nothing is good and a glaring absence of heart-warming, good news. What am I to do and feel amid that bleak daily universe? Like many, I’m told to manage my news intake by limiting the exposure. 

That’s right, instead of consuming news all day, a morning serving might be plenty enough. Instead of being centered on news, I should look for sources that highlight positive developments as well. Then for every bad news, I should actively seek out good news and share them when I can, as I make an active effort to connect with others to boost my mood and share my positive outlook. 

I should also look for good things to do around me and bring joy to people who need it instead of curling up into myself. While it's okay to feel discouraged by the state of the world, it's important not to let negativity consume us. By focusing more on the positive, and taking action, let’s regain a sense of hope and control in our own lives.

How safe is Putin?

One would think that after Navalny’s death, Putin’s enemy are on the warpath and scheming to eliminate the Russian dictator. Fortunately for the latter he is both extremely prudent and enjoy huge protection. No one knows for sure what the anti-Putin activists’ plans really are. 

While some might have called for violence against Putin or his supporters, others have focused on more indirect methods, like demonstrations and boycotts. It’s clear that anti-Putin activists represent a wide range of views and opinions. 

Certain folks have indeed called for violence against Putin as they see violence is the only way to remove Putin from power but many others are committed to peaceful plans leading to political change. It might be that the best way to get an answer is to turn the question around to us. 

Right, what would you think and do, if you lived in Russia and didn’t not approve of its dictatorial leadership?

Is Earth cooling off soon?

A good old friend of mine who is no longer a baby but is brand new to the internet and some of its unreliable contents said that he heard from different sources that our planet might be cooling soon again based on changing sea currents such as the Gulf Stream among other reasons. 

He asked me if I heard about it. I said no, and he asked me to check for him. I did, and my response was negative as there are currently no serious scientific reports predicting a trend towards significant climate cooling in the near future. In fact, the overwhelming consensus within the scientific community is for the opposite: continued global warming.

The vast majority of scientific evidence indicates that global warming is a real and present threat. Although temporary cooling events may occur locally, the long-term trend is toward a warmer planet with significant environmental and societal consequences. 

It's crucial to rely on credible scientific sources and avoid misinformation when understanding climate change. I then told my friend that what he had been reading was likely part of the vast disinformation campaigns coming from the fossil fuel industries which are pushing against man-caused global warming, electric cars, etc. 

These “fake news” is what gave us, thanks to Putin, Trump in the United States and convinced, without much hope of changing their minds, between 30 and 50 million Americans that believe his lies are true and has become the new black hole of the internet and social media...

What do we get when we don’t see?

Today, I’m talking about the sport of skiing and how important sight is when we’re on the slopes. The ideal situation being of course a “blue-bird day” where every single bit of terrain is totally discernible and prepares us fully for what’s coming next. 

Yet, this is just the ideal situation and not always the rule. They are “white-out” days and other situations when the natural lighting leaves a lot to be desired, then there’s the fog, something new in Park City that is a gift from the atmospheric rivers that are now much more frequent than in the past, if those even existed back then.

The fog is really bad and gives you a terrible “delayed feedback” that goes into your spine, your vertebrae, your head, hips, knees and ankles when you least expect it least. That’s what we get when we ski and can’t see. It hurts, can injure you, make you fall and is very dangerous. 

What can we do about it? Use our imagination, stay on groomer or better yet, stay home!

Are we adaptable?

As age forces its way and its limitations on us, one might wonder if those of us who make timely adjustments are smarter or simply more attuned with self-knowledge and with their environment? Is there also a relation to age in being able to be more adaptable? 

Obviously, when we’re still young we typically excel in tasks requiring fast processing, good working memory, and quick decision-making. This proves very useful in fast-changing environments that require nimble adjustments. 

As we age, we’ve gained knowledge, and more strategic thinking that both help make well-informed decisions based on experience and foreseeing their consequences. Regardless of age, however, those of us who know a specific domain very well or had to deal with frequent changes may show increased adaptability. 

Then, there are the curious folks that, regardless of age, naturally enjoy learning new things and adapt to change, while others prefer to stick to what they know and find adjustments more difficult. Natural fear also plays a role; anxiety about changing situations or potential negative consequences will hinder adaptation at any age. 

To me, adaptability is like a muscle, the more one uses it, the more it develops and shows its usefulness. What’s your trick to remain adaptable as years add-up?

The art of snow removal

In winter, skiing and snow removal are parts and parcels of our daily lives. Some winters more than others, but in any case, the two activities remain front and center, as long as the snow keeps on falling. 

My wife and I love clearing snow each one of us with our specific approaches, our preferred thickness, our favorite tools (shovel for both of us and snowblower for me when there’s more than 4 to 6 inches) and our preferred technique (my wife pushes the snow against the bank on the opposite side of the house, while I push it on either sides and then throwing it over sidewalls that keep on getting taller). 

We seem to thrive from this very tangible exercise where the result of our good work is always impossible to ignore!

Frozen Russian assets for Ukraine

Faced with the refusal of our MAGA-Republican representative in Congress to allow a vote on helping Ukraine, it would seem that the next logical step, or “Plan B”, is for the US Government and its Allies to tap into the frozen Russian Central Bank assets to pay for Ukraine's defense.

While the total amount of these assets isn’t totally clear, they appear to amount to around $300 billion, plus some $30 billion for sanctioned individuals, as of June, 2022. Apparently, though, there seem to be some reasons why the US government and its allies haven't directly tapped into frozen Russian Central Bank assets to finance Ukraine's defense, despite the moral appeal of this strategy. 

 There are of course legal considerations as international law generally protects sovereign assets from seizure by other nations. Confiscating them could set a dangerous precedent and discourage other countries from holding foreign reserves in dollars or other major currencies. 

Further, while the frozen assets belong to the Russian Central Bank, the legal ownership of these funds isn’t necessarily known. From a political standpoint, seizing Russian assets could be seen as an aggressive act, further escalating tensions and potentially pushing Russia toward more extreme measures like using its nukes to retaliate. 

These assets stand in stark contrast with the estimated damage suffered by Ukraine that was estimated to be €600 billion (roughly $640 billion) in November 2022, as stated by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and that with more time passed and even more damage done, easily cross today the trillion dollar threshold. 

Well, tapping these frozen assets wouldn’t even begin to offset that loss created by Putin, and sometimes, desperate situations call for extreme measures, and if we don’t do it now, it might trigger more expensive and grave consequences down the road. 

This, of course, demands a modicum of courage not found with most of our political leaders. A strong leader is needed for that...

Forever young?

Yesterday, I happened to be riding the chairlift with what seemed to be a fairly young man to me (maybe between 30 or 40) and he was explaining to me how he was riding his snowboard through tight trees and was quite proud about it. 

He showed me some of the wooded area he had been riding through and it was indeed very constricted and only one could do that on a snowboard and not on skis, far too long for the close spacing available. 

He added that his friends didn’t believe he could do it and he showed me his Gopro towering on his helmet, before saying that he now had the video evidence to set the record straight. 

More surprisingly though, as we reached the top of the lift, he said “It’s great to see a person your age still skiing, I find it quite inspiring!” In spite of my helmet, goggles and face mask, he had been both observant and perceptive enough to realize that he was sitting next to a dinosaur. 

This was the very first time I came to realize that if I was now an old man, I also looked like an old skier!

Meet Bérengère !

We’ve decided to call the female deer that lives next to our garden “Bérangère”. That name originates from the German “Beringari”, whose roots “ber” and “gari” mean “bear and spear”. 

We named her that way, because we were intrigued by the same first name, used by a French radio talk host whose last name is Bonte.

This first name was commonly used during the Middle Ages, the three queens of Castile and Bérangere de Navarre, wife of Richard the Lionheart share that name. 

We assumed that Bérangère was born near our house, and would stay forever in that spot, but that doesn’t seem to be true. Instead, deer establish familiar home ranges, but young deer disperse to find new resources and avoid competition. 

We love Bérangère, but would like to see her rejoining the wild world where she belongs.

Big plane, good beds…

A few nights ago, I had that fascinating dream involving myself inside an airplane where I had just discovered a section of the aircraft outfitted with real, comfortable beds. Since it appeared to be a long-haul flight, I was lucky enough to find an empty bed and slipped inside it, and instantly fell asleep.

That dream seemed to have lasted a long time into my night and eventually I woke up (still in my dream) because I felt an urge to go pee, but was afraid to abandon the bed as I had to reach the toilets and subsequently potentially lose that precious resting spot. 

So I held up the best I could and that dream kept on lasting and covered, it seemed to me, the entire night. During the two subsequent nights, I used the image and feelings I remembered from that dream (except the urge to pee) and I felt it markedly improved my general quality of sleep. 

I might be on something good, who knows?

Just say “cheese”!

Whenever we travel to Salt Lake City, we love to shop at Trader Joe’s and wish we had a store like it in Park City. We particularly appreciate their cheese offering, that is both varied and incredibly affordable compared to the other grocery stores, with the exception, perhaps, of Costco, but that definitely lacks in variety. 

So, yesterday, when the Trader Joe’s cashier rang up our order she noticed the significant quantity of good cheese we had bought, expressed her admiration and asked us what we’d to with all of it. To my surprise, I blurted out: “I’m a professional photographer who takes group photos and I always display a piece of it before I shoot a picture while asking my subjects to say “Cheese!” 

The attendant laughed and though my response was funny… Beyond her reaction, it’s of course a well-known fact that we often use "say cheese" to elicit smiles in photos and while there isn't a definitive origin for the phrase, here are some theories: 

First, the "ch" sound in cheese requires slight teeth engagement, while the "ee" stretches the lips, naturally forming a smile shape. Some believe this connection encourages a smile. It could also be that early cameras required long exposure times, making smiles difficult to maintain. 

A quick phrase like "cheese" helped capture a momentary smile at the right time. Of course “Cheese” works for America, but different cultures use various prompts like “ouistiti” (marmoset) in French, "patata" (potato) in Spanish or "kimchi" in Korean, suggesting an adaptability and, obviously, a lack of a single origin.

What have I learned this ski season?

Since I claim to keep on learning something new the longer I ski, and since we are half-way in the ski season, this stands as a good opportunity to take stock of where I am in my learning process. There are basically two elements that come to my mind. 

First, I’m learning that skiing one’s own age is becoming much tougher as we grow old. At first, with a ski season that begun so poorly, I had even some serious doubts I could make it, and even today, as I have juste 40 ski-days behind my belt, the remaining 36 still need to be garnered, so in skiing like in life in general, there’s no guarantee.

Second, and while I’m not a fan of carving, I’ve discovered two little “pedals” on the inside of the arches of my feet, that when depressed, get me into an easy carve, especially on flatter terrain, and this is a neat sensation, something that deserves to be observed and analyzed as time goes by. 

And with this, I’m done for this half-season round up!

Park City, Après-ski Style

Going skiing is one thing, but returning home is a whole different kettle of fish, even on a Friday afternoon, when I had to get out of Park City Mountain’s parking areas. 

This following video episode, which could be found a bit lengthy (quite logical, given the wait involved), only lasts 3 minutes but condenses a good quarter of an hour taken to get out of this automobile entanglement. 

Fortunately, Americans are both civil and disciplined and that's why everything works pretty well in this country if we exclude characters like Musk and Trump. 

Another observation of interest is that, these days, fewer motorists seem to use car racks or boxes to carry their gear; instead, they stuff everything inside their SUV or in the back of their trucks. 

While driving to skiing is a great exercise to hone my patience, I think that next time, I’ll take the shuttle! 

Finally, Netflix brings us Raël!

We must have been living under a rock ever since we moved to America in 1977 to ignore the sect imagined by Claude “Raël” Vorilhon and celebrated its 50th birthday by becoming a Netflix series. 

While this guy must have been consumed by a similar narcissism as Donald Trump, Jim Jones, Bernard Tapie and the rest of them, he managed to get out of jail and instead, roamed the world to infect more countries and cultures with his far-fetched philosophy. 

The series was disappointing in the fact it missed the sacrosanct connection between religious beliefs and money, but forced us to do more research and find other TV shows that showed us just that aspect. Unless you are as ignorant as us about Monsieur Vorilhon, just ignore that series! 

Now, Taylor Swift for president?

Our next US presidential election is scheduled for November 5, 2024. On that date, Trump would be 78 years old and Biden would be 82. I don’t like it at all. 

Of course, I’d pick Biden over his opponent any day of the year or the century, but I do believe that any politician should no longer be in office the day they turn 70 year old. At any position and in any country. Easy then for anyone, based on the mandate length to see the maximum date for them to run.

Now, let me introduce to this debate, the famous singer Taylor Swift and propose that her, not the two grandpas, should become our next president. While I’m not a fan per say of the artist, I respect her musical talent, vocal abilities and technical savvy with what she does, including her ability to evolve into different genres. 

What impresses even more is her business acumen, her understanding of the music industry and understanding of ownership, marketing, and touring rules that all have contributed to her financial success. She’s also very good at brand-building and does her share of philanthropy. 

She too is a “tough cookie” and is able to face public criticism and controversies while always able to bounce back and continue to remain authentic, some great qualities for a president, not to mention her dedication and meticulous attention to detail plus her uncanny ability to connect with her public and influence her industry. 

Finally she looks much, much better than the two elderly candidates we’re asked to choose from next November. She’s got only one problem, though, she’s too young for the job and she’ll only turn the 35 years old required a month after the election. 

Too bad!

What about self-brainstorming?

Currently, I am faced with a complicated situation with many moving parts and that is in fact hard to sort out. 

I first asked myself: “Wouldn’t it be nice to have access to a group of peers or trusted people to brainstorm on what seems difficult for me to embrace and process?” 

It seems to me that with a bit of imagination, and by defining my goals properly, I could be just as good, if not more effective, than traditional group brainstorming. 

From the many techniques available to brainstorm and for that particular situation, I’d pick the “What if?” approach as opposed to mind mapping, free-writing, visual prompt or SCAMPER (the acronym for "Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Magnify, Put to Other Uses, Eliminate, Rearrange"). 

I’d also do my best to silence my “inner critic”, prioritize quality over quantity, combine and build up my arguments. Hopefully this will work and I may let you know how it went!

Finally, some great snow!

Yesterday was a short ski day for me, but what a fun one! I went out between 1:30 and 3:30 pm and did a lot of runs I particularly craved, but had not skied yet this season. 

Skiing under lift towers is something I love to do and I had not skied under the Park City’s Town Line, and did it in one foot of new snow, I also skied the integral length of Crescent Tower and had a real blast. 

As Mark Twain puts it so aptly: “Rumors about the death [of winter] have been grossly exaggerated.” I can’t wait to repeat this today with an extra foot of new snow. 

Wow!

Atmospheric rivers and the future of skiing

These weeks seem to see a return to the series of atmospheric rivers that were so prevailing last year and my observation is that the water vapor contained in these massive plumes of deep tropical moisture can fall into rain even a local temperature below freezing point (31 degrees) when under normal circumstances it does snow up to 36 degrees. 

These atmospheric rivers, often called “Pineapple Express” originate in the tropical Pacific near Hawaii. They can sometimes carry 15 times the water volume of the Mississippi River, delivering half of the western United States’ total precipitation in less than 15 total days. In general, global warming will push jet streams closer to the equator. 

But with the Arctic region having already warmed by some 6ºC, five times the global average warming, the mean west-east component of the jet streams have weakened, because it is the difference between polar and tropical temperatures that energizes jet streams. If there is less west-east airflow in the jet streams, then there is more potential for the jet streams to meander away from their traditional latitudes. 

This means that the plunges of polar air far southwards, and the streaming of tropical air far northwards, will become more frequent and bring extremes of temperature to places unaccustomed to them. "Heat domes" such as the one over western Canada in June 2021, and western Europe in July 2022 contrast sharply with "Ice bombs" such as the ones recently affecting northern and eastern USA and Canada, and Texas in Feb 2021, may become more frequent, but not necessarily in the same places. 

Overall, though, it seems that our winters, both in North America and Europe are clearly in severe warming trends, and if we factor in, the “Hockey Stick” graph developed by Michael E. Mann, Raymond S. Bradley and Malcolm K. Hughes in 1998, reconstructing global or hemispherical mean temperature record of the past 500 to 2000 years, showing a slow long term cooling trend that suddenly turn into relatively rapid warming in the 20th century, with the instrumental temperature record by 2000 exceeding earlier temperatures. 

This warns us that if this trend keeps on going on, any atmospheric river might turn into major bad news if it cannot drop the so important snow for water storage and skier’s enjoyment!

Arresting a fall on skis on steep slope (continued)

I was fortunate to receive some good feedback and ideas on how to prevent a slide with bad consequences on a dangerous ski slope, following my recent blog on the subject. To summarize, there is no foolproof and easy method to self-arrest under these circumstances and the best approach I will remember is to avoid exposed areas, especially if one is scared, nervous or feels technically unprepared. 

This said, I would like to share some comments received from Anselme Baud, French skier and high mountain guide, former professor at ENSA in Chamonix, and pioneer of extreme skiing. He had one very smart thing to say: “To start with, I always urge skiers to first use a proven technique to AVOID falling.” This probably sums it all up and confirms that most skiers should just stay away from dangerously exposed slopes if the individual technique and ability are not good enough. 

To Anselme, all the advice, including the one showed on the video of self-arrest with a pole are like “re-inventing the wheel” and, as he further says, “If following a fall, the skier is lucky enough to still have his poles, he should first hold on to only one, point it in the right way while sliding, then holding it next to the basket without letting it escape his grip and push it into the snow if it’s not too soft or powdery, the idea being to hold to it until the skier’s head is brought uphill…” 

Then he continued by saying “That’s what we’ve always taught climbers for self-arresting with an ice axe, whose design has unfortunately devolved into fancy twisted tools, that can no longer be planted into snow for that purpose.”

Of course, I forgot to mention the Black Diamond's Whippet, a ski pole with an ice pick-like attachment that can be used to self-arrest on steep snow slopes. While not offering the holding power (nor the strength or multi-function) of an ice axe, it might be okay to hold on to right after the fall and prevent a larger, free and dangerous slide. 

I personally, at first glance, find that tool a bit dangerous, but have never tried it to say it would be unsafe. So, that’s about it with self-arresting falls while skiing. I will stay that short of practicing (which I know for a fact, very few will do) we should remember not to venture into stable, hard, steep slopes if we don’t have the skills to stand up on skis in these conditions, are not confident enough and if we are on the older side of the scale. You see what I mean… 

Taking the bus to go skiing

Parking at the Park City local areas has become very difficult and frustrating if one doesn’t decide to leave early in the morning to go skiing. Then, by leaving before the masses, there’s plenty of waiting time inside the car or at the nearby coffee shop until lines begin forming around the base ski lifts. 

All this amounts to a royal waste of time no one wants, particularly on weekends. This new reality has prompted me to ride our local shuttle more frequently this season. To start, I don’t want to risk an accident with my car as I circle forever around the gigantic parking lot to locate an empty spot left by a departing automobile, not to mention the risk of hitting one of the many pot-holes that pop up everyday on that large expanse of asphalt. Right, that’s both added risk and time wasted!

The shuttle bus isn’t a convenient option either where my house is located, but I can make it work and by texting the passage time of the next shuttle at a given spot, I can get a good estimated time of pick-up and work my departure from home accordingly. 

Returning isn’t as simple as time riding the lift, more so than the duration of descent, affects the return to the bus-stop for the travel home. In addition, after all that skiing, who wants to wait 10, 20 or even more minutes? This is even truer as the day wears on, shuttle schedules slip and traffic congestion creeps up. 

What can I say? I guess: “Shut up and enjoy the ride!”

Skiing with a group or alone?

For those who know me well, you might suspect that I ski alone a lot and still have plenty of fun. The exception is of course with family members and friends I appreciate a lot. 

Skiing is complicated. It involves an almost infinite set of options. Starting with varying skiing levels within a group, but also which run, the quality of snow, nature of terrain, kind of light, type of weather, rate of speed, slope grade and much more. 

So skiing in a group automatically demands clear leadership, either permanent or by rotation, but leadership is in part defined by the individual skill set and quite importantly by local knowledge of the place where skiing takes place. 

It’s easy to comprehend the complexity of the proposition and the exponential consequences of adding one single skier to a party considering the impact it has on the dynamic of the group. 

All this means that the more diverse a group and the highest number of participants, the more complicated the outing is going to be and why when all is said and done, I often ski a lot and in spite of what you might think, I’m always satisfied. Call me selfish if you want.

Of course, on the other hand, there's the comradery, the fun episodes, the good meal and the group photo at the end of a group ski outing!

Why do I have bad dreams?

It’s my personal opinion that my life is quite good, but my dreams tell me a different story. They’re generally bad, stressful, wake me up and to often leave me quite depressed. What gives? Well, we all know that the question of whether dreams have meaning has been pondered by philosophers and scientists for centuries, and there's no one definitive answer.

So, I take it that dreams are a random form of mental housekeeping that follow neither rhyme or reason. In other words, a wide variety of disassociated and disjointed components are thrown up in the air and fall wherever they feel like, often making me feel pretty bad for no good reason, and unfortunately wake me up several times in the early hours which I don’t appreciate at all. 

Add to that their depressing tone and negative message that force me to fully wake up and tell my brain that it is pure BS and I should ignore it, as I order the rest of my body systems to return to sleep. And that is, at this point, when I often get no satisfaction. I can’t get back to sleep. I’m not happy, but this is no serious matter, it’s just become a dreaded routine that I will survive well!

Swiss common sense

We watch a lot of Swiss-produced television, mostly newscasts, and through it all, we like it a lot, because it makes us discover a culture profoundly based on common sense. 

That’s right, all the pretense and faddish language that we otherwise hear on other French or even English speaking TV programs is conspicuously absent. It is true that Swiss culture is often associated with characteristics such as pragmatism, efficiency, and a strong emphasis on neutrality. 

The Swiss are known for their emphasis on consensus-building, federalism, and a direct democratic system. 

They are also in my opinion a much older culture that is settled, and not simmering like that of the United States, much less mature, or even France, with significantly less years of cultural and political unity. 

Do you agree?

Arresting a ski fall…

Each time I think of my fall and slide, this past December, I am reminded that we never prepare and train well enough to handle this type of situation in very steep terrain. 

As some of my friends told me, “You should have flipped your legs over your body and gotten your skis to stop you!” Easy to say for sure, but not on an over 40 degrees slope, and besides, this was the very first time I was experiencing this very incident. 

I should have known what to expect though, as I have observed it countless times with ski students, friends, members of my family as well as perfect strangers. I have skied dangerously steep slopes often enough without thinking too much of what stood below, may it be cliffs, water, rocks or trees and in the future, these considerations will come up first and foremost to me. 

Likewise, I have never practiced flipping my skis over my body when I’m sliding head first or being ready to use my poles to arrest myself. I think ski schools should incorporate that into their curriculum with advanced skiers, even though some might feel stupid practicing such drills… 

Hey, experienced skiers out there, what do you think?

 

A day well-lived…

Our life is a busy one, always overflowing with something exciting to do as a direct result of our needs and wants. It’s made up of a mosaic of daily special moments that we have built over the years to make our daily life an enchanting experience, filled with surprises and discovery that we always look forward to. 

Here’s how it works; we place pieces in our day that we never get tired of. It begins with meditation when I wake up, before I make the morning coffee and draft a daily blog that I try to finish and publish before breakfast that follows and that we always enjoy for its variety. 

Then my wife and I go for a long walk, well over 5 miles and it’s almost time for lunch when we return if don’t spend some time working in the garden when there’s no snow. The afternoon is devoted to skiing, doing indoor projects or fun things and a shorter 2 miles walk later. 

Late afternoon we watch the news on TV while having a drink and later enjoy dinner. We pick a good program to watch later on and then around 9 pm are in bed and read until we fall asleep exhausted. Before doing that however I mentally re-run my day and spot the mistakes, errors or sins I’ve committed, to get them deep in my head in order not to repeat them. 

That, for us, concludes a day well-lived...