Believe it or not, I’ve learned an awful lot from owning and driving a Citroen 2cv.
All life long it has made me longing for efficiency in all kinds of domains, from house design, to all kinds of objects and devices and has made me a much better consumer while developing in me an unending quest for the best ratio between design and performance.
It’s been a catalyst of sort for me, like many other objects or situations can be for many others.
Thank you, lowly 2cv!
The man with the IQ of a six-year old, beginning to show some serious signs of senility, that love to demolish things first, think about the consequences afterwards and still doesn’t understand basic arithmetic, is in China to meet and negotiate with Xi Jinping.
Xi is likely to smile as a way to manipulate Trump, flattering him, getting exactly what he wants while showing his contempt for a man he profoundly disrespect.
Based on that, my level of confidence in a positive outcome for the United States is very low. We could have sent any American homeless begging off a freeway ramp to the Iran quagmire, with just enough common sense and expect a better outcome.
So, as the six-year would say: “We’ll see…”
Often, I wonder why any manager with a functioning brain would hire sycophants to surround him or her, and what this tells about the business acumen of such and individual? Of course, as we all know that a manager who surrounds themselves with sycophants is making a strategic choice — but not a smart one.
And the choice reveals far more about their psychology and insecurities than about their business acumen. In fact, leaders hire sycophants when protecting their ego feels more important than protecting the organization. If one cannot tolerate dissent, challenge, being wrong or being questioned they will hire people who will never threaten their self-image.
Let’s say that it’s emotional safety masquerading as leadership. That kind of leader is Trump and the sycophant is Rubio, or Kennedy or Hegseth to name a few. If Trump had any self-confidence he would hire strong people. Instead, our insecure president hires agreeable people that provide him with constant validation, the illusion of competence, the feeling of being in control and a psychological crutch. It’s true that being surrounded by sycophants makes daily life easier.
Fragile decision-making as bad news is filtered, risks hidden and mistakes unchallenged. Lack of strategic maturity as great leaders know they need dissent, debate, diverse perspectives and people who dare say “you’re wrong”. Finally a final trait is fear-based leadership, as Trump needs flattery to function, he’s not leading he’s managing their own anxiety.
Sycophants don’t gather around strong leaders but gather around leaders who need them, and that need is the real problem.
To celebrate May Day, as we arrived late afternoon in San Francisco. I didn’t have a better idea than raising my glance to admire some Victorian architectural detail on a home while we were walking one of the city’s many steep hills. I hit something with my right foot, lost my balance and fell right on my left knee.
I felt okay when I went to bed but woke up at midnight with some intense pain, particularly in the back of my knee. I meditated, took no drug and eventually went back to sleep. The next morning my knee was both stiff swollen, I took a pain killer and decided to participate in a rather long 8 miles walk to and through Golden Gate Park. Strong at first, the pain gradually dissipated through the day and I thought I was “saved”.
Gradually, the horrible pain disappeared and by the end of the day and 6.5 miles later, it felt okay. From that day one, there was pain in the morning that quickly went away as soon as there was activity and blood circulation.
Had I listened to my body I would have stayed home, put an ice pack on my knee, elevated my leg and probably would have suffered much more. All this to show that when there is nothing broken, activity that promotes blood circulation is a better remedy than laying down!
I’ve always had a weak spot for Sausalito and Marin County that both sit North of San Francisco. Not only do the views of the City from that shore are unique as well as stunning, but they offer a significant relief from the hustle bustle of the city life.
If I were so lucky to live in San Francisco, would I live in that City or in its opposite neighbor across that bridge?
Yes, most definitely! I would honor my weak spot I alluded to in the opening paragraph of this blog. Would I’d be happy there? Quite possibly! Would it ever happen in my lifetime? Why not after all…
Today, our daughter guided us to a complete walking tout of San Francisco. Solely walking maybe not, but we’ll return to this. Our morning walk began at the San Francisco Golden Gate Park that at over 1,000 acres is larger than NYC's Central Park.
This iconic spot includes attractions like the Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco Botanical Garden, and Conservatory of Flowers. The longer afternoon walk took us to the Embarcadero another mandatory place for any City visitor, located at the water edge, followed with a delightful dinner at Dasha, a Russian restaurant.
Returning home was the main attraction though as we boarded a driver-less Google-Waymo taxi (see video below). These are available since 2021 and while they were 300 in operation two years ago, there are now 800 of them being made available to the public.
It’s that car which took us back up the hill to our daughter’s charming apartment with expansive views of the San Francisco city center and East Bay.
The closure, spanning roughly 90 miles, was one of the longest in its history, with crews repairing damage at sites like Paul's Slide and Regent's Slide.
This time it wasn’t as spectacular as we were driving on the hill side of the route instead of enjoying more of the seaside views, but was still as exciting. Traffic was light, and the morning for in many past took away some of the beauty of that drive.
That evening as we were walking I just just stumble and fell on my left knee, as I was looking at some building up above. At the time, I simply hoped it would be alright.
We were delighted that we made it in one piece after another 1,250 miles (2 000 km) drive. As for me, the driver, I was glad the trip was over!
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