Defeat, a Vortex and a Pineapple Pizza

Hi Everyone

I have said this before, but it is worth repeating. When my time is up, my epitaph will say “Lots of enthusiasm, not much talent”. That particularly applies to my sporting ambitions, where I have tried lots of sports. What I did learn was that, just occasionally, I would achieve something spectacular amid the average dross. The main lesson is that you have no choice but to accept that, very often, you are going to be a loser. With that in mind, you just might as well be a good loser rather than blame others for your own inadequacies. Now, this week, one of our world leaders has lost in a spectacular way. Instead of shouting “fake news” or “foul”, he says that he will now try to work with those who have beaten him. My view is that he would love to blame everybody but himself, but perhaps even he has reached the conclusion that shouting  “foul” will land him in even bigger trouble with those opponents who wish to expose and punish him. The bigger question, of course, is what happens now with the international problems that affect us all, Iran and Ukraine and whether we can look forward to a more stable, secure and less costly future. The American people have spoken; now their leaders need to listen.

Apparently there is a Vortex over the North Pole, whatever that is, but if it moves, it could cause us to have a severe cold and snowy spell. It reminded me of the 12ft X 12ft living room at the Fruit, Vegetable, Flower, Game and Lolly shop when I was a boy. The room had 5 doors off it, yes, 5 doors to the kitchen, upstairs, the shop, the cellar, and to the same sized room as the Living room, as the shop was two terraced houses knocked into one. This room had only one door, but the Senior Partner decided that we should spend about 360 days a year in the five door draft box. To make matters worse, the Senior Partner was in charge of the coal fire, where five small pieces of coal had to keep the room warm for at least eight hours, with the Junior Partner and myself under threat of death if we disturbed the coal to bring it to life. Good job the Vortex did not move back then, or she would have had to use an extra lump of coal. 

On our many visits to our favourite European country, Italy, we occasionally had an authentic traditional pizza. The one pizza that was missing in every pizzeria was the Hawaiian, you know, cheese, ham and pineapple. Anyway, I read this week that an Italian chef working in Australia had been sacked because he refused to make a Hawaiian, saying that it was an insult to his culture. He took his case to court, arguing that he had been unfairly dismissed. He lost his case. If you then add in the emotional volatility of the typical Italian, the restaurant owner told the media that there was more to it than just a pineapple on a pizza. The good news is that he has now secured a job in another restaurant where there is no pineapple on the menu. The irony is that he worked in Queensland, the state where all of Australia’s commercially grown pineapples originate. I must go now, the pizza delivery man has just rang the doorbell.

Just a Thought:

How do you defeat your opponents? You chop off their feet.

Coal, its a burning issue.

What do you call a pineapple upside down cake in Australia? A pineapple cake. 

Brian