Another (french) Dude

[Le Mec Se Maintient]

Hi everybody,

I'm from France and I think dudeism is fucking interesting, man. So, I try to be in the place I should be, and this place for the moment seems to be there, being a dude among other dudes.

First of all, let's talk about being french. It's not my fault ! But ya know, french are just 65 millions individuals entities, and I see no real link between all these people excepted the ID cards.

I think The Big Lebowski has been badly translated in french, and you have to come back to its english roots to understand the true meaning of the movie. For example, they translated Dude ---> Duc (Duke). It has no meaning because Lebowski never told he was a Duke. A dude is just a guy. So the correct word would be : Le Mec.

I have no idea about how to translate the female dudes. Well, The Dude Abides is translated by "Le Duc tient bon". The Duke holds on. But to hold on, you have to do something, right ? Abiding is more some "Just don't do it" lifestyle. The Dude doesn't holds on anything. He is simply himself. He abides, he maintains himself on the same state. So, "Le Mec Se Maintient" seems the most appropriate french translation.

Now, about me. 32, living in the south of France, somewhere between... well.... it's kind of rural here. North of Toulouse if you prefer. A little 70.000 souls city like any other european city, despite what the mayor keeps saying. And so, well, I think I'm a Dude, but before Lebowski, I didn't knew I had so many lifestyle links. I talk to literally anyone. In the past I've had discussions with CEO's and with junkies, with gypsies, rich people, drug dealers, far-right extremists, far-left extremists, landlords and people living on the streets, and every time, what they said was fucking interesting. I mean, really.

What else ? I don't think money makes really happy. But I have a job, and I'm not very good at it I think, but people like to work with me, because they can speak about anything. My boss appreciate my "social qualities", and sends me to deal with super-stressed clients whose process is blocked because they're angry about our company, for any reason. I go there, I talk with them, the guy explains the whole thing, and I say : "What about doing that ?"  or "Don't worry, we will find a solution" or "Don't panic, I will not change anything without your clear consent". I'm not commercial at all, I just see desperate people with nobody to chat, with nobody to solve their little problem, and I just try to help because, well, they seem sympathetic to me. I don't care about the money I gain, they pay me too much in my opinion.

The Dude is very inspiring about how to have a better lifestyle. It's unfortunate that the books about Dudeism are not translated in french yet, because I know a lot of people who would be very interested by such a philosophy here. A lot of french doesn't understand a word in english, and myself I'm not very good at it, but I try, and I had interesting discussions with english and north-americans (who had problems because, you know, they're lost here, eveen people from here are lost here, and nobody can help them finding where's the airport or the supermarket or things like this).

I also write a little, I wrote a SF novel about Mars, but I only sold two exemplaries so I don't think you've heard about it.

My White Russian is the coffee, and I think we must adapt the Lebowski Dude lifestyle to our own lifestyle. In France you can play bowling but in the south you get the laziest "sport" in the world : the p?tanque. So I think I'd start to play it but I'm often too tired to go buying p?tanque bowls. And I fear other players who play it for competition. Competiting in p?tanque is just stupid. It's done to relax !

Well, hope someone will read this until the end but, it's not very important. I'm not a dudeist priest yet but I will probably do that soon. It's not very important because the religious people already hate me, because I ask too many questions I think, like "Would Jesus be happy to be represented crucified ?" or things like this.

I don't say so many bad word though but, man, I really speak so much.

[Masked Dude]

Bienvenue, my fellow dude. I'm a Canadian frog in the USA. Hope you have fun here.

I had to look up pétanque. Looks very relaxing. Surprised I didn't see it in Nova Scotia where I lived. How old is it?

[Le Mec Se Maintient]

Thanks Masked Dude 

Petanque was invented in 1910 on the Riviera, more precisely, in the city of La Ciotat (whose name in old french means "The City"). It was invented by a caf? owner here, to help one of its friends who had rheumatism and couldn't run before throwing the ball. So, in petanque you don't run, you just throw the ball while standing.

Petanque balls are far smaller than bowling ones, 300g each. Each player gets 3 balls. The "challenge" is to throw the ball the closer to some little ball on the ground called the cochonnet (the jack, in english). The jack is just a very small colored wooden ball.

Petanque can be practised everywhere, outside or inside, on ice or sand, street, etc. You have no special equipment to get except one hand, 3 balls, and a jack. You can throw the ball as you wish.

You know, it's more a game to meet friends and people rather than a "sport". It's lazier than bowling, because you don't even have to run, the balls are really lightweighted, you don't have to go to a bowling equipment, nor changing shoes or trying to avoid the gutters. You will not gain any muscle by practising it. That's why even the old persons used to play petanque. But it's also really practised by a lot of younger players. Petanque unites generations better than anything.

[Masked Dude]

Ah, does sound relaxing and able to played with a beverage in hand. At 300g/ball it sounds very portable. In fact since I can't find a set here, sounds like I could make my own!

[Le Mec Se Maintient]

You can craft some with wood but the petanque bowls are made of steel (the jack is in wood).

You can also buy some online as I see there's a petanque club in Montreal (and probably on any big city in Canada ! )

You can even engrave your petanque bowls with your name (or "The Dude"  )

[DigitalBuddha]

Welcome French dude! Good to have you here, Le Mec Se Maintient!

[Le Mec Se Maintient]

Thanks DigitalBuddha 

[DigitalBuddha]

Thanks DigitalBuddha 

No problemo, dude.