Monthly Archives: April 2013

Phlebotomists do it with their fingers…..

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Ffolkes,
Artfully, he dodged the bullet, turning to watch it plow into the wall by his head. Slapping one palm to his forehead, he gave out a great shout, “ki aieeeeeee!”, striking to the left with his other hand, shattering the small bird statue on the pedestal. The bird screamed, and dropped the tiny silver gun….. As entropy increased, gravity grew weak, then strong, tossing the players about the room like ten-pins in a row. Finally, a loud gong sounded, whereupon everyone dutifully trooped into the great hall to hear the daily proclamation from the beloved Leader in Mystery. Headache gone, thanks to the bird’s scream, he joined the parade, knowing he would find what he sought in the great hall…. His quest neared the end, and he could almost taste the cold dish of revenge, demanded by the blood of his murdered master…. Not for nothing was he called, “Pujin, the Merciless, Nearly-Master Killer of the Temple of the Divine Duck…..

Okay, so it fell apart at the end…. I couldn’t keep my tongue planted any longer in my cheek, and had to let it show its nose…. Hmm, that doesn’t quite sound right, does it? Never mind, we’ll pretend none of it happened, and just go on with today’s Pearl, or what passes for the creative process around her on mornings, like this, when I can feel Murphy staring a hole in my back, waiting for me to approach something with paint, or cold water, or poop of some kind, to try to get me to fuck up, so he can hit me with whatever he has in mind….. the asshole…..

You would think that after all this time, he would find someone new and simpler to fool, as I’m getting pretty wise to his games…. He’s a master, of course, at making us think we have him beat, so I don’t fool myself into thinking like that for long, but, a newbie surely ought to be more fun than an old curmudgeon like me who doesn’t even have the wherewithal to get overly upset any more at his shenanigans….. But, then, nobody ever said Murphy was smart, whereas he is often described as an asshole… the asshole….

I note a bit of symmetry in those last two paragraphs, at least at the end…. Too bad we had to subject ourselves to the tender ministrations of a force of nature to achieve that, eh? I’m not complaining about Murphy, as that has been shown to be a futile pastime…. No, I’m just blathering again, trying to fill up space for the intro section, which asked me yesterday to avoid anything fancy or involved today, as it has a mind to take a day off from the strain of coming up with a new way to open up these Pearls each day….. Which is to say, of course, that my own mind is wanting the day off today… I only wish I could indulge that request, but, we’ve got stuff to do….

Well, no, we don’t, that was a lie…. I was just trying to…. well, never mind, a lie is a lie, and there’s no excuse, so I won’t offer any….. I’ll just ignore it, and go on to the daily dive, which, given the crap I’ve created here, could conceivably get a bit dangerous for the uninitiated…. Please watch your step, I have a feeling it may get a bit tricky to navigate today….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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ISMISM:  Belief in any distinctive doctrine, theory or practice. Ismism was   started up in the mid-1980s by a splinter group from “Atheists For Christ”. Ismism meetings gained quick popularity, and Ismism leader Ralph Snider travelled the world promoting his paper “Why I Argue A Lot”. The followers of Ismism are generally agreed to be very confused people. — Daniel Bowen’s TOXIC CUSTARPEDIA

Strangely enough, I believe a Church of ISISM was founded, as well, though not by Mr. Snider, to my knowledge….. What I do know is that the Board of Directors of the Amtrak system are probably charter members of both the church and the movement itself; this much is made plain by the obviously fucktarded business practices as carried out by their employees. The people who run the national train system here in the US are obviously those guys who got the C’s, D’s and F’s in business school, because their employees don’t seem to give much of a shit whether they do their work or not….. Allow me to describe my own experience with the results of their asinine inability to run a viable business….

The train station in Martinez, CA is rather nice, having been built within the last 20 years or so, so it’s still fairly clean, and most everything seems to work, except, of course the vending machines, which are programmed to steal money rather than give snacks. Oh, and there was the snack bar itself, which was closed during the period prior to the train’s arrival, choosing to ignore the 50 or 60 potential customers waiting to board the train… No sense in trying to make TOO much money, now, is there? Seems to be their attitude, because I’ve never seen the place open, no matter what time I’ve come there to meet trains….. They just like to have the open counter there, so people can look at all the stuff they can’t buy….

I’d booked a coach seat for my trip, but was not looking forward to a 14 hour train ride sitting up, so, when I saw that the trains were advertising on-board Wifi, I decided to pay the OUTRAGEOUS amount (more than THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS more than the coach seat, already more than a hundred….. for what is essentially a big bus….) they wanted for a sleeper compartment, the smallest they have, called a “roomette”. It’s almost big enough for a normal sized child to sit in comfortably, but for me, a Boeing 747 wide body, it was somewhat cramped, if I tried to stand up. That was okay, as there was no attendant assigned to my car, as I found out after having to haul my suitcase up a stairway designed to accommodate hobbits, or short, skinny elves, and I needed to sit down to recover from getting on board….

An attendant from the car behind mine showed up after about 20 minutes, when I was informed that she wouldn’t be able to turn down my bed, as she was still working on the car behind her, and wouldn’t be done for a while…. So, if I wanted to lie down to sleep, I had to drop down the upper bunk, get the mattress waiting there, then figure out how to make the two facing chairs turn into a bed to put it on… Well, this was too much for my back to accomplish, so I just tried to crawl up on the bunk to sleep, after the ordeal of trying to remove clothing in a space not big enough to turn around or bend over, once the bunk was down… all without hurting my back…. ‘Twas indeed a small miracle…..Climbing up was another ordeal, whereupon I found the only light control was down below, so rather than try to go down to find it, I tried to sleep a while with the light shining in my face….

Between the light in my eyes, the rocking and noise of the train, and my old bladder, my sleep lasted about 30 minutes…. Getting up, throwing on pants, using the head, and coming back to my tiny little space was so exhausting I decided to just sit up rather than try to get back in the bunk… so, I settled down to sleep in the chair, which I could have done much better in one of the big coach seats, as it turns out….. Sleeping fitfully from about 2 AM until about 6:30, I saw nobody, train staff, or passengers, stirring about…. I sat up, painfully finishing the Pearl I’d worked on for that morning…. painfully, because the alleged table was about the size of a postage stamp, with nowhere to use the mouse, but in the air next to the table…. not terribly useful.

About 0700, I took the computer and walked back to the Parlor Lounge, where the WiFi was supposed to be available, when the car was scheduled to open, at 0700, according to the literature with my ticket. The attendant there was still working on getting the car ready, so I asked him when I might have the service I paid for…. He informed me that it was hooked up, but only worked when the train was in Klamath Falls at the station…. the rest of the trip, the mountains and terrain blocked the signal from the network…. “Brilliant,” I thought, “Not only can I not get my Pearl posted, I have nothing at all to do for the next five and a half hours….”, having not brought a book, thinking the computer, and internet, would entertain me….. SIGH…. I was beginning to believe I had somehow died without noticing, and was now on  the TRAIN TO HELL…..

I went back to my “roomette”… On the way, I saw the young lady ostensibly covering the service in my room, and asked her if I could get the breakfast service in my room, as advertised. She said she would be there “in a few minutes”…. 30 minutes later, she shows up, takes my order, acting as if she was doing me a favor, and disappears, with no word as to when it might be expected…. After about 45 minutes, the train pulled into Klamath Falls, where it sat for about 25 minutes to let off and take on passengers and luggage, allowing passengers to step off the train to have a smoke, if so desired (no smoking allowed anywhere on the train….). As I stepped off to do just that, I noted the attendant performing the same act of vice-maintenance; I said nothing, just finished my smoke and went back to my room, so I wouldn’t miss the food’s arrival…. I needn’t have hurried, as she didn’t come in behind me, as far as I could tell…. I checked, because, as I said, I was starving…..

The train resumed the journey, but, still no breakfast…. After another 45 minutes, and over two hours after I asked to have the food, telling the server I was starving (my exact words….), it still hadn’t arrived…. I got up, pretty steamed, and started toward the dining car, intending to find some food… As I rounded the turn in the car behind me, I saw the young woman approaching with a large paper bag in her hand…. I said, “Aha!”, spun on my heel, and started back to my room, not even looking at her after turning…

As I walked through the door between cars, I growled low in my throat, and hit my walking stick hard on the metal floor to catch my balance, (the floor moves….). and express a bit of frustration… At my room, I stowed the stick, sat, and waited for the food… She arrived and literally dumped the bag on the table, without a word, set down the coffee I’d asked for (two hours before), then, continued down the hall, and down the stairs to the conductor’s office below, where she apparently complained about my hitting the stick on the floor….

As I was trying to get my food out of the bag and fit on the tiny little table, the conductor appeared, and said I had been “threatening” to the attendant…. Well, at this point, I had had enough, so I proceeded to let my PTSD have its way, and treated the conductor to a full blown, tears flowing, crying rant, detailing my miserable night, the worse morning, and my intent to sue the rail system for everything they had….

I told him I had paid less money to stay at a Five Star Hotel, (the truth), that I was disabled, and had to carry my own luggage on board, spent a miserable night without a bed, that I had received NONE of the services for which I had paid over three hundred dollars, and I was now going to try to eat my COLD sausage and eggs with my COLD coffee, and he should just leave me alone before I totally lost control…. Having ranted in full out crying mode for about five full minutes at that point, I sat back, looked out the window, and ignored him until he went away…..

Well, I think I got the message across, to him, at least, as  a bit later, he came back, apologized for my troubles, and tried to make nice for the company…. He couldn’t do anything about the ticket price, of course, (note the eyebrows wiggling up and down…..) but he suggested I complain and request a refund, because the management needed to hear about this kind of thing…. He stated he would be talking with the supervisor of the attendant for her lack of sensitivity and laziness, and offered to help me get my bag downstairs when we arrived in an hour or so…. His attitude, correct as it was, only served to point up the contrast with the service I should have received, and didn’t, in any respect…..

Fortunately for all, my friend was there to meet me, and whisk me away before I could devise a way to torment the office staff at the Eugene station, or blow somebody up like I’d been blown for the last 14 hours…. Instead, we went and had lunch, and I was able to decompress enough to enjoy the rest of my visit with my buddy and his partner, Cyn….  The wine helped, for sure…..

This rant has helped a bit, as well…. though, I have to say, in looking back over it, I was nicer than I should have been, and much nicer to them than they were to me…. This is also going to help, because I intend to include a link to this Pearl in the letter I send to them, eventually, with the expressed hope that the tale goes viral on the Net, and my intent to publish it as widely as I can, to start a whispering, word-of-mouth campaign as a message to them to either clean up their act, or get out of business…. I’m not going to settle for anything less…. They’ve already lost my business for the rest of my life, and I had intended to travel by train a lot…. Now, that is NOT going to happen, not without some kind of assurance that stuff like this doesn’t happen again, to anyone…..

“The only thing wrong with doing nothing is that you never know when you’re done.” — The Stovall’s Law of negative inaction
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Composing the above mild rant tired me out, not unsurprisingly…. Before I started writing so much on a daily basis, I hadn’t realized that PTSD, as one  of its characteristics that comes down on the negative side, can make it tiring to think about old stuff that was of a traumatic nature, due to the tendency for the emotional content to recreate itself, strongly, generally causing an overflow of tears and embarrassment (I know, it’s okay to cry, but doing it in public places is somewhat of a facer, what?….. Not exactly the image I’m trying to create on the streets…..). Any who, I’m fagged, though having only been up about two hours….

A fresh poem isn’t ready, so I’m going back to the archives, but will add a fresh haiku, written this morning, before pasting in the older poem…..  As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here:  http://www.napowrimo.net/ (I still don’t know if I’m doing this right, but, oh well….)

Haiku:

Bright sun rises up,
glory against a blue sky.
Joy is now, today.

~~ gigoid

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A Failure to Germinate

Marking the days in elements of sad disarray
only holds me thrall, as I laugh while I may.
With cold, hard hands so impatient and cruel
pulling me to this vale of tears, a pathetic old fool.

Feelings sit silent, cast in shadows and light
breaking forth to implicate such vengeful might.
Just below the surface they patiently hide
to sally forth bravely, colors bright as they ride.

Tears and pain transform valued assets in hand
while comfort and serenity retreat to a far land.
Bold, bright patterns of hope garnish my ruinous state
until reality enters, full of disdainful portions of hate.

I sort out the illustrious measures of vision gone mild
only to find them transformed, now vicious and wild.
In my deepest desires I find myself calloused and cold
with faithless advocates whose souls have been sold.

My search finds little to support any hope of relief
far too much time has passed to bolster such belief.
The sad becomes real, and real becomes unfounded
until flights of such fancy are all dead, and grounded.

Nature has informed me of the newly hatched crime
that reality has boasted of proudly, time after time.
The last answer we think of is always the best
as we come to terms with fate, our hope at rest.

~~ gigoid

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In re: freshness, since the poem section is only half and half, I’ll put together an old-school pearl for this last section today…. It’s a bit shorter, and takes less time than another rant…. Here is one with a very obscure, but valid, point…. which, of course, is left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader….. (that’s you…..) ….. Enjoy!

But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast
To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.

— Thomas Moore (1779-1852) — Lalla Rookh, The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan

‘Tis not the fairest form that holds The mildest, purest soul within;
‘Tis not the richest plant that holds The sweetest fragrance in.

— Dawes

“Human life is but a series of footnotes to a vast, obscure, unfinished masterpiece.” — Vladimir Nabokov

“In God We Trust.” I don’t believe it would sound any better if it were true.” — Mark Twain

“Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.” — Jules de Gaultier

“It is human nature to think wisely & act foolishly.” — Anatole France

He ne’er is crown’d
With immortality, who fears to follow
Where airy voices lead.

— John Keats (1795-1821) — Endymion, Book ii
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Okay, why don’t y’all sit back and cogitate a moment while I go back and punch this up….. Not too shabby, I think…. I may hit out at Amtrak again some day soon; I don’t think I quite got all of my anger at them resolved. No worries, everything comes in the fullness of time, so I’ve heard….  😉

Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

Viable ideologies have grown scarce….

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Ffolkes,
Knowing myself as I do, I am not going to allow myself to become upset, just because I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO KILL SOMEBODY!!!!  I also know this about myself…. if I use four exclamation points, it’s already too late, and someone is going to die, if only in a figurative sense….. As yet, I’ve managed to avoid any literal deaths, though it’s been a close call on at least two occasions…. One guy hurried me, and the other one, well, let’s just say he was lucky, this time…. Today, well, I’ll need to maintain my control, if I am to prolong my clear record, but it won’t be easy….

Hmm? What? Oh, that….. I was just thinking about my recent train trip to see my friend in Oregon, and thanks to the magic of PTSD, the emotions, like anger and embarrassment and frustration, come right back into my head, filling me up with the outrage I need to rant…. I’ve been letting it build now for a week or more, so that when I do sit down to write about it, all that emotional power will be there for the taking…. The only trick is to get that into what I write…. not always simple, but it makes for a more powerfully compelling rant, as it should be…. No sense in pulling punches in a fight to the death, now, is there?…. Nope…

I’m not quite ready, though, I think…. still some percolating to do before I sharpen up my figurative razor, and slide it neatly across Amtrak’s throat…. It’s a shame, really, as I do like trains, and would have enjoyed riding them around the country…. not going to happen now, as nobody gets two chances to treat me like they did. I’ll be flying where I need to go from now on, which, in the larger view, is probably best, as it is faster, and who knows how much time I have left, eh? I don’t, that’s for sure….

Having once again piddled and blathered through four paragraphs, chock full of diddly-squat, I declare this intro to be sufficiently complete, and will go forth to the daily dive, confident that all is well, routine-wise, and no sign yet of Murphy…. I probably shouldn’t mention that, it’s just a temptation for him, but, I figure, if he’s not fussing with me by now, he’s busy with some other poor fool, and I’m safe for a while…. long enough to try to get this done, anyway….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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As mentioned above, my rant isn’t ready, so we’ll go now with a harlequin pearl; whether it turns out to be five-, or seven-star, remains to be seen….. I am feeling somewhat mellow and generous, so not only will this NOT be on the Quiz, you can earn bonus points for finding the correct point, even if you’re wrong….  What a deal!…..

“Sight is a faculty; seeing is an art.” — Smart Bee

How lov’d, how honour’d once avails thee not,
To whom related, or by whom begot;
A heap of dust alone remains of thee:
‘T is all thou art, and all the proud shall be!

— Alexander Pope (1688-1744) — To the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady, Line 71

“Eres encantador.” — Smart Bee

“No matter where you go, there you are.” — Buckaroo Banzai, Buckaroo Banzai – Across the 8th Dimension

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” — Lao-Tsu, The Way of Lao-Tsu

“He who adds not to his learning diminishes it.” — The Talmud

All is concentr’d in a life intense,
Where not a beam, nor air, nor leaf is lost,
But hath a part of being.

— Lord Byron (1788-1824) — Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto iii, Stanza 89

There you go…. maybe I shouldn’t have made it so easy….. Nah, it will do…. What it lacks in difficulty, it makes up in obscurity, I think…. enjoy!
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Here is a fresh poem, written this morning, on demand (well, aside from one stanza, which came out last night…. the rest followed this morning, with the first verses as stimulus….)  Any who, it’s not too bad, considering, and it meets the necessary requirements for the task I’ve chosen…. So Be It….  As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here:  http://www.napowrimo.net/ (I still don’t know if I’m doing this right, but, oh well….)

Savory

Blown across steppes of imagination, a spore
finds a niche, takes root,
tries to live longer than now, before
chaos/peace descends, and desire is moot.

Feathered into fecundity, another possibility
builds a nest, hatches kin,
aims at immortality, sans responsibility,
chance manifests, as it does, again.

Leading toward peril, entropy saves creativity,
making tools, and lazy time;
solid signs imply such simple nativity,
as another snitch drops his dime.

Subtle compassion billows, passion to unfold,
covering hearts bloodied by time,
burning flesh made valid, unwaveringly bold,
turning love to brilliant rhyme.

Years weigh lightly, supported by youth,
gaining weight with each year,
only the old men know the actual truth,
peace comes only by losing our fear.

~~ gigoid

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Here’s the deal…. I still don’t have a rant ready, but I feel like ranting…. so, I’ll sublimate…. This is an article that I posted on Triond, another web site where I’ve published some of my work, in the latter part of 2012, near the election that took place in November….. All of it is still pretty valid, discounting the date-related issues…. all the rest, I stand by…..

Absence of Honor: The Untimely Death of The US Constitution


“Ignorance can be compounded, made denser, until the light of our spirits is smothered.” — Deng Ming-Dao

As I read this pearl, my immediate thought was that it is a very clear, very accurate take on the 2012 election process that is currently unfolding before us in the daily news. The end of the political scale that is represented so raggedly by what is left of the Republican Party, and the mislabeled liberal end of the scale who claim to be Democrats, are both engaging in ongoing battles to see who can display the deepest ignorance.

The leading candidate for the “loyal opposition” to the party in power, Mr. Romney, seems to have a proclivity for alienating the very people from whom he is trying to win votes; women, immigrants and Hispanics, animal lovers, seniors, teachers and students, all have been told, in no uncertain terms, that they matter not at all to him. His plan? We’ll stop taxing the rich altogether, and that will fix everything…. Sometimes I wonder if he is getting all of his information on voter wants and issues of importance from old newspapers from the 1980’s, because he certainly hasn’t a clue as to what is happening out in America in this decade….

The other party, led by our first Black President, is busy hiding what the left hand is doing by distracting everyone with the tax and healthcare issues, to keep them unaware of how few of the Bill of Rights are left to us. “Executive Orders” signed by the POTUS this year, beginning on New Year’s Eve, while the voters were all busy celebrating the advent of the new year, include provisions that allow police to stop, search, and arrest any citizen of this country whom they suspect of any form of terrorism, or even of protest against the provisions of those orders.

These same police who are arresting their ostensible fellow-citizens are not required to tell ANYONE that they have arrested and imprisoned a citizen, nor are they ever required to provide any evidence of their suspicions in a court of law. Even though there may be no evidence, they can subject these CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY to torture to obtain a confession, or whatever it is they are after. There is no oversight to these orders; they don’t go before Congress to be approved, nor are they reviewed by the courts. Both of those particular checks on the power of the Executive Branch are completely out of the loop on this…. and they aren’t even complaining about it!

Does it physically hurt to be that stupid? — Smart Bee

My guess at the answer to this is, No. It can’t hurt very much to be that stupid, as we continue to go out each time there is an election and vote these same lying, cheating, avaricious assholes back into the same positions from which they have been oppressing the American people for oh, a hundred or so years now. I’d say that around the time of the Depression was when the first real strangle-hold on the national throat was first achieved…. the pure bullshit the government was spewing back then can be seen to have been the first real time that the government’s outrageous lies were swallowed whole by a reluctant public, who had nothing else to eat, and thus nothing else to risk…

“He was born stupid, and greatly increased his birthright.” — Samuel Butler

So, how does it feel? Does it physically hurt to be so stupid as to be part of the crowd that continues to buy into all the bullshit lies that our own government heaps upon us every day? To keep going to the polls, just as if it really matters who gets elected? Get real, folks. You will not find a name on the ballot that belongs to someone who is not a willing tool of the powers of oppression, the money-changers who are the power behind the scenes of every government in the world. Not going to happen; they’ve been the real power in the world for centuries, and they’re not about to give up all they have, just to be nice, or because they’ve all of a sudden grown a heart.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty fucking tired of being lied to, and cheated, and looked at as just another idiot for them to shit on….. and I’m not going to put up with it for much longer, without some kind of return fire….. believe it…. I don’t think I am alone in this, either…. No way to tell for sure, but I find it hard to believe that EVERYONE is falling for all of it…. but, even if I’m alone in this, I refuse to knuckle under any further, and can only say that I will do all I can to see things turn in a direction that will return my Rights, and those of the rest of the American people…. or at least those not stupid enough to hand them over without a fight….

“He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Well, unless I can come up with a rant in twenty seconds, this is going to go, proofed or not…. Let’s take a look….  All in all, I think it will float…. it might not look nice in the water, but it will float…. Plus, you know, it’s done…. I’m going to go play now…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

We’ll obfuscate the prepositions after lunch….

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Ffolkes,
Some of y’all may have noted that today’ post is very late, for me…. I had a early morning appointment with my doctor, to go over stuff before I travel, and I got back to find the power off, after a severe wind storm last night…. So, it’s now, 11:40 AM, when I’ve normally been posted for three or four hours….. C’est la vie, I guess, so I’ll just bite the bullet and get to it….

Sovereign myrmidons drew new pictures without resistance, so the dance of woodland fairies held court, in the palace under the hill, near the old wise woman’s cottage. None of the fabled ogres came to observe, or object, as one last merry tune played, before the dawn chased them home, while in Cobh, a dragon wept in silent sympathy…. Echoes of gay laughter haunt the empty hills, while in the cottage, the old woman stirs the fire, humming an ancient tune….

Well, that was a bit odd…. I’m totally in the dark as to either why I wrote that, or what it means, but, it IS another paragraph, which, by my count, makes it enough to call this an intro section, pitiful as it is…. Due to the lateness of the hour, part of the following will be taken from the archives, so I can get this up before dinner time…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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Okay, what I’ve found here are three sections of a Pearl from late in 2011…. they all seem to go together, so I left them in place, with a crooked dividing line to separate, rather than the straight lines that separate the current sections….
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I heartily accept the motto — “That government is best which governs least”: and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which I also believe — “That government is best which governs not at all”: and when men are really ready for it, that is the kind of government that they will have.” — Henry David Thoreau

A just lament from a pastoral patriot, one who carried a more pure vision of what the founding fathers were trying to achieve for their ancestors (us) than can be found in today’s society. Today’s government is too busy attempting to legislate morality to stop and consider the truism, as vocalized by Will Rogers, “The people never suffer as much as when Congress is in session.” It’s too late to change it now, however; we missed our chance already.  Our beloved ruling class has too much invested in the way things are to ever entertain the faintest notion that things would get better, or be better, if they’d just stop trying to regulate everyone’s behavior to suit some outdated, discriminatory Judeo-Christian notion of propriety. Besides, there’s no money in it, and we all know that is priority number one for politicians.

Back around the 16th or 17th of December of last year, (2010) Michelle Bachman gave an interview ahead of the Iowa caucus preliminary elections, during which she stated unequivocally that, if elected, she would assert all her influence to reform the Supreme Court, to bring it more in line with Biblical Law. Yup. She said that. No shit, I’m telling you she did.  Like all her peers in that particular flock of Republican geese who gathered in Iowa for the caucus, she gives me the distinct impression that any of them, if elected, would consider themselves King, or Queen in Ms. Bachman’s case, and would magically assume the power to change society with a wave of their royal scepter.

I wouldn’t doubt for a moment that she holds that image of herself (as a white-robed, chaste Christian soldier in God’s army, waving her newly interpreted King James version at the evil influences rampant in the Supreme Court and Congress, and all the Democrats while we’re at it, by God, banishing them all to a fiery lake of molten lava in deepest Hell) in a dear place in her heart, where she can take it out and look at it any time she feels picked on by those mean old media bullies, while some romantic Disney movie music plays in the background….. can you believe this crap? At this rate, they may as well just cancel the Republican Convention next year right now; there won’t be any viable candidates left if they keep opening their mouths…..

“It’s said that ‘power corrupts’, but actually it’s  more true  that power attracts the corruptible.  The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.  When  they do  act,  they  think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is  insatiable, implacable.” — David Brin, The Postman
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“What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?  Let them take arms!”” — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Letter to Colonel W. S. Smith, 1787

I am serving notice here, to all and sundry who would abridge my freedoms for the sake of security, expediency, or any other reason: I will resist you unto death, yours or mine, it matters not at all to me. I would rather die than submit to such indignity, and will use all of my not inconsiderable martial skills to remove you from this plane of existence, should you be so unwise as to ignore this warning. I don’t believe in leaving live enemies on my back trail; that’s just basic strategic policy. You should should write it down, lest you forget, to your unending dismay….and my sheer delight…..
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“Joyous distrust is a sign of health. Everything absolute belongs to pathology.” — Nietzsche

So, what he’s saying here is that Doubting Thomas was correct, and that is heartening; for those having chosen to tread the path of reason, doubt is one of the most formidable tools available. In order to reason, first one must admit to being ignorant; only then will the mind learn how to walk toward the light of knowledge. Doubt is especially potent when used to examine the outrageous assertions made by public figures, and should be applied liberally in the special case of political pundits. Every word that leaves their mouths must be examined for veracity, because it is a proven fact that they will lie at the smallest opportunity.

One of my favorite bumper stickers was originally stated by someone who understood this principle; it says “Question Authority”. It doesn’t mean deride authority, or challenge authority, or any other adverbial direction; it just means to apply one’s natural tendency to doubt to those who are in authority. It’s an unfortunate fact that, given the opportunity, those in authority will abuse the privileges that accompany Duty, and they always require close observation to prevent them from falling prey to temptation.  Doubt is the liberator of truth from the clutches of evil, and is worthy of our respect for that…..
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National Poetry Month Icon Pic    As mentioned, this is one of my poems from last year, during a two month period when my urge to create them exploded, having been dormant for about 40 years…. 50-some poems later, they’re still leaking out on occasion, but, not yet on demand…. and I really need one for today, so, back we go to the old stuff….  As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here:  http://www.napowrimo.net/   (I still don’t know if I’m doing this right, but, oh well….)

Intelligent Crimes

The value of wit is often said to cause harm,
for those who think, such is its greatest charm.
The new and the bold cannot be fulfilled
if innovation and change is left unwilled.

Society behaves at its base as a mob
conformity and submission its primary job.
Any sign of rebellion against the mob’s rule
is met with resentment, naming such rebel the fool.

Intellect and talent are looked at askance,
expressing artistry stands nary a chance.
To stand out from the rest of mankind
is fraught with danger, for body and mind.

Often I stand to watch in solemn dismay
as beauty and joy are left by the way,
ignored and reviled by the unwashed masses
who prefer darkness, and acting like asses.

With shouts of derision the normals make known
their fear of intelligence, greater than their own.
They hope to stop all semblance of progress;
for thoughts and ideas, they couldn’t care less.

The world struggles on in spite of all opposition,
managing to maintain its advanced position.
Pulling the foolish along in spite of reluctance,
helping each to learn the survival dance.

Hard though it may be to keep up with the future
genius manages its plans, to develop and nurture.
In the final analysis, those who live by reason
enjoy life the most, season to season.

~~ gigoid

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Rather than go an entire day without creating SOMETHING, here is a harlequin pearl, a seven star, with some rather pointed pieces…. There IS a point they all point at, but, it may not be entirely clear what that is without a bit of number crunching, so you may want to have a calculator at hand…. Lucky you, though, as it won’t be on the Quiz….

“The major problem–ONE of the major problems, for there are several–one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well known fact that those people who must WANT to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.  To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem.” — Douglas Adams, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”

“It is the individual’s task to differentiate himself from all the others and stand on his own feet. All collective identities… interfere with the fulfillment of this task. Such collective identities are crutches for the lame, shields for the timid, beds for the lazy, nurseries for the irresponsible….” — C. G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections

“Lies written in ink can never disguise facts written in blood.  Blood debts must be repaid in kind. The longer the delay, the greater the interest.” — Chinese author Lu Xun, 1926

If you knew 9 more things, you’d be an idiot. — Smart Bee
(Are you talkin’ to ME, tough guy????… )

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” — Buddha

“All is flux, nothing stays still.” — Heraclitus (540?-480? B.C.)

“Contrariwise”, continued Tweedledee, “If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.” — Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson] (1832-1898), Alice in Wonderland
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“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” — Buddha

And isn’t that fortunate for us all?…. This took forfuckingever to get done… it’s past 1:30 PM, and I’ve yet to proof…. Be right back….  ‘Kay, it will have to do…. it feels a bit fractured, but, the pieces seem to all be in one tidy area, so we’ll go with it…. I’m outta here…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.

Which is Why….

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

Word is, WordPress rocks!….

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23

Ffolkes,
As may have been noted, I love serendipity, in all its guises and forms. Nothing is more delightful in life than realizing the plain brown rock one is holding is really a diamond in the rough, or that the person we just met is the long-lost brother for whom we’ve searched, or whatever surprising shape it may take for our delectation. It is one of the truest joys in life, for it is always unexpected to receive anything nice from the Universe; generally the things we are allowed to experience are designed by the Murphy Team, and are somewhat less than delightful in their nature…..

This morning’s events led me to meander along these lines…. This time, the impetus for my thoughts is alive, and has taken the form of a vocal, affectionate, attention-mongering young cat by the name of Sadie….

She is a beautiful cat, with markings and colors that tell me part of her ancestry includes a pixiebob, a recently recognized breed of cat bred to look like a miniature lynx, without the funny ears, and a touch of calico. They have tiger-like stripes, in black, against a coat of three shades of brown, with just enough white to add contrast. Pixiebobs are dog-like in their actions, liking to hang out with their humans, following them around the house and lying nearby when quiet, and are quite trainable. They are also very affectionate, and like a lot of attention….

Another part of Sadie’s ancestry was obviously Siamese…. She has the identifiable small kink in the tip of her tail, when she holds it up straight, and her voice clinches the resemblance, as it has that Siamese tone, regal and demanding, that will cut right through a door, or three, and she uses it to express EVERYTHING…. Talk, talk, talk, just like a…. well, I’d better not say that, a good number of my readers would kick my ass…. but, she won’t shut up until I figure out whatever it is she wants from me, or decides to take a cat nap…. I’ve known a lot of Siamese, and she fits the personality type to a T, once the affectionate pixiebob characteristics are factored in….

Sadie is destined to go live with my daughter, who picked her out, but cannot take her for a week, so I agreed to let her stay with me; Sadie needed to leave where she was, in an uncomfortable (for her) home, whose human loves her dearly, but whose cat population just exploded by a factor of 5 (kittens)…. Sadie was not amused by the kittens, so she came to live with me until my daughter can take her home. As I love cats, it is no hardship, kind of like babysitting the grandkid for me, since I get to eventually send her home….

This morning was our first morning together, and it has been a wonderful way to start the day, having someone to talk to, (well, mostly listen to more than talk with….), and provide me with some affectionate company. As I sit now to write, she is lying on the floor next to the chair, purring loudly, and occasionally looking up to see if I’m looking at her; if I am, she says something, then accepts a pat on the head with a grateful blink and preen. Lovely!

If I didn’t already have plans to travel, my daughter might have to find another cat, as Sadie would be welcome to stay as long as she likes…. She slept politely all night at the foot of the bed, and didn’t knock anything over in her nocturnal explorations…. very lady-like behavior in a new place, so all is good….

There, how’s that for a low-key, happy introduction to a Pearl? Not too shabby, I’d say, and a good way to start off a day devoted to family style events…. (see section one….) I think it’s now time to get on with the rest of today’s effort, so I’ll leave this now, and get to the easy part…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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wordpressfamilyaward
One of my oldest friends on WordPress…. Wait, let me qualify that, because I have no idea how old she is, and wouldn’t assume, or say, anyway…. Let’s start over…. A blogger friend of mine, known as Willowdot21, ( her site is at:  http://willowdot21.wordpress.com/about/ ), who has been coming to my site (and I to hers….) since I started a couple of years ago, AND who has been one of my best blogging friends, nominated me for a new award, the WordPress Family Award. It was created by the blogger at this site:  http://prayingforoneday.wordpress.com  , who nominated Willow for the original, initial award. This one is a simple award, giving us a chance to acknowledge how great the WordPress family of bloggers are, in their support and encouragement of everyone who writes for the site….. Those rules are as follows:

Rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.    I hope it worked….

2. Link back to the person who nominated you.   Right here:   http://willowdot21.wordpress.com/about/

3. Nominate 10 others you see as having an impact on your WordPress experience and family.   The hardest part of this for me was limiting the number to only 10…. as I rolled through my blogroll, I found at least that many more that should go on the list, but, to save time, I’ll follow the rules…. I’ve picked those sites who assumed family status soon after our meeting each other online….

Dolly  http://allaboutlemon.com/
Europaicewolf   http://europasicewolf.wordpress.com/
Carol Welsh   http://carolwelsh.wordpress.com/
Carolyn at ABC of Spirit Talk   http://abcofspiritalk.wordpress.com/
Linda Vernon   http://lindavernon.wordpress.com/
Ginger Snaap   http://ohmygawdjustdowhatisay.wordpress.com/
Lizzie Cracked   http://runningnakedwithscissors.com/2013/04/06/a-z-challenge-f-mm/
Eric Alagan  http://ericalagan.net/2013/04/07/samuels-counsel-fallen-grace-15/
Jerry Doby   http://theurbanlink.net/
Lou   http://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/

4. Let your 10 Family members know you have awarded them…. I’ll do that today…. or, more simply, I’m on it….

5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people that have taken you as  a friend, and spread the love

So, there you have it…. I’m part of the WordPress Family, and now, so are you…..  One of the best parts of this award is that there isn’t any real pressure to accept, or to send it on by nominating others…. which is why I ended up taking the time to do so, because, hey, it’s family…..
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National Poetry Month Icon Pic
I was feeling some whimsy last night, and this is what leaked out, such as it is…. It may grow, I think, but, for now, it’s not bad, just strange…. As every day this month, this is for the April National Poetry Writing Month Challenge, with the updates to be found here:  http://www.napowrimo.net/

Relative Cynicism, with Caramel Sauce

Absolute stillness follows violent movement,
  it can happen during a downhill race,
as an immovable piece of asphalt pavement
  meets the once handsome racer’s face.

Yuk, yuk, yuk said that asshole Moe,
 after poking both of Larry’s eyes,
bashing face, head, & crotch of Curly Joe
  and only ever got hit with pies.

Lonely moments never really come along
  when Murphy’s got us in his sights.
Not for money, love, or siren’s song
  will he abrogate his natural rights.

All we can do is sigh, or laugh in pain,
  as Life portions out our ration of shit.
Silver linings melt in the slightest rain,
  so we may as well learn to live with it.

~~ gigoid

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“The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.” — H.L. Mencken

I can feel it building…. the anger, the angst, the frustration at the members of the Beloved Ruling Class, and the priestly hierarchies, who prey on their brethren, fully knowing the evil they do. It is also building up against those idiots who allow themselves to believe what these egregious assholes tell them, no matter how outrageous, or how badly it mangles the Truth. I really, really want to rant, and I think when this one comes out, it will be a big one, and I’ll have to coin a new word just to describe it…. but, no worries, I already did that part…. I’m going to write a politireligirant of major proportion, to go along with the upcoming epic take-down of the American Rail System, as personified by Amtrak…. They (Amtrak) forgot that there are SOME American citizens who not only know HOW to write in English, but are capable of doing so, to their soon-to-be-detriment and ultimate chagrin…..

Right now, though, I don’t have the proper frame of mind for ranting; Sadie’s morning activities have bemused and amused me too much, and I can’t quite get my outrage collected enough to spill over. So, I’m going to refer you to a fairly new (to me) blog site, where the blogger rants on what seems to be a daily basis, mostly on the political scene in this country, with side trips into how politics and culture may clash…. The writer’s name is John, and he is a die-hard liberal, politically, with a lot of good sense, and a fine grasp of the reality of the issues, as far as I can tell. His arguments and statements are clearly expressed, as well as well thought out, and he does his research, with attribution, too….. 😆

The site is located here:  http://americanliberaltimes.com/  This address link will take you to one of his posts, from today, I think, where you can peruse his archives for quite a few good takes on society, politics, and common sense…. which, as we all know, is not as common as believed by most. When I feel the urge for dialogue, I go over to his site, and can always find a post that will prompt a comment, usually several paragraphs long, and we’ve had some good conversations (which, to me, is a big part of what this blogging stiff is all about….).

Sorry if I’ve disappointed anyone by not having a rant ready, but, Sadie just wouldn’t let me get upset enough to get pissed, so you’ll have to blame her…. If you feel a NEED to hear a rant, try one of John’s well-mannered, but pointed, pieces to sublimate for today, because I just don’t have any outrage to vent….. Oh well, who’s to say who’s luckier, eh?…. On that note, I’ll leave you with this final thought from an old friend….

“Give them RADAR-GUIDED SKEE-BALL LANES and VELVEETA BURRITOS!!” — Zippy the Pinhead
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It’s a wrap, if it passes the proofing stage…. let’s go see…. Oh, hey, that isn’t bad at all…. I’ll take it, and not look a gift frog in the gums…. In fact, I’m going to escape now… TTFN, as my kids would text….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

Fatuous noises about the size of their noses….

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3

Ffolkes,
Purple dots keep dancing in front of my eyes, but they are no doubt due to the vigorous rubbing I’ve been engaged in since getting up…. can’t seem to shake the fatigue that hit me when I got home last night…. Oh well, rather than whine about it, we’ll just get going on today’s Pearl, sans any real idea of what reality is looking like right now…. I don’t suppose we can consider that a handicap, given the expressed purpose of this blog, and it’s very title, to wit: Exploring Consensual Reality…. I guess this morning you’ll just have to settle for MY Reality, or at least my take on what we all agree as that slippery slope’s approximate shape and properties….. So be it….

Travel is harder than I remember, and the TSA thing is just absurd….. I haven’t flown much since 9/11; it was way back in 2004, on the way to and from Beijing, when I was last exposed to their tender mercies….. The weird part is, after all this time, they are even worse at the whole security thing than they were back then; there seems to have been no attempt to improve the system, other than some improved technology (the full body scanner was pretty cool….). But, I noted at least five ways it had gotten worse, and could have carried enough stuff on the plane with me to cause a lot of problems, had I so desired. Being a bit of a coward about doing things that endanger ME, or anyone else, while flying at 35,000 feet, I have no such desires…. But, I also don’t want anyone else doing it, and it sure would be simple to do so, by my calculations….

I’m not going to enumerate my noted observations, though for those who know how to contact me, I will discuss it privately, for the simple reason that I don’t want to put in print any ideas the assholes who think about that sort of thing haven’t thought of yet, and give them any ideas. I may not be the smartest bozo on the bus, but I know better than to tempt the animals among us who have no restraint or compassion. I’ll say this, though…. Air flight in general is pretty safe, but I feel LESS safe thinking that the security that is supposed to keep the passengers and crew safe is being carried out by what appears to be the low bidder for the contract… and that’s the name of that tune….

Whoa, look here! We have an intro, complete with a mini-politirant, fresh out of my head, under the most excruciating of circumstances, while I was still half asleep….. Though I know better than to start a rant before I’m fully engaged, it didn’t come out too badly, so we’ll leave it alone, and get on with today’s dive…. I even found a poem lurking around in my head, to fulfill today’s poetry challenge for April, which, I will remind you is National Poetry Writing Month (I think… if not, it should be…). With no further claptrap (great word!), we’ll go on….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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I’m feeling a bit old school today, so here is a harlequin pearl, randomly chosen, at the whim of Smart Bee, and my own unconscious, somewhat somnolent direction, as far as I am able to do so on a day like today, when my mind is a bit fractious, and difficult keep reined in…. But, my problems are not your problems, are they?….  😆      Any who, here are a few good ones, with a point yet to be determined…. whatever suits SB’s rather silly sense of appropriateness…. Enjoy!…. Oh, and no worries, none of this will be on the Quiz…..

“Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart.  And they both take practice.” — Nora Roberts

“Some people never learn anything because they understand everything too soon.” — Alexander Pope (1688-1744

“Somebody once said we never know what is enough until we know what’s more than enough.” — Billie Holiday

“The church is near but the road is icy; the bar is far away but I will walk carefully.” — Russian Proverb

“Basing our happiness on our ability to control everything is futile.” — Stephen R. Covey

“The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think–rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.” — Bill Beattie

Eas’d the putting off
These troublesome disguises which we wear.

— John Milton (1608-1674) — Paradise Lost, Book iv, Line 739

Well, it works for me…..
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    I found this lying around in my head, so here it is….. The link to where you can see all the challengers is here:  http://www.napowrimo.net/

Ah Ain’t Sho, but Mebbe So….

Fried eggs got nuthin’ on me
  Ah’m not even sure of mah name,
or how Ah come to be;
  no idea from where Ah came.

Ah does like a mystery tho’,
  puzzlin’ things out so’s Ah knows,
good from bad fo sho,
  Ah sho don’t want no rock pillows.

If’n Ah cain’t figure what’s best,
  Ah just falls back on mah Daddy’s words,
seems he knowed just whut’d stand the test,
  ‘n how to gentle the scaredest birds.

,Course, he’d lived a good long time,
  ‘n had lots of stuff go on by,
went to a war, n’ lost a piece or two,
  never once used it fer an alibi.

He tol’ me once Ah’d best learn to learn,
  school’s only cool if ya ain’t already a fool.
Yer own good measure you can earn,
  by startin’ yer learnin’ with the Golden Rule.

Always seemed to me as Ah growed up,
  he mostly only spoke if it wuz true,
‘n by doin’ that clued me to what’s up,
  kept me from stuff that’d a made me blue.

Without ever sayin’ the word itself,
  Ah learned ’bout honor, ‘n helpin’ others
not some fake stuff from some shelf,
  knowing whut’s right, ‘n  that we’re all brothers.

Ah’ve been around long enough now, Ah think
  to get around the block at least two times
Ah s’pose long as my head don’t shrink
  Ah’ll keep on making these rhymes…..

~~ gigoid

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I forgot I had to get something done today, and I need to go do it, so here is one more piece from the archives, from the days before I became so damn wordy and long-winded…. just a little blast from the past, around 2007….

Cat’s feet…

Ffolkes,
Foggy mornings such as this always bring Carl Sandberg to mind….am I dating myself? Ah well, so be it…Perhaps it is the drowsiness, but I’m feeling philosophical this morning (uh oh, better take cover). I’ll try not to leave any bruises….

In Ancient times, the great Taoist sages looked,
Alert, as if surrounded by danger.
Yielding, like ice that is on the verge of melting.
Polite, as if they were always a guest.

A sage is skilled at helping people without excluding anyone.

A sage lets go of extremism,
lets go of luxury,
lets go of apathy.

Like ice on the verge of melting…what a powerful image! I can’t compete with that, so….y’all take care out there.
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Not too shabby for an old travelin’ fool…. it’s done, anyway, and that is all that matters at this point…. As I said, I gotta go TCB, so…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

Let’s fall into this crevasse over here!….

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14

Ffolkes,
This Pearl may end up as one of the shortest ever, in all sections…. I’m pressed for time, as I have to get to the airport in a bit to fly home from Oregon. No more trains for me, and look for a long, detailed rant about Amtrak in the near future…. For now, we’ll just pretend like I actually know what I’m doing here, and get on with today’s dive….  Shall we Pearl?….
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As stated, no time to be fresh, so today’s material will be from the archives…. here is a Pearl I enjoyed, in the old format, from October of 2011….

Ffolkes,
We’ll begin today with one of my all time favorite quotes…..

“A man who carries a cat by the tail is getting experience that will always be helpful.  He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful.  Chances are, he isn’t likely to carry the cat that way again, either.  But if he wants to, I say let him!” — Mark Twain

The first time I read this, years ago, it brought a huge smile to my face, a huge laugh, and one more piece of evidence that Mr. Clemens was more than just an author of good books. There are numerous websites that feature quotations by Mark Twain, with varying formats for finding the one you want, but going to a different website for each quote isn’t an efficient use of time, so I generally use what I find in my own secret pools, where I know the oyster beds well, and I know I’ll find just the right Pearl.

Now, obviously, Mr. Twain wasn’t talking about actually holding a cat by the tail; anyone who knows cats is aware of a cat’s reaction to having its tail grabbed, i.e., instant attack with all teeth and claws. Knowing this, no normally intelligent person would use this method of cat transport, so the immediate thing that comes to mind is that he (Mr. Twain) is not really talking about carrying an actual cat, he is referring to crisis situations in general, and how to deal with them. “He isn’t likely to grow dim or doubtful”……what a wonderful, tongue-in-cheek turn of phrase, to describe how one should approach a crisis, and how to describe the mind-set that will assist in resolving the crisis. The humorous light in which Mr. Clemens viewed the world was on full when he wrote this little maxim, and I find it to be one of great value in developing an attitude that allows one to take any crisis in stride, thereby removing one particular kind of fear from our lives. It is indeed a valuable tool that provides protection against fear…..

“Viewed from the summit of reason, all life looks like a malignant disease and the world like a madhouse.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The day this was written, Johann definitely woke up with his crankypants on…..it may have the advantage of being true, but  I find it to be a flawed view to hold as a final belief. The flaw lies in the subjective, and somewhat snobbish nature of the quotation; superiority is claimed by the ascent to the summit of reason, and that reasoning is given as the evidence of the truth of the statement. But not everyone reasons using the same methods; there are many different ways to view something, all of which are subjective. Grandiose descriptive pronouns (‘malignant, madhouse’) don’t provide evidence of anything but the author’s own prejudices, and reason cannot be considered logical when based on prejudice.

Now, in some fashion, I have to agree with Goethe’s conclusion; I, too, have looked at the world and seen nothing but madness in every direction. And I, too, was filled with anguish at the state of the world’s affairs. But my experience in that world has taught me that negative prejudice is NOT the best way to approach living in the world in some sort of comfort. Assuming the negative stance actually can be easily shown to produce negative results, and I’ve found that a positive approach is much more effective in achieving the desired results. It’s too easy to find the bad; it is harder, but much more satisfying to concentrate on finding the good……

“A friend is one who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”–  Smart Bee

I wish this had come with attribution. It’s such a beautiful thought, I would like to have known the person who first said it. I suppose, since it exists, someone had to be the first one, and the people who knew, or know, them were lucky indeed. It takes a special kind of outlook to find the true nature of an idea, and express it in a way that not only gives the information contained, but provides beauty in the way the information is presented. I am of the opinion that this is the mark of a poet, and poets should be exalted in society. It is they who turn our eyes away from consensual reality, to show us another version, another view, another, better way to live.

To avoid confusion, (or maybe to increase it, who knows?), I tend to lump poets and authors of prose into one group, and use only one term, calling them all poets. This is to me, very simple; poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, it doesn’t have to be in cadence, and it doesn’t have to follow any particular form. All it must do is communicate ideas, and whether the ideas are simple or complex, their accuracy and efficiency  in communicating those ideas is the point. So whether one writes poems, or writes short stories, the only required characteristic is truth, in all its myriad of guises.

And as for friends, all I have to say is to treasure them. A true friend is truly the greatest gift we can receive from the universe, and should never be taken for granted. I give thanks every day; I don’t have a multitude of friends, but the ones I have are the best…..

Th…th..th…that’s all ffolkes! Y’all take care out there…..
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    Once again, I must use a poem from my collection to meet today’s challenge…. so, here it is…. The link to the home page of the National Poetry Month Challenge is  http://www.napowrimo.net/

When life calls, ready or not….

Memories are all we have sometimes
to keep our sanity intact,
with learned phrases and subtle rhymes
lessening life’s vicious, vibrant impact.

Presently all seems composed and intent
in stark contrast to hollow day,
forlorn patchwork emotions of unheralded bent,
fill up night’s bower, leaving hell to pay.

Such vigorous and elevated temper
brings us rare moments to ponder,
filled with lessons all need to remember
lest base perception lose valued wonder.

Laugh loud when entropy sticks fast
leaving shameless anger in its wake.
Let bygones pass quietly into the past
reaping only what is left to take.

Final words of wise imagination
tell us living well’s the best revenge, it appears
ever eluding choirs and congregations
finally finding home, never buried in tears.

~~ gigoid

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For today’s finale, we will pick out a fresh old-school group of pearls for your pleasure and edification… As always, the conclusion implied by the tenor of the group is left as an exercise for the Gentle Reader…..

“The future exists first in the imagination, then in the will, then in reality.” — Smart Bee

“Take what you can use and let the rest go by.” — Ken Kesey

“Should our moral beliefs really prove to be dependent on factual assumptions shown to be incorrect, it would be hardly moral to defend them by refusing to acknowledge the facts.” — F.A. Hayek

“UH-OH!!  I put on “GREAT HEAD-ON TRAIN COLLISIONS of the 50’s” by mistake!!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

“More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren’t so busy denying they made them.” — Smart Bee

“Oh Lord, grant that we may not despise our rulers; and grant, oh Lord, that they may not act so we can’t help it.” — Lyman Beecher

Do not stop to ask what is it;
Let us go and make our visit.

— T. S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

There you have it, ffolkes, another in a long line of obscure, but ironically accurate, pearls…. I hope it doesn’t give anyone indigestion trying to figure out the point to it… Remember, it may not have one….   😆
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I was right, it is a short one, for this blog…. so be it. I don’t have time to do any more to it, so it will just have to fly on its own….   Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

A smattering of simple sugars…..

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Ffolkes,
In the grand scheme of things, I would normally begin this with some unadulterated nonsense, or perhaps a purely fictional story opening. Occasionally, I will speak of how Murphy’s latest japes have enhanced my morning, or of how I’m feeling emotionally, or physically, as those two states occupy a lot of my attention these days. Today we are trying something relatively new, which I will call pure honesty, and I hope to hell it works….

I can’t seem to find an opening format for these introductory comments that is suitable for daily use. It has to be funny, and/or compelling enough to draw attention, but not so heavy as to frighten away those who like lighter reading. (They are the ones who are NOT usually in the choir, and need to hear my messages the most….) It should tease a little about what is coming up later, but not give away any of the suspense I am trying to build in some cases. In short, it is driving me crazy, and that has been reflected in these paragraphs almost every day, with yesterday’s being the exception. That one was a short excuse, telling why I was cheating by using archived material, and was completely atypical.

But, nothing I’ve ever tried has fit the bill sufficiently to make me use it again, other than to try to remember what has worked in the past…. which brings me back to yesterday’s post, from here in Oregon where I’ve been visiting for a couple of days now…. That post had perhaps the shortest intro in a couple of years, and my statistics from yesterday were highest I’ve ever seen here… 21 Likes in the first 24 hours, an unprecedented number, and once again, over a dozen of them were ffolkes who hadn’t been here before, to my knowledge. I am jazzed about that, even thought I don’t write for statistics, per se; I write for my own sanity and pleasure. But, it’s nice to know other ffolkes are enjoying what I write as well, so I’m pleased with the turnout yesterday….

In hopes of keeping those numbers up, today’s intro will again be relatively short, as this will be it…. I’m done with it, and want to get on to the end, so I can go play with my friends in the Big Blue Room…. a visit to taste beer is on tap for later, which will be great, as they’ve got some prize winners on hand for tasting… should be good…. Any who, I don’t know how this will turn out yet, so let’s go see what happens…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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“I’m in direct contact with many advanced fun CONCEPTS.” — Zippy the Pinhead

There is no doubt in my mind that this is true and complete, to the best of Zippy’s knowledge, which is extensive and quite varied in nature. However, for our purposes, we will ignore all that, and go right to what matters…. which is rutabagas….. You never see anybody making any dishes out of rutabagas any more; I’m not sure it’s available for sale anywhere… Of course, it’s no big loss, as they were just about the most tasteless, useless foods I’ve ever encountered…. Hmm… I seem to have written meself into a corner, with no way out… Too bad, really, I like the Zippy quote….

Well, that sinks it…. I’m don’t have it this morning, so, I will once again need to dip into the past for an acceptable pearl or two…. I’ll be right back with one for this section….. Okay, here’s a good one, from late in 2011….
———-

“To get people to think they are thinking begets friendship, whereas actually to make people think begets resentment. There is no level so low to which people will not stoop, even honorable people, to avoid the difficulty of thinking.” — Smart Bee

So true, so true…..it fascinates me at times, this reluctance on the part of most folks to using the one and only evolutionary advantage they possess over other creatures. Compared to other animals, we’re not particularly fast, nor very strong, and our teeth and nails are not very good weapons compared to those of a leopard, for just one example. We need to wear clothing to protect ourselves from our own planet’s weather extremes. We rely on other species for our sustenance, being unable to create it ourselves. And, in the final analysis, we’re pretty fragile, physically speaking; even a soft blow administered to the correct point can cause death.

Hell, our bodies have more than one design flaw; how about how our food and air processing facilities? They cross each other at a critical junction, at the throat, and can frequently cause problems that can have mortal consequences. Our elimination process and sexual organs also cross paths, in a manner of speaking; the outlet for the former is right next to the points of ingress and egress of the latter, depending on gender. From a strictly engineering viewpoint, it’s not a very good design.

It’s clear that there is little chance of humans ever dominating on the basis of physical characteristics; most animals are much better equipped for that. Our mind, our imagination, our perception of more than merely physical energy in the universe, these are our advantages over other creatures. We have the ability to remember the past in the present, and use those memories to extrapolate the future. This is an incredible evolutionary leap, one that allows humans to readily turn their perceptions of how things work into tools that enable us to alter reality to suit our wishes. We can’t really fight our way out of a paper bag, and our defenses against predators is weak in comparison to other animals. But the power of our minds is sufficient to neutralize all physical and environmental advantages of the other inhabitants, and gives mankind the means to not merely survive, but to thrive and dominate.

So, the question remains: why are so many people so averse to using their minds? Well, I don’t know, for sure. I could make some guesses, and they might even be accurate. But it really doesn’t matter, because the only creature who can cause us to change ourselves, is ourselves. Nobody can make us do anything we don’t want to do. Most folks learn the power of the word “No” at a young age (age 2 is customary for most folks), and get so impressed with it that it becomes their default position for anything that appears ‘difficult’. Sad, but true…..and wishing won’t make it go away. I can only wish I were smart enough to figure out how to get folks to see the light, before its too late, and the bulb burns out for good…..
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I’ve looked deep inside, and I can’t find a poem in there today, but I have this poetry challenge to meet, so, once more, I’ll dip into my older material for one…. Here is one of my favorites….. And the link to the home page of the National Poetry Month Challenge is  http://www.napowrimo.net/

After the odyssey….

Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound

Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.

Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.

Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.

Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.

~~ gigoid

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Well, it seems clear that my fresh material isn’t up to snuff today…. it seems so to me, anyway, and I’m the one who has to stomach it first….. Which means I’m going into the past yet again, but with fresh material…. This will be a random chosen old-school Pearl, the best I can do on short notice…… The point may or may not be apparent, but, what else is new?….

“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave…” — Ernest Hemingway, “A Farewell to Arms”

“When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.” — William Arthur Ward

“In a mad world, only the mad are sane.” — Akiro Kurosawa

“A sect or party is an elegant incognito devised to save a man from the vexation of thinking.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Man’s many desires are like the small metal coins he carries about in his pocket. The more he has the more they weigh him down.” — Satya Sai Baba

“Whoever has even once become notorious by base fraud, even if he speaks the truth, gains no belief.” — Phaedrus (c. 8 A.D.) — Book i, Fable 10, 1

I feel like one
Who treads alone
Some banquet-hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled,
Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed.

— Thomas Moore (1779-1852) — Oft in the Stilly Night

“And thereby hangs a tale.” — Francis Rabelais (1495-1553) — Works, Book v, Chap. iv
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Aye, thereby indeed hangs a tale…. and a fluffy tale at that….  😆   I’ve done all the damage I can do, so I’m outta here….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

We carry unfortunate news, your majesty….

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Ffolkes,
Unfortunately, the trains just aren’t what they used to be…. The trip to Oregon turned into a nightmare along about 4:30 AM, and just got worse from there until I got off the damn thing…. It’s taken me until this morning to get over the frustration on exhaustion the trip engendered, and I still have yet to call them to file my complaint…. Ah well, it’s a good thing I’m a nice guy, right? Nobody died, so I can go on to enjoy myself here with my friend….

I am also finding that writing is not an activity to carry on when visiting friends…. It’s a bit rude to ignore them for three hours while I create a Pearl, so I’m going to be quick today, using more archived material to fill in the sections. Even the poem for the challenge will have to come from what I’ve already done, and I don’t know if that is legal, or against the rules of the challenge, which may entail only fresh material…. oh well, I’m not trying to win any prizes, so it doesn’t matter in the final analysis….

In order to make this perhaps the shortest intro on record for the past two years, I’ll get right to the rest of the Pearl for the day…. It seems to be the only way I will get this done in a timely fashion…. Shall we Pearl?…..
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Before a cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend,
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream.
— T. S. Eliot

Sometimes I’m not sure which is my favorite poet, between T.S. Eliot, Emily Dickinson, or ee cummings….. all three were of such power and influence that they changed the very face of poetry in the 20th century. Poets of earlier ages are always there to give us the beauty and depth of human experience leading up to the last century, and there were a number of great ones. Alexander Pope, Yeats, Keats, Longfellow, Cowper, Shakespeare, and a host of others, all left behind an impressive legacy for later generations, for which I am eternally grateful. This particular poem is one of my favorites; I love cats (and dogs, and just about any other 2, 4, 6, or 8 legged creatures), and it’s obvious that T.S. has known several of them intimately. In my humble opinion, cats and dogs are much better at being what they are, and nothing else, than humans can ever be. If one believes in the concept of a Deity, then they were put here to be our examples of how to live with honor, and we can do no better than to emulate their approach to life at large…..
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    I don’t know if the challenge rules mean I am supposed to create a fresh poem each day, or not, and I find myself in a position where I MUST use an old poem, as I just cannot make the time it takes to create one today. So, if that mean I’m disqualified or anything, oh well…. the link to where you can see all the challengers is here:  http://www.napowrimo.net/

Dreaming of Calliope

La dame sans merci speaks aloud through endless night,
torturing dreams, with powerful words and stentorian phrases.
Manifest visions bathed in unbearable grace and light,
destroying all direction, standing lost, in unfathomable mazes.

Fate plays a part, one that will never face denial,
as fear and courage eternally vie to gain ascendancy.
Conflict becomes valid, gifting strength in open trial,
but honest emotion wears no costume so fancy.

Blood, sweat, and tears stroll on avenues of gold,
unlikely heroines heralding as in ancient lore;
Sharp, competent knives cut through tales untold,
eternally shifting reality past the naked shore.

Drifting toward origin, bereft of mandate or cause,
finished, nay, abandoned, tied with a figurative bow.
No simple gift from muses to give comfort or pause,
save that all we need to know, we already know…..

~~ gigoid

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I looked for something appropriate, and here it is… a quite long religirant, from sometime in 2012, I didn’t check, and it doesn’t matter…. it was a good one, so enjoy…..

“The evidence of the emotions, save in cases where it has strong objective support, is really no evidence at all, for every recognizable emotion has its opposite, and if one points one way then another points the other way. Thus the familiar argument that there is an instinctive desire for immortality, and that this desire proves it to be a fact, becomes puerile when it is recalled that there is also a powerful and widespread fear of annihilation, and that this fear, on the same principle proves that there is nothing beyond the grave. Such childish proofs are typically theological, and they remain theological even when they are adduced by men who like to flatter themselves by believing that they are scientific gents…” — H. L. Mencken

“One of the proofs of the immortality of the soul is that myriads have believed it–they also believed the world was flat.” — Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) (1835-1910)

“Convincing yourself doesn’t win an argument.” — Robert Half

Here is an old school Pearl, in a manner of speaking…. These three quotations all say pretty much the same thing, with varying types of expression. Each, to me, seems to express that same idea more succinctly than the one before, leaving out more and more words until the final statement gives the bottom line… which is one that is heavily argued by those to whom it most applies….

It’s funny (ironic funny) to me to hear some of the arguments proposed by the priestly hierarchies in support of their beliefs. Some are couched in formal robes, all dressed up so they appear as reasoned logic, rather than the unwarranted assumptions that they really are. Mr. Mencken’s expression above would be the most effective in engaging these wordy individuals, as it would appeal to the side of them that pretends to being a scientist. They might reject the arguments, since their own arguments are, in the final analysis, subjectively formulated, not based on observations but on induction, as the platform of their entire argument is all based on an imaginary entity’s theoretical wishes…..

“Jesus loves  me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so”…. Such an innocent sounding piece of doggerel…. one would scarcely believe it is one of the most insidious examples of blatant propaganda in existence. The proponents of the “Old man in the sky” group start drumming this into the minds of children as soon as they are able to talk, and, as they well know, before they learn to doubt what their elders tell them. Children naturally accept what their parents tell them, almost exclusively for the first few years of life.

This home-schooling form of brainwashing continues once they are of an age to start looking outside their family for knowledge of the world, with teachers, preachers, and kindly old aunts who continue to inundate the young minds with stories of Bible heroes and villains, drilling into the malleable minds the sense of entitlement and elitism that will provide them with the impetus for bigotry later in life. In addition, this period strengthens the brainwashing given earlier, teaching the kids that they should only trust certain people to tell them the truth, and that all the other religions in the world are not only not saved, but are not eligible for saving, due to their own beliefs, which are characterized as villainous, and as enemies, to be reviled and persecuted because they are different….

“The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.” — Oscar Wilde

This entire process, this systematic, deliberate mental conditioning, is, to my mind, pretty despicable. It denies its proponents any possible way of examining the information that other systems may possess, by convincing them that all other forms of knowledge are not only wrong, but blasphemous in nature, and should be cast aside whenever encountered, without ever examining the information for its relevance, or its accuracy.

Education is learning that you did not even know what you did not even know you did not even know. — Smart Bee

The whole system is designed to continue the delusional system into the future, while keeping the congregation in the dark of ignorance. It has no other purpose…. it is not in place to help or sustain the members of the congregation, but rather to control that population’s thoughts and behavior, ensuring the power and influence of the priests, pastors, preachers, or whatever name they choose to call themselves…..

I can only count myself as fortunate, to have been raised without the brainwashing on a regular basis. We attended a Presbyterian church, probably an offshoot of the old Church of England, where the adage about “cake, or death?” was originated…. The net result of this was that I was able to include other systems in my education, and found the entire construct to be a house of invisible cards, easily knocked down with a single bite of the Apple….

“How come you never see a politician (or a preacher) laugh? Because they know what they’re getting away with, and if they started laughing, they’d never stop.” — Smart Bee

And you know what else?…. I always thought Satan got a pretty raw deal, all for exercising the free will he was given…. and so did Adam and Eve…. Even as a child of five, I always wondered why God had set them up to fail like that…. it’s like, “Here’s the apple…. don’t taste it….” and then making sure we, as humans, had a sense of wonder and curiosity strong enough to disregard the admonition…. Even then, it looked like a set-up, and I could never reconcile the image in my head of a God, supposedly with infinite knowledge, setting up his own creation like that…. it just didn’t seem very God-like, or even fair…. and I still don’t get it, even today…..

With a subject such as this, it’s hard to know when to stop…. the issue has been one that has held Mankind back for two millennia now, preventing us from achieving our real potential as a species. All the progress we, as a species, have made in the last 3,000 years or so has been in spite of the efforts of the priestly hierarchies to keep us as ignorant as possible; at every turn of the wheel of science, the powers that be have thrown sand in the works, to try to slow down the acquisition of knowledge.

“Neither do the ignorant seek after wisdom.  For herein is the evil of ignorance, that he who is neither good nor wise is nevertheless satisfied with himself; he has no desire for that of which he feels no want.” — Plato (428-348? B.C.)

They know that an educated populace, capable of reasoning beyond the limitations placed on the human mind by religious dogma, is the greatest threat to their continued existence as the leaders of Mankind. They know that once people are exposed to knowledge (the flesh of the Apple, remember?), the less they will submit to the brainwashing that is the lot of the common man…. and it scares them to death…..

Doubt. Question authority. Ask the next, deeper question. And never, ever, give up the right to make up your own mind…. In the final analysis, that power is the only one we all have, and the only one that cannot be taken away from us without our consent…. Viva la raza!…..

Oh, and won’t it be nice when you don’t have to give tithes anymore?…..

Though old the thought and oft exprest,
‘T is his at last who says it best.
— James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) — For an Autograph
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Well, it’s not particularly fresh, but it’s clean…. and it’s done. So be it, I gotta go play with my friend in the Big Blue Room….  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

Further than ever toward the native state…..

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Ffolkes,
Okay, so writing on a train isn’t practical…. at least not in one of the little roomettes they give you as a sleeper for a single passenger. The little table provided just isn’t cut out for working on, as it is cocked off to the side of the room. So, I’m sitting here trying to type in a very weird, uncomfortable position, which will kill my back  before too long. Oh, the sacrifices one must suffer for one’s Art!…… Or even, for Bill, or Harry…. Sorry, couldn’t resist….. Since I’m stuck writing in these primitive conditions I let myself get away there….. it won’t happen again….

In fact, this is so difficult, I’m going to cheat, full time, for the first time ever…. All three sections today will be filled with old material, written for earlier Pearls, and you’ll just have to lump it, if’n you don’t like it…. Even the second section, with a poem for this month’s challenge, are from past Pearls…. so deal with it…. I’m having to….

Not only am I cheating to the extent of pulling from old stuff, but, this intro section is going to end up shorter than usual, as well…. Not that that is a bad thing, mind you….. Given the normal state of affairs here in the morning in the intro section, this one is downright upright. In fact, it’s so together, I’m going to leave it as is, and get on with the rest of today’s effort….. Shall we Pearl?…..
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Here is a most excellent Pearl, from January of this year….. some of you may recognize it, as it wasn’t too long ago, but, I like it, and it’s a good one, so I feel justified…. Enjoy!…..

“Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.” — Oscar Wilde

One may always trust Oscar Wilde to be both elegantly witty and intelligently insightful, though, to be sure, many of his most closely held views were somewhat divergent with what was commonly held to be true, philosophically. This divergence was, I believe, mostly deliberate on his part, as he tended to mock that which he did not respect, and he never had much respect for…. well, anything to do with human nature vs. reason and rationality. He mistrusted most people to act morally, and was unafraid of saying so; this, of course, made him both famous, and infamous….. His infamy, I’m sure, ultimately was his undoing, much to society’s loss; as is said so often about our brightest minds, “only the good die young….”

I often wonder, (well, maybe not so often, as much as I’m wondering now…) what the world today would be like, if somehow, some of those bright stars in history had lived to an age where their accomplishments, in relation to the advancement of human thought, and the betterment of the human condition, had a broader, and more lasting effect than their absence has left us. What if Keats had written poetry until he was 85? How many more inventions would have come to us from Nicolas Tesla, had he lived long enough for the rest of the scientific world to catch up to him, instead of hounding him to an early grave? How much more good music, and art, and literature would be available to all of us, if not for this tendency for the best of us to live as a burning meteor, flaming brightly through the sky, until burned out and lifeless?

It is a sad commentary for society to know that it is often the very brilliance of these people that brings about their downfall, at the hands of the ignorant, and the avaricious…. What is even sadder, to me, is that this demonstrates another part of human nature that is responsible for almost every issue in human history, and current society, that causes people to suffer pain, oppression, perpetual struggle, and will most certainly ultimately   lead to the extinction of our species, on this planet, at minimum, if not completely…..

That piece of our nature is the unfortunate characteristic, in a number of humans, to be able to put aside all conscience, and act solely in their own self interest. All of us, of course, possess this to some degree; it is an outgrowth of having a will to survive. To these few others, it is their primary modus operandi; they simply do not take other people, or their concerns, into account when deciding what they are going to do, and are not hampered by the consideration of any suffering they may cause other people, animals, or things.

As is patently obvious, to my mind, every elected official, every high level preacher, every corporate magnate, and a great many lawyers, are all of this ilk, and have, for nearly 230 years now, been quietly and efficiently plundering the pockets and rights of the American people (and those of every other country in the world, for that matter…. it is a HUMAN condition, not just American…. Ours are just some of the most obvious about it….), while simultaneously lying, cheating, and otherwise acting to secure their stranglehold on society.

Anyone who disagrees with this assessment, quite simply, isn’t paying enough attention to the world around them….. Sorry to be so blunt, but the facts are all laid out, right there, almost every day in the news media, if one knows how to look at the larger picture it presents, rather than the individual facets of that picture. Focusing on the little shit is just what those in power wish for people to do…. it keeps them busy not noticing other, more incriminating stuff they are carrying out, in the darkness where they mostly live….

“… change depends on individual acts of courage and commitment. Most such acts are private, invisible, and uncelebrated. But some find a place in the public spotlight; and their influence goes far beyond mere example.” — Arthur C. Clarke & Michael Kube-McDowell,  The Trigger, 1999

Each and every one of us, in the face of what we know about reality, is responsible in some way, and to some degree, for both the way things are, and the way they will be in the future. If you don’t believe that, well, discussion is, for you, probably useless, and little hope remains. For anyone with moderate insight, however, this is plain, clear truth, and we all need to accept it before any significant progress can be expected against those who are sociopathic, which I define, and hereby name, as homo suicidus, those who would kill us all…. But, it is imperative that we act soon, for the damage we have done, and continue to do to our world, is at a point where the effects are nearly irreversible, and even if we manage to wrest control from the beloved ruling class,it may be too late to save our lives….

“In regard to disagreeable and formidable things, prudence does not consist in evasion, or in flight, but in courage. He who wishes to walk in the most peaceful parts of life with any serenity must screw himself up to resolution. Let him front the object of his worst apprehension, and his stoutness will commonly make his fear groundless.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, _Essays_, Prudence

It is my hope, small and pale though it be, that we WILL speak up, that the rational among us will rise up, and take back the control of our destiny from the hands of those who would see us all die, rather than give up their own control. It will only happen when men of courage, as defined by Mr. Emerson, stand up to those who would render us all impotent, for their own benefit. The only hope that exists for the rest of us lies in enough of us showing this kind of courage, and overcoming the fear that keeps us in thrall…..

“I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat.” — John Milton (1608-1674) — Areopagitica

Myself, I don’t want to die ignominiously, gasping for breath, because I didn’t have the courage to speak up, and to fight back against the immoral, avaricious assholes who dominate society….. Instead, let’s create a whole new world, without a beloved ruling class, at all….. Who knows? We might just find out that anarchy works!….. Worth a try, I think….. And, if it doesn’t work, well, we can always try a technocracy, which we have yet to do in history….. With a bit of foresight and planning, it might just be what we need to survive our own foolishness… Maybe, Richard Brautigan had the truest prophetic vision, when he wrote “All watched over, by machines of loving grace….”

“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.” — Pablo Picasso

History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.

— Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning”

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    I forgot yesterday to post a link to the NaPoWriMo site, so here it is today, where it will be every day this month, or as long as my poetic urges hang tough…. Any who, you can see all the entries here:   http://www.napowrimo.net/

A year has gone by
draped in melancholy tears
A mere stitch in time

~~ gigoid

So, I wrote this haiku on the one year anniversary of this blog, in August of 2012…. The poem is also from last year, in August, and it has an odd provenance, to wit:

”    Yesterday afternoon, (which would have been 8/15/12) I sat down with the urge to write. A number of fleeting images chased each other around in my head, vying for who would be first to fly…. after some negotiations, I wrote what appeared to be a paragraph of prose in an abstract style, re-read it, scratched my head, and left it alone for the night….. This morning, when I sat down to start today’s Pearl, the paragraph was still there…. but it had changed somehow in the night…. I don’t know if it is my mind that changed, or the paragraph, but all of a sudden, it wasn’t a paragraph….. a few strokes, a couple of format and structural changes, and voilá, it’s a poem!  Completely finished, too, needing nothing more from me…. I’ll call it…. ”

Serendipity Morning

My mind wants to fly,
my soul wants to hold close, the source,
strong, the moments of time;
each as precious as golden thread,
binding together such elements of longing desire.

Love hovers, always patient,
seeking the open heart,
reaching for the promise of tomorrow…..
only for one, only for now, only what is real….
Dreaming, the morning calls,
heavy with mordant belief,
replete, and eternally alive…..

~~ gigoid ~~
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I am a wordy son of a gun, when I get rolling…. Here is another old pearl, excerpted from a Pearl posted in 2012, and though a bit long, as is often the case, it has the advantage of being at least mildly amusing going for it….. Enjoy!…..

“Comedy = Tragedy + Distance” — Lenny Bruce

“Comedy is tragedy plus time.” — Carol Burnett

I’m sensing a theme here…. both of these people are known comedians (I know, kind of like known criminals, but legal….), yet both have deduced a common principle of humor…. It would be interesting to know the timing of these statements, if only to see who was plagiarizing whom. Regardless of which of them was the more dishonest, both were right, and both saw clearly how pain is directly tied to humor….. I’ve heard it said that we laugh because, if we didn’t, we would cry…… and I think everyone alive can identify with that…..

“Blessed is he who has learned to laugh at himself, for he shall never cease to be entertained.” — John Powell

I’m either lucky, or smart, and since I know for a fact that the only luck I’ve ever seen is of the bad variety, I’m counting on smart….. I’ve known this for many years; in fact, I distinctly remember a moment when I was about 4 or 5 when something happened to drive the point home to me, and I stood there laughing at myself, distinctly enjoying my own silliness, and realizing that I would always be able to do so….. It was also a revelation about humor in general, because it allowed me to identify with other people, and what they found to be funny, thus enlarging my world by several degrees…. and opening up vast new worlds of humor….

I once read a book that proposed the theory that the feelings we get in life that are of value to us are not merely pleasant to feel, but are actually good for the body and system, to the extent that experiencing those valuable feelings would stop, and in some cases, reverse the aging process. In other words, laughter doesn’t just make you feel younger, but actually makes you younger by its effect on your overall well-being. Whether or not this is true, it feels true, and I’d like to think it so…. it would be very heartening to know that the more I laugh and enjoy life, the longer it will go on…. talk about a win-win situation! Even if it is not absolutely true, having “value experiences” seems like it can only be good for us; there doesn’t seem to be a down-side to this idea…..

“One of the things older folks like to give is advice, as a form of  consolation for not being able to give bad example.” — Smart Bee

And if nothing else, it sure makes it a good thing to enjoy life to its fullest, so how can you lose? Nobody knows us like ourselves, so it should be pretty easy to come up with something about ourselves, and our often comical dealings with reality, to laugh at regularly, thereby giving ourselves a few more years to enjoy living…. And, if it is a just a bunch of backwash, well, at least you got a good laugh out of it…. that can’t be all bad…..

A guy calls 911: “My buddy and I are hunting, and he accidentally shot himself! I think he’s dead…. what should I do?” The operator, true to their training, says to him, “First, make sure he’s actually dead.” There is a moment of silence, then a gunshot is heard…. The guy comes back on the line to say, “Okay, now what?”…..

See, now isn’t that better?…..
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It may look from the outside as if this Pearl is much like any other, but that is misleading. I’m sitting here, fighting nausea from some rather curvy, up and down just like a big boat on the ocean movements by the train…. I can’t recall this ever happening before, so maybe it’s a new gift of the aging process… Oh, joy….

Good thing I’m done, or nearly so…. Once I’m done putting this together, I’ll go explore the train, to find a spot in the Parlor Car, where the Wi-fi spot is located, so I can post this in a little while…. This train stuff isn’t as easy as I remember it; I think I’ll fly from now on…. Oh, quit your bellyachin’ Ned…. I think I’ve done all I can do here, so…..  Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes
I just sits.

gigoid

dozer3

New tricks for old dogs…..

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6

Ffolkes,

As he stepped aboard the waiting train, he turned to look back at her, a small, forlorn figure standing in shadows near the exit turnstile. As he turned, she saw him, and raised a hand, as if to wave, but paused, locking eyes with his across the platform. The hiss of the train’s escaping steam mingled with the hum of the crowds boarding, but all faded into the background, unheard, as the two lovers gazed, with searing pain, into each other’s eyes, hers now flowing with shining tears. She again raised her hand, waving once before quickly turning, and rushing away, losing herself in the crowd. With heavy heart, he turned, walked past the conductor, and moved toward his seat, leaving the past behind…..

Now that my own tears are flowing, let’s leave the star-crossed lovers to their fates, and get on with the day’s work, such as it is….. It may be a bit more work than I usually have to do, as I’m supposed to come up with a poem for the April National Poetry Month Writing Challenge, in which I’ve agreed to participate…. I just spent a few minutes, trying to begin a verse, and experienced about that many minutes of sheer terror and exasperation, as I was able to come up with only two lines before the well went dry…. two….. not a grand start, to be sure. I may just have to resort to a haiku for my first effort; I know I can come up with one of those, as I’m pretty confident of my skill with them…. justified or not.

But, that’s for later…. right now, I still need to come up with a bit more of an intro, and I’ve written myself into a nasty little corner here, with no apparent way out….. I might have had a chance, had I gone one more paragraph into the opening story line, but, I didn’t, so here I am once again, stuck for anything intelligent to write…. I don’t know how I do it, but, maybe I could find some fool who would believe me when I tell them I know what I’m doing, and get them to pay me for this…. That will probably happen just about the time the pigs are ready to fly…..

Oh, look! There’s one taking off now! Gosh, it looks so brave, outlined against the morning sky, tiny wings beating to beat the band, weaving back and forth across the brightening sky like a drunken loon…. SIGH…. Such beauty is uncommon, and a joy to behold…. If you can buy into that statement, I have a deal in a bridge you might be interested in…. It’s a good deal, and a great source of income, once the toll booths are put in. I’ll need cash only, though, no checks, and all deals are final….

Now that we’ve entered into the spirit of the day, I think it’s best if I try to steal silently away, into the dark morning light, and get on with today’s dive…. I have a feeling that if I don’t do that now, this entire operation is going to go down in flames, which always annoys the insurance dudes…. I’ll avoid that whole issue, and get on with it, forthwith…. Shall we Pearl?…..

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Today’s Pearl is going to resemble the coat of many colors that gave Joseph so much trouble back in Biblical days (I think it was Joseph…. oh well, doesn’t matter, y’all know the story anyway…..)…. It’s just got too much randomness to ever achieve any real coherence, so I’m not even going to try to explain it all…. Below you will find a very rare old-school pearl, a group of seven quotes, freshly chosen for their very randomness, in relation to each other…. As is sometimes the case, the point that emerged is one that defies normal expression, and is actually so intimate, it can only be experienced on a personal level; sharing it would be unwise, if not dangerous to both parties…. So, just enjoy them for what they may bring you, and go on with a bemused smile, and my good wishes….. not that they will help, but, I try…..

“It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought.” — John Kenneth Galbraith

“We view things not only from different sides, but with different eyes — we have no wish to find them alike.” — Pascal

“Silence can be the biggest lie of all. We have a responsibility to speak up; and whenever the occasion calls for it, we have a responsibility to raise bloody hell.” — Herbert Block

“Je me presse de rire de tout, de peur d’etre oblige de’en pleurer.

(I make myself laugh at everything, in case I should have to weep.)” — Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais (1732-1799)

“An assertion produces a stronger effect than an argument, at least among the majority of mankind. That is why public speakers seek to hammer home their party’s arguments with assertions.” — F. Nietzsche, _Human, All to Human_

“It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

“.. Should I get locked in the PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE today — or have a VASECTOMY??” — Zippy the Pinhead

Well, there you go…. I don’t think I can make that any more obscure than it is, so we’ll go on to further adventures in literary suicide…..

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National Poetry Month Icon PicApril 1, 2013

Rhyming is better than lying….

 It’s all too, too much, he cried

I can take no more!

It’s all crazy, my brain is fried,

battered, bloody, and sore.

Talking heads shout out hatred and fear

jam for my morning toast.

Pointing fingers far, middle, and near

enemies everywhere, almost.

Women, gays, and seniors fall prey,

easy targets, slow and weak.

Convenient fools, wanting only to play,

used, and abused, even as we speak.

It enough to drive me floridly insane,

or want to buy a gun.

I may end up in jail, or in massive pain,

but, oh, it would be fun….

~~ gigoid ~~

 April Fool! This, such as it is, is the first poem of the month for me, and the first entry in the National Poetry Writing Challenge for April….. It’s not my best effort ever, but, it’s okay, and it’s almost a rant, in its own little way…. I’ll do better as the month goes on, I promise…. Hell, I’m betting tomorrow’s effort will be better…. Just for the hell of it, here is a haiku, too….

To write a poem,

hard as it seems to be, is

not impossible.

~~ gigoid

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I have a bunch of stuff to do today in the Big Blue Room, to finish preparations for my trip tonight to Oregon. So, I’m cheating again, and putting in here an old pearl, from the archives…. I can’t say exactly when this first appeared, as I don’t organize them well enough to do so, but, hey, it really doesn’t matter at all…… From the vantage point of the future, I see that Smart Bee was particularly helpful this day….. Enjoy!….

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A few random thoughts on the meaning of insanity, and by implication, sanity…….all came from one dive. Pearl after pearl on the same subject kept presenting itself for my perusal, so after a few, I just gave up & collected them. So here they are, all with a bit to say about those among us who perceive reality from a whole different place than you or me….. (My comments are in parentheses, like this one…. )

‘What garlic is to salad, insanity is to art.’ — Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), Reminiscences

If sanity were dollars I’d be bankrupt. — Smart Bee

“I come from a long line of Southern psychotics and an environment where madness is currency and conversation is blood sport.” — Elizabeth Ashley

According to figures from the Justice Department, the average rapist serves only 5.2 years on jail, and the average murderer serves only 8.6 years. By contrast, the average time served for possession of LSD is 10.1 years, and many Americans are serving mandatory minimum sentences of 20 to 25 years for possession or sale of marijuana. — Smart Bee

(Insanity comes in many guises…… your choice as to which is real, and which is delusion….)

Avoid reality at all costs! — Smart Bee

And who (in time) knows whither we may vent

The treasure of our tongue? To what strange shores

This gain of our best glory shall be sent

T’ enrich unknowing nations with our stores?

What worlds in the yet unformed Occident

May come refin’d with th’ accents that are ours?

— Samuel Daniel (1562-1619) — Musophilus, Stanza 163

(Psychosis is rooted in fear, and fear also assumes many masks…..)

I feel like one

Who treads alone

Some banquet-hall deserted,

Whose lights are fled,

Whose garlands dead,

And all but he departed.

— Thomas Moore (1779-1852) — Oft in the Stilly Night

(An accurate description of the onset of depression…..)

“Why ask me? I’m just visiting reality.” — Smart Bee

We now return you to our regularly scheduled program…..

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April Fool! Again! None of the above exists, and we are all an illusion, alleged in our own minds….. Thank goodness! This day, being one of my favorite days of the year, due to its strong connection to the concept of nonsense and bozoid tendencies, is also a new beginning….

Today the future of this blog begins anew, as I will now be writing each day’s post from a different location, beginning tomorrow morning, with a Pearl that will be created on a moving train, as I speed through the Northwest toward Oregon… I’m looking forward to it with great anticipation…. Until then….. Y’all take care out there, and May the Metaphorse be with you…..

—

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes

I just sits.

 

gigoid

dozer3