Ffolkes,
~~ Kirk, “The Wrath of Khan,” stardate 8130.3. ~~
This artist’s concept released April 17,…This artist’s concept released April 17, 2014 by NASA/JPL-CALTECH depicts Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-size planet to orbit a distant star in the habitable zone. The hunt for potential life in outer space has taken a step forward — an international team of researchers has confirmed the existence of the first Earth-sized planet within the “habitable” zone of a star. The exoplanet dubbed Kepler-186f was first spotted by scientists using NASA’s Kepler telescope, according to research published Thursday in the US journal Science. == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: “AFP PHOTO HANDOUT-NASA/JPL-CALTECH/ T. PYLE “/ NO MARKETING – NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS NO A LA CARTE SALES / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ==T. Pyle/AFP/Getty Images
Earth-like exoplanet, artist’s rendition
Image created from data taken by the NASA Kepler Deep Space Telescope- @ nasa.gov
Good morning…. In the outer reaches of the galactic spiral, circling a small yellow star, on a small, blue/green planet, an old man sat, gazing in blank confusion at the screen of a computer, wondering how in the universe it had come to this…. Then, of course, I woke up, to find myself again pounding the keyboard with abandon…. One of these days, when I begin this process, I’ll actually be awake, and coherent…. I don’t suppose it will make much difference; It’s been almost four years, and I still don’t have a consistent method for opening the damn thing…
Oh well…. As they’re fond of saying out on the streets, fuck it. Let’s just pretend it isn’t 0216 AM, and we’re actually happy to be up and doing…. Maybe we can fool Murphy into thinking we got the jump on him today…. Luigi! Fire it up, and get us out of here!….
Shall we Pearl?….
“Life is like quotations. Sometimes, it makes you laugh. Sometimes, it makes you cry. Most of the time, you don’t get it.” — Smart Bee
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Pictures of The Who are apparently very well protected; trying to find one that did not require some sort of major attribution took forever, and, was ultimately unsuccessful. The logo above is from the home site for the band, advertising their 50th year anniversary tour, joining The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and a number of old rock bands in celebrating a half-century of making music…. Here for your enjoyment is an older concert, from 1970….. Enjoy!….
The Who
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Most days, in this section, if I’m not going to rant, I’ll use an older piece. Guess what?
Yep. It’s another selection from the archives, but, relax…. No ranting today. It is now 0352, & I’ve been up for over two hours, having been driven from my very comfy bed by the ache in my joints, enough to keep me from staying asleep, or, getting back to sleep after awakening…. If I attempted to rant, there is no telling what might happen; my brain is so fatigued, the defensive restraints on my deepest feelings of anger and frustration at the world are not merely weakened, they’ve been deleted. Whatever I chose to rant about probably would never be the same….
Fantasies about having any real effect on Reality aside, I really don’t trust myself today to even pick out something appropriate…. So, here is an entire Pearl from the early days here on WP, before I’d developed/evolved the current format… It will do…. Enjoy the break, ffolkes…
From 10/15/2011:
Ffolkes,
The Sun, life-giving orb of light and warmth, which dies each night, is born again each morning, gloriously aflame with potential. As the world turns in slow majesty, a scene of aching beauty is revealed; small plants and trees stretching their leaves toward the source of warmth, creatures great and small moving over the land, greeting the day with energy and purpose, colorful birds arcing and swooping through the warming air.
Casting a jubilant look at each other, the two young boys grinned; with a cry of pure joy, they took off running toward a nearby stand of trees. Legs pounding as hard and fast as their hearts, evenly matched, they ran with abandon, startling birds and small creatures, laughing in sheer exuberance. When they came to the edge of the trees, they stopped by mutual accord. Breathing hard, they gazed into the shadows, thinking about why they had come, why they were here, filling their souls with beauty at the beginning of the day……
I’m told that constant practice makes for constant improvement, and if this is so, then I should be getting damn close to competence, if not perfection. The paragraphs above are the start of yet another story, which will most likely never be told. I write them principally to keep dross from building up in my psyche, and as a sort of contrast to the reality of the rest of the piece. An introductory bridge, as it were, carrying the reader into the realms of thought, where I can then provide you with an upgrade to the DABSDS (Defense Against B___S___ Delivery System) that comes installed in your brain. It gives me a chance to limber up my typing finger, and loosen the mental muscle, which, as we all know, is an essential precursor to the use of these peripherals without sustaining injury.
Today’s group of Pearls is an eclectic one, with a diverse, compelling batch of authors. Cultural values from all over the world, and from many (well, two or three, anyway) different ages of history are represented here; I think the variety is part of its strength. It shows, metaphorically, of course, wisdom is not limited to one book. Indeed, I believe the admixture that came together today is greatly enhanced by the contrast of ideas, creating a more powerful effect upon the reasoning mind….. Hope you enjoy!….
“If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.” — James Thurber
“The only real failure in life is the failure to try.” — Smart Bee
“It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness. There is no such thing. Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment. They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.” — Deng Ming-Dao
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know.
But I do not approve.
And I am not resigned.
~~ Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Dirge Without Music” ~~
“Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of–but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.” — Lazarus Long
“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” — Emily Dickinson
Trust yourselves, my friends, so that ye may trust one another….. Y’all take care out there…..
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When I was in my teens and twenties, I wrote some poetry. When I look back on it, I wonder why, because it was pretty bad. I gave up trying to write any at all, aside from an occasional haiku, which I’ve always found to be rather simple to create…. When I retired, & began writing more, I still had no urge to try my hand at it again, until I started writing this blog, and reading a lot more poetry myself… In late 2012, around August, a poem burst out, and I’ve been writing more ever since…. This wasn’t the first to come out after my long hiatus, but, one of the first few, for sure…. Enjoy, please….
Sizzle, sizzle, crash, bang, boom.
Intellect burning with subsequent doom.
Lingering long over decisive style,
Whistling up chaos all the while.
Such frozen thoughts may shatter,
Should we infer, but, no matter.
Firing blanks is children at play
Blooded sages all gasp in dismay.
Nonsense is good sense at times
Mundane objectives trip lightly in rhymes.
Fallen angels dance on a pin
Until each sinner enters within.
Fast moments with natural rain
Bring ashes, yet still must remain.
Final thoughts clamor for more
Find them only on a far distant shore.
~~ gigoid ~~
Written 9/6/2012.
Well, it’s a start….
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If this pearl, and Pearl, had struggled any harder to NOT get done, I’m not sure what I would have had to do. Now that I look at that statement, I’m even more impressed with the strength of the resistance, as it has completely discombobulated me…. and, isn’t THAT a great word? Discombobulated. Say it out loud to yourself…. Isn’t that cool?
Anyway, this pearl tried very hard to not get posted; don’t ask me why, because I don’t even WANT to know…. In addition, it came out a little funny…. not ha, ha funny, either. In fact, I think it would be best, at this point, to just let it speak for itself, for whatever good it will do…. Enjoy, ffolkes; if nothing else, it’s a nice little trip into fantasy land…. Well, except for the fact it’s mostly talking about Life and Reality…
“I like life. It’s something to do.” — Ronnie Shakes
“A good place to start is where you are.” — Charles Wolf, Jr.
“Our own heart, and not other men’s opinions form our true honor.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“Don’t teach your children what to think; just teach them to think.” — Tannenbaum
“Not all who wander are lost.” — J. R. R. Tolkien
“Except for our thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power.” — Descartes
“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” — Albert Einstein
“Don’t worry about a thing because every little thing is gonna be alright.” — Bob Marley
“So as this only point among the rest remaineth sure and certain, namely, that nothing is certain. . .” — Pliny The Elder
Actually, that’s not bad… not bad at all….
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We are unsure of just what happened here today, but, remain confident in our heart all will be well, if we only stay the course. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by your expectations of quality you would find here; it’s not our fault Reality does not respond to even our royal ministrations. You may, if you wish, apply for a refund, but, good luck. (I’m using the royal/3rd person ‘we’ to avoid full personal responsibility for the above; it’s intended to distract y’all from blaming me for this…. Did it work?….)
All that said, in place of the standard disclaimer, I think I should let this one go to it’s fate. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes, when we find out the latest in the ongoing war of nerves called Life at Large…. It’s the only game in town, so we may as well learn to play.
To honor that intention, I leave you today with a final thought, which may happen now and then around here. It’s a good one to start the day….
“Despite its suffix, skepticism is not an “ism” in the sense of a belief or dogma. It is simply an approach to the problem of telling what is counterfeit and what is genuine. And a recognition of how costly it may be to fail to do so. To be a skeptic is to cultivate “street smarts” in the battle for control of one’s own mind, one’s own money, one’w own allegiances. To be a skeptic, in short, is to refuse to be a victim.” — Robert S. DeBear, “An Agenda for Reason, Realism, and Responsibility,” — New York Skeptic — (newsletter of the New York Area Skeptics, Inc.), Spring 1988
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
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, the dubious
The *only* duly authorized Computer Curmudgeon.
PLEASE STOP READING THIS MESSAGE NOW.
“SCRAM!!!!!!!!!!”- Oscar the Grouch
À bientôt, mon cherí….
“It is a misconception that spirituality brings everlasting happiness. There is no such thing. Sadness still comes to the wise, but, unlike most people, their clarity of mind allows them to see beyond the temporal emotionalism of the moment. They are farseeing, and so happiness and sorrow become the same to them.” — Deng Ming-Dao
True.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know.
But I do not approve.
And I am not resigned.
Down ,Down, Down into the Darkness of the Grave
Gently they go.
The Beautiful
The Tender
The Kind
I do approve
I am resigned…
For many
I speak.
Great comment…. I think Dame Edna would like it…
😉
Resignation….
The acceptance of something undesirable but inevitable:
Peace bro…
The word often misunderstood.