Ffolkes,
~~ Brian’s Mum ~~
Christmas in California….
Hajime…. Do you like my Christmas Tree? It’s the only one I have, so, ’twill have to do…. Now we have the niceties observed, let’s allow them to pass into memory, for the nonce, if only to find a proper beginning to what is, if I do say myself, a damn fine example of a Pearl of Virtual Wisdom, such as they are…. We’ve foregone a rant for the day, in favor of kindness. There’s a fresh poem, written yesterday, just for today’s Gentle Readers, and all those who are crazy enough to follow this outlet for all my insanity…. There’s a slick final pearl, and music to get you through it all serenely…. Not bad for an amateur, eh?….
If I talk any further on what is below, it will spoil any surprises, so, I’ll just get on with this intro, so nobody misses anything…. That said, I see I’ve done it to myself again…. Where to from here? Considering our eventual destination(s), I’m not at all certain we can get there from here. However, let no one ever say I retreated from a challenge to my ability to fill up a page…. If I must retreat into nonsense, or gibberish, in order to get us the required distance from the opening quote, why, then, that’s what I’ll fucking do… I will try not to say fuck again…. Oops…. Oh well, let’s move on shall we? (In short, oh, fuck….)
There, how’s that for the obligatory silliness we all know and love so well… Okay, so, some of us don’t…. Too bad; today, this is what I’ve got, and, if we want to get to the meat of the matter, y’all had best just shut the pie holes, and hang on the best you can, because, now, I’m on a roll, and, it’s entirely possible I’ll never even find the end of this sentence, which has already gone at least a line and a half too far for comfort, or even joy…. Whew, made it! What a PITA!
Thank whomever you care to, we made it. Now I’ve gotten the worst of the idiocy out of the way, I thing we can go enjoy the rest of today’s mess… I’ll use one of our infamous Tardis toys…. Ooh, this one is fun! Hold on; this won’t hurt, and it’s wicked fast; we’ll be there before you can blink twice….
Shall we Pearl?….
“To be sensual is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the breaking of bread” — James Baldwin
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Since today much of the Western world is celebrating their particular beliefs in the divinity of a dead social reformist, in whose divinity I place no credence, I’ll not torture anyone with a bunch of music we’ve all heard since birth, that now is getting rather crusty and disagreeable, for me anyway…. Since I also do not believe any of the other religious philosophies to contain anything close to what exists in the real world I live in, we won’t go with any other type, except one…
You see, as far as I know, Gautama Buddha never claimed any sort of divinity for himself; his philosophy had more to do with our inner beings than how we perceive the outer world, which is, admittedly a scary place, thus setting the stage for the general run of religions to offer their own set of beliefs in a divine creator as a way to answer humanity’s questions as to what happens after death…. Buddha didn’t worry much about that; like everything else in this Reality, he figured we each make our choices, which lead us wherever they take us; no supernatural intervention was deemed necessary to fulfill the requirements needed to achieve this sort of enlightened state….
All that said, as carefully as possible to avoid offense to anyone’s beliefs, we’ll have a bit of Zen meditation music today, to honor what I believe to be the closest philosophy to Reality, Buddhism, as practiced, and modeled perfectly, by the XIVth Dalai Lama of Tibet, whose only religion, by his own words, is Kindness…
Or, as John, and the rest of the lads sung, “All you need is Love….” Enjoy the peace, ffolkes; meditation not required….
Zen for Christmas
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As a gift for the season, today, there will be no ranting…. Instead, I’ll go all the way back in the archives, for one of the earliest Pearls I posted on WordPress. I’ve cleaned up the formatting, to reflect what I now know, of how to make the posts LOOK the way I want them. Other than that, it’s just the same little weird story line I came up with to begin that day’s post…. It’s an odd one, I know, but, once you get to the punch line, you’ll laugh, no matter how disgusted with the rest of it you may be…. Any bets?
The short, short-story is followed by a most excellent group of pearls, a necklace of gems, for sure…. Enjoy your gift, ffolkes; it, and my love, and best wishes for a happy, peaceful winter go out to each and every one of my Gentle Readers…. May these words of the Dalai Lama guide your steps, and hearts….
From 9/7/2011:
Ffolkes,
The morning fog was lifting as she stepped outside; the day promised to be bright and hot. Another perfect late summer day in northern paradise; day after gorgeous day had paraded by, seemingly oblivious to the oncoming autumn, lulling the world into a drowsy complacency. Moving briskly, the young woman walked up the street toward the old part of town, past lovely old Victorian homes pressed between newer apartment buildings, and on into the busier streets leading to her morning’s destination.
As she passed others on the street, she looked away, toward the shop windows already sporting fall colors, avoiding any eye contact that might prompt a response, or slow her progress. Just ahead she could see the sign proclaiming “Eats!”, and the crowd of people outside, waiting and hoping for an opening inside. As she drew abreast of the door, she could see the people inside, talking, laughing, eating; she could see the staff rushing from table to table, pouring coffee, delivering food, frantically trying to keep abreast of the horde of orders and demands. She thought to herself, “they won’t have to do that much longer!”.
With that thought, she drew the homemade, baseball shaped bomb from her pocket, twisted the knob at the top, and calmly bent over to roll it across the floor toward the kitchen in the rear of the room. She turned away from the door and walked quickly away, twenty steps, then thirty…. Then, BOOM!, the device exploded, sending large pieces of building and people flying into the street, along with most of the crowd in front. As she strolled away she thought to herself, “That’ll teach ’em to burn my bacon!”…….Justice had prevailed…..
Okay, so they can’t all be classic literature. You try to come up with something new every day, and see how easy it is….NOT! Days such as this one it all comes down to whatever pours out onto the screen; I don’t consciously direct the process, but just let it flow. Sometimes it works, and others, well….not so much. You can decide for yourself, I’m sure…..and I’m sure you will. In the meantime, I like this little group, especially the little poem from Emily; it’s a perfect example of why her level of excellence is difficult to reach. Simple words, strung together in a seemingly random fashion, and POW, the idea smacks you right upside the head. Good stuff…..
And the bad is the material from which the good may learn.
He who does not value the teacher,
Or greatly care for the material,
Is greatly deluded although he may be learned.
Such is the essential mystery.
~~ Lao-Tzu (fl. BC 600) ~~
**********
“What seems to be no test, no struggle, is the most deceiving test of all.”
~~ Ezra Taft Benson ~~
**********
“And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
~~ The Beatles, The last lyric of their last song ~~
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A word is dead
When it is said
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.
~~ Emily Dickinson ~~
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“I cannot achieve complete humility — although complete humiliation is always within reach.”
~~ Dan Goodman ~~
(I resemble that remark!…)
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Doing it the hard way is always easier. — Murphy’s Paradox
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Easier, perhaps, in the long run; it is always so hard to know which way is the hardest. It’s why Murphy is so successful at what he does; reality seems to cater to him, and lets him have his way all too often…..SIGH….. Y’all take care out there…..
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Affordable, these moments in time,
all quite free, not costly, nor for sale at all.
Merely more misspent periods making rhyme.
seeking a peaceful heart, as my words fall.
A price, many will tell you, or me,
is due for every transaction.
In truth, everything you see is free;
Illusion seldom offers any real satisfaction.
Some also tell us we need some sort of god,
we’re told ’tis the only path to immortality.
On the path I’ve followed, that seems rather odd;
I’m quite happy with honorable mortality.
Some days it gets a bit lonely, for a bit,
out here in the cold light of reason.
Solitude is, however, well worth it;
Love, felt and treasured, gives warmth all season.
I suppose one could easily say,
this poem is the only gift I’ll give.
If I can teach love and kindness with the words I say,
such will be fine; it’s enough to live.
Happy Winter to All…
~~ gigoid ~~
12/24/2015
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Lessons of Life/Death
One coin, two sides.
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“Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.”
~~ Edward Abbey~~
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“I am pleased to see that we have differences.
May we together become greater than the sum of both of us.”
~~ Surak of Vulcan, “The Savage Curtain,” stardate 5906.4. ~~
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“Any man whose errors take ten years to correct is quite a man.”
~~ J. Robert Oppenheimer, speaking of Albert Einstein ~~
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“It’s possible to use karate against a swarm of plankton–but it won’t help.”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
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“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 ~~
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“… don’t you know that there are things, in the best of us,
which no outside should dare to touch?
Things sacred because, and only because,
one can say: ‘This is mine’?
Don’t you know that we live only for ourselves,
the best of us do, those who are worthy of it?
Don’t you know that there is something in us which must not be touched
by any state, by any collective, by any number of millions?”
~~ Kira Argounova ~~
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“A heart in love with beauty never grows old.”
~~ Turkish Proverb ~~
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“Let us overthrow the totems, break the taboos.
Or better, let us consider them canceled.
Coldly, let us be intelligent.”
~~ Pierre Trudeau ~~
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“Death the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening.”
~~ Sir Walter Scott ~~
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I do love it when a plan comes together, to steal from the Colonel…. We’re done here, so, I will go now. Promise. In keepong with the spirit of the season, and, since there haven’t been any injuries reported, I’ll play nice, ending this here. I will, however, try to do this again tomorrow….
We now return to our regularly scheduled cat-pampering…. See y’all in the mornin’, ffolkes; that’s the only warning shot I’ll fire…..
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….
gigoid 
SIGH….
Two letter typos, and four or five spaces dropped; not a bad day for the WP editor vs. gigoid in the ongoing struggle to find perfection…. Ah well, we’ll just assume Murphy was playing nice, and go on with the rest of the day….
Have fun, ffolkes; I hope you enjoyed your Dos Regalos… hopefully they’re now precioso….
gigoid, the dubious
😎
I love your Christmas tree! Merry Christmas!
🙂
Thanks; it works for me…. Have a joyous holiday!
gigoid
SMiLes.. again.. thanks my friend for the Winter Wishes..
failing to find that Winter yet.. but sure as in all stuff
axiom #2 for continuous change.. change will
have her way eventuAlly and that
is a Thanks of Change
from me as well..
i come from
deep
deep
religious
stock.. my Grandfather
an Irish Immigrant.. a priest
at the Vatican.. then South Africa..
then Catholic Priest at a Parish
in Taylor County Florida..
where he at age 36
cannot resist
the temptation
of the eYes then..
of my 17 year old
Cajun Grandmother
who is obviously the
spice of life that
bRing great
change to
him
and of course
Leads to me.. so sure..
Thanks God of Nature for folks who
follow axiom #2 for change and refuse
to follow the footsteps of the rules
before.. so then.. he becomes
a noted author.. converting
Catholics left and right
to the Protestant way
of church
as an
Evangelist
across countries..
and also editing
a Converted Catholic
Magazine in New York
New York.. and interestingly
actually having Dinner with
Einstein.. a fellow outlier
in the Socialist
Party then..
and writing one
particularly noted
book named.. “Behind
the Dictators” indicting
the Catholic Church
scathingly.. now available
on Google in PDF for
free.. my Grandfather
truly a foe of the
Catholic Church
then.. but
me ha! nah!
human Nature in all its
diverse ways.. in all the cultural
ways of expression of essences true
or false.. does not scare me.. i understand
the human Nature of the mind who fears
verses the mind that frees..
and yes that axiom
#2 is the best
pArt.. as i for one
believe when we
unpack our genetic
epigenetic potential
in challenge of our
environments
we just
about
can
create
whomever
we wanna create
as us.. as BY the
God of Nature
we share
almost
all the
same
DNA potential
where even a weak
120 LB.. 5 foot 10
string bean
of a young
man in school
can eventually
leg press close
to a half-a-ton..
25 times..
still getting
stronger
at age 55..
So sure my friend
the magic lives inside
all gifted by the God of Nature
and for those who move ahead
instead of staying behind
beyond the skies
the limit
in minds
and bodies of us..
brought my laptop with
me to the family outing
on Christmas day.. scores
of folks arriving.. time to turn
off and tune back in to flesh
and blood my friend.. my
next blogging adventure
after completing
the “Birth
of LiGht”
post that
will comprise
over eleven thousand
words before that is said/
finished by Sunday.. then
i will join the three posts
“Last and First Verses of God”
“SonG of mySoUL”.. and
‘Birth of LiGht”.. as
one blog post
named
‘Novel Blog Post’
that will comprise
40+ thousand words
and yes literally will
be a ‘Novel Blog Post’
and without making this
connection with you.. truly
it would not likely be possible
to accomplish that by Sunday
to write that ‘novel’ iN about a
week.. Life is Good
and Now iS
better
my friend..
Gigoid.. now..
but i will have
to reduce the total
number of photos so
Word Press and my Google
Blogger blogs do not ban
me for
not
being
human..
as Algorithms
have attempted to
do in the past.. for
volume of photos
and odd word
play that
only an
‘imitation game’
of a human could
do.. but sure i am
real friend.. and
Real is the best
Human nows
of all.. WitH
imagination
for creativity
fully employed
as a beautiful
practice of Art
as well of course
wRite on course..
for now my Friend..:)
As always, a challenging pleasure to read and absorb…. Great idea re: using those posts to put together a Novel Novel; I think it would/will be a great read….
I actually do believe axiom #3, so, I find it hard to use the usual expressions we humans employ; I feel funny saying “Thank myself” for everything, instead of thank god… But, I AM thankful, for connecting to/with/from YoU….
To my perception, we, the Universe, Reality, everything we perceive, and CAN perceive, exists in Duality. There is no dark without light, no me without you, no water without dry, no peace without war…. It’s a real Pain IN OuR AsS at times, but, fighting against it is, well, just stupid, because the nature of Reality, as I noted in #2, is Change; without its opposite, it cannot be so. Thus, Life is change, Death is no-change…. from our perception…. What happens to our consciousness, the I, is the same as any other form of energy in this Universe; it changes at Death, into another form of energy we cannot perceive, for, like all forms of energy, it cannot be destroyed, only changed to another form…
Thus, there is no need to fear it, if we know ourselves well enough to NOT try to stay the same, to accept Change….
Interesting about your father’s history w/the Church of Peter, who, IMLTHO, was one of history’s biggest dicks (and I’m not talking about his penis….)…. A faithless demagogue, perverting great words of a very smart social reformer for his own ends, ending up spreading his delusions over the face of the entire earth, and perverting the progress of Humankind immeasurably….
SIGH…. Basta! I am tired from the morning training, but, have stuff to get done elsewhere than online…. I shall talk with/to y’all later on..
In the famous line from Ghostbusters
I love you, man….
But, I’m not drunk, or under the influence of ectoplasmic optimism….
😉
Later, my brother
gigoid
4am.. Novel dOne.. SMiLes.. And thanks again for all the inspiration you bRinG.. gigoid..:)
It’s a constant reinvention
What was isn’t
What isn’t is
Every time I put my feet on the ground it’s my first step into uncharted territory
It’s the grand voyage into the great unknown
🙂
Can’t argue with any of that…. so, I won’t… I’ll just add a piece of verifying opinion, to wit, axiom #2….
The Nature of the Universe is Change. Innovative, unpredictable Transformation of Reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with that, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.” — gigoid, Peruaosophy
My perception of reality seems to match your words….. Sarge didn’t raise no stupids, so, no argument here….
Sir Walter Scott had it right, from today’s post, too, which earned it the favored position, as the closing pearl of them all, for the day….
Always a pleasure seeing your comments….
gigoid, the dubious
😎