As if it wasn’t already obvious we’re doing so, no doubt, as a standard policy. That, frankly, would be untrue, and, unkind as well, so, let’s not even go there, eh? But, wait, there’s more! Not just more, but, way more, which is probably not much better than less, especially on such a morning when making any sense out of what you will see is, pretty much, a wash. Yep, in fact, I am sure…. No, make that, I’m positive, we won’t be seeing a lot of the common sort of sense today; nonsense seems to be the order of the day…. Unless, of course, we get some coffee soon…..

What the hell was that? I’ve downed a couple sips, & went back over the above…. If I weren’t a professional, I’d start over….

Wait! Nobody’s paying me for this, so, I’m NOT a pro…. Whew….. Okay, I’ll start over.

Hajime…. Hmm. Nope. I don’t think that’s gonna do for our purposes today, either….. Especially since, as I began to start thinking about what to put in, that might possibly save this from complete disaster, I realized NOBODY could do that…. This one, I can see, is, frankly, and earnestly, too, hopeless, and should be abandoned as quickly as possible…. Hence, the small device you see in my hand…. Oh, right… You can’t see my hand…. Oh, well, that’s okay, this is beyond help anyway…. In fact, I’m going to shut the fuck up, now, until further down the page a bit…. See y’all at the oyster beds….

Shall we Pearl?….

Note from 2015: I’ve made some minor changes, involving what I’ve learned about grammar, and good writing, since 2004, not to mention small changes to formatting to fit into current software and blogging requirements; technology has jumped another 50 years in the past 11…. None of the ideas were altered at all…… In fact, I can see traces in there of gigoid’s latest efforts…. or, rather, the germinating seeds of those incredible messes efforts…. Enjoy!

“The nature of the Universe is Change. Unpredictable, innovative transformation of reality is the Norm. If you have a problem with this, you’re in for a rough ride in Life.” (Some of you may have heard this previously.) The opposite possible reaction is also true, that is, flexibility in the face of change tends to smooth out even the most turbulent situations. Consider this also: each of us differs in our reaction to changes in the world around us, giving rise to even more variables, (often called the “spice of life”).

Fortunately, or in some cases, unfortunately, each new situation also creates new choices for us to make. Choices create opportunities, both good and bad, each of which may perhaps necessitate even more changes. This “hall of mirrors” effect can make reality a slippery concept, and can obviously produce a great deal of confusion. Very frequently we are left feeling as if we were going through life without any real control over what happens to us, internally, or, externally.

As may be surmised by the above, I’ve felt this way myself at times. There is soooo much information out there, and so little time to comprehend even a significant portion of what is available, it’s no wonder the whole world seems uneasy, confused, and struggling, most of the time. The rapid advancements in computer technology over the last quarter century have certainly aided in narrowing the gap, by providing the means to manipulate more and more data, faster and faster. Far from easing our sense of lack of control, however, this increased capacity for data manipulation can bring about further feelings of being out of touch, as our own ability to process the data we perceive is outstripped by the seemingly endless parade of information made accessible by new and faster machines.

Since there is more information than we can possibly utilize, how, then, can we make the best use of what we are able to absorb? To be brutally honest, I don’t know of any sure-fire answers. I know that I spend at least four hours a day just trying to stay abreast of the latest news that interests me (i.e., sports, computers & technology, food & dining, community & culture, business, etc.), and I constantly have the feeling that I’m missing a lot, even though I consider myself to be pretty efficient at processing information.

Modern software offers a multitude of ways of condensing many different information sources into one easily accessed program, such as web portals/directories, email newsletters, RSS feeds, news services, bulletin boards, forums, and many other formats. This is where the choices I mentioned become critical. Each person has to decide how they prefer to receive and process information, and choose the means appropriate to their personal learning style. I use the word ‘critical’ in the sense that it’s important to make good choices, as it is extremely easy to waste a lot of time & energy sifting through a multitude of less than optimal sources for information. The World Wide Web is HUGE, and, believe me, there are more crappy sites than good ones!

In today’s frenetic world, as it takes progressively greater efforts to keep up with daily life, it becomes attractive to many to just give up, to pay little or no attention to the integrity of one’s sources of information. It’s easier by far to NOT read the news (from numerous different sources, for purposes of verification and corroboration); for many, it is easier to sit down, stop thinking, and, listen to it on radio, or, more often these days, watch it on TV. After a hard day of work, where the need to be mentally alert is paramount, most folks don’t want to expend the energy required for reading and/or critical thought, ending up, usually, making little effort to ascertain the validity of what they see or hear. Only a small percentage of people regard thinking as relaxation, sadly enough.

Aha! At last we come to the key! The mind is not separate from the body, though we tend to speak of them as such. They are one organism, and the requirements for keeping one’s consciousness in optimal operating condition are the same as those for keeping physically healthy, to wit: adequate nourishment (accurate data), adequate rest (time for dreaming), and lots of exercise (cogitate, ponder, cerebrate, deduce, infer, reflect, reason, imagine, ruminate, invent, deliberate, meditate, consider, speculate, think!).

The last activity in the above paragraph, exercise, is indubitably the most important factor, though a balance of all three is, of course, essential to optimal health. The mind is just like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. If you don’t use it, it becomes atrophied, flaccid and weak, good for little beyond deciding whether to pop the next beer before, or, after the commercial with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

Once again, as life itself makes it clear, the choices we make in life are critical indicators of our direction, or lack of it. Those choices provide proof, personal responsibility is the ultimate deciding factor in determining the course of our lives. Choose ignorance and sloth, and life becomes an unending succession of making choices based on lowered expectations, a lifetime of limited opportunity. Choose to exercise the will, strive to evolve, and life becomes a wondrous landscape of enrichment, and, enlightenment, where everything perceived is interesting, serving as a springboard for the exploration of unimaginable vistas.

Of course, there is a great deal of middle ground between these two ideals, as with any subject involving people. It’s difficult to fit all human beans into the same jar…. we don’t always fit. I suppose it’s part of our charm to be unpredictable, rather like a pale imitation of reality itself….. It remains to be seen if we have sufficiently charmed the Universe into allowing us to proceed unmolested along the path to our destiny. Such situations seem to be self-correcting anyway, as we continue to do a pretty good job of molesting ourselves!

Well, ffolkes, it’s done. At this point, I don’t believe I’m in any condition to judge it, so, we’ll let ‘er fly on ‘er own, & see how it goes…. I know for a fact, I can do better than much of this, so, what the hell, I’ll try again tomorrow…. See y’all then, if nothing untoward occurs to prevent me from getting to the computer….