Ffolkes,
~~ Plutarch — Of the Training of Children ~~
Beginning/Ending
Hajime…. I’ve been taking the words of Democritus more seriously of late; walking more & sitting less at the computer. Yesterday’s rant makes it hard to walk, but, the sky is still blue, & it’s pretty easy for us humans to ignore reality, so, I’ll keep it up, as it seems to be helping me regain some of the stamina and overall healthy status I once enjoyed. It has, oddly enough, also regularized my circadian rhythm; I’m sleeping at least 8 hours each night, often 10. That, however, is playing hell with my morning habit of being up early to finish each day’s post…. Now, I have to get done the day before, or, rush in the morning to do so….
So, you’ll find some shortcuts today; my regular readers realize this means some of the Pearl will be from the archives, where, in the last four-plus years, I’ve written about eight million words upon which to draw…. Bonus! It also means I’ll be cutting some of the crap out of this section, in order to get on down the page where I can make things right, with either fresh material, or, an archived piece….. In fact, you’ve already seen how that works, which is exactly like this….
Shall we Pearl?….
“I don’t think I’m ever more “aware” than I am right after I hit my thumb with a hammer.” — Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey
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Today’s music is from the same organization I wrote of yesterday, Playing For Change, which you can find here: https://playingforchange.com/. I receive an email notice when they publish a new song, and this one was so happy, and full of so much human spirit, it was irresistible to include today…. Enjoy, ffolkes, and, consider helping them out with a donation…. It’s well worth it….
Pemba Lake
Playing for Change
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Today’s ranting material comes from the archives; I started one, but, didn’t have time to finish it…. Hence, this blast from the not so distant past…. Enjoy, such as it was…..
From 2/5/2014:
Robert Heinlein called the latter half of the twentieth century, “The Crazy Years”, with good reason…. I have reason to believe that the period of US history to which he SHOULD have applied the term might better be placed in the beginning of the current century, instead…. As proof of that, below, I offer five links, to articles on ONE news site, all of which give a pretty good estimation of the depth of the problems we have in society today…. It’s a pretty good overview of some of the issues, but one should remember to remember the irony of having to read the words they’ve written, at all…. My comments will follow each link, in parentheses to avoid confusion….
“Two rules we should always have ready,–that there is nothing good or evil save in the will; and that we are not to lead events, but to follow them.” — Epictetus (c. 60 AD) — In what Manner we ought to bear Sickness, — Discourses, Book iii, Chap. x
http://www.sfgate.com/raiders/article/2nd-Raiderette-joins-suit-over-wages-expenses-5203869.php
(In sooth, this one isn’t so crazy as sad…. In the massive pyramid scam that comprises the structure of the NFL, the bosses make billions, the players, basically a bunch of grown up kids, make millions, the lackeys (like cheerleaders, equipment managers, beer vendors, stadium workers, and all the other mundane drones working in the business somewhere…) make a few thousands, while the fans, who are paying in all of that gelt, pretty much get screwed… but, then, what would you expect of a business that engenders billions of dollars of revenue each year, while engaging in what is essentially a complicated game of tic-tac-toe, with live x’s and o’s….. Actually, the whole NFL scenario reminds me of the whole Religion scenario…. same scam, different clothes… Robes and collars in one, uniforms and helmets in the other….)
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Sochi-city-hall-orders-killing-of-stray-dogs-5200318.php
(We all knew the Russian government was crazy, as often proven by their chief crazy, Vlad, the Bad boy, Putin….. and this little exhibition of the power of expediency over compassion is a perfect example of how the leaders of society take nothing but their own agenda into account when making decisions, regardless of how those decisions may affect another living creature, canine, or simian….. They don’t give a shit for anything but themselves, in essence, and this is more proof of it, to my way of seeing things….)
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Senate-sends-farm-bill-to-Obama-5202152.php
(You know which farm bill this is, right? I’m pretty sure this is what they call the Farm Subsidy Bill, the one that distributes the BILLIONS of dollars, stolen by the government from taxpayers, to various American farmers, to supplement their income by paying them NOT to grow things…. Farmers, being PAID to NOT GROW food…. now, if that isn’t crazy, then I don’t know what the word means….)
http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/television/article/Bill-Nye-defends-evolution-in-Kentucky-debate-5202990.php
(You know we’re in trouble, as a species, when a scientific theory that has been proven beyond all doubt is STILL being questioned in public…. The fact that the debate here is taking place in a Creation Museum is one of the more ironic parts of this….. Here, in one spot, is gathered all of the major points of ignorance that are held as true by Creationists, who believe the world was created 6,000 years ago, reportedly by some aged, white-haired, Caucasian Supernatural Being, with serious busybody tendencies, (whom nobody saw, other than a few minor prophets, where they had been in the desert, happily having visions from dehydration, and experiencing beautiful, inspiring visions from consuming the desert plants…), with the aid and collusion of some of history’s most accomplished con men, in support on the ground…. The mere fact that the matter under discussion here is still being questioned, by ANYONE, is the most ironic, and the saddest part of this one….)
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Slain-Napa-girl-kept-in-suitcase-freezer-police-5204040.php
(I’m pretty certain I don’t need to comment at all here, though I will; this story is infused with craziness…. The sheer insanity of this couple’s journey into methamphetamine hell, turned them from being human, into monsters…. I lay the blame for this death squarely at the feet of the BRC, as more proof of the failure of their “War on Drugs”….. Hell, from what I can see, everything the BRC has ever done to fight drugs has only worsened the problems that produce the drug use in the first place…. The drug use that is endemic in the lower reaches of the financial scale in our society is a direct result of the widening gap between the rich and the poor…. The sense of futility and hopelessness that goes with living in poverty, (and I know it’s real, having been there….) leads to despair, and drugs often seem like the only way to forget it all for a while….. Deal with THAT issue, the financial gap, and there MIGHT be some improvement in that area of societal behavior…. It’s obvious by the last 50 years that the current attempts to deal with drug use is NOT working….)
There you go ffolkes, a compendium of evidence that goes to prove how insane society has become…. I wish us all the best of luck in the coming years…. We are going to need it, badly….
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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 ~~
10/7/2012
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but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”
~~ Buddha ~~
**********
“If what Proust says is true,
that happiness is the absence of fever,
then I will never know happiness.
For I am possessed by a fever
for knowledge, experience, and creation.”
~~ Anais Nin ~~
**********
“You will know unexpected happiness.
You will know the sorrow
of seeing what is dearest to you cut down before your eyes.
Accept that
That is the nature of human existence,
and you have no time to buffer this fact
with fairy tales and illogical explanations.”
~~ Deng Ming-Dao ~~
**********
“I always look outside myself for strength and confidence,
but it comes from within. It is there all the time.”
~~ Anna Freud ~~
**********
“All virtue is summed up in dealing justly.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
**********
“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.”
~~ William Makepeace Thackeray ~~
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“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
~~ William Shakespeare ~~
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“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
~~ Anais Nin ~~
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“I don’t have all the answers, just those that count.”
~~ gigoid bee ~~
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In spite of the natural and unnatural handicaps with which the morning has burdened our existence, this Pearl is done. I can only say hallelujah, and, be grateful it isn’t any worse than it is…. Not that it’s bad, necessarily, but, I don’t think we’ll need to notify the Pulitzer committee to convene any time soon…. On that deprecatory note, I shall bid thee adieu for another 24 or so hours…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes; there doesn’t seem to be any choice in the matter for me….
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 
“walking more & sitting less at the computer” … That IS the answer. I was just asking someone today, “Why don’t we talk to trees more?” We really should. They’re far smarter than humans.
I love this sentence: “It has, oddly enough, also regularized my circadian rhythm”
from “Intelligent Crimes” —
“as beauty and joy are left by the way,
ignored and reviled by the unwashed masses
who prefer darkness, and acting like asses” … Ha!
“happiness is the absence of fever” … It really should be. I was just reading about sirenomelia last night, thinking how bless our family is because our children are so healthy. Really, what greater happiness can be known? We just get numb to the richness of having strong bodies, enough food, clean(ish) living conditions. It takes experiencing tragedy to teach us what happiness could have been, had we not turned a blind eye to its presence.
“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.” … How true THAT is!
_____
Can you believe I knew you once, and yesterday, accidentally stumbled upon your name on another blog I frequent? Kismet. I’m thrilled to reconnect.
P.S. I LOVE Oscar the Grouch! 🙂
Zoe,
I do remember the name, though it is far enough in the past to have forgotten the details… Welcome back to ECR, aka gigoid’s folly… I’m glad you enjoyed today’s mess… such astute comments are always welcome….
Hope your new year is filled with joy and peace….
Oscar is the hero of ALL true curmudgeons…. He just has a funny way of showing his Love of people, that’s all….
😉
gigoid
Precisely. He’s so misunderstood. He’s just been hurt, so he’s learned to be mean first. It’s an off/ensive defense-mechanism.
Maybe…. or, he’s just a natural-born grump, like many of us today….
😆
g, t d
Perhaps.. now i am a polar
bear.. i danced in the new cold
wind last night.. block around
our household road.. with
shorts and T-shirt..
aside neighbors
in their
sweatered
attire and slept
fourteen hours with
several laying waking
sprints on youtube breaks
but at least 10 hours of sleep
out of all of that.. where four
hours is usually
a Summer
Cycle
for me..
or Winter
that never
becomes Summer
as it were until
yesterday
again..
but anyway.. whomever
invented the sitting human
attached to a box.. certainly plays
the craziest story that any so-called
primitive human could dream up..
for one connected to Nature..
just ask a kid from
the 60’s.. nah
mama
i ain’t
coming
in until the
last second of
Sunshine goes
away..
use it
or lose it applies
to all that is life of human
being.. and use the stuff that
is not human.. and sure.. lose the being…
yeah sure.. people are alike all over until they are
no longer
people..
we are our
environment..
i for one choose
Nature and Human
as much as possible
too.. my friend gigoid..
the Sun just came out
finAlly after
days..
over and
out and free
again my friend..:)
Well said! grin…
I choose nature over humans…any day of the week….
I like watching my little friends who inhabit the garden….wood lice…such curious creatures……my favourite animals are the ‘old folk’
That be to you.. reptiles.. turtles iguanas..tortoise
Aahhh,the immensity of age…
Smiles.. Yes.. 55 is up tHere.. but i still can out-dance the rabbit.. But no.. i never run..;)
Tortoise…. that’s me all over….
😆
g, t d
Good to hear you are walking/sleeping again…
my turn to stay indoors…;(
Raining again there? Ah, well, Dexter will keep you company….
😉
Stay dry & warm…. & happy, if you please….
gigoid
LOL! Great image, of you dancing while the neighbors slept…. A great metaphor for society at large, I think… While the world sleeps, the poets dance!….
Yesterday, for the first time in a number of years, I walked more than two miles, straight… I’m down under 175 lbs. also, from 250 on a 5’7′ frame; only seven lbs. to go to get to my “fighting weight”, in the 168 lb. class i always wrestled & fought martial arts matches at…. I’m getting there…. slow and sure, like the tortoise….
We’re prepping here for a couple days of wet; it’s badly needed, so, no complaints…. Since I’m not the Wicked Witch of the East, and, lived in Washington State for four years, a bit of rain won’t even register on my scale of bother….
Glad you’re getting some sun; it IS Florida, so, one would think it’s time for some, even in January….
Glad today’s mess came out okay; I wasn’t really happy with how it came together…. but, it seems to have worked alright, so, I’ll take it, & try again for perfect tomorrow…. Worth a shot, anyway….
See ya, mon frere
gigoid
Wow.. that is an incredibly great
weight loss from 250 lbs.. back
to close to your fighting weight
of 175 lbs.. on 5’7″.. and great
to hear about your
expanding walks
now up to
2 miles..
hopefully that will
help much with the
pain you have been
experiencing too…
At 232 lbs.. a
weight a
skinny
string
bean kid
will never imagine
to make.. i feel lighter
than ever with the art
of dance.. but no
i do not look
like a dancer
but who
cares..
it is the
feeling inside
that counts.. and truly
it has made me stronger
in so many ways inside and
out than i could have ever imagined
before.. i once had a life guard working
for me.. a Vietnam Vet and retired Parole
Officer at age 65.. who could run circles around
the other twenty-something life guards he supervised
under my supervision then.. me getting pudgier
at around 200 lbs.. then still around 6 feet..
softer in the middle
and unsteady on
my feet and gait..
and then i found out
he was a performance level
ballet dancer.. and that was
his source of strength to out
run and out swim folks a third
of his age.. additionally he was
one of the most balanced.. calm
and happy people i have ever met..
yes.. obviously his secret was in plain
sight.. the exercise of full body balance…
At that point i would have never imagined
i would dance again..
and the thought
of folks
less than
half my age
naming me the
MVP and now
dancing legend
of the Pensacola
area.. was the farthest
thing imaginable and certainly
an impossibility to me then.. and now
the greaTesT thing of all is none of this
was ever a goal.. just one step at a time
starting in reverse.. and now the butterfly
of me sings and dances floating and flying
on
terrestrial
land once again..
The E.T. i once was
flies free on Earth..
And sure 11 million
words.. where the
unfathomable
pain
in right
eye and ear..
started that
Tsunami of
words
to go along
now with the
steps.. my friend gigoid…
Most people in real life don’t
know any of the story further
than steps of dance.. but sure..
they can find out more with
a link
online.. hehe..
LOTS MORE..;)
10-4 to all of that, mon ami…. Balance is essential. I lost the weight using only discipline and common sense eating…. all while going through a year of opioid withdrawal…. Miserable times, but, slow and steady, I am resuming my path on the warrior/scholar trail…. My pain IS better, thanks to cannabinoids in the proper amount to heal the underlying issues… It may never be ALL gone, but, it is now again manageable with only mindfulness and will…..
When I get to FLA, we’ll dance on the beach in the sun, together, eh? Sounds like a plan….
I’m on my way out to walk some more… possibility of rain ain’t gonna stop me any more….Next month, Leelu will come with me…. if the training goes well…. and, it will…..
Love…
Ned, aka, gigoid, friend to Katie and FRiEnD…..
😉
Smiles.. Again..
with grace and
gratitude..:)!
“A good laugh is sunshine in a house.”
~~ William Makepeace Thackeray ~~
I remember Putin’s face when he got Snowden…hahahaha It was a pleasure to behold…
loved it…the cat who got the cream…good old Putin!
grin
I think Thackeray is going to be the most popular pearl today, with good reason and my full agreement….
Didn’t see that shot, but, it’s easy to imagine…. Now THAT’s serendipity, what? Putin is one of my favorites, as insane world leaders go; at least he puts on an interesting show…. and, I suspect he is more honest than most of his ilk….
*sly grin*
(Or, should that be ‘groan’ ?….)
😉
gigoid
At least as chuq say’s …..’ya know where you stand with him’
It was indeed a sight to behold…. the yanks must have been choking on their saliva hahahaha
In the famous words of Curley, “I soitanly hope so….”
*big grin*
gigoid
Currently limited to tiny keys on smart phone in sand and sun.. will need two hands of typing later to bRing all the words over to visit..hehe.. Ugh.. it’s like playing the piano with one finger..;)
Have to agree; I hate to text on phones…. damn things are so bloody tiny. I use a stylus most times, or, give up & use the voice activated system…both a PITA….
No worries; if I’m not here, I’ll catch up….
Have fun in the sun & sand….
g
🙂
That was long. 🙂 Too many points to consider mentioning taping on a little phone.
What jumps?
Time in that real reality.
Shakespear quote.. always a plus.
um … blank now.. its late here! The essence? The last bit. For all my life I heard… sometimes, I just sits and thinks… sometimes I just… sits. That sentence passed away three months ago inside me whem my dad died. I passed away for a while. Still pieces missing.
You gave a sliver back… thank you Sir.
Belinda.
You’re entirely welcome; I’ve used it as my sig for over twenty years. I still don’t know who originated it, but, I first saw it on a poster, with just a stool, when I worked in the mental health field, around 198o or so….
I’m glad you enjoyed today’s mess; they’re mostly pretty long, I’m afraid. I tend to pontificate often…. comes with the territory, I guess, as a free thinker who’s kept his thoughts to himself for many years….
I can empathize with losing your dad; mine passed in ’85…. Still miss him, but, I realized he’s still there, right behind my right shoulder, watching, & then it became ‘okay’…. They never really leave us, inside….
Take care, & happy new year….
gigoid
Makes complete sense 🙂