Ffolkes,
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
Shadow of an old, crooked man….
Hajime…. I’m here, typing, but, let’s not make too much of that, since it’s the same thing I’ve done almost daily for five years now. The only difference we find from day to day is how much I’ve been able to sleep the night before, which is somewhat of an unpredictable facet of my life. Today, I happen to have had, oh, maybe three solid hours, found at the hind end of the night, as usual. Such is becoming rather more consistent a happening than I’d prefer, but, what the hell, I’ve got nothing better to do at the moment, so, I may as well get this done.
In the spirit of being efficient, as well as catering to my fatigue, we will set out immediately to the oyster beds, so we can say we wasted no time. Not that anyone is monitoring, (aside from the NSA, of course, but, they only check it later, I’m sure, so, no worries…. besides, they already know I despise them and their false sense of paranoid entitlement, so, I try to say howdy at least once in a while… Howdy, assholes!…. stolen any cool data lately?), but, we know, don’t we? We do. Since that is so, why don’t we just do it like this….
Shall we Pearl?….
~~ Cicero ~~
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I know I’ve used this concert in the past, and, I won’t usually repeat most music. But, I’m in the mood for a good time, without any worries to get in the way, and, nobody throws a better party than Jimmy. I know, I’ve been to more than a dozen of them since first hearing his music in 1975, first hearing the album, Livin’ & Dyin’ in Three-Quarter Time…. Enjoy, ffolkes…. Unless you’re lacking a party gene, you’ll like this one….
Jimmy Buffett
Live in Anguilla
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~~ Edward Abbey ~~
I don’t know about all of y’all, but, in my mind, the quote above from our old friend Ed is a perfect start to a good, strong indictment of both the Beloved Ruling Class, and the unwashed masses who allow themselves to be enslaved by their own nature. It speaks quite plainly, in a short, pithy statement, how even the most intelligent folks can be manipulated by their own lack of self knowledge, bringing us to the unstable society, and uncertain future, in which we now exist. It’s a perfect lead in for an exploration of our own failures of spirit, and how they will affect us all.
But, I’m fucking tired, and can tell that any ranting I do today would go completely over the line into pure rage, so, rather than subject any of us to such a display of emotion, which would indicate a lack of personal control and knowledge which I refuse to countenance any more. So, instead, we have for y’all a nice little seven-star, old-school pearl to explore those same spiritual difficulties, in a roundabout way. The last one, of course, tells us the truth about what matters the most, for all of us…. Enjoy!….
“All politics is based on the indifference of the majority.” — James Reston
“It is fear that first brought gods into the world.” — Sagacious Bee
“The mastery of nature is vainly believed to be an adequate substitute for self-mastery.” — Reinhold Niebuhr
“If the thraskin puts his fingers in his ears, it is polite to shout.” — Doctor, The Time Monster
“36 percent of the American Public believes that boiling radioactive milk makes it safe to drink.” — results of a survey by Jon Miller at Northern Illinois University
“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” — Krishnamurti
“To laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give of oneself; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sing with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier: this is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
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In the most patient moments of rationality
kindness flows smoothly in a special milieu,
fallow thoughts speed first from equality
to give no anxious fever, anger to eschew.
Indignant mothers and step-sons in-law
shall fade simply from brilliant to grey,
intoning ritual dogma, fresh, avid, and raw,
falling, falling, in massive pastoral disarray.
Safety lives not, save brightly in ignorant bliss,
it follows us all, silent and infinitely frail,
foremost too often, soft as a virgin kiss,
alive, always eager, willing, and pale.
Intimate knowledge finds only the bold few
with courage and virtue to gift, unbidden.
No solemn royal version may pass in review,
true love for man, never to remain unhidden.
Sweet feathers of Emily’s hope uplift,
calm, drowsy episodes bursting with light,
With final glad cries we set ourselves adrift,
swimming in the oceans of natural delight.
When sorrow is banished, in ages yet to come,
roots solidly anchored, cold and remote,
Ample supplies of kindness sit silent and dumb,
and the old stranger shrugs on his faded coat.
Dreaming, then, I wait with shadows in the night
aspiring to inspire, a message from the muse’s heart
Never forgotten images, framed in color bright,
tempt me only, grieving, steeped in serenity’s arcane art.
~~ gigoid ~~
8/18/2013
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Our final old-school pearl today is a rather simple affair, speaking casually, and, likely, causally, of the qualities of Character, and, how to find & use it…. Enjoy!
“A man reveals his character even in the simplest things he does.” — Jean de La Bruyere
“If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it: Every arrow that flies feels the attraction of earth.” — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“The greatest happiness you can have is knowing that you do not necessarily require happiness.” — William Saroyan
“What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to.” — Bob Dylan
“Certainly, virtue is like precious odors, most fragrant when they are incensed or crushed, for prosperity doth best discover vice, but adversity doth best discover virtue.” — Sir Francis Bacon, Of Adversity
“A man makes no noise over a good deed, but passes on to another as a vine to bear grapes again in season.” — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus — Meditations, v, 6
“I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?” — Hermann Hesse
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Well, I did it, against all odds. So be it. To separate ourselves from the possibility of a problem developing here at the end, we shall take our leave forthwith, stage virtual, and be done with it. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Wish me luck; I’ll probably need it….
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 
Love the Bob Dylan quote. Peace and blessings. 🙂
Thanks… and, yes, it’s a good one. He’s smarter than he seems, sometimes….
😉
gigoid
I liked the album, White Sports Coat and a Pink Crustacean? “Money cannot buy love…but it can rent enough to keep you smiling”……Have a really good day and smile now and gain…LOL chuq
Thanks, mon ami, I’ll do my best…. it does take fewer muscles than frowning…
😉
You have one, as well…
See ya… I’ll be by to deliver some snark in a while…
gigoid
I look forward to it….chuq
Stars are born to output and share liGht..
at least for as long
as they live..
and as dim as i once
was.. almost bLack
of liGht..
the saving
grace then was
to water a plant
to make
iT
grow made
my life still
a star
n0
matter how
dArk the candle
i felt iN bLack
hole
soUl
then.. and
oh.. the saviors of the world..
and a story i love to tale a little
different as parables do.. when free
and not imprisoned by books.. pages..
paragraphs.. lines or words of print
of yesternows.. bound
by past authority
that no
longer should
exist.. for free..
so.. anyway.. sorry iF
you already heard it but
it will be different anyway..
hehe.. as free WiLL be
when unleashed
and released
as being
human
expreSsinG
starliGht oF eYes
within.. a dusty road..
a little boy with no words..
disabled from birth without
the ability to speak.. but a lover
of growth.. in shape of trees..
a sapling brought home
by loving mother
then.. placed
on a counter
by a lamp that shines..
the boys sees green and
wants to see more.. so he
nurtures this PLANeT
without
the ability
to speak..
water he does..
fertilizing Love..
Sunshine hope
iN eYes of Loving
Kind.. fertile ground
outside.. dig a hole
to comfort roots..
spend time
and effort
with
caring Love
and the Tree rises
broad and sTrong..
and soon provides shade
for the front porch home..
Sidewalks come.. but tree
sTill bRanches out.. Flowers
come more beautiful than before..
Students from the local school who
study trees are amazed by the beauty
of this tree.. photos are taken.. shared..
and the boys eYes shine to see what his
Love inspires.. tree no longer needs boy
to grow strong now.. and the little
boy becomes ill and his life
goes dark..
Years later..
a shy young man iS
walking this sidewalk
of the boy’s home.. and
a most beautiful dark haired
girl approaches him.. with smiling
face.. the boys eyes liGht up but what
to say.. ah.. the center piece of conversation
iS standing tAll and floweRinG more beautiful
iT seems than ever before on this March Spring
day.. a spark of instant Love is in the air..
and that begins a Love that
will last ’till death..
the shy boy becomes
confident with the Love of
his wife.. joins the Military..
and even rises to the ranks
of politics then.. Love grows
and fearless Lives..
the boy is
now a
Strong man..
and makes a decision
as a leader of the world
that prevents World War III…
Life on the PlanT now iS saved..
So who is the savior.. the boy..
the man.. the girl.. the Loving
wife.. the parents.. the schools
providing education.. the tree
or the little disabled boy
and all the
couple’s
friends
from around the
world.. well the truth
iS aLL they are.. as theRe
is no i.. me but us and we
iN
Savior
oF Life..
Moral of the
story.. water a tree
Of Life and see wHere
iT
grows
neXt
iN ocean
eYes free..:)
Beautiful, my friend; I had not heard all of it in one sitting, so succinctly. I’m glad what I write brings it out in you to share here…
😉
Tired; long way to go today…
Love
gigoid
sMiLes.. And
watering WiNKs..;)