Ffolkes,
It is never too early or too late to care for the well-being of the soul.
~~ Epicurus ~~
Perfectly imperfect….
Hajime…. We humans do tend to become attached to our routines. This can make the process of evolution somewhat uncomfortable, unless we practice the art of dealing with change phlegmatically, rather than passionately. Our egos get in our way enough; it’s a good thing to work on our reactions ahead of when they become part of reality, for the meeting of imagination and reality can be fraught with danger and chaotic emotions. Best to learn control before it is needed so desperately, as is often the case when reality strikes….
Since the reasons for such an opening are extremely fresh, and, thus, still volatile, I won’t attempt to explain. Suffice it to say, for our purposes here, I managed to avoid a complete meltdown long enough to complete today’s Pearl, such as it is. It ain’t Ibsen, but, it’s legit. Since I’m pretty certain I can’t do any better by keeping at it any longer, I’ll forgo my usual blather and/or nonsense, in favor of another ruthlessly short intro. It seems to work out fairly well when I do get ruthless, so, we’ll go with it today, just for form. I like it, sometimes, because I get to do this….
Shall we pearl?….
After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
~~ Albus Dumbledore ~~
~~ J.K. Rowling, The Man with Two Faces ~~
~~ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ~~
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Though not obviously, I am running late; that means we go with our default today. Not only did we spend no time thinking about it, the collection you get is the very first one listed, just so I didn’t have to spend any further time looking. Fortunately, it looks like a good one, so, please, enjoy!….
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Classical Music
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We’re going back to the archives this morning, simply because I’m lazy, and a little late; a typically human reaction, to be sure. Nonetheless, it’s also reality, so, we’ll all have to deal with it. Here is a piece from a couple years ago, with a little discussion of, well, me….
From 4/19/2014:
:GIGO: /gi:’goh/ [acronym] 1. `Garbage In, Garbage Out’ — usually said in response to {luser}s who complain that a program didn’t “do the right thing” when given imperfect input or otherwise mistreated in some way. Also commonly used to describe failures in human decision making due to faulty, incomplete, or imprecise data. 2. `Garbage In, Gospel Out’: this more recent expansion is a sardonic comment on the tendency human beings have to put excessive trust in `computerized’ data. — from The on-line Hacker Jargon File V423
Many years ago, I adopted the user name gigoid, taking it from the above definition, and adding an “id” for, of course, identification purposes; with that suffix, I am assured of human status, i.e. hominid, humanoid, etc. I chose this acronym because it is the perfect reminder of the basic integrity that is built into all computers, i.e., they can only do what we tell them to do, and cannot lie. Thus, if our results are wrong, the error lies in our input, not in the computer; this automatically cuts in half the number of places to look for the problem. I like to think that my awareness of this principle characteristic is what has allowed me to use computers without suffering many of the common difficulties such as crashes, freezes, and blue screens of death. Only once have I ever encountered one of those on my own computer, and that was the result of a virus my defenses missed… my fault, of course, I hadn’t updated soon enough…
Oh, I’ve encountered that famous blue screen before, when I worked as a computer tech back in the late 90’s, setting up LAN’s and office systems for H&R Block…. a significant percentage of machines were dead soon after coming out of the factory box. But, on my own computers, I am very careful never to break any of the basic rules that govern those kinds of mishaps…. and I owe it all to a wise choice of user name…. Well, it’s fun to think about it that way anyway….
So, who is gigoid? Well, if you’ve hung about this blog site for long, I’ve certainly given y’all enough of my inner workings to look at, in my rants, and in my old school pearls, as well as in my poetry, which is quite revealing, to me….. but, then, if it wasn’t, I most likely couldn’t write it…. Any who, to give the short answer to that question, I’ll post below some pearls that give insight into what I believe to be true, and how I try to live…. Like any weak human, I don’t always succeed at being as moral or ethical as I can be, but, I do try, and I do feel pangs of regret when I don’t, so cut me some slack, eh? Just kidding…. What I am is all what I am, though I’m not Popeye…. and these pearls are what I see in the mirror…..
“They are able because they think they are able.” — Virgil
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” — Aristotle
“An epigram often flashes light into regions where reason shines but dimly.” — E. P. Whipple
It is my firm belief that it is a mistake to hold firm beliefs. — Smart Bee
Computers can never replace human stupidity. — Smart Bee
“Do not confuse “duty” with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.
But there is no reward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad than it is with the leech who wants “just a few minutes of your time, please — this won’t take long.” Time is your total capital, and the minutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly snowball to the point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your time — and squawk for more!
So learn to say No – and to be rude about it when necessary. Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty, or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. The termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you. (This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don’t do it because it is “expected” of you.) ”
— Lazarus Long, from Time Enough for Love, by Robert Heinlein
“Do I look like someone who cares about what God thinks?” — Zippy the Pinhead
Well, that’s enough about me…. Hope this helps clear up any confusion, and if not, well, hey, life goes on…. all we can do is all we can do, and no more….
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Unheralded Sagacity…
To many, who will not see beyond their nose
the world becomes a dangerous place,
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose,
no magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.
Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years,
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.
Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
Oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt
Strength is found in an unfettered mind,
Cry “freedom” with a great shout.
No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.
Illumination…..
~~ gigoid ~~
4/17/2013
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Naked Pearls
Random Thoughts
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“Iyam what Iyam.”
~~ Popeye ~~
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“The worst fear is the fear of living.”
~~ Theodore Rosevelt ~~
*******
“Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go;
it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.”
~~ Alice M. Swaim ~~
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“The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life.
I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy
– I mean that if you are happy you will be good.”
~~ Bertrand Russell ~~
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“Hope cannot be said to exist, nor can it be said not to exist.
It is just like the roads across the earth.
For actually there were no roads to begin with,
but when many people pass one way a road is made.”
~~ Lu Hsun ~~
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“It is not the one with many possessions who is rich,
but the one who has no needs.”
~~ Philoxenos ~~
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“Dogs like us, we ain’t such dogs as we think we are.”
~~ Ernest Borgnine ~~
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Today’s Pearl has been brought to you through the auspices of ego-driven need, supported by the echoes of madness which drive my bus. In the further interests of time-management, I shall bid thee adieu, until tomorrow, when I’ll make another attempt at rationality, whether it’s advisable, or not. Advice is usually worth what one pays for it, so, we’ll go for broke without it. See y’all then, should the Space/Time Continuum continue to cooperate….
Y’all take care out there,
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….
“The opposite for courage is not cowardice, it is conformity.” or “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself.”….I will stop there before I give myself a headache…LOL Liszt is a bit too boudoir for today… hope you have a good day and can get caught up…..chuq
After listening to the selection today, you might be right. It’s a little romantic; long versions of Chopsticks and other Liszt faves. But, it got done, so, I’ll take it….
I’m thinking ‘caught up’ may be an oxymoron, or, impossible, take your pick. But, I keep plugging away at it… for what it’s worth. Managed to get caught up to your posts yesterday, I think…
You have a good one, too, amigo. Take an extra Norco & a nap, if you can…
See ya
gigoid
Having found my friend in Jordan we are getting caught up….he has some horror stories about Syria….glad to see he is still above ground….I needed some Country Joe & Fish….got my mojo working hard…LOL chuq
Love the music. Blogging it.
Very cool. Good to see ya….
gigoid
You may not have been around when I pointed out revolution was necessarily bloody; hence, evolution was a a good choice, regardless of the pain involved. I would prefer to evolve than revolt against the stagnancy of society.
Liszt makes me want to smack a piano instructor. In its simplicity, all students are put to its task. It reminds me far too much of John Phillip Sousa in that regard. IJS
Virgil is a good example of what vexes me of humans. Truly. Even when mistaken, the zealousness leads to a mistaken impression: They succeeded because they fail to know they have not. IOW, if they believe the task is complete, it is. Ugh.
Smart Bee for the win. Twice.
May well be my favorite of the Long diatribes in TEFL.
Love the poem. Sagacity is often mistaken as insanity by those whose minds are closed and/or small. It leads to Teddy’s quote.
Courage is not the survival of seemingly insurmountable tasks; instead, courage is facing the insurmountable with the knowledge defeat is nothing more than a learning mechanism. ~ Red Dwyer
Lu sees hope the way I see borders.
Ta,
xxx
I’d comment on such a brilliant comment, but, first, you know that, and second, everybody would get tired of me saying ‘brilliant’…. *grin*
I’ll merely pick one, to admit the quote on ‘duty’ from Lazarus IS my favorite; moreover, I consider it as close as anything to defining my outlook about most everything.
I’m glad you found stuff today; I do try to pack in as much stuff as I can, and you do find it all…
See ya, love….
xoxo
gigoid
OH Lord.. who moved
the cheese.. ain’t that the
truth of the flower who
never learns
to SinG
and DancE
in tHe Rain
and SnoW
free as
barefoot
goes..
“Iyam what Iyam.”
~~ Popeye ~~
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“The worst fear is the fear of living.”
~~ Theodore Rosevelt ~~
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“Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go;
it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.”
~~ Alice M. Swaim ~~
And these three wise phrases
that perhaps start and end best
with Popeye and God sAMe
that always beginS noW
anew aGain real..
wHo sPeaks no
sAMe Language
of what official
books
and
cheese
that stales
as old as not
so well.. WiLL
otherwise Love to
do all fresh.. in new
horizons of fearless
living now.. so how
to do.. how to do..
as instruction
manuals
might
say beyond
walls of Standard
IQ.. hmm.. so who are
the humans per ethnic
demographic who have
the highest levels of self esteem
which means they are all innately..
instinctually and intuitively filled to
the brim with human confidence beyond
socio-economic status of standard IQ
bucks developed relatively
recently in
evolution
of humans
all too.. yes.. it is
the African American male..
who has the highest levels of
self esteem and confidence
in fearless living free
now.. in ways
of innate.
instinctual
and intuitive
self esteem.. two
factors cited no different
than Tom Cat and Warrior
reproducer too.. yes in ability
to defend one’s territory and
reproductive prowess
in real time now true..
and of course
feral Tom cats
like Yellow Boy
as the Vet will
tale ya too.. are among
the most friendly of all cats
who visit the strange and new
of vet true too.. sure.. they are
wilderness tested.. and stand
their ground.. and also tend
to get the job of reproduction
done with or without the
cooperation of
other cats too..
is it no wonder
that female cats who
live in a nature rape culture
are not nearly as fearless friendly
as Tom Cats now.. of course not.. it is
cat nature.. in the wild.. to just get the
job of living done.. and of course what
sets humans apart.. is altruism and empathy
too.. as we humans can feel the pleasure and
pain of others.. and sure cats can do this too..
but not nearly as much when they are in
the wild as rough Tom boys will have
to do.. but fearless yes.. with
just another adventure
to pLay as life..
and sAdly
some males
lose this empathy too..
and fall to A culture of rape2..
ugh.. no less than stray cats too..
anyway.. still the ability to defend
oneself and the ability to attract the
opposite sex.. true.. or whatever works
as sometimes that goes too.. is the path
of Nature.. that lEts us stand tall.. and Lord
kNows.. the cat who doesn’t expand its territory
for new cheese.. will starve to death.. so.. no..
not much chance of that happening in ways of
variety of reproduction as well..
i am a very nice Yellow
boy now.. sTiLL
with altruism
E M P A T H2..
and let’s just
say my self
esteem is healthy
as understatements
may dream in a life of
lEarning skills from both
my African American Friends..
and in the spirit of Bruce Lee
and
Yellow Boy2..
with a little of the
teachings of Buddha..
Jesus.. and the Kung Fu
TV show mixed in just
for sugar and spice
and all
over
good meaSure
of couRAge and Kind2..
in Fearless Love of course..
wRite on course foR NoW2..;)
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